THE BURRY MAN

1
 LAST CHRISTMAS

CREDITS
• Cover photo by Elīna Arāja on Pexels • City street at night by jwvein on Pixabay

• CD player photo by Bru-nO on Pixabay • Smoke in alley photo by StockSnap on Pixabay

• CD icon by Clkr-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay • Lodge in snow by AlainAudet on Pixabay

• 80s woman in sunglasses photo by
Victoria_Watercolor on Pixabay
• Painting of robins by navallo on Pixabay
• Lined paper by mariesmolej on Pixabay
• Christmas tree by Taisiia Shestapol on Unsplash
• Christmas presents by Ylanite on Pixabay
• Cocktails by Ralph (Ravi) Kayden on Unsplash
• Snowflake by geralt on Pixabay
• Christmas town at night by Michelle_Maria on
Pixabay
• Christmas cookies by congerdesign on Pixabay
• Heart lockets by Bru-n0 on Pixabay
• NPC portraits created using artflow.ai

Thanks to my playtesters Dhileas, Miranda and Nona - even though

they weren’t even born in 1984.

Additional thanks as ever to Storytelling Collective, Chaosium and

countless awesome people on Twitter, Discord and Mastodon.

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
The Miskatonic Repository Logo is used under license.

Last Christmas ©2022 Keith D Edinburgh

Join my mailing list for free stuff, news, special offers and more at
www.keithdedinburgh.com

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 LAST CHRISTMAS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 5 APPENDIX A - CHARACTERS AND
MONSTERS 40
SYNOPSIS 6
APPENDIX B - MYTHOS SPELL 43
CLUE MAP 8
APPENDIX C - PREGENERATED
BACKGROUND 8 CHARACTERS 44
MIXTAPE 9 APPENDIX D - HANDOUTS AND MAPS 49
PREPARING TO PLAY 9 APPENDIX E - MIXTAPE 57
THE CAST 9
DRAMATIS PERSONAE 10
LIFE IN 1984 14
INVOLVING THE INVESTIGATORS 15
GEORGE’S APARTMENT 15
THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPE 20
RESEARCHING SHIRLEY HOLLYMAN 22
THE PINK FLAMINGO 22
FINDING SALLY JONES 26
SALLY JONES 27
KENT’S HIDEOUT 28
ANDREW RIDGERTON 31
THE LODGE 33
CONCLUSION AND REWARDS 39

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 LAST CHRISTMAS

LAST
CHRISTMAS

4
 INTRODUCTION
LAST CHRISTMAS

Last Christmas is a seasonal one-shot for Call of

Cthulhu 7e which takes place in 1984 and is
suitable for a group of 3-5 investigators, ideally
with a broad mix of skills.
Inspired by the lyrics of the Wham! song of the
same name, it features a ghostly antagonist who
is – quite literally – trying to give their heart to
“someone special.”
Following the death of a mutual acquaintance,
investigators discover evidence of the
supernatural, and follow a trail of clues that
lead to a cocktail bar, the hideout of a local drug
dealer, and to a snow-bound lodge in the
foothills of the mountains.
There, perhaps armed with arcane knowledge
that will help them dispel the resurrected spirit
of Shirley Hollyman, investigators find
themselves locked in a life-or-death struggle
that threatens not only them, but the lives of
everyone in the city.
Featuring detailed maps and handouts and
accompanied by a playlist of suggested 1980s
and Christmas music to accompany the action,
Last Christmas aims to be a creepy, fun
diversion for Keepers and their players to help
them get into the holiday spirit.
Knowledge or experience of the 1980s is not
essential to enjoy the scenario. Although the
author lived through those neon-drenched years
in their entirety, the tone of Last Christmas has
more in common with movies of the era, rather
than claiming to be historically accurate.
Some basic orientation and details of the era
that affect gameplay are however presented as
part of the introductory section.

Though the setting and premise of the scenario

is relatively light-hearted, it contains themes of
mind control, oppression, hard drug use,
suicide
. and physical acts of violence.
Keepers should discuss their players’ level of
comfort
5 with such themes before embarking on
running the scenario.
 LAST CHRISTMAS
SYNOPSIS
It is close to Christmas. The investigators are
friends, acquaintances or colleagues of
Michael George, an actor who lives in the
downtown area of the city. Their particular
skills are known to George and he phones one
of them, asking for them to come round and
hear about something ‘too fantastic to talk
about on the phone’ which is ‘freaking the hell
out of him.’
When they arrive at his apartment, they find
him dead, apparently having suffered a
massive heart failure, a look of terror on his
face. They discover a strange frost-like
substance on the handrail of the fire escape,
and a number of clues that point to
individuals named Helen, Dean, Martin and
Andrew, as well as a business card for a local
cocktail bar called The Pink Flamingo. A
nosey neighbour may also give them a lead
that points to an establishment nearby named
The Christmas Shoppe.
At The Christmas Shoppe, the investigators
learn of an ex-employee named Shirley
Hollyman who matches the description of a
woman seen entering George’s apartment. At
The Pink Flamingo, they find Helen De Mack,
but she tries to kill herself before the
investigators have a chance to talk to her.
If they save Helen, she has no knowledge of
George’s death and breaks down if told. She
also has no memory of trying to kill herself,
and is completely at a loss to explain her
behaviour. Once calmed, she mentions two
individuals: Andrew Ridgerton and Martin
Kent. Ridgerton has been pestering George
wanting to meet after the two friends had a
fallout last Christmas. Kent is George’s drug
dealer, and Helen is concerned that he was in
some kind of trouble.
Kent is hard to track down, but investigators
eventually manage to locate Sally Jones,
Kent’s runner. By convincing, following or
chasing her, they find Kent’s base of
operations in a condemned theatre in a seedy
area of downtown.
Once they have got past Kent’s henchmen,
they discover the drug dealer dead, blood
pouring from his eyes, nostrils and ears and
slumped in a pile of his own product. The
door to the alleyway outside is open, where
investigators encounter a terrifying creature
made of icy mist. Kent’s office has the address
 LAST CHRISTMAS
of Dean Easton’s ski lodge, with a
considerably large delivery of ‘product’ due to
be delivered there on Christmas Eve.
Ridgerton is alone in his rented studio
apartment, driven insane by a visitation from
the ghastly resurrected form of Shirley
Hollyman. He is convinced the investigators
are demons, and tries to fight them back,
screaming that ‘she’ will bring about an
eternal winter if she manages to find what she
is looking for at ‘the lodge’, before descening
into incoherent rambling.
One of Ridgerton’s walls is covered with
evidence, ancient writings and eyewitness
accounts of the Ice Maiden, an entity that he
believes will manifest this Christmas to exact
revenge on wronged women. Knowing what
transpired last Christmas, he has been trying
to warn George and Helen without success.
His crazy wall does however contain
fragments of an incantation that can assist in
defeating Hollyman.
Another section of the wall details how
George and Hollyman were once an item, and
how she discovered De Mack and George
having sex at last year’s Christmas party at
Easton’s lodge, causing her so much anguish
she killed herself.
If the investigators travel to Easton’s lodge,
they find a trail of footprints that lead to the
main door. Once inside, they are tracked
through the lodge by ice creatures and
Hollyman, who has retrieved her heart from
Easton and is now curious as to whether any
of these strange new individuals are special
enough to warrant being given her most
precious gift.
Investigators must attempt to banish
Hollyman before she discovers they are not
‘worthy’ and goes on to inadvertently kill
thousands more in her search for ‘someone
special.’

7
 LAST CHRISTMAS
CLUE MAP
The diagram above depicts how clues, leads,
locations and people are connected, and is
provided for the Keeper’s reference.
It can be shared with players after the
scenario has been completed.
Handouts which provide clues are presented
throughout the scenario, and collected for the
Keeper’s convenience in Appendix D -
Handouts.
8
BACKGROUND
Last Christmas, Shirley Hollyman was happy.
In a steady relationship with actor Michael
George, she was looking forward to a festive
season filled with love, laughter and good
times with close friends, including another
couple, Helen De Mack and Andrew
Ridgerton.
Together with George, she attended a
Christmas party at a mountain lodge owned
by their mutual friend, the cosmetic surgeon
Dean Easton. Things started well, with
 LAST CHRISTMAS
swapping of gifts, great food and drink and
snowball fights out in the grounds. Later that
evening, however, Hollyman walked in on
George and Helen De Mack in bed, high on
cocaine and very much in each other’s arms.
Distraught at the discovery of George’s
infidelity and drug use, Shirley fled the lodge.
Her shock turned to anger, then to despair. On
Christmas Eve, she took her own life, but not
before offering up a vow to anyone or
anything listening that she would act as their
servant if granted the opportunity to exact
revenge.
Nyarlathotep, bored and displeased by the
Christmas mood on Earth, heard her plea.
And he answered. He cast dark magics that
saw Hollyman resurrected as a vengeful
wraith, able to return to life in one year’s time
accompanied by deadly Spirits of Last
Christmas, to make those who wronged her
pay for their crimes against her.
Hollyman has manifested as a wraith, with
bone white skin and tears of blood streaming
from her eyes. She appears in what she was
wearing when she took her life: a flowing
white dress and a pair of glittery red shoes
that were her ‘uniform’ at her job at The
Christmas Shoppe in the city.
As part of her ungodly resurrection, her
broken heart has been extracted from her
body and sealed in a cedar wood box.
Still holding feelings for George, she visits
his apartment and leaves the box beneath his
Christmas tree, hoping that when he opens it
he will realise the depth of his love for
Hollyman and somehow return to her.
When she returns the next day, she finds
George has given her heart away to Dean
Easton, whose medical skills are carrying out
testing on the desiccated organ to understand
where it has come from.
Enraged (and controlled in her mind by
9
Nyarlathotep), she kills George with a deathly
chill embrace, then tasks her accompanying
spirits with killing De Mack and Martin Kent,
the drug dealer who supplied George with
cocaine.
She then pays a visit to Andrew Ridgerton
to see him one last time, before journeying to
Easton’s ski lodge retreat to retrieve her heart.
Her intent is to give her heart to someone
deserving of her love. Ridgerton, driven
insane by her manifestation, did not fit the
bill. Perhaps Easton, or anyone else who
happens to be at the lodge when she returns
there, will prove to be Shirley Hollyman’s true
and eternal love, for this Christmas and all
those still to come …
MIXTAPE
Though Last Christmas is intended to be
played straight as a chilling festive ghost story
of sorts, it also strives to capture the mood
and feeling of the 1980s.
To that end, songs from the era are
suggested for key scenes, locations and
events, that are intended to add to the
atmosphere and to make the scenario even
more memorable. The full playlist is collected
and repeated in Appendix E - Mixtape.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Michael George
Actor, 27, he/him
“I know one day, I’m going to make
it big. People will remember my
name.”
Helen De Mack
Cocktail waitress, 24, she/her
“I know I’ll find a much better place,
either with or without him”
LAST CHRISTMAS
Description
Tall and strikingly handsome, George has yet to
have his big break despite his movie star good
looks.
Traits
Prone to bouts of depression caused by self-
doubt and anxiety, George has begun to combat
his low mood with drugs and alcohol.
Roleplaying hooks
Although George is dead at the beginning of the
scenario, players recall him being charming
and amusing, but also prone to periods of
darkness.
Description
Petite with dyed blonde hair, De Mack gets a
considerable amount of attention from
customers at The Pink Flamingo.
Traits
Sharp of mind and tongue, De Mack gives the
impression of always wanting to be anywhere
other than where she happens to be.
Roleplaying hooks
Investigators are likely to encounter De Mack
when they visit her workplace at The Pink
Flamingo, shortly before she is dominated by
Nyarlathotep.
10

