I have in my Kult collection something which may be of interest to other GMs out there.

It was picked up by a friend of mine at GenCon in 1994 and is called the Illusion. It has 'Number One' on it so I presume it was intended to be an ongoing product but I have never come across any others. Inside it has a poster of the cover of the 1st Edition and on the other side are a number of tidbits for the game. These include a new archetype (occult investigator), an adventure (The Auction), an organization (The Reflexion Gallery), and a number of artifacts. As most people probably have never seen this material I have entered it here. All of this material is copyrighted by Metropolis Games. Archetype: Occult Investigator It was close this time, a little too close. I had spent most of the night sitting in the dank basement of that dilapidated townhouse, alone with a pack of cigarettes...and the voices of course. I was beginning to think I was wasting my time, but around three a.m., I felt the chill. A cold wind right out of hell; the candle-flames flickered and I heard the moaning, the cries of the damned suddenly all around me. The gate to Inferno was open...and then all hellliterally- brook loose. Then the basement door banged open, dim light filtered down, and dark-suited men thundered down the steps, brandishing submachine guns. Belasarius' men had caught up to me, but they were about to get more than they bargained for. Biomechanical limbs moved in the darkness: the Razides moved freely outside my little circle of lights. The men screamed as their muscles tore and bones snapped. A final bitter gust and they were all gone. The candles went out, leaving me in total darkness but for the embers of my Camel filterless. Two or three of the chorus in my brain giggled at my minor setback. 'Oh, shut up and haunt somebody who cares,' I snarled. Damn, now I have to set it up again. I'm getting really tired of this crap... Every day you grapple with events and forces that most people don't even know exist. Maybe you work with a secret team of specialists who investigate this phenomena, or you work alone, determined to seek out the truth behind the illusion. Occult and paranormal events are nothing new; you have seen through the illusion on many occasions. If you are an experienced investigator, azgouls and even desparytes may be known to you; it will take more than that to strike fear into one who has walked Metropolis. But this has taken a toll on your psyche: your mental balance is off the norm. Or you may just be starting down the shadowed road through the veils of illusion. Your fascination with things that cannot be explained draws you ever further into the blood-stained

plots of cults and lictors. Personality: Driven- maybe obsessed- with the occult, you are bored by the mundane world, and have even become jaded by sights that would make most people's blood run cold. Your line of work is exhausting, mentally and emotionally, and sometimes you feel overwhelmed. But somebody has to face the terrors beyond the illusion. Disadvantages: Curse, Death Wish, Depression, Drug Addiction, Fanaticism, Haunted, Hunted, Mortal Enemy, Nightmares, Paranoia, Sexual Neurosis, Touchy, Unwilling Medium, Wanted Advantages: Alertness, Code of Honour, Endure Pain, Endure Torture, Enhanced Awareness, Gift for Languages, Influential Friends, Magical Intuition, Sixth Sense Dark Secrets: Curse, Forbidden Knowledge, Occult Experience, Pact with Dark Powers, Supernatural Experience Profession: Art/Antiques Dealer, Consultant, Government or Corporate Special Agent Standard of Living: 5-9 Skills: Handgun, Sneak, Unarmed Combat, Swim, Hide, Search, Poisons & Drugs, Hypnosis, Numerology, Occultism, Parapsychology, Security Systems, Man of the World, Diplomacy, Etiquette, Seduction, Disguise, Net of Contacts, Forgery, Burglary, Drive Vehicle, Shadow Note: The Occult Investigator, by his very nature and experience, is likely to have a starting mental balance at least +/- 25. This is also required for the Advantage Magical Intuition.

