| “ | The Lodge is not as innocent as they pretend. I have learned that nothing is ever as it seems, myself included. | „ |
Diana Stanley, the Redeemed Cultist, is a character created by Fantasy Flight Games as part of their Arkham Horror Files range of Cthulhu Mythos-related content.
History[]
Diana was raised on the family farm, but after her father died she sold it and moved to the city of Arkham in 1924. Using the proceeds from the sale, she bought the failing Emmie's Boutique and made a success of the business, eventually renaming it Huntress Fashions (the play being that Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt).
Quickly establishing herself in the local community, Diana joined the Chamber of Commerce, the Women's League and the Historical Society, seeing membership in these institutions as a way to promote and advance her financial interests. After a while she was invited by prominent local businessman Carl Sanford to join the elite Silver Twilight Lodge and, believing it to be nothing more than an exclusive social club, happily accepted.
However, the further she progressed up the ranks of the Lodge, the more bizarre and horrific their practices became, and she was introduced to the rites of animal sacrifice and demon-conjuring. Sickened by this, Diana came to the conclusion that she must put a stop to the activities of the Lodge.
At this point, Diana's backstory diverges into two differing accounts.
Eldritch Horror (EXP)[]
In this version (which was written first) it is stated that Diana decides to topple the Silver Twilight Lodge from within. Carl Sanford sees a certain promise in the young woman and sends her on a mission to Panama as part of their grand scheme.
Feeders from Within (EXP)[]
The novel Feeders from Within recounts Diana's attempt to expose the Lodge by going to the authorities about their activities, but unfortunately the police are in Sanford's pocket, and she barely survives an attempt on her life by the Lodge and their otherworldly allies.
The morning after her escape, she is admitted to Arkham Asylum, half mad and raving. She is treated by psychologist Dr. Carolyn Fern who is visiting on other business, but one night she undergoes an unspecified treatment by unconventional physician Dr. Herbert West, following which she develops two distinct personalities. The first is little more than her old self, terrified of what she has seen and done and wishing nothing but an end to the horror, while the second is that of a borderline psychopath whose goal is to rid the world of the evil forces manipulating it.
Disappearing shortly after her procedure, Diana later joins up with Carolyn and ex-soldier Mark Harrigan who have uncovered a plot by the Silver Twilight Lodge to bring madness and chaos to the world using the entities known as Feeders from Within. Through a series of actions - including a trip to the subterranean realm of N'kai, dwelling place of the Great Old One Tsathoggua - the three manage to thwart the plan, and kill a number of Lodge members along with both the alien Mi-go Mr. Stone who had been assisting them and his Byakhee servants.
Diana was presumed dead at the end of the novel, having apparently been caught in an explosion which destroyed one of the Lodge's holdings, but was revealed to be alive and well in the epilogue, when Harrigan received a letter asking for help which could only have been written by her.
Behind the Mythos[]
First introduced in the Dunwich Horror expansion for Arkham Horror Second Edition, Diana has since made numerous appearances in Fantasy Flight's Arkham Horror Files content, including Mansions of Madness, Elder Sign, Arkham Horror: The Card Game, and the Arkham Horror Premium Figures line of plastic miniatures. In addition, the 2013 novel Feeders from Within by Peter J. Evans portrayed Diana as one of the three major protagonists.
Gallery[]
