A Submission for

Trail of Cthulhu

Commoriom

General/structural comments:

It would be good if, by the end, the protagonists have an idea of what KZ and his spawn might be, maybe where they came from. Do they also need a copy of the Book of Eibon?

Include Thule Society esoteric conspiracy / vril stuff? One of the Vril Society ladies is with Gobineau’s team.

Have Ethelrod’s manner of death depend on player actions: If they spot the German camp, perhaps he asks one of them what they think it is, and/or should we go there. If YES then Gobineau kills him there. If NO then the Germans follow them and Gobineau shoots Ethelrod as they approach/enter the valley. If both these events are prevented then Granger gets drunk and kills Ethelrod just after they arrive in the valley (or the Gnoph-Keh kills him).

The offspring of KZ have two forms: adult and juvenile. The juvenile is simply a fissile off-shoot of an adult. It’s about the size and appearance of a leech. Only the juvenile can parasitise a human. They take about 3-4 weeks inside a human to reach adulthood.

There is a frozen mastodon carcass in the upper chamber of the tower.

Change both clues and instructions to the Keeper into second person.

Can equipment be defined in terms of opportunities for the use of Preparedness? Eg. Winches, ropes etc. Review travel, supply levels and some physical challenges to make them properly player-facing and simple to use. But wait to see what Laws comes up with in Mythos Expeditions.

Make format of clues consistent (bulleted?) as per above

Hans Reinerth: real archaeologist who did a lot of work for  Alfred Rosenberg and joined the NSDAP in 1931.

Johannes Täufer – possible pseudonym. Author of 1930 article on Vril Vril. Die Kosmische Urkraft.

"I have yet to translate the terrible and abominable legend telling how a certain doughty citizen of Commoriom… returned to the city after

its public evacuation, and found that it was peopled most execrably and numerously by the fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, which possessed no vestige of anything human or

even earthly." – Clark Ashton Smith

Before ice covered the land of Hyperborea, the inhabitants built their capital city in a valley in the mountains. Will its rediscovery release once more, the monstrous force that brought about its doom?

In a hostile, isolated environment, a scientific team faces deadly opposition from the mysterious inhabitants of the ice sheet and from a rival expedition. Soon they will realise, however, that the real horror is beneath the very ice that they excavate.

The Hyperborean Cycle stories of Clark Ashton Smith are the inspiration for this adventure. It is recommended that the Keeper reads at least The Testament of Athammaus and Ubbo-Sathla before running it. The Call of Cthulhu scenario Trail of Tsathoggua by the late Keith Herber tells the story of the expedition that discovered the site.

The HookIn 1925, an archaeological team from Miskatonic University found evidence of an ancient settlement beneath the ice sheet in a remote valley in the mountains of West Greenland. The protagonists are members of a 1931 expedition to excavate the site.

The Horrible TruthThe archaeological site is the ruin of the lost Hyperborean city of Commoriom. Entombed within it are a descendent of Tsathoggua and his amorphous, parasitic offspring.

The SpineThe team members voyage to Godthåb, where they can confront a Rival Expedition from Germany. They then begin their arduous overland trek in Evighedsfjorden.

The protagonists see strange Eskimo watching them from afar. In addition, a confrontation with the rival team may have deadly consequences.

In The Valley of Commoriom, the protagonists can find the bodies of the last survivors of the German team, mysteriously burned to death. Nearby, there is a strange temple inscribed with a history of the early pre-human settlers. On the valley floor, a shadow under the ice indicates the location of the archaeological site.

There is strange singing in the valley and the protagonists see the elusive figures of blond Eskimo.

Excavation leads to the discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice, containing the remains of ancient astronomical equipment.

Unseasonal blizzards harry the team as they work and they may glimpse a strange creature in the storm. The problems escalate with damage to the camp and people attacked, until the Protagonists neutralise the Eskimo clan that is causing these problems.

Further digging uncovers a stairway with a frieze describing a history of Hyperborea and eventually leads to a City Under the Ice where the team uncovers a device that sends their minds back in time to the disturbing origins of life on earth and merges them with the primordial mind of Ubbo-Sathla.

As they explore and excavate, the city’s dormant, parasitic inhabitants begin to awaken and infest the intruders, leading to the Awakening of Knygathin Zhaum.

Victory ConditionsVictory in this scenario means discovering the nature of the site and the horror within it and escaping alive, preferably with the site safely sealed.

Antagonist ReactionsThere are four factions of potential antagonists in this scenario.

A private German expedition of Nazi-allied archaeologists and occultists is investigating the site as the possible ruin of “Ultima Thule”. They see themselves as civilised men, and (with the exception of Gobineau) will initially be inclined to be cordial. However, they see the site as property of their ancestors and themselves as it’s custodians. They will ruthlessly take control of the site or its artifacts if it seems necessary. Likewise, they may use violence if threatened or obstructed.

A tiny clan of latter-day Hyperboreans (or ‘Blond Eskimo’) lives near the coast to the west of the valley of Commoriom. The Inuit of the region shun them for their foul religious practices. Their ancestral myths warn that people disturbing the

valley will awaken a giant frozen in a city under the ice. They will do their utmost to protect the valley. Their most effective tactic is calling a Gnoph-Keh to hamper the expedition.

Within the city itself, is a colony of amorphous and parasitic entities descended from Tsathoggua. Initially dormant, they will gradually awaken, and attempt to subdue and infest human hosts, gradually gaining control over their behaviour and using them to attempt to awaken their leader Knygathin Zhaum and the other spawn. When sufficient numbers are awake, they will launch a full-scale attack on the intruders.

A fourth potential antagonist is the team member Dr Chuck Granger, whose alcoholism and mental health issues may cause him to become violent under the stresses of the expedition.

Running Commoriom with the Armitage InquiryThis scenario begins in late June of 1931 – a time when the Armitage Inquiry is in its formative stages. Three years previously, Armitage, Rice and Morgan scored a victory against the Dunwich Horror and soon Dr Albert Wilmarth joined them after his encounter with the ‘Outer Ones’ in the hills of Vermont.

On his deathbed in 1929, Professor Curtis Mathieson revealed the truth about his 1925 Greenland expedition to his colleague Dr Francis Morgan and Morgan shared the story with Professor Armitage. Soon they were working with Professor Ethelrod in England to organise a follow-up expedition.

[Symbol: Armitage Inquiry] This symbol defines sections that apply only to running the scenario as part of the Armitage Inquiry.

Running Commoriom as a standaloneYou can also run this scenario as a standalone adventure or mark a dramatic beginning to an ongoing campaign.

Ethelrod has organised the expedition with the British Museum, independently of Armitage and his colleagues.

[Symbol: Standalone] This symbol defines sections that apply only to running the scenario as a standalone.

Creating the ProtagonistsAppropriate roles for the expedition include archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists, biologists, explosives experts, drill engineers and radio engineers. All team members should be healthy and fit, and be competent cross-country skiers – represented for game purposes as a minimum Outdoorsman rating of 1 and Athletics of 3. The expedition will also need a medic with Medicine and First Aid ratings of at least 2.

The expedition leader is very xenophobic and French applicants in particular need not apply.

[Symbol: Armitage Inquiry] Team members are likely to be American, perhaps connected to the University. However, Ethelrod may have brought British team members with him.

[Symbol: Standalone] The expedition is British and most of its members are too. However, Dr Granger may not be the only American to join the expedition.

PrologueThe Protagonists have each applied for a position on an exciting expedition to Greenland.

The following clues are available about recent polar expeditions:

Archaeology/Anthropology:

In 1925, Professor Curtis Mathieson of Miskatonic University led an expedition to investigate a massive wall, carved with mysterious markings, in a glacier in East Greenland. After it collapsed into the sea, the team travelled to the mountains near the west coast to search for a settlement it apparently described. They had to return after a series of accidents, bear attacks and severe weather inflicted a heavy casualties.

Geology/Biology:

In 1930, the Miskatonic University’s disastrous Pabodie Expedition left from Boston for Antarctica. In January 1931, they flew over the South Pole, reported a massive mountain range in centre of continent. A storm inflicted severe

casualties on the expedition. They reported finding very well preserved specimens of six-foot-long, barrel-shaped organisms with starfish-shaped heads.

Geology:

The Dane Knud Rasmussen is currently on the sixth of his famous Thule expeditions, this time to consolidate Denmark’s claim on Erik the Red’s Land in East Greenland.

In 1930, Alfred Wegener led his fourth expedition to establish permanent bases in central Greenland for measuring weather and the thickness of the ice sheet. The team has not made contact in almost a year.

This year, the Danish geologist Lauge Koch is leading another expedition to Northeast Greenland.

Candidate Interviews (Directed Scenes)In order to introduce the Protagonists, role-play a short scene from each character’s interview for their place on the expedition. Do this in front of the whole group. This paints a picture of each Protagonist and helps establish Drives and Pillars of Sanity that may be at stake later. These scenes should be short, punchy and relatively independent of the overall flow of the narrative. They should establish three things about each Protagonist:

A general impression of their background, appearance and personality

Their Drive – their reason for joining the expedition

Insight into one or more of their Pillars of Sanity.

These things can be drawn out by the interviewer asking about the applicant’s qualifications, reasons for wanting to join the expedition, their beliefs, what they would rely on to get through the Arctic winter and so on.

[Symbol: Armitage Inquiry] If organised by Miskatonic University, Chairman of the Archaeology Department, Doctor Ernest McTavish conducts the interview along with Associate Professor Francis Morgan.

[Symbol: Standalone] If the expedition is organised by Ethelrod in England, he conducts the

interview himself, accompanied by his friend Wilfred Lipton, at Ethelrod’s office in the British Museum.

Scenes

Briefing Scene Type: IntroductionLead-Out: Preparations, The Atlantic Voyage

[Symbol: Armitage Inquiry] The briefing takes place in a seminar room at the Archaeology Department of Miskatonic University. Associate Professor Francis Morgan is a self-assured yet soft-spoken field researcher in his early 30s, who expresses regret at being unable to attend the expedition due to it being brought forward by a year. He introduces expedition leader Professor Ethelrod, a renowned linguist from Cambridge and veteran of the Mathieson Expedition, who has voyaged across the Atlantic to join them.

Archaeology: Dr Morgan has a good reputation as a scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. (1-Point spend) You have heard rumours from his colleagues that he has been involved in expeditions and research of a rather unconventional and slightly controversial nature.

[Symbol: Standalone] The briefing takes place in a basement seminar room of the British Museum. In this case, Dr Granger has crossed the Atlantic to join the team.

Professor Ethelrod’s Presentation

A tall, distinguished-looking man in his 50s walks to the front of the room and stands in front of the blackboard. He has a slight limp, but seems to be in good shape for his age.

Anthropology/Languages rating of 4 or higher: Ethelrod has a reputation as an intelligent and accomplished academic specialising in the development of Indo-European languages. He is rumoured to have an aristocratic background.

In a polished, upper class accent, Ethelrod introduces himself and, without wasting time on niceties, launches into the briefing.

In May 1925, the Mathieson Expedition of Miskatonic University investigated a massive stone wall discovered in the

Helheim Glacier on the east coast of Greenland.

He passes around a photograph of the stone block with the expedition ship alongside. It appears to be about 300 wide and approaching 200 feet high. It is dominated by a carving of a human figure with a curved blade, bending over some kind of slain animal. Cthulhu Mythos or Occult will allow the viewer to recognise the figure as consistent with inhabitants of legendary Hyperborea as described, for example, in the Book of Eibon.

Pictographs found on the wall seemed to describe a large and ancient settlement in the Western mountains. Ethelrod led a trip overland in search of the site of the settlement. The team found itself attacked by a large polar bear that stalked them into the mountains, leaving several members of the team dead or injured. However, they found a site with evidence of former habitation, including remains of a religious site and tantalising evidence of a major structure underneath the thick ice cap.

He produces a photograph of a vaguely circular shadow beneath a thick ice sheet.

The expedition ended rather abruptly after several team members were killed or injured by a combination of climbing accidents and attacks from the bear.

The site was of such significance that the team agreed not to publish full information until a second expedition could investigate it fully. The ill health and death of Professor Curtis Mathieson in 1929, the 1930 Pabodie Expedition to Antarctica, and the market crash of 1929 delayed plans for a second trip.

Professor Ethelrod and the British Museum worked closely with the Miskatonic University to organise the current expedition. Regrettably, Dr Morgan cannot take part due to his commitment to the ongoing dig in Guatemala.

The team will depart on a research vessel, for Godthåb, in three weeks. Once resupplied, the ship will sail north to Evighedsfjorden, where it will disembark.

o [Symbol: Armitage Inquiry] The expedition ship is the Darlena, the same Miskatonic-owned geological research vessel used in the 1925 expedition. It will depart from Boston.

o [Symbol: Standalone] The expedition ship is the Beatrice, an Arctic research vessel leased by the Royal Geographical Society. It will depart from Southampton.

The team should be prepared to overwinter in Greenland, facing temperatures as low as -40°F, and returning in spring when the site is accessible by sea once more. The fjord is likely to be inaccessible from the sea between September and May. In case of emergency, with climbing equipment, Godthåb is reachable on foot in about five days.

The planned route is longer and gentler than the 1925 Mathieson Expedition, allowing transportation of heavy drilling equipment. They will use dog sleds and a snow tractor. Team members will be issued with rifles to protect themselves from bears and other dangerous animals.

A prefabricated cabin with outhouses for dogs and storage will be provided. They will use the drilling rig, blasting equipment, ice melting machine, chainsaws and hand digging to excavate the site.

He adds that he is not one for flights of fancy, but he believes the site to be remains of a previously unknown civilisation

Ethelrod introduces Dr Charles Granger, a red-haired, red-faced man of around 30 as another veteran of the Mathieson Expedition who will be accompanying them.

He then announces roles and asks team members to introduce themselves.

[Symbol: Armitage Inquiry] Oral History: (1-Point spend) There are rumours that Dr Granger has a drink problem.

Assess Honesty: Henry Ethelrod is reserved, aloof and doesn’t give much away.

Archaeology/Anthropology: The Mathieson Expedition made transcriptions of a number of

carvings on a stone wall found at Helheim Glacier on the east coast of Greenland. Academics have subsequently associated these with a Greenlandic colony of the extinct Paleo-Eskimo Dorset Culture. (1 Point spend) Some odd artifacts featuring strange figures wearing hoodless parkas with tall collars and women with large hairstyles were found on Cape Dorset on Baffin Island in 1925. It was previously thought that the Greenlandic Dorset culture was limited to the north-west coast of the island.

Biology/Outdoorsman: (1 Pojnt spend) Polar bears are mostly found in coastal regions in the north and east of Greenland – they are largely unknown in the mountains although females with cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous areas in the north.

Questions and ‘Answers’

Ethelrod will ask if there are any questions. He may provide the following additional details and any others the Keeper deems appropriate.

• Mathieson remained onboard ship, due to health problems. He died of a heart condition in 1929.

• The top of the structure was under an estimated 15-20 feet of ice and extended to unknown depths. He declines to speculate on the age of the structure.

Assess Honesty: (If Ethelrod is asked why the details of the Mathieson Expedition were not published or why the second expedition was delayed for so long) When asked about the specifics of the first expedition Ethelrod seemed somewhat evasive. (1 Point Spend) He is deliberately hiding something.

He wraps up the briefing after three or four questions or if he doesn’t like the direction the questions are going.

Henry Ethelrod

Any attempt to influence Ethelrod or get additional information from him requires British characters to have a Credit Rating of 5+. Americans and continental Europeans (apart from the French) need 6+. Anyone else will need to make a 1-Point spend in Credit Rating on each significant occasion.

Abilities: Athletics 5, Credit Rating 7, Firearms 7, Health 7, Scuffling 7, Weapons 6Hit Threshold: 3Armor: -1 vs all (if wearing Arctic gear)

Weapon: +1 (.38 revolver), +1 (.30-06 bolt action rifle), -1 (knife)

=>

Wilfred Lipton

Lipton is a round-faced zoologist in his mid-thirties. He is family friend of Ethelrod, the son of Dr Thomas Lipton, one of Ethelrod’s closest friends. He went to Eton and graduated from Oxford and is taking a break after completing his PhD. He is well-built and athletic having boxed for Eton and been a member of the Oxford climbing team.

