Commoriom Submission v3,20

8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,20

1/41

A Submission for

Trail of Cthulhu

Commoriom

General/structural comments:

It would be good if, by the end, the protagonists

have an idea of what KZ and his spawn might be,

maybe where they came from. Do they also need a

copy of the Book of Eibon

!an second half be structured into scenes Eg. "he

#alley of !ommoriom, E$cavation, "he !ity under

the Ice.

!hange both clues and instructions to the Keeper

into second person.

!an e%uipment be defined in terms of opportunities

for the use of &reparedness Eg. 'inches, ropes

etc. (eview travel, supply levels and some physical

challenges to make them properly player)facing and

simple to use. But wait to see what *aws comes upwith in +ythos E$peditions.

+ake format of clues consistent bulleted- as per

above

ave one or more protagonists placed in charge of

organising the inventory of the e$pedition. 'hen

someone wants to obtain something from supplies

the first characters- make a &reparedness test,

perhaps modified by their initial thoroughness. will

they need a separate &reparedness pool for

individual use- But see what (obin *aws comesup with

Include "hule /ociety esoteric conspiracy 0 vril

stuff

"I have yet to translate the terrible and

abominable legend telling how a certain doughty

citizen of Commoriom returned to the city after

its public evacuation, and found that it was

peopled most execrably and numerously by the

fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, which

possessed no vestige of anything human oreven earthly" ! Clar #shton $mith

"he protagonists are members of an e$pedition to

e$cavate an ancient settlement buried beneath the

1reenland ice. 2aced with conflict from within and

without, and the threat of approaching winter, the

e$pedition degenerates into a struggle to survive as

the team members realise that the true horror isbeneath the ice under their feet.

"his scenario is inspired by the yperborean !ycle

stories of !lark 3shton /mith, particularly The

Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathla. It is

recommended that the Keeper reads these short

stories before running this scenario. "he story of

the +athieson E$pedition is told in the Call of

Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late

Keith erber and published in the supplements

Trail of Tsathogghua, 4567 and The Compact Trail

of Tsathoggua, 4558.

The HookIn 459:, 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 1reenland. "he protagonists are

members of a 45


2/41

The Spine"he team members voyage to Godthb, where they

can confront a Rival Expeditionfrom 1ermany."hey then begin their arduous overland trek in

Evighedsfjorden. "ensions increase betweenEthelrod, the team leader, and 1ranger, who is

struggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to TheDeath of Ethelrod. 2rom Ethelrod they can ac%uirea dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yolanguage.

"he team receives A all for !elpfrom the crew

of the 1erman base ship, which has lost contact

with the overland team, giving the protagonists a

moral dilemma.

During their >ourney, the characters find evidence

that strange Eskimo are watching them and may

discover Gravesof members of the 1erman

e$pedition, apparently attacked by an unknownanimal. 3 te$t in their possession, when translated

with Ethelrod=s book gives hints about the history

of the site.

Arriving at the "ite, the protagonists find a ube#

"haped "tructurewith walls inscribed with a

history of the pre)humans who first settled there.

?earby, the remains of the last members of the

1erman e$pedition can be found. @n the valley

floor, a "hado$ %nder the &ceis visible.

"hey are harried by freak weather conditions andattacks by a mysterious'east of the &ce "heet,which continue until they link it with the clan of

strange Eskimo that has been following them, and

neutralise it.

Excavating the "tructure under the &ce leads to

the discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice.

Digging into The &ce#ho(ed stair$a)uncovers afrieAe describing a history of yperborea and

eventually leads to a it) %nder the &ce. In a vaultunder the ruins of a library is a crystal that can send

the mind back in time to the disturbing origins of

life on earth.

3s the city=s inhabitants begin to awaken they try to

free their 2ather=, leading to the A$a(ening of*n)gathin +haum. "he protagonists= only hope is

to flee.

owever, even if they escape, the insight granted

by the crystal may still claim their minds.

Victory Conditions#ictory in this scenario means realising the horror

that lies in !ommoriom, and surviving it,

preferably with the site safely sealed.

Antagonist Reactions

"he rival German Expeditionis not a ?aAie$pedition= in any official sense there is no such

thing until the formation of the 3hnenerbe in 45


3/41

"he third group of antagonists are the "pa$n of

*n)gathin +haum descendants of "sathogguawith a kinship to the formless spawn and less

visibly to the pre)human #oormis-. "he presence of

human beings will cause them to begin to awake

from their aeon)long hibernation. "o them, human

beings are both unwelcome invaders and a food

source. "heir kinship to humans allows them to

parasitiAe them, and take control of their minds.

"hey will attempt to trap the humans under the ice

to present them as a gift for their King Knygathin

Zhaum. "hey are stealthy, intelligent and mobile

and will attempt to lure humans into becoming

infected, until they have the numbers and access to

e%uipment needed to order to hasten the awakening

and liberation of their father.

Running Commoriom with

the Armitage Inquiry"his scenario begins in late une 45


4/41

In 4596, Byrd led a large e$pedition to

3ntarctica, and the following year flew over the

/outh &ole. 1eologists of the Byrd e$pedition

apparently found many fossils indicating a

tropical past.

Geolog):

In 4596, Byrd led a large e$pedition to

3ntarctica, and the following year flew over the

/outh &ole. 1eologists of the Byrd e$pedition

apparently found many fossils indicating a

tropical past.

"he Dane Knud (asmussen is currently on the

si$th of his famous "hule e$peditions, this time

to consolidate Denmark=s claim on Erik the

(ed=s *and in East 1reenland.

In 45


5/41

Archaeolog):Dr +organ has a good reputation as

a scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. 4)

&oint spend- It is also rumoured that he has

previously been involved in e$peditions and

research of a rather unconventional and slightly

controversial nature.

,")mbol: "tandalone."he briefing takes place in a

basement seminar room of the British +useum. Dr1ranger has crossed to 3tlantic to >oin the team.

