The Fall Without End

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A No Security Horror Scenario

Caleb StokesWritten by

Ean Moody

Art by

A Hebanon Games P

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The Fall Without End

INTRODUCTION

Te Fall Without End is a cosmic/survival horror sce-nario ocused on a summit attempt on the north peako Mount Mckinely. Set in 1931, our to six charac-ters take on the roles o alpinists attempting to win amountaineering prize offered by the U.S. Government.Midway through the expedition, things go horriblyand inexplicably wrong. Tematically, the scenariosimulates the unpredictability and despair o survivalsituations by burdening characters in the midst o analready dire situation with an unimaginable threat.

Tis adventure starts with an overall description othe setting and plot or the GMs use. Inormation theplayers can reveal through roleplaying can be ound inthe gameplay section.

1931: North Peak of Mount McKinely:

Mount McKinelyrom base to peak, it is the tallestmountain on land, and 3rd highest point above sealevel on the entire earth. At 20,320 eet tall, its twinpeaks dominate the horizon or much o the Alaskanwilderness, prompting the natives to call it Denali,meaning the tall one.

In 1910, the Sourdough expedition, staffed exclusivelywith local alpinists, claimed the prize o First Ascent.Teyd climbed the dreaded Wickershams Wall, a sheerace o rocks and ice inamous or spewing orth ava-

lanches without warning. Tey claimed to have stakeda pole with their flag atop the North Summit.

An attempt to confirm the climb by looking downrom the taller South Summit ailed in 1912. Tis Park-er-Browne expedition turned back mere yards awayrom the summit on account o an incoming storm.Remarks about Parkers cowardice were short-livedthough; the very day the group arrived back in camp,an earthquake struck the area and shook tons o rock

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INTRODUCTION

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and ice rom the mountain in deadly waves. One yearlater, Stuck and Karstans conquered the South Peakrom which Browne had been orced to retreat. Teyclaimed to have seen the Sourdoughs pole throughtheir binoculars.

In the dozen summits o the South Peak afer Stuck

and Karstans, not one expedition saw the pole on theadjacent peak.

Nearly twenty years later, the Sourdough expeditionis considered highly dubious amongst mountaineers.Teir names have been stricken rom the record books,and the 1928 Olympic Committee declared a success-ul climb o the North Peak grounds or medal consid-eration. Te North Summit o the greatest mountain inAmerica remains untamed, or at least it is convenientto think so.

Te American government has seized on the oppor-tunity. Tey need new Lingburghs in these tryingtimes, daring adventurers unaraid to tackle the great-est obstacles and capable o inspiring a demoralizednation. Quietly, a large sum o tax money has beenunneled to the McKinley or Bust project. Locallodging has been reserved, a film crew has been hired,and the big newspapers stand ready to print photos othe new American heroes as soon as they descend.

Te first to the top can expect ortune as well as ame.Rumors o a massive cash prize or First Ascent havebeen quietly circulating amongst the alpinist com-munity or months, with a bonus offered or anyonemad enough to drag a weighty camera to the peakor a photo op. Te prize is enough to last any amilythrough the hard times, and or some desperate climb-ers, Wickershams Wall might prove as much a test ofinancial survival as physical.

All is prepared as the climbing teams await the start otheir expedition at the Denali rading Post, enjoying alavish send-off amongst the government handlers andjournalists. Te locals have never seen such decadencehauled so ar into the wilderness, and their contemptor the spectacle is as palpable as their need o the gov-ernments unds.

Te old rontiersmen scoff at the tourists, whisperingprophecies o doom and damnation. Are they merely

trying to scare their resented American visitors, or isthere some truth to the curse o Denalis North Peak?Perhaps something lurks up there, older than landsowners, older than the mountain itsel.

GM INFORMATION

Te Monster: Vertiginous Horrors

Vertiginous Horror is as specific a name that can bedevised or these creatures. Tey have no earthly cor-ollaries and exist entirely outside our biosphere. Teyevolved on another planet, and their presence on ourplane o existence is inrequent and little understood.

Te bridge which links the human world and theirown is inexplicable and intermittent (Location 10).Its opening is announced with all sorts o strangeweather phenomenonsudden ogs, violent earth-quakes, blinding snowand coincides with no knownenvironmental cycle or star chart. Te opening blinksinto existence on the interior o Denali (among otherplaces), hovering in the middle o the deep crevicescored into the side o Wickershams Wall. Te portalitsel is a black pool atop a hollowed, truncatedpyramid with obsidian sides whose origin is any-ones guess. Te stone is so smooth and hard so

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The Fall WIthout End - No Security

NPC List

Coot owner o the Denali rading Post,scornul o the climbers chancesYuri Clevchynko old rontiersmen claiming tohave been part o the Parker-Browne expeditionBooker Hamlin director o the documentaryfilm crew set to record the climbers homecom-ing

Macey Sly put-upon newspaper reporter sentto document the attempted Carpenter treasury department employ-ee charged with monitoring the expedition andawarding the prizeKyle OShaughnessy local boy in charge omaintaining base campTe Hutchison Brothers three local brothersattempting to beat the players to the top

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as to provide the creatures no purchase once they burstorth rom the brackish water. Te worm-like Horrorsare lef to scramble or a grip on the side o the creviceor crash into bloody heaps a kilometer below. Tosethat survive remain crawling atop the alien mountain,orced to find whatever sustenance they can in the aridheights until they starve or are called home by some

unknown orce.

Te creatures themselves are roughly 9 eet in lengthand shaped like grubs as wide as tree trunks. Teyare armed on both sides with identical mouths thatcan distend outwards with sucking proboscis ringedwith hundreds o teethmuch like a leech. Te dualmouths are lined with three dexterous arms ending inbone-hard talons strong enough to anchor in stone.Te things have no eyes, and the means by which theynavigate the world is a mystery.

Both in their world and our own, Vertiginous Horrorsexist exclusively at high elevation and on the steep-est slope possible. Tey move exclusively by oldingthemselves end-over-end. One mouth will bite into therock ace, securing the creatures weight by clampinginto the stone with its powerul jaws and talon-tippedappendages. Ten, the creature will contract the otherend o its meaty body either up or down, bite the rockace with its other jaw, and let go o the original anchor

beore repeating the process.

Te creatures are lightning ast vertical climbers,rolling up sheer rock aces as i unconstrained bygravity. Tey are greatly slowed when moving hor-izontally, having to resort to an up/down zig-zagpattern due to limited horizontal flexibility. On lesssteep slopes or flat ground, Vertiginous Horrors arequite clumsy, but their yawning maws still make themdangerous.