Like Ethelrod he is something of a snob and a bigot, although he is somewhat less extreme and more approachable. He is a follower rather than a leader and he is loyal to his friend and his friend’s relatives. If Ethelrod were to die he would volunteer to return the body to the ship, taking Granger with him. If out-voted or overruled, he would follow the new leadership structure of the expedition.

Abilities: Athletics 8, Credit Rating 6, Firearms 3, Health 5, Scuffling 7, Weapons 2Hit Threshold: 4Armor: -1 vs all (if wearing Arctic gear)Weapon: +1 (.30-06 bolt action rifle)

To portray Wilfred Lipton:

Smile fixedly in uneasy moments

Rub your chin pensively and furrow your brow

Gesticulate in a jolly manner and pat people on the back

Dr Charles “Chuck” Granger

Granger is an archaeologist who studied with Professor Curtis Mathieson, took part in the Mathieson Expedition and has recently completed an archaeology doctorate at Miskatonic University.

In fact, although he has tried to get some help for it, Granger still suffers from ‘shell shock’ from his experiences on the Mathieson Expedition. This has only exacerbated his drinking problem and now he is a full-blown alcoholic.

Abilities: Athletics 7, Health 4, Scuffling 6, Firearms 3Hit Threshold: 3Armor: -1 vs all (if wearing Arctic gear)

Weapon: -2 (fist), +1 (.30-06 bolt action rifle), +1 (Ethelrod’s .38 revolver)

To portray Chuck Granger:

Show a wide, friendly, but uneasy smile

Look into the distance, as if preoccupied, but conceal or deny it

Slur your speech ever so slightly

PreparationsScene Type: Optional (Transition)Lead-In: Briefing Lead-Out: The Atlantic Voyage

There are several potential areas of research the protagonists may choose to investigate. Each of these topics will take up to a week to research.

Researching Greenland

Library Use: Time spent in a major library will grant a dedicated pool point for investigative spends in any field as it relates to Greenland, for example, Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Geology, Occult or Outdoorsman. A 1-point spend will grant 2 dedicated pool points. A 2-point spend will grant 3.

Researching the Mythology of Greenland

Library Use: After his travels between 330 BC and 320 BC, the Greek explorer Pytheas makes the first known reference to the mysterious island of Thule “six days' sail north of Britain, and near the frozen sea”. He claimed that people keep bees in this place and in summer, nights are only two or three hours long. It’s not clear whether he is referring to Iceland, Greenland, Norway or somewhere else altogether.

The Ancient Greeks also tell of the Hyperboreans who live beyond the north wind (the literal meaning of ‘Hyperborea’). Their land was perfect, with the sun shining 24 hours a day, and the people free from war, disease and old age and always happy. The people were blond and very tall. Hyperborea has variously been located in north-east Asia, Western Europe or Britain. In the 17th Century, some Scandinavians identified their own land as Hyperborea.

1 Point Spend: By the late 19th and early 20th Century, the idea of Thule/Hyperborea as a lost

continent (possibly the same place as Atlantis) had become popular in certain European occult circles, including Theosophists, and German völkisch (nationalist) groups.

Library Use 1 Point Spend or Occult: According to legend an obscure and apparently ancient occult text called the Liber Ivonis or Book of Eibon was written by a sorcerer from Hyperborea.

Library use: The Book of Eibon in Latin or English can be located in the library of the Miskatonic University or the British Library.

Book of Eibon/Liber Ivonis

Language: English/LatinSkim: 3 hoursPore: 60 hours

Skimming this will provide 1 dedicated pool point in Anthropology, Astronomy or Occult and 1 dedicated pool point for Cthulhu Mythos spends related to Tsathoggua or Hyperborea. It also gives the following information:

Hyperborea was a continent once located in the far north. Supposedly it once had a temperate or warm climate, with forests inhabited by huge, hairy elephants, long-toothed cats and other animals now extinct.

The earliest inhabitants were hairy pre-humans called ‘Voormis’ who had a simple writing system, and worshipped a god called Zhothaqqah who lived beneath an extinct volcano. The Voormis were originally slaves of ‘snake-people’, but they revolted and won their freedom.

Humans arrived and drove the Voormis into the mountains. They established Commoriom, the first capital city, on the site of a Voormis settlement. The city was grand and beautiful place of granite and marble with many high towers. A prophet called ‘the White Sybil’ predicted the fall of Commoriom and it was abandoned in the same year that Eibon was born, the city was abandoned, to a monster called ‘Kyngathin Zhaum’. The capital was moved to the city of Uzuldaroum.

Eibon became the greatest sorcerer, drawing power from his servitude to Zhothaqqah. Due to oppression from the sect of Yhoundeh the elk-goddess, Eibon was forced to live in a remote tower of black Gneiss in a remote area called

Mhu Thulan. Eventually the priests of Yhoundeh overran his tower and he fled through a magical door, and his book was passed on secretly in Europe and “Atlantis”.

A section of the book called “The Papyrus of Dark Wisdom” describes a history of life on earth that includes a succession of races and civilisations that have risen and fallen over aeons of time. The eldest of these races, originated from outside the earth. Eibon calls them the Polar Ones, described as “sexless semivegetable carnivores with cylindrical and pentalobular bodies [with] starfish heads” had a civilisation centred at the South Pole and were responsible for creating terrestrial life, as a by-product of their breeding experiments with a protoplasmic entity called Ubbo-Sathla. Anyone who knows of the starfish-headed crinoid specimens reported by the Pabodie Expedition must make a 3-Point Stability test, Mythos related.

Poring over it (unlikely in time for the departure of the expedition) provides +1 to Cthulhu Mythos, +2 for someone who has encountered Tsathoggua or his minions.

The Mathieson Expedition of 1925

Library Use: The information on the Mathieson Expedition report, the Dorset Culture and the distribution of polar bears described in the Briefing can be uncovered in a good-sized academic library by substituting point spends in Library Use.

The German Expedition

Finding out more about this expedition is very difficult as there is nothing published about it publically. Reassurance or Flattery will get Dr Morgan or Professor Ethelrod to reveal that an associate of Ethelrod’s, Dr Summers of Edinburgh University, heard a reference to a privately funded German expedition at an international archaeology conference in Paris last year.

Outdoor Training

Various independently sourced courses in outdoor skills may grant a protagonist up to 2 dedicated pool points in Athletics or Outdoorsman, to be used in Arctic and Subarctic environments.

The Atlantic VoyageScene Type: Optional, Transition

Lead-In: Briefing, PreparationsLead-Out: Godthåb

This is an opportunity to roleplay various interactions between player characters as they get to know one another and their leader.

The voyage for Godthåb takes six days, giving the Protagonists plenty of time to get to know the other members of the team or to read in their cabins if they prefer.

An Athletics test against Difficulty 3 is required avoid seasickness. The effect is the same as being Hurt and lasts for 24 hours.

[Begin sidebar]

The CrewThe ship’s crew consists of the Captain, First Mate, Chief Petty Officer and a crew of 8 sailors.

Captain James MacAllen

A tall, lean, dour man who looks older than his 45 years. He doesn’t say much, but commands the respect of his crew.

Abilities: Athletics 4, Health 5, Scuffling 6, Weapons 2Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (boat hook/improvised)

First Mate Bill Hewlett

An experienced seaman who has worked closely with MacAllen for years, Hewlett is a somewhat portly man in his early 40s, with red hair.

Abilities: Athletics 3, Health 5, Scuffling 4, Weapons 2Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (boat hook/improvised)

Chief Petty Officer Anders Pihl

Pihl is a large, friendly man of Danish nationality. He is 37, has a full beard and enjoys a drink.

Abilities: Athletics 6, Firearms 4, Health 7, Scuffling 8, Weapons 3Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (boat hook/improvised), +1 (Lee Enfield rifle)

[End sidebar]

Getting to know Wilfred Lipton

Lipton seems amiable and loyal to Ethelrod. He is more open than either Ethelrod or Granger and has little to hide.

Assess Honesty: He sometimes changes the subject or puts a positive spin on things especially when Ethelrod’s or Granger’s behaviour are criticised or the subject of the Mathieson Expedition is raised. (1 point spend) He seems to be aware that his friend’s behaviour causes offense to some, and is sometimes embarrassed by it. He has concerns about the recruitment of Granger and is aware that others may do too. He is loyal to Ethelrod and seeks to save face on his behalf. He doesn’t appear to know much about the Mathieson Expedition.

Getting to know Charles Granger

Anyone spending a significant amount of time with Granger will find him a friendly and competent scientist.

Evidence Collection: (1 point spend) Granger seems to have a slight tremble in his hands.

Medicine: (1 point spend) Granger skin symptoms of long-term alcohol abuse.

If asked about Mathieson Expedition, Granger repeats the official account and doesn’t add any more detail.

Assess Honesty: Granger is hiding something. (1 point spend) He seems to be suppressing powerful emotions and hiding his reactions.

Psychoanalysis: (1-Point Spend, in this instance used as an investigative ability), Granger appears to have a possible nervous disorder.

If asked about drinking or his mental health, he denies there is a problem. He has convinced Ethelrod that he has recovered and is so used to lying about his problem that Assess Honesty will not detect it.

Getting to Know Ethelrod

Ethelrod is reserved and rather snobbish. Anyone who spends a significant time with him quickly recognises that he regards most people (apart from upper-middle class Britons) with disdain. He generally avoids the company of the uneducated and Americans, who he tends to regard as vulgar. He passionately despises the French.

Assess Honesty: Ethelrod may be hiding something. (1 Point spend) Behind the stiff-upper lip, Ethelrod is apprehensive about the expedition and that there are certain things about the current of previous trip that he is concerned people don’t know.

Reassurance, or Flattery: Ethelrod may also be asked questions about the the expedition. See the Briefing for details.

Surreptitiously Accessing Ethelrod’s Cabin

If protagonists try to search Ethelrod’s quarters discretely, they will be confronted with a locked door, requiring Locksmith to open. They will also have to pass a Stealth test of Difficulty 4 to avoid being spotted acting suspiciously by one of the crew, another member of the expedition or Ethelrod himself. Unless the witness can be persuaded, threatened or bribed into keeping quiet (a 2 Point Spend in Reassurance, Intimidation or Bargain), the consequences of getting caught are very serious – including expulsion from the expedition as an absolute minimum.

For the details of the contents of Ethelrod’s cabin, see Ethelrod’s Personal Effects on Page XX.

GodthåbScene Type: CoreLead-In: Briefing, Preparations, The Atlantic VoyageLead-Out: Rival Expedition, Evighedsfjorden

The ship makes a scheduled stop in Godthåb, the capital of Greenland, for three days, to refuel, collect supplies and meet the sledding team. Once the ship is prepared, a local boat is to transport the sleds and sled dogs to Evighedsfjorden in a separate boat.

It is late July by the time the team arrive. The mildness of the climate may be surprising to some. Most of the land and sea is free of ice. In spite of a near complete absence of trees, there is a fair amount of greenery and the rivers swell with melt water.

Greenland at this time is a colony of Denmark and uses Danish currency and mostly Danish place names. Godthåb is the capital and has a population of around 2000, mostly Eskimo, but with a few people of Scandinavian descent. Houses are mostly

traditional Eskimo huts of stone and turf with a few Scandinavian-style structures of imported wood. The main industries here are whaling and fishing and there is a blubber boiling plant just outside of town. There is also a general store, a newspaper office, a small school, a seminary and a government building with a radio station.

To the east lies Godthåbsfjorden, the long, meandering fjord with many inlets where the Mathieson Expedition landed.

Languages (Danish or Inuit) AND Oral History or Reassurance (Floating): If the Protagonists go ashore and talk to the locals, they will hear of another foreign research ship that arrived over a week earlier. Follow-Up (Oral History/ Reassurance/Flattery/Bargain): The vessel dropped off a German research team in Godthåbsfjorden and left shortly afterwards.

Ethelrod will get this information one way or another – from a member of the crew if not from the Protagonists. He is furious and curses the German ’race’.

Reassurance 1-Point Spend: He suspects that the German authorities were tipped-off about the site by a veteran of the first expedition, Jean Raymond Gobineau, who joined the Nazi cause a few years ago.

The Rival ExpeditionScene Type: Optional, Roleplaying Lead-In: GodthåbLead-Out: Evighedsfjorden

The following day, a small freighter flying the German flag – the Widder – arrives in port to resupply. Ethelrod will refuse to have anything to do with them; however, the protagonists may choose to approach them. Onboard is a crew of seven sailors, a radio engineer and an archaeological research assistant. They are in regular radio contact with the German team, although reception is increasingly patchy.

The Germans will boast about being the first to explore “the ruins of Thule”, about having a special right to the heritage of their ancestors. The resulting humiliation is a 1-Point Stability test for the protagonists.

Intimidation: The characters can avoid humiliation by giving as good as they get. A 1-Point spend allows them to recover 1 Stability point or tricks the

Germans into revealing the expedition route from Godthåbsfjorden north-northeast (the same route as the Mathieson Expedition).

Reassurance or Flattery 1-Point Spend: The German team become more amicable and recognise at least some of the group as kindred (either literally or in a spiritual sense) and will invite them onboard the ship, offering them drinks and food. Anyone who accepts will find themselves lectured about the “noble origins of the Aryan race” and how archaeological sites all over the world prove that their ancestors brought civilisation to the ancient world. Anyone who vigorously disagrees finds the offer of hospitality prematurely withdrawn.

Reassurance or Flattery 1-Point spend: The Germans reveal their route (north-northeast from Godthåbsfjorden, the same route as the Mathieson Expedition).

Assess Honesty: Behind the bragging, there is a slight sense of uneasiness. 1-Point spend: the German crew seem to be worried about their team. Follow-up: Reassurance 2-Point spend will get the Germans to admit that they are being lead to the site by Jean Raymond Gobineau, a Mathieson Expedition veteran; however, several of them believe he is unstable. His behaviour is strange and occasionally violent and he drops hints of terrible creatures up on the ice sheet.

A Stealth test against Difficulty 4 will allow the protagonists to make a quick and surreptitious search of the ship under some pretext. Stealing one of the books requires a Conceal or Filch test against Difficulty 5.

Simple Search: The ship contains some supplies of food, fuel ammunition, radio equipment and so forth. There is also a small library of books on relevant geographical, geological, anthropological, archaeological, historical, linguistic and occult subjects, almost all in German, including Strabo’s Geographica and Hermann Wirth’s Der Aufgang der Menschheit (The Emergence of Mankind).

Languages (German): An protagonist skimming the latter (2 hours) will learn about nationalist German beliefs in their decent from a Nordic super race that originated in the Arctic region and once ruled the known world. Poring over it (10 hours) grants 2 dedicated pool points in Archaeology, Anthropology, Occult or Languages.

Evidence Collection: Also here is an enthusiastic letter of support from a senior member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party named Heinrich Himmler to Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer, leader of the expedition. Himmler refers to the site as both “Ultima Thule” and “Atlantis” and refers to something he calls ‘Thor’s Hammer’, a weapon of their divine ancestors said to be capable of flattening mountains.

Captain Alfred Dreher

Around 30 years old, and fit, Dreher is in command of base-ship operations. Dreher is a keen German patriot and a true believer in the Thule myth.

Gerald Huber

Huber is a round-faced Bavarian. He is a little overweight, fairly quiet and serious, and a little less nationalistic than his companion is.

Abilities: Athletics 4, Firearms 3, Health 4, Scuffling 3Hit Threshold: 3Alertness Modifier: 0Stealth Modifier: 0Weapon: +1 (Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle), -1 (Knife), -2 (fists)

Other Crew Members

Abilities: Athletics 6, Firearms 4, Health 7, Scuffling 8, Weapons 3Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (knife or improvised weapon), +1 (Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle), +1 (Luger 9mm)

EvighedsfjordenScene Type: Core, TransitionLead-In: Lead-Out: Evighedsfjorden Glacier

About 100 miles north of Godthåb, is the port of Sukkertoppen, where the ship harbours overnight. About 10 miles from there is the fjord of Evighedsfjorden, which flows through a deep and sheer-sided canyon in a remote and mountainous region.

