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A Submission for

Trail of Cthulhu

Commoriom"I have yet to translate the terrible and

abominable legend telling how a certain doughtycitizen 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 evenearthly " ! he #amily ree of the $ods, Clar%

&shton 'mith

The protagonists are members of an expedition toexcavate an ancient settlement buried beneath theGreenland ice. Faced with conflict from within andwithout, and the threat of approaching winter, theexpedition degenerates into a struggle to survive asthe team members realise that the real horror is

beneath the ice under their feet. And the greatesthorror of all may be truth itself.

This scenario is inspired by the Hyperborean Cyclestories of Clar Ashton !mith, particularly TheTestament of Athammaus and Ubbo-Sathla . "t isrecommended that the #eeper reads these shortstories before running this scenario. The story ofthe $athieson %xpedition is told in the Call ofCthulhu scenario Trail of Tsathoggua by the late#eith Herber and published in the supplementsTrail of Tsathogghua , &'() and The Compact Trailof Tsathoggua , &''*.

The Hook"n &'+ , an archaeological team from $is atonic-niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement

beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in themountains of est Greenland. The protagonists aremembers of a &'/& follow0up expedition toexcavate the site.

The Horrible TruthThe archaeological site dates from the dawn ofhuman ind. "t is the ruin of Commoriom, the firstcapital of the lost civilisation of Hyperborea, which

thrived before the last ice age. %ntombed in the cityis an ancient device that grants visions of thedisturbing origins of life on earth, along with adormant, monstrous race descended fromTsathoggua.

The SpineThe team members voyage to Godthb , where theycan confront a Rival Expedition from Germany.They then begin their arduous overland tre inEvighedsfjorden . Tensions increase between%thelrod, the team leader, and Granger, who isstruggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to TheDeath of Ethelrod . From %thelrod they can ac1uirea dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yo language.

The team receives A Call for Help from the crewof the German base ship, which has lost contactwith the overland team, giving the protagonists amoral dilemma.

2uring their 3ourney, the characters find evidencethat strange %s imo are watching them and maydiscover Graves of members of the Germanexpedition, apparently attac ed by an un nownanimal. A text in their possession, when translatedwith %thelrod4s boo gives hints about the historyof the site.

Arriving at the Site , the protagonists find a Cube-Shaped Stru ture with walls inscribed with ahistory of the pre0humans who first settled there.

5earby, the remains of the last members of theGerman expedition can be found. 6n the valleyfloor, a Shado! "nder the # e is visible.

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They are harried by frea weather conditions andattac s by a mysterious $east of the # e Sheet ,which continue until they lin it with the clan ofstrange %s imo that has been following them, andneutralise it.

Ex avating the Stru ture under the # e leads tothe discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice.

2igging into The # e-Cho%ed stair!a& uncovers afrie7e describing a history of Hyperborea andeventually leads to a Cit& "nder the # e . "n a vaultunder the ruins of a library is a crystal that can sendthe mind bac in time to the disturbing origins oflife on earth.

As the city4s inhabitants begin to awa en they try tofree their 8Father4, leading to the A!a%ening of'n&gathin (hau) . The protagonists4 only hope isto flee.

However, even if they escape, the insight granted by the crystal may still claim their minds.

Victory Conditions9ictory in this scenario means realising the horrorthat lies in Commoriom, and surviving it,

preferably with the site safely sealed.

Antagonist ReactionsThe rival Ger)an Expedition is not a 85a7iexpedition4 in any official sense :there is no suchthing until the formation of the Ahnenerbe in &'/; especially theesoterically inclined > believed in occult theories ofthe uni1ue :or divine< origin of their ancestors on alost northern continent :referred to as 8Thule4 orsometimes 8Hyperborea4 or 8Atlantis4 a timewhen the Armitage "n1uiry is in its formativestages. "n &'+(, Armitage, ice and $organ scoreda victory against the 2unwich Horror and soon 2rAlbert ilmarth 3oined them following hisencounter with the 86uter 6nes4 in the hills of9ermont. Bust a few wee s ago, the =abodie%xpedition returned from Antarctica with stories ofun nown prehistoric life forms and a vast range of

mountains dotted with strange structures.6n his deathbed in &'+', =rofessor Curtis$athieson revealed a number of unpublished

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secrets about the &'+ expedition to his colleague2r Francis $organ. $organ shared the story with=rofessor Armitage and soon they were wor ingwith =rofessor %thelrod in %ngland to organise afollow0up expedition for &'/+. However, in late&'/ , word reached them of a rival Germanexpedition to the same region planned for &'/& andtheir pro3ect was hastened by a year. -nfortunately,this meant 2r $organ was unable to ta e part, buthe persuaded Charles Granger, a veteran of the$athieson %xpedition, to 3oin.

*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir& This symbol definessections that apply only to running the scenario as

part of the Armitage "n1uiry.

