Commoriom Submission v3,17B

7/27/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,17B

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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 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, whichpossessed no vestige of anything human or

even earthly" ! Clar #shton $mith

The protagonists are members of an expedition to

excavate an ancient settlement buried beneath the

Greenland ice. Faced with conflict from within and

without, and the threat of approaching winter, the

expedition degenerates into a struggle to survive as

the team members realise that the true horror is

beneath the ice under their feet.

This scenario is inspired by the Hyperborean Cyclestories of Clark shton !mith, particularly The

Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathla. "t is

recommended that the #eeper reads these short

stories before running this scenario. The story of

the $athieson %xpedition is told in the Call of

Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late

#eith Herber and published in the supplements

Trail of Tsathogghua, &'() and The Compact Trail

of Tsathoggua, &''*.

The Hook"n &'+, an archaeological team from $iskatonic

-niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement

beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in the

mountains of est Greenland. The protagonists are

members of a &'/& follow0up expedition to

excavate the site.

The Horrible TruthThe site is the ruin of Commoriom, the first capitalof the lost civilisation of Hyperborea, which thrived

before the last ice age. %ntombed in the city is a

dormant, monstrous race descended from

Tsathoggua and an alien device that inflicts visions

of life1s disturbing origins.

The SpineThe team members voyage to Godthb, where theycan confront a Rival Expeditionfrom Germany.

They then begin their arduous overland trek in

Evighedsfjorden. Tensions increase between

%thelrod, the team leader, and Granger, who is

struggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to The

Death of Ethelrod. From %thelrod they can ac2uire

a dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yolanguage.

The team receives A Call for Helpfrom the crewof the German base ship, which has lost contact

with the overland team, giving the protagonists a

moral dilemma.

3uring their 4ourney, the characters find evidence

that strange %skimo are watching them and may

discover Gravesof members of the German

expedition, apparently attacked by an unknown

animal. text in their possession, when translated

with %thelrod1s book gives hints about the history

of the site.

Arriving at the Site, the protagonists find a Cube-

Shaped Struturewith walls inscribed with a

history of the pre0humans who first settled there.

5earby, the remains of the last members of the

German expedition can be found. 6n the valley

floor, a Shado! "nder the #eis visible.

They are harried by freak weather conditions and

attacks by a mysterious$east of the #e Sheet,

which continue until they link it with the clan of

strange %skimo that has been following them, andneutralise it.


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Exavating the Struture under the #e leads to

the discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice.

3igging into The #e-Cho%ed stair!a&uncovers a

frie7e describing a history of Hyperborea and

eventually leads to a Cit& "nder the #e. "n a vault

under the ruins of a library is a crystal that can send

the mind back in time to the disturbing origins of

life on earth.

s the city1s inhabitants begin to awaken they try to

free their 8Father1, leading to the A!a%ening of

'n&gathin (hau). The protagonists1 only hope is

to 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 horror

that lies in Commoriom, and surviving it,preferably with the site safely sealed.

Antagonist ReactionsThe rival Ger)an Expeditionis not a 85a7iexpedition1 in any official sense :there is no such

thing until the formation of the hnenerbe in &'/; especially the

esoterically inclined > believed in occult theories of

the uni2ue :or divine< origin of their ancestors on a

lost northern continent :referred to as 8Thule1 or

sometimes 8Hyperborea1 or 8tlantis1 a time

when the rmitage "n2uiry is in its formative

stages. "n &'+(, rmitage, Bice and $organ scored

a victory against the 3unwich Horror and soon 3r

lbert ilmarth 4oined them following hisencounter with the 86uter 6nes1 in the hills of

9ermont. Aust a few weeks ago, the =abodie

%xpedition returned from ntarctica with stories of

unknown 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

secrets about the &'+ expedition to his colleague

3r Francis $organ. $organ shared the story with

=rofessor rmitage and soon they were workingwith =rofessor %thelrod in %ngland to organise a

follow0up expedition for &'/+. However, in late


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&'/, word reached them of a rival German

expedition to the same region planned for &'/& and

their pro4ect was hastened by a year. -nfortunately,

this meant 3r $organ was unable to take part, but

he persuaded Charles Granger, a veteran of the

$athieson %xpedition, to 4oin.