Ethelrods Presentation

3 tall, distinguished)looking man in his CFs walks

to the front of the room and stands in front of the

blackboard. e has a slight limp, but seems to be in

good shape for his age.

Archaeolog)2 Anthropolog)2 Geolog) or !istor):During the 459: +athieson E$pedition, Ethelrod

led an overland trek that discovered artifacts that

have not been e$plained to everyone=s satisfaction.

anguages 3#point spend or Anthropolog):

Ethelrod has a reputation as an intelligent and

accomplished academic specialising in the

development of Indo)European languages. e is

rumoured to have an aristocratic family.

In a polished, upper class English accent, he

introduces himself and, without wasting time on

niceties, launches into the briefing.

In +ay 459:, the +athieson E$pedition of+iskatonic ;niversity investigated a stone wall of

impressive dimensions found in the elheim

1lacier on the east coast of 1reenland.

e passes around a photograph of the stone block

with the e$pedition ship alongside. It appears to be

about


6/41

"he overland team will use dog sleds and a snow

tractor to reach the site, via a longer, but more

accessible route than the +athieson E$pedition.

/ome climbing e%uipment will be provided,

although no ma>or climbs should be needed to reach

the site. "eam members will be issued with rifles to

protect themselves from bears and other dangerous

animals.

@nce at their destination, the team will make an

initial survey of the site then build their camp a

large cabin and outhouses for supplies and dogs.

"hey will use the drilling rig, blasting e%uipment,

the ice melting machine, and hand e$cavation to

access and e$cavate the site.

3fter /eptember it will become difficult to

approach by sea. If necessary, the team will remain

on the ice sheet over winter until +ay or une when

the f>ord will become accessible again. In case of

emergency, 1odthb is accessible overland on foot

in about five days using climbing gear, although

most of the e%uipment would not be transportable

this way.

&rofessor Ethelrod stresses his %ualifications as a

hard)nosed scholar not prone to flights of fancy or

biAarre speculations. owever, as the claims of the

recently returned &abodie E$pedition to 3ntarctica

suggest, the poles may conceal secrets that would

overturn our entire understanding of the past. @n

the +athieson E$pedition there were many thingshe e$perienced that shocked him and caused him to

reconsider ideas about the world. e believes that

what they found in the 1reenland ice were remains

of a lost prehistoric civilisation, perhaps hinted at in

1reek myths.

e introduces 'ilfred ;pton)/mith, a round)faced

Aoologist and friend of the Ethelrod family, and

!harles 1ranger, a red)haired, red)faced man of

around oining them on this trip.,")mbol: Armitage &n-uir).0ral !istor) 3#

5oint spend: "here are rumours that Dr 1ranger

has a drink problem.

Ethelrod asks each team member to introduce

themselves and assigns roles.

Assess !onest):enry Ethelrod is reserved,somewhat aloof and doesn=t give much away.

Archaeolog) or Anthropolog): 3ccording to the

e$pedition report, the team made transcriptions of anumber of carvings on a large stone slab found at

the face of elheim 1lacier on the east coast.

3rchaeologists have subse%uently associated these

carvings with a 1reenlandic colony of the e$tinct

Dorset !ulture. 3#point spend:/ome odd artifacts

featuring strange figures wearing hoodless parkas

with tall collars and women with large hairstyles

were found on !ape Dorset on Baffin Island in

459:. It is generally thought that the 1reenlandic

Dorset culture is limited to the north)west coast of

the island.

'iolog) or 0utdoorsman 3#5oint spend:&olarbears are mostly found in coastal regions in the

north and east of 1reenland they are largely

unknown in the mountains although females with

cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous

areas in the north.

Archaeolog)2 'iolog) or Geolog) 65ipe7:"he

disastrous &abodie E$pedition to the /outhern &ole,

from which there were only three survivors,

reported finding very well preserved specimens of

si$)foot)long, barrel)shaped organisms with

starfish)shaped heads. 5ipe:"he full significance of

this clue will become clear to someone who reads

"he Book of Eibon or e$plores the ruins of

!ommoriom.

Questions and Answers

Ethelrod will ask if there are any %uestions. e may

provide the following additional details and any

others the Keeper deems appropriate.J +athieson remained onboard ship, due to health

problems. e died of a heart condition in 4595.

J "he top of the structure was estimated to be under

at least 4C)9F feet of ice and to e$tend to unknown

depths. e declines to speculate on the age of the

structure.

J 3t an international archaeology conference in

&aris last year, Dr /ummers of Edinburgh

;niversity, heard reference to a forthcoming

e$pedition to e$plore what was nonsensically=described as ruins of "hule found in 'est

1reenland=. It isn=t known what siAe the rival team

is or when they will arrive.

e will wrap up the briefing after three or four

%uestions, or if he doesn=t like the direction the

%uestions are going.

Assess !onest):'hen asked about the specifics ofthe first e$pedition, why the details were not

released or why the second e$pedition was delayed

for so long, Ethelrod seems somewhat evasive. 3

5oint "pend: e is deliberately hiding something.


7/41

Ethelrod will wrap up the briefing after three or

four %uestions, or if he doesn=t like the direction the

%uestions are going.

Henr Ethelrod

"o interact with Ethelrod significantly, British

characters need a !redit (ating of CG, 3mericans

and other Europeans need :G. 3nyone else will

need to make a 4)&oint spend in !redit (ating on

each significant occasion.

Abilities:3thletics C, !redit (ating 8, 2irearms 8,ealth 8, /cuffling 8, 'eapons :

!it Threshold:orden

"he ship makes a scheduled stop in 1odthb, the

capital of 1reenland, for three days, to refuel,

collect supplies and meet the sledding team. @ncethe ship is prepared, a local boat is to transport the

sleds and sled dogs to Evighedsf>orden in a separate

boat.

It is late uly by the time the team arrive. "he

mildness of the climate may be surprising to some.