Running Commoriom as astandalone

This scenario can be run as a standalone adventureor mar a dramatic beginning to an ongoingcampaign.

The difference is that %thelrod has organised theexpedition with the ?ritish $useum, independentlyof Armitage and his colleagues, who may have littleinsight into what really happened on the $athieson%xpedition.

*S&)bol+ Standalone This symbol definessections that apply only to running the scenario as astandalone.

Creating the ProtagonistsAppropriate roles for the expedition includearchaeologists, geologists, anthropologists,

biologists, explosives experts, drill engineers andradio engineers. All team members should behealthy and fit, and be capable cross0country s iers

> represented for game purposes as a minimum6utdoorsman rating of & and Athletics of /. The

expedition will also need someone with $edicinerating of &D and First Aid of +D to fill the role ofmedic.

The expedition leader is highly xenophobic andFrench applicants in particular are not considered.

*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir& "f the expedition isorganised by $is atonic -niversity, team membersare li ely to be American, perhaps students or

professors at the $is atonic. ?ritish team membersmay have accompanied %thelrod.

*S&)bol+ Standalone "f the expedition begins inGreat ?ritain it is li ely that most of the team

members would be ?ritish. American membersmay travelled with Granger.

Prologue"n order to introduce their characters, it isrecommended that the #eeper run a short scene

from his or her expedition interview as a 2irected!cene for each one :see The Dying of St Margarets page (

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!cholarship

Thirst For #nowledge

"n the ?lood might be interesting if the character isrelated to the Hyperborean ?lond %s imo.

Pillars of Sanity

The dominant theme of this scenario is the dignityor otherwise of human origins.

6ne =illar of !anity that might be particularlyinteresting dramatically is Family. A character withthis =illar will have a firm conviction in the dignityof their origins. "f Caucasian, they may believe inthe theory of the origins of their ancestors on thelost continent of Thule. They may have heard talesof 8blond %s imo4 in north0western Canada. Theymay even subscribe to racist theories li e the

5ational !ocialists of Germany.

As players can create their own =illars of !anity itis impossible to provide an exhaustive list, butseveral others from the Trail of Cthulhu ruleboothat may be particularly interesting areE

eligious Faith

Human 2ignity and 9alue

The #eeper should try to encourage some players to pic from the pillars above.

2rives potentially undermined by %yeEAnti1uarianism

Thirst For #nowledge

Adventure

!cholarship

Curiosity

Arrogance

.illars of Sanit&

eligious Faith

Family

Human 2ignity and 9alue

!cientific =rogress "ntellect

Goodness of $an ind

$oral principles

Aesthetics

%picureanism=atriotism

ove of Home City

ScenesBriefingS ene T&pe+ Core :"ntroduction alarge cabin and outhouses for supplies and dogs.They will use the drilling rig, blasting e1uipment,the ice melting machine, and hand excavation toaccess and excavate the site.

From 5ovember it will become difficult toapproach by sea. "f necessary, the team will remainon the ice sheet over winter until $arch when thef3ord becomes accessible again. "n case ofemergency, a team should be able to reach themfrom GodthIb overland in about five days.

=rofessor %thelrod stresses his 1ualifications as ahard0nosed scholar not prone to flights of fancy or

bi7arre speculations. However, there were manythings he experienced that shoc ed him and caused

him to reconsider ideas about the world. He believes that what they found in the Greenland icewere remains of a lost prehistoric civilisation,

perhaps hinted at in Gree myths.

He introduces ilfred -pton0!mith, a round0faced7oologist and friend of the %thelrod family, andCharles Granger, a red0haired, red0faced man ofaround / , a second veteran of the $athieson%xpedition who will be 3oining them on this trip.

*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir& 0ral Histor& 2-

.oint spend+ There are rumours that 2r Grangerhas a drin problem.

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%thelrod as s each team member to introducethemselves and assigns roles.

Assess Honest&+ Henry %thelrod is reserved,somewhat aloof and doesn4t give much away.

Ar haeolog& or Anthropolog&+ According to theexpedition report, the team made transcriptions of anumber of carvings on a large stone slab found atthe face of Helheim Glacier on the east coast.Archaeologists have subse1uently associated thesecarvings with a Greenlandic colony of the extinct2orset Culture. 2-point spend+ !ome odd artifactsfeaturing strange figures wearing hoodless par aswith tall collars and women with large hairstyleswere found on Cape 2orset on ?affin "sland in&'+ . "t is generally thought that the Greenlandic2orset culture is limited to the north0west coast ofthe island.

$iolog& or 0utdoors)an 2-.oint spend+ =olar bears are mostly found in coastal regions in thenorth and east of Greenland > they are largelyun nown in the mountains although females withcubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainousareas in the north.

uestions and !Ans"ers%thelrod will as if there are any 1uestions. He may

provide the following additional details and anyothers the #eeper deems appropriate.

