8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
1/40
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
aboveInclude hule -ociety esoteric conspiracy vril
stuff /ne of the 0ril -ociety ladies is with
1obineau2s team.
3ave Ethelrod2s manner of death depend on player
actions4 If they spot the 1erman camp, perhaps he
asks one of them what they think it is, andor
should we go there. If 5E- then 1obineau kills him
there. If 6/ then the 1ermans follow them and
1obineau shoots Ethelrod as they approachenter
the valley. If both these events are prevented then1ranger gets drunk and kills Ethelrod 7ust after they
arrive in the valley *or the 1noph&Keh kills him+.
he offspring of KZ have two forms4 adult and
7uvenile. he 7uvenile is simply a fissile off&shoot
of an adult. It2s about the si8e and appearance of a
leech. /nly the 7uvenile can parasitise a human.
hey take about 9&: weeks inside a human to reach
adulthood.
here is a fro8en mastodon carcass in the upper
chamber of the tower.
"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 $mithBefore ice covered the land of 3yperborea, a great
marble and granite capital of vertiginous spires rose
in a valley in the mountains. $ill its rediscovery
release once more, the monstrous force that brought
about its doom
In a hostile, isolated environment, a scientific team
faces deadly opposition from the mysterious
inhabitants of the ice sheet and from a rival
e)pedition. -oon they will realise, however, that the
real horror is beneath the very ice that theye)cavate.
he 3yperborean !ycle stories of !lark ;shton
-mith are the inspiration for this adventure. It is
recommended that the Keeper reads at least The
Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathlabefore
running it. he Call of Cthulhuscenario Trail of
Tsathogguaby the late Keith 3erber tells the story
of the e)pedition that discovered the site.
The HookIn ?, an archaeological team from (iskatonic
@niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement
beneath the ice sheet in a remote valley in the
mountains of $est 1reenland. he protagonists are
members of a
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
2/40
The Spinehe team members voyage to Godthb, where they
can confront a Rival Expeditionfrom 1ermany.hey then begin their arduous overland trek in
Evighedsfjorden.
he protagonists see strange Eskimo watching them
from afar. ;nd a confrontation with the rival teammay have deadly conse"uences.
In The Valley of ommoriom! the protagonists
can find the bodies of the last survivors of the
1erman team, mysteriously burned to death.
6earby, is a strange temple inscribed with a history
of the early pre&human settlers. /n the valley floor,
a shadow under the ice indicates the location of the
archaeological site.
he is strange singing in the valley and the
protagonists see the elusive figures of blondEskimo.
Excavation leads to the discovery of an ancient
tower entombed in ice, containing the remains of
ancient astronomical e"uipment.
@nseasonal bli88ards harry the team as they work
and they may glimpse a strange creature in the
storm. he problems escalate with damage to the
camp and people attacked, until the #rotagonists
neutralise the Eskimo clan that is causing these
problems.
Aurther digging uncovers a stairway with a frie8e
describing a history of 3yperborea and eventually
leads to a ity "nder the #cewhere the teamuncovers a device that sends their minds back in
time to the disturbing origins of life on earth and
merges them with the primordial mind of @bbo&
-athla.
;s they e)plore and e)cavate, the city2s dormant,
parasitic inhabitants begin to awaken and infest the
intruders, leading to the $%a&ening of 'nygathin(haum.
Victory Conditions0ictory in this scenario means discovering the
nature of the site and the horror within it and
escaping alive, preferably with the site safely
sealed.
Antagonist Reactionshere are three factions of potential antagonists in
this scenario.
; rival 1erman e)pedition believes the site is the
ruin of the 6ordic racial homeland of hule.
Initially gloating, they must humbly re"uest help
from the protagonists as their own e)pedition
encounters serious problems. $hile they see
themselves as civilised men, they will ruthlessly
take control of the site or its artifacts if the
opportunity presents itself. 'ikewise, they may use
violence if threatened or obstructed. $hen they
need help however they will be humble and polite.
; tiny clan of latter&day 3yperboreans *or Blond
Eskimo2+ lives near the coast to the west of the
valley of !ommoriom. he Inuit of the region shun
them for their foul religious practices. heir
ancestral myths warn that people disturbing the
valley will awaken a giant fro8en in a city under the
ice. hey will do their utmost to protect the valley.
heir most effective tactic is calling a 1noph&Keh
to hamper the e)pedition.
$ithin the city itself is a colony of amorphous and
parasitic entities descended from sathoggua.
Initially dormant, they will gradually awaken, and
attempt to subdue and infest human hosts, gradually
gaining control over their behaviour and using them
to attempt to awaken their leader Knygathin Zhaum
and the other spawn. $hen sufficient numbers are
awake they will launch a full&scale attack on the
intruders.
Running Commoriom withthe Armitage Inquiry
his scenario begins in late Cune of
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
3/40
)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry,his symbol defines
sections that apply only to running the scenario as
part of the ;rmitage In"uiry.
Running Commoriom as astandalone
5ou can also run this scenario as a standalone
adventure or mark a dramatic beginning to an
ongoing campaign.
he difference is that Ethelrod has organised the
e)pedition with the British (useum, independently
of ;rmitage and his colleagues and motivated by
his own desire to solve the mystery.
)*ymbol: *tandalone, his symbol defines
sections that apply only to running the scenario as a
standalone.
Creating the Protagonists;ppropriate roles for the e)pedition include
archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists,
biologists, e)plosives e)perts, drill engineers and
radio engineers. ;ll team members should be
healthy and fit, and be competent cross&country
skiers represented for game purposes as a
minimum /utdoorsman rating of < and ;thletics of
9. he e)pedition will also need a medic with
(edicine and Airst ;id of at least >.
he e)pedition leader is )enophobic and Arench
applicants in particular need not apply.
)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry, If the e)pedition isorganised by (iskatonic @niversity, team members
are likely to be ;merican, perhaps connected to the
@niversity. 3owever, Ethelrod may have brought
British team members with him.
)*ymbol: *tandalone, If you run the scenario as a
standalone, the e)pedition is British as, probably,
are most of its members. 3owever, 1ranger maynot be the only ;merican to 7oin the e)pedition.
Prologuehe #rotagonists have each applied for a position
on an e)citing e)pedition to 1reenland.
he following clues are availableabout recent polar
e)peditions4
-istory:
In
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
4/40
Candidate Interviews(Directed Scenes
In order to introduce the #rotagonists, role&play a
short scene from each character2s interview for
their place on the e)pedition. Do this in front of the
whole group. his paints a picture of each
#rotagonist and helps establish those aspects of
their characters that may be at stake later *their
Drives and #illars of -anity+ and thus enhances the
sense of drama. hese Directed -cenes are short,
punchy and relatively independent of the flow of
the narrative. hey should establish three things
about each #rotagonist4
; general impression of their background,
appearance and personality
heir Drive their reason for 7oining the
e)pedition
Insight into one or more of their #illars of
-anity.
Aor e)ample, the interviewer could ask about the
applicant2s "ualifications, reasons for wanting to
7oin the e)pedition, their beliefs, what they would
rely on to get through the ;rctic winter and so on.
)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry,If organised by(iskatonic @niversity, !hairman of the
;rchaeology Department, Doctor Ernest (cavishconducts the interview along with ;ssociate
#rofessor Arancis (organ.
)*ymbol: *tandalone, If the e)pedition is
organised by Ethelrod in England, he conducts the
interview himself, accompanied by his friend
$ilfred 'ipton, at Ethelrod2s office in the British
(useum.
Scenes
!riefing*cene Type:Introduction
.ead0ut:#reparations, he ;tlantic 0oyage
)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry,he briefing takes
place in a seminar room at the ;rchaeology
Department of (iskatonic @niversity. ;ssociate
#rofessor Arancis (organ is a self&assured yet soft&
spoken field researcher in his early 9s, who
e)presses regret at being unable to attend thee)pedition due to it being brought forward by a
year. 3e introduces e)pedition leader #rofessor
Ethelrod, a renowned linguist from !ambridge and
veteran of the (athieson E)pedition, who has
voyaged across the ;tlantic to 7oin them.