Seals and even a whale of two are visible in the water and there are many varieties of seabirds. There isn’t much sea ice apart from an isolated iceberg or two as reminders of what this place is like in the winter.

Glacier-carved canyons with meltwater streams running through them meet the the main channel of the fjord at muddy beaches.

Captain MacAllen or Professor Ethelrod remind the team that in the colder months, the glacier stretches all the way to the sea. That and the build up of sea ice means that landing here by sea starts to become difficult from October until May or June.

The expedition vessel is met here by a local barge that drops off the sleds, sled dogs and mushers (dog sled drivers). The plan then is to use it to ferry supplies, equipment and the expedition members onto the muddy shore.

About thirty feet from the water’s edge is a low mound.

From a distance, Biology identifies it as the body of a whale. 1 Point Spend reveals it as a narwhal.

Polar Bear

If the characters approach the whale’s corpse will notice it move strngely several times. A polar bear is behind it with it’s head inside the body, eating it from the inside. A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 will let the characters spot the bear at about 30 feet, 60 feet if they have not approached.

The bear will issue a vocal warning and if necessary fight to protect it’s catch.

Being attacked by the bear is a 3-point Stability test.

Polar Bear

The bear can attack twice in a round – two claws or a claw and a bite. If it loses half it’s Health, it will flee.

Abilities: Athletics 14, Health 10, Scuffling 16Hit Threshold: 4Alertness Modifier: +2Weapon: +1 (claw), +0 (bite)Armour: -4

A Cache

Ethelrod orders a cache of supplies to be left near the beach. 10 man-days of food, 20 rounds of ammunition and a barrel of diesel.

[begin sidebar]

The Trek to Commoriom

The team has three sledges and a snow tractor. The sledges are pulled by teams of ten dogs, carrying

the driver (called a ‘musher’) and up to one passenger. The sledges carry supplies – mostly food, camp gear and lighter excavation equipment.

There is also a team of six ponies to help lift the equipment onto the ice sheet. Team-members are on cross-country skis.

The diesel-powered snow tractor seats four, pulls the heaviest equipment on a series of four sledges (the drill, the diesel generator, the electric ice melter and a dozen barrels of diesel) and sets a steady pace. It has a motorised winch on the back. If none of the Protagonists has Driving (Tractor), Ethelrod will drive it.

Outdoorsman is required to avoid getting hopelessly lost. Navigating under difficult circumstances – without a map, a compass or in poor visibility will require Outdoorsman spends in order to progress in the correct direction.

Arctic travel on foot

Cross-country skiing costs 4 Athletics, Fleeing or Health per day in these conditions. Without skis the speed is halved.

Travel by dog-sled

This requires Driving (Dog Sled) in addition to the costs above. Dog teams will use 6 Athletics pool points (or Health once these are depleted) each day, 3 points are replenished at the end of the day if the dogs are rested and well-fed.

Temperature Table

This table below shows typical temperatures found in Godthåb and the valley of Commoriom. Day temperatures are about 10°F higher. Night temperatures about 10°F lower. Areas closer to the edge of the ice-sheet are about 10°F warmer than the Commoriom temperature.

Month Godthåb Commoriom Valley

January 19 -22

February 19 -22

March 18 -20

April 26 -10

May 34 -2

June 40 5

July 44 10

August 44 9

September 38 3

October 30 -5

November 26 -12

December 21 -19

Effects of Climate

Below 20°F exposed characters without Arctic clothing on act as if hurt. Below -20°F, characters must make Athletics tests (Difficulty 3) to keep moving. For each further 20°F drop, the Difficulty increases by 1. Difficulty is increased by 2 if the character isn’t wearing protective clothing. Characters who fail this test lose 1 Health every 15 minutes, or every 5 minutes in a blizzard.

Arctic clothing gives 1 point of Armor, but increases the Difficulty of Athletics and Fleeing tests – and anything else requiring extensive mobility – by 1.

A tent and small stove effectively raise the temperature by 20°F. A cabin and more powerful stove raise it by 30°F, 35°F with the stove on full power.

Communications

Ethelrod and the crew of the ship agree to communicate by radio twice a day: once at 7AM and once at 8PM.

Sledding Teams

There are three sleds with ten dogs per sled and three mushers (or fewer if any Protagonists are able drive a dog-sled).

Ukaleq

A stocky Inuit with bad teeth who seems to show them off with his smile almost all the time. Approaching middle age, he is an expert hunter and outdoorsman. He speaks Inuit and Danish.

Abilities: Athletics 6, Driving 4, Firearms 8, Health 6, Outdoorsman 5, Scuffling 3, Weapons 7Hit Threshold: 3Alertness Modifier: +2Stealth Modifier: +2 Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (knife), +1 (rifle),Armour: -1 vs any (Arctic clothing)

Tiriaq

Tall for an Inuit and around 30, with a wispy moustache. He speaks Inuit and Danish. He is an expert at dog-handling and sled-maintenance.

Abilities: Athletics 6, Driving 5, Firearms 2, Health 6, Outdoorsman 3, Scuffling 4, Weapons 5Hit Threshold: 3Alertness Modifier: +1Stealth Modifier: +1 Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (knife), +1 (rifle),Armour: -1 vs any (Arctic clothing)

Jakob Sørensen

Sørensen is a highly experienced cross-country skier, mountaineer, outdoorsman and guide. As the name suggests, he is of Danish descent and speaks Inuit, Danish and some English.

Abilities: Athletics 9, Driving 4, Firearms 4, Health 8, Outdoorsman 3, Scuffling 5, Weapons 4Hit Threshold: 4Alertness Modifier: +1Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (knife), +1 (rifle),Armour: -1 vs any (Arctic clothing)

Sled Dogs

Abilities: Athletics 12, Health 5, Scuffling 6Hit Threshold: 4Alertness Modifier: +3Weapon: -1 (bite)Armour: -2 vs any (thick fur)

Expedition Equipment

This is a non-exhaustive list of equipment for the expedition that hasn’t already been mentioned:

Parts for cabin and outhouses, including an oil stove (kerosene), tents, arctic clothing, ice picks, axes, 60 TNT explosive charges with detonators, 1 rifle per team member, 100 rounds ammunition per rifle, camp radio with antenna (100 W, nominal range 100 miles depending on weather, 200lbs), chain saws (diesel), electric ice melter (about 1000lbs), 300W diesel generator (80lbs), 42 x 55 gallon tank diesel (330 lbs each), 10 x 55 gallon tank kerosene (330 lbs each), water pump (diesel, 300lbs), Buckets, Food for dogs and humans for 12 months (mostly two grades of pemmican, plus a few luxuries), two sets of standard climbing gear including 300 feet rope, 2 powerful incandescent lamps (with 40 ft cables to attach to generator), 10 kerosene lamps, 10 electric torches.

Chainsaw

If someone should use this as a weapon at an stage, give it damage +1, but due to its general unwieldiness, users make attack tests at -1.

[end sidebar]

Evighedsfjorden GlacierScene Type: Core, ChallengeLead-In: EvighedsfjordenLead-Out: The Climb to the Ice Sheet

The first stage of the journey is likely to last one day and is very challenging. The loaded dog sleds must run uphill along the bottom of the canyon on gravel and mud, avoiding ice-falls from the glaciers overhead. The canyon is about 13 miles long. For any Protagonists who are driving dog sleds this is a Driving test against Difficulty 5. Failure means that one of the dogs is injured or the sled is stuck, resulting in delays. For dogs this costs 10 Athletics pool points.

Ice Fall

As they progress up the canyon, have everyone make a Sense Trouble test at Difficulty 4 to spot ice tumbling from a tributary into the path of one of the sleds. Anyone who succeeds with Sense Trouble can call out a warning allowing the driver to take evasive action. Avoiding this requires a Driving test against Difficulty 5 (4 if Sense Trouble is passed); otherwise, all on board (and the dogs) take +1 damage and the supplies and equipment on the sled may be damaged.

HowlingNear the top of the canyon, have the Protagonists make Sense Trouble tests (Difficulty 3) to hear strange howling sounds. Anyone with Outdoorsman can reassure themselves and other characters that this is purely a natural phenomenon caused by the wind funnelling down the canyon, allowing any Sense Trouble points spent to be refunded. Otherwise, this is a 1-Point Stability test.

Assess Honesty: Granger is showing signs of stress or agitation. If asked, he refuses to talk about it and denies that anything is wrong.

A Quarrel

At the end of the day, the group needs to make a camp near the top of the canyon. That evening, a quarrel can be heard in Ethelrod and Granger’s tent.

Shadowing or 1-Point Spend in Evidence Collection: Ethelrod is repremanding Granger for drinking. He threatens to throw away his alcohol supply.

The Climb to the Ice SheetScene Type: Core, ChallengeLead-In: Evighedsfjorden GlacierLead-Out: Across the Ice, Graves

This day begins with an even more difficult climb up a broken, icy slope onto Sukkertoppen ice cap above. Somehow, the sleds, the tractor and their loads need to be raised onto the ice sheet. The team has a team of ponies, a hand-winch, human effort and perhaps the tractor itself to perform the lifting.

Ethelrod publicly challenges the most qualified Protagonist (or one who has found irritating or a random one) to lead this process. Stress that the Protagonist’s reputation is at stake here.

There are a number of possible methods and you may modify the below according to player ingenuity, however this process should be resolvable as two tests. A Mechanical Repair test against Difficulty 10 (potentially cooperative or piggybacked) represents applied understanding of leverage, traction, balance and so forth. Spends in Physics or Outdoorsman reduce the difficulty by 1 per pool point spent.

If this fails roll again to determine the outcome:

1 The Athletics test Difficulty is increased by 1

2 The Athletics test Difficulty is increased by 2

3 The Athletics test Difficulty is increased by 3

4+ Ethelrod loudly berates the Protagonist for his obvious errors. The Protagonist must make a 1-Point Stability test. The Difficulty is 4 (3 with Reassurance, Intimidation or Flattery).

If this is successful, the next test is a piggybacked Athletics test against Difficulty 12 representing the collective effort of lifting the expedition supplies.

If this is successful, the process goes smoothly and the leading Protagonist may refresh 1 Stability due to their boosted confidence.

If it fails, roll again to determine the outcome:

1

2

3

4

5

6

OLDER VERSION

Review below

ponies

One method (both Ethelrod and Outdoorsman will suggest this) is that most members of the team climb the slope on foot, carrying ropes, (a Difficulty 3 Athletics test, with failure resulting in a damage roll at -2). Next, the team pulls various loads up using the ropes. Each of these steps require piggybacked Athletics tests against various difficulties, with failure resulting in a retry and a loss of 1 Health – at the Keeper’s option, a result of 1 might result in a tumble and damage for whatever load is being pulled up the slope. The dog teams are led up (Difficulty 3), then the humans and dogs together pull the tractor up (Difficulty 5) – if a Protagonist can drive it, they will also need to make a Driving test against Difficulty 5 to avoid problems as above. Then tractor, humans and dogs bring up four regular loads (Difficulty 3) and the drill (Difficulty 4) on sleds.

The entire process will take the best part of a day and by the end of it, the players themselves should be feeling tired.

Following Ethelrod’s directions, the team can spend the last hours of the day sledding in a south easterly direction across the ice-sheet, before camping for the night.

Outdoorsman or Evidence Collection 1-Point spend: Large, strange footprints can be seen in the snow, perhaps distorted by melting. (If none of the protagonists finds it then one of the mushers does.)

Outdoorsman or Biology: The prints appear to be those of a large carnivore; however, an extended claw in the middle of the foot shows that this wasn’t a bear. In fact, they don’t belong to any identifiable creature. 1-Point spend: There is something very strange about the gait. 2-Point spend: The bizarre pattern of prints would almost seem to imply that it was moving on six legs some of the time.

Cthulhu Mythos: This may be the legendary six-legged beast of the Arctic, called Gnoph-keh.

The mushers become quite excited and Tiriaq refuses to continue.

Oral History or Reassurance: With a 1-Point spend, the mushers say there are old legends of a demon that haunts the Ice-Sheet that hunts men and

takes their souls by freezing them to death. It’s called ‘The Hairy Thing’.

Ethelrod struggles to convince Tiriaq. A 1-Point Reassurance spend will suffice. In contrast Ukaleq and to a lesser extent Sørensen want to hunt and kill the creature. Ethelrod is not convinced. A 1-Point spend in Reassurance or Flattery will change his mind.

As soon as Dr Granger sees the print, he becomes extremely agitated and begins muttering to himself.

Evidence Collection: A 1-Point spend allows a character to overhear him mutter about a “monster of the ice”.

Assess Honesty or Psychoanalysis: He doesn’t seem to be calming down. 1 Point spend in Psychoanalysis: He may have a phobia or have had a traumatic experience in the past that has triggered extreme anxiety. Assess Honesty 1-Point spend: Ethelrod also seems somewhat alarmed although he is far more in control of himself.

Evidence Collection 1-Point spend: The character notices that Granger is secretly drinking from a hip-flask.

Hunting the Beast

If the team attempts to hunt the beast, a 1-Point Outdoorsman spend is required per day to track it on a wandering route roughly east southeast. After about three days, they will arrive at the scene: ‘Graves’. During this trip the hunters may experience being spied on by a strange Eskimo (see Across the Ice, The Watcher).

Across the Ice Scene Type: Core, Clue (Bonus)Lead-In: A Call for HelpLead-Out: On the Edge

The expedition is now heading southeast over the fractured surface of the Greenland ice sheet. Twice a day, each member of the team must make a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 (Difficulty 3 for vehicle drivers) to safely avoid crevasses. If this fails, a Driving test (Difficulty 3) is required to avoid falling in for +1 damage and possible loss or damage to vehicles, loads or dogs.

This stage will take two days. However, if the team passes a piggybacked Driving (Tractor or Dog Sled as applicable) test against Difficulty 5, reduce this to one day.

The Watcher

As the journey progresses, the team gradually approaches a range of nunataks (mountains emerging from the ice sheet) to the southeast. There are a few smaller nunataks along the way.

Towards the end of the last afternoon here, a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 will allow the protagonists to spot someone watching them from the top of a ridge ahead. He is perhaps half a mile away. A Preparedness test (Difficulty 3) will give an Protagonist quick access to binoculars. If viewed through binoculars, he appears to be an Eskimo, but dressed rather strangely in a high collared parka.

Anthropology or Biology 1-Point spend: His features are unusual for an Eskimo, with a long face, large nose and elongated earlobes. Anthropology or Archaeology 1-Point spend will then suggest that his appearance is reminiscent of figures depicted in artifacts of the extinct Dorset Culture. Cthulhu Mythos: The figure’s appearance is reminiscent of descriptions of the inhabitants of Hyperborea.

A successful 5-Point Preparedness test will allow a character to produce binoculars quickly enough to see that the Eskimo has a long, pale face and is strangely dressed in a high-collared parka with a sort of pointed hat instead of a hood. He quickly disappears from view whether seen or not.

Climbing the ridge is a 3-Point test. Failure results in 3 points of damage. Outdoorsman will find his tracks. 1-point spend: The tracks appear to come from the east (the direction the expedition is headed) and return the same way. Another 2-Point spend is required to follow the tracks a significant distance. A skier will be able to travel faster than the man on level ground, however he deliberately heads over rough terrain, requiring a Chase using Athletics versus Athletics, with the Eskimo receiving a free success at the start of the chase representing the head start he has and a Difficulty reduced to 3 representing his experience of the terrain. Anyone winning this Chase will have an opportunity to take a single shot at the strange-looking Eskimo if they have a rifle ready. After that, he disappears from view and a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 is required to avoid being ambushed by a ferocious attack with a hand-axe. He will fight to the death rather than be captured.

Seen close-up, it is clear that the man is no ordinary Eskimo. He is lean, with fair hair, and a long face

with elongated nose and ears. He appears to be in his mid to late twenties. He will refuse to talk and will try to escape at the first opportunity.

