Trail of Cthulhu

A Submission for

Commoriom
"I have yet to translate the terrible and abominable legend telling how a certain doughty citizen of Commoriom returned to the city after its public evacuation, and found that it was peopled most execrably and numerously by the fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, which possessed no vestige of anything human or even earthly " ! "he #amily "ree of the $ods, Clar% &shton 'mith The protagonists are members of an expedition to excavate an ancient settlement buried beneath the Greenland ice. Faced with conflict from within and without, and the threat of approaching winter, the expedition degenerates into a struggle to survive as the team members realise that the real horror is beneath the ice under their feet. And the greatest horror of all may be truth itself. This scenario is inspired by the Hyperborean Cycle stories of Clar Ashton !mith, particularly The Testament of Athammaus and Ubbo-Sathla. "t is recommended that the #eeper reads these short stories before running this scenario. The story of the $athieson %xpedition is told in the Call of Cthulhu scenario Trail of Tsathoggua by the late #eith Herber and published in the supplements Trail of Tsathogghua, &'() and The Compact Trail of Tsathoggua, &''*.

The Horrible Truth

The site is the ruin of Commoriom, the first capital of the lost civilisation of Hyperborea, which thrived before the last ice age. %ntombed in the city is a dormant, monstrous race descended from Tsathoggua and an alien crystal that grants visions of the disturbing origins of life on earth.

The Spine
The team members voyage to Godthb, where they can confront a Rival Expedition from Germany. They then begin their arduous overland tre in Evighedsfjorden. Tensions increase between %thelrod, the team leader, and Granger, who is struggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to The Death of Ethelrod. From %thelrod they can ac1uire a dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yo language. The team receives A Call for Help from the crew of the German base ship, which has lost contact with the overland team, giving the protagonists a moral dilemma. 2uring their 3ourney, the characters find evidence that strange %s imo are watching them and may discover Graves of members of the German expedition, apparently attac ed by an un nown animal. A text in their possession, when translated with %thelrod4s boo gives hints about the history of the site. Arriving at the Site, the protagonists find a CubeShaped Stru ture with walls inscribed with a history of the pre0humans who first settled there. 5earby, the remains of the last members of the German expedition can be found. 6n the valley floor, a Shado! "nder the # e is visible. They are harried by frea weather conditions and attac s by a mysterious $east of the # e Sheet,

The Hook
"n &'+,, an archaeological team from $is atonic -niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in the mountains of .est Greenland. The protagonists are members of a &'/& follow0up expedition to excavate the site.

which continue until they lin it with the clan of strange %s imo that has been following them, and neutralise it. Ex avating the Stru ture under the # e leads to the discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice. 2igging into The # e-Cho%ed stair!a& uncovers a frie7e describing a history of Hyperborea and eventually leads to a Cit& "nder the # e. "n a vault under the ruins of a library is a crystal that can send the mind bac in time to the disturbing origins of life on earth. As the city4s inhabitants begin to awa en they try to free their 8Father4, leading to the A!a%ening of 'n&gathin (hau). The protagonists4 only hope is to flee. However, even if they escape, the insight granted by the crystal may still claim their minds.

%thelrod %xpedition to delay the dig in order to find the missing Germans. The ?lond %s imo :see below< will hold a special fascination for them. %ven more so, a device that allows them to see the 8glory of their ancestors4 and access the 8truths of the Ancients4 might be enough to tempt them to betray or attac the %thelrod %xpedition. The strange, $lond Es%i)o are among the last direct descendants of the original Hyperboreans left in Greenland. Their shamans have long warned of a terrible cursed city that would one day overrun the world with evil and the clan see s to drive all intruders away or destroy them. They are vulnerable and few in number and must rely on stealth, local nowledge, and their ancient songs for calling the Gnoph-keh from the icy wastes. The third group of antagonists are the Spa!n of 'n&gathin (hau) > descendants of Tsathoggua with a inship to the formless spawn :and less visibly to the pre0human 9oormis<. The presence of human beings will cause them to begin to awa e from their aeon0long hibernation. To them, human beings are both unwelcome invaders and a food source. Their inship to humans allows them to parasiti7e them, and ta e control of their minds. They will attempt to trap the humans under the ice to present them as a gift for their #ing > #nygathin @haum. They are stealthy, intelligent and mobile and will attempt to lure humans into becoming infected, until they have the numbers and access to e1uipment needed to order to hasten the awa ening and liberation of their father.

Victory Conditions
9ictory in this scenario means realising the horror that lies in Commoriom, and surviving it, preferably with the site safely sealed.

Antagonist Reactions
The rival Ger)an Expedition is not a 85a7i expedition4 in any official sense :there is no such thing until the formation of the Ahnenerbe in &'/;<, but it does include several party members and it has received support from nationalist organisations including the 5a7i =arty. !ome Germans at this time > especially the esoterically inclined > believed in occult theories of the uni1ue :or divine< origin of their ancestors on a lost northern continent :referred to as 8Thule4 or sometimes 8Hyperborea4 or 8Atlantis4<. The purpose of the expedition is to 8reclaim the ruins of Thule4 for Germany. !eeing themselves as cultured and honourable men of science, they are mostly non0aggressive towards their rivals. However, political relations with ?ritain and the -!A are tense and the Germans subscribe to a supremacist ideology that seems to 3ustify the most ruthless behaviour :as history testifies<. They could become openly hostile if provo ed or if their goals are obstructed. And if an opportunity presents itself to glorify the Fatherland at the expense of other nations, they may ta e it. 6nce they have lost contact with their forward expedition, the surviving members are more pleasant and cooperative. They see to persuade the

Running Commoriom with the Armitage Inquiry

This scenario begins in Aune &'/& > a time when the Armitage "n1uiry is in its formative stages. "n &'+(, Armitage, Bice and $organ scored a victory against the 2unwich Horror and soon 2r Albert .ilmarth 3oined them following his encounter with the 86uter 6nes4 in the hills of 9ermont. Aust a few wee s ago, the =abodie %xpedition returned from Antarctica with stories of un nown prehistoric life forms and a vast range of mountains dotted with strange structures. 6n his deathbed in &'+', =rofessor Curtis $athieson revealed a number of unpublished secrets about the &'+, expedition to his colleague 2r Francis $organ. $organ shared the story with =rofessor Armitage and soon they were wor ing

with =rofessor %thelrod in %ngland to organise a follow0up expedition for &'/+. However, in late &'/C, word reached them of a rival German expedition to the same region planned for &'/& and their pro3ect was hastened by a year. -nfortunately, this meant 2r $organ was unable to ta e part, but he persuaded Charles Granger, a veteran of the $athieson %xpedition, to 3oin. *S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&- This symbol defines sections that apply only to running the scenario as part of the Armitage "n1uiry.

Prologue
"n order to introduce their characters, it is recommended that the #eeper run a short scene from his or her expedition interview as a 2irected !cene for each one :see The Dying of St Margarets page (<. %ssentially, these are short, punchy and isolated scenes that serve to establish character. These should establish three things about each =rotagonistE A general impression of their bac ground and personality Their 2rive, their reason for 3oining the expedition "nsight into one or more of their =illars of !anity.

Running Commoriom as a standalone

This scenario can be run as a standalone adventure or mar a dramatic beginning to an ongoing campaign. The difference is that %thelrod has organised the expedition with the ?ritish $useum, independently of Armitage and his colleagues, who may have little insight into what really happened on the $athieson %xpedition. *S&)bol+ Standalone- This symbol defines sections that apply only to running the scenario as a standalone.

The latter two are established here as later events may cause 2rives and =illars of !anity to be imperilled. The interviewer could as about the applicant4s 1ualifications, reasons for wanting to 3oin the expedition, their beliefs, what they would rely on to get through the Arctic winter and so on. *S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&- "f organised by $is atonic -niversity, an interview would be conducted by 2octor %rnest $cTavish, Chairman of the 2epartment and Associate =rofessor Francis $organ and at the Archaeology 2epartment. *S&)bol+ Standalone- "f organised by %thelrod, an interview would be conducted by %thelrod himself and his friend and expedition member, .ilfred -pton0!mith. "t could be held in Fondon at the Boyal Geographical !ociety or ?ritish $useum.

Creating the Protagonists

Appropriate roles for the expedition include archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists, biologists, explosives experts, drill engineers and radio engineers. All team members should be healthy and fit, and be capable cross0country s iers > represented for game purposes as a minimum 6utdoorsman rating of & and Athletics of /. The expedition will also need someone with $edicine rating of &D and First Aid of +D to fill the role of medic. The expedition leader is highly xenophobic and French applicants in particular are not considered. *S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&- "f the expedition is organised by $is atonic -niversity, team members are li ely to be American, perhaps students or professors at the $is atonic. ?ritish team members may have accompanied %thelrod. *S&)bol+ Standalone- "f the expedition begins in Great ?ritain it is li ely that most of the team members would be ?ritish. American members may travelled with Granger.

Drives
%specially dramatic and relevant 2rives for this scenario, which should be encouraged by the #eeper areE Adventure Anti1uarianism Arrogance Curiosity "n the ?lood !cholarship Thirst For #nowledge

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

Scenes
Briefing
S ene T&pe+ Core :"ntroduction< /ead-0ut+ =reparations, The Atlantic 9oyage Core Clue+ Ethelrod and Granger %no! the route to the ar haeologi al site1 Attendees have already been interviewed by %thelrod :and possibly $organ< and have been accepted as members of the expedition. *S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&- The briefing ta es place in a seminar room at the Archaeology 2epartment of $is atonic -niversity. Associate =rofessor Francis $organ is a self0assured yet soft0 spo en field researcher in his early /Cs, who expresses regret at being unable to attend the expedition due to it being brought forward by a year. He introduces expedition leader =rofessor %thelrod, a renowned linguist from Cambridge and veteran of the $athieson %xpedition Ar haeolog&+ 2r $organ has a good reputation as a scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. 2.oint spend+ "t is also rumoured that he has previously been involved in expeditions and research of a rather unconventional and slightly controversial nature. *S&)bol+ Standalone- The briefing ta es place in a basement seminar room of the ?ritish $useum. 2r Granger has crossed to Atlantic to 3oin the team.

Pillars of Sanity
The dominant theme of this scenario is the dignity or otherwise of human origins. 6ne =illar of !anity that might be particularly interesting dramatically is Family. A character with this =illar will have a firm conviction in the dignity of their origins. "f Caucasian, they may believe in the theory of the origins of their ancestors on the lost continent of Thule. They may have heard tales of 8blond %s imo4 in north0western Canada. They may even subscribe to racist theories li e the 5ational !ocialists of Germany. As players can create their own =illars of !anity it is impossible to provide an exhaustive list, but several others from the Trail of Cthulhu ruleboo that may be particularly interesting areE Beligious Faith Human 2ignity and 9alue

The #eeper should try to encourage some players to pic from the pillars above. 2rives potentially undermined by %yeE Anti1uarianism Thirst For #nowledge Adventure !cholarship Curiosity Arrogance
.illars of Sanit&

Ethelrods Presentation
A tall, distinguished0loo ing man in his ;Cs wal s to the front of the room and stands in front of the blac board. He has a slight limp, but seems to be in good shape for his age. Ar haeolog&3 Anthropolog&3 Geolog& or Histor&+ 2uring the &'+, $athieson %xpedition, %thelrod led an overland tre that discovered artifacts that have not been explained to everyone4s satisfaction. /anguages 2-point spend or Anthropolog&+ %thelrod has a reputation as an intelligent and accomplished academic specialising in the development of "ndo0%uropean languages. He is rumoured to have an aristocratic family. "n a polished, upper class %nglish accent, he introduces himself and, without wasting time on niceties, launches into the briefing.

