by Rachel Carpenter

Welcome to another Mythic Monday! In today's post, I'm reporting on my continuing investigations with Elder Sign.

After-action report from confrontation with Nyarlathotep: The Crawling Chaos in the sands of Egypt on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, Part the second:

Quick Situation Update
:d10-1: Darrell Simmons and William Yorick had successfully sealed Rhan-Tegoth away (again) in the Frozen North (Alaska).
:d10-2: Mark Harrigan had learned of his re-assignment to Arkham by the Guardians. Before settling in, he had arranged for a clean-up crew at the Arkham Museum. Things were a bit of a mess after Ghatanothoa's attack... A friend was expected to bring his dog (Buster).
:d10-3: Tommy Muldoon had been sent home by Captain Schaeffer to get some rest and write up his reports before returning to duty.
:d10-4: Mandy Thompson had been brought up to speed (Captain Schaeffer of Arkham PD actually knows about Arkham's supernatural side and is willing to support the Arkham Investigators!) and then returned to the Arkham Museum Archives to do a bit of research into Pythia's cryptic instructions for Mark ("Pythia bids the soldier stay in Arkham 'til the song has been sung").
:d10-5: Akachi had been getting used to having an apprentice (Wendy). Living with a teenager was proving to be interesting...
:d10-6: Monterey Jack had been freed from elder influences and was recovering.
:d10-7: Doctor Vincent Lee... was around.
:d10-8: Skids had gotten his illegal gambling empire back on track.
:d10-9: Dexter Drake was still working as a stage magician on The Spell of the Seas (cruise ship) while investigating elder threats for the Guardians.
:d10-1::d10-0: Monterey Jack and Father Mateo were trying to contain the Nyarlathotep and prevent the rise of the Dark Pharaoh in the sands of Egypt.
:d10-1::d10-1: Fallen Investigators: Patrice Hathaway, Kate Winthrop, Amanda Sharpe, Sister Mary, Rex Murphy, Gloria Goldberg, and Diana Stanley.
:d10-1::d10-2: Ongoing Effects: Permanent-1 Max Sanity on Mandy Thompson (penalty from Strange Lights over the Streets of Arkham)

Previously...
7 Elder Signs down, 8 more to go... would our heroes find them all in time? Or would the Dark Pharaoh be unleashed upon the sands of Egypt and bring his darkness back into our world?
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Present Day...

With time running short, Father Mateo sought salvation in the Chamber of the Sun.

It was a grueling effort,

but he was rewarded with not 1, not 2, but 3 additional Elder Signs, bringing our investigators' total to 10.

Dr. Monterey Jack faced an Uneasy Journey.

Father Mateo became Lost in Thought

gaining Occult Knowledge.

Wanderlust [Monterey Jack] revealed it to be almost Too Late

Monty sought Dark Medicine instead.

A Friendly Warning

was Heeded.

The Chamber of Sacrifice

resisted the investigators.

Father Mateo was caught in a race against time.

Occult Knowledge helped him

fight the good fight

against the clock,

the Crawling Chaos,

and gathering Doom.

The brutal effects of the Dark Pharaoh's growing influence

could not be denied [Seriously, this is one absolutely brutal Adventure Card].

[At least there were 2 Otherworld Adventures now in play :whistle:]

With the situation deteriorating fast, Monty ventured to R'lyeh.

He gave it everything

he had

and still more.

In the end, it was a worthwhile venture,

yielding 3 more Elder Signs! "Father, we're almost there!" the archaeologist yelled. "Just 2 more!"

Father Mateo managed to unlock the Chamber of Midnight. If he could succeed, this would give them what they so desparately needed...

Victory! The father did it! +3 Elder Signs. "I've got them," he cried, "and an extra too!"

"Good job, father! Now, we can seal Nyarlathotep away!"

Monty joined Father Mateo in the chamber, sitting his lantern down beside the empty altar. Then the archaeologist took that last 2 signs from Father Mateo and arranged them in a standard sealing circle in the Chamber of Midnight. Unslinging his backpack, he pulled out a large bag of salt. He stabbed the corner with a trowel, then dragged the leaking bag of salt to draw the required sigil. "We're going old school, father."

"Old school?" asked the priest.

"Salt isn't always used, but I can't channel, so this'll help conduct the magic."

"Channel""

"Sorry father, it's a fancy way of saying that I can't cast magic."

"Oh," said Father Mateo.

"You're taking this pretty well, father."

"Well, I didn't think I'd be fighting mummies and demons and elder beings when I went to seminary, but I guess God had other plans."