On whatever world that harbors these nightmares, itappears there are only two directions worth going: upand down. Whatever they eat, they appear to swallowwhole, dragging the prey into a meaty tube with rowafer row o clawing teeth. Cold and wind and scrap-ping stone have no effect on their health. I they havegender, it is unclear what distinguishes it. I they breed,they must give birth through the same mouths they

eat, deecate, and move with. In short, Vertigi-nous Horrors have the biological efficiency only

ound in nightmares. Tey eat and crawl, eat and crawlmindlessly. Perpetually.

Gotcha Gaming

Te horror in Te Fall Without End depends on theidea that, despite the act each character is knowinglyentering a survival situation, they are completely un-prepared or what terrors they are about to ace. Tereare two ways to get players in the proper mindset orthis type o play.

Option 1 : Lie

When asked why the film From Dusk til Dawn shifedso suddenly rom a noir thriller to a gooy monstermovie, Quentin arintino amously quipped thatthe characters didnt expect the vampires to show up

either. Braver GMs might try to adopt this philoso-phy. I not playing with a rules set blatantly known orhorror, sneakier GMs might claim they want to try amountain climbing scenario because watching ouch-ing the Voidor reading Into Tin Airinspired them.Te bafflement o the players will inorm their role-playing when giant, extra-dimensional creatures try toeat them. O course, this tactic requires a lot o trustbetween the gaming group, and a lot o exploitationo that trust by the GM. I it is even remotely possi-

ble some players might get pissed to come back romthe bathroom and suddenly find their characters in adifferent genre, do not lie about the horrific nature othe scenario.

Option 2: Focus on Character Motivations

Tis is a sound idea or any gaming group, regardlesso whether or not the GM decides to be truthul. Asaer option or getting players invested in mundanecompetition beore all hell breaks loose is to make suretheir characters have a serious desire to win. Spendsome time talking with each player beore beginning.Why does your character want to be the first to thetop? Do they need the money rom the prize? Does itulfill a lielong dream o Olympic gold? Do they wantto stick it to their ormer climbing partner on anotherteam? I characters have an explicit motivation orwinning the prize o First Ascent, the contrast with thecosmic horror portion o the scenario will be all themore dramatically interesting.

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The Monster: Vertiginous Horrors

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Playing in Pairs:

Advanced mountaineering is almost always done inpairs. Groups o three or more are sometimes used,but that typically just means there are merely peopleto hold the rope beneath the lead climber. Until theywere discontinued around WWII, Olympic medals in

mountain climbing were ofen awarded in groups otwo rather than to individuals, and the history o thesports greats is one o successul partnerships.

As a result o this, no player can attempt Te FallWithout End solo. A climber attempting to summitMount McKinely alone would be considered suicid-al by the governmental backers, and other climberswould likely view the madman as a dangerous liabilityplacing everyones lives in danger. I one o the players

insists on soloing to the top, allow it only i that playersknows that a single ailed climb check means plum-meting to certain death (and thats beore anythingtruly horrific happens).

So players need to find a partner(s) beore playing anddecide how their characters came to climb together.Te bond o trust between climbing partners is saidto be deeper than that o amily; at multiple pointsthroughout any climb, the lie o one is literally in thehands o the other. In terms o gameplay, this also leads

to an interesting dynamic; each pair starts the gamein perect cooperation, but their goal is to beat all theother players to the top.

Standard Climbing Procedure

Once players have partnered up, it would be a goodidea to inorm them o the basic structure o teamclimbing. Essentially, one is going to have to climb

Lead and the other Belay, or they are going to have totake turns.

Lead climbers pave the way. Tey largely determine theroute o ascent and are the first to encounter any newobstacles. It is their job to hammer in anchor pointsand cut holds into the ice. Tey have no rope to assisttheir ascent, but they are kept somewhat sae romalls by the rope attached to their belay partner and theanchor points below. Even with this limited insurance,

Optional Rule: NPC Belay

In games that the GM plans to make especiallydeadly or in groups that do not cooperate well,

NPC belay climbers are an option.

In this instance, each player would be essentiallycontrolling two characters: the lead climber othe team, and the belay climber o the player tohis or her right. Te belay climber need not begiven stats yet, but each should have a fleshed outbackstory detailing why he is partnered with theother character and what their motivation or theclimb is.

Tis way, each player gets to compete individu-ally or the prize and boss his belay NPC around,but the player doesnt have to talk to himselwhen speaking to his partner because the NPC iscontrolled by the person next to him. Te playeralso doesnt lose the chance or some interest-ing roleplaying with his partner as they attemptthe climb. Te GM gets a helpless NPC to use ascannon odder or the monsters, and players havea spare to take over in case their first charactergoes plummeting into an abyss or down a mon-sters gullet.

Te downside o this rule is that when combatcomes around, certain players might try to exploittheir second hal into becoming a mind-con-trolled kamikaze. Belays can also find themselvesin the position to cut the rope: letting a climberin an unrecoverable all to his doom in order tosave the partner. Considering the competitionbetween teams, is this a decision the person in

charge o an NPC belay can be trusted to make incharacter? I the group is sophisticated enough toavoid this type o meta-gaming, the optional NPCbelay rule can help create a more brutal, uncom-promising horror game while generously provid-ing players with an extra lie. I the temptationwill prove too great, leave it out and have playersclimb in twos or threes.

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any all could be potentially disastrous. A Lead Fallmeans that the top climber will all the distance to hislast anchor pointplus whatever slack is lef in theropebeore the line goes taut. I too much momen-tum is built up, the anchor points could give way, evenup to the point where the Belay climber is pulled offthe mountain as well. As a Lead, one missed handhold

can mean the death o the whole team.

Te Belay climber (or belay slave, as they are some-times called), climbs beneath the Lead. Going is easieror a belay climber: they have a taut rope or support,pre-cut handholds, and a tested route upwards.However, Belay climbers are ar rom reeloaders.Teir instructions can be vital or the survival o theirpartner, as they are sometimes afforded a much morestrategic view o the rock ace than the man abovethem. Belays are in charge o spooling up spent line sothe pair doesnt run out o rope midway through anascent, and the easier nature o their climb means they

are typically given the responsibility o carrying sup-plies. Tis is made all the more difficult by the constantalling rock and ice caused by the Leads scramblingor ootholds. Most importantly, the Belays duty is tooperate as a counterweight preventing a alling Leadrom plummeting into the void. Te ability o a Belayto hold on or a ew more seconds has saved many an

expedition.