Beligious FaithG FamilyG Human 2ignity and 9alueG !cientific =rogress H "ntellect Goodness of $an ind $oral principles Aesthetics %picureanism =atriotism Fove of Home City

"n $ay &'+,, the $athieson %xpedition of $is atonic -niversity investigated a stone wall of impressive dimensions found in the Helheim Glacier on the east coast of Greenland. He passes around a photograph of the stone bloc with the expedition ship alongside. "t appears to be about /CC wide and approaching +CC feet high. "t is dominated by a carving of a human figure with a curved blade, bending over some ind of slain animal. Cthulhu 4&thos or 0 ult will allow the viewer to recognise the figure as consistent with inhabitants of legendary Hyperborea as described, for example, in the iber !"onis. =ictographs found on the wall seemed to describe a large and ancient settlement in the .estern mountains. %thelrod led a trip overland in search of the site of the settlement. The team found itself attac ed by a large polar bear that stal ed them into the mountains, leaving several members of the team dead or in3ured. However, they found a site with evidence of former habitation, including remains of a religious site and tantalising evidence of a ma3or structure underneath the thic ice cap. He produces a photograph of a vaguely circular shadow beneath a thic ice sheet. The expedition ended rather abruptly after several team members were illed or in3ured by a combination of climbing accidents and attac s from the bear. The site was of such significance that the team agreed not to release full information until a second expedition could investigate it fully. The ill health and death of =rofessor Curtis $athieson in &'+', the &'/C expedition to Antarctica, and funding issues following the economic downturn, delayed a second trip under consideration. However, =rofessor %thelrod and the ?ritish $useum wor ed closely with the $is atonic -niversity, in planning an expedition for the spring of &'/+. However, it was learned that a team from Germany planned to investigate the same area in the previous year and plans had to be rushed forward. Begrettably, this meant that 2r $organ could not ta e part as planned due to his commitment to the upcoming dig in Guatemala. The team will depart on a research vessel, for GodthIb, the capital of Greenland in three wee s. The voyage should ta e , days. The team is li ely to spend the winter in Greenland and return in spring when the site is accessible by water once more.

*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&- The expedition ship is the Darlena, the same $is atonic0owned geological research vessel used in the &'+, expedition. "t will depart from ?oston. *S&)bol+ Standalone- The expedition ship is the #eatrice, an Arctic research vessel leased by the Boyal Geographical !ociety. "t will depart from !outhampton. The two vessels are otherwise treated the same. 6nce resupplied, the ship will sail north to %vighedsf3orden, where it will disembar . The vessel will remain in radio range and broadcasts will be made at (A$ and (=$ every day. The overland team will use dog sleds and a snow tractor to reach the site, via a longer, but more accessible route than the $athieson %xpedition. !ome climbing e1uipment will be provided, although no ma3or climbs should be needed to reach the site. Team members will be issued with rifles to protect themselves from bears and other dangerous animals. 6nce at their destination, the team will ma e an initial survey of the site then build their camp > a large cabin and outhouses for supplies and dogs. They will use the drilling rig, blasting e1uipment, the ice melting machine, and hand excavation to access and excavate the site. From 5ovember it will become difficult to approach by sea. "f necessary, the team will remain on the ice sheet over winter until $arch when the f3ord becomes accessible again. "n case of emergency, a team should be able to reach them from GodthIb overland in about five days. =rofessor %thelrod stresses his 1ualifications as a hard0nosed scholar not prone to flights of fancy or bi7arre speculations. However, there were many things he experienced that shoc ed him and caused him to reconsider ideas about the world. He believes that what they found in the Greenland ice were remains of a lost prehistoric civilisation, perhaps hinted at in Gree myths. He introduces .ilfred -pton0!mith, a round0faced 7oologist and friend of the %thelrod family, and Charles Granger, a red0haired, red0faced man of around /C, a second veteran of the $athieson %xpedition who will be 3oining them on this trip. *S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&- 0ral Histor& 2.oint spend+ There are rumours that 2r Granger has a drin problem.

%thelrod as s each team member to introduce themselves and assigns roles. Assess Honest&+ Henry %thelrod is reserved, somewhat aloof and doesn4t give much away. Ar haeolog& or Anthropolog&+ According to the expedition report, the team made transcriptions of a number of carvings on a large stone slab found at the face of Helheim Glacier on the east coast. Archaeologists have subse1uently associated these carvings with a Greenlandic colony of the extinct 2orset Culture. 2-point spend+ !ome odd artifacts featuring strange figures wearing hoodless par as with tall collars and women with large hairstyles were found on Cape 2orset on ?affin "sland in &'+,. "t is generally thought that the Greenlandic 2orset culture is limited to the north0west coast of the island. $iolog& or 0utdoors)an 2-.oint spend+ =olar bears are mostly found in coastal regions in the north and east of Greenland > they are largely un nown in the mountains although females with cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous areas in the north.

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

Henry Ethelrod
To interact with %thelrod significantly, ?ritish characters need a Credit Bating of ;D, Americans and other %uropeans need ,D. Anyone else will need to ma e a &0=oint spend in Credit Bating on each significant occasion. Abilities+ Athletics ;, Credit Bating *, Firearms *, Health *, !cuffling *, .eapons , Hit Threshold+ / Ar)or+ 0& vs all :if wearing Arctic gear< 5eapon+ D& :./( revolver<, D& :./C0C, bolt action rifle<, 0& : nife< To portray Henry %thelrodE !it or stand up in a stiff, military bearing Foo past the person who is spea ing to you as if loo ing for someone more important Guard your reactions vigilantly so as to reveal as little as possible

uestions and !Ans"ers

%thelrod will as if there are any 1uestions. He may provide the following additional details and any others the #eeper deems appropriate. J $athieson remained onboard ship, due to health problems. He died of a heart condition in &'+'. J The top of the structure was estimated to be under at least &;0+C feet of ice and to extend to un nown depths. He declines to speculate on the age of the structure. J At an international archaeology conference in =aris last year, 2r !ummers of %dinburgh -niversity, heard reference to a forthcoming expedition to explore what was 8nonsensically4 described as 8ruins of Thule found in .est Greenland4. "t isn4t nown what si7e the rival team is or when they will arrive. He will wrap up the briefing after three or four 1uestions, or if he doesn4t li e the direction the 1uestions are going. Assess Honest&+ .hen as ed about the specifics of the first expedition, why the details were not released or why the second expedition was delayed for so long, %thelrod seems somewhat evasive. 2 .oint Spend+ He is deliberately hiding something.

#ilfred $pton%Smith
-pton0!mith is a round0faced 7oologist in his mid0 thirties. He is family friend of %thelrod, the son of 2r Thomas -pton0!mith, one of %thelrod4s closest friends. He went to %ton and graduated from 6xford and is ta ing a six month brea on a =h2. He is well0built and athletic having boxed for %ton and been a member of the 6xford climbing team. Fi e %thelrod he is something of a snob and a bigot, although he is somewhat less extreme and much more approachable. Abilities+ Athletics (, Credit Bating ,, Firearms /, Health ;, !cuffling *, .eapons + Hit Threshold+ ) Ar)or+ 0& vs all :if wearing Arctic gear< 5eapon+ D& :./C0C, bolt action rifle< To portray .ilfred -pton0!mithE !mile fixedly when he is uneasy Bub your chin pensively and furrow your brow Gesticulate in a 3olly manner and pat people on the bac

Dr Charles &Chuck' (ranger

Granger is an archaeologist who studied with =rofessor Curtis $athieson, too part in the $athieson %xpedition and has recently completed an archaeology doctorate at $is atonic -niversity. Anyone spending a significant amount of time with him will find him a friendly and competent scientist. 4edi ine will reveal the symptoms of long0term alcohol abuse. Assess Honest& will note that much of the time he seems to be suppressing powerful emotions. "f as ed about drin ing or his mental health, he denies there is a problem. He has convinced %thelrod that he has recovered and is so used to lying about this that ordinarily Assess Honesty will not notice it. A 2-.oint Spend in .s& hoanal&sis :used in this instance as an investigative ability< notes a possible mental health issue. "n fact, although he has tried to get some help for it, Granger still suffers from 8shell shoc 4 from his experiences on the $athieson %xpedition. This has only exacerbated his drin ing problem and now he is a full0blown alcoholic. Abilities+ Athletics *, Health ), !cuffling ,, Firearms / Hit Threshold+ / Ar)or+ 0& vs all :if wearing Arctic gear< 5eapon+ 0+ :fist<, D& :./C0C, bolt action rifle<, D& :%thelrod4s ./( revolver< To portray Chuc GrangerE !how a wide, friendly, but uneasy smile Foo into the distance, as if preoccupied, but conceal or deny it !lur your speech ever so slightly

will grant + dedicated pool points. A 6-point spend will grant /.

)esearching the (reenland

*ythology

of

/ibrar& "se+ After his travels between //C ?C and /+C ?C, the Gree explorer =ytheas ma es the first nown reference to the mysterious island of Thule Ksix daysL sail north of ?ritain, and near the fro7en seaM. He claimed that people eep bees in this place and in summer, nights are only two or three hours long. "t4s not clear whether he is referring to "celand, Greenland, 5orway or somewhere else altogether. The Ancient Gree s also tell of the Hyperboreans who live beyond the north wind :the literal meaning of 8Hyperborea4<. Their land was perfect, with the sun shining +) hours a day, and the people free from war, disease and old age and always happy. The people were blond and very tall. Hyperborea has variously been located in north0east Asia, .estern %urope or ?ritain. "n the &*th Century, some !candinavians identified their own land as Hyperborea. 2 .oint Spend+ ?y the late &'th and early +Cth Century, the idea of ThuleHHyperborea as a lost continent :possibly the same place as Atlantis< had become popular in certain %uropean occult circles, including Theosophists, and German vNl isch :nationalist< groups. /ibrar& "se 2 .oint Spend or 0 ult+ According to legend an obscure and apparently ancient occult text called the iber !"onis or #ook of $ibon was written by a sorcerer from Hyperborea. /ibrar& use+ The ?oo of %ibon in Fatin or %nglish can be located in the library of the $is atonic -niversity or the ?ritish Fibrary.

Preparations
S ene T&pe+ 6ptional :Transition< /ead-#n+ ?riefing /ead-0ut+ The Atlantic 9oyage There are several potential areas of research the protagonists may choose to investigate. %ach of these topics will ta e up to a wee to research.

+iber ,vonis-.ook of Eibon

/anguage+ FatinH%nglish S%i)+ / hours .ore+ ,C hours The following effects are in addition to the details found on =age &C, of the Trail of Cthulhu ruleboo . S%i))ing this will give the following informationE Hyperborea 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, long0toothed cats and other animals now extinct.