J $athieson remained onboard ship, due to health problems. He died of a heart condition in &'+'.

J The top of the structure was estimated to be underat least &;0+ feet of ice and to extend to un nowndepths. He declines to speculate on the age of thestructure.

J At an international archaeology conference in=aris last year, 2r !ummers of %dinburgh-niversity, heard reference to a forthcoming

expedition to explore what was 8nonsensically4described as 8ruins of Thule found in estGreenland4. "t isn4t nown what si7e the rival teamis or when they will arrive.

He will wrap up the briefing after three or four1uestions, or if he doesn4t li e the direction the1uestions are going.

Assess Honest&+ hen as ed about the specifics ofthe first expedition, why the details were notreleased or why the second expedition was delayed

for so long, %thelrod seems somewhat evasive. 2.oint Spend+ He is deliberately hiding something.

%thelrod will wrap up the briefing after three orfour 1uestions, or if he doesn4t li e the direction the1uestions are going.

Henry EthelrodTo interact with %thelrod significantly, ?ritishcharacters need a Credit ating of ;D, Americansand other %uropeans need D. Anyone else willneed to ma e a &0=oint spend in Credit ating oneach significant occasion.

Abilities+ Athletics ;, Credit ating *, Firearms *,Health *, !cuffling *, eapons Hit Threshold+ /Ar)or+ 0& vs all :if wearing Arctic gear without a map, a compass or in

poor visibility will re1uire 6utdoorsman spends inorder to progress in the correct direction.

Ar ti travel on foot

Cross0country s iing costs ) Athletics, Fleeing orHealth per day in these conditions. ithout s is thespeed is halved.

Travel b& dog-sled

This re1uires 2riving :2og !led< in addition to thecosts above. 2og teams will use Athletics pool

points :or Health once these are depleted< each day,/ points are replenished at the end of the day if thedogs are rested and well0fed.

Effe ts of Cli)ate

As long as they are wearing Arctic clothing, thecharacters will suffer no ill effects from thetemperature here at this time of year :averagingaround + UF in the day and & UF at night

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Chainsa!

"f someone should use this as a weapon at an stage,give it damage D&, but due to its generalunwieldiness, users ma e attac tests at 0&.

Qend sidebarR

"!ighedsf$orden GlacierS ene T&pe+ Core, Challenge/ead-#n+ %vighedsf3orden/ead-0ut+ The Climb to the "ce !heet

The first stage of the 3ourney is li ely to last oneday and is very challenging. The loaded dog sledsmust run uphill along the bottom of the canyon ongravel and mud, avoiding ice0falls from the glaciersoverhead. The canyon is about &/ miles long. Forany =rotagonists who are driving dog sleds this is a2riving test against 2ifficulty ;. Failure means thatone of the dogs is in3ured or the sled is stuc ,resulting in delays. For dogs this costs & Athletics

pool points.

,ce 6allsAs they progress up the canyon, have everyonema e a !ense Trouble test at 2ifficulty ) to spot icetumbling from a tributary into the path of one of thesleds. Anyone who succeeds with !ense Troublecan call out a warning allowing the driver to ta e

evasive action. Avoiding this re1uires a 2riving testagainst 2ifficulty ; :) if !ense Trouble is passed most li ely thetwo younger ?lond %s imo > at wor . "f someoneis on watch, success indicates that their approachhas been noticed.

Trac,ing the "s,imo"f the clan is not effectively defeated : illed,captured, scattered etc

they are now simple hunter0gatherers, living harshlives in the more remote parts of Greenland. Theirancient religion has been lost and they ma e their

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offerings and prayers to Cthulhu, who they call8 /ulu .

=hysically, they loo very different from other%s imo people, being blond, with long faces,elongated ear0lobes and substantial facial hair. Theywear hoodless, wide0collared par as with hats.They believe that the thing that comes from the ice

in answer to their song is a 8 hite ?ear !pirit4 andwear amulets, mista enly believing that they canoffer protection from the Gnoph0#eh.

Anthropolog&+ This primitive 3ewellery is anamulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and

possibly intended to offer protection of some ind.

$iolog&+ The pendant loo s li e polar bear boneand the nec lace is decorated with bear teeth andclaws.

$lat< Shaman< Priest of 7uluThis white0bearded man may be in his s. Hewears a long par a decorated with strange motifsand symbols and an odd, pointed hat.

"f -lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensiblecurses and wave his hands around in a bi7arre,intimidating fashion. As a last resort he will attemptto defend himself with spells or a nife.

-lat4s long, colourful par a is decorated witha1uatic designs. Cthulhu 4&thos 2-.oint spend+ The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling inundersea towers on the shaman4s long par a seemto be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.

Abilities+ Athletics , !cuffling ;, eapons ;,Health Hit Threshold+ /5eapon E 0& : nife