Monty laughed.

"What about the extra Elder Sign?"

"Just hold onto it for now, father." Dr. Monterey Jack was panting a bit as he finished the salt sigil. "God, I need to get in better shape." He looked at the priest. "Sorry, father."

"What now?"

"Now, now let's see if we can't get our little mummy friend to show his nasty face," Monterey took a handful of salt, then stepped into the circle. He scuffed out a small section in the outer ring. "Okay, father, toss me the extra Elder Sign, then I want you to hide in the outer chamber."

"I'm not hiding," said Father Mateo.

"Father, no offense, I'm playing the bait here. I want Nyarlathotep to come to me. Not get distracted by you."

"Very well, good luck," the father threw Monty the Elder Sign then ducked into the outer chamber. He didn't go too far.

With loose salt in his right hand and the Elder Sign in his left, Monty figured it was high time to get this party started, "Hey, Creepy! Come and get me." Even though they were deep underground, an unnatural wind picked up in the tomb, blowing dust and sand in eddies throughout the chamber. Father Mateo tied a cloth round his nose and mouth. Coughing would give him away. And he wanted to be close by in case the archaeologist needed a hand after all.

"Come on, Creepy! I don't have all day!" the archaeologist continued to taunt the elder being. The wind picked up. The lantern winked out, plunging the tomb into darkness. Pitch black, not even shadows, simply solid blackness. Father Mateo couldn't see anything anymore. From within the sealing circle, Dr. Monterey Jack had it a bit better, the Elder Signs had a faint blue glow and the salt amplified the effect.

"Here Creepy, Creepy!" Monty called. He could see the salt blowing a bit in the unnatural wind, just as he began to think that going "old school" in a mummy's tomb might not have been such a good idea, the screaming started. It took every ounce of willpower for Monty to keep hold of the salt and Elder Sign and not clap his hands over his ears. God, it was worse than the time he fought that banshee in Ireland...

"Hey, loudmouth! Why don't you knock off the cheap parlor tricks and show yourself!" He had to get Nyarlathotep to take a physical form. The screaming ended. Maybe he'd hit a nerve... A fuzzy shape began to coalesce a few inches away from the archaeologist, within the salt circle. Monty played it cool and waited. The form continued to solidify. Just as it became recnogizeably humanoid, Monty threw the last Elder Sign down into the very center of the salt sigil and dove out of the circle. Once clear, he repaired the broken line of salt using the handful he'd managed to keep hold of. "Take that, you b*stard!" yelled the archaeologist. The sigil, circle, and signs flared as one, the screaming returned, 10x louder than before. Monty clapped his hands over his ears, but refused to look away from the sealing circle, come on, come on this needed to work... this would work. There light collapsed inward, then exploded in a brilliant wave. Monty dove for cover behind the altar... and knew no more. The screaming cut off suddenly. The light was gone.

Father Mateo crawled into the Inner Chamber, "Dr. Jack?!" he yelled. There was no response. "Hello! Dr. Jack!!!!!!!" The priest felt like he was screaming, but he could barely hear his own voice... he bumped the electric lantern. Picking it up, he turned it off then on again and was pleasantly surprised when it lit up. Using the lantern's light, he found his way to the altar... there, just behind it, he could see Dr. Monterey Jack's hat! "Dr. Jack!!" he called. There was no movement. He stepped over the remains of the salt sigil and sealing circle, the Elder Signs burned to ash. Making his way behind the altar, he grasped the archaeologist's arm. "Dr. Jack, come on." called Father Mateo. The archaeologist groaned, then sat up.

"I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck," Dr. Monty grumbled.

"You don't look so good either," said the priest.

"Funny, father, you should look in a mirror," said Monterey Jack, the priest looked like a dusty zombie.

"Did it work?"

"Well, if it didn't, I'm pretty sure we'd both be dead," said Monty, getting to his feet. He shook sand off his hat. "God, I hate sand."

"You get used to it," Father Mateo smiled.

Monty laughed, "I like your sense of humor, father. Let's head back to Cairo and check in with the crew back in Arkham. I think your desert should be safe enough for now."

Yay, Egypt is safe! And we have a new ally too. Time to head back to Arkham!