)esearching (reenland
/ibrar& "se+ Time spent in a ma3or library will grant a dedicated pool point for investigative spends in any field as it relates to Greenland, for example, Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Geology, 6ccult or 6utdoorsman. A 2-point spend

The earliest inhabitants were hairy pre0humans called 89oormis4 who had a simple writing system, and worshipped a god called @hotha11ah who lived beneath an extinct volcano. The 9oormis were originally slaves of 8sna e0people4, but they revolted and won their freedom. Humans arrived and drove the 9oormis into the mountains. They established Commoriom, the first capital city, on the site of a 9oormis settlement. The city was grand and beautiful place of granite and marble with many high towers. A prophet called 8the .hite !ybil4 predicted the fall of Commoriom and it was abandoned in the same year that %ibon was born, the city was abandoned, to a monster called 8#yngathin @haum4. The capital was moved to the city of -7uldaroum. %ibon became the greatest sorcerer, drawing power from his servitude to @hotha11ah. 2ue to oppression from the sect of Ohoundeh the el 0 goddess, %ibon was forced to live in a remote tower of blac Gneiss in a remote area called $hu Thulan. %ventually the priests of Ohoundeh overran his tower and he fled through a magical door, and his boo was passed on secretly in %urope and KAtlantisM.

Cornford and Bobert $. =rice in The ?oo of %ibonR

The *athieson E/pedition of 0123

/ibrar& "se+ The information on the $athieson %xpedition report, the 2orset Culture and the distribution of polar bears described in the $riefing can be uncovered in a good0si7ed academic library by substituting point spends in Fibrary -se.

The (erman E/pedition

Finding out more about this expedition is very difficult as there is nothing published about it publically. Reassuran e or 7latter& will get 2r $organ or =rofessor %thelrod to reveal that an associate of %thelrod4s, 2r !ummers of %dinburgh -niversity, heard a reference to a privately funded German expedition at an international archaeology conference in =aris last year.

4utdoor Training
9arious independently sourced courses in outdoor s ills may grant a protagonist up to + dedicated pool points in Athletics or 6utdoorsman, to be used in Arctic and !ubarctic environments.

The Atlantic Voyage

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Transition /ead-#n+ ?riefing, =reparations /ead-0ut+ GodthIb This is an opportunity to roleplay various interactions between player characters as they get to now one another and their leader. The voyage for GodthIb ta es six days, giving the =rotagonists plenty of time to get to now the other members of the team or to read in their cabins if they prefer. An Athletics test against 2ifficulty / is re1uired avoid seasic ness. The effect is the same as being Hurt and lasts for +) hours. Q?egin sidebarR

Ex erpts

PThe sorceror %ibon, son of $ilaab, was born in the city of "11ua in the Oear of the Bed .orm. "n that same year the doom whereof the .hite !ybil had spa e a century before came down upon the famous city of Commoriom and the ing thereof, For1uamethros, and all his fol , rose up and fled into the south to establish the city of -7uldaroum amidst the 3ungles of @esh in the land of =harnath, abandoning forever splendid Commoriom to the abnormality #yngathin @haumP 0 The ?oo of %ibon QThe Fife of %ibon according to Cyron of 9araad by Fin Carter. Chec copyright H rewriteR

P...the wise shall not too 1uic ly dismiss the eventuality that the plaguing presence is to be identified with the blac spawn of #nygathin @haum which once overran Commoriom.P 0 The %pistle of %ibon to #ing Thaboam of #alnoora, The ?oo of %ibon Qfrom %pistles of %ibon by Faurence A.

The Crew
The ship4s crew consists of the Captain, First $ate, Chief =etty 6fficer and a crew of ( sailors.

Captain 5ames *acAllen

A tall, lean, dour man who loo s older than his ); years. He doesn4t say much, but commands the respect of his crew.

Abilities+ Athletics ), Health ;, !cuffling ,, .eapons + Hit Threshold+ / 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& :boat hoo Himprovised<

6irst *ate .ill He"lett

An experienced seaman who has wor ed closely with $acAllen for years, Hewlett is a somewhat portly man in his early )Cs, with red hair. Abilities+ Athletics /, Health ;, !cuffling ), .eapons + Hit Threshold+ / 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& :boat hoo Himprovised<

threatened or bribed into eeping 1uiet :a 6 .oint Spend in Reassuran e, #nti)idation or $argain<, the conse1uences of getting caught are very serious > including expulsion from the expedition as an absolute minimum. For the details of the contents of %thelrod4s cabin, see %thelrod4s =ersonal %ffects on =age SS. Getting to now -pton0!mith Getting to now Granger

Godth
S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ ?riefing, =reparations, The Atlantic 9oyage /ead-0ut+ Bival %xpedition, %vighedsf3orden The ship ma es a scheduled stop in GodthIb, the capital of Greenland, for three days, to refuel, collect supplies and meet the sledding team. 6nce the ship is prepared, a local boat is to transport the sleds and sled dogs to %vighedsf3orden in a separate boat. Greenland at this time is a colony of 2enmar and uses 2anish currency and mostly 2anish place names. GodthIb is the capital and has a population of around +CCC, mostly %s imo, but with a few people of !candinavian descent. Houses are mostly traditional %s imo huts of stone and turf with a few !candinavian0style structures of imported wood. The main industries here are whaling and fishing and there is a blubber boiling plant 3ust outside of town. There is also a general store, a newspaper office, a small school, a seminary and a government building with a radio station. To the east lies GodthIbsf3orden, the long, meandering f3ord with many inlets where the $athieson %xpedition landed. /anguages 8Danish or #nuit9 A:D 0ral Histor& or Reassuran e 87loating9+ "f the =rotagonists go ashore and tal to the locals, they will hear of another foreign research ship that arrived over a wee earlier. 7ollo!-"p 8Credit Rating3 Reassuran e3 7latter& or $argain9+ The vessel dropped off a German research team in GodthIbsf3orden and left shortly afterwards. %thelrod will get this information one way or another > from a member of the crew if not from the =rotagonists. He is furious and curses the German 4race4.

Chief Petty 4fficer Anders Pihl

=ihl is a large, friendly man of 2anish nationality. He is /*, has a full beard and en3oys a drin . Abilities+ Athletics ,, Firearms ), Health *, !cuffling (, .eapons / Hit Threshold+ / 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& :boat hoo Himprovised<, D& :Fee %nfield rifle< Q%nd sidebarR

(etting to 7no" Ethelrod

%thelrod is reserved and rather snobbish. Anyone who spends a significant time with him 1uic ly recognises that he regards most people are not upper0middle class ?ritons with disdain. He will generally avoid the company of the uneducated or Americans, who he generally regards as vulgar. He passionately despises the French in particular. Assess Honest&+ %thelrod may be hiding something. A 2-.oint spend indicates that behind the stiff0upper lip, %thelrod is apprehensive about the expedition and that there are certain things about the current of previous trip that he is concerned people don4t now. Reassuran e, or 7latter&E %thelrod may also be as ed 1uestions about the the expedition. !ee the $riefing for details.

Surreptitiously Ethelrods Cabin

Accessing

"f protagonists try to search %thelrod4s 1uarters discretely, they will be confronted with a loc ed door, re1uiring /o %s)ith to open. They will also have to pass a !tealth test of 2ifficulty ) to avoid being spotted acting suspiciously by one of the crew, another member of the expedition or %thelrod himself. -nless the witness can be persuaded,

Reassuran e 2-.oint Spend+ He suspects that the German authorities were tipped0off about the site by a veteran of the first expedition, Aean Baymond Gobineau, who 3oined the 5a7i cause a few years ago. Q!idebarR

GodthIbsf3orden north0northeast :the same route as the $athieson %xpedition<. Reassuran e or 7latter& 2-.oint SpendE The German team become more amicable and recognise at least some of the group as indred :either literally or in a spiritual sense< and will invite them onboard the ship, offering them drin s and food. Anyone who accepts will find themselves lectured about the Knoble origins of the Aryan raceM and how archaeological sites all over the world prove that their ancestors brought civilisation to the ancient world. Anyone who vigorously disagrees finds the offer of hospitality prematurely withdrawn. Reassuran e or 7latter& 2-.oint spend+ The Germans reveal their route :north0northeast from GodthIbsf3orden, the same route as the $athieson %xpedition<. Assess Honest&+ ?ehind the bragging, there is a slight sense of uneasiness. 2-.oint spend+ the German crew seem to be worried about their team. 7ollo!-up+ Reassuran e 6-.oint spend will get the Germans to admit that they are being lead to the site by Aean Baymond Gobineau, a $athieson %xpedition veteranT however, several of them believe he is unstable. His behaviour is strange and occasionally violent and he drops hints of terrible creatures up on the ice sheet. A !tealth test against 2ifficulty ) will allow the protagonists to ma e a 1uic and surreptitious search of the ship under some pretext. !tealing one of the boo s re1uires a Conceal or Filch test against 2ifficulty ;. Si)ple Sear h+ The ship contains some supplies of food, fuel ammunition, radio e1uipment and so forth. There is also a small library of boo s on relevant geographical, geological, anthropological, archaeological, historical, linguistic and occult sub3ects, almost all in German, including !trabo4s Geographica and Hermann .irth4s Der Aufgang &er Menschheit :The %mergence of $an ind<. /anguages 8Ger)an9+ An protagonist skimming the latter :+ hours< will learn about nationalist German beliefs in their decent from a 5ordic super race that originated in the Arctic region and once ruled the nown world. 'oring over it :&C hours< grants + dedicated pool points in Archaeology, Anthropology, 6ccult or Fanguages. Eviden e Colle tion+ Also here is an enthusiastic letter of support from a senior member of the 5ational !ocialist German .or ersL =arty named

8ationalism in Europe in the 9:s

.ith the benefit of historical hindsight, we now to what horrors German nationalism led. Today, 5a7ism is almost universally synonymous with almost stereotypical evil. And indeed ?ritish and Americans would often have been less than favourably disposed towards the Germans, but probably for slightly different reasons. .hile many people regarded the 5a7is as despicable at the time, overt racism was far more socially acceptable and the logical conse1uences of 5a7i rule were less clear. Animosity from ?ritish and Americans towards Germany at the time would probably have had more to do with nationalist and colonialist competition and memories of the Great .ar. =layers might even decide that their characters are broadly sympathetic with 5a7i goals. And indeed this would be an ideal set0up for the 8?ig Beveal4 at the climax of the scenario. QH!idebarR

The Ri!al "#pedition

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Boleplaying /ead-#n+ GodthIb /ead-0ut+ %vighedsf3orden The following day, a small freighter flying the German flag > the %i&&er > arrives in port to resupply. %thelrod will refuse to have anything to do with themT however, the protagonists may choose to approach them. 6nboard is a crew of seven sailors, a radio engineer and an archaeological research assistant. They are in regular radio contact with the German team, although reception is increasingly patchy. The Germans will boast about being the first to reach and explore Kthe ruins of ThuleM, about having a special right to the heritage of their ancestors. The resulting humiliation is a &0=oint !tability test for the protagonists. #nti)idation+ The characters can avoid humiliation by giving as good as they get. A 2-.oint spend allows them to recover & !tability point or tric s the Germans into revealing the expedition route from

Heinrich Himmler to 2octor % ehardt ?auer, leader of the expedition. Himmler refers to the site as both K-ltima ThuleM and KAtlantisM and refers to something he calls 8Thor4s Hammer4, a weapon of their divine ancestors said to be capable of flattening mountains.