*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&This symbol defines

sections that apply only to running the scenario aspart of the rmitage "n2uiry.

Running Commoriom as astandalone

This scenario can be run as a standalone adventure

or mark a dramatic beginning to an ongoing

campaign.

The difference is that %thelrod has organised the

expedition with the ?ritish $useum, independently

of rmitage and his colleagues, who may have little

insight into what really happened on the $athieson

%xpedition.

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

standalone.

Creating the Protagonistsppropriate roles for the expedition include

archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists,biologists, explosives experts, drill engineers and

radio engineers. ll team members should be

healthy and fit, and be capable cross0country skiers

> represented for game purposes as a minimum

6utdoorsman rating of & and thletics of /. The

expedition will also need someone with $edicine

rating of &D and First id of +D to fill the role of

medic.

The expedition leader is highly xenophobic and

French applicants in particular are not considered.

*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir& "f the expedition is

organised by $iskatonic -niversity, team members

are likely to be merican, perhaps students or

professors at the $iskatonic. ?ritish team members

may have accompanied %thelrod.

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

members would be ?ritish. merican members

may travelled with Granger.

Prologue:Candidate Interviews

Arhaeolog& or Geolog& or Histor&+6verview of several recent polar expeditions 0

RasmussenEs Thule expeditions :3enmark, &'&+ 0

present 0 he is currently in %ast Greenland&'+)< was designed to

attack the great primary problem of the origin of

the %skimo race.

The mathieson %xpedition :&'+; or + the %i&&er> arrives in port to

resupply. %thelrod will refuse to have anything to

do with them however, the protagonists may

choose to approach them. 6nboard 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

reach and explore Nthe ruins of ThuleO, about

having a special right to the heritage of their

ancestors. The resulting humiliation is a &0=oint!tability test for the protagonists.


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#nti)idation+The characters can avoid humiliation

by giving as good as they get. 3-/oint spendallows them to recover & !tability point or tricks the

Germans into revealing the expedition route from

GodthLbsf4orden north0northeast :the same route as

the $athieson %xpedition


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High, steep cliffs. hales, seals, and some

icebergs.

Ianding only possible between Auly and !eptember

lthough the %vighedsf4orden route to Commoriom

is slightly longer than the one from

GodthLbsf4orden, the ascent is gentler, allowing the

transportation of drilling e2uipment. The route from

GodthLbsf4orden involves two steep climbs.

The expedition vessel is met here by a local barge

that drops off the sleds, sled dogs and mushers :dog

sled drivers


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?elow +UF exposed characters without rctic

clothing on act as if hurt. ?elow 0+UF, charactersmust make thletics tests :3ifficulty /< to keep

moving. t 0)UF the 3ifficulty is ) at 0UF the

3ifficulty is ; and so on. 3ifficulty is increased by

+ if the character isn1t wearing protective clothing.

Characters who stop moving lose & Health every &;

minutes or every ; minutes in a bli77ard.

rctic clothing also gives & point of rmor, but

increases the 3ifficulty of thletics and Fleeing

tests > and anything else re2uiring extensive

mobility > by &.

tent and small stove effectively raise the

temperature by +UF. cabin and more powerful

stove raise it by /UF, /;UF with the stove on full

power.

Co))uniations

%thelrod and the crew of the ship agree to

communicate by radio twice a day once at *$

and once at (=$.

Sledding Teams

There are three sleds with ten dogs per sled and

three mushers :or fewer if any =rotagonists are able

drive a dog0sled


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must run uphill along the bottom of the canyon on

gravel and mud, avoiding ice0falls from the glaciers

overhead. The canyon is about &/ miles long. For

any =rotagonists who are driving dog sleds this is a

3riving test against 3ifficulty ;. Failure means that

one of the dogs is in4ured or the sled is stuck,

resulting in delays. For dogs this costs & thletics

pool points.