+ost of the land and sea is free of ice. In spite of a

near complete absence of trees, there is a fair

amount of greenery and the rivers swell with melt

water.1reenland at this time is a colony of Denmark and

uses Danish currency and mostly Danish place

names. 1odthb is the capital and has a population

of around 9FFF, mostly Eskimo, but with a few

people of /candinavian descent. ouses are mostly

traditional Eskimo huts of stone and turf with a few

/candinavian)style structures of imported wood.

"he main industries here are whaling and fishing

and there is a blubber boiling plant >ust outside of

town. "here is also a general store, a newspaper

office, a small school, a seminary and a government

building with a radio station.

"o the east lies 1odthbsf>orden, the long,

meandering f>ord with many inlets where the

+athieson E$pedition landed.

anguages 6Danish or &nuit7 A;D 0ral !istor)

or Reassurance 6loating7:If the &rotagonists go

ashore and talk to the locals, they will hear of

another foreign research ship that arrived over a

week earlier. ollo$#%p 6redit Rating2Reassurance2 latter) or 'argain7:"he vesseldropped off a 1erman research team in

1odthbsf>orden and left shortly afterwards.

Ethelrod will get this information one way or

another from a member of the crew if not from

the &rotagonists. e is furious and curses the

1erman =race=.

Reassurance 3#5oint "pend:e suspects that the1erman authorities were tipped)off about the site

by a veteran of the first e$pedition, ean (aymond1obineau, who >oined the ?aAi cause a few years

ago.

P/idebarQ

8ationalism in Europe in the 9:s

'ith the benefit of historical hindsight, we know to

what horrors 1erman nationalism led. "oday,

?aAism is almost universally synonymous with

almost stereotypical evil. 3nd indeed British and

3mericans would often have been less than

favourably disposed towards the 1ermans, but

probably for slightly different reasons. 'hile many

people regarded the ?aAis as despicable at the time,


11/41

overt racism was far more socially acceptable and

the logical conse%uences of ?aAi rule were less

clear. 3nimosity from British and 3mericans

towards 1ermany at the time would probably have

had more to do with nationalist and colonialist

competition and memories of the 1reat 'ar.

&layers might even decide that their characters are

broadly sympathetic with ?aAi goals. 3nd indeed

this would be an ideal set)up for the Big (eveal= at

the clima$ of the scenario.

P0/idebarQ

The Rival &'"edition"cene T)pe:@ptional, (oleplaying

ead#&n:1odthb

ead#0ut:Evighedsf>orden

"he following day, a small freighter flying the

1erman flag the "i##er arrives in port toresupply. Ethelrod will refuse to have anything to

do with themS however, the protagonists may

choose to approach them. @nboard is a crew of

seven sailors, a radio engineer and an

archaeological research assistant. "hey are in

regular radio contact with the 1erman team,

although reception is increasingly patchy.

"he 1ermans will boast about being the first to

reach and e$plore the ruins of "huleM, about

having a special right to the heritage of theirancestors. "he resulting humiliation is a 4)&oint

/tability test for the protagonists.

&ntimidation:"he characters can avoid humiliation

by giving as good as they get. 3 3#5oint spendallows them to recover 4 /tability point or tricks the

1ermans into revealing the e$pedition route from

1odthbsf>orden north)northeast the same route as

the +athieson E$pedition-.

Reassurance or latter) 3#5oint "pendH "he

1erman team become more amicable and recogniseat least some of the group as kindred either

literally or in a spiritual sense- and will invite them

onboard the ship, offering them drinks and food.

3nyone who accepts will find themselves lectured

about the noble origins of the 3ryan raceM and

how archaeological sites all over the world prove

that their ancestors brought civilisation to the

ancient world. 3nyone who vigorously disagrees

finds the offer of hospitality prematurely

withdrawn.

Reassurance or latter) 3#5oint spend:"he

1ermans reveal their route north)northeast from

1odthbsf>orden, the same route as the +athieson

E$pedition-.

Assess !onest): Behind the bragging, there is aslight sense of uneasiness. 3#5oint spend:the

1erman crew seem to be worried about their team.

ollo$#up: Reassurance 9#5oint spendwill get

the 1ermans to admit that they are being lead to the

site by ean (aymond 1obineau, a +athiesonE$pedition veteranS however, several of them

believe he is unstable. is behaviour is strange and

occasionally violent and he drops hints of terrible

creatures up on the ice sheet.

3 /tealth test against Difficulty 7 will allow the

protagonists to make a %uick and surreptitious

search of the ship under some prete$t. /tealing one

of the books re%uires a !onceal or 2ilch test against

Difficulty C.

"imple "earch: "he ship contains some supplies offood, fuel ammunition, radio e%uipment and so

forth. "here is also a small library of books on

relevant geographical, geological, anthropological,

archaeological, historical, linguistic and occult

sub>ects, almost all in 1erman, including /trabo=s

Geographica and ermann 'irth=sDer Aufgang

#er $enschheit"he Emergence of +ankind-.

anguages 6German7:3n protagonistskimmingthe latter 9 hours- will learn about nationalist

1erman beliefs in their decent from a ?ordic superrace that originated in the 3rctic region and once

ruled the known world.%oringover it 4F hours-

grants 9 dedicated pool points in 3rchaeology,

3nthropology, @ccult or *anguages.

Evidence ollection:3lso here is an enthusiasticletter of support from a senior member of the

?ational /ocialist 1erman 'orkersL &arty named

einrich immler to Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer,

leader of the e$pedition. immler refers to the site

as both ;ltima "huleM and 3tlantisM and refers to

something he calls "hor=s ammer=, a weapon oftheir divine ancestors said to be capable of

flattening mountains.

Captain Alfred $reher

3round


12/41

Abilities:3thletics 7, 2irearms ord at muddy beaches.

!aptain +ac3llen or &rofessor Ethelrod remind the

team that in the colder months, the glacier stretches

all the way to the sea. "hat and the build up of sea

ice means that landing here by sea starts to become

difficult from @ctober until +ay or une.