The expedition vessel is met here by a local barge that drops off the sleds, sled dogs and mushers :dog sled drivers<. The plan then is to use it to ferry supplies, e1uipment and the expedition members onto the muddy shore. About thirty feet from the water4s edge is a low mound. From a distance, $iolog& identifies it as the body of a whale. 2 .oint Spend reveals it as a narwhal.

Captain Alfred Dreher

Around /C years old, and fit, 2reher is in command of base0ship operations. 2reher is a een German patriot and a true believer in the Thule myth.

Polar .ear
"f the characters approach the whale4s corpse will notice it move strngely several times. A polar bear is behind it with it4s head inside the body, eating it from the inside. A !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ) will let the characters spot the bear at about /C feet, ,C feet if they have not approached. The bear will issue a vocal warning and if necessary fight to protect it4s catch. ?eing attac ed by the bear is a /0point !tability test.
.olar $ear

(erald Huber
Huber is a round0faced ?avarian. He is a little overweight, fairly 1uiet and serious, and a little less nationalistic than his companion is. Abilities+ Athletics ), Firearms /, Health ), !cuffling / Hit Threshold+ / Alertness 4odifier+ C Stealth 4odifier+ C 5eapon+ D& :$auser Gewehr '( rifle<, 0& :#nife<, 0+ :fists<

4ther Cre" *embers

Abilities+ Athletics ,, Firearms ), Health *, !cuffling (, .eapons / Hit Threshold+ / 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& : nife or improvised weapon<, D& :$auser Gewehr '( rifle<, D& :Fuger 'mm<

The bear can attac twice in a round > two claws or a claw and a bite. "f it loses half it4s Health, it will flee. Abilities+ Athletics &), Health &C, !cuffling &, Hit Threshold+ ) Alertness 4odifier+ D+ 5eapon+ D& :claw<, DC :bite< Ar)our+ 0)

"!ighedsf$orden
S ene T&pe+ Core, Transition /ead-#n+ /ead-0ut+ %vighedsf3orden Glacier About &CC miles north of GodthIb, is the port of !u ertoppen, where the ship may harbour overnight. Another /C miles beyond that is the f3ord of %vighedsf3orden, which flows through a deep canyon in a steeply mountainous and uninhabited area. "t is early Auly by the time the team arrive. The climate is surprisingly mild and rivers are swelled with meltwater. Although the %vighedsf3orden route to Commoriom is slightly longer than the one from GodthIbsf3orden, the ascent is gentler, allowing the transportation of drilling e1uipment. The route from GodthIbsf3orden involves two steep climbs.

A Cache
%thelrod orders a cache of supplies to be left near the beach. &C man0days of food and +C rounds of ammunition. Qbegin sidebarR

The Trek to Commoriom

The team has three 5ansen sledges and a snow tractor. 5ansen sledges are pulled by dogs, but rather than sitting on the sledge, the musher s iis alongside it, allowing a swifter pace. They carry mostly food, camp gear and lighter excavation e1uipment. Team0members are on cross0country s is. The diesel0powered snow tractor seats two, pulls the heaviest e1uipment on a series of four 5ansen sledges :the drill, the diesel generator, the electric ice melter and a do7en barrels of diesel< and sets a steady pace. "f none of the =rotagonists has 2riving :Tractor<, %thelrod will drive it. There is

space for one passenger in the covered cabin. =rotagonists with the highest Credit Bating scores will be invited first. There are three mushers or fewer if any of the =rotagonists have this ability. 0utdoors)an is re1uired to avoid getting hopelessly lost. 5avigating under difficult circumstances > without a map, a compass or in poor visibility will re1uire 6utdoorsman spends in order to progress in the correct direction.
Ar ti travel on foot

Arctic clothing also gives & point of Armor, but increases the 2ifficulty of Athletics and Fleeing tests > and anything else re1uiring extensive mobility > by &. A tent and small stove effectively raise the temperature by +CUF. A cabin and more powerful stove raise it by /CUF, /;UF with the stove on full power.
Co))uni ations

Cross0country s iing costs ) Athletics, Fleeing or Health per day in these conditions. .ithout s is the speed is halved.
Travel b& dog-sled

%thelrod and the crew of the ship agree to communicate by radio twice a dayE once at *A$ and once at (=$.

Sledding Teams
There are three sleds with ten dogs per sled and three mushers :or fewer if any =rotagonists are able drive a dog0sled<.
"%ale,

This re1uires 2riving :2og !led< in addition to the costs above. 2og teams will use , Athletics pool points :or Health once these are depleted< each day, / points are replenished at the end of the day if the dogs are rested and well0fed.
Effe ts of Cli)ate

Table showing temperatures and effects at different times of year. 4onth Aanuary February $arch April $ay Aune Auly August !eptember 6ctober 5ovember 2ecember Godthab &' &' &( +, /) )C )) )) /( /C +, +& Co))orio) 8up9 0++ :0+C< 0++ :0+C< 0+C :0&;< 0&C :0;< 0+ :C< ; :&C< &C :&;< ' :&;< / :;< 0; :C< 0&+ :0&C< 0&' :0&;<

A stoc y "nuit with bad teeth who seems to show them off with his smile almost all the time. Approaching middle age, he is an expert hunter and outdoorsman. He spea s "nuit and 2anish. Abilities+ Athletics ,, 2riving ), Firearms (, Health ,, 6utdoorsman ;, !cuffling /, .eapons * Hit ThresholdE / Alertness 4odifier+ D+ Stealth 4odifier+ D+ 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& : nife<, D& :rifle<, Ar)our+ 0& vs any :Arctic clothing<
Tiria,

Tall for an "nuit and around /C, with a wispy moustache. He spea s "nuit and 2anish. He is an expert at dog0handling and sled0maintenance. Abilities+ Athletics ,, 2riving ;, Firearms +, Health ,, 6utdoorsman /, !cuffling ), .eapons ; Hit Threshold+ / Alertness 4odifier+ D& Stealth 4odifier+ D& 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& : nife<, D& :rifle<, Ar)our+ 0& vs any :Arctic clothing<
;a%ob S<rensen

?elow +CUF exposed characters without Arctic clothing on act as if hurt. ?elow 0+CUF, characters must ma e Athletics tests :2ifficulty /< to eep moving. At 0)CUF the 2ifficulty is )T at 0,CUF the 2ifficulty is ; and so on. 2ifficulty is increased by + if the character isn4t wearing protective clothing. Characters who stop moving lose & Health every &; minutes or every ; minutes in a bli77ard.

!Vrensen is a highly experienced cross0country s ier, mountaineer, outdoorsman and guide. As the name suggests, he is of 2anish descent and spea s "nuit, 2anish and some %nglish. Abilities+ Athletics ', 2riving ), Firearms ), Health (, 6utdoorsman /, !cuffling ;, .eapons ) Hit ThresholdE )

Alertness 4odifier+ D& 5eapon+ 0+ :fists<, 0& : nife<, D& :rifle<, Ar)our+ 0& vs any :Arctic clothing<
Sled Dogs

,ce 6alls
As they progress up the canyon, have everyone ma e a !ense Trouble test at 2ifficulty ) to spot ice tumbling from a tributary into the path of one of the sleds. Anyone who succeeds with !ense Trouble can call out a warning allowing the driver to ta e evasive action. Avoiding this re1uires a 2riving test against 2ifficulty ; :) if !ense Trouble is passed<T otherwise, all on board :and the dogs< ta e D& damage and the supplies and e1uipment on the sled may be damaged.

Abilities+ Athletics &+, Health ;, !cuffling , Hit Threshold+ ) Alertness 4odifier+ D/ 5eapon+ 0& :bite< Ar)our+ 0+ vs any :thic fur<

E/pedition E;uipment
This is a non0exhaustive list of e1uipment for the expedition that hasn4t already been mentionedE =arts for cabin and outhouses, including an oil stove : erosene<, tents, arctic clothing, ice pic s, axes, ,C T5T explosive charges with detonators, & rifle per team member, &CC rounds ammunition per rifle, camp radio with antenna :&CC ., nominal range &CC miles depending on weather, +CClbs<, chain saws :diesel<, electric ice melter :about &CCClbs<, /CC. diesel generator :(Clbs<, )+ x ;; gallon tan diesel ://C lbs each<, &C x ;; gallon tan erosene ://C lbs each<, water pump :diesel, /CClbs<, ?uc ets, Food for dogs and humans for &+ months :mostly two grades of pemmican, plus a few luxuries<, two sets of standard climbing gear including /CC feet rope.
Chainsa!

%owling
5ear the top of the canyon, have the =rotagonists ma e !ense Trouble tests :2ifficulty /< to hear strange howling sounds. Anyone with 0utdoors)an can reassure themselves and other characters that this is purely a natural phenomenon caused by the wind funnelling down the canyon, allowing any !ense Trouble points spent to be refunded. 6therwise, this is a &0=oint !tability test. Assess Honest&+ Granger is showing signs of stress or agitation. "f as ed, he refuses to tal about it and denies that anything is wrong.

uarrel

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

At the end of the day, the group needs to ma e a camp near the top of the canyon. That evening, a 1uarrel can be heard in %thelrod and Granger4s tent. Shado!ing or 2-.oint Spend in Eviden e Colle tion+ %thelrod is repremanding Granger for drin ing. He threatens to throw away his alcohol supply.

"!ighedsf$orden Glacier
S ene T&pe+ Core, Challenge /ead-#n+ %vighedsf3orden /ead-0ut+ The Climb to the "ce !heet The first stage of the 3ourney is li ely to last one day and is very challenging. The loaded dog sleds must run uphill along the bottom of the canyon on gravel and mud, avoiding ice0falls from the glaciers overhead. The canyon is about &/ miles long. For any =rotagonists who are driving dog sleds this is a 2riving test against 2ifficulty ;. Failure means that one of the dogs is in3ured or the sled is stuc , resulting in delays. For dogs this costs &C Athletics pool points.

The Clim

to the Ice &heet

S ene T&pe+ Core, Challenge /ead-#n+ %vighedsf3orden Glacier /ead-0ut+ Across the "ce, Graves This day begins with an even more difficult climb up a bro en, icy slope onto the ice sheet above. !omehow, the sleds, the tractor and their loads need to be raised onto the ice sheet. 6ne method :both %thelrod and 0utdoors)an will suggest this< is that most members of the team climb the slope on foot, carrying ropes, :a 2ifficulty / Athletics test, with failure resulting in a damage roll at 0+<. 5ext, the team pulls various loads up using the ropes. %ach of these steps re1uire piggybacke& Athletics tests against various difficulties, with failure resulting in a retry and a loss of & Health > at the #eeper4s option, a result of & might result in a

tumble and damage for whatever load is being pulled up the slope. The dog teams are led up :2ifficulty /<, then the humans and dogs together pull the tractor up :2ifficulty ;< > if a =rotagonist can drive it, they will also need to ma e a 2riving test against 2ifficulty ; to avoid problems as above. Then tractor, humans and dogs bring up four regular loads :2ifficulty /< and the drill :2ifficulty )< on sleds. The entire process will ta e at least / or ) hours and by the end of it, the players themselves should be feeling tired. Following %thelrod4s directions, the team can spend the last hours of the day sledding in a south easterly direction across the ice0sheet, before camping for the night. 0utdoors)an or Eviden e Colle tion 2-.oint spendE Farge, strange footprints can be seen in the snow, perhaps distorted by melting. :"f none of the protagonists finds it then one of the mushers does.< 0utdoors)an or $iolog&+ The prints appear to be those of a large carnivoreT however, an extended claw in the middle of the foot shows that this wasn4t a bear. "n fact, they don4t belong to any identifiable creature. 2-.oint spend+ There is something very strange about the gait. 6-.oint spend+ The bi7arre pattern of prints would almost seem to imply that it was moving on six legs some of the time. Cthulhu 4&thos or 0ral Histor&+ This may be the legendary six0legged beast of the Arctic, called Gnoph-keh. The mushers now these stories.
They become 1uite excited and Tiria1 refuses to continue. %thelrod struggles to convince him. A 2-.oint Reassuran e spend will suffice. "n contrast - ale1 and to a lesser extent !Vrensen want to hunt and ill it. %thelrod is not convinced. A 2-.oint Reassuran e or 7latter& spend will change his mind. As soon as 2r Granger sees the print, he becomes extremely agitated and begins muttering to himself about Kthe monster of the iceM.