$rchaeology:Dr (organ has a good reputation asa scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. * feet high. It is
dominated by a carving of a human figure with a
curved blade, bending over some kind of slain
animal. thulhu 4ythosor 0ccultwill allow theviewer to recognise the figure as consistent with
inhabitants of legendary 3yperborea as described,
for e)ample, in theBook of Eibon.
#ictographs found on the wall seemed to describe a
large and ancient settlement in the $estern
mountains. Ethelrod led a trip overland in search ofthe site of the settlement. he team found itself
attacked by a large polar bear that stalked them into
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
5/40
the mountains, leaving several members of the team
dead or in7ured. 3owever, they found a site with
evidence of former habitation, including remains of
a religious site and tantalising evidence of a ma7or
structure underneath the thick ice cap.
3e produces a photograph of a vaguely circular
shadow beneath a thick ice sheet.
he e)pedition ended rather abruptly after severalteam members were killed or in7ured by a
combination of climbing accidents and attacks from
the bear.
he site was of such significance that the team
agreed not to release full information until a second
e)pedition could investigate it fully. he ill health
and death of #rofessor !urtis (athieson in =,
the
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
6/40
$rchaeology or $nthropology: ;ccording to the
e)pedition report, the team made transcriptions of a
number of carvings on a large stone slab found at
the face of 3elheim 1lacier on the east coast.
;rchaeologists have subse"uently associated these
carvings with a 1reenlandic colony of the e)tinct
Dorset !ulture. 5point spend:-ome odd artifactsfeaturing strange figures wearing hoodless parkas
with tall collars and women with large hairstyles
were found on !ape Dorset on Baffin Island in
?. It is generally thought that the 1reenlandic
Dorset culture is limited to the north&west coast of
the island.
7iology or 0utdoorsman 56oint spend:#olar
bears 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.
$rchaeology! 7iology or Geology 16ipe3: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. 6ipe: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. 3e may
provide the following additional details and any
others the Keeper deems appropriate.
(athieson remained onboard ship, due to health
problems. 3e died of a heart condition in =.
he top of the structure was estimated to be under
at least
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
7/40
-mile fi)edly in uneasy moments
%ub your chin pensively and furrow your
brow
1esticulate in a 7olly manner and pat people
on the back
#r Charles $Chuck% &ranger
1ranger 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 @niversity.
In fact, although he has tried to get some help for it,
1ranger still suffers from shell shock2 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.
$bilities:;thletics M, 3ealth :, -cuffling J,Airearms 9
-it Threshold:9
$rmor: &< vs all *if wearing ;rctic gear+
8eapon:&> *fist+, L< *.9&J bolt action rifle+, L B!, the 1reek e)plorer #ytheas makes the first
known reference to the mysterious island of hule
Nsi) daysO sail north of Britain, and near the fro8en
seaP. 3e claimed that people keep bees in this place
and in summer, nights are only two or three hourslong. It2s not clear whether he is referring to
Iceland, 1reenland, 6orway or somewhere else
altogether.
he ;ncient 1reeks also tell of the 3yperboreans
who live beyond the north wind *the literal meaning
of 3yperborea2+. heir land was perfect, with the
sun shining >: hours a day, and the people free
from war, disease and old age and always happy.
he people were blond and very tall. 3yperborea
has variously been located in north&east ;sia,$estern Europe or Britain. In the
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
8/40
he earliest inhabitants were hairy pre&humans
called 0oormis2 who had a simple writing
system, and worshipped a god called
Zhotha""ah who lived beneath an e)tinct
volcano. he 0oormis were originally slaves of
snake&people2, but they revolted and won their
freedom.
3umans arrived and drove the 0oormis into themountains. hey established !ommoriom, the
first capital city, on the site of a 0oormis
settlement. he city was grand and beautiful
place of granite and marble with many high
towers. ; prophet called the $hite -ybil2
predicted the fall of !ommoriom and it was
abandoned in the same year that Eibon was
born, the city was abandoned, to a monster
called Kyngathin Zhaum2. he capital was
moved to the city of @8uldaroum.
Eibon became the greatest sorcerer, drawing
power from his servitude to Zhotha""ah. Due to
oppression from the sect of 5houndeh the elk&
goddess, Eibon was forced to live in a remote
tower of black 1neiss in a remote area called
(hu hulan. Eventually the priests of
5houndeh overran his tower and he fled
through a magical door, and his book was
passed on secretly in Europe and N;tlantisP.
; section of the book called Nhe #apyrus ofDark $isdomP 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 Nse)less
semivegetable carnivores with cylindrical and
pentalobular bodies RwithS starfish headsP 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 aprotoplasmic entity called @bbo&-athla. ;nyone
who knows of the starfish&headed crinoid
specimens reported by the #abodie E)pedition
must make a 9oint -tability test, (ythos
related.
6oringover it *unlikely in time for the departure of
the e)pedition+ provides L< to !thulhu (ythos, L>
for someone who has encountered sathoggua or
his minions.
The (athieson E-pedition of ./01
.ibrary "se:he information on the (athieson
E)pedition report, the Dorset !ulture and the
distribution of polar bears described in the7riefingcan be uncovered in a good&si8ed academic library
by substituting point spends in 'ibrary @se.
The &erman E-peditionAinding out more about this e)pedition is very
difficult as there is nothing published about it
publically. Reassurance or lattery will get Dr(organ or #rofessor Ethelrod to reveal that an
associate of Ethelrod2s, Dr -ummers of Edinburgh
@niversity, heard a reference to a privately funded
1erman e)pedition at an international archaeology
conference in #aris last year.
2utdoor Training
0arious independently sourced courses in outdoor
skills may grant a protagonist up to > dedicated
pool points in ;thletics or /utdoorsman, to be used
in ;rctic and -ubarctic environments.
The Atlantic Voyage*cene Type:/ptional, ransition
.ead#n:Briefing, #reparations
.ead0ut:1odthb
his is an opportunity to roleplay variousinteractions between player characters as they get to
know one another and their leader.
he voyage for 1odthb 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.
;n ;thletics test against Difficulty 9 is re"uired
avoid seasickness. he effect is the same as being
3urt and lasts for >: hours.
RBegin sidebarS
The Crewhe ship2s crew consists of the !aptain, Airst (ate,
!hief #etty /fficer and a crew of F sailors.
Captain 3ames (acAllen
; tall, lean, dour man who looks older than his :?
years. 3e doesn2t say much, but commands the
respect of his crew.
$bilities:;thletics :, 3ealth ?, -cuffling J,
$eapons >
-it Threshold:9
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
9/40
8eapon:&> *fists+, &< *boat hookimprovised+
4irst (ate )ill Hewlett
;n e)perienced seaman who has worked closely
with (ac;llen for years, 3ewlett is a somewhat
portly man in his early :s, with red hair.
$bilities: ;thletics 9, 3ealth ?, -cuffling :,
$eapons >-it Threshold:9
8eapon:&> *fists+, &< *boat hookimprovised+
Chief Pett 2fficer Anders Pihl
#ihl is a large, friendly man of Danish nationality.
3e is 9M, has a full beard and en7oys a drink.
$bilities:;thletics J, Airearms :, 3ealth M,
-cuffling F, $eapons 9
-it Threshold:9
8eapon:&> *fists+, &< *boat hookimprovised+, L
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
10/40
.ead#n:Briefing, #reparations, he ;tlantic
0oyage
.ead0ut:%ival E)pedition, Evighedsf7orden
he ship makes a scheduled stop in 1odthb, the
capital of 1reenland, 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 Evighedsf7orden in a separateboat.
