The Palimpsest Society

TPS
  • 5.0 (12)
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  • Series

Welcome to The Palimpsest Society, a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast that starts in 1784 Philadelphia, where old stories refuse to stay buried and every clue seems to lead deeper into the dark. Hosted by Alicia and Ryan, with Ryan as your keeper for this journey into mystery, investigation, and creeping dread. In this arcisodic series, you’ll join our cast as they uncover strange letters, occult symbols, eldritch horrors, and secrets hidden throughout these United States—one unsettling revelation at a time. If you enjoy historical horror, collaborative storytelling, and a little chaos at the table, you’re in the right place. So settle in, keep your powder dry, and let’s begin.

  1. Season 1, Episode 1 Trailer

    Welcome Dear Listener, to The Palimpsest Society-Season 1 Teaser

    Welcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us on 30 September for the newest bi-weekly Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About the show: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  2. Episode 2 Bonus

    Meet: Captain Ashcroft

    Character Introduction: Meet Captain Edmund Ashcroft, a disgraced officer haunted by the unexplained disappearance of his company. With his freedom unexpectedly restored and a long-lost possession returned, Ashcroft must confront the question that has followed him through years of imprisonment: what truly happened in those silent woods? Welcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us in October for the newest Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About the show: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  3. Episode 3 Bonus

    Meet: Dr. Abercrombie

    Character Introduction: Meet Dr. Prudence Abercrombie, a steadfast physician haunted by the death of her husband and closest companion. When an unusual letter arrives addressed to Mrs. Buchanan—a name she has not used in years—Prudence must confront the question that has followed her since his final breath: what truly happened before Oliver died? Welcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us in October for the newest Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About the show: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  4. Episode 4 Bonus

    Meet: Ezra Merrick

    Character Introduction: Meet Ezra Merrick, a practiced medium who has spent years using grief, guilt, and silence to make the living believe he speaks for the dead. When something begins answering from beyond the stories he has carefully constructed, Ezra must confront the question he has long dismissed: what, exactly, has been listening? Welcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us in October for the newest Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About the show: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  5. Episode 5 Bonus

    Meet: Merritt Vale

    Character Introduction: Meet Merritt Vale, a solitary botanist who has devoted their life to tracing the quiet patterns of the natural world. As their observations lead them into places where the forest seems to watch in return, Merritt must confront a question more unsettling than any specimen: how much can a person change before they no longer belong to their own name? Welcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us in October for the newest Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About the show: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  6. Episode 6 Bonus

    Meet: Keeper of Arcane Lore

    Character Introduction: Ryan McLaughlin is the Keeper of Arcane Lore and co-host of The Palimpsest Society. With a love for history, mystery, and the unsettling stories hidden beneath familiar places, Ryan guides the cast through an original Call of Cthulhucampaign that moves across eras of American history. Each new chapter asks what might be uncovered when we scrape back the surface of the past and make room for stories that were never meant to be told. Welcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us in October for the newest Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About the show: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  7. Episode 7

    Initiation- Arrival Ep 1

    Ep: 7 Initiation- Arrival Join us in October for the newest Call of Cthulhu Actual Play in an original setting placing our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. In the first episode of The Palimpsest Society, our players are drawn into a mysterious initiation at Böhme House in 1784 Philadelphia, where a strange invitation, unsettling symbols, and impossible books begin to reveal that something far larger is at work. Set in the early days of a newly formed United States, this Call of Cthulhu actual play blends mystery, investigation, historical atmosphere, and creeping dread. As the group arrives one by one, each character brings their own strange clue: leather, thread, a hidden note, a frozen pocket watch, and old knowledge that seems to point toward a larger "why". What begins as a formal invitation quickly turns into a haunted exploration of a house that seems to exist just outside ordinary perception. Connect with the Crew on Instagram: Ryan McLaughlin (Keeper) – @thepalimpsestsocietyErin Hippel (Merritt Vale) –  @thepalimpsestsocietyMichael Hall Lindsay (Captain Ashcroft) – @warsonggamesAlicia Figliuolo (Dr. Prudence Abercombie) – @aliciafigliuoloSeth Dellinger (Ezra Merrick) – @sethdellingervoWelcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us every other Wednesday for the newest episode of this Call of Cthulhu Actual Play original setting that places our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About this season: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  8. Episode 8

    Initiation: Candle in the Well Ep 2

    EP 8 Initiation: Candle in the Well In this episode, we delve into the mysterious depths of the Palim Cess Society's cave, where ancient symbols, strange water-filled chambers, and non-Euclidean architecture challenge the perceptions of our explorers. Join us as we explore biblical references, arcane symbols, and the unsettling discovery of four seemingly drowned bodies. Why does the water contain a candle from the second floor window, and what do the cryptic inscriptions reveal about the house’s dark history? Tune in to uncover the bizarre, the mystical, and the cosmic horror lurking beneath the surface. Connect with the Crew on Instagram: Ryan McLaughlin (Keeper) – @thepalimpsestsocietyErin Hippel (Merritt Vale) –  @thepalimpsestsocietyMichael Hall Lindsay (Captain Ashcroft) – @warsonggamesAlicia Figliuolo (Dr. Prudence Abercombie) – @aliciafigliuoloSeth Dellinger (Ezra Merrick) – @sethdellingervoWelcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us every other Wednesday for the newest episode of this Call of Cthulhu Actual Play original setting that places our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About this season: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  9. Episode 9

