In the summer of 1975, the college town of Arkham, Massachusetts begins to experience a rash of murders where mysterious starfish carved out of soapstones are found at the scene of the crime. A few months later, Neal Carter, a young linguistics scholar, takes up his post as an assistant professor at Miskatonic University. Neal already has his own mysteries to grapple with. He was found wandering on the streets of Arkham when he was eight, with no knowledge of his family or his past. Placed in foster care, he was befriended at a young age by Mozzie (Dante Atwood), a professor of astrophysics at the university. Partly thanks to Mozzie's tutelage, Neal was able to skip several years at school and acquire his doctorate at age twenty-two. He now lives in the loft apartment of a friend of Mozzie's, June Parker.
Stories (Warning for spoilers)
Visions from Beyond: September 1975. Neal has recurring dreams of a starfish carving in ancient Egypt. He seeks help from an archaeology professor named Peter Gilman to discover the significance of the artifact. Peter discovered a similar starfish in an ancient tomb in Egypt. When Neal becomes ill upon being exposed to it, Peter asks his friend Cyrus Dexter to analyze the starfish. Cyrus determines that it contains a previously unknown chemical element which they name algolnium. When Neal has a vision of a murder, his path intersects with that of an Arkham police detective, Diana Briscoe. Neal begins to see monsters and worries that he's hallucinating. Peter's wife Elizabeth, a neurologist at the university medical center, offers to conduct confidential tests. Neal's experiences defy logical explanation. Mozzie believes Neal is not only seeing visions of other worlds but is also traveling off-world through wormholes. Neal remains unconvinced and fears he has become schizophrenic.
The Locked Room: Late September 1975. Neal has a vision of an armillary sphere being stolen from a nautical shop by a ghast. He and Peter convince Diana to conduct a stakeout at the shop. Just as in Neal's vision, a ghast attempts to steal the sphere. This time, Peter, Diana, and Jones also see the creature. The head librarian at the university, Lavinia Armitage, appears to understand what is going on much more than anyone else but refuses to discuss it. Meanwhile, Elizabeth discovers that both Neal and Peter contain algolnium within their spinal fluids. Peter only has a trace amount, but Neal has a much larger quantity. Peter learns about Kate, Neal's fiancée, who was killed nine months ago. One of Neal's friends from college, an investigative reporter named Sara Pabodie, offers to be his fake girlfriend to help discourage Neal's female students who are more interested in him than their coursework. Neal, Peter, and Mozzie follow a ghast to an abandoned house where Neal and Peter are captured by the Cult of Starry Wisdom and hurled through a wormhole into a parallel universe.
The Crypt: October 1975. Neal begins to develop new abilities. He discovers the rings of Mozzie's armillary sphere are inscribed with an unknown script. The algolnium within Peter is also strengthening. Sara investigates an old photo Neal was bequeathed and learns that Neal's grandfather was probably Andrew Phelan, an assistant to the famous anthropologist Laban Shrewsbury. Sara is abducted by the Starry Wisdom cult. Neal and Peter help the police rescue her. Keller is unmasked as the priest of the Starry Wisdom cult and meets a gruesome end. Neal and Peter discover a crypt underneath an old mausoleum that contains a wormhole to the frozen monastery of Leng. Neal's amulet is able to close the wormhole. Gideon Talmadge, a major university donor, provides funds for future expeditions to learn more about the civilization which made the disk. In a conversation with Phineas Dittlesworth, Lavinia reveals their planet of origin is Merope.
Cinereous Skies: November 1975. Neal and Peter are abducted to the planet Merope. Neal is carried off by ghasts and attacked by Sornoth, a saber-toothed leopard. He is rescued by Peter and Phineas and apparently is healed during the return trip home through the wormhole. Lavinia and Gideon Talmadge reveal that they're from Merope and have the ability to shapeshift. Neal discovers he contains the DNA of two other species. His father was a Meropian who'd shapeshifted into human form to mate with his mother. Neal's mother inherited Celaenian DNA from her father, Andrew Phelan. Neal and his friends learn of the threat confronting Earth and agree to join the Meropians in the resistance. Mozzie acquires algolnium. Neal and Sara realize they're attracted to each other, but they decide for different reasons to conceal their feelings. Cinereous Skies Pinterest Board
Lion's Lair: November 1975. Neal learns that the saber-toothed leopard Sornoth infected him with an alien chemical whose properties are unknown and begins to suffer side effects. Neal and his friends travel to Lyon to unravel the secret of the armillary sphere. In Lyon, Neal receives instructions from a winged serpent to seek a crystal in Abydos, Egypt which will help control the armillary sphere. Small problem—Neal's old nemesis Chad has stolen the armillary sphere. Gideon returns from his home base with Pagna Sastri, a Meropian scientist. She is tasked with locating the armillary sphere as well as helping to protect Neal. Lavinia and Elizabeth work on a cure for Neal's infection. Sara flies to London to be interviewed by the International Herald Tribune for a new job. She doesn't know that her potential future boss Nigel Griffin is a member of the Starry Wisdom Cult. Both Nigel and an Interpol agent named Raquel Dubois who assisted Neal and his friends in Lyon are from the planet Tirelia and work for Azathoth. Lion's Lair Pinterest Board
Time Crystals: December 1975. Neal is abducted by Azathoth and sent back in time to December 1961 just after his grandfather was killed. Azathoth's plan to have ghasts capture him in Providence is foiled when Neal is befriended by a 12-year-old named Henry Elliot. Meropian technology allows Peter and Mozzie to mount a rescue mission to Providence. After they find Neal, the three of them travel to Tirelia to recover the armillary sphere. Although Henry can't go along, Mozzie secures a safe home for him at the shelter where Mozzie spent his youth. Time Crystals Pinterest Board
Scorpion Hill: January 1976. During a trip to Morocco, Neal, Peter, and Elizabeth find themselves targeted by the Starry Wisdom cult. Henry decides to go to Marrakesh to meet them. He later becomes a member of their group. Scorpion Hill Pinterest Board
Standing Stones: February 1976. Ancient ruins in England acquire a sinister significance as the team attempts to thwart an alien invasion. Standing Stones Pinterest Board
Queen's Gambit: March 1976. Neal and his friends travel back to Elizabethan England to prevent a royal marriage. Queen's Gambit Pinterest Board
Penny Exchange: April 1976. Henry Winslow summons help from a different reality when Neal and Peter encounter minions of the real Azathoth. Penny Exchange Pinterest Board
Zoog Whisperer: May-June 1976. A visit to the court of Kublai Khan proves disastrous for Neal and his team. Zoog Whisperer Pinterest Board
Ritual of Varda: July 1976. A mysterious death in Arkham leads to the discovery of a new foe. Ritual of Varda Pinterest Board
Reference Materials
- Arkham Files Bestiary: a guide to the strange creatures of Arkham Files
- Alien Worlds and Races in Arkham Files
- Arkham Files Pinterest Board
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