Interrogation: In broken Greenlandic Inuit, he will warn that the outsiders have strayed onto forbidden land, protected by the ancestors. They must leave at once or they will die a horrible death. A 2-Point spend persuades him to give his name and that he is a member of a small family that lives in a house several days to the west of here. Assess Honesty reveals no hint of deception.

[Symbol: German Expedition Members] The Germans, are extremely excited by the discovery of ‘blond Eskimo’ announcing that it is proof of a former Aryan/Nordic civilisation in Greenland.

Anthropology 1-Point spend: Vilhjalmur Stefansson reported blond Eskimo in the Victoria Island area of Canada in 1910 and there have been several such reports, including in Greenland, since the 17th Century.

Maakuk

Abilities: Athletics 10, Scuffling 8, Weapons 11, Health 9Hit Threshold: 4Armor: -1 vs all (hide)Stealth Modifier: +2Alertness Modifier: +2Weapon: +0 (stone axe)

The team won’t be able to travel much further today.

On the EdgeScene Type: Clue (Bonus)Lead-In: Across the IceLead-Out: The First German Camp, Followed by the Germans, The Valley of Commoriom

About a day from their destination, the expedition is moving along the top of a steep ridge.

Evidence Collection: You see something two or three miles from the bottom of the ridge – an irregularity in the landscape. With binoculars, you see what appears to be a series of mounds and a pole flying a German flag.

The face of the ridge, which the Protagonists would need to descend to reach the camp, is a near-vertical wall of icy rock over 100 feet high. Climbing down is an Athletics test (Difficulty 6). Climbing back up the wall is Difficulty 8. In either case, damage is

1D6+3. If a safety rope is used the damage is reduced to 1D6-1 and the Athetics test must be attempted again.However, if the roll is a natural 1 the safety rope doesn’t hold and the character falls. Approaching the mounds brings the protagonists to The First German Camp.

Outdoorsman or Geology: Another route is possible that avoids the steep climb. It would mean going back along the ridge then heading south. On foot, this would take about a day each way, on unloaded dog sleds about half that, and on loaded sleds or a snow tractor, about 6 hours.

Outdoorsman or Evidence Collection: There are bolts in the cliff face where someone climbed up the face of the ridge. (1 Point spend) This was within the last week or so and there were at least three in the climbing party.

Anyone remaining behind and passing a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 will spot a figure, similar to the previous one, watching them from a mountainside to the north. Reaching the spot will take about half an hour and a climb requiring an Athletics test against Difficulty 4. Outdoorsman 1-Point spend will successfully locate his tracks, while another 1-Point spend will allow them to be followed westward and higher up the mountain where they are lost on the rocky surface.

If none of the protagonists remain here, the mushers will report the figure when they return and can take the characters close to the spot where the figure stood.

The expedition will probably need to camp somewhere on the ridge or tonight.

[Begin Sidebar]

Ethelrod’s DeathEthelrod should die fairly early in the scenario for several reasons: firstly, it puts the protagonists into the driving seat and secondly, it potentially reveals several more aspects of the mystery. It also plays a dramatic role and adds to the feeling of isolation, confusion and insecurity.

In order to minimise any sense of railroading, three different death scenes are described. The one in which his death actually occurs depends on Protagonist actions. If they climb down the ridge to investigate the First German Camp, Ethelrod will accompany them and his death will occur there. If they press on towards the valley, they are Followed

by the Germans, and Gobineau kills Ethelrod then. If Protagonist actions prevent these deaths then Ethelrod is killed when Granger goes Mad. If all else fails, have Ethelrod killed by the Gnoph-Keh.

[End Sidebar]

The First German Camp

Scene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: On the EdgeLead-Out: The Valley of Commoriom

There are five tents, and smoke from a fire. No movement is visible from a distance. Discretely observing the camp for a while is a Shadowing test against Difficulty 4. Some signs of life are visible – men occasionally emerge to smoke, get some food, enter another tent or go to the toilet. If watched for as long as a day, some preparations begin (they are preparing to search for their teammates who climbed the ridge and are out of radio contact).

Approaching the vicinity of the camp undetected is a Stealth test against Difficulty 5. If the Protagonists wait until the dusky conditions of ‘night’, it drops to 4.

Last night, the Germans lost radio contact with their forward expedition.

They split up to search different areas. This group has heard the creature, seen Eskimo and suffered from a blizzard and an attack.

They are nervous and suspicious of the Ethelrod Expedition’s appearance in the area. Gobineau is rather unstable and paranoid and will be quick to resort to violence.

Ethelrod advises his team to ready themselves as they approach. If the Protagonists attempt a surprise attack, Ethelrod will order them to stop – he wants to talk to them. When they are about 30 yards away, he calls out to the camp in German. Three men appear from tents, pointing rifles. If the Protagonists open fire, the Germans will shoot too. Otherwise, there is a standoff and a heated exchange between Ethelrod and the Germans.

Languages (German): Ethelrod accuses them of stealing his plans and trying to take credit for his and Mathieson’s discovery. He blames someone called ‘Gobineau’. He tries to intimidate them and says that he and his men are going to come into the camp to look for evidence. One of the Germans replies that if anyone who enters the camp will be

shot. Ethelrod tells them they are outnumbered and that they must throw down their guns.

Intimidation: By demonstrating your superior numbers you are able to convince the Germans to back down. The Germans put down their guns. Ethelrod asks for one or two people to help him look around while the rest of the team keeps the Germans covered.

Reassurance: You persuade the Germans that your group is not a threat and both sides put down their guns. Ethelrod asks for one or two people to help him look around.

Ethelrod marches to the doorway of one of the tents and just as he reaches for it, it suddenly opens and he gasps “you!”. There is a gunshot and he falls back, mortally wounded. Jean Raymond Gobineau stands in the doorway holding a smoking pistol. The remaining Germans immediately make a grab for their rifles.

The Protagonists have several options now, the most obvious being returning fire or negotiation.

Reassurance: You are able to calm the situation from escalating immediately into further violence. (1 Point spend) You negotiate a truce with the Germans while the unfortunate matter is sorted out.

If convinced they are not a threat, the Germans will attempt to persuade the newcomers to help them find their missing compatriots and to work together in the investigation of the valley.

If attacked, the Germans will defend themselves or flee. Escape without proper equipment in this environment means almost certain death.

Intimidation: (1 Point spend) A sufficient show of force convinces the Germans to surrender.

Interrogation: If asked the right questions under interrogation the Germans can give the following information. Each clue requires a 1 Point spend. If the characters decide to get physical and use any kind of torture they may forego the point spend, however each session involving torture is a 2-Point Stability test for the interrogator.

o NOTE: They are members of the Nazi Party, with SS members, ex members of the Thule Society and Vril Society in their midst

o The team is led by Dr Ekkehardt Bauer. The purpose of their expedition is to locate a site in a high valley in this area and determine whether the remains are those of an ancestral Aryan settlement. After a climbing accident, it was decided that some team members would camp here while the rest of the expedition pressed ahead.

o Their ship, the Widder is anchored in Godthåbsfjorden.

o There has been no radio contact with the rest of the team since late the previous afternoon. They were considering whether to attempt to find them.

o Jean Raymond Gobineau brought the site to the attention of the SS and Ahnenerbe and became a member of both.

o The site includes an exposed temple building and a buried tower.

o According to Gobineau, there may be descendents of the Thule-Aryans in the area, although seemingly degenerate.

Interrogation or Flattery: If Gobineau is questioned, each 1-Point spend of either ability will grant a piece of information from the clues above, those in his journal (see Page xx) or the information below.

He was asked by Dr Bauer to remain behind. He does not agree with this decision as he only has a slightly sprained ankle.

o Assess Honesty: Gobineau is confused and angry about Doctor Bauer’s decision and believes that the Doctor is worried that Gobineau will claim his glory. (1 Point spend) He is narcissistic, insecure and paranoid and might be susceptible to Flattery

o Interrogation or Flattery: (2 Point spend) The temple is dedicated to Zhothaqquah the god of a race of ancient subhumans. An unspeakable monster lurks in the temple. A

bizarre man-eating bear-like beast haunts the ice plains.

Reassurance, Flattery or Bargain: Gobineau could be persuaded to act as a guide, however he will betray the Protagonists if he gets the chance.

The German Team

Ernest Möller (Hurt)

An amateur anthropologist in his late 30s. Möller is an upper-middle class Austrian, slightly overweight with a medium beard and brown hair.

Johan Becker

Short, athletic and fair. Becker is a trained archaeologist in his mid-30s. He is susceptible to bribery (Bargain).

Abilities: Athletics 7, Firearms 5, Health 6(1), Scuffling 5, Weapons 4

Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: +1 (Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle), -1 (knife or improvised weapon), -2 (fists)

Ulbrecht Schäfer

Tall, fair, athletic, Schäfer is a successful Industrialist, in his mid-30s. He is susceptible to Intimidation. He is currently injured. His abilities at full health are in parentheses.

Abilities: Athletics 6 (7), Firearms 4 (5), Health 1 (6), Scuffling 4 (5), Weapons 3 (4)

Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: +1 (Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle), -1 (knife or improvised weapon), -2 (fists)

Brünhilde

TBD

Jean Raymond Gobineau

Gobineau is a 30 year old mountaineer, dilettante, SS member and veteran of the Mathieson expedition. He is a great grandson of the French racial theorist Arthur de Gobineau, whose racial theories were one of the primary influences on Nazi ideology. Jean Raymond is highly racist himself, as well as being somewhat insecure. He will refuse to have anything to do with non-white people at all and under stress could react violently to them. If somehow shown that his idealised theories of his origins were profoundly mistaken, he would go irrevocably insane.

Abilities: Athletics 4 (10 if he recovers), Firearms 2, Health 3 (8 if he recovers), Scuffling 6Hit Threshold: 4 Weapon: +1 (Mauser Gewehr 98 rifle), +1 (Luger P08 9mm Parabellum), -2 (fists)

Followed by the GermansScene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: On the EdgeLead-Out: The Valley of Commoriom

As they make camp, a successful Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 allows them to spot from a distance of 250 yards, a group of four figures with rifles approaching from behind. There’s no chance of surprising them.

They are wary and on edge. Perhaps these English-speaking foreigners have something to do with their missing companions. Gobineau certainly seems convinced that they are. If not, perhaps they can help.

If guns are fired in their direction (and they are clearly outnumbered), the German team will retreat.

When they get within about 30 feet of one another, Gobineau and Ethelrod will simultaneously recognise each other. “You...” says Gobineau. “You... traitor. You Judas” says Ethelrod, lifting his rifle. But Gobineau is quicker with his pistol and Ethelrod falls.

The aftermath of this scene should play out similarly to The First German Camp.

Granger goes MadScene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: The Valley of CommoriomLead-Out: The Valley of Commoriom

Core Clue: The route to Commoriom Valley

When the team sets up camp for the night, Ethelrod invites the others to talk about the journey ahead, and in particular, techniques for avoiding crevasses. The meeting takes place in a tent shared by up to three of the protagonists. Granger opts to retire. Ethelrod’s suppressed disapproval of this is noted with a 1-Point Spend in Assess Honesty.

He is drinking in his tent. If anyone goes to speak to him at this time, he will hurriedly hide his bottle of whisky. The bottle or its lid can be spotted with Evidence Collection 1-Point spend. And signs of

drunkenness will be detected with Medicine or Assess Honesty or Evidence Collection.

About an hour and a half later, Ethelrod adjourns the meeting and the attendees make their way back to their own tents. Lipton lingers, talking to one of the Protagonists. Anyone making a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 5 briefly notices a silhouetted figure among the tents mutter something in the dimness (“Henry!”) and raise a gun. One simple action is permitted: ducking, starting to run, drawing a weapon or shouting a warning. Otherwise, the first thing noticed is a very loud gunshot.

The Keeper should emphasis the confusion here. Who is the shooter? Were they shooting at a threat? Are they a threat? Is anyone hurt? Where is everyone else? A second Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 will identify the figure with the rifle as a threat. And a 1-Point Spend in Evidence Collection will identify him as Granger.

Granger will pause for one round then, unless interrupted, begin taking pot shots at other members of the team. He begins at Close range. However, he can spend no points on Firearms due to the darkness, his drunkenness and general lack of ability. A Preparedness test against Difficulty 5 will allow a Protagonist to happen to be carrying a gun. Otherwise, retrieving these from tents will take three rounds.

Reassurance 1-Point spend or successful Psychological Triage calms Granger down and he lowers the gun. A second 1-Point spend or successful Psychological Triage convinces him to relinquish it.

If anyone moves towards him, Granger will threaten them with the gun and shoot anyone who gets too close or who raises a gun towards him.

Meanwhile Ethelrod lies unmoving on the ground. In the darkness among the tents a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 is needed to even notice him.

Medicine (core, floating): Ethelrod is mortally wounded, but he comes round briefly. He will tell the protagonist to follow the route marked on the map in his personal pack. He also warns them that the “guardian of the temple must be placated” but slips into unconsciousness before he can explain how.

A third Reassurance 1-Point Spend or Psychological Triage will get Granger talking. He raves and mutters incoherently about “blond Eskimo”, “the man-eating beast of the ice”, “the city of evil”, “the formless guardian of the temple” and Ethelrod stealing his whisky. He soon lapses into a state of muttering, incoherent catatonia, from which, as Psychoanalysis indicates, he is unlikely to recover without lengthy therapy.

Ethelrod’s Personal Effects

Ethelrod left most of his personal possessions on one of the sleds. Reliant as they were on Ethelrod, the rest of the team do not know with certainty the route to their goal. They may find this material while looking for his maps.

Ethelrod’s possessions include:

Core Clue: A detailed map of West Greenland with handwritten markings showing both the route taken by the Mathieson Expedition and the route planned for the current expedition

Ethelrod’s Notes on the Liber Ivonis (see ‘Ethelrod’s Secrets’ sidebar)

Clue (Pipe): A Preliminary Interpretation of the Tsath-Yo Language (see ‘Ethelrod’s Secrets’ sidebar)

Pictographs in the Temple of the Zoth-Aqqua (see ‘Ethelrod’s Secrets’ sidebar)

[Begin Sidebar]

Ethelrod’s Secrets

Ethelrod’s Notes on the Liber Ivonis

Language: EnglishSkim: 2 hoursPore: 20 hours

These handwritten notes were written in the late 1920s, based on the Latin version of the Book of Eibon. Ethelrod’s notes focus on language, the geography, history and culture of Hyperborea, the pre-human Voormis and the worship of their god Zhothaqquah.

Skimming this provides the clues from the Liber Ivonis described on Page XX plus 1 dedicated pool point to be used for Occult, Anthropology or Cthulhu Mythos spends relating to Hyperborea and Tsathoggua. Poring over it provides an additional 2 dedicated pool points.

A Preliminary Interpretation of the Tsath-Yo Language, by Henry Ethelrod and Curtis Mathieson

Language: Tsath-Yo to EnglishSkim: 3 hoursPore: 30 hours

Ethelrod and Mathieson compiled this provisional dictionary and grammar of the Tsath-Yo hieroglyphic language based on their work prior to the 1925 expedition and the glyphs they found in Greenland. Once Skimmed, this book can be used as a reference, with sufficient time and point spends, texts written in Tsath-Yo can be translated with a reasonable level of accuracy. Poring over it grants 2 dedicated pool points in Languages (Tsath-Yo).

Pictographs in the Temple of Zoth-Aqqua

Language: EnglishSkim: 2 hours

This contains Ethelrod’s translations of a set of Tsath-Yo hieroglyphs found on the walls of a temple in the valley of Commoriom. He describes the pictographs as being of a more primitive type than previously seen and postulates that it was created by a people he calls ‘Voormis’ and that the Hyperboreans adopted this language and refined it. Anthropology or Archaeology reminds the reader that such notions don’t correspond with accepted human prehistory.

A people called Voormis came to this fertile valley from far to the south and built a city dedicated to their god Zoth-Aqqua. Cthulhu Mythos identifies this as Tsathoggua.

The temple was consecrated by summoning one of Zoth-Aqqua’s children to guard it. The high priest was then ceremonially sealed alive in the burial chamber behind the altar. Cthulhu Mythos identifies the reference to a spawn of Tsathoggua.