It is late Culy 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 populationof around >, mostly Eskimo, but with a few
people of -candinavian descent. 3ouses 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 7ust 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 1odthbsf7orden, the long,meandering f7ord with many inlets where the
(athieson E)pedition landed.
.anguages 1;anish or #nuit3 $
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
11/40
;nyone who accepts will find themselves lectured
about the Nnoble origins of the ;ryan raceP and
how archaeological sites all over the world prove
that their ancestors brought civilisation to the
ancient world. ;nyone who vigorously disagrees
finds the offer of hospitality prematurely
withdrawn.
Reassurance or lattery 56oint spend:he1ermans reveal their route *north&northeast from
1odthbsf7orden, the same route as the (athieson
E)pedition+.
$ssess -onesty: Behind the bragging, there is aslight sense of uneasiness. 56oint spend:the
1erman crew seem to be worried about their team.
ollo%up: Reassurance 96oint spendwill get
the 1ermans to admit that they are being lead to the
site by Cean %aymond 1obineau, a (athieson
E)pedition veteranU however, several of them
believe he is unstable. 3is behaviour is strange and
occasionally violent and he drops hints of terrible
creatures up on the ice sheet.
; -tealth test against Difficulty : 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 ?.
*imple *earch: he ship contains some supplies of
food, fuel ammunition, radio e"uipment and soforth. here is also a small library of books on
relevant geographical, geological, anthropological,
archaeological, historical, linguistic and occult
sub7ects, almost all in 1erman, including -trabo2s
!eogra"hica and 3ermann $irth2sDer Aufgang
er #enschheit*he Emergence of (ankind+.
.anguages 1German3:;n protagonistskimmingthe latter *> hours+ will learn about nationalist
1erman beliefs in their decent from a 6ordic super
race that originated in the ;rctic region and once
ruled the known world.$oringover it * dedicated pool points in ;rchaeology,
;nthropology, /ccult or 'anguages.
Evidence ollection:;lso here is an enthusiastic
letter of support from a senior member of the
6ational -ocialist 1erman $orkersO #arty named
3einrich 3immler to Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer,
leader of the e)pedition. 3immler refers to the site
as both N@ltima huleP and N;tlantisP and refers to
something he calls hor2s 3ammer2, a weapon of
their divine ancestors said to be capable offlattening mountains.
Captain Alfred #reher
;round 9 years old, and fit, Dreher is in command
of base&ship operations. Dreher is a keen 1erman
patriot and a true believer in the hule myth.
&erald Huber
3uber is a round&faced Bavarian. 3e is a little
overweight, fairly "uiet and serious, and a little lessnationalistic than his companion is.
$bilities:;thletics :, Airearms 9, 3ealth :,-cuffling 9
-it Threshold:9
$lertness 4odifier:
*tealth 4odifier:
8eapon:L< *(auser 1ewehr =F rifle+, &< *Knife+,&> *fists+
2ther Crew (embers
$bilities:;thletics J, Airearms :, 3ealth M,
-cuffling F, $eapons 9
-it Threshold:9
8eapon:&> *fists+, &< *knife or improvised
weapon+, L< *(auser 1ewehr =Frifle+, L< *'uger=mm+
&vighedsforden*cene Type:!ore, ransition
.ead#n:.ead0ut:Evighedsf7orden 1lacier
;bout
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
12/40
sled drivers+. he plan then is to use it to ferry
supplies, e"uipment and the e)pedition members
onto the muddy shore.
;bout thirty feet from the water2s edge is a low
mound.
Arom a distance, 7iologyidentifies it as the body of
a whale. 5 6oint *pendreveals it as a narwhal.
Polar )ear
If the characters approach the whale2s corpse will
notice it move strngely several times. ; polar bear
is behind it with it2s head inside the body, eating it
from the inside. ; -ense rouble test against
Difficulty : will let the characters spot the bear at
about 9 feet, J feet if they have not approached.
he bear will issue a vocal warning and if
necessary fight to protect it2s catch.
Being attacked by the bear is a 9&point -tability
test.
6olar 7ear
he bear can attack twice in a round two claws or
a claw and a bite. If it loses half it2s 3ealth, it will
flee.
$bilities:;thletics < &VA e)posed characters without ;rctic
clothing on act as if hurt. Below &>VA, characters
must make ;thletics tests *Difficulty 9+ to keep
moving. Aor each further >VA drop, the Difficulty
increases by if the
character isn2t wearing protective clothing.
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
13/40
!haracters who fail this test lose < 3ealth every
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
14/40
resulting in delays. Aor dogs this costs
9 he ;thletics test Difficulty is increased by 9
:L Ethelrod loudly berates the #rotagonist for his
obvious errors. he #rotagonist must make a
9
:
?
J
/'DE% 0E%-I/6
%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, *a
Difficulty 9 ;thletics test, with failure resulting in a
damage roll at &>+. 6e)t, the team pulls various
loads up using the ropes. Each of these steps re"uire
"igg%backe;thletics tests against various
difficulties, with failure resulting in a retry and a
loss of < 3ealth at the Keeper2s option, a result of
< might result in a tumble and damage for whatever
load is being pulled up the slope. he dog teams areled up *Difficulty 9+, then the humans and dogs
together pull the tractor up *Difficulty ?+ if a
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
15/40
#rotagonist can drive it, they will also need to make
a Driving test against Difficulty ? to avoid
problems as above. hen tractor, humans and dogs
bring up four regular loads *Difficulty 9+ and the
drill *Difficulty :+ 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 Ethelrod2s directions, the team can spend
the last hours of the day sledding in a south easterly
direction across the ice&sheet, before camping for
the night.
0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection 56oint
spend4 'arge, strange footprints can be seen in the
snow, perhaps distorted by melting. *If none of the
protagonists finds it then one of the mushers does.+
0utdoorsman or 7iology: he prints appear to be
those of a large carnivoreU however, an e)tended
claw in the middle of the foot shows that this
wasn2t a bear. In fact, they don2t belong to any
identifiable creature. 56oint spend:here issomething very strange about the gait. 96oint
spend:he bi8arre pattern of prints would almost
seem to imply that it was moving on si) legs some
of the time.
thulhu 4ythos: his may be the legendary si)&
legged beast of the ;rctic, called !no"h-keh.
he mushers become "uite e)cited and iria"
refuses to continue.
0ral -istory or Reassurance:$ith a 56oint
spend, the mushers say there are old legends of a
demon that haunts the Ice&-heet that hunts men and
takes their souls by free8ing them to death. It2s
called he 3airy hing2.
Ethelrod struggles to convince iria". ; 56ointReassurance spend will suffice. In contrast @kale"
and to a lesser e)tent -Wrensen want to hunt and killthe creature. Ethelrod is not convinced. ; 56ointspend inReassurance or latterywill change hismind.
;s soon as Dr 1ranger sees the print, he becomes
e)tremely agitated and begins muttering to himself.
Evidence ollection:; 56oint spendallows a
character to overhear him mutter about a Nmonster
of the iceP.
$ssess -onesty or 6sychoanalysis:3e doesn2t
seem to be calming down. 5 6oint spend in6sychoanalysis: 3e may have a phobia or have had
a traumatic e)perience in the past that has triggered
e)treme an)iety. $ssess -onesty 56oint spend:
Ethelrod also seems somewhat alarmed although he
is far more in control of himself.
Evidence ollection 56oint spend:he character
notices that 1ranger is secretly drinking from a hip&
flask.
Hunting the )east
If the team attempts to hunt the beast, a 56oint
0utdoorsman spendis re"uired per day to track it
on a wandering route roughly east southeast. ;fter
about three days, they will arrive at the scene4
Graves2. During this trip the hunters may
e)perience being spied on by a strange Eskimo *see
;cross the Ice, he $atcher+.