"he e$pedition vessel is met here by a local barge

that drops off the sleds, sled dogs and mushers dog

sled drivers-. "he plan then is to use it to ferry

supplies, e%uipment and the e$pedition members

onto the muddy shore.

3bout thirty feet from the water=s edge is a low

mound.

2rom a distance, 'iolog)identifies it as the body of

a whale. 3 5oint "pendreveals it as a narwhal.

Polar *ear

If the characters approach the whale=s corpse will

notice it move strngely several times. 3 polar bear

is behind it with it=s head inside the body, eating it

from the inside. 3 /ense "rouble test against

Difficulty 7 will let the characters spot the bear at

about


13/41

Arctic travel on foot

!ross)country skiing costs 7 3thletics, 2leeing or

ealth per day in these conditions. 'ithout skis the

speed is halved.

Travel b) dog#sled

"his re%uires Driving Dog /led- in addition to the

costs above. Dog teams will use : 3thletics pool

points or ealth once these are depleted- each day,

< points are replenished at the end of the day if the

dogs are rested and well)fed.

Temperature Table

"his table below shows typical temperatures found

in 1odthb and the valley of !ommoriom. Day

temperatures are about 4FT2 higher. ?ight

temperatures about 4FT2 lower. 3reas closer to the

edge of the ice)sheet are about 4FT2 warmer than

the !ommoriom temperature.4onth Godthb ommoriom


14/41

"led Dogs

Abilities:3thletics 49, ealth C, /cuffling :

!it Threshold:7

Alertness 4odifier:Goin them there. "hey would leave climbing

gear at the ridge.

Evidence ollection 3#5oint spend: ;nder a layer

of snow there are numerousempty rifle cartridgesas if there had been a substantial fire fight.

0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:"here are

several sets of footprints around the graves and

signs snow that has been dug up to pile on the

graves. 3 3#5oint spendreveals a snow)coveredtrail hinting that something large trampled through

this part of the valley several times, before the

tracks were mostly covered in snow. 'ith another

3#5oint spend, its route can be followed either to

!uman Remains or to The limb to the &ce"heet. In either case, 0utdoorsmanwill indicate

that after a couple of hundred yards the tracks have

little or no snowfall on them.

orensics:If disinterred and e$amined, one of thebodies appears to have been crushed, one appears to

have deep lacerations to the upper body and the

third has a deep, impaling wound in the abdomen.

3#point spend:"he first also had symptoms of

frostbite. 3#point spend:"he wounds on the second

man are consistent with being mauled by a largecarnivore, but a bear=s claws are not sharp enough

to have inflicted those in>uries.

!hat Happened Here>

"he 1erman e$pedition having ignored their

warning, one of the *omaruit Blond Eskimo- sang

the old song to call the 1noph)keh. "he beast

stalked the e$pedition, called up a bliAAard and

attacked them. /ome of them tried shooting at it

without much success. "hree mere were killed and

the rest fled. 1obineau was followed and killed bythe creature. 3nother man @tto +etAger- died of

hypothermia on the ice. "hree regrouped at the

same spot later, buried their dead and gathered their

possessions to continue.

Arriving at the Site"cene T)pe: !ore

ead#&n:@n the Edge

ead#0ut:"he !ube)/haped /tructure, "he

1erman !amp, "he End of the Bauer E$pedition,"he /hadow ;nder the Ice

ore lue: The "hado$ %nder the &ce

3s the team progresses along the ridge, they see

two mountain peaks ahead, between which they are

heading. Beyond that, according to Ethelrod=s map,

lies the valley of !ommoriom.

"he >ourney is uphill and hard going, re%uiring 7

3thletics, 2leeing or ealth pool points for half a

day.

"he team reaches the top of a rise in the natural

pass between the two peaks and has view of a

mountainous plateau, a valley around a mile across,

with an ice cap covering what was once a valley.

3bout 9 miles away, on the other side of the valley,

a dark cube The ube#"haped "tructure- s%uatson the lower slopes of the highest mountain. 3bout

one mile away, on another slope of tundra is a small

camp.

"he wind blows harshly through the high valley,

whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing

phantoms. 3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty all /aga

PBegin /idebarQ

,")mbol: 5ulp.

!echselapparat !e/6lamethrower

'hile it=s unlikely to do much more than delay the

horror they will face later, you could include an

intact flamethrower at the camp.

"his model is surplus from the 1reat 'ar and

consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and a

noAAle connected by a hose. 3 +echanical (epair

test against Difficulty 7 is re%uired to understand

the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a

wasted shot. 1asoline, kerosene or diesel can be

used as fuel. 3 4F)chambered cylinder in the noAAle

contains the ignition cartridges. Its heavy :C lbs-

and cumbersome nature and high visibility make itdangerous to wear, decreasing the wearer=s it

"hreshold by 4 and increasing 3thletics and

2leeing Difficulties by 4. It=s also %uite fragileH

treat as having 9 3rmour and < ealth if damaged.

Damage: G4 and see below-

"hots:4F

Range:?ear

;otes:@nce hit, a target will continue to burn,

inflicting GF damage for 4D: rounds 3thletics test

against Difficulty : to e$tinguish-. )4 to wearer=sit "hreshold. 3 user can also douse an area before

ignition, creating a fireball that inflicts similar

damage to an e$ploding stick of dynamite see

Trail of Cthulhu rulebook p:8-.

PEnd /idebarQ

The 5ournal of Ekkehardt *auer

anguage:1erman

"(im:7 hours

Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer was the leader of the1erman e$pedition. By the time the protagonists

find him, he is dead. "his is his >ournal, beginning

several months before the e$pedition started. It

includes %uotations from immler, erman 'irth,

and the era Lin#a Book. It includes the following

cluesH

"he purpose of the e$pedition is to find

evidence that the ancestors of the 1ermans had

a civilisation in ancient 1reenland. "his search

is supported by certain nationalist groups, andorganisations, including important members of

the ?/D3&?aAi party-.