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Comments:

This was what I had been waiting for. Fun, shenanigans, and some new cards to play with. This was my first time playing with Elder Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh and I have to say that the pacing felt different. Not a bad different per se, just different. Midway through, it felt a bit grindy and I wasn't sure how I'd ever make it to 15 Elder Signs and keep Monty alive (I've grown rather attached to the archaeologist)... then I discovered Chambers and things made a bit more sense to me. I didn't really lean into the Relics and Expedition as much as I could have/should have either. All in all, it was a fun play and I was glad to have Elder Sign back on my floor. Nyarlathotep and the Dark Pharaoh Adventures offer new twists and turns and I'm excited to see what lies ahead. Father Mateo is also a welcome new addition to my crew of misfits. Next week: a fun romp through the Arkham Museum featuring Mandy Thompson and Mark Harrigan. The Tommy-centric adventure's playline/plotline is continuing to evolve in fun new ways (seriously, I hope you all enjoy this when it starts coming out because it has been a lot of fun to write/play). That said, I'm still playing with the playlines/plotlines for Dexter Drake's return. It's certainly safe to say that our favorite stage magician will be reappearing sometime this year.

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Quick Summary:
Investigators: Monterey Jack & Father Mateo
Old One: Nyarlathotep
Elder Signs Collected: 16/15
Expansions: Elder Sign: Omens of Ice, Elder Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh, Elder Sign: Unseen Forces, Elder Sign: Gates of Arkham, Elder Sign: Grave Consequences
Mode: Lightless Pyramid
Time: About 2 hours
Victory!

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Past Mythic Mondays:
Mythic Mondays- Arkham Adventures: Back to the Beginning
Mythic Mondays- Against Azathoth with some Grave Consequences
Mythic Mondays- Grave Consequences on the Streets of Arkham
Mythic Mondays- Grave Consequences in the frozen North
Mythic Mondays: Rhan-Tegoth Rematch, Part I
Mythic Mondays: Rhan-Tegoth Rematch, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Akachi returns to Arkham, Part I
Mythic Mondays- Akachi returns to Arkham, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Cthulhu calls
Mythic Mondays - Sisters in spirit take on Atlach-Nacha at the Gate, Part I
Mythic Mondays - Sisters in spirit take on Atlach-Nacha at the Gate, Part II
Mythic Mondays- My First Final Hour
Mythic Mondays: Uh-oh! Better hit Undo! aka First Impressions: Undo: Forbidden Knowledge
Mythic Mondays- First Impressions: Eldritch Horror
Mythic Mondays- The Killing Cold
Mythic Mondays- The Killing Cold: Redux
Mythic Mondays - Meanwhile with Mandy, Part I
Mythic Mondays - Meanwhile with Mandy, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Mandy and Akachi try to save the Museum, Part I
Mythic Mondays- Mandy and Akachi try to save the Museum, Part II
Mythic Mondays - An Arkham Nights 2023 Interlude
Mythic Mondays- The Cop and the (Ex)Convict, Part I
Mythic Mondays- The Cop and the (Ex)Convict, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Strange Lights over the Streets of Arkham, Part I
Mythic Mondays- Strange Lights over the Streets of Arkham, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Breaking News in Arkham
Mythic Mondays- Alaska's on its own, Part I
Mythic Mondays- Alaska's on its own, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Monterey Jack's back, Part I
Mythic Mondays- Monterey Jack's back, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Alone against Azathoth, Part I
Merry Christmas 2023: Mythic Mondays- Alone against Azathoth, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Lots to learn, Part I
Mythic Mondays- Lots to learn, Part II
Mythic Mondays- Three against Shudde M'ell, Part 1
Mythic Mondays- Three against Shudde M'ell, Part 2
Mythic Tuesdays- Three against Azathoth, Part 1
Mythic Mondays- Three against Azathoth, Part 2
Mythic Mondays (occasionally on Tuesdays) - The Shaman & The Rookie, Part 1
Mythic Mondays (occasionally on Tuesdays) - The Shaman & The Rookie, Part 2 & Happy Veterans Day
Mythic Mondays- Four against Arkham's darkness, Part 1
Mythic Mondays- Four against Arkham's darkness, Part 2
Mythic Mondays- The Rookie and the Soldier, Part 1
Mythic Mondays- The Rookie and the Soldier, Part 2
Mythic Mondays- Meanwhile up North... Part 1
Mythic Mondays- Meanwhile up North... Part 2
Mythic Mondays- Into the Sands, Part 1

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Happy Monday and happy playing!
-Rachel

Thank you for reading my blog. If you liked it; then please click the green thumb [microbadge=23724] at the top of the page. If you really liked it; then please subscribe. And follow me across social media with my Linktree:
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Disclaimer:
Prydera and the Guardians are very much my creations. Charge the Circle, Read the Runes, and The Seventh Seal are also mine. Pythia belongs to the ages, though this particular version is very much mine.

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