RBegin -idebarS
*hy &thelrod must DieEthelrod2s death early in the scenario is important
for several reasons4 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 Ethelrod2s 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 Type:!ore
.ead#n:he !limb to the Ice -heet
.ead0ut:; !all for 3elp
ore lue: The route to ommoriom Valley
$hen the team sets up camp for the night, Ethelrod
invites the others to talk about the 7ourney ahead,
and in particular, techni"ues for avoiding crevasses.he meeting takes place in a tent shared by up to
three of the protagonists. 1ranger opts to retire.
Ethelrod2s suppressed disapproval of this is noted
with a 56oint *pendin $ssess -onesty.
3e is drinking in his tent. If anyone goes to speak to
him at this time, he will hurriedly hide his bottle of
whisky. he bottle or its lid can be spotted with
Evidence ollection 56oint spend. ;nd signs ofdrunkenness will be detected with 4edicineor
$ssess -onestyor Evidence ollection.
;bout an hour and a half later, Ethelrod ad7ourns
the meeting and the attendees make their way back
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
16/40
to their own tents. 'ipton lingers, talking to one of
the #rotagonists. ;nyone making a -ense rouble
test against Difficulty ? briefly notices a silhouetted
figure among the tents mutter something in the
dimness *N3enryXP+ and raise a gun. /ne simple
action is permitted4 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 threat
;re they a threat Is anyone hurt $here is
everyone else ; second -ense rouble test against
Difficulty : will identify the figure with the rifle as
a threat. ;nd a 56oint *pendin Evidence
ollectionwill identify him as 1ranger.
1ranger will pause for one round then, unless
interrupted, begin taking pot shots at other members
of the team. 3e begins at !lose range. 3owever, he
can spend no points on Airearms due to the
darkness, his drunkenness and general lack of
ability. ; #reparedness test against Difficulty ? will
allow a #rotagonist to happen to be carrying a gun.
/therwise, retrieving these from tents will take
three rounds.
Reassurance 56oint spendor successful
#sychological riage calms 1ranger down and he
lowers the gun. ; second 56oint spendor
successful #sychological riage convinces him torelin"uish it.
If anyone moves towards him, 1ranger will
threaten 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 : is needed to even notice
him.
4edicine 1core! floating3:Ethelrod is mortallywounded, but he comes round briefly. 3e will tellthe protagonist to follow the route marked on the
map in his personal pack. 3e also warns them that
the Nguardian of the temple must be placatedP but
slips into unconsciousness before he can e)plain
how.
; third Reassurance 56oint *pendor#sychological riage will get 1ranger talking. 3e
raves and mutters incoherently about Nblond
EskimoP, Nthe man&eating beast of the iceP, Nthe
city of evilP, Nthe formless guardian of the templeP
and Ethelrod stealing his whisky. 3e soon lapses
into a state of muttering, incoherent catatonia, from
which, as 6sychoanalysisindicates, he is unlikely
to 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.
Ethelrod2s possessions include4
ore lue:; detailed map of $est 1reenland
with handwritten markings showing both the
route taken by the (athieson E)pedition and
the route planned for the current e)pedition
Ethelro&s 'otes on the Liber Ivonis*see
Ethelrod2s -ecrets2 sidebar+
lue 16ipe3:A $reliminar% Inter"retation of
the Tsath-(o Language *see Ethelrod2s-ecrets2 sidebar+
$ictogra"hs in the Tem"le of the )oth-A**ua
*see Ethelrod2s -ecrets2 sidebar+
RBegin -idebarS
Ethelrods Secrets
Ethelrod?s hours
6ore:> hours
hese handwritten notes were written in the late
s, based on the 'atin version of theBook of
Eibon. Ethelrod2s notes focus on language, the
geography, history and culture of 3yperborea, the
pre&human +oormisand the worship of their god
)hotha**uah.
*&immingthis provides the clues from the 'iberIvonis described on #age TT plus < dedicated pool
point to be used for /ccult, ;nthropology or
!thulhu (ythos spends relating to 3yperborea and
sathoggua. 6oringover it provides an additional >
dedicated pool points.
$ 6reliminary #nterpretation of the [email protected]! by -enry Ethelrod and urtis4athieson
.anguage:sath&5o to English
*&im:9 hours
6ore:9 hours
Ethelrod and (athieson compiled this provisionaldictionary and grammar of the Tsath-(o
hieroglyphic language based on their work prior to
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
17/40
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
18/40
*aiting on the Ice*cene Type:/ptional, ransition
.ead#n:; !all for 3elp
.ead0ut: ;cross the Ice
If the protagonists decide to wait for the 1ermans
to reach them, they face a wait of two days on the
ice.An :nearthl Howl
;fter 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 ?. 3earing it is a points.
The Two &ermans
he 1ermans 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)pedition2s lead on other
matters.
hey will, however try to persuade the English&
speakers to help them actively search for the
1ermans, perhaps by giving them some men to takeon a more southerly course towards where radio
contact was lost *i.e. in the direction of the scene,
Graves+. %e7oining 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.
3e brings 1erald 3uber with him on a dog sled
with eight dogs. -ee #age TTfor details of these
two.-ections of the scenario that apply if the 1ermans
have 7oined the team are marked with the following
symbol4 )*ymbol: German Expedition 4embers,
+n,estigation
Reassuranceor lattery:he 1erman e)pedition
was following the same route as the (athieson
E)pedition. Each of the following additional pieces
of information re"uires a 56oint spend4
he site is thought to be a city called@ltima hule2, the capital of the lost
continent of hule, ancient homeland of the
;ryan race
Information about the site came from Cean
%aymond 1obineau, a veteran of the
(athieson E)pedition who moved to Berlin
in the late s
;ccording to 1obineau, the creature that
attacked the (athieson E)pedition was nota bear, but something far worse
here is a temple in the valley that one must
utter a special invocation to enter. 1obineau
claimed to know this, but protected it
fiercely.
he linguist and anthropologist 3erman
$irth translated glyphs found on a monolith
in Ainland describing the history or
mythology of this city
Across the Ice*cene Type:!ore, !lue *Bonus+
.ead#n:; !all for 3elp
.ead0ut:
he e)pedition is now heading southeast over the
fractured surface of the 1reenland ice sheet. wice
a day, each member of the team must make a -ense
rouble test against Difficulty : *Difficulty 9 for
vehicle drivers+ to safely avoid crevasses. If this
fails, a Driving test *Difficulty 9+ is re"uired to
avoid falling in for L< damage and possible loss or
damage to vehicles, loads or dogs.
his stage will take two days. 3owever, if the team
passes a piggybacked Driving *ractor or Dog -led
as applicable+ test against Difficulty ?, reduce this
to one day.
The 8atcher
;s the 7ourney progresses, the team gradually
approaches a range of nunataks*mountains
emerging from the ice sheet+ to the southeast. hereare a few smaller nunataks along the way.
owards the end of the last afternoon here, a -ense
rouble test against Difficulty : will allow the
protagonists to spot someone watching them from
the top of a ridge ahead. 3e is perhaps half a mile
away. ; #reparedness test *Difficulty 9+ 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.
$nthropology or 7iology 56oint spend4 3isfeatures are unusual for an Eskimo, with a long
face, large nose and elongated earlobes.
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
19/40
$nthropology or $rchaeology 56oint spendwill
then suggest that his appearance is reminiscent of
figures depicted in artifacts of the e)tinct Dorset
!ulture. thulhu 4ythos:he figure2s appearanceis reminiscent of descriptions of the inhabitants of
3yperborea.
; successful ?oint #reparedness test will allow a
character to produce binoculars "uickly enough tosee 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. 3e "uickly
disappears from view whether seen or not.
!limbing the ridge is a 9oint test. Aailure results
in 9 points of damage. 0utdoorsmanwill find histracks. 5point spend:he tracks appear to come
from the east *the direction the e)pedition is
headed+ and return the same way. ;nother 96oint
spendis re"uired to follow the tracks a significant
distance. ; 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
;thletics versus ;thletics, with the Eskimo
receiving a free success at the start of the chase
representing the head start he has and a Difficulty
reduced to 9 representing his e)perience of the
terrain. ;nyone winning this !hase will have an
opportunity to take a single shot at the strange&
looking Eskimo if they have a rifle ready. ;fter
that, he disappears from view and a -ense roubletest against Difficulty J is re"uired to avoid being
ambushed by a ferocious attack with a hand&a)e.