Eviden e Colle tion 2-.oint spend+ The character notices that Granger is secretly drin ing from a hip0 flas .

Hunting the .east

"f the team attempts to hunt the beast, a 2-.oint 0utdoors)an spend is re1uired per day to trac it on a wandering route roughly east southeast. After about three days, they will arrive at the sceneE 8Graves4. 2uring this trip the hunters may experience being spied on by a strange %s imo :see Across the "ce, The .atcher<. Q?egin !idebarR

'hy "thelrod must (ie

%thelrod4s death early in the scenario is important for several reasonsE firstly, it puts the protagonists into the driving seat and secondly it potentially reveals several more aspects of the mystery. "t also foreshadows the insanity ahead and removes a source of security. "f %thelrod4s death is somehow prevented here, it is recommended that he is illed in some other, preferably non0trivial, way. For example, he could be illed by the gnoph0 eh. Q%nd !idebarR

The (eath of "thelrod

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ The Climb to the "ce !heet /ead-0ut+ A Call for Help Core Clue+ The route to Co))orio) =alle& .hen the team sets up camp for the night, %thelrod invites the others to tal about the 3ourney ahead, and in particular, techni1ues for avoiding crevasses. The meeting ta es place in a tent shared by up to three of the protagonists. Granger opts to retire. %thelrod4s suppressed disapproval of this is noted with a 2-.oint Spend in Assess Honest&. He is drin ing in his tent. "f anyone goes to spea to him at this time, he will hurriedly hide his bottle of whis y. The bottle or its lid can be spotted with Eviden e Colle tion 2-.oint spend. And signs of drun enness will be detected with 4edi ine or Assess Honest& or Eviden e Colle tion. About an hour and a half later, %thelrod ad3ourns the meeting and the attendees ma e their way bac to their own tents. -pton0!mith lingers, tal ing to one of the =rotagonists. Anyone ma ing a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ; briefly notices a silhouetted figure among the tents mutter something

Assess Honest& or .s& hoanal&sis+ He doesn4t seem to be calming down. 2 .oint spend in .s& hoanal&sis+ He may have a phobia or have had a traumatic experience in the past that has triggered extreme anxiety. Assess Honest& 2-.oint spend+ %thelrod also seems somewhat alarmed although he is far more in control of himself.

in the dimness :KHenryWM< and raise a gun. 6ne simple action is permittedE duc ing, starting to run, drawing a weapon or shouting a warning. 6therwise, the first thing noticed is a very loud gunshot. The #eeper should emphasis the confusion here. .ho is the shooterX .ere they shooting at a threatX Are they a threatX "s anyone hurtX .here is everyone elseX A second !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ) will identify the figure with the rifle as a threat. And a 2-.oint Spend in Eviden e Colle tion will identify him as Granger. Granger will pause for one round then, unless interrupted, begin ta ing pot shots at other members of the team. He begins at Close range. However, he can spend no points on Firearms due to the dar ness, his drun enness and general lac of ability. A =reparedness test against 2ifficulty ; will allow a =rotagonist to happen to be carrying a gun. 6therwise, retrieving these from tents will ta e three rounds. Reassuran e 2-.oint spend or successful =sychological Triage calms Granger down and he lowers the gun. A second 2-.oint spend or successful =sychological Triage convinces him to relin1uish it. "f anyone moves towards him, Granger will threaten them with the gun and shoot anyone who gets too close or who raises a gun towards him. $eanwhile %thelrod lies unmoving on the ground. "n the dar ness among the tents a !ense Triouble test against 2ifficulty ) is needed to even notice him. 7irst Aid 8 ore3 floating lue9+ This general ability in this case used as an investigative ability. %thelrod is mortally wounded, but he comes round briefly. He will tell the protagonist to follow the route mar ed on the map in his personal pac . He also warns them that the Kguardian of the temple must be placatedM but slips into unconsciousness before he can explain how. A third Reassuran e 2-.oint Spend or =sychological Triage will get Granger tal ing. He raves and mutters incoherently about Kblond %s imoM, Kthe man0eating beast of the iceM, Kthe city of evilM, Kthe formless guardian of the templeM and %thelrod stealing his whis y. He soon lapses into a state of muttering, incoherent catatonia, from which, as .s& hoanal&sis indicates, he is unli ely to recover without lengthy therapy.

Ethelrods Personal Effects

%thelrod left most of his personal possessions on one of the sleds. Beliant as they were on %thelrod, the rest of the team do not now with certainty the route to their goal. They may find this material while loo ing for his maps. %thelrod4s possessions includeE Core Clue+ A detailed map of .est Greenland with handwritten mar ings showing both the route ta en by the $athieson %xpedition and the route planned for the current expedition $thelro&s (otes on the iber !"onis :see 8%thelrod4s !ecrets4 sidebar< Clue 8.ipe9+ A 'reliminary !nterpretation of the Tsath-Yo anguage :see 8%thelrod4s !ecrets4 sidebar< 'ictographs in the Temple of the )oth-A**ua :see 8%thelrod4s !ecrets4 sidebar<

Q?egin !idebarR

Ethelrods Secrets
Ethelrod>s :otes on the /iber #vonis

/anguage+ %nglish S%i)+ + hours .ore+ +C hours These handwritten notes were written in the late &'+Cs, based on the Fatin version of the #ook of $ibon. %thelrod4s notes focus on language, the geography, history and culture of Hyperborea, the pre0human +oormis and the worship of their god )hotha**uah. S%i))ing this provides the clues from the Fiber "vonis described on =age SS plus & dedicated pool point to be used for 6ccult, Anthropology or Cthulhu $ythos spends relating to Hyperborea and Tsathoggua. .oring over it provides an additional + dedicated pool points.
A .reli)inar& #nterpretation of the Tsath-?o /anguage3 b& Henr& Ethelrod and Curtis 4athieson

/anguage+ Tsath0Oo to %nglish S%i)+ / hours .ore+ /C hours %thelrod and $athieson compiled this provisional dictionary and grammar of the Tsath-Yo hieroglyphic language based on their wor prior to the &'+, expedition and the glyphs they found in Greenland. 6nce S%i))ed, this boo can be used as a reference, with sufficient time and point

spends, texts written in Tsath0Oo can be translated with a reasonable level of accuracy. .oring over it grants + dedicated pool points in Fanguages :Tsath0 Oo<.
.i tographs in the Te)ple of (oth-A,,ua

A Call for %elp

S ene T&pe+ Core, Boleplaying /ead-#n+ The 2eath of %thelrod /ead-0ut+ .aiting on the "ce, Across the "ce "f the team maintains the agreed schedule of twice0 daily radio communications, the following morning they receive some news. The team will probably be brea ing the news of %thelrod4s death in the same broadcast. The base ship has been approached by crewmembers of the German base ship re1uesting assistance. The German expedition has been out of radio contact for three days. .hile this may simply be a technical problem, the Germans are concerned and would li e help in loo ing for their teammates. This is honourable behaviour between international expeditions. "n particular, they would li e to send two representatives to 3oin forces with them.
Captain 2reher, captain of the German base0ship, is available to spea directly to the characters if they wish.

/anguage+ %nglish S%i)+ + hours This contains %thelrod4s translations of a set of Tsath0Oo hieroglyphs found on the walls of a temple in the valley of Commoriom. He describes the pictographs as being of a more primitive type than previously seen and postulates that it was created by a people he calls 8+oormis and that the Hyperboreans adopted this language and refined it. Anthropolog& or Ar haeolog& reminds the reader that such notions don4t correspond with accepted human prehistory. A people called +oormis came to this fertile valley from far to the south and built a city dedicated to their god )oth-A**ua. Cthulhu 4&thos identifies this as Tsathoggua. The temple was consecrated by summoning one of @oth0A11ua4s children to guard it. The high priest was then ceremonially sealed alive in the burial chamber behind the altar. Cthulhu 4&thos identifies the reference to a spawn of Tsathoggua. The temperature grew colder and people stopped following @oth0A11ua and began to worship other gods, especially A&uk,u that came from the north and was associated with the dropping temperatures. Cthulhu 4&thos suggests that this might be "tha1ua. A civil war bro e out between the followers of @oth0A11ua and Adu wu and the heretics were forced out of the city, and hunted down. A 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 s in :the ancestors of the Hyperboreans, %thelrod suggests<. They began to trade, the builders of the city taught them writing, and the newcomers 1uic ly learned the ways of economics and government. The land continued to get colder, and trade dwindled. The coming of the cold was a curse from Adu wu or his long0dead followers. There is a prophecy that the bare0s inned people would ta e the city. %ventually it would lie abandoned and ravaged by the cold.

Helping the Germans would mean a wait of two days on the ice. 6n the other hand, by bringing a further two men with them and a sledge, the Germans could ta e %thelrod4s body and an incapacitated Granger bac to GodthIb. They could also bring supplies and could simply ta e the places of %thelrod and Granger. This is an ethical and practical dilemma for the protagonists. "t is recommended that that the #eeper bring character 2rives into play here by using !oft :or even Hard< 2rivers, ideally encouraging conflict between characters. For example, the Arrogance or Thirst for #nowledge 2rives might favour pressing on without the Germans, while 2uty may encourage a character to do 8the right thing4. "f they decline to accept, the Germans send a two0 man team to ma e its way independently. The investigators may encounter them later and the Germans will be less than positively disposed towards them. An obvious third option is that the protagonists agree to loo for the missing team, which the Germans will gratefully accept.

'aiting on the Ice

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Transition /ead-#n+ A Call for Help

Q%nd !idebarR

/ead-0ut+ Across the "ce "f the protagonists decide to wait for the Germans to reach them, they face a wait of two days on the ice.

An $nearthly Ho"l
After sunset on the first day there is a distant, but terrible and strange howl, which will be noticed with a successful !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ;. Hearing it is a &0=oint !tability test. $iolog& or 0utdoors)an 2-.oint spendE This sound is not recognisable as a nown inhabitant of Greenland. This insight increases the !tability test to + points.