Judy Roberts
Proprietor of The Christmas Shoppe, 47, she/her
“If it wasn’t for my little magic
elves, I don’t know where I’d be!”
Martin Kent
Local drug dealer, 34, he/him
“You want to feel extra special this
Christmas? I got just the thing for
you right here.’
LAST CHRISTMAS
Description
Roberts is of medium build with greying blonde
hair and a permanently cheerful expression.
Traits
The epitome of charm and festive spirit
towards her customers, Roberts is less
charitable when it comes to how she treats her
staff.
Roleplaying hooks
Investigators may encounter Roberts if they
follow the lead gained from speaking to
George’s neighbour.
Description
With his permanent tan, dyed blonde hair and
designer stubble, Kent embodies the look of the
80s and almost manages to carry it off.
Traits
Kent is confident and condescending,
especially when protected by his hired muscle.
Refuses to take his own product, viewing those
who are dependent on it as ‘pathetic addicts.’
Roleplaying hooks
Investigators may track down Kent at his base
of operations in an abandoned theatre
downtown. They are, however, unlikely to see
him alive.
11

Sally Jones
Drug runner, 23, she/her
“I done nothing wrong and you
can’t prove I’ve done nothing. Now
let me go or I’ll cut you.”
Andrew Ridgerton
Unemployed reclusive, 26, he/him
“She’s coming for us all, you hear
me? We’ll all be buried beneath a
blanket of ice!”
LAST CHRISTMAS
Description
Pale-skinned with long straight black hair and
a scowling expression, Jones is nimble and
quick in her movements.
Traits
Jones will assume anyone she doesn’t know is
an undercover cop. And she hates the cops.
Carries a switchblade, but only for show.
Roleplaying hooks
Investigators can learn of Jones if they ask
around downtown. They can arrange a
meeting with her if they pretend they are
interested in making a ‘purchase.’
Description
Though he is thin and gaunt with a slightly
manic look in his eyes, Ridgerton is still a good
looking man.
Traits
Driven beyond the edge of paranoid delusion,
Ridgerton is convinced everyone is his enemy
and a servant of the ‘Ice Maiden’ he believes he
has discovered evidence of.
Roleplaying hooks
Investigators may track Ridgerton to his bedsit
apartment, where they will hear his theories if
they manage to convince him they are not in
league with the Ice Maiden.
12

Dean Easton
Cosmetic surgeon, 37, he/him
“A little nip here, a small tuck there.
I can make you look and feel like a
million bucks”
OTHER CHARACTERS
Fred Brewster
“You’re not from round here. What do you
want?”
George’s neighbour across the hall,
Brewster is the archetypal nosey neighbour.
With his unruly white hair and eyepatch, he
is a memorable figure.
Investigators are likely to encounter
Brewster when they visit George’s apartment.
Sandy Bryson
“The last thing I feel like is a damn magic little
elf”
Sandy Bryson works at The Christmas
Shoppe and applied for the vacancy when
Hollyman disappeared.
LAST CHRISTMAS
Description
Easton is smart and well-groomed with a taste
for designer shirts and jeans.
Traits
Charming and with a deep, sonorous voice,
Easton has an ability to make people feel at
ease in his company.
Roleplaying hooks
Easton has the heart given to him by a
distressed George and has discovered it used to
belong to Hollyman. She, in turn, has
discovered he is in possession of it and is
planning a visit to his lodge in the mountains…
She only works there because she needs the
money. She hates Christmas.
Gregory Potter
“Have another drink. These girls will serve you
whatever you want, know what I mean?”
Gregory Potter is the manager of The Pink
Flamingo, where Helen De Mack works as a
cocktail waitress.
If the odious, arrogant and misogynistic
Potter has any redeeming features, he keeps
them extremely well hidden.
Police officer
“Christmas brings out all the crazies, huh?”
Far too busy with real crimes to pay any
attention to stories about ice ghosts and
resurrected suicide victims.
13
.

LIFE IN 1984
1984 is - amongst many things - a time of
optimism, consumerism and concern.
The space shuttle makes its debut launch,
whilst a relatively unknown company called
Apple releases its Macintosh desktop
computer. Famine in Africa hits the headlines
and causes worldwide efforts and
compassion, which will culminate in 1985’s
Live Aid concert.
Fashions concentrate on the big, bold and
brash, with big hair and colourful clothes
being very much in vogue. In the western
world, the pursuit of money feels like the
ultimate goal. The spectre of nuclear conflict
hangs over things like a shadow.
Computers are common, but the internet as
we know it is yet to evolve. Similarly,
although prototypes and vastly expensive
14
models exist, mobile phones have yet to
become everyday items.
Creating a 1984 investigator
The Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition modern era
character sheet and skills should be used for a
1984 investigator.
All skills are relevant, with the exception of
Computer Use, which is so niche (and
unused in this scenario) as to be irrelevant.
Most modern-day professions are
appropriate, though any which rely on
technology not yet invented or commonplace
would obviously not be suitable.
As Last Christmas is a one-shot, Keepers
and players are encouraged to use quick-start
character generation rules and to pick
occupations that would fit into the 1980s
urban setting.
Pregenerated investigators can be found in
Appendix C - Pregenerated Characters.
 LAST CHRISTMAS
INVOLVING THE
INVESTIGATORS
Last Christmas is set in an unspecified city on
the 21st December, 1984.
The exact location of the city is not
important - it could be anywhere in the
United States or Europe, or any urban centre
in other parts of the world where significant
snowfall during December is common (or at
least possible).
The city is not a metropolis but is medium-
sized, with a downtown area where most of
the investigation takes place, and mountains
nearby that are less than half a day’s journey
from the city.
Investigators should have a reason for
knowing each other, perhaps already being an
established investigative group. At least one
of the investigators is a friend, colleague or
good acquaintance of Michael George, whose
mysterious death opens the investigation.
Some of the pregenerated characters found
in Appendix C already have a connection to
George established.
The scenario begins with an investigator
who is connected to George receiving a
telephone call from him in some degree of
distress, which sets the events of the scenario
in motion.
George tells the investigator that something
‘really freaky’ has happened, and that he
hopes the investigator and their friends are
able to help.
He asks the investigator to meet him at his
apartment as soon as possible, as he’s too
scared to leave and thinks he might be in
some kind of danger.
A successful Psychology roll indicates that
George is in a genuine state of distress.
15
GEORGE’S APARTMENT
Thank God It’s Christmas
Queen
Michael George lives in an apartment in a
residential building in the downtown district
of the city, an area renowned for its nightlife.
The main door to his apartment block is
between a karaoke bar and a diner, and
George’s apartment is on the third floor.
There are six buzzers on a panel beside the
main door, one of which is labelled with
George’s name. Pressing this elicits no
response. The button beneath George’s is
labelled ‘Brewster, F’. Pressing this results in a
male voice answering, demanding to be told
who it is and what they want, before going
silent and refusing to answer again.
The lock on the main door is faulty, and the
door opens freely into the shared hallway of
the ground floor. Stairs lead up to the upper
storey landings.
There are two doors are on each landing.
George’s door is locked shut, and knocking on
it receives no reply, nor does listening at it
reveal any sound from inside.
When investigators reach George’s door, call
for a Listen roll. On a success, they can hear
someone stifling a cough behind the other
door on the third floor.
If investigators knock on George’s
neighbour’s door, it is answered by a wizened
old man with an eyepatch and a thatch of
unruly white hair. A musty smell of mothballs
and cat litter wafts out onto the landing, and
a slim white cat wraps itself around his legs,
its back arched at the investigators.
Fred Brewster, the neighbour, is nosey. He
laughs, tapping his left cheek and saying it is
 LAST CHRISTMAS
his job to keep an eye on the comings and
goings of the apartment block.
If investigators manage to gain his trust, via
a successful Charm, Persuade or Fast Talk
roll for instance, he confides in them, telling
them that he saw a ‘lady caller’ with long
black hair visit George’s apartment yesterday
and again this morning, and how she was
oddly dressed (‘even in this day and age’) in a
flowing white dress and sparkling red shoes.
There is a Christmas store around the
corner, whose employees wear similar outfits,
16
so Brewster supposes she was an employee
there. She was also carrying a present about
the size of a shoebox wrapped in elaborate
festive wrapping and ribbons. He had never
seen her before, and despite keeping his eye
on the spy hole in his front door both times,
he didn’t see her leave, which he thinks odd.
Brewster has a spare key to George’s
apartment, which he will give to the
investigators if they have his trust and they
make a convincing case for being given it. He
refuses to leave his own apartment.
 LAST CHRISTMAS
Keeper’s note: Brewster witnessed the
resurrected form of Shirley Hollyman,
visiting George to leave her heart beneath his
tree, then again this morning to see if her ‘gift’
had managed to convince him to come back
to her. Brewster only saw her from the back.
Hollyman exited George’s apartment via the
fire escape, explaining how Brewster never
saw her leave.
Breaking in
The door to the apartment opens on a
successful Locksmith or STR roll.
Investigators trying to break in are however
likely to be spotted by Brewster, who will call
the police unless investigators succeed on an
Extreme Stealth roll.
If the police are called, they arrive at the
apartment just as the investigators have
discovered George’s body.
Investigators will have some explaining to
do, and will be detained for several hours
whilst their statements are taken and they are
questioned, with their innocence eventually
being established. This will have little impact
on the remainder of the scenario, but does
serve as a reminder to investigators that their
actions are not above the law.
Investigators can feel a slight draught
coming from the living area. The entire
apartment is in darkness with the exception of
twinkling white lights that also come from the
direction of the living area.
Call for a Hard Spot Hidden roll when the
investigators enter the hallway. On a success,
they find some tiny fragments of red glitter.
Cupboard
The cupboard contains a fuse box, vacuum
cleaner, a torch and a variety of cleaning
products, together with a stepladder.
Attic storage area
The attic area is in pitch darkness. It is small
and cramped, and is not large enough to
allow an investigator to stand. There are two
empty suitcases and a cardboard box in the
attic.