3e will fight to the death rather than be captured.
-een close&up, it is clear that the man is no ordinary
Eskimo. 3e is lean, with fair hair, and a long face
with elongated nose and ears. 3e appears to be in
his mid to late twenties. 3e will refuse to talk and
will try to escape at the first opportunity.
#nterrogation: In broken 1reenlandic Inuit, he will
warn that the outsiders have strayed onto forbiddenland, protected by the ancestors.hey must leave at
once or they will die a horrible death.; 96oint
spendpersuades him to give his name and that he isa member of a small family that lives in a house
several days to the west of here. $ssess -onestyreveals no hint of deception.
)*ymbol: German Expedition 4embers, he
1ermans, are e)tremely e)cited by the discovery of
blond Eskimo2 announcing that it is proof of a
former ;ryan6ordic civilisation in 1reenland.
$nthropology 56oint spend:0ilh7almur
-tefansson reported blond Eskimo in the 0ictoria
Island area of !anada in
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
20/40
;nyone remaining behind and passing a -ense
rouble test against Difficulty J 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
;thletics test against Difficulty :. 0utdoorsman 5
6oint spendwill successfully locate his tracks,while another 56oint spendwill allow them to be
followed westward and higher up the mountain
where they are lost on the rocky surface.
If none of the protagonists remain here, the mushers
will 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 Type: /ptional,!lue *Bonus+.ead#n:/n the Edge, 1raves
.ead0ut:;ttack -ite, /n the Edge
In addition to the large patch of blood are some
pieces of bone and clothing. $itnessing this is a 9&
point -tability test. ; *imple *earchlocates papers
that identify the victim as Cean %aymond 1obineau,
a Arench national, 1erman resident and a member
of the 6-D;# *6a8i #arty+.
orensics4 he remains have probably been herefor almost a week. 56oint spend:he bones are
gnawed and crushed. he tooth&marks are possibly
from a bear or other large carnivore.
Evidence ollection or 0utdoorsman:he man2s
prints 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
7iology: he prints appear to be those of a large
carnivoreU however, the e)tended claw in themiddle of the foot shows that this wasn2t a bear. In
fact, they don2t belong to any identifiable creature.
56oint spend:here is something very strangeabout the gait. ; further 56oint spend:he
bi8arre pattern of prints would almost seem to
imply that it has si) legs.
thulhu 4ythos:his may be the 1noph&keh, thelegendary si)&legged beast of the ;rctic.
0utdoorsman 56oint spend:racing the prints to
their origin will take characters to Graves.Aollowing the creature2s subse"uent route will take
them northeast, deeper onto the ice sheet. ;fter two
hours, snowfall obliterates the trail.
!hat Happened Here=
$hen surprised by the 1noph&keh at the site of the
scene Graves2, 1obineau *like many others+ fled.
he creature hunted him down, killed him and
consumed his body at leisure.
The ,ounds*cene Type: /ptional,!lue *Bonus+
.ead#n:3uman %emains, he !limb to the Ice
-heet
.ead0ut:3uman %emains, he !limb to the Ice
-heet
hree mounds rise in the snow here marked with a
1erman flag. ; crushed man&drawn sled has also
been abandoned here, its load still partially onboardand partially piled on the snow nearby.
*imple *earch: he mounds are of course graves.Identity papers on the bodies will identify them as
1erman 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, 1obineau and (et8ger. It
says that Bauer and his men have searched for a day
and been unable to find them. ;fter a vote, theydecided to continue to try for their goal. hey were
heading to the ridge to the northwest. ;nd they
should 7oin them there. hey would leave climbing
gear at the ridge.
Evidence ollection 56oint spend: @nder a layerof snow there are numerousempty rifle cartridges
as 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 thegraves. ; 56oint 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
56oint 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
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
21/40
third has a deep, impaling wound in the abdomen.
5point spend:he first also had symptoms offrostbite. 5point spend:he wounds on the second
man are consistent with being mauled by a large
carnivore, but a bear2s claws are not sharp enough
to have inflicted those in7uries.
!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 bli88ard 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 by
the creature. ;nother man */tto (et8ger+ 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 Type: !ore
.ead#n:/n the Edge
.ead0ut:E)cavation
ore lue: The *hado% "nder the #ce
Arri,ing at the Site
;s the team progresses along the ridge, they see
two mountain peaks ahead, between which they areheading. Beyond that, according to Ethelrod2s map,
lies the valley of !ommoriom.
he 7ourney is uphill and hard going, re"uiring :
;thletics, Aleeing or 3ealth 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.
;bout > miles away, on the other side of the valley,a dark cube *The Temple of (hotha++uah+ s"uatson the lower slopes of the highest mountain. ;bout
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. ; -ense rouble test against Difficulty 9
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 ollection! 0utdoorsman or Geology
1ore lue3: ;lso 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+.
Geology:he ice could be up to a thousand feet
thick.
Evidence ollection: ;s 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 1erman e)pedition
*see The End of the 7auer Expedition+.
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 supplies
of food, kerosene, skis, ice picks, rifle ammunition,
and so forth.
Evidence ollection 5 point spendis re"uired to
find each of the following in the camp4
> dynamite charges with detonators and
fuse wire
flamethrower ignition cartridges he Cournal of Ekkehardt Bauer
he ;kraf7all -aga
RBegin -idebarS
)*ymbol: 6ulp,
!echselapparat !e-4lamethrower
$hile it2s unlikely to do much more than delay the
horror they will face later, you could include anintact flamethrower at the camp.
his model is surplus from the 1reat $ar and
consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and a
no88le connected by a hose. ; (echanical %epair
test against Difficulty : is re"uired to understand
the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a
wasted shot. 1asoline, kerosene or diesel can be
used as fuel. ;
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
22/40
Aleeing Difficulties by
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
23/40
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
24/40
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 Temple of-hothaqquah
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 afaint, short path leading from the ice plain to the
doorway.
Geology:he building is constructed of basalt. heprofound erosion of this hard stone appears to
imply that it is unfeasibly ancient.
$rchitecture:Each wall appears to be formed of a
single natural block.he building bears norelationship to any known architectural style.
he walls and floor are covered in thick frost. here
are footprints across the floor and in places the frost
has been scraped from the walls.
Theology:
Evidence ollection 5 6oint spend: In otherplaces, the frost has been melted from the walls as
indicated by dark scorch marks.
Cust inside the door is a huge, three&legged basin of
a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of
green, several feet wide around it. hemistryor$rchaeology recognises it as e)tremely ancient
bron8e 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 the
shapes of feline&like claws.
he floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern of
large, irregular, five&sided flagstones. 6hysics or
$rchitecture:his pattern of tessellated pentagons
is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated
understanding of obscure geometry.
-trange hieroglyphs *identifiable as a primitive
version of sath&5o+ can be seen covering the
walls, in some still covered in frost and some
already e)posed. he glyphs relate a history of the
original builders of the city as translated inEthelrod2s$ictogra"hs in the Tem"le of )oth-
A**ua.
/n the back wall is an empty two&tiered altar.
Evidence ollection:; bare spot in the frost andwear on the stone indicates that an ob7ect rested on
this altar for a long time time. 56oint spendrecognises the outline of the statuette found at TheEnd of the 7auer Expedition.
The 7urial hamber
Behind the altar, what may once have been a hidden
doorway lies open with fragments of corroded
bron8e chain on the floor nearby.
hemistryindicates that the chain fragments have
been 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, bron8e throne is the striking
figure of a mummified baboon&like ape dressed in
the remnants of a red and purple robe and a
feathered headdress. ufts of orange hair poke
through holes in the robe. his is a 9oint -tability
test *(ythos related+.