In 4595, ean (aymond 1obineau, veteran of

the +athieson E$pedition and grandson of

3rthur de 1obineau the famous race theorist,

had recently moved to Berlin and >oined the

?/D3&. e contacted 1ustaf Kossinna,

&rofessor of 1erman 3rchaeology at the

;niversity of Berlin with unpublished

information about the 459: e$pedition.

Kossinna, himself a nationalist and racetheorist, encouraged Bauer to organise an

e$pedition.

*ike Ethelrod and +athieson, 1obineau called

the site !ommoriom= in reference to a city

mentioned in theLi!re #'Eibon. Kossinna

called it ;ltima "hule=.

@n invitation, 1obineau >oined the e$pedition.

It arrived in 1odthb in early uly and,

following 1obineau=s directions, landed in

1odthbsf>orden where the ship anchored inorder to ma$imise radio reception.


23/41

Bauer describes 1obineau as obno$ious and

mentally unstable. Bauer feels he is more of a

hindrance to the mission than a help. Bauer and

1obineau fight sporadically.

/trange)looking Eskimo were spotted watching

from a distance. *ater one of them approached.

e was a bearded old man with fair comple$ion

and elongated facial features. e resembled a/candinavian. Bauer felt certain that this was

proof of the origin of the 3ryans on

"hule01reenland. "he man was not friendly.

/peaking in a strange dialect, he appeared to

threaten or warn them and left.

"he following day, while caught in a sudden

bliAAard, they were attacked by a huge,

bear)like thing that was nevertheless

definitely not a bear. "hey tried to shoot it

without success. @nce they regrouped, they

found that three of them were dead and twomissing. "hey decided to press on with only

three men left in the e$pedition.

The Akraf?all Saga @,e.eraged clue

anguage:"sath)Oo and 1erman

"(imming Time:"he 1erman translationH 9 hoursS

translating from "sath)Oo takes longer see below-

"his book is a speculative translation by erman

'irth of certain pictographs found etched onto a

monolith in 2inland. 'irth interprets the symbolsaccording to his own linguistic theories and wishful

thinking. 3nyone familiar with "sath)Oo will

recognise the glyphs.

anguages 6German7will reveal 'irth=s

interpretationH

A go##ess arose out of the earth an# se#uce# a

human. She ga!e birth to the Go#-$an. The Go#-

$an became a bra!e ,arrior an# a lea#er.

'irth associates this with the/arelian stor& of

Ilmatar, the spirit of the air who gives birth to#WinWmNinen, the first man.

There ,as a cit& in a high0 fertile !alle& in Thule0

,ith mountains to the ,est an# forests to the south.

The people of the cit& ,ere en!ious of the Go#-$an

an# took him prisoner. The& cut off his hea# an#

burie# the bo#&0 but he arose0 an# kille# one of the

people. The& e1ecute# him again an# the same

happene#. $ost of the people fle# the cit&. n the

thir# occasion0 he re!eale# his #i!ine form an#

#e!oure# man& of the people until the last of themfle#. Years later0 one of the inhabitants of the cit&

returne# an# foun# the cit& populate# ,ith a race

#escen#e# from the go#s. Thus began the

ci!ilisation of Thule an# the Ar&an race.

"his myth, argues 'irth, is an account of the divine

seed from which the supreme ?ordic)3ryan race

appeared on "hule before they went on to rule the

ancient ,orl#. 2e also speculates e1tensi!el& on

the relationships bet,een the pictographs an#

(or#ic runes.lue 6everaged7: If using Ethelrod=s "sath)Oodictionary, every si$ hours work and 3 pointspendsin Archaeolog), anguages,

r)ptograph), Anthropolog)or thulhu

4)thos, one of the following points is translatedH

/oldiers from !ommoriom captured the outlaw

Knygathin Zhaum and brought him back to the

city.

3ccording to rumour, Knygathin Zhaum wasthe product of the union of the Shaklip the

granddaughter= of the god)hotha**uahand a

sub)human #oormis.

"he city e$ecutioner beheaded him three times

and each time, witnesses later saw him alive,

more monstrous than before. @n the first and

second occasion, Knygathin Zhaum killed and

ate one of the inhabitants of the city.

By the third reappearance, he had

metamorphosed into a fully alien entity, and haddevoured many of the citiAens, forcing the final

abandonment of the city.

3 former inhabitant of !ommoriom returned to

the city one day and discovered it repopulated

with the monstrous offspring of Knygathin

Zhaum.

"ranslating it or reading an accurate translation will

grant 4 point of !thulhu +ythos.

"he Keeper might consider using or adapting !lark3shton /mith=s story The Testament of Athammaus

for the content of the main body of the story.

The &nd of the !auer&'"edition

"cene T)pe: @ptional,!lue Bonus-

ead#&n:"he !ube)/haped /tructure, "he /hadow;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp

ead#0ut:"he !ube)/haped /tructure, "he

/hadow ;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp

Evidence ollection:


24/41

"here are three charred bodies here in a

blackened mass.

"here are rifle cartridges scattered around. 3t

least : shots were fired.

hemistr):

"he group was burned with fuel, probably

kerosene

"here is an odd tarry residue here that you don=t

recognise as a normal by)product of chemical

fires like this. It seems to be organic.

o 'iolog):"his isn=t any known organic

substance

orensics:3ll three men appear to have died fromburns caused by an inflammable li%uid

Evidence ollection:?e$t to the first man is a

dark stone statuette. It is a s%uat, grotes%ue, vaguelytoad)like form with a fat body, half)closed eyes,

large ears and a lolling tongue. /eeing this is a 4)

point /tability test, +ythos related. 3nyone failing

this test is disturbed by a haunting sense of

recognition, as if of a childhood memory or a

dream. "hat night, they are visited by an unpleasant

dream of this corpulent entity leering at them in

some dark, subterranean place. "hey will lose a

second point of /tability.

thulhu 4)thos: /imilar toad)like statueswere used by e$tinct 3merican Indian tribes

in !anada and ?ew England. "hey

supposedly represent a being called

Tsathoggua. "here are interesting parallels

with an entity called Sa#og,ahassociated

with witchcraft in the 3uvergne region of

2rance. 3ccording to the Book of Eibon, the

worship of this god began on the lost

continent of yperborea, where he was

known as)hotha**uah.