    Initiation: Alchemize into Liberation Ep 3

    EP 9 Initiation: Alchemize into liberation. In this episode, our intrepid investigators plunge deeper into the mysterious cavern beneath Burma House, confronting visions of the past in the form of four drowned bodies—and a terrifying supernatural entity. As sanity is pushed to its limits, they must decode ancient symbols, navigate non-Euclidean tunnels, and face a being of starry wrath in a bid for survival and understanding. Connect with the Crew on Instagram: Ryan McLaughlin (Keeper) – @thepalimpsestsocietyErin Hippel (Merritt Vale) –  @thepalimpsestsocietyMichael Hall Lindsay (Captain Ashcroft) – @warsonggamesAlicia Figliuolo (Dr. Prudence Abercombie) – @aliciafigliuoloSeth Dellinger (Ezra Merrick) – @sethdellingervoWelcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us every other Wednesday for the newest episode of this Call of Cthulhu Actual Play original setting that places our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About this season: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  10. Episode 10

    Sanity Check-in Talk Back Ep 4

    Between each scenario, join us for Sanity Check-In, our behind-the-scenes conversations where the cast reflects on the mysteries, choices, characters, and creeping horrors shaping the Palimpsest Society. In the first Palimpsest Society Sanity Check, the cast steps out from behind their characters to reflect on The Initiation. From skill growth and sanity recovery to the candle, the well, and the unsettling presence waiting below, they unpack the choices that shaped the story and the unexpected connections forming between their investigators. Join Ryan, Alicia, Seth, Erin, and Michael for a candid conversation about collaborative storytelling, historical horror, and the question at the heart of every investigation: when something is frightening, is it truly a monster or is it asking to be understood? Connect with the Crew on Instagram: Ryan McLaughlin (Keeper) – @thepalimpsestsocietyErin Hippel (Merritt Vale) –  @thepalimpsestsocietyMichael Hall Lindsay (Captain Ashcroft) – @warsonggamesAlicia Figliuolo (Dr. Prudence Abercombie) – @aliciafigliuoloSeth Dellinger (Ezra Merrick) – @sethdellingervoWelcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us every other Wednesday for the newest episode of this Call of Cthulhu Actual Play original setting that places our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About this season: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  11. Episode 11

    Devil May Care: The Letter Courier Ep 5

    EP: 5 Devil May Care: The Letter Courier Bruised and shaken after surviving their initiation, the newest members of the Palimpsest Society retreat to Bohëm House to recover and reckon with what they witnessed beneath the well. Their uneasy rest is interrupted when a mysterious letter arrives bearing news of slaughtered livestock, a dead child, and something unnatural stalking a New Jersey farm. Connect with the Crew on Instagram: Ryan McLaughlin (Keeper) – @thepalimpsestsocietyErin Hippel (Merritt Vale) –  @thepalimpsestsocietyMichael Hall Lindsay (Captain Ashcroft) – @warsonggamesAlicia Figliuolo (Dr. Prudence Abercombie) – @aliciafigliuoloSeth Dellinger (Ezra Merrick) – @sethdellingervoWelcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us every other Wednesday for the newest episode of this Call of Cthulhu Actual Play original setting that places our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About this season: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety

  12. Episode 12

    Devil May Care: The Book Seller Ep 6

    EP: 6 Devil May Care: The Book Seller A desperate letter draws the newly initiated members of The Palimpsest Society toward Burlington, New Jersey, where slaughtered livestock and a young boy’s death have left one family pleading for help. With questions about the Society still unanswered, the investigators take to the road, only to encounter a curious bookseller whose interest in their rare manuscripts raises fresh suspicions. Connect with the Crew on Instagram: Ryan McLaughlin (Keeper) – @thepalimpsestsocietyErin Hippel (Merritt Vale) –  @thepalimpsestsocietyMichael Hall Lindsay (Captain Ashcroft) – @warsonggamesAlicia Figliuolo (Dr. Prudence Abercombie) – @aliciafigliuoloSeth Dellinger (Ezra Merrick) – @sethdellingervoWelcome to The Palimpsest Society Join us every other Wednesday for the newest episode of this Call of Cthulhu Actual Play original setting that places our investigators in Colonial North America shortly after ratification. Themes and warnings: This intro includes mystery, occult imagery, tension, and heavy themes. Listener discretion is advised. About this season: The Palimpsest Society is a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast set in 1784 Philadelphia, following a group of new initiates as they uncover the hidden costs of knowledge, power, and transformation. Follow the show: Find The Palimpsest Society on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts @thepalimpsestsociety Music Attribution Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: Y2O7F2Z42UHXAQFG

See All Season 1 (12)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Palimpsest Society, a Call of Cthulhu actual play podcast that starts in 1784 Philadelphia, where old stories refuse to stay buried and every clue seems to lead deeper into the dark. Hosted by Alicia and Ryan, with Ryan as your keeper for this journey into mystery, investigation, and creeping dread. In this arcisodic series, you’ll join our cast as they uncover strange letters, occult symbols, eldritch horrors, and secrets hidden throughout these United States—one unsettling revelation at a time. If you enjoy historical horror, collaborative storytelling, and a little chaos at the table, you’re in the right place. So settle in, keep your powder dry, and let’s begin.

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