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Commoriom Submission v3,21

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    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

    !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 up

    with in (ythos E)peditions.

    (ake format of clues consistent *bulleted+ as per

    aboveave 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 character*s+ 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 comes

    up with

    Include -hule ociety esoteric conspiracy / 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 or

    even earthly" ! Clar #shton $mith

    Before ice covered the land of yperborea, a great

    marble and granite capital of vertiginous spires rosein a valley in the mountains. $ill it0s rediscovery

    release the monstrous force that brought about its

    doom

    -his scenario is suited for 1&2 #rotagonists. In a

    hostile, isolated environment, they face rivalry,

    mutiny, and opposition from mysterious inhabitants

    of the ice sheet. -he real horror however is beneaththe very ice that they e)cavate.

    -he yperborean !ycle stories of !lark 3shton

    mith are the inspiration for this adventure. It is

    recommended that the Keeper reads at least The

    Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathlabefore

    running this scenario. -he story of the e)pedition

    that first discovered the site is told in the Call of

    Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late

    Keith erber.

    The HookIn 4567, an archaeological team from (iskatonic

    8niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement

    beneath the ice sheet in a remote valley in the

    mountains of $est 9reenland. -he protagonists are

    members of a 45:4 e)pedition to e)cavate the site.

    The Horrible Truth-he archaeological site is the ruin of the lost

    yperborean city of !ommoriom. Entombed within

    it are a descendent of -sathoggua and his

    amorphous, parasitic offspring.

    The Spine-he team members voyage to Godthb, where theycan confront a Rival Expeditionfrom 9ermany.

    -hey then begin their arduous overland trek inEvighedsfjorden. 3n unstable team member

    attacks the e)pedition leader resulting in TheDeath of Ethelrod.

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    -he team receives A all for !elpfrom the

    9erman base ship, which has lost contact with its

    overland team, giving the protagonists a moral

    dilemma.

    -he protagonists find evidence that strange Eskimo

    are watching them

    ;n

    the (athieson E)pedition there were many things

    he e)perienced that shocked him and caused him to

    reconsider ideas about the world. e believes that

    what they found in the 9reenland ice were remains

    of a lost prehistoric civilisation, perhaps hinted at in

    9reek myths.

    e introduces $ilfred 8pton&mith, a round&faced

    ?oologist and friend of the Ethelrod family, and

    !harles 9ranger, a red&haired, red&faced man of

    around :G, a second veteran of the (athieson

    E)pedition who will be oining them on this trip.

    ,")mbol: Armitage &n-uir).0ral !istor) 3#

    5oint spend: -here are rumours that Dr 9ranger

    has a drink problem.

    Ethelrod asks each team member to introduce

    themselves and assigns roles.

    Assess !onest):enry Ethelrod is reserved,somewhat aloof and doesn0t give much away.

    Archaeolog) or Anthropolog): 3ccording to the

    e)pedition report, the team made transcriptions of a

    number of carvings on a large stone slab found atthe face of elheim 9lacier on the east coast.

    3rchaeologists have subse"uently associated these

    carvings with a 9reenlandic 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

    4567. It is generally thought that the 9reenlandic

    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 9reenland C 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:-hedisastrous #abodie E)pedition to the outhern #ole,

    from which there were only three survivors,

    reported finding very well preserved specimens ofsi)&foot&long, barrel&shaped organisms with

    starfish&shaped heads. 5ipe:-he full significance ofthis 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.

    (athieson remained onboard ship, due to health

    problems. e died of a heart condition in 4565.

    -he top of the structure was estimated to be under

    at least 47&6G feet of ice and to e)tend to unknown

    depths. e declines to speculate on the age of the

    structure.

    3t an international archaeology conference in

    #aris last year, Dr ummers of Edinburgh

    8niversity, heard reference to a forthcoming

    e)pedition to e)plore what was @nonsensically0described as @ruins of -hule found in $est

    9reenland0. It isn0t known what si?e the rival team

    is or when they will arrive.

    e will wrap up the briefing after three or four

    "uestions, or if he doesn0t 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. 35oint "pend: e is deliberately hiding something.

    Ethelrod will wrap up the briefing after three or

    four "uestions, or if he doesn0t like the direction the

    "uestions are going.

    Henr Ethelrod

    -o interact with Ethelrod significantly, British

    characters need a !redit %ating of 7H, 3mericans

    and other Europeans need 2H. 3nyone else will

    need to make a 4oint spend in !redit %ating on

    each significant occasion.

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    Abilities:3thletics 7, !redit %ating L, Airearms L,

    ealth L, cuffling L, $eapons 2

    !it Threshold::

    Armor: &4 vs all *if wearing 3rctic gear+

    8eapon:H4 *.:F revolver+, H4 *.:G&G2 bolt action

    rifle+, &4 *knife+

    -o portray enry Ethelrod

    it or stand up in a stiff, military bearing

    'ook past the person who is speaking to you

    as if looking for someone more important

    9uard your reactions vigilantly so as to

    reveal as little as possible

    !ilfred "pton#Smith

    8pton&mith is a round&faced ?oologist in his mid&

    thirties. e is family friend of Ethelrod, the son of

    Dr -homas 8pton&mith, one of Ethelrod0s closestfriends. e went to Eton and graduated from

    >)ford and is taking a break after completing his

    #hD. e is well&built and athletic having bo)ed for

    Eton and been a member of the >)ford climbing

    team.

    'ike Ethelrod he is something of a snob and a

    bigot, although he is somewhat less e)treme and

    more approachable. e is a follower rather than a

    leader and he is loyal to his friend and his friend0s

    relatives. If Ethelrod were to die he would

    volunteer to return the body to the ship, taking

    9ranger with him. If out&voted or overruled, he

    would follow the new leadership structure of the

    e)pedition.

    Abilities:3thletics F, !redit %ating 2, Airearms :,

    ealth 7, cuffling L, $eapons 6

    !it Threshold:1

    Armor: &4 vs all *if wearing 3rctic gear+

    8eapon:H4 *.:G&G2 bolt action rifle+

    -o portray $ilfred 8pton&mith mile fi)edly in uneasy moments

    %ub your chin pensively and furrow your

    brow

    9esticulate in a olly manner and pat people

    on the back

    $r Charles %Chuck& 'ranger

    9ranger is an archaeologist who studied with

    #rofessor !urtis (athieson, took part in the(athieson E)pedition and has recently completed

    an archaeology doctorate at (iskatonic 8niversity.

    In fact, although he has tried to get some help for it,

    9ranger still suffers from @shell shock0 from his

    e)periences on the (athieson E)pedition. -his has

    only e)acerbated his drinking problem and now he

    is a full&blown alcoholic.

    Abilities:3thletics L, ealth 1, cuffling 2,

    Airearms :

    !it Threshold::Armor: &4 vs all *if wearing 3rctic gear+

    8eapon:&6 *fist+, H4 *.:G&G2 bolt action rifle+, H4*Ethelrod0s .:F revolver+

    -o portray !huck 9ranger

    how a wide, friendly, but uneasy smile

    'ook into the distance, as if preoccupied,

    but conceal or deny it

    lur your speech ever so slightly

    Pre"arations"cene T)pe:>ptional *-ransition+

    ead#&n:Briefing

    ead#0ut:-he 3tlantic oyage

    -here are several potential areas of research the

    protagonists may choose to investigate. Each of

    these topics will take up to a week to research.

    (esearching 'reenland

    ibrar) %se:-ime spent in a maor library will

    grant a dedicated pool point for investigative

    spends in any field as it relates to 9reenland, for

    e)ample, 3nthropology, 3rchaeology, istory,

    9eology, >ccult or >utdoorsman. 3 3#point spendwill grant 6 dedicated pool points. 3 9#point spendwill grant :.

    (esearching the )tholog of'reenland

    ibrar) %se:3fter his travels between ::G B! and:6G B!, the 9reek e)plorer #ytheas makes the first

    known reference to the mysterious island of -hule

    Msi) daysN sail north of Britain, and near the fro?en

    seaO. e claimed that people keep bees in this place

    and in summer, nights are only two or three hours

    long. It0s not clear whether he is referring to

    Iceland, 9reenland, =orway or somewhere else

    altogether.

    -he 3ncient 9reeks also tell of the yperboreans

    who live beyond the north wind *the literal meaningof @yperborea0+. -heir land was perfect, with the

    sun shining 61 hours a day, and the people free

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    from war, disease and old age and always happy.

    -he people were blond and very tall. yperborea

    has variously been located in north&east 3sia,

    $estern Europe or Britain. In the 4Lth !entury,

    some candinavians identified their own land as

    yperborea.