Ie 7alls

s they progress up the canyon, have everyone

make a !ense Trouble test at 3ifficulty ) to spot ice

tumbling from a tributary into the path of one of the

sleds. nyone who succeeds with !ense Trouble

can call out a warning allowing the driver to take

evasive action. voiding this re2uires a 3riving test

against 3ifficulty ; :) if !ense Trouble is passed


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the creature. %thelrod is not convinced. 3-/oint

spend inReassurane or :latter&will change hismind.

s soon as 3r Granger sees the print, he becomes

extremely agitated and begins muttering to himself.

Evidene Colletion+ 3-/oint spendallows a

character to overhear him mutter about a Nmonster

of the iceO.

Assess Honest& or /s&hoanal&sis+He doesn1t

seem to be calming down. 3 /oint spend in

/s&hoanal&sis+ He may have a phobia or have had

a traumatic experience in the past that has triggered

extreme anxiety. Assess Honest& 3-/oint spend+%thelrod also seems somewhat alarmed although he

is far more in control of himself.

Evidene Colletion 3-/oint spend+The characternotices that Granger is secretly drinking from a hip0

flask.

Hunting the -east

"f the team attempts to hunt the beast, a 3-/oint1utdoors)an spendis re2uired per day to track iton a wandering route roughly east southeast. fter

about three days, they will arrive at the scene

8Graves1. 3uring this trip the hunters mayexperience being spied on by a strange %skimo :see

cross the "ce, The atcher


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:irst Aid 6ore4 floating lue7+This general ability

in this case used as an investigative ability.

%thelrod 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 Nguardian of the temple

must be placatedO but slips into unconsciousness

before he can explain how.

third Reassurane 3-/oint Spendor

=sychological Triage will get Granger talking. He

raves and mutters incoherently about Nblond

%skimoO, Nthe man0eating beast of the iceO, Nthe

city of evilO, Nthe formless guardian of the templeO

and %thelrod stealing his whisky. He soon lapses

into a state of muttering, incoherent catatonia, from

which, as /s&hoanal&sisindicates, he is unlikely

to recover without lengthy therapy.

!thelrod"s Personal !ffets%thelrod left most of his personal possessions on

one of the sleds. Beliant as they were on %thelrod,

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.

%thelrod1s possessions include

Core Clue+ detailed map of est Greenland

with handwritten markings showing both the

route taken by the $athieson %xpedition and

the route planned for the current expedition

!thelro&s (otes on the "iber #$onis:see

8%thelrod1s !ecrets1 sidebar the drill in need of

$echanical Bepair, the "ce melter destroyed or,

most dramatically, the diesel tanks set on fire. The

cabin itself may even be set on fire. !ense

Trouble test against 3ifficulty ; will allow the

protagonists to hear the culprits > most likely the

two younger ?lond %skimo > at work. "f someone

is on watch, success indicates that their approach

has been noticed.

Trac+ing the "s+imo1utdoors)an+ 3-/oint spendwill allow tracksto be followed southwest for about three miles from

the valley edge to a cramped shelter in the snow. "f

this is attempted at night, this is a 9-/oint spend.

QK!idebarR

The &now &helterSene T&pe+6ptional

Following the tracks will lead to a small igloo, after

about an hour.

Anthropolog&+This small type of igloo is typicallybuilt as a temporary shelter for hunting trips, often

on sea ice.

Hanging over the doorway is the skull of a bear.

stone spike has been driven through its nose, giving

it an almost Bhinoceros0like appearance.

Anthropolog&+ This may be a totem animal spirit,

probably to protect the igloo.

Si)ple Searh+ "nside the igloo are a hearth, foodfor several days, bedding for one, and possible

spare clothes or a stone spear, axe or knife.

1utdoors)an+ Tracks of a dog sled can be found

nearby. 3-/oint Spendis needed per day to trackthem to the homestead.

