Danforth is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft, who makes his first appearance in the 1936 novel At the Mountains of Madness. He is described as "a great reader of bizarre material", and makes allusions to Edgar Allan Poe and the Necronomicon.
History[]
Danforth is a graduate student at Miskatonic University. As part of the Pabodie Expedition, he accompanied Professor William Dyer on a survey flight over the "Plateau of Leng" and went insane escaping from the Shoggoth that was residing deep within the mountain. The thing that broke Danforth's mind was never fully explained, as he vowed to keep it a secret from everyone but according to Danforth, it was something he saw in the reflection of the sky, as they left the mountain range of the Plateau. (HPL: At the Mountains of Madness)
According to Fritz Leiber's account, Danforth later recovered after being treated with experimental drugs developed by one Professor Morgan, though he never recalled the horror he saw on the plateau. Afterward, he became a professor of psychology at Miskatonic University. (CIRCLE: "To Arkham and the Stars") The recovered Danforth takes care of Albert Wilmarth's cats while Wilmarth is traveling. (CIRCLE: "The Terror from the Depths")
In Christopher Michael's series, Danforth has since recovered from his horrific experiences but has become obsessed with finding the answers to the occult at any cost. After the US gets pulled into WWII, Danforth is recruited to the Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI) – soon to become the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). His tasked with finding out the goals of the Third Reich and their mission to seek the unknowable. (EXP: Danforth: Eldritch Tales of WWII)