Mason Dauterive

Freddie Pike

Statistics
Age 34, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Burns Flat, Oklahoma 1991.
Song of Ghroth: Second Stanza, Ghroth Points: 11, Mi-Go Conditioning: POW 60.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 10%, Anthropology 10%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 1%, Art/Craft (Singing) 55%, Charm 15%, Climb 20%, Computer Use 75%, Credit Rating 45%, Cthulhu Mythos 1%, Disguise 5%, Drive Auto 20%, Electrical Repair 25% Electronics 40%, Fast Talk 35%, First Aid 30%, History 5%, Intimidate 15%, Jump 20%, Knowledge (Prog Rock) 80%, Knowledge (Science Fiction) 65%, Law 5%, Library Use 25%, Listen 65%, Locksmith 25%, Mechanical Repair 15%, Medicine 5%, Navigate 10%, Natural World 25%, Occult 10%, Operate Heavy Machinery 1%, Operate Radio Telescope 70%, Paranormal Studies 15%, Persuade 10%, Psychology 10%, Psychoanalysis 1%, Ride 5%, Science (Astronomy) 35%, Science (Astrophysics) 50%, Science (Biology) 15%, Science (Chemistry) 15%, Science (Computer Science) 70%, Science (Mathematics) 75%, Science (Physics) 50%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 25%, Stealth 20%, Streetwise 35%, Survival 10%, Swim 20%, Throw 20%, Track 10%.

Languages: English native; Spanish 15%.

Education
B.S. in Mathematics from Oklahoma University, 2013
M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas in San Antonio, 2016

Description

Mason Dauterive (“Pronounced Dough-tree, no relation to Bill!”) is a pudgy, perpetually unkempt man who keeps his hair long and seems in constant need of a shave. He favors mismatched clothing and obscure prog-rock T-shirts, and wears an ancient and gravely battered Sooners ballcap. His entire manner is one of constant joking, but his sense of humor can be snarky and cruel, and he’s not above being a bully—Mason has drawn unwelcome comparisons to “The Comic Book Guy” from The Simpsons, although he’s considerably less slovenly!

History
Mason was born in Oklahoma to a declining family who once owned a plantation in Louisiana. Harassed by his conservative father and neglected by his alcoholic mother, Mason found refuge in science fiction, Star Trek, and music—mostly Frank Zappa and prog rock, but he’s seen his share of Phish shows. Something of a math whiz, Mason earned a partial scholarship to the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics. After joining a doomed start-up in Dallas, Mason earned a Master’s in Computer Science at the University of Texas in San Antonio. His “weird love” for the movie Contact brought him to New Mexico, where he worked as a software engineer for the NRAO. Eventually he became an array operator, and discovered that he truly enjoyed the job—until his girlfriend Maggie Brundle was offered a position at the University of Nebraska-Kearney as an assistant music professor. Fortunately for Mason, the GPCA needed a new array operator, and the couple moved to Gothenburg, Nebraska in 2018.

Personal Life
Despite his schlubby appearance and colorful vocabulary, Mason is quite intelligent, and his work as an operator is impeccable. He’s considering earning a PhD, but “right now the money’s good, and who wouldn’t want to live in beautiful Gothenburg, Nebraska?” He’s also reluctant to rock the boat. He and Maggie have entered into a ménage-à-trois with Beth Nelson, a bisexual therapist they met at a Phish concert in Lincoln. Beth moved in two years ago, and so far the thruple’s been surprisingly stable. (Although they keep their arrangement secret, mostly on account of Maggie’s job.)

Mason enjoys science fiction and attending concerts. He’s a huge Sooners fan, and makes it out to Memorial Stadium at least once a year to cheer them against the Cornhuskers. (“Hey, I wore my Sooners gear in San Antonio, I’m not afraid of these Bugeaters!”) Curiously, Mason possesses a startlingly beautiful tenor that only comes out when he’s drunk. He’s also a bit of a stoner, and enjoys wandering the dishes when not working and listening to sonifications—“You know, man, like Ellie Arroway!”

Mason is responsible for resurrecting the Swezey-Minnich Observatory as a “flashback disco,” and he hosts a yearly Halloween party in the equatorial room.

Researching Mason
Mason has a typical Linked In page, but keeps clear of social media. It requires a Hard Computer Use roll to discover that he shares an address with two women, but if confronted, Mason calls Beth “just a roommate.”

Notable Possessions
Mason is a bit of a hoarder, and his home in Gothenburg is filled with action figures, rare comics, vintage vinyl, and expensive prog-rock box sets. He drives a 2018 Toyota RAV4.

Reactions to Nemesis

The tensions of being torn between the Song of Ghroth and Mi-Go conditioning has really done a number on Mason Dauterive. His stress levels are increasing dramatically, and the negative aspects of his personality have been dialed up to “11.” He’s quicker to anger, has become more misanthropic, and his sarcasm has soured into meanness. Mason’s girlfriends have started to worry that he’s hiding something—problems at work? Health issues? Drugs? They keep suggesting he “take a vacation,” but Mason responds to their growing concern by spending even more time at the GPCA.

