Period & Setting: Nebraska 2025
- At November 08, 2025
- By Great Quail
- In Call of Cthulhu
0
They declared me unfit to live,
Said into that great void my soul’d be hurled.
They wanted to know why I did what I did;
“Well sir I guess there’s just a meanness in this world.”
—Bruce Springsteen, “Nebraska”
Introduction
Kevin A. Ross’ “The Music of the Spheres” was set in the early 1990s in the fictional town of Hayden, Nebraska. Over thirty years have passed since the original scenario was published; three decades in which our social and technological landscape has been completely transformed. The Internet, cell phones, digital photography, Wi-Fi, streaming, social media; not to mention decreased attention spans, COVID lockdowns, the polarization of American politics, and an unwelcome return of political violence—so much has changed that the 1990s of Cthulhu Now! seems like another antiquated setting, like the 1920s original or Cthulhu By Gaslight.
Astronomy has also progressed since “The Music of the Spheres” was published. Radio astronomy has entered a golden age, and there are more radio telescopes online than ever before—bigger dishes, better resolution, larger arrays. Almost everything is controlled by sophisticated computers, and data is simply emailed to astronomers. Even more importantly for the scenario, the Nemesis Theory is over 40 years old, and has been roundly rejected by the modern scientific community. (See “Background—The Nemesis Theory” for details.)
As I began updating the scenario, it soon became clear that Bible Black would have a very different setting…
Welcome to March 2025!
Bible Black unfolds during ten days in March 2025. While an industrious Keeper may revise this timeline to align with the “current” calendar date, as time passes, March 2025 is destined to become as dated as the original 1992 setting.
And that’s okay! Bible Black takes place during a particular time in America. President Donald Trump is at the beginning of his second term. The Right wing is struggling with pernicious nativism, cultish populism, and a rising tide of Christian nationalism. The Left wing is riven by divisions over Israel and Palestine, has divided itself with ideological purity tests and cancel culture, and faces the near-collapse of the Democratic Party. The so-called “wokeness” that dominated progressive policies for the last decade has receded under a backlash; the pendulum is swinging the other way on DEI, immigration policies, and transgender rights/activism. Roe vs. Wade was overturned, as was Affirmative Action. Antisemitism is on the rise in both parties, as are the forces of corruption and cronyism. ICE agents have been given unprecedented levels of authority, the National Guard has been sent into American cities, and the police clash with protestors and Antifa. Numerous episodes of political violence have shaken both sides of the aisle, and free speech is under attack from all quarters. The Federal government has significantly reduced funding for the arts and sciences, while science itself has become increasingly politicized, with both sides cherry-picking what to believe and what to reject. Climate change is fiercely debated as the planet warms and weather events become more catastrophic. Meanwhile the average citizen is still reeling from the effects of COVID and the corresponding lockdowns, and the price of groceries keeps climbing.
All of these factors inform the setting of Bible Black, and if anyone is still playing this scenario in ten, twenty, or thirty years, I hope it serves as a snapshot of this particular time and place. (And having written all of the above, I dunno—maybe Ghroth isn’t a bad alternative?)
Timeline Variations
Bible Black was originally the third game in a trilogy I cobbled together from three unrelated Chaosium scenarios: “The Killer Out of Space,” “The Evil Stars,” and “The Music of the Spheres.” While the two earlier scenarios are not required to play or enjoy Bible Black, both altered the historical timeline in ways that inform the current milieu.
The Atlantis Disaster
In early March 1990, the Space Shuttle Atlantis encountered an unexplained phenomenon in orbit that damaged critical systems and killed most of the crew. The shuttle made an emergency landing in Kansas. The government attempted to cover up the accident using a bogus outbreak of Anthrax. The only survivor of STS-36 was Flight Engineer Saxon Conan Cowell, who claims he was “possessed” by an alien entity.
Origins
This is the (modified) plot of William Barton’s scenario “The Killer Out of Space,” first published in Chaosium’s 1987 sourcebook Cthulhu Now! This adventure served as a prequel for Bible Black, and involved the player characters trapping and defeating the Colour Out of Space. In the alternate timeline of Bible Black, future missions of the Atlantis were simply conducted by other shuttles. (See “Faction—The Church of Invisible Frequencies” and “NPC Profile: Saxon Conan Cowell” for additional details.)
The Starless Mass Suicide
During the early 2020s, a bizarre underground rock band developed a cult following. Known as Starless, the group was fronted by a Lovecraft-obsessed lead singer named Brian Lochnar. Their public relations strategy relied on viral messaging, with a strong presence on the dark web. Described by Rolling Stone as “the most unlikely band to achieve commercial success since the Flaming Lips,” Starless was pithily dismissed by Pitchfork as “Second-rate Nirvana meets budget Nurse With Wound.” Starless was closely associated with a hallucinogenic mushroom called “yuggoth,” and many fans were habitual users.
However, that’s not why people remember Starless today. They remember Starless as the band behind the worst tragedy in the history of modern music. After a six-month hiatus brought on by Lochnar’s legal troubles, the band held a secret Halloween concert in the middle of the Florida swamps near Lochnar’s hometown. Security was provided by an outlaw motorcycle gang called the Crow Magnums.
