Jake's Book- A Call of Cthulhu Tomb

Jake was small time criminal who had an interest in the occult.  He fell in with a cult called the Order of the Black Gate, a mythos cult devoted to the keeper of the Gate.  The keeper is really Yog-Sothoth, but only the inner circle of the cult are aware of this information.  Jake works as a small time enforcer for the cult; beatings, theft, and general petty crimes are his bread and butter.  On a normal theft operation, breaking into the home of a local city official and stealing an occult tomb from his library, things went south.  There was a fight, Jake was seriously wounded, but the son of the official was killed.  Like a good devoted cultist he took the wrap and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.  After years in the clink he was known as an odd but model prisoner.  With nothing but time on his hands Jake decides to further his occult knowledge with some independent research.  With the help of the Order of the Black Gate and a new prison reading program to help inmates request books from libraries around the country, Miskatonic being a regular loaner, Jake put together a journal of sorts.  He hid it from the prison authorities, and inside was a self taught delving into the Mythos.  Jake disappeared from the prison one night, vanished from his locked cell with no apparent means of escape.  Four other men from adjoining cells were to be found missing, their domiciles found in the same manner as Jake's, except for the massive amount of blood on the floors.  All the other men except Jake are presumed dead.  Jake was never found.  The prison authorities found his journal/book/mad-ramblings but could not make heads or tales of it.  (Up to keepers discretion as to how the players find his book.  It is implied that the warden simply put it into storage, threw it out, or it became lost over the years.

Jake's Book- in English. Jake's independent notes and research into the mythos.  The tomb itself is covered with Jake's ramblings on lined paper, old letters, newspapers, and book pages.  It is poorly glued together and bound with cardboard for a cover.  The book contains details about various Mythos beings, often miss named and incorrectly described.  The English in the book is hard to decipher, Jake having a poor grasp of the language, and requires a roll in English Language every week while studying to make any progress.  Sanity loss 1d2/1d4; Cthulhu Mythos +3 percentiles; 8 weeks to study and comprehend/ 30 hours to skim.  Spells: Through the Black Gate (A version of the Create Gate spell).

Through the Black Gate: Cost 40 MP and 3 Con, 6 Sanity, and two hours of concentration during the ritual.  An "interpretation" of the Create Gate spell which allows the caster to move to another position anywhere instantaneously.  The caster begins the ritual by spreading blood on the ground, 3 Con worth, and chanting.  After the ritual is completed 40 magic points are extracted from anyone within 60 feet of the caster, if there is enough MP the caster is whisked away to somewhere else, his blood spilled is also transported with him.  Anyone drained of MP is killed having there blood vessels burst, their bodies but not blood is transported along with the caster.  The destination though cannot be chosen by the caster but instead by The Keeper of the Black Gate (Avatar of Yog-Sothoth).  Anyone making a Cthulhu Mythos check realizes that the destination of the spell is unknowable.  

Zarrath's Bottle- Cursed Item

System- Dungeons and Dragons 3/3.5 (Can easily be adapted to any fantasy system or setting)

Somewhere along our hero's adventure they come across a curious copper bottle.  The bottle is small, no bigger than a normal potion flask and the top is stopped with a common cork stopper.  A Spot Check DC 15 will show faded indentations on the side and a Decipher Script DC 20 shows that they spell ZARRATH.  The bottle feels full of liquid and anyone opening it can see some type of liquid inside that smells faintly sweet with a hint of lilac.  Casting Detect Magic shows an strong aura of Transmutation. Casting an Identify spell yields it to be a bottle of Ever Refilling Flask of Bulls Strength, usable 3/day.  Casting Analyze Dweomer will reveal the item to be cursed, but the specific nature is unknown.  If Detect Thoughts, or a similar spell/psionics is used upon the bottle a unspecified sentience is detected but nothing more.  The bottle is actually a powerful soul trap and the previous drinkers soul is trapped inside.  Anyone drinking from the bottle instantly will have their soul switched, no save allowed, with the soul inside.  In game terms this works exactly like the spell Magic Jar.  The DM can choose whomever's soul to be in the jar but if one is so inclined roll a d10 and consult the following table:

1. Harvil Anterwule- Chaotic Good Level 3 Human Commoner.  Been imprisoned inside the bottle for 256 years.  Found the bottle in his field while farming and though it to be wine.  Has no idea what happened.
2. Rak Terr- Chaotic Neutral Level 9 Half-Orc Barbarian.  Imprisoned for 34 years.  Last thing he remembers is drinking from a strange bottle handed to him at a tavern by an wizened old man.  When he finds out what happened he will swear revenge on the man who did this to him.
3. Yurvee Brownstone- Neutral Evil Level 1 Human Necromancer.  Drank for the bottle 1 year ago after stealing it from a fellow wizard.  Will try and fool anyone in the party to who he is.  Sneaks away at the first opportunity.
4. Bra.....something- Neutral Good Level 9 Rogue.  Imprisoned for 1,233 years.  Bra... can't really remember his name or anything else.  Such a long time in the bottle has caused his memories to fade.  
5. Grunf- Neutral Evil Troll.  Angry and Hungry.  Been inside for 3 years.  Really really angry when he does not regenerate.
6. Errisive Rosewood- Chaotic Neutral Level 4 Bard.  Drank from the bottle 129 years ago on a bet to his one of his companions.  Wants to travel with the party.
7. Losive Othire- Chaotic Evil Level 12 Fighter.  Was tricked by an enemy to drink for the bottle 58 years ago.  Will try and intimidate the party in doing his bidding, kills all those who oppose him.
8. Amas Salvento- Lawful Good Gnome Level 7 Cleric- Been imprisoned for half a year.  Will do everything he can to help the party make things right.
9. Ulveesteen- Neutral Evil Mind Flayer- Inside the bottle for 22 years and wants his Mind Flayer body back and will do anything to do it.  Will play along with the party as long as they agree to help.
10. Zarrath- Chaotic Good Level 47 Human Wizard- After drinking from the bottle, some 8,573 years ago, he has been trapped.  His mind is fragile and he is quite insane.  While not openly hostile he will cast powerful spells on a whim, often with disastrous results.     

     Casting a Wish or Miracle spell will reverse the effects of the bottle and force the possessing soul back in the bottle.  If the bottle is destroyed or disenchanted while a soul is inside it is lost forever, no resurrection or reincarnation is possible.  The only way to totally reverse the effects of the curse is to find Zarrath's notes on its creation, which could be anywhere depending on what direction the DM wishes to lead the party.