The Name in Darkness 📚

Episode 6 of Shadows of the Unnamed - A Revelation for 3-6 Investigators (Levels 4-6)

“Some books are meant to stay closed.” - Final note from Inspector Hayes

Introduction

Inspector Hayes has vanished, leaving only a cryptic note leading to The Dusty Tome, an ancient bookshop untouched for days. As investigators approach the darkened storefront, whispers echo from within. The time for truth has come.

Part I: The Darkened Shop 🏪

Initial Investigation

The shop’s entrance reveals immediate wrongness.

Observable Details: - Door slightly ajar - Hayes’s hat on counter - Floating dust motes - Books trembling on shelves

First Impressions: “The shadows here… they’re reading.” - Common observation

The Main Floor

Reality begins to warp among the towering shelves.

Environmental Features: - Endless book corridors - Reading nooks with wrong angles - Whispering tomes - Dancing shadows

Part II: Knowledge Awakens 📖

Living Library

Books take flight, knowledge becomes weapon.

Combat Environment: - Flying tomes as cover - Paper cut hazards - Animated card catalogs - Knowledge-based attacks

Hayes’s Office

Personal space reveals painful truths.

Discovery Elements: - Research journals - Correspondence with cult - Warning drafts - Final confession

Part III: The Hidden Truth 🔍

Secret Archive

Beyond a shifting bookshelf lies revelation.

Chamber Features: - Ritual circle floor - Ancient text displays - Void energy traces - Hayes’s final notes

Key Dialogue: “I tried to stop it. I tried to work both sides. But some truths destroy everything they touch.” - Hayes’s journal

The Unnamed Revealed

Ancient texts expose the horror.

Critical Information: - Void entity nature - City’s dark purpose - Ritual true meaning - Hayes’s role

Part IV: The Final Chapter ⚔️

Basement Descent

Into darkness where truth waits.

Environment: - Spiral staircase - Reality distortions - Void whispers - Ancient symbols

Hayes Confrontation

Friend or foe, the moment of truth.

Dramatic Elements: - Emotional weight - Personal history - Complex motivations - No good choices

Running the Adventure 🎲

Atmosphere Management

Building Tension: 1. Early Stage - Quiet whispers - Moving shadows - Book movements - Wrong angles

2. Mid-Point
   • Reality warps
   • Knowledge attacks
   • Truth reveals
   • Personal betrayals
3. Climax
   • Horror manifest
   • Void presence
   • Hayes’s choice
   • Final truth

Key NPCs

Corrupted Hayes

• Void-touched
• Still fighting
• Inner conflict
• Final choice

The Voice

“Names have power. Mine has been forgotten for a reason.” - Ancient horror - Truth speaker - Reality warper - Final enemy

Location Details 🗺️

Bookshop Layout

• Main floor maze
• Reading rooms
• Hidden passages
• Ritual basement

Reality Warps

• Shifting shelves
• Endless corridors
• Wrong geometry
• Void tears

Combat Encounters

Animated Books (CR 3)

• HP: 40 | AC: 14
• Paper cuts
• Knowledge drain
• Flying swarms

Shadow Hayes (CR 5)

• HP: 85 | AC: 16
• Void powers
• Police tactics
• Personal combat

The Voice (CR 7)

• HP: 120 | AC: 17
• Reality warping
• Truth damage
• Horror manifestation

Critical Revelations

The City’s Purpose

“Built as a prison, became a gateway.”

Hayes’s Mission

Years of infiltration, impossible choices.

The Final Truth

The Unnamed’s nature and coming threat.

Resolution Paths

Hayes’s Redemption

• Sacrifice play
• Information sharing
• Player forgiveness
• Noble end

Hayes’s Fall

• Void corruption
• Final battle
• Player guilt
• Darker path

Campaign Impact

Immediate Effects

• Shop destroyed
• Knowledge gained
• Hayes resolved
• Horror unleashed

Future Consequences

• City evacuation
• Noble panic
• Cult frenzy
• Final ritual

Closing Notes

“Some truths are written in darkness. Some names should remain unspoken. But now you know both.”