7iology: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 bron8e, butin 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
6ear the centre of the ice cap, there is a dark spot of
roughly circular shape and about forty feet in
diameter. Evidence ollection:; structure of
some kind, the top of which is around fifteen feetbeneath the surface, descends deep into the ice.
Evidence ollection5 6oint spendor$rchitecture: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 to ensure they can leave the site
before the sea&route is closed off by ice for e)ample
you can use a -ard ;riverB
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
25/40
Setting up Camp
;t some stage, the protagonists will probably want
to build their cabin. ;nyone with 0utdoorsmanor
$rchitecturewill 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 ;rchitecture 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 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 and
another for the dogs.
Attac.s %y the)y"er%oreans
*cene Type: ;ntagonist %eaction
.ead#n:he 0alley of !ommoriom
.ead0ut:he 3airy hing in the Bli88ard
he tiny clan of Blond Eskimo has camped near thevalley 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 1noph&keh from the ice&plains to
wreak havoc in the valley.
3aving 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 enemies2 camp.@nfortunately for them, while their song summons
the 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.
The Hperboreanshese 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 -pirit2 and
wear amulets, mistakenly believing that they can
offer protection from the 1noph&Keh.
$nthropology:his primitive 7ewellery is an
amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and
possibly intended to offer protection of some kind.
7iology:he pendant looks like polar bear boneand the necklace is decorated with bear teeth and
claws.
$nthropology:hese men do not appear to be amembers of any known Eskimo tribe, either in
terms of their clothing or in terms of their fair hair,
slender build, long faces, large noses or long ear
lobes. /ne man, who may be a shaman, has motifs
on his clothing and ornamentation in an unfamiliar
style and a"uatic theme. 56oint spend:0ilh7almur
-tefansson reported blond Eskimo in northern!anada in
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
26/40
-it Threshold: 9
8eapon4 &< *knife+
*tealth 4odifier:L>
$lertness 4odifier:L>
*pells:Dread 6ame of ;8athoth, !ontact 1noph&
keh, !ontact !thulhu, !ontact -pawn of !thulhu,
!ontact Deep /nes
The ather! #sma
;ged :J, this gri88led patriarch is the head of the
clan. 3is hair is greying, but he is still fierce and
strong.
If unable to escape, Isma will defend himself
ferociously with his spear.
$bilities:;thletics M, -cuffling F, $eapons =,
3ealth J
-it Threshold: :
8eapon4 L *spear+
$rmor4 &< vs all *hide+
*tealth 4odifier:LF. hey are fierce, agile and almost
fearless.
$bilities: ;thletics
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
27/40
7iologyor 0utdoorsman:his isn2t any known
animal, a realisation which increases the -tability
test to >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 bli88ards, heard with a -ense trouble test
against Difficulty ?.
$ 7ody in the #ce
If the singer is killed during an attempted
summoning, a -ense rouble test against Difficulty
J alerts an Investigator to a brief cry in the distance,
probably soon forgotten as a bli88ard arises.
Evidence ollection: If the area is searched, this
abilityreveals the body of the singer, unless
covered by snow. ; 5 6oint spendis needed ifheavy snow has fallen on the area. ;nother56ointspend:!lose to the body is a figurine made out ofice, depicting a strange si) legged, horned animal.
;nthropology4 his is a totem possibly used for
calling spirits. thulhu 4ythos:his is depictionof the 1noph&Keh the legendary beast of the
;rctic wastes. 56oint 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,
Aorensics indicates that a large carnivore is theculprit. ; 56oint spendreveals that this was not a
polar bear, but something unknown and larger.
7iology or 0utdoorsman:@nless covered bysnow, there may be prints nearby that can be
identified as not originating from a polar bear.
;fter finding either anomaly above, thulhu
4ythos reminds the #rotagonist of the legends of
the 1noph&Keh.
*abotage
;nother strategy the Eskimo may use is sabotage.
his will occur at night.
he team awakes to discover that some of their
e"uipment is sabotaged the drill in need of
(echanical %epair, the Ice melter destroyed or,
most dramatically, the diesel tanks set on fire. he
cabin itself may even be set on fire. ; -ense
rouble test against Difficulty ? will allow the
protagonists to hear the culprits most likely the
two younger Blond Eskimo at work. If someoneis on watch, success indicates that their approach
has been noticed.
Tracking Eskimo
0utdoorsman:; 56oint spendwill allow tracks
to be followed southwest for about three miles *a
little over an hour+ from the valley edge to a
cramped shelter in the snow *see The *no%
*helter+. If this is attempted at night, this is a 96oint spend.
The )airy Thing in the!li//ard
*cene Type: ;ntagonist %eaction
.ead#n:E)cavation
he 1noph&Keh is motivated by hatred and hunger.
It will attempt to kill any human it encounters,
probably by free8ing them to death, and devouring
the remains if it can.
/nce close to the camp, the creature will summonup a bli88ard, and if it sees vulnerable targets
disorientated, few in number or in7ured it will
attack in the confusion and blindness of the
snowstorm. If it loses over half of its 3ealth, the
1noph&keh will retreat back to the ice&sheet. If it is
killed, the Eskimo2s song will simply summon a
different 1noph&Keh.
7liCCards
he 1noph&Keh can spend 3ealth points to create a
bli88ard. Aor details, refer to Trail of Cthulhu#
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
28/40
in a sudden snowstorm. ;nyone further than ? feet
from the cabin is a potential target of direct assault.
By the third appearance, the dog house might be
attacked and some of the dogs killed, the rest
frightened off. he outside food store might be
plundered. ;nyone outside the cabin could be
attacked. 6on&player characters working at the dig
might be targeted when a sudden bli88ard isolatesthem the cabin. he drill or other e)cavation
e"uipment might be damaged. he radio mast
might be smashed.
By the fifth appearance, the #rotagonists
themselves could be targeted or the cabin directly
assaulted.
&noph?keh
Aor full details of the 1noph&keh see the Trail of
Cthulhurulebook p
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
29/40
civilisation collapsed and the people
scattered. $hen other people arrived on the
island, the 'omaruit were hunted down by
her people, because of their worship of a
forbidden god called Kulu2 and because
they sometimes took her people as offerings
for their god.
he last 'omaruit woman died >: years ago.
-he was the mother of the two younger
men. he clan stole two women in a
desperate attempt to stop the tribe from
dying.
he 'omaruit say their god came down
from the sky with his children in ancient
times before there were any people. hey
were overthrown by ancient enemies and
driven beneath the ocean, which is where
they sleep now. But one day in the future
the stars will be in 7ust the right places andthey will return and free those who follow
them. he religion of Kulu is all over the
world.
;ccording to the 'omaruit, their ancestors
once lived in a great city in the valley
below, but a giant calledInookcame to the
city and devoured many of the people there
and the survivors fled. $hen the ice came,
Inook was fro8en inside the city.
he creature of the ice is a mighty bear
spirit called 6ook&3ek or Nthe 3airy hingP
that the clan has been calling to protect the
valley from outsiders.
&'cavation*cene Type: !ore
.ead#n:he 0alley of !ommoriom
.ead0ut:he !ity in the Ice
ore lue: The structure descends deep into the
icesheetB There is an accessible stair%ay thatleads thereB
E-ca,ation (ethods
here are several methods at the team2s disposal for
e)cavating the site. E)act rates of e)cavation are
not important.
#rilling
he drill provided for the e)pedition is a standard
cable tool rig, which can be operated by single
engineer. It operates by repeatedly lifting anddropping a heavy boring tool at the end of a cable,
pulverising everything beneath it. $ater is added to
the hole and debris collected periodically with a
scoop&like device attached to the cable. his
process creates a borehole = inches wide. Either the
ice melter or e)plosive charges could be used to
widen the shaft enough for a man to be lowered on
a rope.
he drill is obviously of little or no use for
e)cavating the interior of the tower.he operator*s+ must have (echanical %epair.
