The Cult of Simon Audaire

[Mad Skipper]

I was just touching up on some Richemulot history in Gazetteer III, when I found myself re-reading the Secret Society entry on page 103. I read it once, then I found myself reading it again as something that I couldn't quite place just clicked in my head. Then, going through a few of my non-Ravenloft books I knew what it was (or, seems to be).

Anybody familiar with the character Professor Arnold Rhymer? He appears in the books "The Broken Fang and Other Experiences of a Specialist in Spooks (1920)", and "Yellow Death (1921?)" by the author Uel (...Samuel Whittel...) Key.

Anyway, reading the entry about The Cult of Simon Audaire reminded me of the short story "The Broken Fang", in which Professor Rhymer, by request of the Scotland Yard CID, investigates the mysterious "Blankborough murders". I would provide more detail to help link the two, but in the case that somebody out there is about to read The Broken Fang, I regret that I cannot.

But for anybody out there that might have read it, what do you think? Is there a likeness (albeit Ravenloft-twisted), or am I connecting the first and last dots? Either way, playing out The Cult of Simon Audaire secret society in a plot that either closely, or loosely, matches that as found in The Broken Fang would be a pretty interesting adventure, hey?

For those that are interested, the short story can be found in "The Vampire Hunter's Casebook (1996, Warner Books)", a book of 14 short stories edited by one Peter Haining.

Check it out, then re-read The Cult of Simon Audaire... 8)

Edited January 25: Realising that I had mispelled the word 'gazetteer', I quickly checked the spine of my books for assurance and noticed that on the spines of Gazetteers I and II the word is also spelled wrong. Useless information, but something I noticed all the same.

[Joël of the FoS]

Interesting links you are making.

FYI, in Dragon Magazine, James Wyatt expanded on this topic. Here's my review of it:

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Dragon # 264 (October 1999) - The Cult of Simon Audaire
by James Wyatt
(6 pages)

Content: Penned by GWF, a part of the VRG to the Ancient Dead that was subtracted from the book by Van Richten …

Comment: A mummy under Ste Ronges ? And an ennemy of the wererat ? Interesting !
New spell: Ward against wererats, and description of the catacombs under Ste Ronges.

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I hope you can get your hands on this issue of Dragon.

Joël

[The Giamarga]

If aynone needs a copy of Dragon 264 let me know. I've got three...