The temperature grew colder and people stopped following Zoth-Aqqua and began to worship other gods, especially Adukwu that came from the north and was associated with the dropping temperatures. Cthulhu Mythos suggests that this might be Ithaqua.

A civil war broke out between the followers of Zoth-Aqqua and Adukwu and the heretics were forced out of the city, and hunted down. A few survived in the mountains.

Strange people with no hair on their bodies, only on their heads, came from the north in

boats made of skin (the ancestors of the Hyperboreans, Ethelrod suggests). They began to trade, the builders of the city taught them writing, and the newcomers quickly learned the ways of economics and government.

The land continued to get colder, and trade dwindled. The coming of the cold was a curse from Adukwu or his long-dead followers.

There is a prophecy that the bare-skinned people would take the city. Eventually it would lie abandoned and ravaged by the cold.

[End Sidebar]

The Valley of CommoriomScene Type: CoreLead-In: On the EdgeLead-Out: Excavation, Granger goes Mad

Core Clue: The Shadow Under the Ice

Arriving at the Site

As the team progresses along the ridge, they see two mountain peaks ahead, between which they are heading. Beyond that, according to Ethelrod’s map, lies the valley of Commoriom.

The journey is uphill and hard going, requiring 4 Athletics, Fleeing or Health pool points for half a day.

The team reaches the top of a rise in the natural pass between the two peaks and has view of a mountainous plateau, a valley around a mile across, with an ice cap covering what was once a valley. About 2 miles away, on the other side of the valley, a dark cube (The Temple of Zhothaqquah) squats on the lower slopes of the highest mountain. About one mile away, on another slope of tundra is a small camp.

The wind blows harshly through the high valley, whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing phantoms. A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 3 allows Protagonists to hear a strange droning sound. This is a natural effect caused by the wind blowing between the mountains and through the valley. Once this is established, allow any Sense Trouble points spent to be reclaimed.

Evidence Collection, Outdoorsman or Geology (Core Clue): Also about a mile away, close to the middle of the ice-covered valley is a shadow that matches the one Ethelrod showed the group in the briefing (see The Shadow Under the Ice).

Geology: The ice could be up to a thousand feet thick.

Evidence Collection: As you approach the cube-shaped structure, you see a blackened, scattered pile of debris on the ice.

In fact, this is the remains of the German expedition (see The End of the Bauer Expedition).

The German Camp

The camp consists of two tents with two sledges parked nearby. There is bedding for three men here. It appears to be deserted.

Outdoorsman: The camp has not been used for days.

Simple Search: The camp contains some supplies of food, kerosene, skis, ice picks, rifle ammunition, and so forth.

Evidence Collection 1 point spend is required to find each of the following in the camp:

20 dynamite charges with detonators and fuse wire

12 flamethrower ignition cartridges The Journal of Ekkehardt Bauer The Akrafjall Saga

[Begin Sidebar]

[Symbol: Pulp]

Wechselapparat ‘Wex’ Flamethrower

While it’s unlikely to do much more than delay the horror they will face later, you could include an intact flamethrower at the camp.

This model is surplus from the Great War and consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and a nozzle connected by a hose. A Mechanical Repair test against Difficulty 4 is required to understand the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a wasted shot. Gasoline, kerosene or diesel can be used as fuel. A 10-chambered cylinder in the nozzle contains the ignition cartridges. Its heavy (65 lbs) and cumbersome nature and high visibility make it dangerous to wear, decreasing the wearer’s Hit Threshold by 1 and increasing Athletics and Fleeing Difficulties by 1. It’s also quite fragile: treat as having 2 Armour and 3 Health if damaged.

Damage: +1 (and see below)Shots: 10Range: Near

Notes: Once hit, a target will continue to burn, inflicting +0 damage for 1D6 rounds (Athletics test against Difficulty 6 to extinguish). -1 to wearer’s Hit Threshold. A user can also douse an area before ignition, creating a fireball that inflicts similar damage to an exploding stick of dynamite (see Trail of Cthulhu rulebook p67).

[End Sidebar]

The Journal of Ekkehardt Bauer

Language: GermanSkim: 4 hours

Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer was the leader of the German expedition. By the time the protagonists find him, he is dead. This is his journal, beginning several months before the expedition started. It includes quotations from Himmler, Herman Wirth, and the Oera Linda Book. It includes the following clues:

The purpose of the expedition is to find evidence that the ancestors of the Germans had a civilisation in ancient Greenland. This search is supported by certain nationalist groups, and organisations, including important members of the NSDAP (Nazi party).

In 1929, Jean Raymond Gobineau, veteran of the Mathieson Expedition and grandson of Arthur de Gobineau the famous race theorist, had recently moved to Berlin and joined the NSDAP. He contacted Gustaf Kossinna, Professor of German Archaeology at the University of Berlin with unpublished information about the 1925 expedition. Kossinna, himself a nationalist and race theorist, encouraged Bauer to organise an expedition.

Like Ethelrod and Mathieson, Gobineau called the site ‘Commoriom’ in reference to a city mentioned in the Livre d’Eibon. Kossinna called it ‘Ultima Thule’.

On invitation, Gobineau joined the expedition. It arrived in Godthåb in early July and, following Gobineau’s directions, landed in Godthåbsfjorden where the ship anchored in order to maximise radio reception.

Bauer describes Gobineau as obnoxious and mentally unstable. Bauer feels he is more of

a hindrance to the mission than a help. Bauer and Gobineau fight sporadically.

Strange-looking Eskimo were spotted watching from a distance. Later one of them approached. He was a bearded old man with fair complexion and elongated facial features. He resembled a Scandinavian. Bauer felt certain that this was proof of the origin of the Aryans on Thule/Greenland. The man was not friendly. Speaking in a strange dialect, he appeared to threaten or warn them and left.

The following day, while caught in a sudden blizzard, they were attacked by a huge, bear-like thing that was nevertheless definitely not a bear. They tried to shoot it without success. Once they regrouped, they found that three of them were dead and two missing. They decided to press on with only three men left in the expedition.

The Akrafjall Saga

Language: Tsath-Yo and GermanSkimming Time: The German translation: 2 hours; translating from Tsath-Yo takes longer (see below)

This book is a speculative translation by Herman Wirth of certain pictographs found etched onto a monolith in Finland. Wirth interprets the symbols according to his own linguistic theories and wishful thinking. Anyone familiar with Tsath-Yo will recognise the glyphs.

Languages (German) will reveal Wirth’s interpretation:

A goddess arose out of the earth and seduced a human. She gave birth to the God-Man. The God-Man became a brave warrior and a leader.

Wirth associates this with the Karelian story of Ilmatar, the spirit of the air who gives birth to Väinämöinen, the first man.

There was a city in a high, fertile valley in Thule, with mountains to the west and forests to the south. The people of the city were envious of the God-Man and took him prisoner. They cut off his head and buried the body, but he arose, and killed one of the people. They executed him again and the same happened. Most of the people fled the city. On the third occasion, he revealed his divine form and devoured many of the people until the last of them fled. Years later, one of the inhabitants of the city

returned and found the city populated with a race descended from the gods. Thus began the civilisation of Thule and the Aryan race.

This myth, argues Wirth, is an account of the divine seed from which the supreme Nordic-Aryan race appeared on Thule before they went on to rule the ancient world. He also speculates extensively on the relationships between the pictographs and Nordic runes.

Clue (Leveraged): If using Ethelrod’s Tsath-Yo dictionary, every six hours work and 1 point spends in Archaeology, Languages, Cryptography, Anthropology or Cthulhu Mythos, one of the following points is translated:

Soldiers from Commoriom captured the outlaw Knygathin Zhaum and brought him back to the city.

According to rumour, Knygathin Zhaum was the product of the union of the Shaklip – the ‘granddaughter’ of the god Zhothaqquah and a sub-human Voormis.

The city executioner beheaded him three times and each time, witnesses later saw him alive, more monstrous than before. On the first and second occasion, Knygathin Zhaum killed and ate one of the inhabitants of the city.

By the third reappearance, he had metamorphosed into a fully alien entity, and had devoured many of the citizens, forcing the final abandonment of the city.

A former inhabitant of Commoriom returned to the city one day and discovered it repopulated with the monstrous offspring of Knygathin Zhaum.

Translating it or reading an accurate translation will grant 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos.

The Keeper might consider using or adapting Clark Ashton Smith’s story The Testament of Athammaus for the content of the main body of the story.

The End of the Bauer Expedition

Evidence Collection:

There are three charred bodies here in a blackened mass.

There are rifle cartridges scattered around. At least 6 shots were fired.

Chemistry:

The group was burned with fuel, probably kerosene

There is an odd tarry residue here that you don’t recognise as a normal by-product of chemical fires like this. It seems to be organic.

o Biology: This isn’t any known organic substance

Forensics: All three men appear to have died from burns caused by an inflammable liquid

Evidence Collection: Next to the first man is a dark stone statuette. It is a squat, grotesque, vaguely toad-like form with a fat body, half-closed eyes, large ears and a lolling tongue. Seeing this is a 1-point Stability test, Mythos related. Anyone failing this test is disturbed by a haunting sense of recognition, as if of a childhood memory or a dream. That night, they are visited by an unpleasant dream of this corpulent entity leering at them in some dark, subterranean place. They will lose a second point of Stability.

Cthulhu Mythos: Similar toad-like statues were used by extinct American Indian tribes in Canada and New England. They supposedly represent a being called Tsathoggua. There are interesting parallels with an entity called Sadogwah associated with witchcraft in the Auvergne region of France. According to the Book of Eibon, the worship of this god began on the lost continent of Hyperborea, where he was known as Zhothaqquah.

Outdoorsman or Evidence Collection:

Three sets of footprints come from the direction of the cube-shaped structure. They were running.

A faint trail of frozen moisture, mucus or slime, also coming from the cube-shaped structure

What Happened Here?

The three surviving members of the expedition entered the temple and (as instructed by Gobineau) recited the spell he brought with him (Contact Spawn of Tsathoggua). They entered and began to explore. One of the men could not resist taking the idol of Tsathoggua from the altar when they left. They fled, pursued by the spawn. They fired on it to no effect, but managed to set it on fire with their flamethrower. It attacked them, causing the

flamethrower to rupture and burning the entire group, including the spawn, to death.

The Temple of Zhothaqquah

This mysterious, ancient, weathered cube squats on the mountainside like a tomb or a memorial to something incomprehensibly ancient. It is built of dark grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slits high in the walls and an open, square doorway about nine feet wide.

Evidence Collection or Outdoorsman: There is a faint, short path leading from the ice plain to the doorway.

Geology: The building is constructed of basalt. The profound erosion of this hard stone appears to imply that it is unfeasibly ancient.

Architecture: Each wall appears to be formed of a single natural block. The building bears no relationship to any known architectural style.

The walls and floor are covered in thick frost. There are footprints across the floor and in places the frost has been scraped from the walls.

Theology:

Evidence Collection 1 Point spend: In other places, the frost has been melted from the walls as indicated by dark scorch marks.

Just inside the door is a huge, three-legged basin of a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of green, several feet wide around it. Chemistry or Archaeology recognises it as extremely ancient bronze covered in thick verdigris. The bowl is six feet across and three deep. If examined, the inside of the bowl is untarnished, in near-perfect condition. Evidence Collection: The feet are in the shapes of feline-like claws.

The floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern of large, irregular, five-sided flagstones. Physics or Architecture: This pattern of tessellated pentagons is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated understanding of obscure geometry.

Strange hieroglyphs (identifiable as a primitive version of Tsath-Yo) can be seen covering the walls, in some still covered in frost and some already exposed. The glyphs relate a history of the original builders of the city as translated in Ethelrod’s Pictographs in the Temple of Zoth-Aqqua.

On the back wall is an empty two-tiered altar. Evidence Collection: A bare spot in the frost and wear on the stone indicates that an object rested on this altar for a long time time. 1-Point spend recognises the outline of the statuette found at The End of the Bauer Expedition.

The Burial Chamber

Behind the altar, what may once have been a hidden doorway lies open with fragments of corroded bronze chain on the floor nearby.

Chemistry indicates that the chain fragments have been in this position for only a few years. Green stains on the door itself imply that the door was probably chained for millennia.

The windowless chamber beyond is almost fifty feet wide and about ten feet deep. Opposite the door seated on a large, bronze throne is the striking figure of a mummified baboon-like ape dressed in the remnants of a red and purple robe and a feathered headdress. Tufts of orange hair poke through holes in the robe. This is a 3-Point Stability test (Mythos related).

Biology: The creature is of no known species of ape and possesses certain features, for example the structure of the foot, which places it closer to human beings.

The throne is again of heavily corroded bronze, but in better condition than the basin.

There is a long stone table at one end of the chamber, which is empty apart from a few fragments of ancient organic matter (the remains of flowers, fruit and other foods).

The Shadow under the Ice

Near the centre of the ice cap, there is a dark spot of roughly circular shape and about forty feet in diameter. Evidence Collection: A structure of some kind, the top of which is around fifteen feet beneath the surface, descends deep into the ice.

Evidence Collection 1 Point spend or Architecture: It is difficult to see through the distortion, but it has a resemblance to the top of a tower complete with railed balcony.

If, at any stage, the Protagonists balk at excavating the structure – to ensure they can leave the site before the sea-route is closed off by ice for example – you can use a Hard Driver.

Setting up Camp

At some stage, the protagonists will probably want to build their cabin. Anyone with Outdoorsman or Architecture will know to build it on solid ground rather than on ice. There are several spots on the foothills at the edge of the valley to choose from.

Building the cabin takes four days. If the Protagonists wish to do so, they can spend pool points from Architecture or a relevant Craft and reduce construction time by half a day per point spent.

While the team members are sleeping in tents and building the cabin, it might be a good time for their first experience of The Singing (see sidebar).

Once completed, the cabin has two rooms – a living space with a stove and simple kitchen and quarters that sleep eight people in bunks. Others may need to sleep in the living space. Both rooms have one small window. There is an outhouse for storage and another for the dogs.

Attacks by the HyperboreansScene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: The Valley of CommoriomLead-Out: The Hairy Thing in the Blizzard

The tiny clan of Blond Eskimo has camped near the valley in order to drive the outsiders away and interfere with the dig. This takes the form of sabotage and singing the ancestral song for summoning the Gnoph-keh from the ice-plains to wreak havoc in the valley.

Having tracked the outsiders to the valley, they build their snow shelter and male members of the clan take turns to be dropped off by sled, on a possibly suicidal mission to draw the gnoph-keh to their enemies’ camp.

Unfortunately for them, while their song summons the creature, it offers no control or protection from it. If the caller is successful, they are as likely as not, to become victims themselves. Either toss a coin, a die or make a decision according to what is dramatically interesting in each instance. This also means that all the men of the clan bar one are likely to be dead by the time the creature has been summoned about six times.

The Hyperboreans

These natives are, to the best of their knowledge, the last of an ancient race that once had great cities here. Most of their civilised culture has been lost – they are now simple hunter-gatherers, living harsh lives in the more remote parts of Greenland. Their ancient religion has been lost and they make their offerings and prayers to Cthulhu, who they call ‘Kulu’.

Physically, they look very different from other Eskimo people, being blond, with long faces, elongated ear-lobes and substantial facial hair. They wear hoodless, wide-collared parkas with hats. They believe that the thing that comes from the ice in answer to their song is a ‘White Bear Spirit’ and wear amulets, mistakenly believing that they can offer protection from the Gnoph-Keh.

Anthropology: This primitive jewellery is an amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and possibly intended to offer protection of some kind.

Biology: The pendant looks like polar bear bone and the necklace is decorated with bear teeth and claws.

Anthropology: These men do not appear to be a members of any known Eskimo tribe, either in terms of their clothing or in terms of their fair hair, slender build, long faces, large noses or long ear lobes. One man, who may be a shaman, has motifs on his clothing and ornamentation in an unfamiliar style and aquatic theme. 1-Point spend: Vilhjalmur Stefansson reported blond Eskimo in northern Canada in 1910, and there have been such reports since the 17th Century.

Cthulhu Mythos: The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in undersea towers on the shaman’s long parka seem to be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.