The apartment
George’s apartment consists of a lounge and
kitchen area, a bathroom and two bedrooms,
The cardboard box is mostly empty, save for
all of which are accessed from doors in the
some broken Christmas ornaments and some
hallway, with the exception of the lounge,
strands of tinsel. A single Christmas card sits
which the hallway opens into.
at the bottom of the box, featuring two robins
on a branch, and the message ‘with all my
The hallway
love, this Christmas and always’, signed
A hatch in the ceiling of the hallway near the
‘Shirley’ (see Handout 1).
front door gives access to a small attic storage
Keeper’s note: George still felt a pang of
area, and another door in the hallway opens
guilt about the way he and Helen treated
onto a small cupboard.
Shirley and he could not bear to part with the

17
 LAST CHRISTMAS
card she gave him last year.
Spare room
The spare room has a desk and chair and a
beat-up sofa. A small filing cabinet sits under
the desk
The filing cabinet is unlocked and has a
journal inside. It is filled with lists, including
shopping lists, projects that George had
underway, and, on the last page, a list of
people to send Christmas cards to (see
Handout 2). The names Helen, Dean, Martin
are on it, as are ‘Mom & Dad’ and ‘Sis and
family’. One name has been scored out, then
repeated at the end and reads ‘Andrew.’
A to-do list is also written on the page, with
actions consisting of buying ‘H’ a gift, picking
18
up a prescription and ordering ‘supplies.’
Keeper’s note: George has been wrestling
with whether or not to send his ex-friend
Andrew Ridgerton a card.
The to-do list items relate to his
antidepressants and the order of cocaine he
intends to place with Martin Kent.
Lounge / Kitchen
This large open-plan space has a sofa and
television in one corner, a kitchen area in the
other, and large windows that provide access
to the fire escape and a view of the downtown
area beyond.
An impressive 8-foot tall Christmas tree
stands in front of the large double window,
decorated tastefully in gold and white baubles
and tinsel. Fairy lights sparkle and flash on
and off. A half dozen presents lie wrapped
under the tree. One has obviously been
opened, and an empty wooden box lies on the
floor. Upon examining the box, investigators
notice that it is lined with black velvet that
appears to be stained with something, and
that the lid is engraved with the words ‘I love
you’ in flowing script.
An investigator touching the box must make
a POW roll. On a failure, they feel a chill and
a sense of unease, which results in them
losing 1D6 points of POW. A successful
Appraise roll indicates that the box is
handmade, at least a hundred years old and is
fashioned from cedar wood. The stains on the
velvet are hard to determine the origin of, but
a success on a Hard Natural World or
Medicine roll suggests that they might be
attributed to blood.
One of the windows is slightly open and
leads onto the fire escape, which is letting the
breeze in. If an investigator goes out onto the
fire escape and succeeds at a Spot Hidden
roll, they can see that the handrail is covered
LAST CHRISTMAS
in a thin layer of frost, which is unusual as the
temperature outside is well above freezing.
Stranger still, the frost does not melt, even if
exposed to heat.
Keeper’s note. The frost is from Shirley
Hollyman’s touch, as she made her exit
through the apartment window and flew from
the fire escape.

Bathroom
The bathroom has a peach-coloured three-
piece suite with a shower above the bath. A
mirrored cabinet is above the sink.
The cabinet contains a selection of toiletries,
including a substantial amount of male
grooming and hair care products. A pill bottle
of antidepressants is also inside, half empty
and with a label indicating that it is a repeat
prescription which commenced in January
this year.
If an investigator succeeds on a Hard Spot
Hidden roll, they find a small ziplocked
plastic sachet concealed between a tub of hair
gel and a tube of tanning lotion. The sachet is
almost empty, but contains a small amount of
white powder remaining in one corner.
Any investigator who succeeds on a Know
roll recognises this as being cocaine, and an
investigator who succeeds on a Medicine roll
can tell that it is of a considerably high grade.

Master bedroom
The master bedroom contains a double bed, a
wardrobe and two bedside tables. A
telephone and answer machine sit on one one
of the tables, with a flashing light indicating
that there is an unplayed message.
George’s dead body lies face up on the bed,
his eyes wide open and his face twisted in an
mask of frozen terror. Discovering his body
calls for a Sanity roll (1/1D3+1 points of
Sanity loss.)

19
 LAST CHRISTMAS
Investigating his body and succeeding on a
Medicine roll indicates that he died of heart
failure and that his body is still warm to the
touch. Succeeding on a Spot Hidden roll and
noticing the state of the ned covers suggests
that he did not die on the bed, but instead fell
back onto it. George is fully clothed, but has
nothing other than a few coins on his person.
If the investigators play the answer machine
message, they hear a male voice say the
following:
‘Hey Mickey, how’s it hanging? Dean here. Got
some info for you about that thing you gave me
yesterday. You’re not gonna believe your
freaking ears. You need to see this in person,
man. I’ll be at the lodge all weekend, give me a
call and I’ll see you there, yeah?’
One of the bedside tables has a number of
items of male underwear, a hairbrush and
hairdryer and a bottle of sleeping tablets in
the single drawer. The other table’s drawer is
mostly empty, but does contain a silk negligee
and a few items of female underwear, as well
as a bottle of perfume labelled ‘Desire’.
There is a business card underneath the
bedside table with the female clothing items
in it, easily spotted if the investigators are
looking in the drawer. It is for a cocktail bar
named The Pink Flamingo, in the downtown
district close to George’s apartment (see
20
Handout 3).
A photograph of a man and woman stands
in a chrome frame on the bedside table. It
shows George with his arm round a petite
blonde-haired woman. Both George and the
woman are smiling, and the pair are very
obviously an item.
Keeper’s note: The woman in the
photograph is Helen De Mack. Investigators
will recognise her from her photograph if they
visit The Pink Flamingo.
THE CHRISTMAS
SHOPPE
Wonderful Christmastime
Wings
Investigators may visit The Christmas
Shoppe after having spoken to Fred
Brewster outside George’s apartment.
It is a small, single floor shop in the
downtown area, with two bow windows
either side of the front door. It is open from
9am-6pm Monday to Saturday, and closed on
Sundays. When locked, the door requires a
successful Locksmith roll or a Hard STR roll
to open.
The Shoppe is owned by a well-built middle-
aged woman named Judy Roberts with a
permed greying blonde hairstyle. She greets
anyone entering the shop during opening
hours with a sing-song ‘Merry Christmas!’ and
welcomes them to her ‘treasure trove of
wonder and magic’. She wears a long flowing
white dress and glittery gold shoes, and has a
garland of fake holly and mistletoe around
her head.
Another staff member, a young woman with
dark brown plaited hair named Sandy Bryson,
 LAST CHRISTMAS
busies herself arranging the thousands of
ornaments and decorations on the shelves.
She is dressed identically to Roberts, though
she doesn’t sport a garland.
A counter stretches most of the length of the
wall furthest from the front door, and another
door marked ‘Santa’s Secret Workshop’ is to
the left of the counter. The door is flanked by
two six-foot tall wooden nutcracker dolls,
who stare straight ahead with a slightly
menacing air.
The whole shop smells of spiced wine-
scented candles, and the multitude of
sparkling lights and twinkling decorations is
almost overwhelming, as are the festive tunes
playing from dozens of music boxes and other
musical decorations. Christmas songs play
over the shop’s sound system, but do little to
diminish the overall cacophony.
Investigators are likely to have questions
about the woman with red shoes. If they
enquire along these lines to Roberts, she
cheerfully explains how she changes the
colour of the shoes she and her ‘little magic
elves’ wear every year, pointing to her feet
and saying that gold is this year’s colour, and
how red was ‘last year’s thing.’
If the investigators ask about a woman with
long black hair wearing the white dress and
red shoes, Roberts’ cheerful demeanour shifts
and she tells them an ex-employee named
Shirley Hollyman used to work for her, but
left immediately after Christmas ‘without so
much as a by your leave’.
She does not have Shirley’s address or other
details, as she pays her employees in cash.
She has no idea why Shirley might have left,
as she was a ‘good and cheerful little elf’. Sandy
Bryson was recruited in January to take her
place, and is ‘doing a sterling job’ and has
promised to stay after the Christmas rush is
over.
If investigators gain access to the storeroom,
it is chock full of shelves almost toppling
under the weight of thousands of Christmas
decorations.
One shelf contains several pairs of shoes:
silver, yellow, blue, orange and green. Each
colour has two pairs, apart from a single pair
of glittery red shoes. If asked about those,
 LAST CHRISTMAS
Roberts explains that Hollyman left without dated almost exactly a year ago (see Handout
even returning her dress and shoes, which 4).
was ‘hardly the spirit of Christmas, I’m sure
you’ll agree.’
If the investigators manage to speak to
Bryson alone, she confides in them that
Roberts, whilst mostly harmless, is eccentric
in the extreme. She forces Bryson to wear the
outfit and act cheerful, and Roberts docks her
pay if she is not smiling at all times. Breaking
an ornament carries the most serious
punishment of all, with Roberts forcing the
‘naughty elf’ to work for a week without pay.
She is not surprised Hollyman left, and only
took the job herself because she was
desperate. She met Hollyman once, and backs
up Roberts’ description of her as kind and
cheerful, though on her last day (Christmas
Eve last year) she seemed troubled and The story is a matter-of-fact report of a
distant. tragic suicide by hanging, with Shirley
If the investigators are ever alone in the Hollyman named as the victim. She hung
store, Nyarlathotep reaches out through the herself on Christmas Day, 1983.
void to play a trick on them. They witness the
faces of the nutcracker figurines changing and
coming alive, their mouths wide open and THE PINK FLAMINGO
inhuman screaming coming from within. The
manifestation prompts a Sanity roll (1/1D4 Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
points of Sanity loss). The effect ends after a Soft Cell
minute and is not repeated.
The Pink Flamingo Cocktail Bar is in one of

RESEARCHING SHIRLEY downtown’s less salubrious areas, sidled

between a pawnbrokers and a strip joint.