Adventure: The Auction Introduction: This adventure is intended for a small group of characters all created using the Occult Investigator Archetype. They might be part of a research team, attending a conference, or all contacted separately, but they all come together in New York where they are asked by a Mr. Rex Tenebray to attend an exclusive auction and verify the authenticity of a certain antiquity for him. Unfortunately for the characters, this is only the deceptive fringe

of a large and deadly plot. The Lie: One of the characters is approached, either in person or via telephone, by an art dealer he is familiar with by reputation: Adrian Fisher-James. Fisher-James says that the services of the characters are requested by a wealthy but inexperienced art collector who wishes to build a collection of 'unusual' antiquities. A meeting is set up, incongruously lunch at a well-known restaurant. There the group meets Rex Tenebray III. He even tells them that his real name (they have no reason to suspect him) and seduces them with his charm. He explains that he is eager to acquire a certain artifact, a golden medallion. He provides photographs of his own, and a copy of a beautifully produced auction catalog from Reflexion Gallery (which no one in the group has heard of). He never lets on that he knows of any special 'powers' the medallion may have, but he hints that it is 'very special'. Assuming the group seems interested, he offers them a handsome commission (20% up front, the remainder upon delivery of the item). He will provide them with transportation to the Paris Auction, and a note authorizing them to bid on the piece. The next day, first class round-trip plane tickets, hotel reservations in Paris, and checks for their 20% advance are delivered by courier, along with a very impressive letter, signed and sealed by Mr. Tenebray, authorizing the spokesman of the group to bid up to 100 000 pounds at the auction in Tenebray's name. The group arrives in Paris in style. At the hotel, the concierge tells them that a limo will take them to the gallery that evening. He presents them with invitations from the Reflexion Gallery, engraved in gold. The Madness: At the set time, the car arrives, and the group rides off. The windows are dark so that it is almost impossible to see out, and the car moves through the city with increasing speed, the driver taking turns faster and harder, the tires squealing and the entire car shaking. No amount of pounding on the glass behind the driver will get his attention, and just when the characters must think that they are about to die in a horrible accident the car slams to a halt. The door is opened- and they are in a large parking garage, and nearby is an elevator with an attendant. The characters have no idea where they are in the city; in fact the stenciled writing on the walls of the garage looks to be Arabic. There is no graffiti. The elevator is an old-fashioned machine with an open steel lattice cage and folding steel doors. The group rides up an endless shaft punctuated by strange rooms with machinery, and suddenly emerges into a beautiful pristine lobby, all white marble and art-deco lamps. Before the actual auction, everyone gathers in a sumptuous gallery where all of the items to be bid on are set out on display. Stone-faced waiters pace the room bearing trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Next to every item is a disinterested- looking but heavily armed bulky security man. The characters easily find the medallion: it is hung from a wide red ribbon, and is worn about the neck of a headless bust on a pedestal for display.

There are at least fifty or so other people here, most in expensive suits, though a few wear flowing robes and one a priest's vestments. All are holding copies of the auction catalogs, referring to them as they examine each piece on display. Whenever the players look at the catalog, they can see the photographs fine, but all except the most basic text is blurry and unreadable. While several people have examined the medallion, no one is paying it an inordinate amount of attention. The characters should take this opportunity to establish its authenticity by matching it to the photographs. One couple of bidders is worthy of particular note: a well-dressed man and woman, both in their forties, but tanned and obviously fit. They introduce themselves as Mitchell Serden and his wife Chastity, and are striking by their obvious poise and taste...and perhaps something more. Randomly, as they walk past, one character might get a sickening whiff of a slaughterhouse, while another might glance at either and see their eyes flicker red for just an instant. One might see their footsteps seem to leave a trail of puss and blood on the flor, which dries up and vanishes moments later. (Of course, there may be a few other individuals in this group who exhibit equally bizarre manifestations...) Eventually (it must be getting rather late, but the character's watches are all showing different times) Reflexion employees herd the guests into a small auditorium where the bidding is to take place. The room is posh, with heavy blood-red velvet curtains, gold- leaf decoration, and rows of elegant Louis XIV chairs. The medallion is, by its place in the catalog, one of the last items to be auctioned. As each item is bid on, it is brought onto the stage through a side door and placed beside the auctioneer, who provides a brief description and background before bidding begins. It is all very polite and civilized. Everyone in this elite group is seated and the first item is brought out. The bidding proceeds uneventfully to the medallion. It begins, and after the first few moments it becomes clear that it is a contest between the characters and Mitchell Serden (Chastity stepped out a few minutes before bidding began). At the height of tension, one of the characters (not the spokesman) is handed a note by a staff member. It reads "Meet me in the lobby, alone- urgent!" Signed, Chastity Serden. The character goes out. Finally, the characters are out-bid by Mitchell Serden, who goes over what they have bid budgeted by Tenebray. "Sold!" Says the auctioneer. Serden smiles at the group as the medallion is taken backstage. A minute later- midway through bidding on a disturbing painting- a Reflexion staffer rushes into the room- and announces that a guard was overpowered and the medallion has been stolen. There is some confusion, but a moment later the missing group member is brought in. He remembers nothing after leaving the auction hall, but the guards insist on searching him. The red ribbon which the medallion previously hung from is found in his pocket. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Chastity are nowhere to be found.