The Angekok, Ulat

This white-bearded man may be in his 60s. He wears a long parka decorated with strange motifs and symbols and an odd, pointed hat.

If Ulat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensible curses and wave his hands around in a bizarre, intimidating fashion. As a last resort he will attempt to defend himself with spells or a knife.

Ulat’s long, colourful parka is decorated with aquatic designs. Cthulhu Mythos 1-Point spend: The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in

undersea towers on the shaman’s long parka seem to be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.

Abilities: Athletics 6, Scuffling 5, Weapons 5, Health 6Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -1 (knife)Stealth Modifier: +2Alertness Modifier: +2Spells: Dread Name of Azathoth, Contact Gnoph-keh, Contact Cthulhu, Contact Spawn of Cthulhu, Contact Deep Ones

The Father, Isma

Aged 46, this grizzled patriarch is the head of the clan. His hair is greying, but he is still fierce and strong.

If unable to escape, Isma will defend himself ferociously with his spear.

Abilities: Athletics 7, Scuffling 8, Weapons 9, Health 6Hit Threshold: 4Weapon: +0 (spear)Armor: -1 vs all (hide)Stealth Modifier: +1Alertness Modifier: +1Spells: Contact Gnoph-keh

The Sons, Laatuk and Maakuk

These two men are the sons of the patriarch, aged 27 and 28. They are fierce, agile and almost fearless.

Abilities: Athletics 10, Scuffling 8, Weapons 11, Health 9Hit Threshold: 4Weapon: +0 (stone axes, spears)Armor: -1 vs all (hide)Stealth Modifier: +2Alertness Modifier: +2Spells: Contact Gnoph-keh

The Hostage Wife, Kinguyakkii

Abilities: Athletics 5, Fleeing 5, Scuffling 3, Weapons 3, Health 3Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -2 (fists), -1 (knife)Armor: -1 vs all (hide)Stealth Modifier: 0Alertness Modifier: +1Spells: Contact Gnoph-keh

The Child, Lamah

Abilities: Athletics 1, Fleeing 1, Scuffling 1, Health 1Hit Threshold: 3Weapon: -3 (fists)Stealth Modifier: +1Alertness Modifier: +1

All of the following antagonist reaction scenes run concurrently with exploration and excavation in the valley over a period of weeks or months until either the outsiders leave the area, there is only one male member of the clan alive or the clan is defeated. Until then it will continue to be a thorn in the expedition’s side while the team is excavating the site.

The Keeper should run these events flexibly to steadily terrorise and demoralise the Protagonists. The frequency and time of summoning attempts, their success or failure, whether the summoner escaped alive or not and the intensity and nature of the Gnoph-Keh’s attacks, should be determined by whatever works dramatically at the time. The threat level should climb steadily, with more intense and bold attacks, more serious damage to assets and a growing certainty that there is something supernatural going on. One attack every couple of weeks is probably about the right sort of pace.

Singing

A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 8 (Difficulty 6 under tents at night) allows a character to hear a haunting, rhythmic chant or song carried on the wind.

Art History or Singing: A 1-Point spend identifies it as traditional throat singing of some kind.

A further Difficulty 4 test (6 at night) is needed to locate the singer. And a Difficulty 5 Stealth test (4 at night) is necessary to approach undetected, otherwise the singer will flee into the mountains. Similarly, if the Protagonists delay before investigating the sound, the singer will have fled the possible approach of the Gnoph-Keh. Outdoorsman will allow their tracks to be followed into the foothills. And 1-Point Spend will identify hide shoes and the fact that the wearer was running.

There is a real potential here for Protagonists to be caught out in the open when the blizzard arrives (see below).

Howling

If the summoning was successful, a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 will allow characters to hear strange and eerie howling sounds. This is a 1-Point Stability test.

Biology or Outdoorsman: This isn’t any known animal, a realisation which increases the Stability test to 2-Point. This is quickly followed by a snow storm blowing suddenly over the mountains from the ice sheet.

The howling may be heard in the midst of the more severe blizzards, heard with a Sense trouble test against Difficulty 5.

A Body in the Ice

If the singer is killed during an attempted summoning, a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 alerts an Investigator to a brief cry in the distance, probably soon forgotten as a blizzard arises.

Evidence Collection: If the area is searched, this ability reveals the body of the singer, unless covered by snow. A 1 Point spend is needed if heavy snow has fallen on the area. Another 1-Point spend: Close to the body is a figurine made out of ice, depicting a strange six legged, horned animal. Anthropology: This is a totem – possibly used for calling spirits. Cthulhu Mythos: This is depiction of the Gnoph-Keh – the legendary beast of the Arctic wastes. 1-Point spend: This carving is a totem for calling the Gnoph-keh.

Forensics: The manner of death is reveals the manner of death – goring, mauling crushing or hypothermia. If the body has been devoured, Forensics indicates that a large carnivore is the culprit. A 1-Point spend reveals that this was not a polar bear, but something unknown and larger.

Biology or Outdoorsman: Unless covered by snow, there may be prints nearby that can be identified as not originating from a polar bear.

After finding either anomaly above, Cthulhu Mythos reminds the Protagonist of the legends of the Gnoph-Keh.

Sabotage

Another strategy the Eskimo may use is sabotage. This will occur at night.

The team awakes to discover that some of their equipment is sabotaged – the drill in need of Mechanical Repair, the Ice melter destroyed or, most dramatically, the diesel tanks set on fire. The cabin itself may even be set on fire. A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 5 will allow the protagonists to hear the culprits – most likely the two younger Blond Eskimo – at work. If someone is on watch, success indicates that their approach has been noticed.

Tracking Eskimo

Outdoorsman: A 1-Point spend will allow tracks to be followed southwest for about three miles (a little over an hour) from the valley edge to a cramped shelter in the snow (see The Snow Shelter). If this is attempted at night, this is a 2-Point spend.

The Hairy Thing in the BlizzardScene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: Excavation

The Gnoph-Keh is motivated by hatred and hunger. It will attempt to kill any human it encounters, probably by freezing them to death, and devouring the remains if it can.

Once close to the camp, the creature will summon up a blizzard, and if it sees vulnerable targets – disorientated, few in number or injured – it will attack in the confusion and blindness of the snowstorm. If it loses over half of its Health, the Gnoph-keh will retreat back to the ice-sheet. If it is killed, the Eskimo’s song will simply summon a different Gnoph-Keh.

Blizzards

The Gnoph-Keh can spend Health points to create a blizzard. For details, refer to Trail of Cthulhu P134.

The potential for these blizzards to inflict multiple casualties is high. Rather than throw everything into one huge storm in the first assault, build the intensity of these blizzards gradually. The first blizzard should be frightening and unseasonal, called up with 3 points of the Gnoph-Keh’s Health. Subsequent blizzards should increase this spend by one each time, with the intensity and duration steadily increasing accordingly. As a rule-of-thumb, the Gnoph-Keh won’t take itself below half of its

total Health in this way, but that still gives it up to 7 points to spend creating blizzards.

Each time it reappears, the Gnoph-Keh will be at full Health.

If Protagonists (especially more than one) are killed in this way, unless they have made significant errors, you have probably been too heavy-handed.

Direct Assaults

Initial attacks by the beast should be indirect. At this time it should not be seen directly or at least not distinctly. A terrifying shape may be glimpsed in a sudden snowstorm. Anyone further than 50 feet from the cabin is a potential target of direct assault.

By the third appearance, the dog house might be attacked and some of the dogs killed, the rest frightened off. The outside food store might be plundered. Anyone outside the cabin could be attacked. Non-player characters working at the dig might be targeted when a sudden blizzard isolates them the cabin. The drill or other excavation equipment might be damaged. The radio mast might be smashed.

By the fifth appearance, the Protagonists themselves could be targeted or the cabin directly assaulted.

Gnoph-keh

For full details of the Gnoph-keh see the Trail of Cthulhu rulebook p134.

Athletics 9, Health 15, Scuffling 21Hit Threshold: 5Alertness Modifier: +1Stealth Modifier: +2Weapon: +3 (horn), +1 (claw)Armour: -5 vs any (furry hide)Stability Loss: +0

The IglooScene Type: AlternateLead-In: The Valley of CommoriomLead-Out: The Homestead

This is a small shelter carefully built up from bricks of packed snow and ice. Hanging over the doorway is the skull of a bear. A stone spike has been driven through its nose, giving it an almost Rhinoceros-like appearance.

Outdoorsman or Anthropology: This small type of igloo is typically built as a temporary shelter for hunting trips, often on sea ice.

Anthropology: This may be a totem animal spirit, probably to protect the igloo.

Simple Search: Inside the igloo are a hearth, food for several days, bedding for one, and possible spare clothes or a stone spear, axe or knife.

Outdoorsman: Tracks of a dog sled can be found nearby. A 1-Point Spend is needed per day to track them to the homestead.

The HomesteadScene Type: AlternateLead-In: The Snow Shelter

About four days away by dog sled, the clan’s homestead is huddled in a narrow valley in the wild mountains near Evighedsfjorden.

The house is large structure of whalebone and hide construct, covered in ice and snow and out of sight of the valley. A trickle of hearth smoke often emerges from a hole in the roof.

Near the fire is a makeshift altar and a grotesque idol. The altar is a jagged, natural rock. In front of it, is a bowl of blood and the heart of a polar bear, sprinkled with tiny flowers. Perched on the altar is a small, crude whalebone statue of a squatting creature with tentacles for a face. Seeing this requires a 1-point Stability test, Mythos related. Cthulhu Mythos identifies it as a depiction of Cthulhu.

All of the surviving members of the clan will be here. Approaching without alerting anyone is a Stealth test against Difficulty 7. If alerted, they will flee a strong group or attack a weak one. If surprised, they will be in or around the shelter. If cornered, they will fight fiercely to the death.

In any case, Kinguyakki will be here with her son ‘Lamah’. She is visibly pregnant. Her first response is to beg (in Inuit) for her and her child to be spared.

Assess Honesty: She is genuinely afraid.

If captured, Kinguyakkii will refuse to speak and will try to call the gnoph-keh to the cabin if she gets the chance.

Reassurance or Intimidation - and Languages (Inuit): Her devotion to the clan and the Kulu

religion is not as fanatical as the Hyperborean Eskimo and she is vulnerable to persuasion, especially when it comes to the welfare of her child. If the child is taken from her or threatened or she is assured security for both of them, a 2-Point spend between Reassurance and Intimidation will get her to talk, revealing the following clues:

The woman was not born in this tribe, but in the Kalaallit tribe. Her village was Itivdleq. Six years ago, she was captured while gathering wild flowers and made to be the wife of Laatuk, the eldest son of this tribe.

Her captors are the last of an ancient race, called the ‘Lomaruit’. They claim to be descendants of a great civilisation that originally ruled Greenland. After the glaciers overwhelmed the land, the civilisation collapsed and the people scattered. When other people arrived on the island, the Lomaruit were hunted down by her people, because of their worship of a forbidden god called ‘Kulu’ and because they sometimes took her people as offerings for their god.

The last Lomaruit woman died 24 years ago. She was the mother of the two younger men. The clan stole two women in a desperate attempt to stop the tribe from dying.

The Lomaruit say their god came down from the sky with his children in ancient times before there were any people. They were overthrown by ancient enemies and driven beneath the ocean, which is where they sleep now. But one day in the future the stars will be in just the right places and they will return and free those who follow them. The religion of Kulu is all over the world.

According to the Lomaruit, their ancestors once lived in a great city in the valley below, but a giant called Inook came to the city and devoured many of the people there and the survivors fled. When the ice came, Inook was frozen inside the city.

The creature of the ice is a mighty bear spirit called Nook-Hek or “the Hairy Thing” that the clan has been calling to protect the valley from outsiders.

ExcavationScene Type: CoreLead-In: The Valley of CommoriomLead-Out: The City in the Ice

Core Clue: The structure descends deep into the ice-sheet. There is an accessible stairway that leads there.

Excavation Methods

There are several methods at the team’s disposal for excavating the site. Exact rates of excavation are not important.

Drilling

The drill provided for the expedition is a standard cable tool rig, which can be operated by single engineer. It operates by repeatedly lifting and dropping a heavy boring tool at the end of a cable, pulverising everything beneath it. Water is added to the hole and debris collected periodically with a scoop-like device attached to the cable. This process creates a borehole 9 inches wide. Either the ice melter or explosive charges could be used to widen the shaft enough for a man to be lowered on a rope.

The drill is obviously of little or no use for excavating the interior of the tower.

The operator(s) must have Mechanical Repair.

Point Spend Benefits

In any given phase of the excavation, a character running the drill can spend up to two pool points of Mechanical Repair and reduce the length of that phase by one day per point.

Manual Excavation

Manual excavation is slower, involves breaking the ice apart with ice picks and chainsaws then removing it with shovels and buckets.

Point Spend Benefits

In any given phase, a character excavating manually can spend up to two pool points of Athletics and reduce the length of that phase by one day per point.

Ice Melter

The ice melter is an electrical device with long cable that heats up when connected to a power source. In combination with a water pump, it can

clear significant amounts of ice with little assistance. Power for both the melter and the pump are supplied by the diesel generator.

The operator(s) must have Electrical Repair.

Point Spend Benefits

In any given phase, a character operating the ice melter can spend a pool point of Electrical Repair and reduce the length of that phase by one day.

Explosives

Explosive charges can be used to widen existing boreholes quickly or, used with great care, to break up ice inside the tower itself.

The character using explosives must have the Explosives general ability.

Point Spend Benefits

In any given phase, a character overseeing the use of explosives can spend up to two pool points of Explosives and reduce the length of that phase by one day per point spent.

Excavation Phases

Guidelines for the timings of the various phases of excavation are provided the various excavation phases described below. The Keeper should feel at liberty to modify these timings for dramatic effect.

Accessing the Upper Structure

By default, this phase takes 2 days.

Methods Usable: Drilling, Ice Melter, Explosives

The top of the structure is about 17’ below the surface. Beneath that is the roof of the structure and a chamber – in fact the upper chamber of a tower.

It is assumed that the team will create a shaft of pit to reach the tower then excavate the inside of it. The Keeper may have to improvise somewhat if they take a very different approach. The characters may decide to build a shaft next to the tower and enter via one of the doors or windows on the balcony, or they may simply bore a hole directly through the roof.

Archaeology or Architecture: The roof and floor are already partially collapsed.

Geology: The tower is black granite gneiss. A 1-Point spend establishes that it appears to be extremely ancient, perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands of years old.

Architecture: The style doesn’t resemble that of any known architectural tradition.

Excavating the Chamber

This phase takes 24 days.

Methods Usable: Manual Excavation, Ice Melter, Explosives

Archaeology or Evidence Collection: The remains of an unknown metallic device can be found in the upper chamber of the tower.

Mechanical Repair (as an Investigative ability): There are moving parts – wheels, cogs and globes. This is a mechanical device, but it’s function is unclear.

o Astronomy: The device appears to be a moving model of the inner planets of the solar system

Geology, Archaeology or appropriate Craft (as Investigative ability): You can see that this device has been decorated with gold, emeralds and rubies.

Accessing the Stairway

This phase takes 12 days.

Methods Usable: Manual Excavation, Ice Melter, Explosives

Archaeology or Evidence Collection: A strange and grotesque object is uncovered in the ice near the top of the stairwell. It looks like a grotesque idol fashioned of some dark, mottled material, vaguely toad-like in shape, very dense and about the size of a melon. Seeing this requires a 3-point Stability test, Mythos related.

Cthulhu Mythos: Statues of grotesque, toad-like forms are used in the worship of Tsathoggua.

Geology or Chemistry: The object is not made of any known material.

In fact, the object isn’t a statue at all. It is a dormant organism – one of the Spawn of Knygathin Zhaum. Once uncovered, the spawn will begin to thaw and awaken. See The Idol Thaws.

Architecture or Archaeology (Core clue): There is a stairway descending deeper into the ice.

Tunnelling the Stairway

It takes 9 days to reach the ice-free section of the stairwell.

Methods Usable: Manual Excavation, Ice Melter, Explosives

A stairwell runs around the inner perimeter of the tower. Solidly constructed from granite, most of it is still intact. There are places where steps have eroded or broken and places where there are gaps.