6oint *pend 7enefits
In any given phase of the e)cavation, a character
running the drill can spend up to two pool points of
(echanical %epair and reduce the length of that
phase by one day per point.
(anual E-ca,ation
(anual e)cavation is slower, involves breaking the
ice apart with ice picks and chainsaws then
removing it with shovels and buckets.
6oint *pend 7enefits
In any given phase, a character e)cavating
manually can spend up to two pool points of
;thletics and reduce the length of that phase by one
day per point.
+ce (elter
he ice melter is an electrical device with longcable that heats up when connected to a power
source. In combination with a water pump, it can
clear significant amounts of ice with little
assistance. #ower for both the melter and the pump
are supplied by the diesel generator.
he operator*s+ must have Electrical %epair.
6oint *pend 7enefits
In any given phase, a character operating the ice
melter can spend a pool point of Electrical %epair
and reduce the length of that phase by one day.
E-plosi,es
E)plosive charges can be used to widen e)isting
boreholes "uickly or, used with great care, to break
up ice inside the tower itself.
he character using e)plosives must have the
E)plosives general ability.
6oint *pend 7enefits
In any given phase, a character overseeing the useof e)plosives can spend up to two pool points of
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
30/40
E)plosives and reduce the length of that phase by
one day per point spent.
E-ca,ation Phases
1uidelines for the timings of the various phases of
e)cavation are provided the various e)cavation
phases describedbelow. he Keeper should feel at
liberty to modify these timings for dramatic effect.
Accessing the :pper Structure
By default, this phase takes > days.
4ethods "sable:Drilling, Ice (elter, E)plosives
he top of the structure is about : days.
4ethods "sable:(anual E)cavation, Ice (elter,E)plosives
$rchaeologyorEvidence ollection: he remainsof an unknown metallic device can be found in the
upper chamber of the tower.
4echanical Repair *as an Investigative
ability+4 here are moving parts wheels,
cogs and globes. his is a mechanical
device, but it2s function is unclear.
o $stronomy:he device appears to
be a moving model of the inner
planets of the solar system
Geology! $rchaeology or appropriate
raft 1as #nvestigative ability3:5ou can
see that this device has been decorated with
gold, emeralds and rubies.
$ccessing the *tair%ay
his phase takes days.
4ethods "sable:(anual E)cavation, Ice (elter,
E)plosives
$rchaeology orEvidence ollection: ; strangeand grotes"ue ob7ect is uncovered in the ice near
the top of the stairwell. It looks like a grotes"ue
idol fashioned of some dark, mottled material,
vaguely toad&like in shape, very dense and about
the si8e of a melon. -eeing this re"uires a 9&point
-tability test, (ythos related.
thulhu 4ythos:-tatues of grotes"ue, toad&likeforms are used in the worship of sathoggua.
Geology or hemistry:he ob7ect is not made of
any known material.
In fact, the ob7ect isn2t a statue at all. It is a dormant
organism one of the -pawn of Knygathin Zhaum.
/nce uncovered, the spawn will begin to thaw and
awaken. -ee The #dol Tha%s.
$rchitecture or $rchaeology 1ore clue3:here
is a stairway descending deeper into the ice.
Tunnelling the Stairwa
It takes = days to reach the ice&free section of the
stairwell.
4ethods "sable:(anual E)cavation, Ice (elter,
E)plosives
; stairwell runs around the inner perimeter of the
tower. -olidly constructed from granite, most of it
is still intact. here are places where steps have
eroded or broken and places where there are gaps.
$rchitecture:he stairway is constructed in a
possibly uni"ue way, with the spiral of the stairway
growing narrow as one descends and the base ofone level seemingly supported by the level beneath
it.
/n the wall, there is a series of long panels,
seemingly of ancient ivory, with images and sath&
5o hieroglyphs. hese tell a history of 3yperborea,
beginning with the time of construction and going
deep into the past.
7iology:!onfirms the material is ivory. 3ow it got
here from ;frica or ;sia is a mystery. ; 56oint
spendnotes that the ivory must have come fromunusually large elephants.
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
31/40
$nthropology! $rchaeology! ryptography!
.anguages! or thulhu 4ythos:$ith the help ofthe sath&5o dictionary, each panel is about a yard
wide and can be translated in about an hour. hree
panels are probably e)cavated in a day. Aor every
five panels translated, a 56oint spendis needed.
he content of the panels is as follows4
. he cult of 5houndeh, the Elk 1oddess,
forbids the worship of the old god
Zhotha""uah. 6ot daring to destroy them,
the Zhotha""uah2s cube&shaped temples are
barred and locked.
9. King 'o"uamethros is on the throne of
!ommoriom, a high city of many spires and
gardens. Zylac the ;rchimage, apprentice of
3ormagor, is granted he -eer2s ower2 in!ommoriom
:. Zylac, uses sorcery to create a tower of
black gneiss in (hu hulan
?. he cult of 5houndeh becomes the royally
appointed religion. ; great temple is built in
!ommoriom.
J. he wi8ard 3ormagor of ;bormis dies at
the hands of the -phin) of ;bormis. he
town is abandoned.
M. he great wi8ard Zon (e88amalech
disappears mysteriously in (hu hulan.
F. King (ennamethros of !ommoriom gives
Zon (e88amalech a tower in !ommoriom,
now called he -eer2s ower2
=. Zon (e88amalechparts the northern seaand leads the army of King #harogill of
(hu hulan there to plunder the treasures
of athousand sunken galleys
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
32/40
his will produce a relatively smooth and vertical
shaft with a diameter of 9 feet on average. #eople
can be lowered or lifted one at a time by a
companion on the surface using a belay device.
his is a series of three ;thletics tests against a
Difficulty of ? for the person on the surface. Aalling
means damage of L:, LF or L depending on
height. If there is a safety rope, damage is reducedto &
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
33/40
internal organs in order to make space for it2s own
body. his will take about ? minutes. he rest of
the body, including the brain will remain alive,
provided for by the spawn. #artial recollection of
the attack event is possible only after >: hours and
a successful -tability test against Difficulty ?.
;fter about >: hours, the spawn can begin to take
control of behaviour. he host2s previous Drivedisappears and instead is substituted with the
spawn2s goals4 trapping the humans and awakening
Knygathin Zhaum and the other spawn to feast
upon them. @nless the Investigator passes a
-tability test against Difficulty :, this change will
be at a subconscious level. o an observer, the
host2s personality and mind seem to be intact, but
$ssess -onestywill detect a listless or off2 "uality
that may be mistaken for shock or other mental
health issue.
ontrol -uman 7ody:he parasite can alsoattempt full control of the host body at a cost of ,
plus < per day of infestation. ; controlled host can
move and speak, but seems emotionless and
sometimes confused about normal behaviour and
culture. $ssess -onestywill notice something isamiss if the host is observed closely or interacted
with.*uffocate:he creature can use a tendril or limb tosei8e a victim around the neck or simply smother
with its viscous body. ;pply the Drowning and
-uffocation rules *rail of !thulhu rulebook #JF+.
$hen being strangled, successful -cuffling contest
*or $eapons if a suitable weapon is available+ will
allow a victim to break free.
Grab:endrils or limb attacks can be used toprevent escape or to render a target unable to fight.
/nce grabbed, a -cuffling contest *or $eapons if asuitable weapon is available+ is re"uired to break
the grip.
#nvade -ost:he creature can force itself into a
victim via a bodily orifice *usually the mouth+ if the
target has been successfully suffocated or grabbed
in the previous round or is unconscious. ;gainst a
conscious victim, this is an ;thletics contest with
the spawn rolling against a Difficulty 6umber of 9.
If the mouth is being used as an entrance, the victim
will suffer the effects of -uffocation *as in
-trangling above+, until the contest is over and for
another 9 rounds.
