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Salutations, Kultists! It’s that time of year once again — the machinery of the Illusion turns through another cycle, and with it, we’re pleased to offer you a new tribute.
Download this and the previous KULTmas scenarios here: bit.ly/kultmas
This year, we invite you to help Robert Bullis evade the relentless forces of a powerful lictor of Geburah. Frozen Moments, the classic introductory scenario for the second and third editions of KULT, has now been updated for Divinity Lost by its original author, Jason Fryer.
Designed as a one-shot for Sleeper characters who become Aware by the end, the scenario also leaves plenty of space for a full campaign to grow if you wish to continue the story after its conclusion.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and we’d love to hear how your Frozen Moments game turns out. Be sure to come back and share your experiences with us on the usual social channels. We’re everywhere at this point!
See you in the next cycle!
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There's times when you manage to keep your players on their toes, trying to second guess what lies beyond the corner or when everything will go down. This is one such game. I favour the type of horror where no monster is ever shown. In movies, the suspense genre will accomplish this mood more easily. This is one such game. Of the sessions I've ran, this is my favourite. Because nothing happened. Or at least that's what the characters think.
My players came up with: a Jack of all trades, accepting whatever job he finds; an aspiring politician, currently holding a minor position at a welfare office; and a reporter, barely starting her career for a local newspaper.
So I pulled up a charity event for kids with special needs. The day before the event, the aspiring politician was tasked with supervising the setup. The reporter was following up on behalf of one of the schools that had granted her several interviews in the past; she was asked to make sure the venue was adequate for some of the kids' needs. And the Jack of all trades was the head waiter, tasked to receive the trucks that would deliver tables, chairs, and tableware.
I'll be using the spoiler syntax for mechanical stuff
[I'm omitting all of the mechanical stuff, be it skills, disadvantages, or Ego throws (now KiT).]
The three of them arrived at the Event Hall, a beautiful place about an hour beyond the outskirts of the metropolitan area. Sitting next to a forest, this event hall is part of a picturesque hotel that rents cabins for the people wishing to take a break from city life.
GM's notes (spoiler)
[I thought to myself that this place could very well be close to a thin veil that could lead to Gaia, but the adventure never required it. Perhaps another time. Don't tell my players.]
Act 1 was pretty much the characters being themselves, meeting each other, measuring each other. The aspiring politician trying to boss people around and being seen as a boss. The head waiter threw a tantrum against the delivery guys because there weren't enough glasses and the tables were the wrong size. The journalist, trying to figure out if the speakers would be too close to some kids that were particularly sensitive to loud noises... and why the hell does this place not have a ramp for wheelchairs?
Enter Act 2: The head waiter had to open the boxes containing the tableware and organize it all in shelves because the delivery guys were only being paid to deliver the stuff to the front steps. Several of the hotel/hall employees were sent to retrieve provisional ramps, to call the audio technician, or some other errand. The journalist had just convinced the aspiring politician to grant her a small interview when a storm broke loose and the lights went out.
GM's notes (spoiler)
[At first, there was nothing else to it, but I started "escalating" the ambience. First the cell phone signal went away. Then the wind started blowing water into the hall to prompt them into working together. Then some fog appeared. Then the violent rain and thunder made it hard for them to hear each other if they weren't close enough. Then the fog started pouring in from the door and window gaps. Their cell phones could be used as a flashlight, but I kindly reminded them that it was an easy way to drain the battery. And then...]
Something fell to the floor in the kitchen. The head waiter was sure he hadn't left anything that could have fallen. But then, our memory can play tricks on us. There it was. A big kitchen knife lying on the floor. Did the delivery guys bring kitchen knives? I don't think so. There was a landline in the kitchen, but it was also dead.
While they were all in the kitchen trying to sort things out, a crashing sound could be heard coming from the main hall. One of them quickly wielded the knife. They discovered a broken window, the water pouring in. This is an unusual storm for this region. Time keeps passing and it doesn't seem to wane.
While in the main hall, something else crashes to the floor in the kitchen. But this time, they didn't find anything. This place should have a power plant. A side door in the kitchen leads to the field outside, and they can (barely) see a small building. They needed to find someone, the hotel staff said they'd be around.