HOLLYMAN It is open from 4pm to 1am, 7 days a week.

Once investigators have Shirley Hollyman’s
full name, they may decide to find out if there
is anything to discover about her.
The city has a library and a newspaper office
where archives of publications are kept.
Investigators have to spend at least two hours
scouring the archives before they discover a
mention of Hollyman in the local newspaper,
When open, a bouncer vets all who attempt to
gain entrance, refusing entry to anyone who
is obviously drunk or who appears to be
intent on causing trouble. The bouncer will
leave his post if trouble breaks out inside, or
at 9pm, when he changes shift with his late-
hours colleague.
Inside, the bar is rather more upmarket than

22
 LAST CHRISTMAS
its exterior would suggest. With chrome,
polished wood and multicoloured neon
lighting, it is the epitome of stylish 1980s
cool. A curved bar runs around the northern
and eastern wall of the main room, with a
sunken dancefloor taking up the majority of
the rest of the space. Booths surround the
walls on the southern and western walls, and
a small private lounge is accessible from a
door, also guarded by a bouncer in the
southern wall.
Between the hours of 4 and 6pm, there are
less than a dozen patrons, most drinking
alone or in small groups. From 6pm onwards,
the bar gets busier, with the dancefloor
beginning to fill up until it is packed from
10pm to midnight. From midnight until 1am,
the music stops and only the most dedicated
drinkers remain, with all being ushered
outside by the bouncers at 1am sharp.
There are four members of staff present at
The Pink Flamingo at any one time. Two
barmaids, Helen De Mack and Becca Small,
serve drinks under the watchful eye of the bar
manager Gregory Potter. Sidney Vickers is a
bouncer who works inside, who swaps places
with Harvey Fagan, his colleague stationed
outside between 4pm and 9pm.
Inside The Pink Flamingo
Self Control
Laura Branigan
Inside The Pink Flamingo, the music is loud
and the atmosphere is upbeat.
Investigators are easily able to locate Shirley
Hollyman if they ask for ‘Helen’ by name
(likely having discovered her name on
George’s Christmas card list). She is also
recognisable as the girl in the photograph in
23
George’s bedroom, although her hair has now
been cut shorter with a stylish side parting.
Before investigators can approach De Mack
however, a Spirit of Last Christmas
intervenes, enacting another part of Shirley
Hollyman’s revenge on her behalf.
How things play out, as well as how many
innocent bystanders and which members of
staff are present, depends on what time the
investigators choose to visit the bar.
The manifestation has interfered with the
electronics that control the music and lighting
in the bar. Shortly after the investigators
enter, the lights go out and the music stops. It
is pitch black, and one or two of the patrons
scream in fright, then start to shout and cry
out for the lights to be put back on.
The bouncer in attendance inside the bar
retrieve a torch from a store cupboard and
flashes it around the room, the light glancing
off the polished surfaces and frightened faces
of the bar’s patrons.
The music then starts up again. Rather than
the Christmas pop songs that were playing as
the investigators entered, the music is instead
an eerie chanting reminiscent of Gregorian
monks singing, but in a strange language that
none of the investigators have ever heard.
More people start to scream, and the light
from the torch illuminates De Mack, with a
mist-like apparition standing behind her.
The investigators now have an opportunity
to act. If they make for De Mack, they must
succeed at a Dodge roll to jostle their way
through the frightened crowd. They must do
so with a penalty die if it is after 9pm, due to
the increased number of patrons in the bar at
that time of night.
If they are successful, they reach the point
they last saw De Mack, and experience an icy
blast of freezing cold air. Another sweep of
the bouncer’s torch reveals that De Mack is no
 LAST CHRISTMAS
longer there, but is instead standing on the
edge of the bar, fixing one end of a length of
rope around a strip light above her and the
other end in a noose around her neck.
At this point, the lights go on and the
chanting music is replaced by the same pop
song that was playing when the room fell
silent. At that, De Mack takes a step forward,
the rope snapping taught and the noose
tightening around her neck. The mist-like
apparition has vanished. (Keeper’s note: it
has slipped out of the club and is making its
way back to Hollyman’s side.)
If the investigators passed the initial Dodge
roll, they are able to make it to De Mack’s side
in time. Succeeding on a STR roll prevents
her from being strangled by the noose, and it
is a simple enough task to then cut or untie
the rope, releasing her.
If the initial Dodge roll was failed, the
investigators find themselves too far away to
help, although any who succeed on a Hard
DEX roll are able to reach her in time, where
they must succeed on the STR roll to save her
life.
If the investigators fail to save De Mack in
time, everyone watches in horror as there is a
sickening cracking sound and she hangs limp,
her neck broken. This prompts a Sanity roll
(1/1D4+1 points of Sanity loss) and results
in the crowd stampeding for the exit. A Luck
roll is called for at that point, with
investigators who fail suffering 1D2-1 points
of damage in the stampede.
What happens next depends on whether the
investigators managed to save De Mack or
not.

If the investigators save De Mack

If the investigators save De Mack from being
hung, she snaps out of whatever stupor she

