Roland Cummings was a private investigator that used to work from Arthur's Office alongside Charlie Dowd. His name was still on the lease when Arthur and Parker took it from Elijah Strong and Teddy Caine. The book that was delivered to this address, which bound Arthur and John, was intended for him.
History[]
Roland Cummings and Charlie Dowd worked as partner private investigators. They began to take cases that touched some "magical" or supernatural elements, and eventually became specialized in cases that dealt with the otherworldly. A few months later, an acquaintance alerted him and Charlie to an artifact being unearthed in Egypt. Charlie left on the long expedition while Roland stayed in Arkham.[1]
Roland had to leave the city hurriedly according to Strong, and once Arthur reaches the Cummings' house, a neighbor informs him that Roland's wife was found dead in the basement freezer and Roland himself was likely in Canada. His daughter, Amanda Cummings, moved to Harper's Hill after that. Roland was presumed dead.[2]
Roland was later confirmed dead - at least, on Earth. His soul was anchored to the Dreamlands until he was destroyed by The King In Yellow.[1]
Roland was the original owner of Arthur's Lighter.[1]
Trivia[]
- Roland Cummings was a major NPC in the Call of Cthulhu: Game 1 campaign, where he recruited the four player characters (Edward "Eddie" Mason, Henry MacFarland, Jarrett Coombs, and Frank Underhill) into his investigation to find the location of a missing girl, Anna Stancyzk.
- In the immediate lead-up to the Call of Cthulhu: Game 1 campaign, Roland's daughter, Amanda "Sarah" Cummings was kidnapped by a cult, and his wife was killed in the Cummings' family home. In order to avoid involving the police and jeopardizing his daughter's safety while he tried to meet the cult's demands, Roland hid his wife's body in the freezer.
- Roland was killed in the under croft of an abandoned church near the Stancyzk mansion by Eddie Mason, and his body was left in the dug up grave of one of The Three Soldiers located there.
- As revealed in the Call of Cthulhu Post Game Discussion, Roland orchestrated the murder of Frank Underhill's wife by Henry MacFarland, in order to gain leverage over both of them in his efforts to recruit them into his investigation, as was requested in the letter threatening his daughter.