The Truth: In fact the handsome couple at the auction were the desparytes Serenade and Chastity, cloaked in the Illusion. While some in attendance might have been able to imperfectly penetrate their fair disguise, none would dare acknowledge it. They were also sent by Rex Tenebray, their mission to steal the medallion and frame the characters for the crime. The characters will have a difficult time proving their innocence, as the circumstantial evidence is rather damning. However, they don't have the medallion and there is the fact of the Serden's disappearance. Dealing with the Reflexion administrators and talking their way out of trouble should call upon the player's role-playing skills. GM: If necessary to salvage the group, a young Englishman by the name of Alistair Evans will come forward and state that he saw Chastity with the medallion. His word will not be questioned, though it will also be apparent that some Reflexion members do not like him overmuch. The characters will be released and a search begun for Chastity. However, Evans will approach one of the group after the furor dies down. His proper English accent is tainted with the slightest edge of menace when he says "There will be a price to pay for my generosity. You owe me a favour, Monsieur." He will then turn on his heel and walk briskly out of the room. The group will be escorted to a back exit; they find themselves in a filthy stairwell reeking of urine. After descending three floors they emerge onto an alley, and into a run-down warehouse district; it is nearly dawn. They later learn that three days passed within the Reflexion auction. They are turned out of their hotel, and their return tickets have been canceled. They must find their own way home. Serenade: Bodyguard of Rex Tenebray, Serenade is an imposing and terrifying presence. He wears a mask of stainless steel with a permanent fiendish grin, but this does little to conceal the skinned head and exposed, fluid- oozing brain. Most of Serenade's flayed body is draped in a black robe and arcane religious vestments, but it is punctured by razor-sharp blades erupting from his flesh. Oily blood seeps through the cloth and drips onto the floor or into a smoking sensor he wears slung at his waist. But perhaps the most shocking is a huge spiked iron wheel, the hub somehow welded to his spine. Brutal and sadistic, Serenade is obsessed with inflicting physical agony. He revels in torture and carries with him an arsenal of 'toys': stainless steel instruments of pain and torture.
AGL 35 EGO 28 Terror throw Mod: +5

STR 50 CHA 19 Height: 190 cm

CON 45 PER 18 Weight: 100 kg

COM 3

EDU 19 Senses: human plus can see auras

Actions: 5

Initiative Bonus: +19

Damage Bonus: +9

Damage Capacity:

10 scr = 1 light

9 light = 1 serious

7 serious = 1 fatal

21 fatal = death

Endurance: 250 Natural Armor: none

Powers: Can rad memories and feelings; distort time and space as a person with mental balance +/-300, Change appearance, Control all people with a mental balance between -50 and -100 Skills: Auto weapons 20, handgun 15, sneak 25, dodge 30, dagger 25, whips & chains 55, search 25, torture 100 Attack Modes: According to weapon Magic: Death Magic 50, All spells 50. Possession spell 30 (gives ability to possess a human body in our world while the caster's own body remains in Inferno or Purgatory Home: Inferno Chastity: Serenade's counterpart in many ways, Chastity is Rex Tenebray's personal assistant. While she can appear as a beautiful young woman, in reality her appearance is unspeakably hideous; more tragically so because one can glimpse tiny hints of a beauty utterly destroyed. Bits of shredded skin are brutally stapled and sewn to her filthy plastic and iron skeleton. Chastity celebrates pain, but her approach is more subtle, preferring to corrupt and destroy the emotions of her victims. Her sexy seductions always end in revelations to drive her prey to