On 31 October 2022 Starless went from being a cult band to becoming a literal cult. Maddened by dangerously high doses of yuggoth, 666 Starless fans committed suicide at the climactic moment of their set. (That’s the legend, at least. In reality, it was closer to 800.) To make matters worse, the Crow Magnums were tasked with incinerating the bodies with a mixture of gasoline and motor oil. The fire quickly raged out of control. With very few exits in place, an additional 250 fans burned alive. The fire enveloped the stage as well, killing every member of the band and crew.
Origins
This is the (greatly modified) plot of “The Evil Stars,” first published in Chaosium’s sourcebook Cthulhu Now! While the revisions I made to Keith Herber’s scenario make it all but unrecognizable, the Keeper should be aware of two changes for Bible Black. The first is that Starless has an underground status usually afforded to criminal outsiders like Charles Manson or the Hell’s Angels. Seeing someone wearing a Starless T-shirt is—well, it’s a statement! The second is that Brian Lochnar discovered an alien mushroom he called “the fungi from yuggoth.” A powerful psychedelic, it occasionally caused people to merge into each other during trips, something Lochnar referred to as “releasing the inner shoggoth.” After the mass suicide, the Mi-Go arrived to eliminate all traces of yuggoth, and today it’s virtually extinct. There’s lots of fake “spore” out there, usually a mixture of psilocybin and flay agaric; but the real thing is almost impossible to find. (See “Drugs, Intoxicants, and Poisons” for details on yuggoth.)
Main Takeaways
The impacts these prior events have on Bible Black may be described thusly: The Space Shuttle Atlantis crashed in 1990, resulting in the rise of Dr. Saxon Conan Cowell and the Church of Invisible Frequencies; and a few years ago an underground rock band named Starless freaked out the normies with a psychedelic mushroom named yuggoth. The band triggered a mass suicide and burned alive in the Everglades.
Differences from “The Music of the Spheres”
Bible Black represents a significant expansion to Kevin Ross’ “The Music of the Spheres.” Keepers are encouraged to read the original scenario first, then read Bible Black. A few main differences are listed below.
Expanded Scope
The scope of Bible Black is much broader than “The Music of the Spheres,” and spans across Nebraska from North Platte to the Toadstool badlands. In the original scenario, Ross fictionalized the town of Tryon as Hayden; but it remained the seat of McPherson County. Bible Black fictionalizes a much larger area, and McPherson County has been transformed into McCaine County. The nearby town of Ringgold has been replaced with Rheingold, and I’ve used Google Maps to populate the county with observatories, ranches, and Mi-Go outposts. I admit that I’ve never been to McPherson County, so I’m sure some of my characterizations miss the mark—there’s probably more bikers and outlaws in McCaine County, and definitely more aliens!—but I tried my best to bring this rural setting to life. Granted, that’s largely to make destroying it more enjoyable for the Keeper; but that’s Call of Cthulhu for you.
Expanded GPCA
The Great Plains Cruciform Array has been increased in size and given a comprehensive history. Bible Black includes more details on the day-to-day operations of a radio observatory.
Expanded Cast
The GPCA scientists have been augmented by a cast of array operators and supporting personnel. Some personalities have been tweaked, and there’s more diversity in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political ideology. Major NPCs have been provided fuller histories.
Pre-generated Player Characters
In order to facilitate the twists and turns of the new narrative, Bible Black includes four pre-generated player characters: paranormal reporter Nick Castro, county deputy Cal Mortenson, psychologist Rose P. Rines, and astrophysicist William Snow. Additional player characters are encouraged to take on the role of grad students or Hayden locals.
Altered Hook
In “The Music of the Spheres,” Stanley Arnold’s family asks the player characters to intervene on his behalf. I’ve made substantial changes to this “adventure hook.” First, Stanley Arnold and Carrie Osbourne are no longer scientists, but senior supporting staff. This reduces the impact of their loss on the control room, and further isolates the Nemesis Team from the rest of the GPCA. Second, the brutal murder of Carrie Osbourne no longer occurs off-stage—it’s the centerpiece of the first gaming session. All of the player characters except Deputy Cal Mortenson witness the murder.
Expanded Mi-Go Involvement
I have developed the Mi-Go’s role in the scenario. I’ve given them a background, a mission, and a home base. I’ve provided them with tools and technologies. More importantly, I’ve mapped the Mi-Go over modern ideas about aliens, UAPs, and abduction experiences. Bible Black treats the Mi-Go more like science-fiction antagonists than supernatural horrors—think of The X-Files or Dark Skies.
Expanded Mythos
While Ross’ original narrative remains intact—Ghroth is coming, and the Mi-Go want to stop it—I’ve broadened the scenario to include additional Mythos-related elements. Frank Belknap Long’s Tindalosians now play a supporting role, and there’s occasional references to the Lovecraft’s Colour Out of Space and Ramsey Campbell’s S’lghuo. I’ve based the Soul Seekers’ belief in “Other Souls” on ideas put forth by H.P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price in “Through the Gates of the Silver Key.” And finally, one of the player characters has a connection to the Yithians, a relationship that may prove critical in interrupting the approach of Ghroth.
Higher Stakes
The overall stakes of the scenario have been raised, both in terms of Ghroth’s impact on the planet, and the methods the Mi-Go will advocate to disrupt the Harbinger’s approach. Unlike “The Music of the Spheres,” Bible Black is an apocalyptic scenario. If the player characters fail, they will not be rescued by a convenient electrical storm!
Bible Black > Introduction
[Back to Scenario Introduction | Bible Black TOC | Forward to Scenario Background]
Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 11 November 2025
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
Bible Black PDF: [TBD]