Without umbrellas or raincoats, they venture towards the small building. It is indeed a power plant, but it doesn't seem to be working. None of them dares fiddling with it to see if it starts. In fact none of them dares enter more than a handful of feet because a rustling sound can be heard at the other side. The cell phone's flashlight doesn't show anyone there. Nobody answers.
Act 3... ... while hustling back to the main hall, one of them notices through the fog a shadow far away. Humanoid in form. Huge. Wandering the edge of the forest. Once in the kitchen, they all agree they should get in the car and find someone else. They get to the parking lot and hop into the journalist's compact
GM's notes (spoiler)
[the aspiring politician was brought by a colleague, and the head waiter doesn't own a car].
It doesn't start, of course. One of them opens the hood and gives his rudimentary mechanic knowledge a try. Nothing complicated.
Soaking wet but finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, they start moving away. Until they reach the parking gate at the security booth. The barrier is down and is held by a lock. A guard should be at the security booth but nobody answers and a light can be seen through the misty window. They decide to break the window to get inside.
GM's notes (spoiler)
[I thought about them finding a dead body there, but decided against it. The real thriller would be at the main event. Plus the nondescript suspense was working great.]
Nobody there. A small battery-operated TV was displaying static on the screen. A large keychain lay on the top shelf. They remove the lock from the barrier and leave. They start making plans: get to the main road to see if their cell phones have a signal there. If not, head back to the city.
They arrive at a bifurcation on the road. None of them remembers there being any bifurcation on their way here. The journalist loses it
GM's notes (spoiler)
[no intervention on my part and no roll whatsoever; just player immersion].
Decides this is not possible. Their minds are playing tricks on them. Then decides to drive straight, full gas, through the middle... ... and crashes into a big rock. The engine's carter block is now leaking oil.
Epilogue.
The storm eventually passes. The trio are shivering cold and head back to the hotel's hall. Staff are back there. And there's a simple explanation for everything. Most of the staff was caught elsewhere when the storm hit and decided to stay put. The booth guard trekked to a nearby building when the lights went out. The groundskeeper couldn't start the power plant because it ran out of diesel, so he ventured through the field to another shed where they kept a few spare drums. And the bifurcation was hard to miss on the way in, but evident on the way out.
GM's notes (spoiler)
[This session was played several years ago. I do hope we can resume it one of these days.]
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I've avoided posting news concerning the previous kickstarter because backers already receive notifications, and I thought non-backers couldn't get on board at the moment.
But apparently, if you preorder, you also get access to the Beta versions released this week:
bit.ly/kult2025latepledge
From the campaign:
This dark odyssey guides you through a brutal and unsettling journey of self-discovery as you confront the darkness lurking in your past. Crafted in the style of a "choose your own adventure" book, Deep Waters serves as an introduction to KULT: Divinity Lost's rule system, exploring Dark Secrets, Disadvantages, and Moves while offering a tantalizing glimpse behind the veil.
and on The Seeker's Testament:
Building upon the foundation of our long sold-out Player's Guide, this expanded hardcover edition features 30 pages of new material designed to immerse players in KULT's atmosphere without revealing too much of the truth that lies beneath. Perfect for character creation sessions and as a quick reference for Advantages and Disadvantages, this is a book you can confidently share with your players.
Original post+thread on Twitter/X: https://x.com/KultRPG/status/1974107031260049758
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In case you didn't know, we have this community (!micro_maps@ttrpg.network) dedicated to tiny hand drawn maps. I thought it was about time I drew something Kult-related
I can't recall if I saw an illustration of an entryway to the Underworld or if I just pictured it in my mind while reading K:DL.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, a part of me insists that I saw it somewhere. Someone was creating a chart of elysium, Metropolis, hell, heaven, gaia, and the underworld.
Anyway, I can't find that image anymore, so I tried to start one common depiction of an entryway: a subway. (as usual, I'm not esctatic about how it came out, but I don't have to be)
Perhaps that image I think I vaguely remember disappeared altogether. Perhaps that's what happens when someone draws maps than come closer and closer to Achlys. Perhaps I don't remember because vivid thoughts about the nothingness tend to disappear.