    3 5oint "pend:By the late 45th and early 6Gth

    !entury, the idea of -hule/yperborea as a lostcontinent *possibly the same place as 3tlantis+ had

    become popular in certain European occult circles,

    including -heosophists, and 9erman vPlkisch

    *nationalist+ groups.

    ibrar) %se 3 5oint "pend or 0ccult:3ccording

    to legend an obscure and apparently ancient occult

    te)t called theLiber IonisorBook of Eibon was

    written by a sorcerer from yperborea.

    ibrar) use:-he Book of Eibon in 'atin or

    English can be located in the library of the(iskatonic 8niversity or the British 'ibrary.

    *ook of Eibon+,iber -.onis

    anguage: English/'atin

    "(im:: hours

    5ore:2G hours

    "(immingthis will provide 4 dedicated pool pointin 3nthropology, 3stronomy or >ccult and 4

    dedicated pool point for !thulhu (ythos spends

    related to -sathoggua or yperborea. It also givesthe following information

    yperborea was a continent once located in the

    far north. upposedly it once had a temperate or

    warm climate, with forests inhabited by huge,

    hairy elephants, long&toothed cats and other

    animals now e)tinct.

    -he earliest inhabitants were hairy pre&humans

    called @oormis0 who had a simple writing

    system, and worshipped a god called

    Zhotha""ah who lived beneath an e)tinctvolcano. -he oormis were originally slaves of

    @snake&people0, but they revolted and won their

    freedom.

    umans arrived and drove the oormis into the

    mountains. -hey established !ommoriom, the

    first capital city, on the site of a oormis

    settlement. -he city was grand and beautiful

    place of granite and marble with many high

    towers. 3 prophet called @the $hite ybil0

    predicted the fall of !ommoriom and it wasabandoned in the same year that Eibon was

    born, the city was abandoned, to a monster

    called @Kyngathin Zhaum0. -he capital was

    moved to the city of 8?uldaroum.

    Eibon became the greatest sorcerer, drawing

    power from his servitude to Zhotha""ah. Due to

    oppression from the sect of Qhoundeh the elk&

    goddess, Eibon was forced to live in a remote

    tower of black 9neiss in a remote area called

    (hu -hulan. Eventually the priests ofQhoundeh overran his tower and he fled

    through a magical door, and his book was

    passed on secretly in Europe and M3tlantisO.

    3 section of the book called M-he #apyrus of

    Dark $isdomO describes a history of life on

    earth that includes a succession of races and

    civilisations that have risen and fallen over

    aeons of time. -he eldest of these races,

    originated from outside the earth. Eibon calls

    them the #olar >nes, described as Mse)lesssemivegetable carnivores with cylindrical and

    pentalobular bodies RwithS starfish headsO had a

    civilisation centred at the outh #ole and were

    responsible for creating terrestrial life, as a by&

    product of their breeding e)periments with a

    protoplasmic entity called 8bbo&athla. 3nyone

    who knows of the starfish&headed crinoid

    specimens reported by the #abodie E)pedition

    must make a :oint tability test, (ythos

    related.

    5oringover it *unlikely in time for the departure of

    the e)pedition+ provides H4 to !thulhu (ythos, H6

    for someone who has encountered -sathoggua or

    his minions.

    The )athieson E/pedition of 0123

    ibrar) %se:-he information on the (athieson

    E)pedition report, the Dorset !ulture and the

    distribution of polar bears described in the'riefingcan be uncovered in a good&si?ed academic library

    by substituting point spends in 'ibrary 8se.The 'erman E/pedition

    Ainding out more about this e)pedition is very

    difficult as there is nothing published about it

    publically. Reassurance or latter) will get Dr

    (organ or #rofessor Ethelrod to reveal that an

    associate of Ethelrod0s, Dr ummers of Edinburgh

    8niversity, heard a reference to a privately funded

    9erman e)pedition at an international archaeology

    conference in #aris last year.

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    4utdoor Training

    arious independently sourced courses in outdoor

    skills may grant a protagonist up to 6 dedicated

    pool points in 3thletics or >utdoorsman, to be used

    in 3rctic and ubarctic environments.

    The Atlantic Voyage"cene T)pe:>ptional, -ransition

    ead#&n:Briefing, #reparations

    ead#0ut:9odthJb

    -his is an opportunity to roleplay various

    interactions between player characters as they get to

    know one another and their leader.

    -he voyage for 9odthJb takes si) days, giving the

    #rotagonists plenty of time to get to know the other

    members of the team or to read in their cabins if

    they prefer.3n 3thletics test against Difficulty : is re"uired

    avoid seasickness. -he effect is the same as being

    urt and lasts for 61 hours.

    RBegin sidebarS

    The Crew-he ship0s crew consists of the !aptain, Airst (ate,

    !hief #etty >fficer and a crew of F sailors.

    Captain 5ames )acAllen3 tall, lean, dour man who looks older than his 17

    years. e doesn0t say much, but commands the

    respect of his crew.

    Abilities:3thletics 1, ealth 7, cuffling 2,

    $eapons 6

    !it Threshold::

    8eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *boat hook/improvised+

    6irst )ate *ill Hewlett

    3n e)perienced seaman who has worked closelywith (ac3llen for years, ewlett is a somewhat

    portly man in his early 1Gs, with red hair.

    Abilities: 3thletics :, ealth 7, cuffling 1,$eapons 6

    !it Threshold::

    8eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *boat hook/improvised+

    Chief Pett 4fficer Anders Pihl

    #ihl is a large, friendly man of Danish nationality.

    e is :L, has a full beard and enoys a drink.

    Abilities:3thletics 2, Airearms 1, ealth L,

    cuffling F, $eapons :

    !it Threshold::

    8eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *boat hook/improvised+, H4*'ee Enfield rifle+

    REnd sidebarS

    'etting to know !ilfred "pton#Smith

    8pton&mith seems amiable and loyal to Ethelrod.e is more open than either Ethelrod or 9ranger

    and has little to hide.

    Assess !onest):e sometimes changes the subect

    or puts a positive spin on things especially when

    Ethelrod0s or 9ranger0s behaviour are criticised or

    the subect of the (athieson E)pedition is raised. *4

    point spend+ e seems to be aware that his friend0s

    behaviour causes offense to some, and is sometimes

    embarrassed by it. e has concerns about the

    recruitment of 9ranger and is aware that others maydo too. e is loyal to Ethelrod and seeks to save

    face on his behalf. e doesn0t appear to know much

    about the (athieson E)pedition.

    'etting to know Charles 'ranger

    3nyone spending a significant amount of time with

    9ranger will find him a friendly and competent

    scientist.

    Evidence ollection: *4 point spend+ 9rangerseems to have a slight tremble in his hands.

    4edicine: *4 point spend+9ranger skin

    symptoms of long&term alcohol abuse.

    If asked about (athieson E)pedition, 9ranger

    repeats the official account and doesn0t add any

    more detail.

    Assess !onest): 9ranger is hiding something. *4point spend+ e seems to be suppressing powerful

    emotions and hiding his reactions.

    5s)choanal)sis:*4oint pend, in thisinstance used as an investigative ability+,

    9ranger appears to have a possible nervous

    disorder.

    If asked about drinking or his mental health, he

    denies there is a problem. e has convinced

    Ethelrod that he has recovered and is so used to

    lying about his problem that 3ssess onesty will

    not detect it.

    'etting to 7now Ethelrod

    Ethelrod is reserved and rather snobbish. 3nyone

    who spends a significant time with him "uickly

    recognises that he regards most people *apart from

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    upper&middle class Britons+ with disdain. e

    generally avoids the company of the uneducated

    and 3mericans, who he tends to regard as vulgar.

    e passionately despises the Arench.

    Assess !onest):Ethelrod may be hidingsomething. *4 #oint spend+ Behind the stiff&upper

    lip, Ethelrod is apprehensive about the e)pedition

    and that there are certain things about the current ofprevious trip that he is concerned people don0t

    know.

    Reassurance, or latter) Ethelrod may also be

    asked "uestions about the the e)pedition. ee the

    'riefingfor details.

    Surreptitiousl AccessingEthelrods Cabin

    If protagonists try to search Ethelrod0s "uarters

    discretely, they will be confronted with a lockeddoor, re"uiring oc(smithto open. -hey will also

    have to pass a tealth test of Difficulty 1 to avoid

    being spotted acting suspiciously by one of the

    crew, another member of the e)pedition or Ethelrod

    himself. 8nless the witness can be persuaded,

    threatened or bribed into keeping "uiet *a 9 5oint

    "pendin Reassurance, &ntimidationor 'argain+,the conse"uences of getting caught are very serious

    C including e)pulsion from the e)pedition as an

    absolute minimum.

