The Unspeakable Oath launched with a centerpiece article by John Tynes (now John Scott Tynes) about the “Hastur Mythos” of Robert W. Chambers. Tynes was affected deeply by Chambers’ stories of otherworldly Carcosa and the dreaded King in Yellow. He thought that in Call of Cthulhu they could be something deeper than what the game had envisioned before. He began to think the King in Yellow ought to be more than merely a humanlike avatar of yet another huge, slimy monster with tentacles. Chambers’ stories showed what we think to be madness blurring with what we take for reality. “The Road to Hali” was Tynes’ exploration of applying that theme to Call of Cthulhu.
“The Road to Hali” inspired many gamers to adapt the ideas for themselves (including me), and Tynes would develop its ideas further in Delta Green: Countdown ten years later. But before that, in 1993, he wrote In the Court of the Yellow King.
In the Court of the Yellow King is a two-scene play of love, dreams, death, and truth. When The Unspeakable Oath reaches 300 subscribers, we will share it with them all. Here is a glimpse.