$athieson %xpedition who moved to ?erlin in the late &'+Cs According to Gobineau, the creature that attac ed the $athieson %xpedition was not a bear, but something far worse There is a temple in the valley that one must utter a special invocation to enter. Gobineau claimed to now this, but protected it fiercely. The linguist and anthropologist Herman .irth translated glyphs found on a monolith in Finland describing the history or mythology of this city

The T"o (ermans

The Germans will be very grateful to the team for delaying their expedition in order to help and they will ma e it clear that their interest is in the search and rescue of their compatriots and are happy to follow the %thelrod %xpedition4s lead on other matters. They will, however try to persuade the %nglish0 spea ers to help them actively search for the Germans, perhaps by giving them some men to ta e on a more southerly course towards where radio contact was lost :i.e. in the direction of the scene, Graves<. Be3oining the main group from this point would re1uire a steep climb :see 0n the Edge<. Captain 2reher decides to lead the rescue operation personally, leaving his first mate in charge of a ship manned by a radio engineer and a s eleton crew. He brings Gerald Huber with him on a dog sled with eight dogs. !ee =age SS for details of these two. !ections of the scenario that apply if the Germans have 3oined the team are mar ed with the following symbolE *S&)bol+ Ger)an Expedition 4e)bers-

Across the Ice

S ene T&pe+ Core, Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ A Call for Help /ead-0ut+ The expedition is now heading southeast over the fractured surface of the Greenland ice sheet. Twice a day, each member of the team must ma e a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ) :2ifficulty / for vehicle drivers< to safely avoid crevasses. "f this fails, a 2riving test :2ifficulty /< is re1uired to avoid falling in for D& damage and possible loss or damage to vehicles, loads or dogs. This stage will ta e two days. However, if the team passes a piggybac ed 2riving :Tractor or 2og !led as applicable< test against 2ifficulty ;, reduce this to one day.
The 5at her

As the 3ourney progresses, the team gradually approaches a range of nunataks :mountains emerging from the ice sheet< to the southeast. There are a few smaller nunata s along the way. Towards the end of the last afternoon here, a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ) will allow the protagonists to spot someone watching them from the top of a ridge ahead. He is perhaps half a mile away. A =reparedness test :2ifficulty /< will give an =rotagonist 1uic access to binoculars. "f viewed through binoculars, he appears to be an %s imo, but dressed rather strangely in a high collared par a. Anthropolog& or $iolog& 2-.oint spendE His features are unusual for an %s imo, with a long face, large nose and elongated earlobes. Anthropolog& or Ar haeolog& 2-.oint spend will then suggest that his appearance is reminiscent of figures depicted in artifacts of the extinct 2orset Culture. Cthulhu 4&thos+ The figure4s appearance

,nvestigation
Reassuran e or 7latter&+ The German expedition was following the same route as the $athieson %xpedition. %ach of the following additional pieces of information re1uires a 2-.oint spendE The site is thought to be a city called 8-ltima Thule4, the capital of the lost continent of Thule, ancient homeland of the Aryan race "nformation about the site came from Aean Baymond Gobineau, a veteran of the

is reminiscent of descriptions of the inhabitants of Hyperborea. A successful ;0=oint =reparedness test will allow a character to produce binoculars 1uic ly enough to see that the %s imo has a long, pale face and is strangely dressed in a high0collared par a with a sort of pointed hat instead of a hood. He 1uic ly disappears from view whether seen or not. Climbing the ridge is a /0=oint test. Failure results in / points of damage. 0utdoors)an will find his trac s. 2-point spend+ The trac s appear to come from the east :the direction the expedition is headed< and return the same way. Another 6-.oint spend is re1uired to follow the trac s a significant distance. A s ier will be able to travel faster than the man on level ground, however he deliberately heads over rough terrain, re1uiring a Chase using Athletics versus Athletics, with the %s imo receiving a free success at the start of the chase representing the head start he has and a 2ifficulty reduced to / representing his experience of the terrain. Anyone winning this Chase will have an opportunity to ta e a single shot at the strange0 loo ing %s imo if they have a rifle ready. After that, he disappears from view and a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty , is re1uired to avoid being ambushed by a ferocious attac with a hand0axe. He will fight to the death rather than be captured. !een close0up, it is clear that the man is no ordinary %s imo. He is lean, with fair hair, and a long face with elongated nose and ears. He appears to be in his mid to late twenties. He will refuse to tal and will try to escape at the first opportunity. #nterrogation+ "n bro en Greenlandic "nuit, he will warn that the outsiders have strayed onto forbidden land, protected by the ancestors. They must leave at once or they will die a horrible death. A 6-.oint spend persuades 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 Honest& reveals no hint of deception. *S&)bol+ Ger)an Expedition 4e)bers- The Germans, are extremely excited by the discovery of 8blond %s imo4 announcing that it is proof of a former AryanH5ordic civilisation in Greenland. Anthropolog& 2-.oint spend+ 9ilh3almur !tefansson reported blond %s imo in the 9ictoria "sland area of Canada in &'&C and there have been several such reports, including in Greenland, since the &*th Century.

*aakuk< the .lond Eskimo< Age 2=

Abilities+ Athletics &C, !cuffling (, .eapons &&, Health ' Hit Threshold+ ) Ar)orE 0& vs all :hide< Stealth 4odifier+ D+ Alertness 4odifier+ D+ 5eaponE DC :stone axe< The team won4t be able to travel much further today.

)n the "dge
S ene T&pe+ Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ Across the "ce /ead-0ut+ The German Camp, Arriving at the !ite About a day from their destination, the expedition is moving along the top of a steep ridge. 0utdoors)an or Eviden e Colle tion+ There is a dar red spot on a slope, about a mile or so from the bottom of the ridge. ?inoculars suggest that it is a patch of blood with debris of some ind nearby. The face of the ridge, which would need to be descended to reach the camp, is a near0vertical wall of icy roc over &CC feet high. Climbing down is an Athletics test :2ifficulty ,<. Climbing bac up the wall is 2ifficulty (. "n either case, damage is & die D/, however, if a safety rope is used, unless the roll is a natural & :in which case the rope doesn4t hold<, the damage is reduced to 0&, with a second Athletics test re1uired to complete the climb. Approaching the red spot brings the protagonists to Hu)an Re)ains. 0utdoors)an+ Another route is possible that avoids the steep climb. "t would mean going bac along the ridge then heading south. 6n foot, this would ta e about a day each way, on unloaded dog sleds about half that, and on loaded sleds or a snow tractor, about , hours. 0utdoors)an or Eviden e Colle tion+ ?olts have been left where someone climbed up the face of this ridge. A 2-point 0utdoors)an spend confirms that this was within the last wee or so. Another 2.oint spend indicates that there were three in the climbing party. Anyone remaining behind and passing a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty , will spot a figure, similar to the previous one, watching them from a mountainside to the north. Beaching the spot will ta e about half an hour and a climb re1uiring an

Athletics test against 2ifficulty ). 0utdoors)an 2.oint spend will successfully locate his trac s, while another 2-.oint spend will allow them to be followed westward and higher up the mountain where they are lost on the roc y surface. "f none of the protagonists remain here, the mushers will report the figure when they return and can ta e the characters close to the spot where the figure stood. The expedition will probably need to camp somewhere on the ridge or tonight.

The creature hunted him down, illed him and consumed his body at leisure.

Gra!es
S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ Human Bemains, The Climb to the "ce !heet /ead-0ut+ Human Bemains, The Climb to the "ce !heet Three mounds rise in the snow here mar ed with simple wooden crosses. A crushed man0drawn sled has also been abandoned here, its load still partially onboard and partially piled on the snow nearby. Si)ple Sear h+ The mounds are of course graves. "dentity papers on the bodies will identify them as German nationals. Si)ple Sear h+ The sled holds camp gear, provisions and a bro en radio. There is also a sealed brass tube containing a note from ?auer to his missing countrymen, Gobineau and $et7ger. "t says that ?auer and his men have searched for a day and been unable to find them. After a vote, they decided to continue to try for their goal. They were heading to the ridge to the northwest. And they should 3oin them there. They would leave climbing gear at the ridge. Eviden e Colle tion 2-.oint spend+ -nder a layer of snow there are numerous empty rifle cartridges as if there had been a substantial fire fight. 0utdoors)an or Eviden e Colle tion+ There are several sets of footprints around the graves and signs snow that has been dug up to pile on the graves. A 2-.oint spend reveals a snow0covered trail hinting that something large trampled through this part of the valley several times, before the trac s were mostly covered in snow. .ith another 2-.oint spend, its route can be followed either to Hu)an Re)ains or to The Cli)b to the # e Sheet. "n either case, 0utdoors)an will indicate that after a couple of hundred yards the trac s have little or no snowfall on them. 7orensi s+ "f disinterred and examined, 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. 2-point spend+ The first also had symptoms of frostbite. 2-point spend+ The wounds on the second man are consistent with being mauled by a large carnivore, but a bear4s claws are not sharp enough to have inflicted those in3uries.

%uman Remains
S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ 6n the %dge, Graves /ead-0ut+ Graves, 6n the %dge "n addition to the large patch of blood are some pieces of bone and clothing. .itnessing this is a /0 point !tability test. A Si)ple Sear h locates papers that identify the victim as Aean Baymond Gobineau, a French national, German resident and a member of the 5!2A= :5a7i =arty<. 7orensi sE The remains have probably been here for almost a wee . 2-.oint spend+ The bones are gnawed and crushed. The tooth0mar s are possibly from a bear or other large carnivore. Eviden e Colle tion or 0utdoors)an+ The man4s prints can be seen coming from the south. Farge, footprints can be seen in the snow, possibly distorted by melting. ?oth sets of trac s have followed the same route. 0utdoors)an or $iolog&+ The prints appear to be those of a large carnivoreT however, the extended claw in the middle of the foot shows that this wasn4t a bear. "n fact, they don4t belong to any identifiable creature. 2-.oint spend+ There is something very strange about the gait. A further 2-.oint spend+ The bi7arre pattern of prints would almost seem to imply that it has six legs. Cthulhu 4&thos+ This may be the Gnoph0 eh, the legendary six0legged beast of the Arctic. 0utdoors)an 2-.oint spend+ Tracing the prints to their origin will ta e characters to Graves. Following the creature4s subse1uent route will ta e them northeast, deeper onto the ice sheet. After two hours, snowfall obliterates the trail.

#hat Happened Here>

.hen surprised by the Gnoph0 eh at the site of the scene 8Graves4, Gobineau :li e many others< fled.

#hat Happened Here>

The German expedition having ignored their warning, one of the Fomaruit :?lond %s imo< sang the old song to call the Gnoph0 eh. The beast stal ed the expedition, called up a bli77ard and attac ed them. !ome of them tried shooting at it without much success. Three mere were illed and the rest fled. Gobineau was followed and illed by the creature. Another man :6tto $et7ger< died of hypothermia on the ice. Three regrouped at the same spot later, buried their dead and gathered their possessions to continue.

6nce this is established, allow any !ense Trouble points spent to be reclaimed.