    Aor the details of the contents of Ethelrod0s cabin,

    see Ethelrod0s #ersonal Effects on #age TT.

    #odth$%"cene T)pe: !ore

    ead#&n:Briefing, #reparations, -he 3tlanticoyage

    ead#0ut:%ival E)pedition, Evighedsforden

    -he ship makes a scheduled stop in 9odthJb, the

    capital of 9reenland, for three days, to refuel,collect supplies and meet the sledding team. >nce

    the ship is prepared, a local boat is to transport the

    sleds and sled dogs to Evighedsforden 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.

    9reenland at this time is a colony of Denmark and

    uses Danish currency and mostly Danish place

    names. 9odthJb is the capital and has a population

    of around 6GGG, 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 9odthJbsforden, the long,

    meandering ford 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 9erman research team in

    9odthJbsforden and left shortly afterwards.

    Ethelrod will get this information one way or

    another C from a member of the crew if not from

    the #rotagonists. e is furious and curses the

    9erman 0race0.

    Reassurance 3#5oint "pend:e suspects that the9erman authorities were tipped&off about the site

    by a veteran of the first e)pedition, ean %aymond9obineau, who oined the =a?i cause a few years

    ago.

    RidebarS

    8ationalism in Europe in the 9:s

    $ith the benefit of historical hindsight, we know to

    what horrors 9erman nationalism led. -oday,

    =a?ism is almost universally synonymous with

    almost stereotypical evil. 3nd indeed British and

    3mericans would often have been less than

    favourably disposed towards the 9ermans, butprobably for slightly different reasons. $hile many

    people regarded the =a?is as despicable at the time,

    overt racism was far more socially acceptable and

    the logical conse"uences of =a?i rule were less

    clear. 3nimosity from British and 3mericans

    towards 9ermany at the time would probably have

    had more to do with nationalist and colonialist

    competition and memories of the 9reat $ar.

    #layers might even decide that their characters are

    broadly sympathetic with =a?i goals. 3nd indeedthis would be an ideal set&up for the @Big %eveal0 at

    the clima) of the scenario.

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    R/idebarS

    The Rival &'"edition"cene T)pe:>ptional, %oleplaying

    ead#&n:9odthJb

    ead#0ut:Evighedsforden

    -he following day, a small freighter flying the

    9erman flag C the !i""erC arrives in port to

    resupply. Ethelrod will refuse to have anything to

    do with themU 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 9erman team,

    although reception is increasingly patchy.

    -he 9ermans will boast about being the first to

    reach and e)plore Mthe ruins of -huleO, about

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

    tability test for the protagonists.

    &ntimidation:-he characters can avoid humiliationby giving as good as they get. 3 3#5oint spend

    allows them to recover 4 tability point or tricks the

    9ermans into revealing the e)pedition route from

    9odthJbsforden north&northeast *the same route as

    the (athieson E)pedition+.

    Reassurance or latter) 3#5oint "pend -he

    9erman 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 Mnoble origins of the 3ryan raceO 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

    9ermans reveal their route *north&northeast from

    9odthJbsforden, the same route as the (athieson

    E)pedition+.

    Assess !onest): Behind the bragging, there is a

    slight sense of uneasiness. 3#5oint spend:the

    9erman crew seem to be worried about their team.

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

    the 9ermans to admit that they are being lead to the

    site by ean %aymond 9obineau, a (athiesonE)pedition veteranU 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 1 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 Ailch test against

    Difficulty 7.

    "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

    subects, almost all in 9erman, including trabo0s

    Geographica and ermann $irth0sDer Aufgang

    "er #enschheit*-he Emergence of (ankind+.

    anguages 6German7:3n protagonistskimming

    the latter *6 hours+ will learn about nationalist

    9erman beliefs in their decent from a =ordic superrace that originated in the 3rctic region and once

    ruled the known world.$oringover it *4G hours+

    grants 6 dedicated pool points in 3rchaeology,

    3nthropology, >ccult or 'anguages.

    Evidence ollection:3lso here is an enthusiastic

    letter of support from a senior member of the

    =ational ocialist 9erman $orkersN #arty named

    einrich immler to Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer,

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

    as both M8ltima -huleO and M3tlantisO and refers tosomething he calls @-hor0s ammer0, a weapon of

    their divine ancestors said to be capable of

    flattening mountains.

    Captain Alfred $reher

    3round :G years old, and fit, Dreher is in command

    of base&ship operations. Dreher is a keen 9erman

    patriot and a true believer in the -hule myth.

    'erald Huber

    uber is a round&faced Bavarian. e is a littleoverweight, fairly "uiet and serious, and a little less

    nationalistic than his companion is.

    Abilities:3thletics 1, Airearms :, ealth 1,cuffling :

    !it Threshold::

    Alertness 4odifier: G

    "tealth 4odifier:G

    8eapon:H4 *(auser 9ewehr 5F rifle+, &4 *Knife+,&6 *fists+

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    4ther Crew )embers

    Abilities:3thletics 2, Airearms 1, ealth L,

    cuffling F, $eapons :

    !it Threshold::

    8eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *knife or improvisedweapon+, H4 *(auser 9ewehr 5Frifle+, H4 *'uger

    5mm+

    &vighedsforden"cene T)pe:!ore, -ransition

    ead#&n:

    ead#0ut:Evighedsforden 9lacier

    3bout 4GG miles north of 9odthJb, is the port of

    ukkertoppen, where the ship harbours overnight.

    3bout 4G miles from there is the ford of

    Evighedsforden, which flows through a deep and

    sheer&sided canyon in a remote and mountainous

    region.

    eals and even a whale of two are visible in the

    water and there are many varieties of seabirds.

    -here isn0t much sea ice apart from an isolated

    iceberg or two as reminders of what this place is

    like in the winter.

    9lacier&carved canyons with meltwater streams

    running through them meet the the main channel of

    the ford at muddy beaches.

    !aptain (ac3llen or #rofessor Ethelrod remind theteam 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 water0s edge is a lowmound.

    Arom a distance, 'iolog)identifies it as the body ofa whale. 3 5oint "pendreveals it as a narwhal.

    Polar *ear

    If the characters approach the whale0s corpse will

    notice it move strngely several times. 3 polar bear

    is behind it with it0s head inside the body, eating it

    from the inside. 3 ense -rouble test against

    Difficulty 1 will let the characters spot the bear atabout :G feet, 2G feet if they have not approached.

    -he bear will issue a vocal warning and if necessary

    fight to protect it0s catch.

    Being attacked by the bear is a :&point tability

    test.

    5olar 'ear

    -he bear can attack twice in a round C two claws or

    a claw and a bite. If it loses half it0s ealth, it willflee.

    Abilities:3thletics 41, ealth 4G, cuffling 42

    !it Threshold:1

    Alertness 4odifier:H6

    8eapon:H4 *claw+, HG *bite+

    Armour:&1

    A Cache

    Ethelrod orders a cache of supplies to be left near

    the beach. 4G man&days of food, 6G rounds of

    ammunition and a barrel of diesel.

    Rbegin sidebarS

    The Trek to Commoriom

    -he team has three sledges and a snow tractor. -he

    sledges are pulled by teams of ten dogs, carrying

    the driver *called a @musher0+ and up to one

    passenger. -he sledges carry supplies C mostly

    food, camp gear and lighter e)cavation e"uipment.

    -here is also a team of si) ponies to help lift thee"uipment onto the ice sheet. -eam&members are

    on cross&country skis.

    -he diesel&powered snow tractor seats four, pulls

    the heaviest e"uipment on a series of four sledges

    *the drill, the diesel generator, the electric ice

    melter and a do?en barrels of diesel+ and sets a

    steady pace. It has a motorised winch on the back.

    If none of the #rotagonists has Driving *-ractor+,

    Ethelrod will drive it.

    0utdoorsmanis re"uired to avoid gettinghopelessly lost. =avigating under difficult

    circumstances C without a map, a compass or in

    poor visibility will re"uire >utdoorsman spends in

    order to progress in the correct direction.

    Arctic travel on foot

    !ross&country skiing costs 1 3thletics, Aleeing 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 2 3thletics pool

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    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 9odthJb and the valley of !ommoriom. Day

    temperatures are about 4GVA higher. =ight

    temperatures about 4GVA lower. 3reas closer to the

    edge of the ice&sheet are about 4GVA warmer than

    the !ommoriom temperature.