GAMEPLAY INFORMA-

TION

Character Creation

Since all the PCs in Te Fall Without End are expe-rienced alpinists, their character sheets will be very

similar regardless o the system used. Every PC needsto be capable in all mountaineering skills i theyre tohave any hope o surviving even the early stages o the

Climber erminology

Adze:a thin blade perpendicular to the handle onan ice axe that can be used or chopping ootholds.Anchor:An arrangement o one or (usually) morepieces o gear set up to support the weight o a belay

or top rope.Belay: to protect a roped climber rom alling bypassing the rope through, or around, any type oriction enhancing belay device. In the 30s, thedevice was most ofen the belayers hips.Belay off:called by a climber to confirm that abelay has been removed rom the climbing rope. Es-sentially, dont all, because the rope isnt attached.Belay on:called by the climber to confirm belayhas been (re)applied to climbing rope. Essentially,

rope is back on, but please dont all anyway.Belay Slave: someone continually placed into belayduty rather than climbing Lead.Bivouac:camping overnight in the midst o anascent, sometimes in nothing more than a hammockmade o rope.Carabiner: metal rings with screw-shut gates, usedwith anchors. Usually oval or roughly D shaped.Crampons: metal spikes attached to boots or in-

creased traction on snow and ice.Deck: the bottom o the mountain

First Ascent:the term or the first successul, con-firmed summit o a mountain.Free Climb:climbing without rope or other protec-tive assistance.Harness: a canvas webbing device worn around thewaist and thighs designed to allow a person to saely

hang suspended in the airHaul bag: a larger, unwieldy bag in which suppliesand equipment are storedHold: any place to temporarily cling, grip, jam,press, or stand in the process o climbing.Ice Axe: an ice climbers primary tool. Tis hard-ened pick can be used to cut holds out o ice androck or as a short walking stick. In desperate situa-tions, it can sometimes arrest slides and alls downicy slopes.Lead Climbing:a orm o climbing in which theclimber places anchors and attaches the belay ropeas they climb.Lead Fall: a all while lead climbing, meaning theclimber will all at least the distance back to his lastanchor, plus any slack and rope stretch.Pendulum: Swinging on a taut rope to reach thenext hold in a traverse.

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scenario. However, the basic premise is that o a moun-tain climbing contest, so the race to the top wont be allthat interesting i all the characters have the exact samestats and skills.

When making characters, GMs should give players alist o skills organized into the ollowing three cate-

gories. Te exact skills listed will vary depending onthe system used. Alternately, the GM can abstract thevarious techniques o each set into a single skill o thesame name. For the purposes o suggesting skill checksat specific locations, this scenario will use the abstrac-tion strategy.

Instinct:

Spotting the hold, predicting a change in the weather,planning an efficient route, packing enough supplies,

hearing the creak o an impending avalanchethisskill set entails all aspects o situational awareness andpreparedness that help a mountaineer get up and downalive.

Ascension:

Tese skills determine how good the player is at doingthe physical work o climbing. How ast are they? Howar can they jump? How ar can they stretch to reachthat next hold? How strong are their limbs?

Endurance:

No climber can survive ascending one o the largestpeaks in the world without a hefy amount o Endur-ance. Skills in this category determine a charactersresistance to cold, exhaustion, and despair as the climbprogresses.

It is up to GMs to decide which skills will fit into each

category or i abstraction is the better option. Further-more, the GM has to decide at what level all the skillsin that category will operate. Obviously, much o thisis dependant upon the system used. It is suggested theall the skills within each group be set at one o threelevels: Exceptional, Proficient, and Adequate. GMsmight think o these levels as an 80%, 70%, and 60%chance to succeed on tests, respectively. Alter ratings asseen fit.

Tis yahtzeed version o character creation will allowcharacters some personalization options while still en-suring a chance o survival (however slim that chancemay be). Furthermore, the prioritization o skill setswill make the competitive portion o the game moreinteresting and allow or more dynamic team builds.

Example Character Creation:Frank and Doug want to role up Te DynamicDucoti Brothers, a pair o circus acrobats withmountaineering experience seeking to cash in onthe government bounty being offered or summit-ing McKinely. Te players come up with back-stories and buy a ew skills to flesh out eachcharacters personality, but now it is time topurchase climbing skills.

Doug decides that his character, Giuseppe, is theyounger and smaller o the two. Hes a bit o ashow off and decides he wants to climb Lead. omaximize his chances, Doug takes the Ascensioncategory as his Exceptional skill set. Tis giveshim roughly an 80% chance to succeed on any

skill check the GM listed in that category. Dougalso wants to make sure Giuseppe can standwhatever the mountain has to throw at him, soEndurance is taken at the Proficient level. Finally,his player figures Giuseppe is a bit too hot-head-ed or the Instincts skills, meaning it is lef as theAdequate set. Chances to succeed in that categoryare better than the average non-climber, but notby much

Frank, wanting to compliment his climbing part-

ners abilities, makes his character the stable, olderbrother type. Iago Ducati is a much more cautiousclimber than his sibling, so he takes Instincts atExceptional level in the hopes he can warn o anydanger. As he will be climbing Belay and mightneed to hold onto the mountain or both men inan emergency, he takes Endurance as his Pro-ficient set. Finally, Frank gives Iago Ascensionskills at Adequate because he figures the characterwould rely on his younger brothers trailblazing to

ease the way.

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Plot Hooks (Getting Characters ogether)

Characters should start at the Denali rading Post thenight beore heading up to establish base camp. Tisgives characters a chance to interact with each other ina casual setting, dream about the prize money, ques-tion government sponsors, and pose or a ew pictures.

Locals can also provide a bit o the mountains historyand current events.

Afer reaching base camp, it is generally assumed thatplayers are going to split up in an attempt to gain thelead. Tis is fine. Once they discover what lurks nearthe summit, theyll be eager to get back together soonenough.

LOCATIONS AND NPCs

GM Map versus Handout

Te flowchart on page 20 is a map or GM use. Tispage provides a helpul reerence as to the mountainsgeographic eatures, the difficulty o traversing them,what threats might be ound there, and other locationsaccessible rom that position. Tough players can beinormed o this inormation through play once theyarrive at a location, they should not be allowed to see

the GM version o the map until afer the scenario iscomplete.