Architecture: The stairway is constructed in a possibly unique way, with the spiral of the stairway growing narrow as one descends and the base of one level seemingly supported by the level beneath it.

On the wall, there is a series of long panels, seemingly of ancient ivory, with images and Tsath-Yo hieroglyphs. These tell a history of Hyperborea, beginning with the time of construction and going deep into the past.

Biology: Confirms the material is ivory. How it got here from Africa or Asia is a mystery. A 1-Point spend notes that the ivory must have come from unusually large elephants.

Anthropology, Archaeology, Cryptography, Languages, or Cthulhu Mythos: With the help of the Tsath-Yo dictionary, each panel is about a yard wide and can be translated in about an hour. Three panels are probably excavated in a day. For every five panels translated, a 1-Point spend is needed. The content of the panels is as follows:

1. There are several yards where the panelling is blank

2. The cult of Yhoundeh, the Elk Goddess, forbids the worship of the old god Zhothaqquah. Not daring to destroy them, the Zhothaqquah’s cube-shaped temples are barred and locked.

3. King Loquamethros is on the throne of Commoriom, a high city of many spires and gardens. Zylac the Archimage, apprentice of Hormagor, is granted ‘The Seer’s Tower’ in Commoriom

4. Zylac, uses sorcery to create a tower of black gneiss in Mhu Thulan

5. The cult of Yhoundeh becomes the royally appointed religion. A great temple is built in Commoriom.

6. The wizard Hormagor of Abormis dies at the hands of the Sphinx of Abormis. The town is abandoned.

7. The great wizard Zon Mezzamalech disappears mysteriously in Mhu Thulan.

8. King Mennamethros of Commoriom gives Zon Mezzamalech a tower in Commoriom, now called ‘The Seer’s Tower’

9. Zon Mezzamalech parts the northern sea and leads the army of King Pharogill of Mhu Thulan there to plunder the treasures of a thousand sunken galleys

10. Zon Mezzamalech has a tower of copper built in Mhu Thulan

11. The White Sybil of Polarion, a strange woman from the realms of ice, foretells an undescribed and abominable doom for all mortal beings who dare to remain in Commoriom

12. Queen Luthomne takes the throne of Commoriom. She hold ecclesiastical courts. She builds a high tower in Commoriom, which takes thirty years.

13. Second city is built called Uzuldaroum

14. The Reign of King Homquat begins in Commoriom

15. Founding of Commoriom

16. City called ‘Lomar’ settled by people from Zobna in the north

17. Early humans build temples to Zhothaqquah the old god of Hyperborea, in imitation of the sub-human Voormis

18. The Voormis are driven away. They congregate around Mt. Voormithadreth

19. Descendents of tall, thin antehumans leave homelands in Ultima Thule in the north and arrive in Hyperborea.

20. Cold causes the gradual decline of the Voormis civilisation

21. Voormis build a settlement at Commoriom including a cube-shaped temple to Zhothaqquah

22. The gods Ithaqua and Aphoom Zhah cause the continent to get steadily colder. A realm of glaciers gradually grows in the north.

23. Zhothaqquah destroys the colony of serpent-men. Their former slaves, the Voormis, are free and begin to establish their own

civilisation on Hyperborea with Zhothaqquah as their primary deity.

24. Serpent-men survivors from sinking of the continent of Valusia, found a colony in Hyperborea, bringing Voormis as slaves and food source

After the eighth panel, the team discovers a fissure in the ice that grows until it is wide enough to crawl through. It then grows further to a tunnel averaging six feet wide, stretching don into the darkness. Progress can be much faster now.

[sidebar]

What if they Bore a Vertical Shaft?

The protagonists may decide to forego the stairway altogether and instead use the drill in combination with explosive charges to bore a vertical shaft down to the base of the glacier – either through the centre of the tower or elsewhere.

Reaching the base of the ice sheet will take 20 days of drilling and blasting, modifiable by up to 5 Mechanical Repair or Explosives point spends as described in the Excavation Methods sidebar on Page XX.

This will produce a relatively smooth and vertical shaft with a diameter of 3 feet on average. People can be lowered or lifted one at a time by a companion on the surface using a belay device.

This is a series of three Athletics tests against a Difficulty of 5 for the person on the surface. Falling means damage of +4, +8 or +12 depending on height. If there is a safety rope, damage is reduced to -1, but there there is a 1 in 6 chance the safety rope will not hold.

It will take around 10 minutes to be lowered to the bottom and 20 minutes to be lifted back up. The protagonists may be able to devise a faster or safer method using dog sleds, drilling equipment or the snow tractor.

[End sidebar]

The Idol ThawsScene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: Excavation

This nominally takes 48 hours or 16 hours if left in a warm place like a tent or cabin, however it should take as long as is dramatically interesting.

As it thaws, especially if it has been brought back to the camp, the dogs begin to act in a disturbed way, barking all day and night.

The organism will scuttle across the ground on many limbs and attempt to escape, probably at night. It can escape through holes smaller than 1 inch diameter, although such a small orifice would take it two minutes to ooze through. Escaping under the sides of tents won’t present much problem nor will getting through the interior door of the cabin. The door and walls of the cabin are well protected against the elements and it will take a couple of minutes to pass through the keyhole.

This creature will attempt to hide among the outhouses and equipment and ambush a lone human as they wander outside. If necessary it might enter the cabin and attack a lone sleeping host.

The spawn will attempt to enter unconscious or subdued host, smothering their sounds as it forces itself down their throat and takes up residence in their body.

Unless one of the Protagonists unwittingly sets himself up as an obvious target, the spawn should attack a non-player character: one of the mushers or Germans (if present).

A successful Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 (8 if the attack is at night) will allow protagonists to hear a strange sound in the camp. A second Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 is needed to catch sight of a bizarre black thing like a huge spider. If it’s passing through the cabin door they will automatically spot a stream of thick, black ooze passing through the keyhole. Attacking it will cause it to attack the protagonist.

Evidence Collection: There are traces of a dark greyish slime on any victims’ bodies and wherever the creature has passed.

If a Protagonist is attacked, a Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 5 (8 at night) will alert them to the imminent attack. Hunting it down, while it hides in the camp has the same Difficulty. Awaking to the thing attack a companion sleeping in the same tent or room is a Difficulty 4 test.

Spawn of Knygathin Zhaum

Also known as ‘Parasitic Spawn of Tsathoggua’, these entities bear a resemblance to their cousins, the formless spawn except that they are slightly smaller, more viscous (and thus slower and less

agile), and have the ability to parasitise human hosts. Like their relatives, they are black, oozing, plastic entities capable of taking almost any shape and of squeezing themselves under doors and through small holes.

Due to their liquid nature, normal physical wounds will flow closed. However, this process is not instantaneous. They may be temporarily incapacitated by physical attacks, but even if completely dismembered and the members scattered, the parts will reassemble – by flowing, rolling into balls, squeezing through cracks or even breaking out of containers (controlled by a unifying intelligence, Athletics can still be used in this state) until the parts gather together and the creature is intact once more. They cannot be killed in this way – the amount of damage they take only determines the amount of time it takes for their Health to get above 0 and able to act once more. Fire damage does not heal in this way, nor damage from magical or chemical attacks.

They reproduce by fission. Infant spawn have a resemblance to slugs or leeches, however they can move quite quickly and often scuttle around on small pseudopods.

Due to the hominid strain in its ancestry, the spawn has an affinity for human biology and a small specimen can live inside a human being, substituting human biological functions with its own as it grows. This can occur in two ways:

1. An infant spawn can enter the bodily orifice of an unconscious person

2. An adult spawn can attack a human, and (by sacrificing a rating point of Health) produce an infant by fission and implant it in body

The person will remain alive, provided for by the spawn. However, as the creature grows it gradually takes control of the human’s mind. After about 24 hours, the spawn can begin to take control of behaviour. The host’s previous Drive disappears and instead is substituted with the spawn’s goals: trapping the humans and awakening Knygathin Zhaum and the other spawn to feast upon them. Unless the Investigator passes a Stability test against Difficulty 4, this change will be at a subconscious level. To an observer, the host’s personality and mind seem to be intact, but Assess Honesty will detect a listless or ‘off’ quality that may be mistaken for shock or other mental health issue.

Control Human Body: The parasite can also attempt full control of the host body at a cost of 1 Athletics pool point per two minutes. Resisting this is a contest between the parasite’s Athletics and the host’s Stability. The Difficulty for the host is 2, plus 1 per day of infestation. A controlled host can move and speak, but seems emotionless and sometimes confused about normal behaviour and culture. Assess Honesty will notice something is amiss if the host is observed closely or interacted with.

Suffocate: The creature can use a tendril or limb to seize a victim around the neck or simply smother with its viscous body. Apply the Drowning and Suffocation rules (Trail of Cthulhu rulebook P68). When being strangled, successful Scuffling contest (or Weapons if a suitable weapon is available) will allow a victim to break free.

Grab: Tendrils or limb attacks can be used to prevent escape or to render a target unable to fight. Once grabbed, a Scuffling contest (or Weapons if a suitable weapon is available) is required to break the grip.

Invade Host: The creature can force itself into a victim via a bodily orifice (usually the mouth) if the target has been successfully suffocated or grabbed in the previous round or is unconscious. Against a conscious victim, this is an Athletics contest with the spawn rolling against a Difficulty Number of 3. If the mouth is being used as an entrance, the victim will suffer the effects of Suffocation (as in Strangling above), until the contest is over and for another 3 rounds.

Invade Host (Infant):

What about a swarm of infants?

Attack from Host: By spending 3 extra Scuffling points, the creature can launch an attack from within a host body – via tendrils extending from the mouth and nose for example. At the end of the attack the thing can be outside or inside the original host as preferred.

Spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, Infant

Abilities: Athletics 2, Health 1, Scuffling 1Hit Threshold: 5 Stealth Modifier: +2 (+1 in snow and ice, +4 in shadows or darkness)Armor: None in normal state, -4 (vs any) when within a host. Heals physical damage (except fire, chemicals, explosives) at 1 Health per round.

Stability Loss: 0

Spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, Adult

Abilities: Athletics 10, Health 6, Scuffling 14Hit Threshold: 4 Stealth Modifier: +1 (+0 in snow and ice, +3 in shadows or darkness)Weapon: -1 (tendril), +0 (limb), +1 (pseudopod) ; can extend tendril attack at near range; limb can attack one to three targets simultaneously, adding one to the Hit Threshold for each additional target.Armor: None in normal state, -4 (vs any) when within a host. Heals physical damage (except fire, chemicals, explosives) at 3 Health per round.Stability Loss: +1

While in a frozen, dormant state, although very hard, the spawn can be cut or physically damaged. However, once it thaws, it will regain the ability to physically reassemble itself. Treat it as having Armor of -5 (vs any) in a dormant state.

The City in the IceScene Type: CoreLead-In: ExcavationLead-Out: The Eye of Ubbo Sathla, The Thaw

Descent into the Depths

The stairs descend about 600-700 feet under the ice-sheet.

Architecture: The engineering here is unusual or unique. The diameter of the spiral remains regular as it descends, and each wall is at a slightly overhanging angle, supporting the course of stairs above. The walls are overhanging slightly.

It soon becomes very dark and artificial light is essential. Getting to the bottom will take at least around half an hour.

There are two places where the stairs have completely collapsed creating gaps. To create a rudimentary bridge is an appropriate Craft test against Difficulty 4. Having the right tools and materials to do so is a Preparedness test against difficulty 5. Otherwise, the first gap is an Athletics test against Difficulty 3. The second, wider gap is an Athletics test against Difficulty 5. Failure means the character falls for +6 damage. If a safety rope was used, the damage is reduced to -2.

The City Itself

The prehistoric city is mostly covered by solid ice, but a number of areas have caverns and inter-connecting ice tunnels.

The city is pitch black, but any artificial light causes large areas to glow blue as the light reflects and illuminates the ice from within.

Evidence Collection: It’s surprisingly warm down here. A thermometer can confirm that it’s over 25°F.

Events that occur during exploration of this area are detailed in the sidebar Antagonist Reactions of the Spawn.

Excavating in the city

There are several sites of interest for potential excavation here.

Archaeology, Geology or Evidence Collection: The given times for excavation can be halved with a 1-Point spend.

Explosives: Where these can be used they will half the given excavation times. A 1-Point spend in Explosives will half the time again.

The Base of the Tower

Core Clue (Floating): If excavated, the Eye of Ubbo-Sathla will be found here (unless already found).

Rubble and ice lie in piles, having fallen from the tower walls and the tunnels above

Excavation: 6 hours

Evidence Collection: There are bone fragments here. Archaeology or Forensics determines that the bone fragments are quite ancient. Biology determines that they include what may be caribou, musk oxen and human remains. Forensics 1 Point spend notes that some of them are human remains and some appear to be corroded as if from some kind of powerful acid.

Evidence Collection (Core, Floating): There is a glass or crystal orb about the size of an orange and flattened at two ends (The Eye of Ubbo Sathla).

The Ice Corridor

Ice-walled tunnel follows ancient path over rock and cobble surface of prehistoric pathway, descending from base of tower in a series of

stairways for about 200 yards before reaching a large doorway that lies open with the fragments of a stone door scattered around it. The doorway leads to The Library. The passage continues for a similar length before reaching a second doorway. This door is intact and open. Passing through the doorway leads to The High Street where one can turn left or right.

Closing the door for the first time is an Athletics test against Difficulty 15 and requiring tools to use for leverage. For subsequent attempts, it is Difficulty 12.

Excavation

Walls? Cobbles? Ancient Doors?

High Street

From the Ice Corridor this can be followed left and slightly uphill or right and slightly downhill. The left branch terminates in a wall of ice and rock after some 200 yards. The right branch leads to The Square.

The street is wide and the forms of ancient homes, towers, sidestreets and so on can be glimpsed along it’s length offering a haunting vista of a primordial city imprisoned in ice.

The walls are wet and pitted with narrow fissures. There are also walls of huge stone blocks, with what appear to be doorways and window spaces.

Prehistoric plants?

Excavation: 12 hours

Excavation of the fissures reveals they are channels leading into the ice. There are also fissures behind the walls, doorways and windows. Buried deep in the ice, eventually another hibernating spawn will be found. More of these can be found with a few more hours of excavation.

The Square

Core Clue (Floating): The Eye of Ubbo-Sathla

This was once the central gathering place of the city. The ceiling here is higher than in the passageways, arching up to around 40 feet in the middle. It is about 250 feet across. Shadows of tall buildings can be glimpsed, entombed in the blue ice walls.

One side is dominated by the facade of a particularly grand structure. When bright light shines on it, there is a suggestion of several towers

extending upwards through the ice. The facade is riddled with small holes and a trickle of water flows towards the ice-choked centre of the square.

A glacier of sorts dominates the centre of this huge ice cavern, occupying half the floor of the square and extending from a wide avenue, which is completely blocked with ice.

An unblocked Side Street also extends away from the Square.

Excavation: 12 hours

Beneath the glacier in the central area is a raised, stepped area.

Archaeology: On top of this are the remnants of a large block of fossilised hardwood.

Evidence Collection: With a 1-Point spend, the head of a huge bronze axe can be found.

Evidence Collection (Floating, Core): The Eye of Ubbo Sathla

Excavation: 24 hours

The grand facade is the front of the original Palace of Commoriom. Knygathin Zhaum and his ‘inner circle’ are hibernating here. More dormant spawn can be found after 12 hours. Excavation accelerates the Thawing of the city (see P. xx) and reveals channels in the ice. Excavation, particularly the use of explosives here will rapidly accelerate the catastrophic awakening of Knygathin Zhaum and his spawn (see The Black Doom on p. xx). Ideally this should not occur until after the Eye of Ubbo-Sathla is found.

Side Street

This is essentially identical to the High Street, except that it extends away from The Square and ends in a dead-end after about 100 yards.

The Library

A large archway leads to a rubble-strewn room that includes rows of collapsed stone shelves. Piles of dust and mould are frequent.

Evidence Collection: There are tablets of stone, pottery and bronze among the broken shelves. These are covered in the Tsath-Yo script.