    4onth Godthb ommoriom ctober :G &7

    =ovember 62 &46

    December 64 &45

    Effects of limate

    Below 6GVA e)posed characters without 3rctic

    clothing on act as if hurt. Below &6GVA, characters

    must make 3thletics tests *Difficulty :+ to keep

    moving. Aor each further 6GVA drop, the Difficulty

    increases by 4. Difficulty is increased by 6 if the

    character isn0t wearing protective clothing.

    !haracters who fail this test lose 4 ealth every 47

    minutes, or every 7 minutes in a bli??ard.

    3rctic clothing gives 4 point of 3rmor, butincreases the Difficulty of 3thletics and Aleeing

    tests C and anything else re"uiring e)tensive

    mobility C by 4.

    3 tent and small stove effectively raise the

    temperature by 6GVA. 3 cabin and more powerful

    stove raise it by :GVA, :7VA with the stove on full

    power.

    ommunications

    Ethelrod and the crew of the ship agree tocommunicate by radio twice a day once at L3(

    and once at F#(.

    Sledding Teams

    -here are three sleds with ten dogs per sled and

    three mushers *or fewer if any #rotagonists are able

    drive a dog&sled+.

    %(ale-

    3 stocky Inuit with bad teeth who seems to show

    them off with his smile almost all the time.3pproaching middle age, he is an e)pert hunter and

    outdoorsman. e speaks Inuit and Danish.

    Abilities:3thletics 2, Driving 1, Airearms F, ealth2, >utdoorsman 7, cuffling :, $eapons L

    it -hreshold :

    Alertness 4odifier:H6

    "tealth 4odifier:H6

    8eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *knife+, H4 *rifle+,

    Armour:&4 vs any *3rctic clothing+

    Tiria-

    -all for an Inuit and around :G, with a wispy

    moustache. e speaks Inuit and Danish. e is an

    e)pert at dog&handling and sled&maintenance.

    Abilities:3thletics 2, Driving 7, Airearms 6, ealth

    2, >utdoorsman :, cuffling 1, $eapons 7

    !it Threshold::

    Alertness 4odifier:H4

    "tealth 4odifier:H4

    8eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *knife+, H4 *rifle+,

    Armour:&4 vs any *3rctic clothing+

    =a(ob ">rensen

    Wrensen is a highly e)perienced cross&country

    skier, mountaineer, outdoorsman and guide. 3s the

    name suggests, he is of Danish descent and speaks

    Inuit, Danish and some English.

    Abilities:3thletics 5, Driving 1, Airearms 1, ealthF, >utdoorsman :, cuffling 7, $eapons 1

    it -hreshold 1

    Alertness 4odifier:H48eapon:&6 *fists+, &4 *knife+, H4 *rifle+,

    Armour:&4 vs any *3rctic clothing+

    "led Dogs

    Abilities:3thletics 46, ealth 7, cuffling 2

    !it Threshold:1

    Alertness 4odifier:H:

    8eapon:&4 *bite+

    Armour:&6 vs any *thick fur+

    E/pedition E;uipment-his is a non&e)haustive list of e"uipment for the

    e)pedition that hasn0t already been mentioned

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    #arts for cabin and outhouses, including an oil

    stove *kerosene+, tents, arctic clothing, ice picks,

    a)es, 2G -=- e)plosive charges with detonators, 4

    rifle per team member, 4GG rounds ammunition per

    rifle, camp radio with antenna *4GG $, nominal

    range 4GG miles depending on weather, 6GGlbs+,

    chain saws *diesel+, electric ice melter *about

    4GGGlbs+, :GG$ diesel generator *FGlbs+, 16 ) 77

    gallon tank diesel *::G lbs each+, 4G ) 77 gallon

    tank kerosene *::G lbs each+, water pump *diesel,

    :GGlbs+, Buckets, Aood for dogs and humans for 46

    months *mostly two grades of pemmican, plus a

    few lu)uries+, two sets of standard climbing gear

    including :GG feet rope, 6 powerful incandescent

    lamps *with 1G ft cables to attach to generator+, 4G

    kerosene lamps, 4G electric torches.

    hainsa$

    If someone should use this as a weapon at an stage,give it damage H4, but due to its general

    unwieldiness, users make attack tests at &4.

    Rend sidebarS

    &vighedsforden #lacier"cene T)pe:!ore, !hallenge

    ead#&n:Evighedsforden

    ead#0ut:-he !limb to the Ice heet

    -he first stage of the ourney is likely to last one

    day and is very challenging. -he loaded dog sleds

    must run uphill along the bottom of the canyon on

    gravel and mud, avoiding ice&falls from the glaciers

    overhead. -he canyon is about 4: miles long. Aor

    any #rotagonists who are driving dog sleds this is a

    Driving test against Difficulty 7. Aailure means that

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

    resulting in delays. Aor dogs this costs 4G 3thletics

    pool points.

    -ce 6all

    3s they progress up the canyon, have everyone

    make a ense -rouble test at Difficulty 1 to spot ice

    tumbling from a tributary into the path of one of the

    sleds. 3nyone who succeeds with ense -rouble

    can call out a warning allowing the driver to take

    evasive action. 3voiding this re"uires a Driving test

    against Difficulty 7 *1 if ense -rouble is passed+U

    otherwise, all on board *and the dogs+ take H4

    damage and the supplies and e"uipment on the sled

    may be damaged.

    )owling=ear the top of the canyon, have the #rotagonists

    make ense -rouble tests *Difficulty :+ to hear

    strange howling sounds. 3nyone with

    0utdoorsmancan reassure themselves and other

    characters that this is purely a natural phenomenon

    caused by the wind funnelling down the canyon,

    allowing any ense -rouble points spent to berefunded. >therwise, this is a 4oint tability test.

    Assess !onest):9ranger is showing signs of stressor agitation. If asked, he refuses to talk about it and

    denies that anything is wrong.

    A Quarrel

    3t the end of the day, the group needs to make a

    camp near the top of the canyon. -hat evening, a

    "uarrel can be heard in Ethelrod and 9ranger0s tent.

    "hado$ing or 3#5oint "pend in Evidenceollection: Ethelrod is repremanding 9ranger fordrinking. e threatens to throw away his alcohol

    supply.

    The Clim% to the Ice Sheet"cene T)pe:!ore, !hallenge

    ead#&n:Evighedsforden 9lacier

    ead#0ut:3cross the Ice, 9raves

    -his day begins with an even more difficult climbup a broken, icy slope onto ukkertoppen ice cap

    above. omehow, the sleds, the tractor and their

    loads need to be raised onto the ice sheet. -he team

    has a team of ponies, a hand&winch, human effort

    and perhaps the tractor itself to perform the lifting.

    Ethelrod publicly challenges the most "ualified

    #rotagonist *or one who has found irritating or a

    random one+ to lead this process. tress that the

    #rotagonist0s reputation is at stake here.

    -here are a number of possible methods and youmay modify the below according to player

    ingenuity, however this process should be

    resolvable as two tests. 3 (echanical %epair test

    against Difficulty 4G *potentially cooperative or

    piggybacked+ represents applied understanding of

    leverage, traction, balance and so forth. pends in

    #hysics or >utdoorsman reduce the difficulty by 4

    per pool point spent.

    If this fails roll again to determine the outcome

    4 -he 3thletics test Difficulty is increased by 46 -he 3thletics test Difficulty is increased by 6

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    : -he 3thletics test Difficulty is increased by :

    1H Ethelrod loudly berates the #rotagonist for his

    obvious errors. -he #rotagonist must make a 4&

    #oint tability test. -he Difficulty is 1 *: with

    %eassurance, Intimidation or Alattery+.

    If this is successful, the ne)t test is a piggybacked

    3thletics test against Difficulty 46 representing the

    collective effort of lifting the e)pedition supplies.

    If this is successful, the process goes smoothly and

    the leading #rotagonist may refresh 4 tability due

    to their boosted confidence.

    If it fails, roll again to determine the outcome

    4

    6

    :

    1

    7

    2

    >'DE% E%I>=

    %eview below

    ponies

    >ne method *both Ethelrod and 0utdoorsmanwill

    suggest this+ is that most members of the team

    climb the slope on foot, carrying ropes, *aDifficulty : 3thletics test, with failure resulting in a

    damage roll at &6+. =e)t, the team pulls various

    loads up using the ropes. Each of these steps re"uire

    pigg%backe"3thletics tests against various

    difficulties, with failure resulting in a retry and a

    loss of 4 ealth C at the Keeper0s option, a result of

    4 might result in a tumble and damage for whatever

    load is being pulled up the slope. -he dog teams are

    led up *Difficulty :+, then the humans and dogs

    together pull the tractor up *Difficulty 7+ C if a

    #rotagonist can drive it, they will also need to makea Driving test against Difficulty 7 to avoid

    problems as above. -hen tractor, humans and dogs

    bring up four regular loads *Difficulty :+ and the

    drill *Difficulty 1+ on sleds.