The "s+imo %omesteadSene T&pe+6ptional

bout four days away by dog sled, the clan1shomestead is huddled in a narrow valley in the wild

mountains near %vighedsf4orden.

The house is large structure of whalebone and hide

construct, covered in ice and snow and out of sight

of the valley. trickle of hearth smoke often

emerges from a hole in the roof.

5ear the fire is a makeshift altar and a grotes2ue

idol. The altar is a 4agged, natural rock. "n front of

it, is a bowl of blood and the heart of a polar bear,

sprinkled with tiny flowers. =erched on the altar is asmall, crude whalebone statue of a s2uatting

creature with tentacles for a face. !eeing this

re2uires a &0point !tability test, $ythos related.

Cthulhu 5&thos identifies it as a depiction of

Cthulhu.

ll of the surviving members of the clan will be

here. pproaching without alerting anyone is a

!tealth test against 3ifficulty *. "f alerted, they will

flee a strong group or attack a weak one. "f

surprised, they will be in or around the shelter. "f

cornered, they will fight fiercely to the death.

Q?egin !idebarR

The Blond "s+imoThese natives are, to the best of their knowledge,

the last of an ancient race that once had great cities

here. $ost of their civilised culture has been lost >

they are now simple hunter0gatherers, living harsh

lives in the more remote parts of Greenland. Their

ancient religion has been lost and they make theirofferings and prayers to Cthulhu, who they call

8/ulu.

=hysically, they look very different from other

%skimo people, being blond, with long faces,

elongated ear0lobes and substantial facial hair. They

wear hoodless, wide0collared parkas with hats.

They believe that the thing that comes from the ice

in answer to their song is a 8hite ?ear !pirit1 and

wear amulets, mistakenly believing that they can

offer protection from the Gnoph0#eh.

Anthropolog&+This primitive 4ewellery is an

amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and

possibly intended to offer protection of some kind.

$iolog&+The pendant looks like polar bear boneand the necklace is decorated with bear teeth and

claws.

&lat the Angekok

This white0bearded man may be in his s. He

wears a long parka decorated with strange motifsand symbols and an odd, pointed hat.


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"f -lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensible

curses and wave his hands around in a bi7arre,

intimidating fashion. s a last resort he will attempt

to defend himself with spells or a knife.

-lat1s long, colourful parka is decorated with

a2uatic designs. Cthulhu 5&thos 3-/oint spend+

The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in

undersea towers on the shaman1s long parka seemto be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.

Abilities+ thletics , !cuffling ;, eapons ;,

Health

Hit Threshold+ /

8eapon 0& :knife in fact the upper chamber of a tower.

"t is assumed that the team will create a shaft of pit

to reach the tower then excavate the inside of it.

The #eeper may have to improvise somewhat ifthey 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.

Arhaeolog& or Arhiteture+ The roof and floor

are already partially collapsed.

Geolog& The tower is black granite gneiss. 3-

/oint spendestablishes that it appears to be

extremely ancient, perhaps tens or even hundreds ofthousands of years old.

Arhiteture The style doesn1t resemble that ofany known architectural tradition.

"#ca!ating the ChamerSene T&pe+ Core

0ead-#n+%xcavating the !tructure under the "ce

0ead-1ut+Clearing the Chamber

This phase takes +) days.

5ethods "sable+$anual %xcavation, "ce $elter,%xplosives

Arhaeolog&orEvidene Colletion+ The remains

of an unknown metallic device can be found in the

upper chamber of the tower. n astrolabe,

planetarium or similar

Geolog&4 Craft or Arhaeolog&+"t was decorated

with gold, emeralds and rubies.

Astrono)& or 3-/oint spend in Arhaeolog&4/h&sis or 5ehanial Repair "t was an opticaldevice of some kind, possibly a telescope.

Accessing the &tairwaySene T&pe+ Core

0ead-#n+%xcavating the Chamber

0ead-1ut+The "dol Thaws, Tunnelling the

!tairway

Core Clue+ The struture desends deep into the

ie-sheet2 There is a se)i-intat stair!a& leadingdo!n2

This phase takes &+ days.