24
 LAST CHRISTMAS
was in and looks at them with a mixture of
fright and confusion. A successful Charm,
Peruade or Psychoanalysis roll is required to
get her to talk.
She does not know George is dead. If told,
she refuses to believe it. If convinced, she lets
out a cry of anguish and starts sobbing. A
further success on a Charm, Psychoanalysis
or Medicine roll is required to calm her for
long enough to talk.
She explains that she is George’s long-term
girlfriend, and that they have been a couple
for ‘almost exactly a year’ now. Though they
don’t live together, she spends several nights
a week at his apartment.
She will not discuss how they met, or
divulge any information about Shirley
Hollyman, even if the investigators directly
ask about her. At most – and requiring a Hard
success on a Persuade roll – she tells
investigators that Shirley was an old
girlfriend of George’s. As this is true, a
successful Psychology roll reveals that she is
not lying.
She will however reveal that Andrew
Ridgerton, one of George’s former friends
and colleagues, has been in touch with her
lately, saying that he has to speak to both
George and Helen urgently, about a matter he
couldn’t talk about over the phone.
If investigators gain De Mack’s trust and she
is calm enough to speak, she show them the
latest letter she has received from Ridgerton
(see Handout 5). She also tells investigators
that neither she nor George have responded,
as George suspected that Ridgerton was only
after money after having fallen on hard times
of late.
She also gives the investigators Martin
Kent’s name, saying she was scared George
was mixed up in something dodgy with him.
She does not know how to contact Kent, but
25
does know he uses a go-between to organise
deals and collect payment. She does not know
the go-between’s name, but suggests ‘asking
around downtown’ for information.
De Mack cannot explain what happened to
her or caused her to try and hang herself. In
fact, she has no memory of the last few
minutes at all, only remembering cleaning
glasses before the lights went out. She has
never suffered a similar episode before, and is
at a loss to explain her behaviour.
If investigators think to examine the glasses
De Mack was cleaning, they discover that they
are completely clouded with a thick layer of
ice. Like the frost on the fire escape outside
George’s apartment window, the ice does not
melt.
Keeper’s note: Most of what De Mack tells
the investigators is true, though there are
certain elements she chooses to leave out. She
is aware that her and George’s actions most
likely caused Hollyman’s death, but is too
ashamed to even allow herself to admit that,
let alone talk about it.
She is also a frequent cocaine user, and Kent
visited her recently to discuss a late payment
on her ‘account’.
If the investigators do not save De
Mack
If De Mack dies, Gregory Potter and the
bouncer working inside the bar attempt to
clear the premises, ushering all patrons
outside, including the investigators. The
bouncer stationed outside calls the police.
If the investigators stay until the police arrive
Investigators must succeed on a Hard Fast
Talk or Persuade roll to convince Potter to be
allowed to stay until two patrol officers arrive
on the scene. They take statements from
 LAST CHRISTMAS
everyone present, asking them not to leave
town until a full examination of De Mack’s
body can be done.
The police will find the frozen glasses if the
investigators have not noticed them already,
asking all present if they can explain the
strange ice on them before taking them as
evidence. A paramedic crew arrive shortly
afterwards and take De Mack’s body,
accompanied by the patrol officers.
Becca Scott
If De Mack has died, Becca Scott, having
noticed the investigators most likely trying to
save her colleague, asks for a moment with
one investigator she views as looking the most
trustworthy.
She tells the investigator that De Mack had
been acting worried for the last few days, and
spoke about a friend from her past pestering
her. Hollyman had shown Scott the latest
letter from Ridgerton prior to the lights going
out in the bar, and Scott still has it: she gives
it to the investigators and wonders if it might
have anything to do with her death.
She also tells them that she mistrusts the
police, and doesn’t want to drag anyone else
into anything ‘official’ unless necessary.
She also reveals that Martin Kent, a
notorious local drug dealer, was in The Pink
Flamingo last night taking to De Mack, and
she seemed shaken after he left.
She knows of Kent, but not how to contact
him, but does know that he uses a go-between
to organise his deals and collect payment. She
does not know the go-between’s name, but
suggests ‘asking around downtown.’
Keeper’s note: De Mack was, like George, a
frequent cocaine user. She had ‘forgotten’ to
pay Kent for her latest order, and Kent was
visiting her to remind her of her ‘outstanding
balance.’
26
FINDING SALLY JONES
White Lines (Don’t Do It)
Grandmaster Flash
De Mack or Scott will advise investigators
that their best chance of meeting Kent’s go-
between is by speaking to people in the
downtown district and making it known
they are interested in buying some of the
product that Kent provides.
Investigations into people who might know
how to contact the go-between lead to the
following individuals, in the order presented.
Bob Dooley
A larger than life character who flashes his
cash and has a retinue of hangers-on, Dooley
is a minor television personality who likes to
socialise downtown.
If investigators succeed on a Hard Charm
roll, Dooley is impressed enough to let them
know where and when to meet Sally Jones
Sheena Weston
A lounge singer known to have a habit who
has fallen on hard times.
Investigators who bribe Weston or who
succeed on a Hard Fast Talk roll receive
details of Sally Jones’ routine.
Jeremy Donaghue
A middle-aged businessman with an obvious
habit who frequents the gambling dens and
drinking joints of downtown.
He will reveal Jones’ routine to anyone who
succeeds on a Fast Talk or Intimidate roll. He
will provide the information even if
investigators fail the rolls, but will tip off
Jones before the investigators meet her.
SALLY JONES
Sally Jones works as a runner for Martin Kent.
Jobless, she lives in rooms, hostels and
hotels in downtown, renting rooms based on
how much cash she has been able to make
that week.
She has a routine whereby she will make
herself available on a particular street corner
between 9pm and 11pm each evening. More
than able to handle herself, she uses her looks
and style of dress to pretend to be a
prostitute, instead taking money from and
delivering cocaine to Kent’s clients.
Jones is almost impossible to track down,
other than when she makes herself available
during one of her nightly windows.
Investigators who have discovered her
routine are able to find her on the street
corner during the two hour window.
Jones is hardened from her current
experiences and from an abusive childhood.
27
With a high Psychology, she will see through
any attempt at Fast Talk, and is less
susceptible to Intimidation than
investigators might initially suspect. She is
(justifiably) afraid of Kent, and will refuse to
give details about his location unless she has
good reason to.
That said, she is open to making some extra
money wherever possible. Although business
is good due to it being the Christmas party
season, Kent has begun to restrict the cut he
gives Jones. This makes her amenable to any
offers of payment to reveal Kent’s location,
and open to the possibility of being persuaded
to tell the investigators where he is.
If such approaches fail, investigators may
choose to follow Jones after her ‘trading
window’ has closed. Doing so requires each
investigator following her to succeed at a
Stealth roll. If the rolls are successful, they
see her enter the abandoned theatre where
Kent is waiting.
If they fail a Stealth roll, Jones notices she
 LAST CHRISTMAS
is being followed and attempts to flee.
Let’s Go Crazy
Prince and The Revolution
Keepers may wish to initiate a chase
sequence at this point. Jones will be heading
for the theatre, which is five locations from
her starting position, with the investigators
two locations behind her. Keepers should use
the following randomly-determined obstacles
to put in the investigators’ way, together with
proposed skill rolls to overcome them:
Downtown chase obstacles
(roll 1D6)
1. A chain link fence; Climb
2. A toppled pile of boxes and refuse; Jump
3. An alley outside a kitchen covered in
slippery oil; DEX
4. A locked door or other solid barricade;
STR
5. No obstacle
6. No obstacle
If caught, Jones will reveal the location of
Kent’s hideout in return for being let go. If she
escapes, investigators will still glimpse her
slipping into the theatre, but she will have
warned Kent’s henchmen she is being
followed, and all three will be waiting for the
investigators in the foyer.
KENT’S HIDEOUT
The theatre Kent uses as a headquarters is on
a street in downtown. A few years ago, it was
one of the most popular nightspots in the city,
featuring cabaret performers, singers and
28
magicians.
Today, it is closed, condemned after a fire
swept through the place one night, killing
dozens and damaging the structure of the
building. Due to be demolished some time
next year, it is currently a perfect place for
Kent to conduct his business.
Keeper’s note: The fire was an accident,
although Keepers need not make that fact
known to investigators unless they specifically
research the recent history of the theatre. The
interior has an air of decay and melancholy
that is likely to put wary investigators on edge
and Keepers should do nothing to discourage
that.
Santa Baby
Eartha Kitt
Running the theatre encounter
The investigators enter the theatre a few
minutes behind a Spirit of Last Christmas,
which is seeking to exact Hollyman’s
vengeance on Martin Kent. By the time
investigators reach his office, he will already
be dying.
The route to this discovery depends on the
investigators’ approach thus far. If they have
tailed Sally Jones here or convinced her to
reveal the location of his hideout, Kent will
not be expecting visitors.
If they have tailed Jones and she is unaware
she has been followed, she will slip into the
theatre and make straight for Kent’s office,
where she’ll witness the Spirit fatally injuring
Kent, a sight that drives her insane (see
Corridor description following).
If they have chased Jones and not caught
her before she has reached the theatre, she
will warn the henchmen, then proceed to
 LAST CHRISTMAS
witness Kent’s fate as described above.
If the henchmen have been alerted, all three
will be waiting for them in the foyer. If they
have not, only one will be present in the foyer
and the other two will be in the dressing room
as described below.
The henchmen will not aim to kill the
investigators, but are not averse to using their
knives to inflict serious wounds.
If they defeat the investigators, they will
send them outside with a warning that if they
return they won’t be treated so leniently.
29
Investigators are of course perfectly free to
ignore that advice, or to attempt an entry into
the theatre via the door leading to the office
from the alleyway.
Foyer
Dusty and dark, the foyer has a shuttered
ticket booth with a door to the left of it
leading to the auditorium. An unlit neon sign
above the doors reads ‘To the magic’.
One of Kent’s henchmen is stationed here,
looking for strangers who enter without an
 LAST CHRISTMAS
invitation. He will assess the strength of the
intruders and either challenge them and
demand that they leave, or run back through
the auditorium to the dressing room to warn
his partners.
Restrooms
There are two restrooms, one for men, the
other for women. They are both empty and
disused, although the men’s restroom is
infested with rats that scuttle into holes in the
wall if anyone enters.
The women’s restroom suffered significant
damage in the fire and is completely
destroyed. Any investigators attempting to
examine the restroom must make a Luck roll.
On a failure, a beam dislodges and crashes
down from the ceiling, dealing 1D3 points of
damage to any investigator who fails at a
Dodge roll.
Auditorium
A stage dominates the space, on a raised
platform three feet high. A scorched skeletal
stepladder stands to one side. The blackened
remnants of the curtains hang down like the
wings of a dead bird. Light is provided by a
single spot that illuminates the ladder and
provides enough light to make out the rest of
the room.
A dozen round tables, each with four chairs,
are scattered around the rest of the room. A
disused bar is on the west wall, the bottles
that were not damaged in the fire long since
emptied.
Call for a Spot Hidden the first time the
investigators enter the auditorium. On a
success, they notice a pale blue mist
disappearing through the door to the right of
the stage, which is marked with a sign that
reads ’No admittance’.
Dressing room
Two of Kent’s henchmen sit here playing
cards, surrounded by boxes and crates full of
fire-damaged theatrical items.
A row of three mirrors, each framed by rows
of bare lightbulbs, is placed along one wall,
though the majority of the bulbs are broken.
A door leads to the corridor beyond.
 LAST CHRISTMAS
Corridor
If Sally Jones has returned to the theatre and
witnessed Kent’s demise, she is standing
motionless in this dark corridor, facing the
wall
If the investigators have a source of light,
they can see Jones. If they do not, call for a
Hard Spot Hidden or regular Listen roll to
make her out or hear her ragged breathing.
Any attempt to interact with Jones causes
her to whirl around, screaming maniacally
and slashing out with her switchblade.
If investigators walk past Jones without
speaking to or touching her, she continues to
stand motionless against the wall and does
not react to their presence.
If Jones is defeated in a fight but not killed,
she remains in a disturbed state, unable to
speak and with a look of terror twisting her
features. She will require professional
medical assistance if there is any hope of her
returning to normal.
Office
Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Let It Snow!
Dean Martin
Investigators who enter the office may be
forgiven for thinking it has been snowing
inside. It quickly becomes obvious however
that the white substance covering the floor
and part of the walls of this relatively well-
appointed office is cocaine.
Martin Kent lies slumped against the wall,
still breathing but with blood streaming from
his eyes, nostrils and ears. He is beyond help,
and dies in front of the investigators, but not
before murmuring the word ‘Hollyman’.
Witnessing Kent and his demise prompts a
Sanity roll (1/1D3+1 points of Sanity loss.)
31
A door in the rear of the office is slightly
ajar, giving a glimpse of an alleyway outside
and a wisp of blue mist.
Kent’s records and ledger are in his office,
together with a safe. The records and ledger
refer to transactions from a number of
recurring individuals. ‘MG’ is mentioned
frequently, and an entry from this time last
year marked ‘Xmas party supplies’ exists, with
Dean Easton’s name and the address of his
lodge beside it.
A letter from Andrew Ridgerton lies
crumpled in the waste paper bin, which
consists of a rambling warning of ‘dire
creatures hell-bent on revenge.’ The letter
contains Ridgerton’s name and address.
The safe can be opened with an Extreme
success on a Locksmith roll and contains
$10,000 in $100 notes.
Alleyway
The Spirit of Last Christmas which killed
Kent is beginning to dissipate in the alleyway.
If investigators see it before it does so, it
coalesces and moves to attack. If reduced to
less than 5 hit points before being defeated, it
attempts to fly off and is encountered later at
Dean Easton’s lodge.
ANDREW RIDGERTON
Since being dumped for George by Helen last
Christmas, Ridgerton has developed an
obsessive compulsion that manifests as
paranoia. He now believes that George and
De Mack are in league with some ancient
power, and are acting out a plan to discredit
and ultimately destroy Ridgerton.
He resigned from his job and has been using
his dwindling savings to scour archives and
libraries for evidence of the existence of real
magic, which he is convinced his former
 LAST CHRISTMAS
friends have been using.
In his search, he has begun to uncover
partial truths, pointing to the existence of
Nyarlathotep and the ability for those
desperate enough to seek his aid to call upon
him. Recently, he has discovered fragments of
the incantation that Hollyman accidentally
invoked on the night of her death, and has
reasoned (correctly) that she has been
brought back to life to exact vengeance.
The knowledge jolted him back to his
senses, and he has spent the last two weeks
trying to warn George and De Mack, and even
Kent. Based on his past behaviour however,
they have steadfastly ignored him, assuming
that he is after money, or plans to blackmail
them, or worse.
When investigators encounter Ridgerton, he
has been driven completely insane following
a visit from Hollyman, who, directed by
Nyarlathotep, suspected he might foil her
plans.
His room is however a valuable source of
information for investigators wishing to put a
stop to Hollyman.
Ridgerton’s studio apartment
Somebody’s Watching Me
Rockwell
Ridgerton has spent most of his money
funding his obsessive research. He is currently
renting a studio apartment in the academic
district of the city, which consists of one large
room with a kettle, stove, table and a dirty
mattress. A water closet is the only other
room in the studio apartment.
His address can be obtained from the letter
sent to Helen De Mack’s, or from the warning
sent to Kent.
32
The door to his room is reinforced and
locked, secured with a bolt, chain, and three
locks from the inside. Success on an Extreme
Locksmith roll is required to open it, or a STR
roll against the door’s reinforced STR of 160.
Alternatively, access can be gained via
climbing the fire escape and either succeeding
on a regular Locksmith check or a STR check
to open or break the window.
Entering Ridgerton’s room without
permission will alert him and put him on
edge. He will attempt to fight off any
intruders, armed with scissors.
Knocking on the door elicits no response,
but investigators succeeding on a Listen roll
can hear movement from inside. Succeeding
on a Hard Fast Talk or Persuade roll is
sufficient to bring Ridgerton to the door and
let the investigators in, although he still has
his scissors ready.
Ridgerton is deranged and speaks in
fragmented sentences that make little sense.
He talks of an ‘ice maiden’ who has been
‘unleashed’ and how if she is not stopped she
will bring about ‘an eternal winter’ that will
kill millions.
Investigators succeeding on a Psychology
roll can tell he is unhinged, but believes what
he is saying. Investigators who succeed on an
Occult roll can tell some of what he is saying
is based on obscure arcane knowledge.
If subdued, convinced or defeated,
investigators are able to examine Ridgerton’s
room in more detail. The largest wall is
dominated by a collage of hundreds of
photographs, newspaper articles, photocopies
of pages from old books and handwritten
notes. Items are connected by lines of red
twine, so numerous they resemble a spider’s
web.
Examining Ridgerton’s wall for at least 30
minutes provides the following information:
 LAST CHRISTMAS
• Legends of an ‘ice maiden’ have
existed across the world’s culture,
folklore and myth for centuries
• The appearance of the ice maiden is
said to herald the dawn of a new ice
age that will extinguish all life on
earth, allowing the world to begin
anew
• Photographs of strange, mist-like
apparitions, one of which resembles
the creature the investigators may
have witnessed at the theatre
• Fragments of an incantation to ‘thaw
the maiden’s ire’
A significant section of Ridgerton’s ‘crazy
wall’ is dedicated to his (incorrect) theory
that George and De Mack are plotting against
him.
All lines of this strand of his theory point to
Easton’s lodge, the address of which is placed
prominently and highlighted as ‘the place
where it will end’. Easton’s name is mentioned
prominently as the ‘grand master of their
scheme’.
Investigators who succeed at an INT roll are
able to decipher and piece together the
fragments of the incantation to learn the ‘Fire
of the Gods’ spell (see Appendix B - Mythos
Spell), which may prove vital to their
attempts to defeat Hollyman at Easton’s
lodge.
THE LODGE
The Power Of Love
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Easton’s lodge in the mountains is a luxurious
and stylish structure nestled on the lower
slopes of a popular ski resort. At this time of
year, the surrounding countryside is under at
least a foot of snow, making it attractive to
look at, but cold and somewhat awkward to
get to.
Cabs or private cars are able to drive to the
minor road near where the lodge is located,
 LAST CHRISTMAS
but the final half mile of the approach must be
made on foot. The lodge is partly shielded
from the road by a line of fir trees, but smoke
rising from the chimney points to its location.
It is snowing when the investigators arrive.
As investigators approach the lodge, call for
a Hard Spot Hidden or regular Track roll. On
a success, they can just make out a trail of
footprints leading from the path to the house,
almost obscured by the falling snow. The
snowfall makes it impossible to determine
who or what made the tracks, but from their
marking and spacing they appear to have
been made by a lone individual of average
height.
The footsteps stop several meters from the
lodge entrance (Keeper’s note: Hollyman
took to the air and entered via the upstairs
balcony window).
The lodge itself is a large two-storey
building surrounded by a wooden decked
area. A front door is closed, and large picture
windows overlooking the mountains to the
rear of the property are also tightly locked.
The rear of the lodge also has a balcony on
the upper storey. One of the windows opening
onto this is slightly ajar, noticeable from the
curtains that flap in the breeze.
Gaining entrance to the lodge
The front door is locked and requires a
success on a Locksmith roll to open, or a
successful STR roll against the door’s STR of
140. If the door’s lock is picked, whoever
succeeded on the roll must also make a
Stealth roll to avoid making any undue sound
in the process. Failure to do so, or opening the
door by breaking it down, alerts Hollyman to
the investigators’ presence.
The back doors are also locked from the
inside, without any keyhole or visible means
34
of opening them. Success on a Hard
Locksmith roll is needed, or a STR roll
against the doors’ STR of 120. Opening the
doors via a successful Locksmith roll makes
no sound, but breaking them does, and alerts
Hollyman to the investigators’ presence.
Attempting to gain access to the lodge via a
closed window requires the same rolls as
above, with the similar result of alerting
Hollyman if they are smashed in order to gain
entry.
Investigators may climb up to the first storey
balcony if they succeed on a Climb roll. A
fumble or failed pushed roll results in a fall,
with affected investigators suffering 1D2
points of damage from landing awkwardly on
the snow. Each failure on a Climb roll also
runs the risk of creating noise that alerts
Hollyman. An investigator failing a Climb roll
must then make a Luck roll. On a failure on
that, their unsuccessful attempt to scale the
lodge creates a noise that alerts Hollyman.
The patrolling Spirit
A Spirit of Last Christmas is patrolling the
exterior of the lodge.
It can be seen on a successful Spot Hidden,
and it can be determined that it moves on a
fixed path, taking 60 seconds to complete one
circuit around the lodge’s exterior.
Investigators may choose to try and gain
access before being spotted by the Spirit. If
they do, each roll they make to attempt to
gain access takes 15 seconds.
If the creature sees the investigators, it
moves to attack. Gunfire or any loud noise
will alert Hollyman to the investigators’
presence.
Running the lodge encounter
The lodge encounter will play out based on
 LAST CHRISTMAS
whether the investigators alert Hollyman to
their presence.
If she has not detected them, she is currently
on the upper floor of the lodge, about to
confront Easton. If allowed to do so, she will
kill him and retrieve her heart. At that point,
the snow outside increases to a blizzard
causing a white-out, and rumbles can be
heard coming from the mountains nearby.
If Hollyman is alerted, she starts to track the
investigators, preferring to encounter them
alone or in pairs. She is interested to
understand if any of them are ‘special’ enough
to receive her heart (see ‘A Special
Investigator’ following).
If she is defeated, the snow stops and the
skies clear. An ominous chill is lifted from the
atmosphere and the disaster of her final
invocation of Nyarlathotep is averted.