    -he entire process will take the best part of a day

    and by the end of it, the players themselves should

    be feeling tired.

    Aollowing Ethelrod0s directions, the team can spend

    the last hours of the day sledding in a south easterly

    direction across the ice&sheet, before camping forthe night.

    0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection 3#5oint

    spend 'arge, strange footprints can be seen in thesnow, perhaps distorted by melting. *If none of the

    protagonists finds it then one of the mushers does.+

    0utdoorsman or 'iolog): -he prints appear to bethose of a large carnivoreU however, an e)tended

    claw in the middle of the foot shows that this

    wasn0t a bear. In fact, they don0t belong to anyidentifiable creature. 3#5oint spend:-here is

    something very strange about the gait. 9#5oint

    spend:-he bi?arre pattern of prints would almost

    seem to imply that it was moving on si) legs some

    of the time.

    thulhu 4)thos: -his may be the legendary si)&legged beast of the 3rctic, called Gnoph-keh.

    -he mushers become "uite e)cited and -iria"

    refuses to continue.

    0ral !istor) or Reassurance:$ith a 3#5ointspend, the mushers say there are old legends of ademon that haunts the Ice&heet that hunts men and

    takes their souls by free?ing them to death. It0s

    called @-he airy -hing0.

    Ethelrod struggles to convince -iria". 3 3#5oint

    Reassurance spend will suffice. In contrast 8kale"

    and to a lesser e)tent Wrensen want to hunt and kill

    the creature. Ethelrod is not convinced. 3 3#5ointspend inReassurance or latter)will change his

    mind.

    3s soon as Dr 9ranger sees the print, he becomes

    e)tremely agitated and begins muttering to himself.

    Evidence ollection:3 3#5oint spendallows a

    character to overhear him mutter about a Mmonster

    of the iceO.

    Assess !onest) or 5s)choanal)sis:e doesn0tseem to be calming down. 3 5oint spend in5s)choanal)sis: e may have a phobia or have had

    a traumatic e)perience in the past that has triggerede)treme an)iety. Assess !onest) 3#5oint spend:

    Ethelrod also seems somewhat alarmed although he

    is far more in control of himself.

    Evidence ollection 3#5oint spend:-he character

    notices that 9ranger is secretly drinking from a hip&

    flask.

    Hunting the *east

    If the team attempts to hunt the beast, a 3#5oint

    0utdoorsman spendis re"uired per day to track it

    on a wandering route roughly east southeast. 3fterabout three days, they will arrive at the scene

    @Graves0. During this trip the hunters may

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    e)perience being spied on by a strange Eskimo *see

    3cross the Ice, -he $atcher+.

    RBegin idebarS

    *hy &thelrod must DieEthelrod0s death early in the scenario is important

    for several reasons firstly, it puts the protagonists

    into the driving seat and secondly it potentially

    reveals several more aspects of the mystery. It also

    foreshadows the insanity ahead and removes a

    source of security. If Ethelrod0s death is somehow

    prevented here, it is recommended that he is killed

    in some other, preferably non&trivial, way. Aor

    e)ample, he could be killed by the gnoph&keh.

    REnd idebarS

    The Death of &thelrod"cene T)pe:!ore

    ead#&n:-he !limb to the Ice heet

    ead#0ut:3 !all for elp

    ore lue: The route to ommoriom ne

    simple action is permitted ducking, starting to run,

    drawing a weapon or shouting a warning.

    >therwise, the first thing noticed is a very loud

    gunshot.

    -he Keeper should emphasis the confusion here.

    $ho is the shooter $ere they shooting at a threat3re they a threat Is anyone hurt $here is

    everyone else 3 second ense -rouble test against

    Difficulty 1 will identify the figure with the rifle as

    a threat. 3nd a 3#5oint "pendin Evidence

    ollectionwill identify him as 9ranger.

    9ranger will pause for one round then, unless

    interrupted, begin taking pot shots at other members

    of the team. e begins at !lose range. owever, he

    can spend no points on Airearms due to the

    darkness, his drunkenness and general lack ofability. 3 #reparedness test against Difficulty 7 will

    allow a #rotagonist to happen to be carrying a gun.

    >therwise, retrieving these from tents will take

    three rounds.

    Reassurance 3#5oint spendor successful

    #sychological -riage calms 9ranger down and he

    lowers the gun. 3 second 3#5oint spendor

    successful #sychological -riage convinces him to

    relin"uish it.

    If anyone moves towards him, 9ranger willthreaten them with the gun and shoot anyone who

    gets too close or who raises a gun towards him.

    (eanwhile Ethelrod lies unmoving on the ground.

    In the darkness among the tents a ense -rouble

    test against Difficulty 1 is needed to even notice

    him.

    4edicine 6core2 floating7:Ethelrod is mortallywounded, but he comes round briefly. e will tell

    the protagonist to follow the route marked on the

    map in his personal pack. e also warns them thatthe Mguardian of the temple must be placatedO but

    slips into unconsciousness before he can e)plain

    how.

    3 third Reassurance 3#5oint "pendor

    #sychological -riage will get 9ranger talking. e

    raves and mutters incoherently about Mblond

    EskimoO, Mthe man&eating beast of the iceO, Mthe

    city of evilO, Mthe formless guardian of the templeO

    and Ethelrod stealing his whisky. e soon lapses

    into a state of muttering, incoherent catatonia, fromwhich, as 5s)choanal)sisindicates, he is unlikelyto recover without lengthy therapy.

    Ethelrods Personal Effects

    Ethelrod left most of his personal possessions on

    one of the sleds. %eliant as they were on Ethelrod,

    the rest of the team do not know with certainty the

    route to their goal. -hey may find this material

    while looking for his maps.

    Ethelrod0s possessions include

    ore lue:3 detailed map of $est 9reenland

    with handwritten markings showing both the

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    route taken by the (athieson E)pedition and

    the route planned for the current e)pedition

    Ethelro"&s 'otes on the Liber Ionis*see

    @Ethelrod0s ecrets0 sidebar+

    lue 65ipe7:A $reliminar% Interpretation of

    the Tsath-(o Language *see @Ethelrod0s

    ecrets0 sidebar+

    $ictographs in the Temple of the )oth-A**ua*see @Ethelrod0s ecrets0 sidebar+

    RBegin idebarS

    Ethelrods Secrets

    Ethelrod?s ;otes on the iber &vonis

    anguage:English

    "(im:6 hours

    5ore:6G hours

    -hese handwritten notes were written in the late

    456Gs, based on the 'atin version of theBook of

    Eibon. Ethelrod0s notes focus on language, the

    geography, history and culture of yperborea, the

    pre&human +oormisand the worship of their god

    )hotha**uah.

    "(immingthis provides the clues from the 'iber

    Ivonis described on #age TT plus 4 dedicated pool

    point to be used for >ccult, 3nthropology or

    !thulhu (ythos spends relating to yperborea and

    -sathoggua. 5oringover it provides an additional 6

    dedicated pool points.

    A 5reliminar) &nterpretation of the Tsath#@o

    anguage2 b) !enr) Ethelrod and urtis4athieson

    anguage:-sath&Qo to English

    "(im:: hours

    5ore::G hours

    Ethelrod and (athieson compiled this provisional

    dictionary and grammar of the Tsath-(o

    hieroglyphic language based on their work prior tothe 4567 e)pedition and the glyphs they found in

    9reenland. >nce "(immed, this book can be usedas a reference, with sufficient time and point

    spends, te)ts written in -sath&Qo can be translated

    with a reasonable level of accuracy. 5oringover itgrants 6 dedicated pool points in 'anguages *-sath&

    Qo+.

    5ictographs in the Temple of +oth#A--ua

    anguage:English

    "(im:6 hours

    -his contains Ethelrod0s translations of a set of

    -sath&Qo hieroglyphs found on the walls of a

    temple in the valley of !ommoriom. e describes

    the pictographs as being of a more primitive type

    than previously seen and postulates that it was

    created by a people he calls @+oormis&and that the

    yperboreans adopted this language and refined it.

    Anthropolog) or Archaeolog)reminds the reader

    that such notions don0t correspond with accepted

    human prehistory.

    3 people called +oormiscame to this fertile

    valley from far to the south and built a city

    dedicated to their god)oth-A**ua. thulhu4)thosidentifies this as -sathoggua.

    -he temple was consecrated by summoning one

    of Zoth&3""ua0s children to guard it. -he high

    priest was then ceremonially sealed alive in the

    burial chamber behind the altar. thulhu

    4)thosidentifies the reference to a spawn of

    -sathoggua.