The only thing that seems to pacify Mason are Jenny’s sonifications. Mason Dauterive has become fascinated with the Song of Ghroth as actual music. There’s something weirdly compelling about the Song, and he’s simply become…hooked.

Mason’s Delusions
Mason does not believe that Nemesis is actually Gerald Neal’s “putative death star.” Ruth Swann convinced him it’s probably an alien artifact. Once Mason begins hearing the Third Stanza, he’ll develop one of two possible delusions. In the first scenario, he becomes convinced Earth is under some kind of alien invasion. He begins interpreting events through a framework constructed from a lifetime of science fiction movies and video games—“What if Nemesis is some kind of hostile mother ship? Or even worse, like the Reapers in Mass Effect? What if Nemesis is, like, Harbinger, come to harvest humanity?” The second delusion is even more sinister. Mason begins interpreting Nemesis through a framework informed by weird fiction and horror movies. In this case, he rejects Swann’s theory for something more supernatural—“What if Nemesis is an Elder God, something right out of H.P. Lovecraft? Like Azathoth, or Ghroth, or something big, man, real big!” Which narrative takes root in Mason’s deluded brain is up to the Keeper.

As Mason’s Sanity decreases, his delusions develop and intensify. This may take many forms! Mason may see himself as the hero of an alien invasion film, or some Lovecraftian protagonist needing to “close the Gate, A-S-A-fucking-P!” On the other hand, Mason may turn to the dark side. After all, the world is a pretty fucked-up place—global warming, mass murder, perpetual war, rising fascism everywhere you look; not to mention bullying fathers and alcoholic mothers. Why not embrace the coming of an Elder God? What has God or Allah or Buddha really done for this world? Maybe it should all burn?

Episodes
Mason responds to Ghroth with episodes of irritability and anger. He’s also prone to manic bursts of energy and surges of lust. So far he’s kept his wilder impulses under control, but he’s nearing a breaking point. Mason’s response to this stress is to consume more drugs and booze, feel up strippers at Ballantine Gas, and throw dramatic tantrums at work. Of course, once Mason falls prey to the delusions described above, his episodes become much worse.

GPCA Relationships
Mason can’t stand Gerald Neal; but he’s properly intimidated by the Director, and finds that life is easier when he obeys Neal’s “diktats and other imperial commands.” He thinks Dr. Bennett is a “stuffed shirt” and that Dr. Mancini “has a stick up her—admittedly attractive—ass.” Mason has discovered her alter ego Artemis Sinister; but he’s kept quiet because he genuinely respects Mancini as a writer. He especially “digs” C.T. Guest, and peppers him endlessly with questions about drummers—“Hey man, have you heard of Sunny Murray and Tomas Fujiwara?” Or, “Did you know Neal Peart was a big fan of Buddy Rich?” Mason gets along with Freddie Pike—they share a love for weird fiction—and he’s actually friends with Jay Osman and his girlfriend Bridgett Lynch. Mason has a higher degree of tolerance for Jackie Bernard-Wu than most, and is “simply blown away” by Jenny Hooper.

While Mason doesn’t have any real friends among the techies and mechanics, he’s more friendly than most of the other “geeks” to Cody Ballantine, Gary Wilson, and the other “blue collar guys.” (For one, they actually know something about football!) Mason counts receptionist Nora Kelly as a friend—like Jay, she’s also been to his home in Gothenburg, and knows his romantic situation. Mason absolutely detests Mike Beckmann—“An alpha geek who needs the permission of his Reddit overlords to think something is cool.” The fact many people often compare the two—“Oh you guys are so similar! Do you play DnD together?”—drives Mason crazy. If Mason snaps, Beckmann’s the first to go!

The Role of Mason Dauterive

The scenario begins shortly after Mason has begun hearing the Second Stanza, which has triggered an unfavorable shift in his personality from “extroverted” to “overbearing.” The player characters are certain to find him irritating and possibly unlikable; the kind of NPC that’s best to avoid. However, if Mason can be convinced there’s something truly wrong, he makes an excellent ally. Mason has little problem believing in alien contact, and may offer useful insights drawn from a lifetime of science fiction. He’s also quick to accept evidence that “aliens” have been meddling in human affairs. After all, it makes sense, and why wouldn’t aliens be assholes, too?

On the other hand, if the player characters push Mason too hard, or if he finally snaps under the strain of his conflicting compulsions, Mason becomes a tyrannical bully, sucking up to Neal and shutting down all avenues of approach. He may even begin to welcome the coming of Ghroth, transforming into a genuine Mythos cultist!

Mason Dauterive also affords the Keeper the opportunity to break the fourth wall and tease players with postmodern high-jinks. After all, Mason’s the only NPC who can reasonably exclaim, “This is like some fucked-up Call of Cthulhu scenario, but I wasn’t expecting homework on Ramsey Campbell!”

Notes and Inspirations

If Bible Black were a movie, Mason Dauterive would be portrayed by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose boisterous character Dustin Davis in Twister was the inspiration of the character.

Bible Black > NPC Profiles
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Author: A. Buell Ruch (Based on work by Kevin A. Ross)
Last Modified: 26 November 2025
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
Bible Black PDF: [TBD]