0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:

"hree sets of footprints come from the

direction of the cube)shaped structure. "hey

were running.

3 faint trail of froAen moisture, mucus or

slime, also coming from the cube)shaped

structure

!hat Happened Here>

"he three surviving members of the e$peditionentered the temple and as instructed by 1obineau-

recited the spell he brought with him !ontact

/pawn of "sathoggua-. "hey entered and began to

e$plore. @ne of the men could not resist taking the

idol of "sathoggua from the altar when they left.

"hey fled, pursued by the spawn. "hey fired on it to

no effect, but managed to set it on fire with their

flamethrower. It attacked them, causing the

flamethrower to rupture and burning the entire

group, including the spawn, to death.

The Cu%e,Sha"ed Structure"cene T)pe: @ptional,!lue Bonus-

ead#&n:"he End of the Bauer E$pedition, "he/hadow ;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp

ead#0ut:"he End of the Bauer E$pedition, "he

/hadow ;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp

"his mysterious, ancient, weathered cube s%uats on

the mountainside like a tomb or a memorial to

something incomprehensibly ancient. It is built ofdark grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slits

high in the walls and an open, s%uare doorway

about nine feet wide.

Evidence ollectionor0utdoorsman:"here is afaint, short path leading from the ice plain to the

doorway.

Geolog):"he building is constructed of basalt. 3point spend:"he profound erosion of this hardstone appears to imply that it is tens or hundreds of

thousands of years old.Architecture:Each wall appears to be formed of a

single natural block.3 point spend:"he buildingbears no relationship to any known architectural

style.

"he walls and floor are covered in thick frost. "here

are footprints across the floor and in places the frost

has been scraped from the walls.

Evidence ollection 3 5oint spend: In other

places, the frost has been melted from the walls as

indicated by dark scorch marks.

ust inside the door is a huge, three)legged basin of

a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of

green, several feet wide around it. hemistr)or

Archaeolog) recognises it as e$tremely ancient

bronAe covered in thick verdigris. "he bowl is si$

feet across and three deep. If e$amined, the inside

of the bowl is untarnished, in near)perfect

condition. Evidence ollection:"he feet are in theshapes of feline)like claws.

"he floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern of

large, irregular, five)sided flagstones. 5h)sics or

Architecture:"his pattern of tessellated pentagons


25/41

is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated

understanding of obscure geometry.

/trange hieroglyphs identifiable as a primitive

version of "sath)Oo- can be seen covering the

walls, in some still covered in frost and some

already e$posed. "he glyphs relate a history of the

original builders of the city as translated in

Ethelrod=s%ictographs in the Temple of )oth-A**ua.

@n the back wall is an empty two)tiered altar.

Evidence ollection:3 bare spot in the frost and

wear on the stone indicates that an ob>ect rested on

this altar for a long time time. 3#5oint spend

recognises the outline of the statuette found at The

End of the 'auer Expedition.

The *urial Chamber

Behind the altar, what may once have been a hidden

doorway lies open with fragments of corroded

bronAe chain on the floor nearby.

hemistr)indicates that the chain fragments havebeen in this position for only a few years. 1reen

stains on the door itself imply that the door was

probably chained for millennia.

"he windowless chamber beyond is almost fifty

feet wide and about ten feet deep. @pposite the door

seated on a large, bronAe throne is the striking

figure of a mummified baboon)like ape dressed inthe remnants of a red and purple robe and a

feathered headdress. "ufts of orange hair poke

through holes in the robe. "his is a


26/41

summoning the 1noph)keh from the ice)plains to

wreak havoc in the valley.

aving tracked the outsiders to the valley, they

build their snow shelter and male members of the

clan take turns to be dropped off by sled, on a

possibly suicidal mission to draw the gnoph)keh to

their enemies= camp.

;nfortunately for them, while their song summonsthe creature, it offers no control or protection from

it. If the caller is successful, they are as likely as

not, to become victims themselves. Either toss a

coin, a die or make a decision according to what is

dramatically interesting in each instance. "his also

means that all the men of the clan bar one are likely

to be dead by the time the creature has been

summoned about si$ times.

3ll of the following antagonist reaction scenes run

concurrently with e$ploration and e$cavation in thevalley over a period of weeks or months until either

the outsiders leave the area, there is only one male

member of the clan alive or the clan is defeated.

;ntil then it will continue to be a thorn in the

e$pedition=s side while the team is e$cavating the

site.

"he Keeper should run these events fle$ibly to

steadily terrorise and demoralise the &rotagonists.

"he fre%uency and time of summoning attempts,

their success or failure, whether the summonerescaped alive or not and the intensity and nature of

the 1noph)Keh=s attacks, should be determined by

whatever works dramatically at the time. "he

threat level should climb steadily, with more

intense and bold attacks, more serious damage to

assets and a growing certainty that there is

something supernatural going on. @ne attack every

couple of weeks is probably about the right sort of

pace.

The Singing

3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty 6

Difficulty : under tents at night- allows a character

to hear a haunting, rhythmic chant or song carried

on the wind.

Art !istor) or "inging:3 3#5oint spendidentifies it as traditional throat singing of some

kind.

3 further Difficulty 7 test : at night- is needed to

locate the singer. 3nd a Difficulty C /tealth test 7

at night- is necessary to approach undetected,otherwise the singer will flee into the mountains.

/imilarly, if the &rotagonists delay before

investigating the sound, the singer will have fled

the possible approach of the 1noph)Keh.

