Sanctum Secorum

Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast, where we plumb the depths of Appendix N as it pertains to the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. We’re here to help you serve these literary offerings at your DCC RPG table. Tonight… we are discussing a book that was reviewed by Thrilling Wonder Stories as “space opera with a vengeance”. Tonight, The Legion of Space by Jack Williamson.

Tonight… we examine a singular work by Abraham Merritt, The Moon Pool. Technically, it is a fix-up of two works, The Moon Pool and Conquest of the Moon Pool, but who are we to quibble?

Tonight… we take a look at a time torn classic by L Sprague de Camp, and a book that has been cited as extremely influential by authors such as S. M. Sterling, David Weber, and Harry Turtledove. Tonight, Lest Darkness Fall.

Tonight… we examine a singular work by one of Michael Moorcock's favorite authors. Join us as we discuss Fletcher Pratt's, The Blue Star.

Michael Moorcock returns to the Sanctum Secorum podcast to discuss his new book, his experiences with Hollywood, and his upcoming musical projects.

Tonight… we “burrough” to the center of the earth with a classic novel from over a century ago. Written by the creator of Tarzan, tonight, we discuss Edgar Rice Burroughs’, At the Earth’s Core!

Tonight… We celebrate the Halloween season with something that is… Lovecraft adjacent. While August Derleth is known for rescuing the works of HP Lovecraft from obscurity through the founding of Arkham House, he also wrote his own stories tying in to Lovecraft’s works. Some were original works by Derleth and others were “posthumous collaborations with Lovecraft” (which were also original works by Derleth - essentially with Lovecraft’s name slapped on them). This is one of the former, not too unlike the latter. Tonight, we travel the Trail of Cthulhu! The Trail of Cthulhu is a series of interconnected short stories which chronicle the struggles of Laban Shrewsbury and his companions against the Great Old Ones, particularly Cthulhu.

his triad of tales begins with Sailing to the Future. Elric is lost somewhere in the Young Kingdoms and near the sea. A mysterious ship appears and he is welcomed aboard by its captain and introduced to three other powerful warriors. The captain informs the adventurers that they are traveling across time and between realities. They have been found because they alone have the power to stop alien sorcerers from destroying their worlds. In Sailing to the Present, Elric finds himself on another shore without the memory of his last adventure. He meets a sailor called Count Smiorgan Baldhead who accompanies Elric as they are followed by a mysterious, riderless horse. Elric and Smiorgan find that they are in another world, one inhabited by a Melnibonéan nobleman named Saxif D’an. Saxif recognizes Elric but does not honor his sovereignty in this realm. Saxif is the subject of an old Melnibonean legend. Finally, in Sailing to the Past, Elric and Smiorgan, after passing through the Crimson Gate, are saved from drowning by Duke Avan and his men. Duke Avan is travelling to find R’lin K’Ren A’a, the ancestral city of the Melnibonéans, where he seeks two rare gems purported to be the eyes of a large jade statue of Arioch. Elric and Smiorgan decide to join him on the voyage.

Middle-aged San Francisco horror writer Franz Westen is rediscovering ordinary life following a long alcoholic binge. Then one day, peering at his apartment window from atop a nearby hill, he sees a pale brown thing lean out his window…and wave.This encounter sends Westen on a quest through ancient books and modern streets, for the dark forces and paramental entities that thrive amidst the towering skyscrapers of modern urban life…and meanwhile, the entities are also looking for him.

In the dim far future of Earth, when the sun had shrunk to a small red disk in the dark sky and the race of man lived in isolated cities that echoed with the vastness of the world’s history, science, myth and magic had become one. Sorcerors who read the books of ancient times held great power, and fearsome monsters created in ages long forgotten stalked the land. In this world of mystery and danger, the scoundrel known as Cugel the Clever was forced to undertake a quest for Iucounu the Laughing Magician – a magician he has wronged, to retrieve magical lenses that reveal the Overworld. Goaded by a homesick monster magically attached to his liver, he journeys across wastelands home to Almery. With a cult group on a pilgrimage, he crosses the Silver Desert, and meets more danger and betrayal as he betrays others. A quest that was to take him to lands stranger than any he had dreamed of, and pit his wits and his sword against powers from beyond time itself.