    -he temperature grew colder and people

    stopped following Zoth&3""ua and began to

    worship other gods, especiallyA"uk,uthat

    came from the north and was associated with

    the dropping temperatures. thulhu 4)thos

    suggests that this might be Itha"ua.

    3 civil war broke out between the followers of

    Zoth&3""ua and 3dukwu and the heretics were

    forced out of the city, and hunted down. 3 few

    survived in the mountains.

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

    boats made of skin *the ancestors of the

    yperboreans, Ethelrod suggests+. -hey began

    to trade, the builders of the city taught them

    writing, and the newcomers "uickly learned the

    ways of economics and government.

    -he land continued to get colder, and trade

    dwindled. -he coming of the cold was a curse

    from 3dukwu or his long&dead followers.

    -here is a prophecy that the bare&skinned

    people would take the city. Eventually it would

    lie abandoned and ravaged by the cold.

    REnd idebarS

    A Call for )el""cene T)pe:!ore, %oleplaying

    ead#&n:-he Death of Ethelrod

    ead#0ut:$aiting on the Ice, 3cross the Ice

    If the team maintains the agreed schedule of twice&

    daily radio communications, the following morningthey receive some news. -he team will probably be

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    breaking the news of Ethelrod0s death in the same

    broadcast.

    -he base ship has been approached by

    crewmembers of the 9erman base ship re"uesting

    assistance. -he 9erman e)pedition has been out of

    radio contact for three days. $hile this may simply

    be a technical problem, the 9ermans are concerned

    and would like help in looking for their teammates.-his is honourable behaviour between international

    e)peditions. In particular, they would like to send

    two representatives to oin forces with them.

    !aptain Dreher, captain of the 9erman base&ship, isavailable to speak directly to the characters ifthey wish.

    elping the 9ermans would mean a wait of two

    days on the ice. >n the other hand, by bringing a

    further two men with them and a sledge, the

    9ermans could take Ethelrod0s body and anincapacitated 9ranger back to 9odthJb. -hey could

    also bring supplies and could simply take the places

    of Ethelrod and 9ranger.

    -his is an ethical and practical dilemma for the

    protagonists. It is recommended that that the

    Keeper bring character Drives into play here by

    using oft *or even ard+ Drivers, ideally

    encouraging conflict between characters. Aor

    e)ample, the 3rrogance or -hirst for Knowledge

    Drives might favour pressing on without the9ermans, while Duty may encourage a character to

    do @the right thing0.

    If they decline to accept, the 9ermans send a two&

    man team to make its way independently. -he

    investigators may encounter them later and the

    9ermans will be less than positively disposed

    towards them.

    3n obvious third option is that the protagonists

    agree to look for the missing team, which the

    9ermans will gratefully accept.

    *aiting on the Ice"cene T)pe:>ptional, -ransition

    ead#&n:3 !all for elp

    ead#0ut: 3cross the Ice

    If the protagonists decide to wait for the 9ermans

    to reach them, they face a wait of two days on the

    ice.

    An "nearthl Howl3fter sunset on the first day there is a distant, but

    terrible and strange howl, which will be noticed

    with a successful ense -rouble test against

    Difficulty 7. earing it is a 4oint tability test.

    'iolog) or 0utdoorsman 3#5oint spend -hissound is not recognisable as a known inhabitant of

    9reenland. -his insight increases the tability test

    to 6 points.

    The Two 'ermans

    -he 9ermans will be very grateful to the team for

    delaying their e)pedition in order to help and they

    will make it clear that their interest is in the search

    and rescue of their compatriots and are happy to

    follow the Ethelrod E)pedition0s lead on other

    matters.

    -hey will, however try to persuade the English&

    speakers to help them actively search for the

    9ermans, perhaps by giving them some men to take

    on a more southerly course towards where radio

    contact was lost *i.e. in the direction of the scene,

    Graves+. %eoining the main group from this pointwould re"uire a steep climb *see 0n the Edge+.

    !aptain Dreher decides to lead the rescue operation

    personally, leaving his first mate in charge of a ship

    manned by a radio engineer and a skeleton crew.

    e brings 9erald uber with him on a dog sled

    with eight dogs. ee #age TTfor details of these

    two.

    ections of the scenario that apply if the 9ermanshave oined the team are marked with the following

    symbol ,")mbol: German Expedition 4embers.

    -n.estigation

    Reassuranceor latter):-he 9erman e)peditionwas following the same route as the (athieson

    E)pedition. Each of the following additional pieces

    of information re"uires a 3#5oint spend

    -he site is thought to be a city called

    @8ltima -hule0, the capital of the lost

    continent of -hule, ancient homeland of the

    3ryan race

    Information about the site came from ean

    %aymond 9obineau, a veteran of the

    (athieson E)pedition who moved to Berlin

    in the late 456Gs

    3ccording to 9obineau, the creature that

    attacked the (athieson E)pedition was not

    a bear, but something far worse

    -here is a temple in the valley that one must

    utter a special invocation to enter. 9obineauclaimed to know this, but protected it

    fiercely.

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    -he linguist and anthropologist erman

    $irth translated glyphs found on a monolith

    in Ainland describing the history or

    mythology of this city

    Across the Ice"cene T)pe:!ore, !lue *Bonus+

    ead#&n:3 !all for elpead#0ut:

    -he e)pedition is now heading southeast over the

    fractured surface of the 9reenland ice sheet. -wice

    a day, each member of the team must make a ense

    -rouble test against Difficulty 1 *Difficulty : for

    vehicle drivers+ to safely avoid crevasses. If this

    fails, a Driving test *Difficulty :+ is re"uired to

    avoid falling in for H4 damage and possible loss or

    damage to vehicles, loads or dogs.

    -his stage will take two days. owever, if the teampasses a piggybacked Driving *-ractor or Dog led

    as applicable+ test against Difficulty 7, reduce this

    to one day.

    The 8atcher

    3s the ourney progresses, the team gradually

    approaches a range of nunataks*mountains

    emerging from the ice sheet+ to the southeast. -here

    are a few smaller nunataks along the way.

    -owards the end of the last afternoon here, a ense-rouble test against Difficulty 1 will allow the

    protagonists to spot someone watching them from

    the top of a ridge ahead. e is perhaps half a mile

    away. 3 #reparedness test *Difficulty :+ will give

    an #rotagonist "uick access to binoculars. If viewed

    through binoculars, he appears to be an Eskimo, but

    dressed rather strangely in a high collared parka.

    Anthropolog) or 'iolog) 3#5oint spend isfeatures are unusual for an Eskimo, with a long

    face, large nose and elongated earlobes.Anthropolog) or Archaeolog) 3#5oint spendwill

    then suggest that his appearance is reminiscent of

    figures depicted in artifacts of the e)tinct Dorset

    !ulture. thulhu 4)thos:-he figure0s appearance

    is reminiscent of descriptions of the inhabitants of

    yperborea.

    3 successful 7oint #reparedness test will allow a

    character to produce binoculars "uickly enough to

    see that the Eskimo has a long, pale face and is

    strangely dressed in a high&collared parka with a

    sort of pointed hat instead of a hood. e "uicklydisappears from view whether seen or not.

    !limbing the ridge is a :oint test. Aailure results

    in : points of damage. 0utdoorsmanwill find histracks. 3#point spend:-he tracks appear to come

    from the east *the direction the e)pedition is

    headed+ and return the same way. 3nother 9#5ointspendis re"uired to follow the tracks a significant

    distance. 3 skier will be able to travel faster than

    the man on level ground, however he deliberately

    heads over rough terrain, re"uiring a !hase using

    3thletics versus 3thletics, with the Eskimo

    receiving a free success at the start of the chase

    representing the head start he has and a Difficulty

    reduced to : representing his e)perience of the

    terrain. 3nyone winning this !hase will have an

    opportunity to take a single shot at the strange&

    looking Eskimo if they have a rifle ready. 3fter

    that, he disappears from view and a ense -rouble

    test against Difficulty 2 is re"uired to avoid being

    ambushed by a ferocious attack with a hand&a)e. ewill fight to the death rather than be captured.

    een close&up, it is clear that the man is no ordinary

    Eskimo. e is lean, with fair hair, and a long face

    with elongated nose and ears. e appears to be in

    his mid to late twenties. e will refuse to talk and

    will try to escape at the first opportunity.

    &nterrogation: In broken 9reenlandic Inuit, he will

    warn that the outsiders have strayed onto forbidden

    land, protected by the ancestors.-hey must leave at

    once or they will die a horrible death.3 9#5ointspendpersuades him to give his name and that he is

    a member of a small family that lives in a house

    several days to the west of here. Assess !onest)reveals no hint of deception.