Te handout or players is located on page 19 and ismeant to represent a hand-drawn map torn rom analpinists journal. Players are encouraged to look atthis handout whenever they please so as to plan theastest route to the top. However, they should be awarethat their inormation about the route up Wickersh-ams Wall is possibly inaccurate due to a lack o propersurvey, untested navigational routes, local suppositionconused as act, decreased visibility above the cloudline, and a number o other actors (like the extra-di-mensional portals and hellish nightmare creatures, orinstance).

When setting up scenes, the GM should describe eachportion o the mountain in such a way that highlights

the differences between the reality o the situationand the map.

1. Denali rading Post

Te Denali rading Post is shoulder to shoulder withpeople. Local loggers and trappers have come rommiles around to see the spectacle o a Hollywoodmovie crew, journalists, and the brave explorers. Tetiny log cabin is crammed to bursting with the send

off party ed Carpenter insisted on throwing at greatexpense. Te booze and ood is more or the pressthan the athletes, as ed is keen to remind his climbersbetween the orced smiles o countless photo ops. Tegovernment has paid handsomely or this little adven-ture, and it will not be pleased unless a noble Ameri-can hero that can restore consumer confidence walksoff that mountain.

Coot couldnt be less pleased with the affair, despite

the money hes making off the spectacle. He hates allthese outsiders traipsing about his store, and any timeone o the locals scoffs at the outsiders chances, hecant help but snicker and righteously spit tobacco juicein agreement. Curmudgeon that he is, Coot will be-grudgingly respect any character he deems sufficientlytough. He might be persuaded to sell some last minutecrampons and provisions to such men. A really persua-sive tough guy can coax the old man into revealing asecret that only the locals know: the Hutchison broth-ers, three local boys who have climbed on Denali their

whole lives, are damned i theyre going to let somegovernment pets take away the honor o First Ascentrom Alaskan men. Tey mean to beat the govern-ments men to the top, and they have a one-day headstart. Its already night; any hope o catching up willhave to wait until daybreak.

Yuri Clevchynko would be at the trading post regard-less o the proceedings taking place around him; it is,afer all, the place where supply trucks drop off thebooze. Te leathery drunk is the closest thing Coot hasto a riend and regular. Tose curious enough to makesmall talk with the old Russian find that he claims tohave climbed Denali many times in his youth, oncewith Russian army buddies and many more times aferhe went native. He even claims to have been a guideon the Parker-Browne expeditions ailed attempt upthe South Summit. Clevchynko warns anyone whowill listen that Parker, earing criticism, lef Yuri offthe expeditions records because he reused to lie about

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what happened. Te Russian claims that morethan a storm contributed to the teams decision toturn back. Te group said weather had been actingstrangely or weeks, baffling all almanac predictions.Teyd ound strange droppings ar above the deathline rom no animal anyone could identiy, as wellas bloodstains on the stone and carvings made by

no human tool. A mist o otherworldly persistenceobscured their view throughout the entire trip, andeach night at camp the men swore they could heara sound like crunching gravel in the dark. Te mennear hysterics, Parker turned only a ew kilometersaway rom the summit. Te man ound himselvindicated by the reak earthquake that struck uponthe expeditions return and immediately set aboutswearing his men to secrecy about the ear thatreally caused their return down the mountain.

I prompted, Yuri claims to know nothing about theHutichison brothers and denies any attempt to scarethe climbers away rom their attempt. Clevchynkowill not tolerate accusations o dishonesty; hes hadhis fill o that over the years, and quietly returns tohis drink rather than argue with ools.

Macey Slydisintrestedly goes about the tiny party,gathering quotations and asking the minimumnumber o questions. Her annoyance at being

dragged out to the wilderness to cover a silly pub-licity stunt is palpable. I any climbers point out herunproessionalism, shell be keen to deend hersel;she does recognize the men are legitimately riskingtheir lives due to her long-term interest (romantic?)in alpinists. She thinks the Sourdough expeditionsclaim or First Ascent is legitimate and that thiswhole thing is a ridiculous spectacle meant to dis-tract the public rom corruption on Wall Street andCapitol Hill. Climbers who are honest about theirmotivations or the climb, be it the prize money or

the glory, can earn her respect, and perhaps even adate when they get back down the mountain.

Objective versus Subjective DangerMountain climbing is an insanely dangerous sport.Mount McKinely alone has a documented kill count oover 100 climbers as o 2012. Alpinists are aware o thisdanger, even drawn to it, but they think o it in differentterms.

Mountaineering is divided into objective and subjectivedanger. Objective dangers are threats presented by themountain itsel: avalanche, rock all, temperature. Sub-jective dangers rest on the individual climber: atigue,equipment ailure, unpredictable weather. In short,objective dangers are considered when plotting a route,but the only deense against subjective danger is trainingand luck. Estimations o objective dangers or each areaare listed on the player map, and the actual danger level

o each is on the GM map.

In game terms, any ailed climbing check should havenegative, possibly even deadly, consequences. Failedchecks in areas o heightened objective dangers willhave more extreme consequences. For instance, missinga handhold on a gentle snow slope is less severe thanmissing one while trying to mount the overhang over abottomless chasm.

Areas with higher levels o objective danger might

also require more requent skill checks or checks witha higher difficulty rating. Te differences betweenextreme, high, medium, and low danger zones are up tothe GM and largely dependent upon the dice mechan-ic used. Regardless o how difficult the climb is made,GMs should exercise discretion when doling out con-sequences. Te Fall Without Endis designed to be an ashort scenario where death lurks around every ledge, budashing a characters brains out on the rocks with twohours lef to play might not make a very un experienceor that player. Failed checks could mean slowed ascent,lost equipment, increased exposure, or dramatic nearmisses. Save death or a climactic moment or a series ounortunate rolls.

Conversely, i climbers risk a dangerous route andsucceed, eel ree to reward their bravery with speediertimes or bonuses on uture rolls. Tese characters areadrenaline junkies, afer all.

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Booker Hamlinpesters PCs throughout the entireevent, lining up imaginary shots and snapping flashbulbs. Hes convinced his choice or shooting the doc-umentary ootage is based on his artistic vision, notthe act that he comes cheap and is dumb enough todrag his equipment into the Alaskan wilderness. Anydiscussion inevitably leads to romanticizing the climb-

ers struggle against the mountain, the moti o managainst nature, the reusal o the American character tosubmit to blah blah blah

Te scene ends when characters have had their fill othe conversation and head to bed. Te march towardsbasecamp starts in the morning.

2. Base Camp

Base Camp is to be set up the ollowing morning. Asit is merely a hike to a basin where the camp is set up,GMs should treat this scene solely as a roleplayingopportunity. Players can get to know each other onthe trek, or they can use the opportunity to intimidatetheir competition.

