”Creative minds are uneven, and the best of fabrics have their dull spots.” – H.P. Lovecraft
Summary
Welcome to the world of HP Lovecraft, a strange and sinister place of blood curdling terror, madness-inducing creatures of the imagination and, of course, caches!
This series is based on the game Arkham Horror which in turn is based on the novels and short stories of pulp writer HP Lovecraft. In this series, you will play investigators following the trail of fellow investigator Harvey Redshirt McCauley, who was found murdered just prior to your investigations. HR left you a series of journal entries, photographs, and other clues that will help you find the pieces to the puzzle and in turn help you stave off the impending apocalypse.
Sit back and enjoy the ride. But be careful! Strange, other worldly denizens lie in wait for the unwary traveler; a wrong turn could lead to madness or death! Have fun!
Arkham & the Outer Realms
The original location for Lovecrafts stories was in and around the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts (loosely based on Salem). In addition, many of Lovecrafts stories also took place in wildly strange and sinister worlds outside of our own. To take the place of these locations, the city of El Paso, Texas & its surroundings will substitute for Arkham and its New Mexico neighbor to the north Las Cruces & its surroundings will substitute for the Outer Realms.
The Elder Sign
This arcane symbol is one of the view known items that will ward off the impending evils of the Outer Realms. As such, the final goal of this series is to locate the Elder Sign and thus save humanity from unspeakable terror and madness. But it will not be easy. While it is possible to find the Elder Sign without finding the other caches first, it will be next to impossible to access it without help from the other cache findings.
Things You Will Need
Since you are acting as an investigator as well as a geocacher, here are something of things that will prove useful during this series:
- Tweezers! Some of the clues you will discover will require delicacy
- Pen. Pencils may not write on the arcane surfaces
- Gloves. Denizens of the dark may dwell with the clues
- Journal. Like HR, you may need to write things down occasionally
- Camera. Photographic evidence could help you find some of the clues
- Flashlight. Where would a good investigator be without a flashlight?
- Mirror. Some Things Should Not Be and you would not want to stick your hands on them
- Patience. Do not try to rush through these. Proper investigation takes time
- Diligence. Please place things back exactly as you found them for others to enjoy
- Respect. When you find a clue, leave it in the cache for others to find
- Allies. The more brains you have, the better. Mmmm... tasty, tasty brains...
The coordinates listed here are not the correct ones but in fact lead you to the center of San Miguel. To figure out the final location (N32.09.aac, W106 44.baa), you must solve the puzzle in the list below concerning the Ghosts.
- a. This ghost had his poles. Who goes hiking in with ski poles on Scenic Drive? November ?4, 2008
- b. La Llorona of the Haunted Homeland, Page 2?1
- c. Apparent age of the Concordia Cemetery girl ghost
Cache contains sheets that include a journal entry from the dead investigator, including some statements given to him during his encounter with the ghosts. Once you sign the log, you may take one of these sheets if you intend to pursue the rest of the Arkham Horror series. If you do not, please leave them for others to enjoy.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.