    ,")mbol: German Expedition 4embers. -he

    9ermans, are e)tremely e)cited by the discovery of

    @blond Eskimo0 announcing that it is proof of a

    former 3ryan/=ordic civilisation in 9reenland.

    Anthropolog) 3#5oint spend:ilhalmur

    tefansson reported blond Eskimo in the ictoriaIsland area of !anada in 454G and there have been

    several such reports, including in 9reenland, since

    the 4Lth!entury.

    )aakuk< the *lond Eskimo< Age 2=

    Abilities: 3thletics 4G, cuffling F, $eapons 44,ealth 5

    !it Threshold: 1

    Armor &4 vs all *hide+

    "tealth 4odifier:H6

    Alertness 4odifier:H68eapon HG *stone a)e+

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    -he team won0t be able to travel much further

    today.

    +n the &dge"cene T)pe: !lue *Bonus+

    ead#&n:3cross the Ice

    ead#0ut:-he 9erman !amp, -he alley of

    !ommoriom

    3bout a day from their destination, the e)pedition

    is moving along the top of a steep ridge.

    0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:-here is a

    dark red spot on a slope, about a mile or so from the

    bottom of the ridge. Binoculars suggest that it is a

    patch of blood with debris of some kind nearby.

    -he face of the ridge, which would need to be

    descended to reach the camp, is a near&vertical wall

    of icy rock over 4GG feet high. !limbing down is an3thletics test *Difficulty 2+. !limbing back up the

    wall is Difficulty F. In either case, damage is 4 die

    H:, however, if a safety rope is used, unless the roll

    is a natural 4 *in which case the rope doesn0t hold+,

    the damage is reduced to &4, with a second 3thletics

    test re"uired to complete the climb. 3pproaching

    the red spot brings the protagonists to !uman

    Remains.

    0utdoorsman:3nother route is possible that

    avoids the steep climb. It would mean going back

    along the ridge then heading south. >n foot, thiswould take about a day each way, on unloaded dog

    sleds about half that, and on loaded sleds or a snow

    tractor, about 2 hours.

    0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:Bolts have

    been left where someone climbed up the face of this

    ridge. 3 3#point 0utdoorsman spendconfirms

    that this was within the last week or so. 3nother 3#5oint spendindicates that there were three in theclimbing party.

    3nyone remaining behind and passing a ense

    -rouble test against Difficulty 2 will spot a figure,

    similar to the previous one, watching them from a

    mountainside to the north. %eaching the spot will

    take about half an hour and a climb re"uiring an

    3thletics test against Difficulty 1. 0utdoorsman 3#5oint spendwill successfully locate his tracks,

    while another 3#5oint spendwill allow them to befollowed westward and higher up the mountain

    where they are lost on the rocky surface.

    If none of the protagonists remain here, the musherswill report the figure when they return and can take

    the characters close to the spot where the figure

    stood.

    -he e)pedition will probably need to camp

    somewhere on the ridge or tonight.

    )uman Remains"cene T)pe: >ptional,!lue *Bonus+

    ead#&n:>n the Edge, 9raves

    ead#0ut:3ttack ite, >n the Edge

    In addition to the large patch of blood are some

    pieces of bone and clothing. $itnessing this is a :&

    point tability test. 3 "imple "earchlocates papersthat identify the victim as ean %aymond 9obineau,

    a Arench national, 9erman resident and a member

    of the =D3# *=a?i #arty+.

    orensics -he remains have probably been here

    for almost a week. 3#5oint spend:-he bones aregnawed and crushed. -he tooth&marks are possiblyfrom a bear or other large carnivore.

    Evidence ollection or 0utdoorsman:-he man0sprints can be seen coming from the south. 'arge,

    footprints can be seen in the snow, possibly

    distorted by melting. Both sets of tracks have

    followed the same route. 0utdoorsman or

    'iolog): -he prints appear to be those of a largecarnivoreU however, the e)tended claw in the

    middle of the foot shows that this wasn0t a bear. In

    fact, they don0t belong to any identifiable creature.3#5oint spend:-here is something very strange

    about the gait. 3 further 3#5oint spend:-hebi?arre pattern of prints would almost seem to

    imply that it has si) legs.

    thulhu 4)thos:-his may be the 9noph&keh, thelegendary si)&legged beast of the 3rctic.

    0utdoorsman 3#5oint spend:-racing the prints to

    their origin will take characters to Graves.

    Aollowing the creature0s subse"uent route will take

    them northeast, deeper onto the ice sheet. 3fter two

    hours, snowfall obliterates the trail.

    !hat Happened Here>

    $hen surprised by the 9noph&keh at the site of the

    scene @Graves0, 9obineau *like many others+ fled.-he creature hunted him down, killed him and

    consumed his body at leisure.

    Attac, Site"cene T)pe: >ptional,!lue *Bonus+ead#&n:uman %emains, -he !limb to the Ice

    heet

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    ead#0ut:uman %emains, -he !limb to the Ice

    heet

    -hree mounds rise in the snow here marked with

    simple wooden crosses. 3 crushed man&drawn sled

    has also been abandoned here, its load still partially

    onboard and partially piled on the snow nearby.

    "imple "earch: -he mounds are of course graves.

    Identity papers on the bodies will identify them as9erman nationals.

    "imple "earch: -he sled holds camp gear,provisions and a broken radio. -here is also a

    sealed brass tube containing a note from Bauer to

    his missing countrymen, 9obineau and (et?ger. It

    says that Bauer and his men have searched for a day

    and been unable to find them. 3fter a vote, they

    decided to continue to try for their goal. -hey were

    heading to the ridge to the northwest. 3nd they

    should oin them there. -hey would leave climbinggear at the ridge.

    Evidence ollection 3#5oint spend: 8nder a layer

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

    0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:-here areseveral 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&covered

    trail hinting that something large trampled through

    this part of the valley several times, before thetracks 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 the

    bodies 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 offrostbite. 3#point spend:-he wounds on the second

    man are consistent with being mauled by a large

    carnivore, but a bear0s claws are not sharp enough

    to have inflicted those inuries.

    !hat Happened Here>

    -he 9erman e)pedition having ignored their

    warning, one of the 'omaruit *Blond Eskimo+ sang

    the old song to call the 9noph&keh. -he beast

    stalked the e)pedition, called up a bli??ard andattacked them. ome of them tried shooting at it

    without much success. -hree mere were killed and

    the rest fled. 9obineau was followed and killed by

    the creature. 3nother man *>tto (et?ger+ died of

    hypothermia on the ice. -hree regrouped at the

    same spot later, buried their dead and gathered their

    possessions to continue.

    The Valley of Commoriom

    "cene T)pe: !oreead#&n:>n the Edge

    ead#0ut:E)cavation

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

    Arri.ing at the Site

    3s the team progresses along the ridge, they see

    two mountain peaks ahead, between which they are

    heading. Beyond that, according to Ethelrod0s map,

    lies the valley of !ommoriom.

    -he ourney is uphill and hard going, re"uiring 13thletics, Aleeing 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 6 miles away, on the other side of the valley,

    a dark cube *The ube#"haped "tructure+ s"uats

    on the lower slopes of the highest mountain. 3bout

    one mile away, on another slope of tundra is a smallcamp.

    -he wind blows harshly through the high valley,

    whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing

    phantoms. 3 ense -rouble test against Difficulty :

    allows #rotagonists to hear a strange droning sound.

    -his is a natural effect caused by the wind blowing

    between the mountains and through the valley.

    >nce this is established, allow any ense -rouble

    points spent to be reclaimed.

    Evidence ollection2 0utdoorsman or Geolog)6ore lue7: 3lso about a mile away, close to themiddle of the ice&covered valley is a shadow that

    matches the one Ethelrod showed the group in the

    briefing *see The "hado$ %nder the &ce+.

    Geolog):-he ice could be up to a thousand feetthick.

    Evidence ollection: 3s you approach the cube&

    shaped structure, you see a blackened, scattered pile

    of debris on the ice.

    In fact, this is the remains of the 9erman e)pedition

    *see The End of the 'auer Expedition+.

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    The 'erman Camp

    -he camp consists of two tents with two sledges

    parked nearby. -here is bedding for three men here.

    It appears to be deserted.

    0utdoorsman: -he camp has not been used for

    days.

    "imple "earch: -he camp contains some suppliesof food, kerosene, skis, ice picks, rifle ammunition,

    and so forth.

    Evidence ollection 3 point spendis re"uired to

    find each of the following in the camp

    6G dynamite charges with detonators and

    fuse wire

    46 flamethrower ignition cartridges

    -he ournal of Ekkehardt Bauer

    -he 3krafall aga

    RBegin idebarS

    ,")mbol: 5ulp.