Inside the lodge

With the exception of the window opening
onto the balcony on the upper floor, all doors
and windows are closed and locked. If it is
after dark, lights shine from all of the
windows.

Ground floor
Lounge area
The large lounge area has three comfortable
sofas, two armchairs, a coffee table, display
cabinet and a bookcase. Two of the sofas and
chairs are arranged to take advantage of a lit
fire which burns in a stone fireplace,
providing a comfortable warmth to the room.
A large Christmas tree stands in one corner,
and wooden stairs lead up to the first storey
of the lodge.
An opening leads to the dining area, and a
large glass door opens out onto the decking
area that surrounds the outside of the

35
 LAST CHRISTMAS
property. The door is currently locked.
The display cabinet contains a number of
awards and photographs in silver frames. The
awards are for advances in ‘cosmetic
medicine’ and similar, and each of the photos
shows a smiling Easton beside a celebrity or
local figure whom he has provided services
for.
Most of the books are fiction, with a focus
on lurid crime novels. There are also a
number of medical journals in the bookcase,
with a focus on surgical techniques and
36
research.
A framed diploma is mounted on the wall
beside the bookcase which cites Easton as a
doctor of restorative and cosmetic surgery
from the medical school in the city.
Dining area
A large dining table and twelve chairs
dominate this room. A dresser contains a
stylish modern dining set, glasses and cutlery.
Contemporary paintings of urban scenes
hang on the walls. Investigators succeeding
 LAST CHRISTMAS
on a Know roll recognise these as originals
produced by a popular artist, whose work is
extremely popular with the rich and famous.
A door leads to the kitchen, and another
door beside it leads to a WC.

Kitchen
A small but well-appointed kitchen contains a
stove, fridge / freezer and a modern and high-
tech microwave oven.
Beyond unremarkable kitchen utensils, a
butcher’s block holds four extremely sharp
knifes, each of which is capable of inflicting
1D6 points of damage.
If investigators failed to defeat the Spirit of
Last Christmas outside the abandoned
theatre in the city, that creature lurks here,
having healed 1 hit point from any previous
damage the investigators may have managed
to inflict upon it.

WC
The restroom has a rose pink toilet and wash
hand basin. It is otherwise unremarkable.

Bedroom 1 & 2
The downstairs bedrooms are both accessed
from the entrance hallway and are virtually
identical.
Each contains a plush double bed, a bedside
table, dresser, mirror and wardrobe. Both
have ensuite facilities, and both beds are fully
made and unslept in. They each have
windows look out to the front of the property.
The bedside table of bedroom 2 is locked (a
successful Locksmith or STR roll opens it) This large landing provides access to the
and contains a fully loaded handgun capable upper floor bedrooms and bathroom.
of inflicting 1D8 points of damage. A Spirit of Last Christmas guards the door
to the master bedroom whilst Hollyman is
Upper floor inside. If she is not in the master bedroom, the
Landing Spirit accompanies her as she tracks the
investigators.

37
 LAST CHRISTMAS

A Special Investigator
Bedroom 3 & 4
These bedrooms are identical to those on the Last Christmas
ground floor and contain nothing of use. Wham!