The German Camp

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce /ead-0ut+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce The camp consists of two tents with two sledges par ed nearby. There is bedding for three men here. "t appears to be deserted. 0utdoors)an+ The camp has not been used for days. Si)ple Sear h+ The camp contains some supplies of food, erosene, s is, ice pic s, rifle ammunition, and so forth. Eviden e Colle tion 2 point spend is re1uired to find each of the following in the campE +C dynamite charges with detonators and fuse wire &C flamethrower ignition cartridges The Aournal of % ehardt ?auer The A raf3all !aga

Arri!ing at the &ite

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ 6n the %dge /ead-0ut+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The German Camp, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce Core Clue+ The Shado! "nder the # e As the team progresses along the ridge, they see two mountain pea s ahead, between which they are heading. ?eyond that, according to %thelrod4s map, lies the valley of Commoriom. The 3ourney is uphill and hard going, re1uiring ) Athletics, Fleeing or Health pool points for half a day. The team reaches the top of a rise in the natural pass between the two pea s and has view of a mountainous plateau, a valley around a mile across, with an ice cap covering what was once a valley. About + miles away, on the other side of the valley, a dar cube :The Cube-Shaped Stru ture< s1uats on the lower slopes of the highest mountain. About one mile away, on another slope of tundra is a small camp. Eviden e Colle tion3 0utdoors)an or Geolog& 8Core Clue9+ Also about a mile away, close to the middle of the ice0covered valley is a shadow that matches the one %thelrod showed the group in the briefing :see The Shado! "nder the # e<. Geolog&+ The ice could be up to a thousand feet thic . The wind blows harshly through the high valley, whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing phantoms. A !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty / allows =rotagonists to hear a strange droning sound. This is a natural effect caused by the wind blowing between the mountains and through the valley.

The 5ournal of Ekkehardt .auer

/anguage+ German S%i)+ ) hours 2octor % ehardt ?auer was the leader of the German expedition. ?y the time the protagonists find him, he is dead. This is his 3ournal, beginning several months before the expedition started. "t includes 1uotations from Himmler, Herman .irth, and the -era in&a #ook. "t includes the following cluesE The purpose of the expedition is to find evidence that the ancestors of the Germans had a civilisation in ancient Greenland. This search is supported by certain nationalist groups, and organisations, including important members of the 5!2A= :5a7i party<. "n &'+', Aean Baymond Gobineau, veteran of the $athieson %xpedition and grandson of Arthur de Gobineau the famous race theorist, had recently moved to ?erlin and 3oined the 5!2A=. He contacted Gustaf #ossinna, =rofessor of German Archaeology at the -niversity of ?erlin with unpublished information about the &'+, expedition.

#ossinna, himself a nationalist and race theorist, encouraged ?auer to organise an expedition. Fi e %thelrod and $athieson, Gobineau called the site 8Commoriom4 in reference to a city mentioned in the i"re &$ibon. #ossinna called it 8-ltima Thule4. 6n invitation, Gobineau 3oined the expedition. "t arrived in GodthIb in early Aune and, following Gobineau4s directions, landed in GodthIbsf3orden where the ship anchored in order to maximise radio reception. ?auer describes Gobineau as obnoxious and mentally unstable. ?auer feels he is more of a hindrance to the mission than a help. ?auer and Gobineau fight sporadically. !trange0loo ing %s imo were spotted watching from a distance. Fater one of them approached. He was a bearded old man with fair complexion and elongated facial features. He resembled a !candinavian. ?auer felt certain that this was proof of the origin of the Aryans on ThuleHGreenland. The man was not friendly. !pea ing in a strange dialect, he appeared to threaten or warn them and left. The following day, while caught in a sudden bli77ard, they were attac ed by a huge, bear0 li e thing that was nevertheless definitely not a bear. They tried to shoot it without success. 6nce they regrouped, they found that three of them were dead and two missing. They decided to press on with only three men left in the expedition.

.irth associates this with the /arelian story of "lmatar, the spirit of the air who gives birth to 9YinYmNinen, the first man. There ,as a city in a high0 fertile "alley in Thule0 ,ith mountains to the ,est an& forests to the south. The people of the city ,ere en"ious of the Go&-Man an& took him prisoner. They cut off his hea& an& burie& the bo&y0 but he arose0 an& kille& one of the people. They e1ecute& him again an& the same happene&. Most of the people fle& the city. -n the thir& occasion0 he re"eale& his &i"ine form an& &e"oure& many of the people until the last of them fle&. Years later0 one of the inhabitants of the city returne& an& foun& the city populate& ,ith a race &escen&e& from the go&s. Thus began the ci"ilisation of Thule an& the Aryan race. This myth, argues .irth, is an account of the divine seed from which the supreme 5ordic0Aryan race appeared on Thule before they went on to rule the ancient ,orl&. 2e also speculates e1tensi"ely on the relationships bet,een the pictographs an& (or&ic runes. Clue 8/everaged9+ "f using %thelrod4s Tsath0Oo dictionary, every six hours wor and 6 point spends in Ar haeolog&, /anguages, Cr&ptograph&, Anthropolog& or Cthulhu 4&thos, one of the following points is translatedE !oldiers from Commoriom captured the outlaw #nygathin @haum and brought him bac to the city. According to rumour, #nygathin @haum was the product of the union of the Shaklip > the 8granddaughter4 of the god )hotha**uah and a sub0human 9oormis. The city executioner beheaded him three times and each time, witnesses later saw him alive, more monstrous than before. 6n the first and second occasion, #nygathin @haum illed and ate one of the inhabitants of the city. ?y the third reappearance, he had metamorphosed into a fully alien entity, and had devoured many of the citi7ens, forcing the final abandonment of the city. A former inhabitant of Commoriom returned to the city one day and discovered it repopulated with the monstrous offspring of #nygathin @haum.

The Akraf?all Saga @+everaged clueA

/anguage+ Tsath0Oo and German S%i))ing Ti)e+ The German translationE + hoursT translating from Tsath0Oo ta es longer :see below< This boo is a speculative translation by Herman .irth of certain pictographs found etched onto a monolith in Finland. .irth interprets the symbols according to his own linguistic theories and wishful thin ing. Anyone familiar with Tsath0Oo will recognise the glyphs. /anguages 8Ger)an9 will reveal .irth4s interpretationE A go&&ess arose out of the earth an& se&uce& a human. She ga"e birth to the Go&-Man. The Go&Man became a bra"e ,arrior an& a lea&er.

Translating it or reading an accurate translation will grant & point of Cthulhu $ythos.

The #eeper might consider using or adapting Clar Ashton !mith4s story The Testament of Athammaus for the content of the main body of the story.

The "nd of "#pedition

the

Bauer

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The !hadow -nder the "ce, The German Camp /ead-0ut+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The !hadow -nder the "ce, The German Camp Eviden e Colle tion or 0utdoors)an+ As one approaches the cube0shaped structure, a blac ened, scattered pile of debris can be seen on the ice. "n fact, this is the remains of the German expedition. There are two bodies here and a blac ened mass of some sort. 6ne man is lying about +C yards away from the others. The following items are obviousE / $auser rifles / pairs of s is .echselapparat 8.ex4 Flamethrower :with five ignition cartridges remaining<

this test is disturbed by a haunting sense of recognition, as if of a childhood memory or a dream. That night, they are visited by an unpleasant dream of this corpulent entity leering at them in some dar , subterranean place. They will lose a second point of !tability. Cthulhu 4&thos+ A 2point spend reveals that similar toad0li e statues were used by extinct American "ndian tribes in Canada and 5ew %ngland. They supposedly represent a being called Tsathoggua. There are interesting parallels with an entity called Sa&og,ah associated with witchcraft in the Auvergne region of France. The worship of this god supposedly began on the mythical lost continent of Hyperborea, where he was nown as )hotha**uah. 0utdoors)an or Eviden e Colle tion+ A 2-.oint spend in either of these is needed to reveal each of the followingE Three sets of footprints coming from the direction of the cube0shaped structure. They were running. A faint trail of fro7en moisture, mucus or slime, also coming from the cube0shaped structure

Eviden e Colle tion+ There are rifle cartridges scattered around. At least , shots were fired. There is a large, dar mar on the ice around two of the men and covering one of them completely > an oily or tarry residue with a strange smell. Che)istr&+ The smell includes burned fuelT however, there is a strange and unfamiliar odour there too. 7orensi s or 4edi ine+ A 2 .oint spend in either of these is needed to establish each of the following factsE 6ne man seems to have died of a s ull fracture The second :covered in the dar residue< appears to have been crushed to death and smothered by the dar substance. He also has burns across his body. A third :about +C yards from the others< has two bro en legs, burns and scorch mar s to his body and died of hypothermia

#hat Happened Here>

The three surviving members of the expedition entered the temple and :as instructed by Gobineau< recited the spell he brought with him :Contact !pawn of Tsathoggua<. They entered and began to explore. 6ne of the men could not resist ta ing the idol of Tsathoggua from the altar when they left. They fled, pursued by the spawn. They fired on it to no effect, but managed to set it on fire with their flamethrower. ?efore dying and dissolving into the ice, it illed two men, the third, his legs bro en and suffering from burns, died of hypothermia. Q?egin !idebarR

8e" #eapon
5e hselapparat @5ex> 7la)ethro!er

Eviden e Colle tion+ 5ext to the first man is a dar stone statuette. "t is a s1uat, grotes1ue, vaguely toad0li e form with a fat body, half0closed eyes, large ears and a lolling tongue. !eeing this is a &0 point !tability test, $ythos related. Anyone failing

This model is surplus from the Great .ar and consists of a bac pac with fuel cylinders and a no77le connected by a hose. A $echanical Bepair test against 2ifficulty ) is re1uired to understand the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a wasted shot. Gasoline, erosene or diesel can be used as fuel. A &C0chambered cylinder in the no77le contains the ignition cartridges. "ts heavy :,; lbs< and cumbersome nature and high visibility ma e it dangerous to wear, decreasing the wearer4s Hit Threshold by & and increasing Athletics and

Fleeing 2ifficulties by &. "t4s also 1uite fragileE treat as having + Armour and / Health if damaged. Da)age+ D& :and see below< Shots+ &C Range+ 5ear :otes+ 6nce hit, a target will continue to burn, inflicting DC damage for &2, rounds :Athletics test against 2ifficulty , to extinguish<. 0& to wearer4s Hit Threshold. A user can also douse an area before ignition, creating a fireball that inflicts similar damage to an exploding stic of dynamite :see Trail of Cthulhu ruleboo p,*<. Q%nd !idebarR

of the bowl is untarnished, in near0perfect condition. Eviden e Colle tion+ The feet are in the shapes of feline0li e claws. The floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern of large, irregular, five0sided flagstones. .h&si s or Ar hite ture+ This pattern of tessellated pentagons is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated understanding of obscure geometry. !trange hieroglyphs :identifiable as a primitive version of Tsath0Oo< can be seen covering the walls, in some still covered in frost and some already exposed. The glyphs relate a history of the original builders of the city as translated in %thelrod4s 'ictographs in the Temple of )othA**ua. 6n the bac wall is an empty two0tiered altar. Eviden e Colle tion+ A bare spot in the frost and wear on the stone indicates that an ob3ect rested on this altar for a long time time. 2-.oint spend recognises the outline of the statuette found at The End of the $auer Expedition.