    !echselapparat !e/6lamethrower

    $hile it0s 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 9reat $ar and

    consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and ano??le connected by a hose. 3 (echanical %epair

    test against Difficulty 1 is re"uired to understand

    the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a

    wasted shot. 9asoline, kerosene or diesel can be

    used as fuel. 3 4G&chambered cylinder in the no??le

    contains the ignition cartridges. Its heavy *27 lbs+

    and cumbersome nature and high visibility make it

    dangerous to wear, decreasing the wearer0s it

    -hreshold by 4 and increasing 3thletics and

    Aleeing Difficulties by 4. It0s also "uite fragile

    treat as having 6 3rmour and : ealth if damaged.

    Damage: H4 *and see below+

    "hots:4G

    Range:=ear

    ;otes:>nce hit, a target will continue to burn,inflicting HG damage for 4D2 rounds *3thletics test

    against Difficulty 2 to e)tinguish+. &4 to wearer0s

    it -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 p2L+.

    REnd idebarS

    The 5ournal of Ekkehardt *auer

    anguage:9erman

    "(im:1 hours

    Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer was the leader of the

    9erman 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

    clues

    -he purpose of the e)pedition is to find

    evidence that the ancestors of the 9ermans

    had a civilisation in ancient 9reenland. -his

    search is supported by certain nationalist

    groups, and organisations, including

    important members of the =D3# *=a?i

    party+.

    In 4565, ean %aymond 9obineau, veteran

    of the (athieson E)pedition and grandson

    of 3rthur de 9obineau the famous race

    theorist, had recently moved to Berlin and

    oined the =D3#. e contacted 9ustaf

    Kossinna, #rofessor of 9erman

    3rchaeology at the 8niversity of Berlin

    with unpublished information about the

    4567 e)pedition. Kossinna, himself a

    nationalist and race theorist, encouraged

    Bauer to organise an e)pedition.

    'ike Ethelrod and (athieson, 9obineau

    called the site @!ommoriom0 in reference to

    a city mentioned in the 'ivre d0Eibon.

    Kossinna called it @8ltima -hule0.

    >n invitation, 9obineau oined the

    e)pedition. It arrived in 9odthJb in early

    uly and, following 9obineau0s directions,

    landed in 9odthJbsforden where the ship

    anchored in order to ma)imise radio

    reception.

    Bauer describes 9obineau as obno)ious and

    mentally unstable. Bauer feels he is more of

    a hindrance to the mission than a help.

    Bauer and 9obineau 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 -hule/9reenland.

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    -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

    bli??ard, 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, theyfound that three of them were dead and two

    missing. -hey decided to press on with only

    three men left in the e)pedition.

    The Akraf?all Saga

    anguage:-sath&Qo and 9erman

    "(imming Time:-he 9erman translation 6 hoursUtranslating from -sath&Qo takes longer *see below+

    -his book is a speculative translation by erman

    $irth of certain pictographs found etched onto amonolith in Ainland. $irth interprets the symbols

    according to his own linguistic theories and wishful

    thinking. 3nyone familiar with -sath&Qo will

    recognise the glyphs.

    anguages 6German7will reveal $irth0sinterpretation

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

    human. She gae birth to the Go"-#an. The Go"-

    #an became a brae ,arrior an" a lea"er.

    $irth associates this with the/arelian stor% ofIlmatar, the spirit of the air who gives birth to

    YinYmPinen, 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 enious 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 reeale" his "iine form an""eoure" man% of the people until the last of them

    fle". (ears 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

    ciilisation 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 e1tensiel% on

    the relationships bet,een the pictographs an"'or"ic runes.

    lue 6everaged7: If using Ethelrod0s -sath&Qo

    dictionary, every si) hours work and 3 point

    spendsin Archaeolog), anguages,

    r)ptograph), Anthropolog)or thulhu

    4)thos, one of the following points is translated

    oldiers from !ommoriom captured the outlaw

    Knygathin Zhaum and brought him back to the

    city.

    3ccording to rumour, Knygathin Zhaum was

    the product of the union of the ShaklipC the

    @granddaughter0 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 had

    devoured many of the citi?ens, 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 !lark

    3shton mith0s story The Testament of Athammaus

    for the content of the main body of the story.

    The End of the *auer E/pedition

    Evidence ollection:

    -here are three charred bodies here in a

    blackened mass.

    -here are rifle cartridges scattered around. 3tleast 2 shots were fired.

    hemistr):

    -he group was burned with fuel, probably

    kerosene

    -here is an odd tarry residue here that you don0t

    recognise as a normal by&product of chemical

    fires like this. It seems to be organic.

    o 'iolog):-his isn0t any known organic

    substance

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    orensics:3ll three men appear to have died from

    burns caused by an inflammable li"uid

    Evidence ollection:=e)t to the first man is adark stone statuette. It is a s"uat, grotes"ue, vaguely

    toad&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 ofrecognition, 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 statues

    were used by e)tinct 3merican Indian tribes

    in !anada and =ew England. -hey

    supposedly represent a being called

    Tsathoggua. -here are interesting parallelswith an entity called Sa"og,ahassociated

    with witchcraft in the 3uvergne region of

    Arance. 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 fro?en moisture, mucus or

    slime, also coming from the cube&shaped

    structure

    8hat !appened !ere

    -he three surviving members of the e)pedition

    entered the temple and *as instructed by 9obineau+

    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 Cube#Shaped Structure

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

    the mountainside like a tomb or a memorial to

    something incomprehensibly ancient. It is built of

    dark grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slits

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

    about nine feet wide.

    Evidence ollectionor0utdoorsman:-here is a

    faint, 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 asingle natural block.3 point spend:-he building

    bears 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

    bron?e 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 orArchitecture:-his pattern of tessellated pentagonsis unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated

    understanding of obscure geometry.

    trange hieroglyphs *identifiable as a primitive

    version of -sath&Qo+ 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

    Ethelrod0s$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 obect rested on

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

    recognises the outline of the statuette found at TheEnd of the 'auer Expedition.

    The 'urial hamber

    Behind the altar, what may once have been a hidden

    doorway lies open with fragments of corrodedbron?e chain on the floor nearby.

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    hemistr)indicates that the chain fragments have

    been in this position for only a few years. 9reen

    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, bron?e 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 :oint tability

    test *(ythos related+.

    'iolog):-he creature is of no known species of

    ape and possesses certain features, for e)ample the

    structure of the foot, which places it closer to

    human beings.

    -he throne is again of heavily corroded bron?e, but

    in better condition than the basin.

    -here is a long stone table at one end of the

    chamber, which is empty apart from a few

    fragments of ancient organic matter *the remains of

    flowers, fruit and other foods+.

    The Shadow under the -ce

    =ear the centre of the ice cap, there is a dark spot of

    roughly circular shape and about forty feet in

    diameter. Evidence ollection:3 structure of

    some kind, the top of which is around fifteen feetbeneath the surface, descends deep into the ice.

    Evidence ollection3 5oint spendorArchitecture:It is difficult to see through thedistortion, but it has a resemblance to the top of a

    tower complete with railed balcony.

    If, at any stage, the Investigators balk at e)cavating

    the structure C to ensure they can leave the site

    before the sea&route is closed off by ice for e)ample

    C you can use a !ard Driver1

    Setting up Camp

    3t some stage, the protagonists will probably want

    to build their cabin. 3nyone with 0utdoorsmanor

    Architecturewill know to build it on solid ground

    rather than on ice. -here are several spots on the

    foothills at the edge of the valley to choose from.

    Building the cabin takes four days. If the

    #rotagonists wish to do so, they can spend pool

    points from 3rchitecture or a relevant !raft and

    reduce construction time by half a day per point

    spent.

    $hile the team members are sleeping in tents and

    building the cabin, it might be a good time for their

    first e)perience of -he inging *see sidebar+.

    >nce completed, the cabin has two rooms C a living

    space with a stove and simple kitchen and "uarters

    that sleep eight people in bunks. >thers may need

    to sleep in the living space. Both rooms have one

    small window. -here is an outhouse for storage andanother for the dogs.

    Attac,s %y the)y"er%oreans

    "cene T)pe: 3ntagonist %eaction

    ead#&n:-he alley of !ommoriom

    ead#0ut:-he airy -hing in the Bli??ard

    -he tiny clan of Blond Eskimo has camped near the

    valley in order to drive the outsiders away and

    interfere with the dig. -his takes the form of

    sabotage and singing the ancestral song for

    summoning the 9noph&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 enemies0 camp.

    8nfort


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