Thin Jack - Call of Cthulhu - Keeper's Introduction/History

Oct 6, 2026

“Thin Jack” is a Call of Cthulhu horror adventure grounded in the history of a freed Gaunt and the 1849 mystery of Green Grove. The narrative links a filmed retelling in 1992 to escalating disappearances, as the creature exploits the movie site and nearby town. The Keeper is guided to place the adventure within a gold-rush region, then draw the PCs through letters describing vanishings and sightings, culminating in on-site and town-based travel and lodging choices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Keeper's Introduction/History

Getting the PCs Involved

Arrival

Books

M. LaBossiere "Thin Jack" 1 “Thin Jack”©1992 Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere [Ontologist@aol.com](Ontologist@aol.com) Call of Cthulhu "Is it not wisely said there are things buried in the earth that should never be disturbed? Is it not said that there are things best left alone in their dark slumbers? Woe beit to those that disturb such things, may Allah curse their names. " -(Translated from the Arabic by Dr. Phileus P. Sadowsky) Legal Information This adventure is copyright 1999 by Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. It may be freely distributed for personal use provided that it is not modified and no fee above the normal cost of distribution is charged for it. Visit my web site at [www.opifex.cnchost.com](www.opifex.cnchost.com). Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium Inc's registered trademark for their game of horror and wonder in the worlds of HP Lovecraft. For more information, contact Chaosium Inc., 950-A 56th St, Oakland, CA 94608--or call us at 510-595-2440. Visit Chaosium'[s web page at](s web page at www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/)[ ](s web page at www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/)[www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/](s web page at www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/). Keeper's Introduction/History In 1849 a down on his luck miner named John Jones accidentally freed a Gaunt from the shaft it had been imprisoned in by Native American Shamans. The Gaunt killed the miner's companions, but took him as a servent. Jones was told to lure people into the area with the gold that had been used to imprison the Gaunt. He did so, and soon the Gaunt was feeding off the people who arrived and constructed the town of Green Grove. After learning that the townspeople planned to flee the area, the Gaunt killed them all in an orgy of destruction. The horror of the experience broke the being's hold over John and during the day, with the help of four mules, he sealed the entrance to the shaft in which the Gaunt slept with stones, wood, and all his gold. He died during his monumental effort and his bones lay amidst the rubble and gold. The empty town was discovered later and the incident became known as "The Mystery of Green Grove. " The area was undisturbed by anyone until 1992 when the King Movie Company began filming "The Mystery of Green Grove" a horror story loosely based on the historical mystery. The basic plot of the movie is that miners intruded on an ancient Native American burial ground and stole the gold within it. The ancient spirits that protected the tomb were released and set about killing off the miners and the rest ofthe town for good measure. The filming went along smoothly until the company suffered financial difficulties and the filming stopped. One of the actors, Dave Parker, wandering about while waiting to leave, came across the shaft and did some digging. He discovered some of the gold and then returned and dug the rest ofit up. He sold it and used the money to fund M. LaBossiere "Thin Jack" 2 the film, and the shooting began again, with Parker as the new star. The being, which had dug its way to the surface after the gold was removed, discovered the movie people three days after the shooting had started up. It began killing that night, taking an immigrant worker back to its lair The next night it took a cameraman who had a fight with the director. The third night, it took Dave Parker, who offered to serve it in exchange for his life. He told it about the nearby town and offered to drive it there at night if it would let him live and leave the film site alone. It agreed and Parker has driven it to the city each night, where it takes a victim. Getting the PCs Involved While the adventure must be located in area that was part of the historical gold rush, it is up to the Keeper to decide exactly where to place it, based on his/her campaign needs. The PCs will be drawn into the adventure by a letter (or fax) from an old friend. William Gardner, a horror story writer, will write to say that he believes something unnatural is occuring. The lett

FAQs

What is the origin story of the Gaunt in “Thin Jack”?

In 1849, a Gaunt is accidentally freed from a shaft by Native American shamans’ actions gone awry, then kills companions, feeds on arrivals, and ultimately destroys the town of Green Grove. John Jones later seals the entrance, but the empty town later becomes “The Mystery of Green Grove.”

How does the adventure bring the PCs into the plot?

The Keeper draws the PCs via a letter from William Gardner, reporting vanishings around the movie site and a series of incidents in the nearby town. The local paper also references disturbing accounts involving a “thin thing.”

What options do the investigators have to reach the film site and town?

They may travel by airplane, bus, or drive. Air travelers take a bus to the town while William picks them up; bus travel goes directly to the town; driving allows them to reach the film site directly, where William meets them.

Oct 6, 2026

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