Keeper’s Introduction

Who claims Truth, Truth abandons. History is hir’d, or coerc’d, only in Interests that must ever prove base. She is too innocent, to be left within the reach of anyone in Power,—who need but touch her, and all her Credit is in the instant vanish’d, as if it had never been. She needs rather to be tended lovingly and honorably by fabulists and counterfeiters, Ballad-Mongers and Cranks of ev’ry Radius, Masters of Disguise to provide her the Costume, Toilette, and Bearing, and Speech nimble enough to keep her beyond the Desires, or even the Curiosity, of Government.
―Thomas Pynchon, “Mason & Dixon”

Introduction

Here’s where the spoilers are! The following sections are meant for the Keeper’s eyes only. They offer detailed notes on the campaign’s fictional background, and advice on how to manage the campaign and its sizable cast of characters.

I. Campaign Background

White Leviathan takes a deep dive into occult history and the Mythos. The following four sections present the “true” story behind the campaign. Of course, truth can be subjective. A wise Keeper should ensure than no single character grasps the Big Picture in its entirety; whether player, cultist, or elder race! As its conclusion makes clear, White Leviathan is best played as a war of beliefs, and the Keeper is free to spread whatever information—or disinformation—fosters an atmosphere of mystery and paranoia.

Background Part 1—History of Dagon
This section details the rise and fall of Dagon. It describes the ancestors of the Deep Ones, connects them to Cthulhu and Dagon, and explains the origins of the Green Flame. This is the blueprint for the campaign milieu: the myth behind the Mythos.

Background Part 2—The Kingsport Cult
This section outlines the main antagonists of the campaign, the Kingsport Cult. It ends with a roll-call of contemporary cultists, and offers notes on their philosophical differences regarding the Mythos.

Background Part 3—The Great Work
This section explains the Kingsport Cult’s plan to resurrect Dagon, from the announcement of the Great Work in 1818 to the current voyage of the Quiddity. The completion of the Great Work forms the basic plot of White Leviathan.

Background Part 4—Pocket Dreamworlds
This section describes the nature of the Dreamlands and the creation of “pocket Dreamworlds.” It explains the role of the Elder Things in the creation, development, and perpetuation of the human Dreamlands. Although not as crucial to the core plot of White Leviathan as the previous background material, these elements are intimately connected to the narratives of two player characters, Joseph Coffin and Montgomery Lowell.

II. Campaign Management

The following three sections offer suggestions on running a smooth campaign and effectively developing the player characters.

Player Character Secrets and Development
This detailed section helps the Keeper orchestrate the numerous secrets and hidden agendas possessed by the eight player characters. It offers suggestions on managing conflicts, and discusses likely endgame scenarios for each player character.

Assigning Player Characters
Advice on selecting the right player character for the right player.

Managing the Campaign
This section offers notes on pacing White Leviathan and managing its sizable cast of characters.

White Leviathan > Keeper’s Information
[Back to Period & Setting 1844 | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to History of Dagon]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 8 August 2022
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]