5ethods "sable+$anual %xcavation, "ce $elter,

%xplosives

pictographs, EbooksE X, map showing location of $t

9oormithadrethX

Arhaeolog& orEvidene Colletion+ strangeand grotes2ue ob4ect is uncovered in the ice near

the top of the stairwell. "t looks like a grotes2ueidol fashioned of some dark, mottled material,

vaguely toad0like in shape, very dense and about


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the si7e of a melon. !eeing this re2uires a /0point

!tability test, $ythos related.

Cthulhu 5&thos+!tatues of grotes2ue, toad0likeforms are used in the worship of Tsathoggua.

Geolog& or Che)istr&+The ob4ect is not made of

any known material.

"n fact, the ob4ect isn1t a statue at all. "t is a dormantorganism > one of the !pawn of #nygathin @haum.

6nce uncovered, the spawn will begin to thaw and

awaken. !ee The #dol Tha!s.

Arhiteture or Arhaeolog& 6Core lue7+Thereis a stairway descending deeper into the ice.

Tunnelling the &tairwaySene T&pe+ Core

0ead-#n+ccessing the !tairway

0ead-1ut+3escent into the 3epths

"t takes ' days to reach the ice0free section of the

stairwell.

5ethods "sable+$anual %xcavation, "ce $elter,

%xplosives

stairwell runs around the inner perimeter of the

tower. !olidly constructed from granite, most of it

is still intact. There are places where steps have

eroded or broken and places where there are gaps.

Arhiteture+The stairway is constructed in apossibly uni2ue 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.

6n the wall, there is a series of long panels,

seemingly of ancient ivory, with images and Tsath0

o hieroglyphs. These tell a history of Hyperborea,

beginning with the time of construction and going

deep into the past.

$iolog&+Confirms the material is ivory. How it gothere from frica or sia is a mystery. 3-/oint

spendnotes that the ivory must have come from

unusually large elephants.

Anthropolog&4 Arhaeolog&4 Cr&ptograph&4

0anguages4 or Cthulhu 5&thos+ith the help of

the Tsath0o 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 3-/oint spendis needed.

The content of the panels is as follows&. There are several yards where the panelling

is blank

+. The cult of houndeh, the %lk Goddess,

forbids the worship of the old god

@hotha22uah. 5ot daring to destroy them,

the @hotha22uah1s cube0shaped temples are

barred and locked.

/. #ing Io2uamethros is on the throne of

Commoriom, a high city of many spires and

gardens. @ylac the rchimage, apprentice ofHormagor, is granted 8The !eer1s Tower1 in

Commoriom

). @ylac, uses sorcery to create a tower of

black gneiss in $hu Thulan

;. The cult of houndeh becomes the royally

appointed religion. great temple is built in

Commoriom.

. The wi7ard Hormagor of bormis dies at

the hands of the !phinx of bormis. The

town is abandoned.

*. The great wi7ard @on $e77amalech

disappears mysteriously in $hu Thulan.

(. #ing $ennamethros of Commoriom gives

@on $e77amalech a tower in Commoriom,

now called 8The !eer1s Tower1

'. @on $e77amalechparts the northern seaand leads the army of #ing =harogill of

$hu Thulan there to plunder the treasures

of athousand sunken galleys&. @on $e77amalech has a tower of copper

built in $hu Thulan

&&. The hite !ybil of =olarion, a strange

woman from the realms of ice, foretells an

undescribed and abominable doom for all

mortal beings who dare to remain in

Commoriom

&+. Zueen Iuthomne takes the throne of

Commoriom. !he hold ecclesiastical courts.

!he builds a high tower in Commoriom,

which takes thirty years.

