The Things We Leave Behind - Mature Readers - Introduction and Musings on Trigger Warnings

Oct 6, 2026

The Things We Leave Behind is a mature-focused collection of Call of Cthulhu scenarios built around unsettling “things” left behind by their owners. The introduction frames each story as an unpleasant, decaying orbit that can draw investigators into darkness through human failings such as greed, weakness, cowardice, indoctrination, and madness. It also explains the collection’s modern, photo-realistic presentation and its intent to structure scenarios so they can grow beyond themselves.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Table of Contents

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away home

Forget Me Not

Roots

Hell in Texas

The Night Season

Intimate Encounters

Introduction and Musings on Trigger Warnings

the things we leave behind The Things We Leave Behind Copyright ©2016 by Stygian Fox All Rights Reserved. Excerpts in the publication and related advertising and artwork original to The Things We Leave Behind remains the property of the artists, and is copyright by them under their individual copyrights. Reproduction of material from within this book for purposes of personal or commercial profit, by any means, is prohibited. Any similarity between characters in this book and persons living, dead, imaginary, children of nature, infested by semi-extradimensional spawn, or otherwise not quite right, is entirely coincidental. Call of Cthulhu is the Registered Trademark of Chaoisum Inc., and is used with permission under [license. www.chaosium.com](license. www.chaosium.com) Feel free to contact us through our Facebook page at [https://www.facebook.com/StygianFoxPublishing/](https://www.facebook.com/StygianFoxPublishing/) [Published by Stygian Fox](Published by Stygian Fox), [Chester](Chester), CH1 3EE, UK. [https://stygianfox.wordpress.com/](https://stygianfox.wordpress.com/) Printed on Earth the things we leave behind For mature readers Written by Jeff Moeller, Brian M. Sammons, Simon Brake, Oscar Rios, and Scott Dorward Line Editor Jeff Moeller art by Davide Como and Stephanie McAlea Layout and Design by Badger McInnes Cartography by Stephanie McAlea COver Art by Anton Raath and Stephanie McAlea Handouts by Dean Englehardt and Badger McInnes Cover Design by Stephanie McAlea Lady of Disorder at Stygian Fox Stephanie McAlea Table of Contents Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away home by jeffrey moeller .................... 7 Forget Me Not by brian m . sammons .................. 32 Roots by simon brake ...................... 57 Hell in Texas by scott dorward .................... 85 The Night Season by jeffrey moeller .................. 100 Intimate Encounters by oscar rios ...................... 122 Dedication Simon: Dedicated to my wife, Carol Brake, and my friend, David J Rodger. And special thanks to the King in the Woods who dwells in the woods south of Chester, and Stephanie McAlea, who dwells within Chester’s walls. Stephanie: To my daughter who taught me to dream for others. Jeff: To Cookie, who left me alone from house chores long enough. Introduction and Musingson Trigger Warnings A little girl’s stuffed ladybug backpack. One’s identity and memories. A psychotic, rambling suicide note full of Dreamlandsand sci-fi television references. A letter from a teenager’s biological mother, postmarked from “one of those kinds of towns.”Acrazed rant about the futility of religion and the inevitable triumph of Satan. A tawdry hookup solicitation on a particularly sleazy personals bulletin board. What do these things all have in common? They are all things that have been left behind by their owners, things that will draw your investigators into their orbits. Unpleasant, decaying orbits into darkness and terrible choices. This is Stygian Fox’s first book, and we’re trying to set ourselves apart a bit, both in terms of style and substance, from other modern-era Call of Cthulhu treatments. One thing that we strove for is to structure each scenario so that it could start something bigger. When people asked me how long should a scenario be, I answered: “however long it needs to be to stand on its own.”You’ll see that there are freestanding cults, threads, and lots of other meat on the bones of a particular plot. If you don’t like one scenario, then hopefully there are enough ideas that you can use to homebrew something of your own. Another thing that we strove for is a more modern, photo-realistic look and feel. More “Tales From The Darkside” and“Night Gallery”, less “Supernatural.” There are greater elements of psychodrama and human failings than you might find in other Call of Cthulhu collections, and we wanted the presentation to reflect these elem

FAQs

What kinds of themes does the introduction highlight in the collection?

It focuses on mature, unsettling subject matter shaped by human terror and human failings, including greed, weakness, cowardice, and madness.

How does the introduction describe the scenarios’ structure?

Each scenario is designed to start something bigger, with threads and freestanding cults that can be expanded or adapted for homebrew.

What content does the introduction warn might be uncomfortable for readers?

It notes suicides, gruesome murders, child kidnapping, predation, and other difficult topics that could test a reader’s comfort level.

Oct 6, 2026

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