$ttac& from -ost:By spending 9 e)tra -cuffling
points, the creature can launch an attack from
within a host body via tendrils e)tending from the
mouth and nose for e)ample. ;t the end of the
attack the thing can be outside or inside the original
host as preferred.
*pa%n of 'nygathin (haum
$bilities:;thletics
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
34/40
the character falls for LJ damage. If a safety rope
was used, the damage is reduced to &>.
The Cit +tself
he prehistoric city is mostly covered by solid ice,
but a number of areas have caverns and inter&
connecting ice tunnels.
he city is pitch black, but any artificial lightcauses large areas to glow blue as the light reflects
and illuminates the ice from within.
Evidence ollection:It2s surprisingly warm down
here. ; thermometer can confirm that it2s over
>?VA.
Events that occur during e)ploration of this area are
detailed in the sidebar $ntagonist Reactions of the*pa%n.
E-ca,ating in the cithere are several sites of interest for potential
e)cavation here.
$rchaeology! Geology or Evidence ollection:
he given times for e)cavation can be halved with
a 56oint spend.
Explosives:$here these can be used they will halfthe given e)cavation times. ; 56oint spendin
E)plosives will half the time again.
The )ase of the Towerore lue 1loating3:#f excavated! the Eye of"bbo*athla %ill be found here 1unless already
found3B
%ubble and ice lie in piles, having fallen from the
tower walls and the tunnels above
Excavation: D hours
Evidence ollection:here are bone fragmentshere. $rchaeology ororensics determines that the
bone fragments are "uite ancient. 7iologydetermines that they include what may be caribou,
musk o)en and human remains. orensics 5 6ointspend notes that some of them are human remainsand some appear to be corroded as if from some
kind of powerful acid.
Evidence ollection1ore! loating3:here is a
glass or crystal orb about the si8e of an orange and
flattened at two ends *he Eye of @bbo -athla+.
The +ce Corridor
Ice&walled tunnel follows ancient path over rock
and cobble surface of prehistoric pathway,
descending from base of tower in a series of
stairways for about > yards before reaching a
large doorway that lies open with the fragments of a
stone door scattered around it. he doorway leads
to The .ibrary. he passage continues for asimilar length before reaching a second doorway.
his door is intact and open. #assing through the
doorway leads to The -igh *treetwhere one canturn left or right.
!losing the door for the first time is an ;thletics
test against Difficulty
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
35/40
riddled with small holes and a trickle of water flows
towards the ice&choked centre of the s"uare.
; glacier of sorts dominates the centre of this huge
ice cavern, occupying half the floor of the s"uare
and e)tending from a wide avenue, which is
completely blocked with ice.
;n unblocked *ide *treetalso e)tends away from
the -"uare.
Excavation: 59 hours
Beneath the glacier in the central area is a raised,
stepped area.
$rchaeology:/n top of this are the remnants of alarge block of fossilised hardwood.
Evidence ollection: $ith a 56oint spend, the
head of a huge bron8e a)e can be found.
Evidence ollection 1loating! ore3:he Eye of@bbo -athla
Excavation: 92 hours
he grand facade is the front of the original #alace
of !ommoriom. Knygathin Zhaum and his inner
circle2 are hibernating here. (ore dormant spawn
can be found after hours. E)cavation accelerates
the hawing of the city *see #. ))+ and reveals
channels in the ice. E)cavation, particularly the use
of e)plosives here will rapidly accelerate the
catastrophic awakening of Knygathin Zhaum andhis spawn *see The 7lac& ;oomon p. ))+. Ideally
this should not occur until after the Eye of @bbo&
-athla is found.
Side Street
his is essentially identical to the -igh *treet,
e)cept that it e)tends away from The *+uareandends in a dead&end after about oint
spend in 'ibrary @se, it2s possible to collate and
translate enough of the material for an overview.
.anguage:sath&5o *with passages in Elder -criptand 5ithian+
*&imming Time:
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
36/40
"ibrar @ault
ore lue 1loating3:The Eye of "bbo*athla
;nother historical frie8e is carved across the stone
walls of this circular chamber. ; pale stone about
the si8e of a small orange *he Eye+ is mounted on
a plinth in the middle of the room.
The &ye of 0%%o1Sathla*cene Type: !ore
.ead#n:he !ity in the Ice
his is a cloudy, oblate sphere about the si8e of an
orange, slightly flattened at the ends.
;lso known as he !rystal of Zon (e88amalech2,
he Eye of @bbo&-athla is a device of unknown
origin perhaps a creation of the Elder things that
can send a viewer2s mind into the remote past by
uniting it with the collective ancestral mind. Aormysterious reasons the crystal is ever tied to the
sorcerer and his scrying efforts to find the Elder
Keys
thulhu 4ythos:;ccording to the Book of Eibon,a powerful wi8ard of ancient 3yperborea possessed
a cloudy scrying stone in the shape of a slightly
flattened orb. ; 56oint spendreveals that it was
called he Eye of @bbo&-athla2 and possessed by
Zon (e88amalech. 3e was able to view the very
beginnings of life itself. ;pparently, hedisappeared, taking the stone with him.
here is something tantalising and mysteriously
familiar about the crystal and the temptation to ga8e
into it immediately is a -tability test against
Difficulty 9. he same test is needed to resist using
the crystal again, within >: hours of its last use,
with the Difficulty increasing by < each time it is
used.
*tability Test ;ifficulty: > when used the first
time, no test on subse"uent uses.
*tability ost:: plus additional losses depending
on what was encountered see below.
@se of the crystal involves ga8ing into its beguiling
depths for several minutes. ;fter which, the user
finds themselves sitting and staring at the same
crystal on a table of dark wood, in an ivory&
panelled chamber. he situation is at once foreign
and very familiar. hey know themselves as Zon
(e88amalech, greatest sorcerer in 3yperborea, in
his high tower in (hu hulan.
;s Zon (e88amalech, the viewer knows the
sorcerer ac"uired this ancient orb from a sub&
human temple and sought to use it to ga8e upon the
wisdom of the Elder 1ods who vanished before
Earth life appeared. ; stream of visions appear of
years gone by. 3is efforts to peer into the past reach
a hreshold however, beyond which he is afraid to
look.
his trance will last for appro)imately half an hour.
/n awakening from this communion with the mindof Zon (e88amalech the viewer immediately loses
< point of -anity. ;fter this and subse"uent
instances, they must make a -tability test against
Difficulty J to recall some of his understanding. If
successful, they gain L< to !thulhu (ythos. @p to
> points of !thulhu (ythos may be gained this
way.
ommunion %ith "bbo*athla
he first time the Eye is used, the player must
attempt to pass a test with a Difficulty of J onbehalf of Zon (e88amalech to see beyond the
hreshold. he Difficulty decreased by < for each
subse"uent use.
/n passing the test described above, Zon
(e88amalech2s self&identity is swallowed up *along
with the viewer2s+ into a stream of numberless lives
and deaths, aeons e)perienced in minutes, rushing
back into the past along ancestral lines and close
branches on the ancestral tree. In this case the
trance will continue for around four hours.%egression through collective ancestral memory
continues until @bbo&-athla, the source of all life
on earth is reached. (ost of these e)periences will
not subse"uently be recalled, but even if they are
not, they are inherently destructive to the viewer2s
sense of self, causing a loss of > -anity points. ;
character who2s -anity is reduced to 8ero in this
way suffers a total loss of self, sitting
unresponsively in a catatonic&like state, then one
day, when the opportunity appears, suddenly
wandering off, probably never to be seen again.
;fter awakening from this deeper regression, a
character will be unable to recall much detail. 5et
recollections may come. he viewer must make a
-tability test against Difficulty ? to recall
something. If they succeed, roll on the table below
to determine the memory, then have them make roll
more -tability tests until they fail.
Regression #nsights
ake two dJs and decide which is NtensP and which isNonesP. %oll below4
%esult
8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,22
37/40
J #re&human 0oormis kingdoms, including
their worship of Zhotha""ah etc
*tability test:9&point -tability test