Be Not Afraid

This is a supplement for use with Liminal Horror, by Goblin Archives. It is meant to provide a potential antagonist, a mystery to investigate, and options for Fallout, as well as giving setting inspiration and serving as an aid to improvisation.

It is designed to fit into existing games while also being capable of forming the seed for a campaign (though it is not a full campaign structure in and of itself).

Be Not Afraid describes The Psalm, a signal that seems to be reaching back into the past from the future, or perhaps from beyond time itself. 

The signal works as a “carrier-wave” that allows for communication with immensely powerful, intelligent, and benevolent entities trying to guide our timeline into alignment with their own, lest it fall into one of the countless hellish futures it might meet instead. 

The ultimate nature of these entities is unknown, but the closest word we have is “Angels.”And although many sacrifices must be made to reach their Heavenly future, it will all be worth it in the end. To reach Heaven, we must go through Hell.

Or maybe none of that is true. Maybe The Psalm is something else entirely, something that is able to masquerade as benevolent but is manipulating human consciousness for its own ends. 

You cannot know. Only doubt, or have faith. 

But one thing is certain: once you are touched by the Psalm, you will never be the same again. 

Content Warnings

Although The Psalm is not a literal description of cult indoctrination, psychosis, paranoia,  religious fixation and mania, fanaticism, or delusional thinking, it certainly echoes all of these phenomena. 

Loss of self and depersonalization are major themes, as is derealization to a lesser extent. 

There are also themes and depictions of helplessness and disempowerment, as well as mental manipulation, gaslighting, and psychological horror in general. 

Finally, there are implications and depictions of human violence, self-harm, and self-mutilation, though these things are mostly indirect and not shown or described in graphic detail. 

Credits

The design of this supplement is original but inspired by many other works, with special mention due to Residents of Nowhere, by Charles Huth of “Capacity for Wonder,” who worked with me as a consultant on this project. 

All artwork was collaged by the author, using a combination of Public Domain and Open License images sourced from Unsplash, TextureLab, and the Public Domain Archive.  

None of the text or images in this work were generated by LLMs or any other form of AI.