0utdoorsmanwill allow their tracks to be

followed into the foothills. 3nd 3#5oint "pendwillidentify hide shoes and the fact that the wearer was

running.

"here is a real potential here for &rotagonists to be

caught out in the open when the bliAAard arrivessee below-.

The Howling

If the summoning was successful, a /ense "rouble

test against Difficulty 7 will allow characters to

hear strange and eerie howling sounds. "his is a 4)

&oint /tability test.

'iolog)or 0utdoorsman:"his isn=t any known

animal, a realisation which increases the /tability

test to 9)&oint. "his is %uickly followed by a snow

storm blowing suddenly over the mountains from

the ice sheet.

"he howling may be heard in the midst of the more

severe bliAAards, heard with a /ense trouble test

against Difficulty C.

A *od in the -ce

If the singer is killed during an attempted

summoning, a /ense "rouble test against Difficulty

: alerts an Investigator to a brief cry in the distance,

probably soon forgotten as a bliAAard arises.

Evidence ollection: If the area is searched, this

abilityreveals the body of the singer, unlesscovered by snow. 3 3 5oint spendis needed if

heavy snow has fallen on the area. 3nother3#5oint

spend:!lose to the body is a figurine made out of

ice, depicting a strange si$ legged, horned animal.

3nthropologyH "his is a totem possibly used for

calling spirits. thulhu 4)thos:"his is depiction

of the 1noph)Keh the legendary beast of the

3rctic wastes. 3#5oint spend:"his carving is atotem for calling the 1noph)keh.

orensics: "he manner of death isreveals the

manner of death goring, mauling crushing or

hypothermia. If the body has been devoured,

2orensics indicates that a large carnivore is the

culprit. 3 3#5oint spendreveals that this was not a

polar bear, but something unknown and larger.

'iolog) or 0utdoorsman:;nless covered by

snow, there may be prints nearby that can be

identified as not originating from a polar bear.


27/41

3fter finding either anomaly above, thulhu

4)thos reminds the &rotagonist of the legends ofthe 1noph)Keh.

Antagonist Reaction of the#no"h,.eh

"he 1noph)Keh is motivated by hatred and hunger.

It will attempt to kill any human it encounters,

probably by freeAing them to death, and devouring

the remains if it can.

@nce close to the camp, the creature will summon

up a bliAAard, and if it sees vulnerable targets

disorientated, few in number or in>ured it will

attack in the confusion and blindness of the

snowstorm. If it loses over half of its ealth, the

1noph)keh will retreat back to the ice)sheet. If it is

killed, the Eskimo=s song will simply summon a

different 1noph)Keh.

*liBBards

Define rules for bliAAard creation or simply refer to

"rail of !thulhu &4


28/41

anging over the doorway is the skull of a bear. 3

stone spike has been driven through its nose, giving

it an almost (hinoceros)like appearance.

Anthropolog): "his may be a totem animal spirit,

probably to protect the igloo.

"imple "earch: Inside the igloo are a hearth, food

for several days, bedding for one, and possible

spare clothes or a stone spear, a$e or knife.

0utdoorsman: "racks of a dog sled can be found

nearby. 3 3#5oint "pendis needed per day to trackthem to the homestead.

The &s-imo )omestead"cene T)pe:@ptional

3bout four days away by dog sled, the clan=s

homestead is huddled in a narrow valley in the wild

mountains near Evighedsf>orden.

"he house is large structure of whalebone and hide

construct, covered in ice and snow and out of sight

of the valley. 3 trickle of hearth smoke often

emerges from a hole in the roof.

?ear the fire is a makeshift altar and a grotes%ue

idol. "he altar is a >agged, natural rock. In front of

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

sprinkled with tiny flowers. &erched on the altar is a

small, crude whalebone statue of a s%uatting

creature with tentacles for a face. /eeing thisre%uires a 4)point /tability test, +ythos related.

thulhu 4)thos identifies it as a depiction of!thulhu.

3ll of the surviving members of the clan will be

here. 3pproaching without alerting anyone is a

/tealth test against Difficulty 8. If alerted, they will

flee a strong group or attack a weak one. If

surprised, they will be in or around the shelter. If

cornered, they will fight fiercely to the death.

PBegin /idebarQ

The !lond &s-imo"hese 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 hunter)gatherers, living harsh

lives in the more remote parts of 1reenland. "heir

ancient religion has been lost and they make their

offerings and prayers to !thulhu, who they call

/ulu'.

&hysically, they look very different from other

Eskimo people, being blond, with long faces,

elongated ear)lobes and substantial facial hair. "hey

wear hoodless, wide)collared parkas with hats.

"hey believe that the thing that comes from the ice

in answer to their song is a 'hite Bear /pirit= and

wear amulets, mistakenly believing that they can

offer protection from the 1noph)Keh.

Anthropolog):"his primitive >ewellery is an

amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear andpossibly intended to offer protection of some kind.

'iolog):"he pendant looks like polar bear bone

and the necklace is decorated with bear teeth and

claws.

"lat the Angekok

"his white)bearded man may be in his :Fs. e

wears a long parka decorated with strange motifs

and symbols and an odd, pointed hat.

If ;lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensiblecurses and wave his hands around in a biAarre,

intimidating fashion. 3s a last resort he will attempt

to defend himself with spells or a knife.

;lat=s long, colourful parka is decorated with

a%uatic designs. thulhu 4)thos 3#5oint spend:

"he images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in

undersea towers on the shaman=s long parka seem

to be a depiction of !thulhu and his race.

Abilities: 3thletics :, /cuffling C, 'eapons C,

ealth :!it Threshold: ust above freeAing

'ater is dripping from the ceiling

&ools of water are collecting

/mall rivulets are running from that wall of ice

"he surface of that wall seems more pitted than

when we first saw it. I don=t remember those

holes being there

Someones )issing

@ne of the ?on)&layer !haracters if there are any

left- working or moving alone in the city ruins is

noticed as missing.