Kyle OShaughnessy is the local teen hired to maintainthe base camp in the absence o the climbers and theonly NPC accompanying them. Perceptive charactersmight notice that OShaughnessy is eigning his loyalty

to the expedition and actually quite resentul o thecharacters. Te boy is a riend o the Hutchison broth-ers, and hes decided to do whatever he can to sabotagethe expedition to ensure their success. Tose aware othe Hutchison brothers and suspicious o OShaugh-nessys demeanor can try to intimidate him into tellingthe truth.

I OShaughnessy is undetected, hell try to do one otwo things: sabotage equipment or dismantle camp.

His first priority will be gaining access to the climbershaul bags. Te original plan is to set up base camp,relax or the remainder o the evening, and head out atfirst light. Once players sleep, OShaughnessy plans toremove non-essential equipment rom as many back-packs as he can, stealing sleeping bags, extra rope, andood. His intent is not to kill, merely to orce the moreexperienced climbers to turn back so that the Hutchi-

sons cannot be overcome.

I the players already know about the Hutchisonsalready, OShaughnessy improvises in his panic to aidehis riends chances. He suggests the expedition let himset up camp by himsel so that the mountaineers canimmediately start their ascent. It will mean bivouack-ing (camping) on the side o the mountain midwaythrough the climb once darkness alls, but its the only

chance to catch up to the locals. I players agree to this,Kyle will wait until they are out o sight beore leavingwith their stored equipment. Tough just a mildinconvenience i the climb goes successully, injuredor exhausted climbers returning to find their tentsgone might not survive a march all the way back to theDenali rading Post.

I OShaugnessy is caught in either plan, hell admithis deceit and retreat back to the trading post withoutmuch fight. Whether characters decide to orge aheador stay the night, the mountaineering skill checksbegin afer characters depart rom Base Camp.

3A.Knifes Ridge (Low Objective)

Approach to Wickershams Wall is rom the PetersGlacier, but the valley surrounding the ice field canbe traversed as well. Te western edge o the glacieris known as Knies Ridge and constitutes a massiveshale cliff that steeply rises above the crevices o the

glacier. Crossing the ridge requires walking acrossthe narrow spine o the shale pile. Te loose, jaggedshale and narrow ridge prevent icing, so this is typ-ically considered the saest, astest path to the wall.However, it is rarely travelled; the massive overhangingrock ace directly above this approach is consideredimpassible and requires a lot o extra vertical climbingto navigate around. Knies Ridge is not without itsdangers. Rogue winds can strike rom the West andblow climbers rom their narrow perch, and the looseshale covering the rock ace makes alls damaging and

difficult to arrest.

Climbers travelling along the Ridge will see a figureapproaching rom urther ahead. Upon closer inspec-tion, it appears to be a climber in extreme distress. Teman is horribly rostbitten and blood-soaked romlacerations across his chest and ace. Coat in tatters,he hunches and mumbles to himsel, eeling his wayorward with an ice axe. Climbers with good Instinctswill recognize a man suffering rom snow blindness.

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Te man doesnt respond to any greetings, merelyblindly continuing his desperate stumble down themountain. When he comes within a ew eet o theclimbers, they become visible as blurry shapes and theman enters a blind, eral panic. Tis is a combat: thehysterical climber is armed with an ice axe, and thenarrow path prevents players rom ganging up on him.

However, he is severely injured and nearly blind, soeven inexperienced fighters should have a chance tobest him.

I players can grapple him to the ground withoutalling down the shale pile, the crazed man can beknocked unconscious. Tis, o course, complicatesmatters or the players; dragging the man back to basecamp will eat an entire days worth o time. aken backto base camp, the man can be revived enough to ravemadly about worms eating the mountain and ask,Wheres Josh? Did they get Josh? Beyond that, themans mind is irreparably broken.

I players cant knock him out, the climber will keepattacking until killed or the players flee. Successulattacks against the assailant will either gut him with anice axe or send him on a atal tumble down the shaleembankment. Victory should be damaging to the at-tacking characters psyche; this outdoor adventure hasturned into a brutal murder in a matter o seconds.

Whether subdued or killed, the climber drops a nearlyempty haul bag monogrammed with P. Hutchison. It

is streaked with rozen blood.

3B. Peters Glacier

Te glacier is cross-hatched with deep crevasses in theice that could break mens legs or necks. Getting acrossmeans winding around atop the ice slabs and avoidingunstable snow bridges. Failing to tell the differencebetween ice and a snow bridge can mean plummetingstraight down as the packed powder gives way, possiblyeven dragging the flat-ooted Belay in aferwards.

Good Instinct is necessary to tell when a snow bridgeis sae. For heightened suspense, GMs might roll thesechecks in secret and tell players whether a bridgeseems sae depending on the result. Recovering roma snow bridge all requires an Ascension check rom

the alling climber and an Endurance check rom theBelay. Tis recovery takes time and slows a team down.Especially reckless teams can try to shave time off theirglacier trek by making an Ascension check to leapacross a crevasse rather than finding a bridge. Failingthis kind o check would be a very bad idea; a missedleap would mean not only a all, but a hard slam intoboth crevice walls.

3C. Snow Slope

Te other side o Peters Glacier is dominated by asnow slope. While much easier going than the glacieritsel and ree rom the alling danger o the shale em-bankment, this slope is where the Wickershams Wallapproach gains its inamy or avalanche danger.

Players oolhardy enough to try this approach mustdeal with an avalanche sweeping down rom the peako the slope and towards the glacier itsel. As a snowavalanche and not one composed o ice and rock, there

is little chance o the collapse killing anyone outright,but the event can still be potentially deadly. Instinctchecks can recognize the tell-tale creak o snow aboutto give way and allow climbers a chance to prepare.Climbers that anchor themselves can weather the tideand make Endurance or Ascension check to dig them-selves out. Failed checks mean the buried climbers takedamage rom suffocation and cold.

IsolationAs soon as players pick separate paths, they canno longer communicate with each other. Separateroutes are too ar away or any communication tobe heard; even shouts are snatched away by themountain winds. Climbing partners and groupsalong the same route can speak to each other, but

only i no one is significantly ahead o the other.Even visual communication between routes is in-effective. I other climbing teams are even in sight,they remain no more than indistinct shapes on thehorizon. Giving up the competition and regroup-ing or saety is a major dramatic choice later inthe scenario, and the isolation o a separate routeshould be apparent to other players at that pointin the adventure.