&/. !econd city is built called -7uldaroum

&). The Beign of #ing Hom2uat begins in

Commoriom

&;. Founding of Commoriom

&. City called 8Iomar1 settled by people from

@obna in the north

&*. %arly humans build temples to @hotha22uahthe old god of Hyperborea, in imitation of

the sub0human 9oormis


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&(. The 9oormis are driven away. They

congregate around $t. 9oormithadreth

&'. 3escendents of tall, thin antehumans leave

homelands in -ltima Thule in the north and

arrive in Hyperborea.

+. Cold causes the gradual decline of the

9oormis civilisation

+&. 9oormis build a settlement at Commoriom

including a cube0shaped temple to

@hotha22uah

++. The gods "tha2ua and phoom @hah cause

the continent to get steadily colder. realm

of glaciers gradually grows in the north.

+/. @hotha22uah destroys the colony of serpent0

men. Their former slaves, the 9oormis, are

free and begin to establish their own

civilisation on Hyperborea with@hotha22uah as their primary deity.

+). !erpent0men survivors from sinking of the

continent of 9alusia, found a colony in

Hyperborea, bringing 9oormis as slaves and

food source

t the end of this phase :where does this occur in

terms of the panelsX


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The organism will scuttle across the ground on

many limbs and attempt to escape, probably at

night. "t can escape through holes smaller than &

inch diameter, although such a small orifice would

take it two minutes to oo7e through. %scaping under

the sides of tents won1t 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.

QdefineK map layout of cabinR

This creature will attempt to hide among the

outhouses and e2uipment and ambush a lone human

as they wander outside. "f 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 intheir body.

-nless one of the =rotagonists unwittingly sets

himself up as an obvious target, the spawn should

attack a non0player character one of the mushers or

Germans :if present the amount of damage they take only determines

the amount of time it takes for their Health to get

above and able to act once more. Fire damage

does not heal in this way, nor damage from magical

or chemical attacks.

3ue to the hominid strain in its ancestry, the spawn

has an affinity for human biology and can live

inside a human being, substituting natural

biological functions with its own. They can attempt

to subdue a target and then enter the body via an

orifice :probably the mouth


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sometimes confused about normal behaviour and

culture. Assess Honest&will notice something isamiss if the host is observed closely or interacted

with.

Suffoate+The creature can use a limb to sei7e avictim around the neck or simply smother with its

viscous body. pply the 3rowning and !uffocation

rules :Trail of Cthulhu rulebook =(


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stone door scattered around it. The doorway leads

to The 0ibrar&. The passage continues for asimilar length before reaching a second doorway.

This door is intact and open. =assing through the

doorway leads to The High Streetwhere one can

turn left or right.

Closing the door for the first time is an thletics

test against 3ifficulty &; and re2uiring tools to usefor leverage. For subse2uent attempts, it is

3ifficulty &+.

Exavation

allsX CobblesX ncient 3oorsX

High Street

From the "ce 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 + yards. The right branch leads to TheS,uare.

The street is wide and the forms of ancient homes,

towers, sidestreets and so on can be glimpsed along

it1s 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.

=rehistoric plantsX

Exavation+ 39 hours

%xcavation of the fissures reveals they are channels

leading into the ice.There are also fissures behindthe walls, doorways and windows. ?uried deep in

the ice, eventually another hibernating spawn will

be found. $ore of these can be found with a few

more hours of excavation.

The S


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ithian script and the dot0based cipher of the %lder

Things.

The entire collection here behaves like any

collection of =nakotic $anuscripts as described in

Trail of Cthulhu =age SS. Becovering each point

of Cthulhu $ythos worth of fragments to the

surface takes at least a day.

Translating, collating and interpreting this materialis a pro4ect that would takes years. However, with

the aid of the Tsath0o dictionary and a +0=oint

spend in Iibrary -se, it1s possible to collate and

translate enough of the material for an overview.