Cthulhu Mythos: Study of these texts recognises them as Pnakotic Manuscripts. A 1-Point spend is needed to recognise the Yithian and Elder Thing

scripts. A 2-Point spend suggests that much of the material here is previously unknown.

Commorian Pnakotic Manuscripts

The library includes transcriptions and some original examples of manuscripts in the curvilinear Yithian script and the dot-based cipher of the Elder Things.

The entire collection here behaves like any collection of Pnakotic Manuscripts as described in Trail of Cthulhu Page XX. Recovering each point of Cthulhu Mythos worth of fragments to the surface takes at least a day.

Translating, collating and interpreting this material is a project that would takes years. However, with the aid of the Tsath-Yo dictionary and a 2-Point spend in Library Use, it’s possible to collate and translate enough of the material for an overview.

Language: Tsath-Yo (with passages in Elder Script and Yithian)Skimming Time: 15 hours, minus 5 hours for each pool point spent in Cryptography, Languages, Archaeology, Anthropology or Cthulhu Mythos

Skimming grants dedicated pool points in Astronomy, Geology and Occult.

Clues:

This material consists of fragments passed down through many generations from the library city of Pnakotus archived by The Great Race. This knowledge was gathered from across the entire universe, from the future and the past.

Some of the material was inherited from the fallen civilisation of the Polar Ones at the South Pole.

It was translated and interpreted by priests called the Pnakotic Brotherhood over hundreds of generations

This library is a just part of a larger collection distributed across ancient Hyperborea.

This particular set includes the following spells: Summon Polar One (Contact Elder Thing), however poring over the fragments is required to learn this

Archaeology or Architcture (Floating, Core Clue): If the Eye of Ubbo-Sathla has not been located elsewhere, the remains of a partially blocked stairway is discovered. Accessing this is an

Athletics test against Difficulty 7. This leads to the Library Vault.

Library Vault

Core Clue (Floating): The Eye of Ubbo-Sathla

Another historical frieze is carved across the stone walls of this circular chamber. A pale stone about the size of a small orange (The Eye) is mounted on a plinth in the middle of the room.

The Eye of Ubbo-SathlaScene Type: CoreLead-In: The City in the Ice

This is a cloudy, oblate sphere about the size of an orange, slightly flattened at the ends.

Also known as ‘The Crystal of Zon Mezzamalech’, The Eye of Ubbo-Sathla is a device of unknown origin – perhaps a creation of the Elder things – that can send a viewer’s mind into the remote past by uniting it with the collective ancestral mind. For mysterious reasons the crystal is ever tied to the sorcerer and his scrying efforts to find the Elder Keys

Cthulhu Mythos: According to the Book of Eibon, a powerful wizard of ancient Hyperborea possessed a cloudy scrying stone in the shape of a slightly flattened orb. A 1-Point spend reveals that it was called ‘The Eye of Ubbo-Sathla’ and possessed by Zon Mezzamalech. He was able to view the very beginnings of life itself. Apparently, he disappeared, taking the stone with him.

There is something tantalising and mysteriously familiar about the crystal and the temptation to gaze into it immediately is a Stability test against Difficulty 3. The same test is needed to resist using the crystal again, within 24 hours of its last use, with the Difficulty increasing by 1 each time it is used.

Stability Test Difficulty: 2 when used the first time, no test on subsequent uses.

Stability Cost: 4 plus additional losses depending on what was encountered – see below.

Use of the crystal involves gazing into its beguiling depths for several minutes. After which, the user finds themselves sitting and staring at the same crystal on a table of dark wood, in an ivory-panelled chamber. The situation is at once foreign and very familiar. They know themselves as Zon

Mezzamalech, greatest sorcerer in Hyperborea, in his high tower in Mhu Thulan.

As Zon Mezzamalech, the viewer knows the sorcerer acquired this ancient orb from a sub-human temple and sought to use it to gaze upon the wisdom of the Elder Gods who vanished before Earth life appeared. A stream of visions appear of years gone by. His efforts to peer into the past reach a Threshold however, beyond which he is afraid to look.

This trance will last for approximately half an hour. On awakening from this communion with the mind of Zon Mezzamalech the viewer immediately loses 1 point of Sanity. After this and subsequent instances, they must make a Stability test against Difficulty 6 to recall some of his understanding. If successful, they gain +1 to Cthulhu Mythos. Up to 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos may be gained this way.

Communion with Ubbo-Sathla

The first time the Eye is used, the player must attempt to pass a test with a Difficulty of 6 on behalf of Zon Mezzamalech to see beyond the Threshold. The Difficulty decreased by 1 for each subsequent use.

On passing the test described above, Zon Mezzamalech’s self-identity is swallowed up (along with the viewer’s) into a stream of numberless lives and deaths, aeons experienced in minutes, rushing back into the past along ancestral lines and close branches on the ancestral tree. In this case the trance will continue for around four hours. Regression through collective ancestral memory continues until Ubbo-Sathla, the source of all life on earth is reached. Most of these experiences will not subsequently be recalled, but even if they are not, they are inherently destructive to the viewer’s sense of self, causing a loss of 2 Sanity points. A character who’s Sanity is reduced to zero in this way suffers a total loss of self, sitting unresponsively in a catatonic-like state, then one day, when the opportunity appears, suddenly wandering off, probably never to be seen again.

After awakening from this deeper regression, a character will be unable to recall much detail. Yet recollections may come. The viewer must make a Stability test against Difficulty 5 to recall something. If they succeed, roll on the table below to determine the memory, then have them make roll more Stability tests until they fail.

Regression Insights

Take two d6s and decide which is “tens” and which is “ones”. Roll below: Result

11 – 16 Human kingdom of Hyperborea, battles with Voormis, rise and fall of various cults etc Stability test: 3-point Stability test

21 – 26 Pre-human Voormis kingdoms, including their worship of Zhothaqqah etc Stability test: 3-point Stability test

31 – 33 White ape-men are compelled by some mysterious drive to raise a city in the jungle. Their ancestors evolve rapidly and spread out across world as early humans. Stability test: 3-point Stability test. Drives at stake: In the BloodPillars of Sanity at stake: Family, Religion

34– 36 Voormis gain freedom from Serpent People, found Hyperborean colonyStability test: 3-point Stability test

41 – 42 Serpent people in city called ‘Yoth’ genetically engineer simians into land hominids and aquatic hominids to serve as slavesStability test: 3-point Stability testSanity lost: 1 pointDrives at stake: Antiquarianism, Thirst for Knowledge Pillars of Sanity at stake: Family, Human Dignity and Value, Religion

43 – 44 Serpent people civilisation wiped out by rise of dinosaursStability test: 3-point Stability testSanity lost: 1 point

45 – 46 Shoggoth rebellion defeated in Elder thing civilisationStability test: 4-point Stability testSanity lost: 1 point

51 – 52 Serpent people kingdom of ValusiaStability test: 3-point Stability testSanity lost: 1 point

53 – 54 Cataclysm raises R'lyeh, arrival of Cthulhu, war of Cthulhu and the Elder ThingsStability test: 6-point Stability testSanity lost: 2 points

Drives at stake: Antiquarianism, Thirst for Knowledge

55 – 56 Elder thing experiments create vertebratesStability test: 4-point Stability testSanity lost: 1 pointDrives at stake: Antiquarianism, Thirst for Knowledge Pillars of Sanity at stake: Family, Human Dignity and Value, Religion

61 – 62 Ubbo Sathla is witnessed as the foul source of all earthly lifeStability test: 4-point Stability test (or Anagnorosis)Sanity lost: 1 point (or Anagnorosis)Drives at stake: Antiquarianism, Thirst for KnowledgePillars of Sanity at stake: Family, Human Dignity and Value, Religion

63 – 64 Ubbo-Sathla was a creation of the Elder Things – a biological factory for breeding slaves. Earth-life is an accidental by-product. Stability test: 4 point Stability test (or Anagnorosis)Sanity lost: 2 points (or Anagnorosis)Drives at stake: Antiquarianism, Thirst for KnowledgePillars of Sanity at stake: Family, Human Dignity and Value, Religion

65 – 66 The Elder Keys are viewed clearly. The script consists of unintelligible clusters of dots, recognisable as Elder Thing script to anyone familiar with it or who makes a 1-Point spend in Cthulhu Mythos. The exact contents of the tablets should be extremely difficult to access and are beyond the scope of this scenario.Stability test: 4 point Stability test (or Anagnorosis) Sanity lost: 2 point (or Anagnorosis)Drives at stake: Antiquarianism, Thirst for KnowledgePillars of Sanity at stake: Religion

+1 Cthulhu Mythos is granted for every three memories recalled. Hypnosis could be used to recover memories.

These experiences are not mere visions – the ‘viewer’ fully experiences the life of the creature witnessed. This means that the experiences are hard to dismiss – seeing is believing in this case. Some of these experiences are capable of causing lost

Drives or smashed Pillars of Sanity at the Keeper’s discretion.

The ThawScene Type: Antagonist ReactionLead-In: The City Under the IceLead-Out: Children of Knygathin Zhaum Awaken!

These antagonist reactions are designed to create a growing sense of unease. They should be detailed and timed according to drama, atmosphere and Protagonist actions. The events of the different sections should overlap.

Thawing

As soon as the protagonists enter Commoriom, the spawn begin to thaw and awaken. Casually drop the following clues into your description to build atmosphere. These clues are picked up passively.

Evidence Collection:

It seems slightly warmer in the city than when the characters first entered.

o A thermometer will confirm that the temperature is now just above freezing

Water is dripping from the ceiling

Pools of water are collecting

Small rivulets are running from that wall of ice

The surface of that wall seems more pitted than when we first saw it. I don’t remember those holes being there

Someone’s Missing!

One of the Non-Player Characters (if there are any left) working or moving alone in the city ruins is noticed as missing.

A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 4 may allow characters to hear a cry for help.

After a search, the character is found unconscious, lying in a large pool of blood.

Medicine: There is no obvious sign of injury. (1 point spend) He appears to be in a coma.

Forensics: (1 point spend) There is no sign of injury apart from bruising around the neck and face.

More Thawing

Again this is something that one of the Protagonists should notice passively. This can occur more than once.

Evidence Collection:

A black substance is oozing from holes in the High Street or The Square

o When revisited, the ooze is gone.

o If a sample is taken the container is later found broken or overturned and the sample missing

Something in the Shadows

When two or more characters are moving through the city, with a successful Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6, they catch a glimpse of something slithering or scuttling among the ice and rubble. By the time they reach the spot to investigate, there is nothing there.

A Protagonist is Attacked

If a Protagonist is so foolish as to be alone in the city they may be targeted by one of the spawn. The Keeper may want to resolve this event privately, to avoid the possibility of the other players learning that one of their companions is infested with an parasitic monster.

A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 will allow the character to catch a glimpse of movement or a sound as the creature approaches or waits in ambush. If they succeed, the spawn will Chase them. Three or four successful Athletics or Fleeing tests may be enough to allow the character to reach the rest of the group, at which point the spawn will retreat. If they fail the Sense Trouble test above, the spawn will attack with surprise.

Ruthless Keepers may want to consider a result of 1 or 2 on the Sense Trouble test as automatic infestation, in order to keep the victim’s player in the dark about what has happened.

Evidence from a successful attack will be similar to the Someone’s Missing! section above. An infested character will have no memory of the attack, although when they awaken they may experience some odd symptoms:

A ‘spaced out’, apathetic feeling: treat as if Shaken. Loss of Drive.

Abdominal pain

A sluggish, bloated feeling

These symptoms may initially be confused with ‘nervous shock’. The victim themselves will rationalise and justify any unusual behaviour. This is a good roleplaying opportunity for the player.

Mutiny of the Infested

With time, they will also begin to experience strange urges and black-outs. See the Spawn of Knygathin Zhaum sidebar on Page xx.

Once fully under the control of the parasitic spawn, the infected character will seek to awaken Knygathin Zhaum and his spawn using the various excavation tools at The Palace elsewhere. Naturally this will accelerate the Awakening of Knygathin Zhaum, although ideally this shouldn’t occur until the team has found The Eye of Ubbo-Sathla.

Other possible sabotage attempts include:

Luring as many people into the city as possible

Blocking the escape route with explosives

If the spawn is found out and cannot escape it will attack from within the host body with its Attack from Host ability. The eyes will roll back and turn black, and sticky black tendrils will shoot from mouth and nose, striking anyone in range. A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 5 to avoid being surprised. Being attacked in this way is a 7-Point Stability test.

The Spawn and their ‘Father’ Awaken!

This eventuality is handled below in the scene Children of Knygathin Zhaum Awake!

Children of Knygathin Zhaum Awaken!Scene Type: Antagonist Reaction/ClimaxLead-In: The Thaw

A Sense Trouble test against Difficulty 6 is required to detect the approaching spawn. The first wave consists of five spawn, with others not far behind. Something much larger can be heard (or even glimpsed) crashing, slithering and hissing in the rear. This is an 8-Point Stability test.

Characters who don’t flee immediately will be attacked in two rounds.

For those who flee, this is a Chase. If none of the protagonists passed their Sense Trouble, the test Difficulty is 5. Those who passed get a head start and a Difficulty of 3. Those who failed but were alerted by others get a Difficulty of 4.

Treat the leading wave of pursuers as a single entity. A character who fails the chase contest will be immediately pounced on by one or two spawn and he must fight them.

A second wave of six spawn is two rounds behind the first. Knygathin Zhaum and three spawn are moving at a steadier pace at the rear. The Protagonists can’t afford to miss a step.

The Keeper may also consider allowing Protagonists to reduce the Difficulty with convincing Investigative spends, from Architecture or Geology for example.

Stopping to take a shot at the pursuers will increase the Difficulty by 1. Depending on their previous actions, it may be possible to create obstacles for the pursuers such as pulling a door closed behind them, burning pools of fuel, shooting a box of TNT, rolling fuel barrels, detonation of planted TNT charges etc. The Keeper should assess such attempts on a case-by-case basis.

[Symbol: Pulp] If a Protagonist has the flamethrower, they could use it to delay the spawn with suppressive fire.

Don’t forget the two gaps in the stairs. These could be an obstacle or a boon depending on whether they need to be climbed or whether a bridge has been built. Sabotaging a bridge, once it has been crossed, is an Athletics test against Difficulty 4 (3 with Mechanical Repair or Architecture).

If the spawn fail the Chase contest, the protagonists have reached at least temporary safety (a vehicle, the cabin, a vertical shaft accessing the top of the ruins with the rope ladder pulled away etc).

However, as Knygathin Zhaum can probably get through most barriers, this freedom may be short lived. Unless they can come up with a way to seal the entrance to the city extremely quickly, they will probably need to get to the snow tractor to escape.

Knygathin Zhaum

The entity that was known an age ago, by the name ‘Knygathin Zhaum’ is a dark, mottled and mammoth-sized entity – a bloated trunk, with a one-eyed ‘face’ emerging from its midsection, and

a second eye beneath that. Two long tentacles with ‘fingers’ like knots of writhing snakes emerge from its ‘shoulders’ and a cup-like mouth protrudes at the top. The lower limbs are a mass of slender proboscides covered in suckers.

Knygathin Zhaum can attack with each of its two tentacles in a single round. Like his spawn, he can assume the form of a viscous, black liquid. And most forms of physical injury will simply flow closed.

Abilities: Athletics 12, Health 22, Scuffling 28Hit Threshold: 3 Weapon: +5 (trample); +2 (tentacle); +2 (sucking proboscides); a successful tentacle attack may, instead of inflicting damage, pull the victim to the many mouths for automatic damage on each following round

Armour: -2 (thick, mottled membrane) Heals most physical damage (except fire, chemicals, explosives) at 4 Health per roundStability Loss: +2

EpilogueScene Type: AlternateLead-In: Children of Knygathin Zhaum Awaken!

If the Protagonists manage to escape from Commoriom with the Eye of Ubbo-Sathla, there is a strong possibility that it’s dire but compulsive insights will overwhelm them once they reach civilisation or during the voyage home. Such a Purist style epilogue would bring the scenario to a very nice end. It might also suggest possibilities for future adventures.