Feeders from Within

Feeders from Within is a novel set within the fictional Cthulhu Mythos. It was written by Peter J. Evans and published by Fantasy Flight Games as part of their Arkham Horror Fiction line. The story features several characters from Fantasy Flight's associated games and fiction.

Synopsis[]

Prologue[]

Mark Harrigan, a soldier in the United States Army, is sent with a detachment of troops to Mexico to hunt down the Villistas, a group of Mexican revolutionaries. His squad is separated from the main group and, pursued by a large group of Villistas, discovers a cave inside which are a group of Mi-Go working on a strange machine. The Mi-Go attack, but the squad are able to destroy the machine and apparently dispatch all of the Mi-Go; however, in the fight all but two of the squad - Harrigan and a man named Farrow - are killed. The pair subsequently escape.

Main Story[]

Years later, psychiatrist Carolyn Fern travels to Arkham in search of information about one of her former patients (Farrow) who was apparently murdered after leaving her care. Meeting with Dr. Hardstrom, the head of Arkham Asylum, she is given access to Farrow's medical reports, where she discovers that he had been having disturbing dreams about strange creatures coming for him.

At the same time, businesswoman Diana Stanley, who had over the past several months become unintentionally involved with a bizarre cult named the Silver Twilight Lodge, visits the police department in an effort to expose their sickening and highly-illegal blood rituals. Realising that the police were implicit in the cult's activities, she attempts to flee Arkham, but is kidnapped by one of the cult's henchmen and taken to see Phillip Avery, a priest in the Lodge. Confronted by Avery and a Mi-Go dubbed Mr. Stone, Diana is shot and falls into the Miskatonic River.

The following morning, Carolyn returns to Arkham Asylum in order to obtain more information, and while there Diana is brought in, hysterical and bleeding, having been fished from the river. Fern manages to calm her down and gain some information about the monster which attacked her.

Over the course of the next few days, Carolyn tracks down Harrigan who agrees to meet her in Arkham. The two visit Diana who has since become catatonic. Later that night, Diana disappears. Harrigan decides to look for answers from Phillip Avery, while Carolyn visits Miskatonic University's Orne Library to find out more on the monsters.

While looking for Avery, Harrigan is accosted by a pair of Byakhee who carry him off to Avery and Mr. Stone. Avery reveals that he is actually Sergeant Johnathan Orton, one of Harrigan's old squad thought dead but reconstructed by Mr. Stone. Mr. Stone extracts shards of the machine left embedded in Harrigan's leg from the encounter in Mexico, but Harrigan is saved by the appearance of Diana who had fled the hospital after undergoing a radical personality change. The pair escape Avery's goons and kill the two Byakhee.

Meanwhile, at the library Carolyn enlists the aid of Professor Henry Armitage, but they are attacked by two goons sent to kill them. Carolyn is able to evade the pair until Harrigan arrives and incapacitates them.

The four then hole up in order to recuperate. Carolyn and Armitage share the knowledge that Mr. Stone needed the pieces of metal in Harrigan's leg to complete the Shard of Panestes, an artefact which would protect against the servants of Tsathoggua. Harrigan, Carolyn and Diana arm themselves from Harrigan's stash and set out to destroy Mr. Stone and the Silver Twilight Lodge.

Upon reaching Avery's mansion, Carolyn is captured by the cultists and taken with them through a portal to Tsathoggua's home in N'kai, where it is revealed that they are there to harvest the'Feeders from Within, parasitic entities which will spread madness across the Earth. Harrigan and Diana follow them through and destroy the Shard, revealing their presence to Tsathoggua and his minions, the Formless Spawn. The Spawn kill the cultists and Mr. Stone and the others escape through the portal, but are followed by more of the Spawn. As they begin to consume the mansion, Diana blows them up using crates of bootleg liquor, but is believed dead as a result.

Epilogue[]

The epilogue sees Harrigan visit Carolyn several months later having received a letter requesting help which was apparently written by Diana.

Characters[]

Mark Harrigan, a former soldier turned supernatural hunter.
Dr. Carolyn Fern, a psychiatrist on sabbatical from the Lemarchand Institute of Rhode Island.
Diana Stanley, a successful businesswoman and Silver Twilight Lodge cult member.
Sergeant Johnathan Orton/Phillip Avery, a former soldier rebuilt by the Mi-Go, now successful businessman, bootlegger and Silver Twilight Lodge priest, deceased.
Professor Henry Armitage, a member of the Miskatonic University faculty.
Mr. Stone, the name given for humans to identify a specific Mi-Go as the race does not require individual identification, deceased.
Carl Sanford, High Priest of the Silver Twilight Lodge. Hinted at being something other than human.
Samuel Nightingale, Phillip Avery's most trusted lieutenant, deceased.
Malachai Farrow, a member of Harrigan's squad during the Mexican campaign who later encountered eldritch beings, deceased.
Lisetti, a member of Harrigan's squad during the Mexican campaign, deceased.
Barratt, a member of Harrigan's squad during the Mexican campaign, deceased.
Walinski, a member of Harrigan's squad during the Mexican campaign, deceased.
Tyler, a member of Harrigan's squad during the Mexican campaign, deceased.
Lieutenant Brady, a soldier during the Mexican campaign.
Dr. Spencer, Carolyn Fern's supervising physician at the Lemarchand Institute.
Dr. Lawson, a resident at Arkham Asylum.
Groves, an orderly at Arkham Asylum.
Nurse Palmer, a senior nurse at Arkham Asylum.
Herbert West, an unconventional physician.
Sheriff Engle, head of the Arkham County Sheriff's Department.
Deputy Dingby, a deputy in the Arkham County Sheriff's Department.
The Desk Sergeant, a member of the Arkham Police Department, complicit in the activities of the Silver Twilight Lodge.
Mrs. Cleaver, the owner of an Arkham boarding house.
Councillor Edward Hopkirk, a local politician who fell prey to otherworldly entities, deceased.
Wilfred Spaulding, an elderly gentleman of money who was the victim of Avery and the Silver Twilight Lodge, deceased.
The Cab Driver, a driver from the Arkham Checkered Cab Company. He is described as having only one eye, but a pleasant demeanour.
Hookie, a Silver Twilight Lodge henchman, deceased.
Cable, a Silver Twilight Lodge henchman, deceased.
Mulcaine, a Silver Twilight Lodge henchman, deceased.
Perino, a Silver Twilight Lodge henchman, deceased.
Neblett, a thug seconded from gangster O'Bannion's crew to assist Avery, deceased.
Archie, hired muscle, deceased.
Tsathoggua, a Great Old One.

Entities[]

Continuity[]

The Great Old One Ithaqua is mentioned in passing.
Albert Wilmarth's writings are referenced by Carolyn Fern and Henry Armitage during their research; the group later uses his house as refuge while he is away, the reason given that Armitage was looking after his cat.
Herbert West (HPL: "Herbert West--Reanimator") is the cause of Diana Stanley's personality change.