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I climbers are caught unaware, they will be sweptdown the slope towards the glacier. Tey must makean Endurance check to arrest their slide with an iceaxe. I successul, they stop and must make the checksto dig out listed above. I ailed, the momentum o oneclimber drags the other down too, even i that climberalready braced or stopped his personal slide. Both

climbers must then make Endurance checks or onelast chance to arrest their momentum. Anyone ailingthis check reaches the bottom o the snow slope andslides into a crevasse, taking serious alling damage. Inaddition, they must make the same checks to dig out othe snow listed above least more damage be accrued.Finally, any climbers in a crevasse must rescue them-selves by picking holds into the ice and climbing out,severely delaying the ascent.

4A. Skirting the OverhangDue to its elevation, the Knies Ridge meets Wickersh-ams Wall mid-way up, saving alpinists a ew hundredeet o vertical climb. However, directly above is a hugeoverhang at least 10 meters long. It would require aLead climber to travel that distance hand-over-handacross ice-glazed rock beore pulling themselves upto the vertical ace. Ten, the Belay would have toperorm the same impressive eat, or the Lead wouldhave to plant an anchor o sufficient strength to allow

the belay to swing out into the void and climb the rope.Te route is rumored to be impassible, and the hun-dreds o yards worth o horizontal shimmying requiredto skirt the overhang negates any benefits o taking theKnies Ridge.

With a successul Instinct check, climbers under theoverhang recognize that i a climber could mount it,the time saved would be immense. Climbing teamsmust decide i gaining such a lead is worth the risk.

Either way, the lead must make at least one Ascensioncheck to get them to their destination.

4B. Mantling the Wall

Wickershams Wall presents a stark end to both PetersGlacier and its parallel snow slope. Te climb doesntinitially seem too daunting, but reports say that the av-

alanche danger and truly difficult climbing doesntstart until nearer the cloud line.

A mountaineer with good Instinct recognizes twothings beore mantling onto the wall. Firstly, thereseems to be a section o oddly colored rocks near thebase o the cliff to the East. Secondly, the beginningso a fissure are visible high up the rock ace, just belowthe cloud line. Tis fissure isnt listed in any surveys othe mountain, and there is no telling how ar up it runs

past the mist.

Investigating the oddly covered rocks reveals them tobe painted in a splatter o rozen blood. Nearby is theshockingly mutilated corpse o a ellow climber. Tosethat can keep their head afer seeing such a sight canmake an Instinct check to discover that the state o thebody cant be blamed on a all alone. One entire armis missing, and the head is connected by no more thana string o tissue. It looks like the poor bastard waspassed through a meat grinder beore being droppedoff the mountain. Anyone with a stomach strongenough to search through the pockets finds a ew sparecrampons and some mittens monogrammed with C.Hutchison.

5A. Te Overhang

Mounting the overhang requires a series o three in-creasingly difficult tests or a lead climber. Firstly, thecharacter must make an Ascension check to gain pur-

chase on the icy ceiling. Next, the climber must makean Endurance test to keep their grip, then anotherAscension check. Finally, the Lead must succeed inInstinct, Ascension, and Endurance to find a sae holdacross the lip o the overhang and muscle over it. TeBelay climber can make the Instinct check at the lastminute i the lead ails; the lower perspective providesa better view o what lies beyond the Leads vision.I any o these checks ail, a Lead all occurs. At thatpoint, both climbers better pray the Belay set goodanchors (Instinct) and can hold on (Endurance). Even

i disaster is averted, the prevention o a deadly allonly means that the lead climber gets to smack againstthe rock acehard.

I a Lead manages those three checks, they are con-sidered saely perched on a ledge above the overhang.I they dont want the Belay climber to have to gothrough the same process, they can make an Instinctcheck to secure an anchor strong enough to supportthe partners ull weight on the rope.

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While waiting or the Belay to catch up, the Leadhears a strange crunching sound rom above and eelsthe tinkle o gravel. Looking up, the first VertiginousHorror comes thrashing out o the cloud line, bar-reling down at the Lead climber like some gigantichookworm. Te creatures goal is simple: consume theclimber in its ree jaw.

I the climber manages to stay sane at the sight o thething, the GM can present them with options. Teclimber can try and fight the thing off with an iceaxe, risking consumption or every round the Horrorsurvives. I a hit is scored with the axe, the climber canleap rom the wall, dragging the wiggling thing intothe void beore letting go o the handle. At this point,the anchors set by the Belay would be the only thingkeeping the humans rom a certain death as well.

Finally, the Lead could attempt to climb back down theoverhang, essentially reversing the checks made to getup there in the first place (this matter could be urthercomplicated by a very conused Belay climber tryingto head up at the same time). Tough flexible, theVertiginous Horror has trouble bending itsel into thecomplete circle required to get a grip on the overhangsceiling. In its zealous pursuit o prey, it may lose itsgrip and all to the jagged rocks below.

Particularly evil GMs could say that as its jaw is rippedrom the mountain side, the Vertiginous Horror slicesthe anchor rope amidst its thrashing.

Surviving climbers might choose to head back at thispoint, but doing so would require difficult climbingchecks to get off the cliff ace, or extremely difficultchecks to get under the overhang. For those thatskipped setting up base camp, night is alling as well.Even i they could get off the mountain, it would justmean sacrificing the other climbers to whatever that

thing was without so much as a warning.

From this stage, a mountaineer can either ascend toParkers Rebuff, an ice slope within view o the SouthSummit that has never been climbed, or move side-ways towards a massive fissure. An Instinct role willreveal that weather is going to come in rom the South,buffeting Parkers Rebuff with a storm. Crossing thefissure, while dangerous, would provide shelter romthe winds to come.

BivouackingI players decided to rush through setting up basecamp and get straight to the climbing, it shouldbe getting too dark to continue around the timethey reach locations 5A and 5B. Night climbing isnearly impossible, making it necessary to bivouac.

Tis involves securing onesel to the side o themountain via a harness and trying to get somesleep while perched on whatever narrow ledge isavailable.

Getting through the night requires Endurancechecks against exhaustion and cold. Each ailedcheck costs a climber health. I Kyle OShaugh-nessy stole supplies, three Endurance checks arerequired or each climber. I players have hadnothing stolen or lost but both ail an Instinct

check, two Endurance checks are required. Isomeone succeeds an Instinct test, the climbersare well-prepared and only make one Endurancecheck or the night.