Bathroom
When Hollyman becomes aware of the
A luxurious bathroom with chrome fittings
investigators, she is immediately interested to
and a large whirlpool bath. It contains
determine if one of them is worthy of
nothing of interest.
receiving her ‘gift’.
If she has been alerted to the investigators’
Master bedroom
presence, she uses her Fade out ability and
A large room with a luxurious king-sized bed,
orders the Spirits of Last Christmas in the
two bedside tables, a wardrobe, desk and
lodge to cause a disturbance on each floor,
dresser.
hoping that investigators split up to
The desk has a number of pieces of surgical
investigate the noise.
and medical equipment laid out on it, and is
If investigators do not split up, she will wait
where Easton has been examining Hollyman’s
to see if the Spirits defeat one or more of the
heart after George gave it to him.
investigators before choosing to use her Fade
His notes are in a journal beside a
in ability in front of those who have survived.
microscope, and are written in a form of
If the investigators defeat the Spirits
medical shorthand. Any investigator
without casualties, Hollyman reluctantly
succeeding at a Medicine or Hard Know roll
manifests in front of all of them, and attempts
can decipher these and tell that they are a
to invoke her Last embrace ability on the one
conclusion that the heart is human, belonged
who looks most powerful.
to someone who has been dead for
She will then target the investigator she
approximately a year, but is in an inexplicably
feels would be most empathetic to her cause.
good state of preservation.
Ask each investigator present to make a POW
If the investigators have reached the master
roll. The investigator who succeeds by the
bedroom without alerting Hollyman, she is
greatest amount is targeted (or the one who
here, standing over Easton and about to
failed by the least amount, if all investigators
retrieve her heart. The encounter here with
fail.) That investigator is enveloped by an icy
Hollyman plays out in a similar manner to
mist that freezes them, stopping them from
that described in A Special Investigator
moving, speaking or acting as per the Enthrall
following, although none of the investigators
Victim spell. She then expends another 5
will have been enthralled by Hollyman when
points of POW to transport the frozen
the encounter begins.
investigator and herself to the master
If Hollyman has left the master bedroom to
bedroom.
investigate the disturbance, Easton is held
Things then happen on a round-by-round
immobilised, having succumbed to
basis. At the end of each round, the enthralled
Hollyman’s Enthrall Victim spell.
investigator may make an Extreme POW roll.
If they succeed, Hollyman’s hold over them is

38
 LAST CHRISTMAS
broken.
On the first round, if not stopped, Hollyman
embraces Easton and freezes him. He will die
within 10 minutes unless he receives medical
aid.
On the second round, if not stopped,
Hollyman retrieves her heart and attempts to
enthrall an investigator.
At the end of the third round, if not stopped
and an investigator is enthralled, Hollyman
gives that investigator her heart. Both she and
the investigator disintegrate forever in a
flurry of snowflakes that leave a permanent
ring of frost on the floor.
Other investigators of course have a chance
to stop this. Keepers should adjudicate how
far they are from the master bedroom if their
colleague is taken by Hollyman, but allow
them to enter at the start of the third round at
the latest.
If investigators are unable to defeat
Hollyman within three rounds of
encountering her, she realises that there is no-
one ‘special’ enough to give her heart to.
She invokes Nyarlathotep to bring about a
sudden and lethal ice storm. The
investigators, and any living soul within a
radius of 100 miles, perish beneath the icy
blanket, and Hollyman vanishes forever.
CONCLUSION AND
REWARDS
If the investigators have survived, Hollyman
will be gone, either defeated by the
investigators or having taken one of them as
her ‘special’ love for all eternity.
Life in the city goes on as normal. Any
deaths are reported as being due to natural
causes, and disappearances? Well, they
happen all the time in a city like this…
Surviving investigators gain the following
rewards, as appropriate:
• If investigators defeated Hollyman,
each investigator gains 1D6+1 Sanity
points
• If investigators saved De Mack, each
investigator gains 1D2+1 Sanity
points
• If investigators saved Easton, each
investigator gains 1D2+1 Sanity
points
Have a very special Christmas …
 LAST CHRISTMAS

APPENDIX A -
Skills
Charm 30%, Fast Talk 20%, Intimidate 50%,

CHARACTERS AND Listen 90%, Persuade 60%, Psychology 70%,

Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth 35%, Know

MONSTERS Everything About The Apartment Block 99%

Languages
English 70%
Characters
Sally Jones
Drug runner
Helen De Mack
Working as a waitress in a cocktail bar STR 50 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 80 INT 70
APP 65 POW 30 EDU 30 SAN 60 HP 10
STR 30 CON 50 SIZ 40 DEX 60 INT 60 DB: 0 Build: 0 MOV: 8 MP: 6 Luck: -
APP 85 POW 60 EDU 60 SAN 70 HP 9
DB: -1 Build: -1 MOV: 8 MP: 12 Luck: - Combat
Fighting (Brawl) 45% (22/9)
Combat Fighting (Switchblade) 35% (17/7)
Fighting (Brawl) 25% (12/5) damage 1D4+1
Dodge 30% (15/6) Dodge 40% (20/8)
Skills Skills
Charm 70%, Fast Talk 60%, Firearms 20%, Charm 30%, Fast Talk 80%, Firearms 60%,
Intimidate 30%, Listen 60%, Persuade 60%, Intimidate 60%, Listen 70%, Persuade 60%,
Psychology 60%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth Psychology 85%, Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth
35%, Throw 30%, Serve Drinks Disdainfully 85%, Throw 70%, Spot Cops 88%
80% Languages
Languages English 30%
English 60%, French 40%, Spanish 30%
Andrew Ridgerton
Fred Brewster Paranoid recluse
Nosey neighbour
STR 50 CON 30 SIZ 50 DEX 50 INT 60
STR 30 CON 20 SIZ 60 DEX 40 INT 70 APP 65 POW 60 EDU 70 SAN 10 HP 8
APP 35 POW 70 EDU 70 SAN 40 HP 8 DB: 0 Build: 0 MOV: 8 MP: 12 Luck: -
DB: 0 Build: 0 MOV: 7 MP: 14 Luck: -
Combat
Combat Fighting (Brawl) 30% (15/6)
Fighting (Brawl) 25% (12/5) Fighting (Scissors) 30% (15/6)
Dodge 20% (10/4) damage 1D4
Dodge 25% (12/5)

40
 LAST CHRISTMAS
Skills Skills
Charm 30%, Fast Talk 20%, Firearms 20%, Charm 60%, Fast Talk 60%, Firearms 35%,
Intimidate 30%, Listen 70%, Persuade 30%, Intimidate 40%, Listen 40%, Persuade 40%,
Psychology 55%, Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth Psychology 55%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth
65%, Throw 20%, Ramble Incessantly 72% 65%, Throw 30%, Look Unnaturally Orange
Languages 77%
English 70% Languages
English 30%
Judy Roberts
Overly cheerful shop owner Gregory Potter
Odious cocktail bar owner
STR 30 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 50 INT 60
APP 55 POW 40 EDU 70 SAN 50 HP 10 STR 40 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 60 INT 60
DB: -1 Build: -1 MOV: 8 MP: 8 Luck: - APP 55 POW 20 EDU 40 SAN 80 HP 10
DB: 0 Build: 0 MOV: 8 MP: 4 Luck: -
Combat
Fighting (Brawl) 25% (12/5) Combat
Dodge 25% (12/5) Fighting (Brawl) 25% (12/5)
Dodge 30% (15/6)
Skills
Charm 70%, Fast Talk 40%, Firearms 20%, Skills
Intimidate 30%, Listen 30%, Persuade 40%, Charm 20%, Fast Talk 50%, Firearms 40%,
Psychology 35%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth Intimidate 30%, Listen 20%, Persuade 30%,
25%, Throw 20%, Be Festive 72% Psychology 25%, Spot Hidden 25%, Stealth
Languages 35%, Throw 40%, Be Oily 88%
English 70%, German 50%, French 30% Languages
English 30%

Martin Kent Henchmen / Bouncers

Permatanned drug dealer Hired muscle

STR 50 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 80 INT 60 STR 70 CON 60 SIZ 60 DEX 70 INT 30
APP 75 POW 30 EDU 70 SAN 60 HP 10 APP 50 POW 30 EDU 30 SAN 60 HP 12
DB: 0 Build: 0 MOV: 8 MP: 6 Luck: - DB: +1D4 Build: 1 MOV: 9 MP: 6 Luck: -

Combat Combat
Fighting (Brawl) 25% (12/5) Fighting (Brawl) 45% (22/9)
Firearms (Pistol) 35% (17/7) Fighting (Switchblade) 35% (17/7)
damage 1D6 damage 1D4+1
Dodge 40% (20/8) Dodge 35% (17/7)

41
 LAST CHRISTMAS
Skills Shirley Hollyman
Charm 10%, Fast Talk 30%, Firearms 40%,
Resurrected suicide victim, bent on vengeance
Intimidate 70%, Listen 40%, Persuade 60%,
Wearing a long white dress and glittery red
Psychology 25%, Spot Hidden 75%, Stealth
shoes, Hollyman’s face is deathly white, with
35%, Throw 60%, Lurk Menacingly 86%
streaks of bloody tears flowing from her eyes,
Languages
which are completely black.
English 30%
STR 60 CON 70 SIZ 50 DEX 80 INT -
Creatures POW 80 HP 12
DB: 0 Build:0 Move: 9 (flying) MP 6

Spirit of Last Christmas Attacks per round: 1

Vengeful ice spirit Last embrace (mnvr) 45% (17/7)
Chill touch 35% (17/7)
1D4+1 damage
A Spirit of Last Christmas resembles a light Dodge 40%
blue cloud of icy mist. Able to fly, it has a solid
core that is susceptible to normal damage, Last embrace
and is especially vulnerable to heat. Without If Hollyman is successful with this
manoeuvre, the target is immediately drained
intelligence of its own, it follows orders given of 3D10 points of POW
to it by Hollyman, and is able to dominate its
targets using magic. Fade in / fade out
By expending 5 points of POW, Hollyman is
STR 30 CON 70 SIZ 70 DEX 80 INT - able to turn incorporeal. If incorporeal, she is
POW 30 HP 14 able to expend 5 points of POW to become
DB: 0 Build:0 Move: 8 (flying) MP 6 solid again. Whilst incorporeal, Hollyman is
immune to all damage, although she herself
Attacks per round: 1 cannot attack or take any action other than
Chill touch 35% (17/7) move.
1D4+1 damage
Dodge 40% Skills:
Stealth 70%
Armour:
A Spirit of Last Christmas is partly formed of Armour:
icy mist, which absorbs 1 point of damage, Hollyman is enveloped by a thin layer of
unless that damage comes from fire or permanent frost which absorbs 1 point of
something which generates intense heat. damage, unless that damage comes from fire
or something which generates intense heat.
Skills:
Stealth 70% Spells
Dominate, Enthrall Victim
Spells
Dominate Sanity loss: 1/1D4+1 points of Sanity to
witness Shirley Hollyman.
Sanity loss: 0/1D2 points of Sanity to
witness a Spirit of Last Christma

42
 LAST CHRISTMAS

APPENDIX B - MYTHOS
SPELL
Fire Of The Gods
Cost: 6 magic points, 1 POW
Casting time: instantaneous
An ancient incantation from the wilderness of
Lapland in northern Finland, reciting the
words grants the caster the ability to summon
a ball of fire ‘from the heavens’ and cast it a
distance of up to three meters from their body.
The fire does not harm the caster, and is cool
to their touch. Any being that it hits however
finds the fire to be intensely hot, causing the
skin to blister and melt from the bone.
Being struck by the fire inflicts 2D4 points of
damage. Anything inflammable – such as
clothing – also catches fire and burns, causing
an additional 1 point of damage per turn until
extinguished.
Extinguishing the magical fire takes one
turn of uninterrupted action.