irreparable insanity.
AGL 32 EGO 29 Terror Throw Mod: +5

STR 41 CHA 21 Height: 180 cm

CON 41 PER 18 Weight: 100 kg

COM 6

EDU 18 Senses: human plus can see auras

Actions: 5

Initiative Bonus: +18

Damage Bonus+7

Damage Capacity:

10 scr = 1 light

9 light = 1 serious

7 serious= 1 fatal

21 fatal = death

Endurance: 230 Natural Armor: none

Powers: Can read memories and feelings; distort time and space as a person with mental balance +/- 300, Change appearance, Control all people with a mental balance between -50 and -100 Skills: Auto weapons 12, handgun 17, sneak 25, dodge 25, dagger 25 whips & chains 45, search 15, torture 75 Attack Modes: according to weapon Magic: Death Magic 30, All spells 30, Possession spell 30 (gives ability to possess a human body in our world while the caster's own body remains in Inferno or Purgatory

Home: Inferno Organization: The Reflexion Gallery A repository and clearing house of art and other unique antiquities, the Reflexion Gallery was founded by Demelik Draal many years ago, and survives his 'death'. While it has some indirect association with Demelik's son and heir Bela Winthrop, it is an independent group. In fact, it is sometimes at odds with Winthrop, as he has sold some of his father's artifacts to the uninitiated- with disastrous repercussions. Purpose and Ideaology: The Reflexion Gallery is a group dedicated to the acquisition of occult artifacts, manuscripts, and art. Wishing to follow in the footsteps of their founder towards Awakening, they are always seeking objects with mystical powers which might give the members greater insight. Organization: Jean Mindeaux is the Acting Curator of the gallery and supervises day-to-day administration in Paris. Mindeaux is a tall, slender man, apparently in his late thirties. He wears his blond hair slicked back, and always dresses in expensive designer suits. His office is adjacent to the gallery in Paris. He is in fact nearly two hundred years old- preserved by the time altering powers of a signet ring he wears. There is also a board of eleven trustees who meet regularily to discuss policy, decide on major sales and auctions, etc. The Reflexion Gallery Association has about a thousand members throughout the world; while it is not widely known outside of art circles, the name is not a secret. To those in the art community the gallery has a reputation for dealing with the 'grotesque' but this is not enough to stir great suspicion. Potential members are carefully screened before they are admitted into the association. It is important to note that one does not necessarily have to be an actual member to attend auctions; sometimes members send trusted aides to perform the actual inspection and bidding. Membership is entirely human, though it spans the globe. Many wealthy collectors of other art are members of the Reflexion as well. Some of the Reflexion Association posses treasures from the pyramids of Giza and Tikal and places with no name. Though relatively small, the Association has millions in assets and cash, most of the latter kept in numbered Swiss accounts, easily accessible if needed to make an important purchase. The Reflexion has several offices around the world: Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, Las Angeles, Washington, DC. Most are small, with a front public gallery and private viewing rooms in the back. The Association will also host special showings and auctions; these events alone are enough to weaken the walls of illusion; often the site of the show will slip into Metropolis until the artifacts are dispersed again. There is nothing so arcane as a secret sign for Association members; all have a plastic membership card bearing the Gallery logo (a rose with huge, exaggerated thorns) and a magnetic stripe.