Bivouacking is made all the more uncomortableby the odd sound o crunching gravel echoing upand down the mountainside. Climbers unortu-nate enough to have already encountered the Ver-tiginous Horrors will recognize this as the sound

o reakish jaws biting into stone. Te creaturesare patrolling up and down the rock ace, blindlysearching or prey in the dark. At any moment,one could roll itsel onto the camp and devour aclimber, or bite through a rope and send a sleep-ing mountaineer tumbling to his death. Eventhose lucky enough to avoid such a grisly ate riskgoing mad with ear. Its gonna be a long night.

As it is a means to build tension, night shouldall at a dramatically convenient time or the

GM. Afer a group at 5A has aced a VertiginousHorror, but beore the teams at 5B run into ahorde o them would be an opportune time, orinstance.

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5B. Wickershams Wall

Wickershams Wall is dangerous due to the length o itssheer vertical ascent and the risk o avalanche. Ascen-sion checks are dangerous and requent. Belay climbersdont have to make these checks due to the stabiliz-ing rope, but they have the added danger o rock all

sparked by the Leads movements. Every so ofen, largestones come pouring down rom the weak ootholds othe Lead. Te Belay climber must either make an As-cension check to dodge out o the way or take damage.

Midway up the wall, an odd sound like the crunch ogravel can be heard. iny pebbles start drizzling downrom somewhere above in the mist. Rock all mighteven threaten the Lead climber, dislodged by someunknown source.

Instincts can lead climbers to an odd gleam in therock. Nearby, strange circular impressions can beound on the cliff ace, concentric rings made romhundreds o triangular cuts. Te gleam is rom an iceaxe still embedded in the stone, a hand still clinging toit, dangling an arm. Te etching in the handle reads C.Hutchison.

As climbers approach the mists o the cloud line, thefirst Vertiginous Horror slinks into view. Followed by a

second. Tird

I climbers can suppress their revulsion long enough tomaintain a level-head, they can make an Instincts roll.Success recognizes the descending doom. Te thingsare huge and headed towards them almost as ast asmen all. Since they have the high ground, there is noway to out-climb or outfight the things. raversingsideways is the only hope.

Te way to the right leads to a sharp corner and thevoid. Lef towards the fissure is the only option, but aslong as the climbers make a simple Ascension checkthey can outpace the creatures. Te things dont seemwell-adapted to moving sideways, only able to do soby stagger-stepping with their mouths in a movementreminiscent o parallel parking.

Once reaching the fissure, teams can finally get alook at the massive scar inexplicably running up

the mountains side. Black, sharp obsidian stone marksthe inside o the crack as i it had been burned there.Crawling inside it would cut ropes and hands to pieces,and its a good 25 yards to the other side. Players areaced with a choice: ace certain death in the jaws othe monsters, attempt a risky maneuver called a Pen-dulum raverse, or cut their ropes and try ree-climb-

ing up and away rom the Horrors.

Free-climbing is insanely dangerousone missed holdmeans deathbut it greatly speeds up the laboriousprocess o anchor and belay climbing. It is the onlychance or characters to stay on Wickershams Wall andoutpace the monsters, hopeully finding respite on theice slope o Sourdoughs Deceit

Players choosing to use the fissure as a stop-gap or thebeasts should look to location 6 or a description othat process.

6. Pendulum raverse

A Pendulum raverse is a difficult maneuver at the besto times, not to mention when being pursued by car-nivorous monsters. Whether players are approachingrom the Overhang or Wickershams Wall, the processis the same.

A Lead climbs high up on the fissure and plants thesecurest anchor possible (Instinct check). He then putshis ull weight on the rope and prays the point holds.Te Belay then puts their ull weight on the rope, usingthe Lead as a counter-weight. Te lower climber beginsrunning back and orth across the rock ace, buildingmomentum. Te Belay then leaps into the void, hopingto reach the other side.

Swinging across the fissure is an Ascension check.

Failing the check means the jumper slams against therock ace on the return, taking damage. Te climberabove will also have to make an Endurance check tohold on. Once the leap is successul, the Belay thenclimbs up the other side o the fissure to the samealtitude as the Lead and inserts an anchor o their own.Te Lead then removes the anchor, respools the rope,climbs down to alleviate strain on the line, and makesthe swing.

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A second jumper in a rush (saybecause he is aboutto be eaten?) can cut the rope to the original anchor,alling until the remaining line snaps taut and sendshim hurtling to the other side. I the secured partnercan hold on (Endurance) and the anchor holds (In-stinct) AND the crazy man can grab on afer smackingace first into a cliff (Ascension), it just might work. I

this risky maneuver ails or the monsters grab hold oone o the climbers, the dead weight o the suspended/eaten climber will inevitably break the anchor and pullboth men to their doom. In this instance, both menwill certainly die unless the top climber makes the hardchoice and cuts the rope. I players take this option,the GM should allow enough time or the characters tomake an appropriately cool final exchange. Needless tosay, a climber pragmatic enough to kill his best riendto survive is not going to be mentally healthy anytimesoon thereafer.

7A. Parkers Rebuff

Parkers Rebuff is actually comparatively sae romboth climbing hazards and otherworldly nightmares.Te slope is gradual and snowy, making it difficult orthe Vertiginous Horrors to maneuver. Still, movingaround the area is no less dangerous. Tere are dozenso the creatures laboriously trying to reach their preyby wrenching themselves upright, wavering like a

hollow, tentacled tower o meat, then crashing orwardand repeating the process. It is a horrific sight, as i themountain sprouted a fleshy orest with a need to eat.

So long as characters can keep moving, the real dangeris the incoming storm ront. Te abrasive, whiteoutgalescombined with the high altitude and panickedearcreates a murderous environment. At this point,it takes successul Endurance checks just to incurminor health damage. Failed checks cause seriousdamage such as fingers, noses, and eyelashes lost to

rostbite. Anyone losing all their health points due tothese checks alls rom exhaustion, unable to contin-ue. Unless their partner is willing to take risk moredamage in an attempt to drag them to shelter, theyllhave to be lef to the Vertiginous Horrors.

Te only respite rom the storm is a strange blue glowin the distance (location 8). Te summit lies above thatpoint, offering little solace in lieu o the monstrositiesaround it.

7B. Sourdoughs Deceit

Sourdoughs Deceit is ar steeper than its parallel path,Parkers Rebuff. As such, the Horrors have a mucheasier going than climbers. Mountaineers unortu-nate enough to be in this position will find themselvestrapped on both sides with monsters ascending Wick-ershams Wall below and rolling down the ice slopeabove. Te only glimmer o hope is a strange blue glownear the summit (Location 8) that appears ree o thecreatures, but there a lot o teeth between here andthere.