0anguage+Tsath0o :with passages in %lder !criptand ithian / 9oormis gain freedom from !erpent

=eople, found Hyperborean colony

Stabilit& test+/0point !tability test

)& > )+ !erpent people in city called 8oth1

genetically engineer simians into land

hominids and a2uatic hominids to serve as

slavesStabilit& test+/0point !tability test

Sanit& lost+& point

Drives at sta%e+nti2uarianism, Thirst

for #nowledge/illars of Sanit& at sta%e+Family, Human3ignity and 9alue, Beligion

)/ > )) !erpent people civilisation wiped out by

rise of dinosaurs


Sanit& lost+& point); > ) !hoggoth rebellion defeated in %lder thing

civilisation

Stabilit& test+)0point !tability test

Sanit& lost+& point

;& > ;+ !erpent people kingdom of 9alusia


Sanit& lost+ & point

;/ > ;) Cataclysm raises BElyeh, arrival of

Cthulhu, war of Cthulhu and the %lder

ThingsStabilit& test+0point !tability test

Sanit& lost+ + points

Drives at sta%e+nti2uarianism, Thirst

for #nowledge

;; > ; %lder thing experiments create vertebrates

Stabilit& test+)0point !tability test

Sanit& lost+& point

Drives at sta%e+nti2uarianism, Thirstfor #nowledge

/illars of Sanit& at sta%e+Family, Human3ignity and 9alue, Beligion


38/40

& > + -bbo !athla is witnessed as the foul source

of all earthly life

Stabilit& test+)0point !tability test :or

nagnorosis a biological factory for breedingslaves. %arth0life is an accidental by0product.

Stabilit& test+) point !tability test :or

nagnorosis seeing is believing in this case. !ome

of these experiences are capable of causing lost

3rives or smashed =illars of !anity at the #eeper1s

discretion.

Q!idebarR

Antagonist Reactions ofthe &pawn

These antagonist reactions are designed to create a

growing sense of unease. They should be detailedand timed according to drama, atmosphere and

=rotagonist actions. The events of the different

sections should overlap.

Thawing

s 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.

Evidene Colletion+

"t seems slightly warmer in the city than when

the characters first entered.

o thermometer will confirm that the

temperature is now 4ust above free7ing

ater is dripping from the ceiling

=ools of water are collecting

!mall rivulets are running from that wall of ice

The surface of that wall seems more pitted than

when we first saw it. " don1t remember those

holes being there

Someone"s ,issingF

6ne of the 5on0=layer Characters :if there are any

left< working or moving alone in the city ruins is

noticed as missing.

!ense Trouble test against 3ifficulty ) may allow

characters to hear a cry for help.

fter a search, the character is found unconscious,

lying in a large pool of blood.

5ediine+There is no obvious sign of in4ury. :&

point spend< He appears to be in a coma.

:orensis+ :& point spend< There is no sign of

in4ury apart from bruising around the neck and face.

,ore Thawing

gain this is something that one of the =rotagonistsshould notice passively. This can occur more than

once.

Evidene Colletion+

black substance is oo7ing from holes in the

High Streetor The S,uare

o hen revisited, the oo7e is gone.

o "f a sample is taken the container is later

found broken or overturned and the

sample missing


39/40

Something in the Shadows

hen two or more characters are moving through

the city, with a successful !ense Trouble test

against 3ifficulty , they catch a glimpse of

something slithering or scuttling among the ice and

rubble. ?y the time they reach the spot to

investigate, there is nothing there.

A Protagonist is Attaked

"f a =rotagonist is so foolish as to be alone in the

city they may be targeted by one of the spawn. The

#eeper 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.

!ense Trouble test against 3ifficulty will allow

the character to catch a glimpse of movement or a

sound as the creature approaches or waits inambush. "f they succeed, the spawn will Chase

them. Three or four successful thletics or Fleeing

tests may be enough to allow the character to reach

the rest of the group, at which point the spawn will

retreat. "f they fail the !ense Trouble test above, the

spawn will attack with surprise.

"f the creature successfully invades or incapacitates

its host then that character infected and is likely to

come under the control of the spawn within hours.

Their first action on waking will be to hide any

blood and tissues expelled during the implantation

process. :Can it assert control immediatelyX

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