3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty 7 may allow

characters to hear a cry for help.

3fter a search, the character is found unconscious,

lying in a large pool of blood.

4edicine:"here is no obvious sign of in>ury. 4

point spend- e appears to be in a coma.

orensics: 4 point spend- "here is no sign ofin>ury apart from bruising around the neck and face.

)ore Thawing

3gain this is something that one of the &rotagonists

should notice passively. "his can occur more than

once.

Evidence ollection:

3 black substance is ooAing from holes in the

!igh "treetor The "-uare

o 'hen revisited, the ooAe is gone.

o If a sample is taken the container is later

found broken or overturned and the

sample missing

Something in the Shadows

'hen two or more characters are moving through

the city, with a successful /ense "rouble test

against Difficulty :, they catch a glimpse of

something slithering or scuttling among the ice and

rubble. By the time they reach the spot toinvestigate, there is nothing there.

A Protagonist is Attacked

If a &rotagonist is so foolish as to be alone in the

city they may be targeted by one of the spawn. "he

Keeper may want to resolve this event privately, to

avoid the possibility of the other players learning

that one of their companions is infested with an

parasitic monster.

3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty : will allowthe character to catch a glimpse of movement or a

sound as the creature approaches or waits in

ambush. If they succeed, the spawn will !hase

them. "hree or four successful 3thletics or 2leeing

tests may be enough to allow the character to reach

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

retreat. If they fail the /ense "rouble test above, the

spawn will attack with surprise.

(uthless Keepers may want to consider a result of 4

or 9 on the /ense "rouble test as automaticinfestation, in order to keep the victim=s player in

the dark about what has happened.


40/41

Evidence from a successful attack will be similar to

the "omeone?s 4issingsection above. 3n infestedcharacter will have no memory of the attack,

although when they awaken they may e$perience

some odd symptomsH

3 spaced out=, apathetic feelingH treat as if

"ha(en. *oss of Drive.

3bdominal pain

3 sluggish, bloated feeling

"hese symptoms may initially be confused with

nervous shock=. "he victim themselves will

rationalise and >ustify any unusual behaviour. "his

is a good roleplaying opportunity for the player.

)utin of the -nfested

'ith time, they will also begin to e$perience

strange urges and black)outs. /ee the "pa$n of*n)gathin +haumsidebar on &age $$.

@nce fully under the control of the parasitic spawn,

the infected character will seek to awaken

Knygathin Zhaum and his spawn using the various

e$cavation tools at The 5alaceelsewhere.

?aturally this will accelerate the A$a(ening of

*n)gathin +haum, although ideally this shouldn=t

occur until the team has found "he Eye of ;bbo)

/athla.

@ther possible sabotage attempts includeH

*uring as many people into the city as possible

Blocking the escape route with e$plosives

If the spawn is found out and cannot escape it will

attack from within the host body with its Attac(from !ostability. "he eyes will roll back and turn

black, and sticky black tendrils will shoot from

mouth and nose, striking anyone in range. 3 /ense

"rouble test against Difficulty C to avoid being

surprised. Being attacked in this way is a 8)&oint/tability test.

The Spawn and their ProgenitorAwaken

'hether due to the use of "?" to e$cavate "he

&alace, sabotage by spawn)infested characters or

simply the gradual, collective thawing generated by

the spawn, at some stage all hell is going to break

loose. "his event should occur either as determined

by &rotagonist actions, by antagonist reactions

sabotage by an infested character- or simply whenthe Keeper decides is suitably dramatic. In any case

it should be no longer than 76 hours from when the

&rotagonists enter the city.

/pawn which until now had remained furtive and

have assaulted only isolated characters, have

awakened in sufficient numbers that they can

launch a direct attack. ?ot far behind is Knygathin

Zhaum itself.

"his eventuality is handled below in the scene The'lac( Doom.

PEnd /idebarQ

The !lac- Doom"cene T)pe:

ead#&n:

ead#0ut:

3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty : is re%uired

to detect the approaching spawn. "he first waveconsists of five spawn, with others not far behind.

/omething much larger can be heard or even

glimpsed- crashing, slithering and hissing in the

rear. "his is an 6)&oint /tability test.

!haracters who don=t flee immediately will be

attacked in two rounds.

2or those who flee, this is a !hase. If none of the

protagonists passed their /ense "rouble, the test

Difficulty is C. "hose who passed get a head start

and a Difficulty of


41/41

/uppressive fire

@n the third round of the chase, another spawn

suddenly emerges from the left bank of the igh

/treet, blocking the &rotagonists= escape. It attacks

the character with the lowest /ense "rouble pool

points. Each round of delay adds 4 to the test

Difficulty.

+I?D "E 13&

If the spawn fail the !hase contest, this means that

the protagonists have reached at least temporary

safety a vehicle, the cabin, a vertical shaft

accessing the top of the ruins with the rope ladder

pulled away etc-.

owever, as Knygathin Zhaum can probably get

through most barriers, this freedom may be short

lived. ;nless they can come up with a way to seal

the entrance to the city e$tremely %uickly, they will

probably need to get to the snow tractor to escape.

7ngathin haum

"he entity that was known an age ago, by the name

Knygathin Zhaum= is a dark, mottled and

mammoth)siAed entity a bloated trunk, with a

one)eyed face= emerging from its midsection, and

a second eye beneath that. "wo long tentacles with

fingers= like knots of writhing snakes emerge from

its shoulders= and a cup)like mouth protrudes at the

top. "he lower limbs are a mass of slenderproboscides covered in suckers.

Knygathin Zhaum can attack with each of its two

tentacles in a single round. *ike his spawn, he can

assume the form of a viscous, black li%uid. 3nd

most forms of physical in>ury will simply flow

closed.

3thletics 49, ealth 99, /cuffling 96

!it Threshold:

Date post:	04-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	justin-farquhar
View:	218 times
Download:	0 times

Commoriom Submission v3,20

Documents