| “ | I'm walking out that door, and I'm taking this book. Anyone who wants to stop me is welcome to try. | „ |
Mark Harrigan, the Soldier, is a character created by Fantasy Flight Games who has appeared in several of their Arkham Horror Files range of Cthulhu Mythos-related products.
Origin Story[]
There are three separate origin stories given for Harrigan, each one slightly different from the others.
Arkham Horror (EXP)[]
The first backstory stated that Harrigan had joined the United States Army and fought in Europe during the First World War, where he saw monsters killing men in the trenches. Upon returning home, he finds that his partner Sophie has one of the monsters inside her, and the creature consumes her soul.
Eldritch Horror (EXP)[]
This version is largely similar to the Arkham Horror story, but Sophie is confirmed to have been Harrigan's wife, and after her death he travels to Helsinki, where he had seen some of the monsters posing as German soldiers during the war.
Feeders from Within (EXP)[]
Feeders from Within tells that Harrigan did not in fact fight in the Great War, and was instead a member of the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916-17. Whilst deployed in the Sierra Madres, his squad encountered a group of Mi-Go working on a bizarre machine. After a short battle, the Mi-Go were defeated but at the cost of the lives of all except Harrigan and one other soldier, the two survivors being shipped home to convalesce. Sophie is still murdered in this version, and he was stated to have grown up "on the wrong side of the tracks in Harrisburg."
History[]
The novel Feeders from Within expands on Harrigan's activities after Sophie's death.
Since the events in Mexico, Harrigan has been pursuing his vendetta against the eldritch creatures which he has found to be plaguing much of the world. After being contacted by psychologist Carolyn Fern, who had treated the other survivor from the Sierra Madres incident, Harrigan travels to Arkham where the pair uncover a plot by the Silver Twilight Lodge and the Mi-Go known as Mr. Stone to bring madness and chaos to the world. Joining with former cultist Diana Stanley, the three manage to foil the scheme after travelling to the subterranean realm of N'kai.
Subsequent to these events, Harrigan disappears for a few months, presumably continuing to hunt down supernatural beings. However, after he receives a letter from Diana Stanley asking for their help, he reaches out to Carolyn Fern, and the two prepare to once again face the forces of evil.
Behind the Mythos[]
Mark Harrigan was first introduced by Fantasy Flight Games as an Investigator in the Dunwich Horror Deluxe Expansion for Arkham Horror Second Edition. Since then he has made appearances in both Eldritch Horror and Arkham Horror: The Card Game, and a now-discontinued plastic miniature of the character was released as part of the Arkham Horror Premium Figures line. In addition, the 2013 novel Feeders from Within by Peter J. Evans heavily expanded on Harrigan's role within the Mythos.