The Association almost always uses completely legal methods to secure occult artifacts, but there has been a handful of occasions when it was deemed worthwhile to bend a few laws to bring a particular item 'into the fold'. Usually, however, it is individuals within the Association who fund such enterprises rather than the Association itself. Eager to acquire the collection of Demlik Draal, Reflexion dealers have often made overtures to Bela Winthrop, but a woman named Lea (an agent of an entity known only as the Temptress) has effectively intervened. Lea's motivations are unclear to the Reflexion group, though the two are obviously at cross- purposes. Lea has allowed (even encouraged) the sale of some of Bela's occult inheritance to unaware buyers, the result being irreparable insanity on the unfortunate purchaser. The Reflexion recovers these items when possible. Discreet inquires to a branch gallery can sometimes elicit an interview. However, the Reflextion is careful to avoid those who are revealed to be either too weak to handle a confrontation with reality, or agents of the Archons who would destroy these artifacts to preserve the illusion. Occult Artifacts Golden Medallion: A disk- shaped amulet made of a gold alloy, the medallion face is dominated by the Tree of Life in high relief. Behind the tree and making up the circular background is in part a simplified replica of the Mayan calendar, but there are also symbols of the four elements, and a network of gears like the interior of a very complex watch. Spectacles: Small oval spectacles with red-tinted lenses. Those with a mental balance of -25 or below have limited vision through the illusion. Figurine, Male Nude: Carved of pale wood, this foot-tall figure is grotesquely masculine. The workmanship is crude, and the face in particular has an unfinished look to it. Painting, Danse Macabre: A large oil painting without frame, it is rather impressionist in style. It is an outdoor night scene depicting a circle of ten satyr- like creatures dancing around a blazing fire. At first glance the painting is so dark that it is difficult to make out the details, but then the fire seems brighter, and the detail of the figures easier to make out. Then the flames seem to flicker... Candles: A set of fat yellow candles, each set on a tripod base of gnarled iron, they are greasy and somewhat lumpy in texture. They are reputed to have been fashioned from the body fat of the Soviet security service lictor Tjukov. When three are lit, anything in their sickly glow is revealed in its true appearance stripped of the illusion. Music Box: A gem encrusted gold box, it has a small crank on the side which plays a beautiful, unearthly melody when turned. The tune will haunt all who hear it more than once,

however, and they must hear it again and again... Chair: This elegant chair (perhaps more properly a small throne), is made of ebony and gilt with gold; it is obviously loot from an ancient Egyptian temple. It exists both here and in Metropolis, sometimes fading back and forth between the two (and taking with it whomever is seated). Mirror: A hand mirror with a silver handle in the form of an elongated female nude; the head is the face of the mirror. Anyone who looks into it sees themselves as they will be in 20 years (including if they will be dead). Painting, Storm at Sea: A wide oil painting of incredible detail presenting a small sailing ship caught in an impossibly huge storm. Upon careful examination, phantom creatures can be seen in the waters. The ship is unmanned. Perfume Bottle: A tall bottle of blue faceted crystal with an elegant gold atomizer. The bottle is currently empty, and unless filled with human blood, powerless. Bust: This is the head and shoulders of a middle-aged man, carved from pale gray marble. It is life- size, and very realistic. The man is bald except for a fringe of hair around the sides and back, and appears to have been slightly over- weight. He has a large nose, and his almost lipless mouth is frowning. Also quite unusual: the eyes are closed. From the style of the collar, the man is dressed in a style popular in France in the early 19th century. Book, Codex Azgoulii: A large tome (about 24 inches tall, 18 wide, and four thick) it has covers of wood with leather and iron bindings, and pages of an unusual parchment (azgoul skin). The book is held closed with three clasps, one of which is locked. There is a key with the book. Secret Box: More of a puzzle, this appears to be a box which contains something. One simply has to figure out the correct sequence of sliding panels in order to open it. The box itself is ebony inlaid with fine mahogany, cherry and other woods in interesting (but not disturbing) geometric patterns. Shaking the box produces a soft rattle, betraying that there is indeed something inside. No solution is provided, but as soon as someone does figure out the procedure, sliding the outside parts of the box does create new distressing patterns and pictures. Book, Arcanum Metropoli: A huge book, and possibly the showpiece of the auction, the Arcanum Metropoli is about 30 inches tall, 22 wide, and is six inches thick. The covers are steel plates with riveted edges and hinged bindings, the title etched on the surface. The cover is held closed by seven clasps, each with a lock. The pages appear to be parchment (human skin). No keys are included.