An Instinct check reveals a slim hope o survival. Teice slope aces the sun, causing a cycle o melting andrereezing that makes the Wickersham route so dan-

gerous in the first place. A climber mad enough torush at the descending Vertiginous Horrors and gochopping with his ice axe might trigger a hard slabavalanche.

Hard slab avalanches occur when entire sheets ojagged ice break ree o the mountainside and beginsliding. Te riction o the moving sheets and thesudden absence o decades old ice causes even moresheets to all until a cascade o gigantic ice sheetsrumbles downwards. In many ways, this event is a

climbers worst nightmare. Te sheets are so massiveand move so quickly they can easily cut a man inhalbut the same could be said o a horrific mon-strosity.

Players should be given an opportunity to survive sucha desperate maneuver. How this is done is up to theGMs discretion. Perhaps it is a simple as coming upwith the idea in the first place, or maybe an Ascensioncheck is required to maneuver out o the way in time.

Games ocusing on the true desperation o a survivalscenario might use some mechanic approximatingblind luck to see whether or not house-sized sheets oice pulverize the characters.

I the tactic succeeds, all the Vertiginous Horrors onSourdoughs Deceit go sliding off the peak o Wicker-shams Wall. Tough some Horrors still climbing thesheer ace below likely survived the icy collapse,they are too delayed to catch up. Shielded by the

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mountain rom the incoming storm, climbers are lefto hobble towards the strange blue glow above at what-ever pace they can manage.

8. Strange Crevice

Scorched and surrounded by melted stone, the cavecut into the side o the summit appears to have beenrecently blasted there by lightening or some sort oinexplicable volcanic activity. Te stone is still slightlywarm to the touch despite the icy maelstrom, and it isunclear whether the blue glow rom the cave is reflect-ing off o the glassy, blackened stones or coming romthe rocks themselves.

In the narrow confines o the cavern, GMs can throwa single Vertiginous Horror at the climbers. Te rela-

tively flat ground and the narrow confines should givecharacters a chance to slay one o the things with iceaxes. I the climbers are already barely alive, eel ree toleave the cave hauntingly vacant.

At the end o the hallway o melted stone, a narrowchimney descends into the heart o the mountain. Teclimb down is easy (especially i a rope is sacrificedto tie off up top), and a glimmer o light can be seenemanating rom the bottom o the shaf.

9. Summit

Tose with the determination (or insanity) to per-severe despite being attacked by monstrosities romanother dimension can reach the summit. Tere, theywill find a blazing snowstorm obscuring any scenicvista that may have rewarded them. Te last Hutchisonbrother is there, rozen in a pool o blood rom his ownraggedly-sliced wrists and staring blankly to the West.In his lap rests a wooden pole with the tatters o a flag

rozen to it, a final insult rom the North Summit actu-ally conquered twenty years previously. Te Sourdoughexpedition told the truth; the whole venture was ornothing.

Buffeted by the storm, climbers ace a choice: theycan descend their original route and try to seek reugerom the creatures in the oddly glowing cave, or they

can risk the winter winds by descending theopposite ace. Doing the latter should require a

number o Endurance checks with health lost to rost-bite, hunger, and exhaustion. I the players succeed,they make it to a place suitable or bivouac and candescend the rest o the way without incident the ol-lowing morning.

10. Portal Chamber

Te strange crevasse empties down into a bizarre, inex-plicable chamber. Te same jagged stone surrounds anobsidian obelisk in the shape o a truncated pyramid,topped with a lapping pool o what appears to bemotor oil. Te thing appears to be resting atop somesort o pillar, but climbing downwards reveals that it ishovering in midair. Te ourth wall o the chamber isopen to the air; this is the top o the fissure that makesup the Pendulum raverse (Location 6).

Te three walls surrounding the pyramid teem withVertiginous Horrors. Te creatures fight or positionon the walls, stabbing each other with their claws,ripping junks rom rivals with their distended jaws.Te wet thumping o the alling worms punctuates theconstant gravel-crunch as the things cling to the walls.Some find escape by shuffling out o the fissure andto Denalis exterior. Others try to crawl blindly acrossthe ceiling where the characters hang. Tese unluckycreatures break off stalactites with their weight and go

crashing into the slick obsidian sides o the pyramidbeore sliding into the abyss.

Upon entering, the origin o the creatures becomesclear. One o the giant worm things comes crashingout o the black pool, arching into the air like a leapingwhale beore smacking into the glassy obsidian sides. Iits lucky, the thing will grab a clear spot on the fissuressides and arrest itsel. I its not, it goes alling into theblack to be dashed on the rocks ar below.

Tere is no way to climb on the fissures walls withoutgetting eaten by the Vertiginous Horrors. Te onlychance to descend this route is the strange obeliskitsel. By tying on another rope to one secured atop thechimney, climbers can descend and perch atop the lipo the black pool. Any rope used this way will have tobe sacrificed. o determine i the climbers have enoughrope descend rom the floating obelisk afer giving upso much line, have players roll an Instinct check to

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determine how well they packed. Characters can stillproceed even i they dont have the line; they just haveto save the rope by leaping into inky waters o the pool(Location 11).

Once balanced on the pools edge, climbers will findthat there is nowhere to tie off. In order to descend

without touching the ravenous walls, one character willhave to sacrifice himsel by staying behind as a count-er-weight. Alternately, they could swim to the bottomo the pool and see i there is anything to secure therope to under the water(Location 11).

Once a rope is secured, characters can saely descendthe shaf (though the Vertiginous Horrors snapping atthem rom all sides is certainly disconcerting). Nearthe bottom, the fissure narrows to the point where thethings cannot maneuver. o reach resh air, climbersneed only scale the mounds o still twitching Horrorskilled in the all rom the portal. Getting outsidemeans a sae descent rom the mountain starting romWickershams Wall (location 5B), though at this pointdeath would likely be a mercy.

11. ?????

Entering the pool instantly causes characters to sink,drifing through a disorienting, bottomless void. Just as

their breath is about to ail, they burst through a newsurace rather than settling to the floor. Afer reorient-ing, a hellish new world on the other side insinuatesitsel.

Another truncated pyramid o black obsidian hoversbeneath them, holding the inky pool that spans two re-alities. Above, a canyon o unimaginable heights rises.Out-o-place stars and too many moons shine througha narrow slit as the immense canyon walls assault the

sky.

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Documents

The Fall Without End