This week, the Keepers of Mystery discuss a work by the Queen of Space Opera, Leigh Brackett, as they dive into The Hounds of Skaith. In this second volume of Leigh Brackett's exemplary trilogy The Book of Skaith, Eric John Stark, having expelled the Lords Protector from their northern Citadel and released his friend and mentor galactic ambassador Ashton, heads south to find the wise woman Gerrith, to foment rebellion, and –in spite of the Wandsmen and the Lords Protector's wishes—to open the dying planet to star travel. Although he is outnumbered, he possesses one extraordinary advantage: he now holds mental mastery over the Hounds of Skaith, fierce mutant beasts that paralyze their enemies by the power of fear alone.

Join two of our Keepers of Mysteries as they dive into The Knight of the Swords, by Michael Moorcock. Corum is the last survivor of the Vadhagh race and an incarnation aspect of the Eternal Champion, a being that exists in all worlds to ensure there is “Cosmic Balance”. Prince Corum of the Scarlet Robe sets out on a personal crusade against the Sword Rulers, Lords of Chaos, puppetmasters to Man. First of these is the loathsome Arioch, Knight of the Swords, master of five of the fifteen planes of reality. From Arioch, Prince Corum only requires… his heart. Plus, tune in for our latest fantasy book give away! Originally broadcast live on the Goodman Games twitch channel on May 16, 2023.

Join the Keepers of Mystery for a special episode of the Sanctum Secorum, recorded live. Joining us to discuss his debut work, Hungers as Old as This Land is author Zachary Rosenberg. This novella, currently the #1 Amazon new release in Western Horror Fiction, Hungers as Old as This Land is a novella filled with chills, and comes from a fresh new voice in the space. Order your Kindle copy of Hungers as Old as This Land at https://www.amazon.com/Hungers-This-Land-Zachary-Rosenberg-ebook/dp/B0BWMG437D Originally broadcast live on the Goodman Games twitch channel on May 9, 2023.

Join two of our Keepers of Mysteries as they dive into Red Nails, by Robert E. Howard. Red Nails begins in the jungles far to the south of any known civilized or barbarian kingdoms. Valeria of the Red Brotherhood is fleeing persecution and is followed into the wilderness by Conan, a fellow adventurer who wishes for an alliance with Valeria. The pair journey towards a mysterious walled city, which appears deserted. The city, which is known as Xuchotl, is a massive structure completely enclosed and roofed off by an emerald dome. A single great hallway runs across the entire city. However, no streets or open courtyards are present.  The two separate and search the city's empty corridors. Valeria encounters a man named Techotl, who she joins in his feud between two factions which dwell in the once populous city. Soon, Techotl invites Conan and Valeria into the stronghold of his tribe, the Tecuhltli. Eventually, the couple are welcomed by the rulers of Xuchotl, Olmec and Tascela. After a ritual, Olmec reveals the history of his civilization and its ancient war with the other inhabitants of Xuchotl and the meaning of the red nails driven into a pillar within the Olmec stronghold. For those wishing to support Ashraf Braden's RPG releases - click here and here! Plus, tune in for our latest fantasy book give away! Originally broadcast live on the Goodman Games twitch channel on April 25, 2023. Robert E Howard's suicide was a tragic loss. If you are in distress you can call, text, or chat 988, to be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how your problems are affecting you, provide support, and connect you to resources if necessary. Additionally the Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) remains available to people in emotional distress or crisis.

Tonight the Keepers of Mystery discuss one of the novels of Poul Anderson, The Broken Sword. Specifically cited on Appendix N, it has also been cited by author Michael Moorcock as having greatly influenced his stories. The book tells the story of Skafloc, elven-fosterling and originally son of Orm the Strong. The story begins with the marriage of Orm the Strong and Aelfrida of the English. Orm kills a witch's family on the land and later half-converts to Christianity, but quarrels with the local priest and sends him off the land. Meanwhile, an elf named Imric, with the help of the witch, seeks to capture the newly born son of Orm. In his place, Imric leaves a changeling called Valgard. The real son of Orm is taken away to elven lands and named Skafloc by the elves who raise him. As the story continues, both Skafloc and Valgard have significant roles in the war between the trolls and the elves as things escalate until the restoration of…the Broken Sword.