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 LAST CHRISTMAS

APPENDIX C - PREGENERATED CHARACTERS

Pete ‘Wildcard’ Mitchum
Fighter pilot, 25

STR 50 CON 60 SIZ 50 DEX 80 INT 40

APP 70 POW 60 EDU 50 SAN 70 HP 11
DB: 0 Build: 0 Move: 8 MP: 12 Luck: 60

Combat Armour
Fighting (Brawl) 45% Leather jacket 1 point
Pistol 40%
Connection to George
Dodge 40%
Went to college together
Other skills
Charm 45% Language(English) 50% Psychology 15%
Climb 35% Library Use 20% Ride 70%
Credit Rating 40% Listen 20% Science (Astronomy)
Disguise 05% Locksmith 01% 60%
Drive Auto 60% Mech. Repair 30% Science (Physics) 70%
Elec. Repair 60% Medicine 10% Sleight of Hand 10%
Electronics 55% Natural World 10% Spot Hidden 30%
Fast Talk 30% Navigate 30% Stealth 20%
Firearms 40% Occult 05% Swim 45%
First Aid 50% Persuade 35% Throw 25%
Intimidate 45% Pilot (Aircraft) 75% Track 10%
Jump 45% Psychoanalysis 01%

Backstory
• Description: Mitchum is lean, muscular and boyishly handsome with a winning smile
• Significant People: Barry ‘Phoenix’ Jones, Mitchum’s best friend in the air force. Jones
and Mitchum are as close as brothers
• Traits: Charming and self-assured, Mitchum has a weak spot for women he finds
attractive.
• Backstory: One of the most accomplished fighter pilots in his squadron, Mitchum is a
risk taker who chases the adrenaline rush of high speed action. He is currently on leave
for the holidays, and is living in a rented room in the centre of the city.

Possessions
Pistol (1D6 damage), leather jacket, aviator shades

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 LAST CHRISTMAS

Susan Glass
Bohemian drifter, 22

STR 40 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 80 INT 70

APP 60 POW 60 EDU 50 SAN 80 HP 10
DB: 0 Build: 0 Move: 8 MP: 14 Luck: 80

Combat Armour
Fighting (Brawl) 45% None
Fighting (Knife) 40%
Connection to George
Dodge 40%
None
Other skills
Charm 70% Jump 45% Persuade 55%
Climb 20% Language(English) 50% Psychoanalysis 10%
Credit Rating 30% Language(Spanish) 45% Psychology 55%
Disguise 60% Library Use 40% Ride 30%
Drive Auto 30% Listen 30% Sleight of Hand 60%
Elec. Repair 10% Locksmith 55% Spot Hidden 50%
Electronics 01% Mech. Repair 10% Stealth 70%
Fast Talk 75% Medicine 30% Swim 45%
Firearms 20% Natural World 10% Throw 15%
First Aid 30% Navigate 10% Track 40%
Intimidate 25% Occult 15%

Backstory
• Description: Modish and attractive, Glass turns heads wherever she goes
• Significant People: Roberta, Susan’s sister who has gone missing. Susan is desperately
seeking her, which is part of the reason she does not stay in one place for long.
• Traits: Extroverted and carefree to the point of being eccentric. Tries to avoid conflict
wherever possible, but is not above drawing her blade if she finds herself in trouble.
• Backstory: Glass moves from city to city, sleeping on couches and grifting tricks on
unsuspecting locals to eke out a living. A hedonist and ardent fan of pop music, she has
a way of gaining people’s trust, even if she then goes on to take advantage of it. She is
currently staying on a friend’s couch in the downtown district.

Possessions
Portable cassette player, duffle bag, change of clothes, knife (1D4 damage)

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 LAST CHRISTMAS

Doctor Ray Venkler

Parapsychologist, 52

STR 40 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 60 INT 80

APP 50 POW 70 EDU 70 SAN 60 HP 10
DB: 0 Build: 0 Move: 8 MP: 14 Luck: 50

Combat Armour
Fighting (Brawl) 25% None
Dodge 30%
Connection to George
Venkler is a good friend of George’s father
Other skills
Appraise 20% History 40% Persuade 25%
Charm 30% Language(English) 50% Psychoanalysis 40%
Climb 20% Language(German) 35% Psychology 55%
Credit Rating 60% Library Use 70% Ride 05%
Disguise 05% Listen 60% Sleight of Hand 10%
Drive Auto 20% Locksmith 15% Spot Hidden 50%
Elec. Repair 60% Mech. Repair 30% Stealth 20%
Electronics 40% Medicine 20% Swim 20%
Fast Talk 05% Natural World 40% Throw 20%
Firearms 20% Navigate 10% Track 40%
First Aid 30% Occult 45%

Backstory
• Description: Venkler is of medium height and build with thinning grey wiry hair
• Significant People: Daphne, Dr Venkler’s wife whom he met on an all-night ghost hunt
in the seventies and whom he is devoted to
• Traits: Normally quiet and studious, Venkler can however talk for hours about
paranormal phenomena to anyone willing to listen
• Backstory: With two of his close friends of similar interests, Dr Venkler has set up
Spiritbusters, a paranormal investigatory group based in the city. He lives in a modest
home in the academic district of the city.

Possessions
Voice recorder, electromagnetic field detector, notebook, pen

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 LAST CHRISTMAS

Ellen Weaver
Survivalist, 32

STR 50 CON 80 SIZ 60 DEX 70 INT 60

APP 50 POW 50 EDU 40 SAN 50 HP 14
DB: 0 Build: 0 Move: 8 MP: 10 Luck: 40

Combat Armour
Fighting (Brawl) 45% None
Pistol 50%
Connection to George
Dodge 35%
George saved Weaver’s cat from being run over last year
Other skills
Charm 30% Jump 55% Psychoanalysis 10%
Climb 60% Language(English) 40% Psychology 55%
Credit Rating 20% Library Use 25% Ride 30%
Disguise 50% Listen 40% Sleight of Hand 60%
Drive Auto 40% Locksmith 35% Spot Hidden 50%
Elec. Repair 50% Mech. Repair 40% Stealth 70%
Electronics 20% Medicine 50% Swim 45%
Fast Talk 35% Natural World 70% Throw 15%
Firearms 50% Navigate 60% Track 40%
First Aid 50% Occult 05%
Intimidate 45% Persuade 55%

Backstory
• Description: Broad and well-built, Weaver gives the impression of being always coiled
and ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
• Significant People: Smith the cat. Even if her emergency rations ran out, Weaver would
always make sure Smith was fed and cared for, over even her own welfare.
• Traits: Sceptical and mistrustful of strangers, Weaver has few friends, but is fiercely
loyal to those she chooses to spend time with.
• Backstory: Having served in the army, Weaver is convinced that the threat of nuclear
war is real. Discharged for psychological reasons, she now spends most of her time
making sure she is ready for the worst. She lives in a cabin in the hills close to the city.
Possessions
Pistol (1D6 damage), camouflage gear, flare gun and flares, matches

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Francis Mueller
Student slacker, 21

STR 40 CON 50 SIZ 50 DEX 50 INT 80

APP 60 POW 70 EDU 60 SAN 60 HP 10
DB: 0 Build: 0 Move: 8 MP: 14 Luck: 60

Combat Armour
Fighting (Brawl) 25% None
Dodge 25%
Connection to George
None
Other skills
Charm 65% Jump 35% Psychology 55%
Climb 25% Language(English) 50% Psychoanalysis 15%
Credit Rating 60% Library Use 25% Ride 10%
Disguise 60% Listen 50% Sleight of Hand 40%
Drive Auto 70% Locksmith 35% Spot Hidden 40%
Elec. Repair 20% Mech. Repair 20% Stealth 60%
Electronics 45% Medicine 50% Swim 25%
Fast Talk 70% Natural World 20% Throw 15%
Firearms 20% Navigate 50% Track 20%
First Aid 10% Persuade 65%
Intimidate 25% Occult 05%

Backstory
• Description: Mueller is tall and slim and has boyish good looks that he uses to try and
win people over to his point of view
• Significant People: Mia Peters, Mueller’s girlfriend, who loves Mueller dearly despite
his somewhat less than reliable behaviour
• Traits: With a fast tongue and a sharp wit, Mueller is often able to persuade people to
do things they would never otherwise dream of doing
• Backstory: With a razor-sharp mind, Mueller has been able to succeed at his studies
with minimal effort and would rather have a good time than hit the books. He currently
lives with his parents in the residential district of the city.
Possessions
‘Borrowed’ car, father’s credit card

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APPENDIX D - HANDOUTS AND MAPS

Handout 1 - Christmas card (front and inside)

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Handout 2 - Christmas card list in George’s apartment

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Handout 3 - Pink Flamingo business card

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Handout 4 - Newspaper report of Hollyman’s death

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Handout 5 - letter from Ridgerton to De Mack

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APPENDIX E - MIXTAPE

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