A cursed painting. A missing person. A demon that grows stronger with every victim. Can your Hunters stop an ancient evil before it breaks free?

The private opening of a disturbing new exhibition at the Yellow Wall Museum in Darlington takes a sinister turn when a visitor vanishes without explanation. Security footage offers no answers, and one of the museum’s newest acquisitions appears to be changing before the staff’s eyes.

When a friend who works at the museum calls the Hunters for help, they find themselves investigating a mystery that reaches back centuries. At its centre is The Art of Torture, a painting created by artist Jacob Chablam and inspired by the demon Aldorath.

A desperate exorcism once trapped the demon inside the artwork. Now the painting has resurfaced, its supernatural prisoner is awake, and every person it claims makes it more powerful.

Can the Hunters uncover the truth behind the painting, discover how to banish Aldorath, and save its victims before the demon escapes?

The Art of Torture is a supernatural horror mystery for Monster of the Week, perfect for groups looking for a dark paranormal investigation with unsettling discoveries, dangerous supernatural forces, and a race against time.

Investigate a Museum Hiding a Terrible Secret

A museum full of disturbing artwork is unsettling enough. A museum where people disappear and the exhibits conceal a supernatural threat is something else entirely.

In this Monster of the Week mystery, the Hunters must follow the clues, investigate the museum, and piece together the history of a demon that should never have been disturbed.

The investigation takes your group from a missing-person case to a confrontation with an ancient supernatural horror. As the threat escalates, the Hunters must work out what Aldorath is, how the original exorcism failed to destroy it, and what it will take to imprison or banish the demon once more.

The painting is more than a disturbing work of art. It is a prison, a source of power, and a threat that grows with every victim.

Everything You Need to Run the Mystery

Spend less time preparing clues and encounters and more time playing. The Art of Torture includes the tools you need to run this Monster of the Week adventure:

• A complete supernatural mystery with a clear investigation and escalating threat.

• Clues and investigation material to help the Hunters uncover the truth.

• Museum locations for exploring the setting and discovering what lies behind the exhibition.

• NPCs and minions to bring the mystery to life.

• A countdown to keep the danger moving forward as the Hunters investigate.

• Handouts to support the investigation at the table.

• Monster and NPC stats for running the supernatural encounters.

Whether your group enjoys investigating strange events, piecing together supernatural histories, or confronting monsters before innocent people get hurt, this mystery gives the Keeper a ready-to-run framework for the session.

Adapt the Adventure to Your Campaign

Although the mystery takes place at the Yellow Wall Museum in Darlington, you can easily adapt the setting to suit your own Monster of the Week campaign.

Move the exhibition to a local gallery, a university collection, a private estate, or a museum with a history of unexplained incidents. Give the Hunters a personal connection to the missing visitor, or make the investigation part of an ongoing campaign.

You can also use the Night Shift team playbook and make the Hunters museum employees themselves. Security officers, custodians, archivists, administrators, and curators all have reasons to investigate when their workplace becomes the centre of a supernatural crisis.

The result is a flexible horror mystery that can stand alone or fit into your existing campaign.

Mature Horror Themes and Table Safety

The Art of Torture is a dark supernatural horror adventure featuring demons, torture, restraint, loss of bodily autonomy, confinement, and forced violence.

Because these themes can be distressing, safety tools are strongly recommended. The adventure also offers alternative approaches to its more graphic elements, allowing the Keeper to preserve the atmosphere of horror without explicitly describing torture.

Talk to your players about boundaries before the session and adapt the material to suit your table.

Less Prep. More Play.

You don’t need to spend hours designing a missing-person investigation, inventing a demon’s history, or building a countdown from scratch.

With The Art of Torture, the mystery, locations, clues, NPCs, minions, and monster statistics are ready for your game. You can focus on the discoveries, difficult decisions, and terrifying moments that make Monster of the Week memorable.

Bring your Hunters together, investigate the painting, and find out what happens when art becomes a prison for something truly monstrous.

Get The Art of Torture, a ready-to-run Monster of the Week supernatural horror mystery, and put your next investigation on the table.

Product Details

• Game system: Monster of the Week

• Adventure type: Supernatural horror mystery

• Setting: Museum investigation in Darlington

• Themes: Demons, cursed artwork, missing persons, paranormal investigation, mature horror

• Best for: Keepers looking for a prepared mystery to run with their Hunter group