The Cu e*&haped &tructure

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Clue :?onus< /ead-#n+ The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce, The German Camp /ead-0ut+ The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce, The German Camp This mysterious, ancient, weathered cube s1uats on the mountainside li e a tomb or a memorial to something incomprehensibly ancient. "t is built of dar grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slits high in the walls and an open, s1uare doorway about nine feet wide. Eviden e Colle tion or 0utdoors)an+ There is a faint, short path leading from the ice plain to the doorway. Geolog&+ The building is constructed of basalt. 2 point spend+ The profound erosion of this hard stone appears to imply that it is tens or hundreds of thousands of years old. Ar hite ture+ %ach wall appears to be formed of a single natural bloc . 2 point spend+ The building bears no relationship to any nown architectural style. The walls and floor are covered in thic frost. There are footprints across the floor and in places the frost has been scraped from the walls. Eviden e Colle tion 2 .oint spend+ "n other places, the frost has been melted from the walls as indicated by dar scorch mar s. Aust inside the door is a huge, three0legged basin of a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of green, several feet wide around it. Che)istr& or Ar haeolog& recognises it as extremely ancient bron7e covered in thic verdigris. The bowl is six feet across and three deep. "f examined, the inside

The .urial Chamber

?ehind the altar, what may once have been a hidden doorway lies open with fragments of corroded bron7e chain on the floor nearby. Che)istr& indicates that the chain fragments have been in this position for only a few years. Green stains on the door itself imply that the door was probably chained for millennia. The windowless chamber beyond is almost fifty feet wide and about ten feet deep. 6pposite the door seated on a large, bron7e throne is the stri ing figure of a mummified baboon0li e ape dressed in the remnants of a red and purple robe and a feathered headdress. Tufts of orange hair po e through holes in the robe. This is a /0=oint !tability test :$ythos related<. $iolog&+ The creature is of no nown species of ape and possesses certain features, for example the structure of the foot, which places it closer to human beings. The throne is again of heavily corroded bron7e, but in better condition than the basin. There 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 &hadow under the Ice

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The German Camp /ead-0ut+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The German Camp 5ear the centre of the ice cap, there is a dar spot of roughly circular shape and about forty feet in diameter. Eviden e Colle tion+ A structure of some ind, the top of which is around fifteen feet beneath the surface, descends deep into the ice. Eviden e Colle tion 2 .oint spend or Ar hite ture+ "t is difficult to see through the distortion, but it has a resemblance to the top of a tower complete with railed balcony.

Having trac ed the outsiders to the valley, they build their snow shelter and male members of the clan ta e turns to be dropped off by sled, on a possibly suicidal mission to draw the gnoph0 eh to their enemies4 camp. -nfortunately for them, while their song summons the creature, it offers no control or protection from it. "f the caller is successful, they are as li ely as not, to become victims themselves. %ither toss a coin, a die or ma e a decision according to what is dramatically interesting in each instance. This also means that all the men of the clan bar one are li ely to be dead by the time the creature has been summoned about six times. All of the following antagonist reaction scenes run concurrently with exploration and excavation in the valley over a period of wee s or months until either the outsiders leave the area, there is only one male member of the clan alive or the clan is defeated. -ntil then it will continue to be a thorn in the expedition4s side while the team is excavating the site. The #eeper should run these events flexibly to steadily terrorise and demoralise the =rotagonists. The fre1uency and time of summoning attempts, their success or failure, whether the summoner escaped alive or not and the intensity and nature of the Gnoph0#eh4s attac s, should be determined by whatever wor s dramatically at the time. The threat level should climb steadily, with more intense and bold attac s, more serious damage to assets and a growing certainty that there is something supernatural going on. 6ne attac every couple of wee s is probably about the right sort of pace.

&etting up Camp
S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce, The German Camp /ead-0ut+ The Cube0!haped !tructure, The %nd of the ?auer %xpedition, The !hadow -nder the "ce, The German Camp At some stage, the protagonists will probably want to build their cabin. Anyone with 0utdoors)an or Ar hite ture will now to build it on solid ground rather than on ice. There are several spots on the foothills at the edge of the valley to choose from. ?uilding the cabin ta es four days. "f the =rotagonists wish to do so, they can spend pool points form Architecture or a relevant Craft 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 experience of The !inging :see sidebar<. Q!idebarR

The Singing
A !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ( :2ifficulty , under tents at night< allows a character to hear a haunting, rhythmic chant or song carried on the wind. A further 2ifficulty ) test :, at night< is needed to locate the singer. And a 2ifficulty ; !tealth test :) at night< is necessary to approach undetected, otherwise the singer will flee into the mountains. !imilarly, if the =rotagonists delay before investigating the sound, the singer will have fled the possible approach of the Gnoph0#eh. 0utdoors)an will allow their trac s to be followed into the foothills. And 2-.oint Spend will identify hide shoes and the fact that the wearer was running.

Antagonist Reactions the Blond "s+imo

of

The tiny clan of ?lond %s imo has camped near the valley in order to drive the outsiders away and interfere with the dig. This ta es the form of sabotage and singing the ancestral song for summoning the Gnoph0 eh from the ice0plains to wrea havoc in the valley.

There is a real potential here for =rotagonists to be caught out in the open when the bli77ard arrives :see below<.

probably by free7ing them to death, and devouring the remains if it can. 6nce close to the camp, the creature will summon up a bli77ard, and if it sees vulnerable targets > disorientated, few in number or in3ured > it will attac in the confusion and blindness of the snowstorm. "f it loses over half of its Health, the Gnoph0 eh will retreat bac to the ice0sheet. "f it is illed, the %s imo4s song will simply summon a different Gnoph0#eh.

The Ho"ling
"f the summoning was successful, a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ) will allow characters to hear strange and eerie howling sounds. This is a &0 =oint !tability test. $iolog& or 0uagainsttdoors)an indicates that it isn4t any nown animal, a realisation which increases the !tability test to +0=oint. This is 1uic ly followed by a snow storm blowing suddenly over the mountains from the ice sheet. The howling may be heard in the midst of the more severe bli77ards, heard with a 2ifficulty ; !ense trouble test.

Pacing the Attacks

"nitial attac s by the beast should be indirect. At this time it should not be seen directly or at least not distinctly. A terrifying shape may be glimpsed in a sudden snowstorm. Anyone further than ;C feet from the cabin is a potential target of direct assault. ?y the third bli77ard, the dog house might be attac ed and some of the dogs illed, the rest frightened off. The outside food store might be plundered. Anyone outside the cabin could be attac ed. 5on0player characters wor ing at the dig might be targeted when a sudden bli77ard isolates them the cabin. The drill or other excavation e1uipment might be damaged. ?y the fifth bli77ard, the =rotagonists themselves could be targeted or the cabin directly assaulted. The radio mast might be smashed.

A .ody in the ,ce

"f the singer is illed during an attempted summoning, a !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty , alerts an "nvestigator to a brief cry in the distance, probably soon forgotten as a bli77ard arises. Eviden e Colle tion+ "f the area is searched, this ability reveals the body of the singer, unless covered by snow. A 2 .oint spend is needed if heavy snow has fallen on the area. Another 2-.oint spend+ Close to the body is a figurine made out of ice, depicting a strange six legged, horned animal. AnthropologyE This is a totem > possibly used for calling spirits. Cthulhu 4&thos+ This is depiction of the Gnoph0#eh > the legendary beast of the Arctic wastes. 2-.oint spend+ This carving is a totem for calling the Gnoph0 eh. 7orensi s+ The manner of death is reveals the manner of death > goring, mauling crushing or hypothermia. "f the body has been devoured, Forensics indicates that a large carnivore is the culprit. A 2-.oint spend reveals that this was not a polar bear, but something un nown and larger. $iolog& or 0utdoors)an+ -nless covered by snow, there may be prints nearby that can be identified as not originating from a polar bear. After finding either anomaly above, Cthulhu 4&thos reminds the =rotagonist of the legends of the Gnoph0#eh.

The .liBBards
As a rule0of0thumb, the Gnoph0#eh won4t ta e itself below half of its total Health, but that still gives it up to * points to spend creating bli77ards. 6n an average day in August the temperature might be &CUF outside. "nside the heated cabin, that could be )CUF. The Gnoph0#eh could spend * Health to lower the temperature by (CUF to 0)CUF inside the cabin for three hours, re1uiring Athletics tests every &; minutes to avoid losing Health to frostbite and hypothermia. The potential for these bli77ards to inflict multiple casualties is high. Bather than throw everything into one huge storm in the first assault, the intensity of these bli77ards should build up gradually. The first bli77ard should be frightening and unseasonal, called up with perhaps / points, with the intensity and duration steadily increasing. "f =rotagonists :especially more than one< are illed in this way, unless they have made significant errors, you have probably been too heavy0handed.

Antagonist )eaction of the (noph% 7eh

The Gnoph0#eh is motivated by hatred and hunger. "t will attempt to ill any human it encounters,

(noph%keh
For full details of the Gnoph0 eh see the Trail of Cthulhu ruleboo p&/). Athletics ', Health &;, !cuffling +& Hit Threshold+ ; Alertness 4odifier+ D& Stealth 4odifier+ D+ 5eapon+ D/ :horn<, D& :claw< Ar)our+ 0; vs any :furry hide< Stabilit& /oss+ DC

0utdoors)an+ Trac s of a dog sled can be found nearby. A 2-.oint Spend is needed per day to trac them to the homestead.

The "s+imo %omestead

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional About four days away by dog sled, the clan4s homestead is huddled in a narrow valley in the wild mountains near %vighedsf3orden. The house is large structure of whalebone and hide construct, covered in ice and snow and out of sight of the valley. A tric le of hearth smo e often emerges from a hole in the roof. 5ear the fire is a ma eshift altar and a grotes1ue idol. The altar is a 3agged, natural roc . "n front of it, is a bowl of blood and the heart of a polar bear, sprin led with tiny flowers. =erched on the altar is a small, crude whalebone statue of a s1uatting creature with tentacles for a face. !eeing this re1uires a &0point !tability test, $ythos related. Cthulhu 4&thos identifies it as a depiction of Cthulhu. All of the surviving members of the clan will be here. Approaching without alerting anyone is a !tealth test against 2ifficulty *. "f alerted, they will flee a strong group or attac a wea one. "f surprised, they will be in or around the shelter. "f cornered, they will fight fiercely to the death. Q?egin !idebarR

&a otage
Another strategy the %s imo may use is sabotage. This will occur at night. The team awa es to discover that some of their e1uipment is sabotaged > the drill in need of $echanical Bepair, the "ce melter destroyed or, most dramatically, the diesel tan s set on fire. The cabin itself may even be set on fire. A !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ; will allow the protagonists to hear the culprits > most li ely the two younger ?lond %s imo > at wor . "f someone is on watch, success indicates that their approach has been noticed.

Trac+ing the "s+imo

0utdoors)an+ A 2-.oint spend will allow trac s to be followed southwest for about three miles from the valley edge to a cramped shelter in the snow. "f this is attempted at night, this is a 6-.oint spend. QH!idebarR

The Blond "s+imo

These natives are, to the best of their nowledge, the last of an ancient race that once had great cities here. $ost of their civilised culture has been lost > they are now simple hunter0gatherers, living harsh lives in the more remote parts of Greenland. Their ancient religion has been lost and they ma e their offerings and prayers to Cthulhu, who they call 8/ulu. =hysically, they loo very different from other %s imo people, being blond, with long faces, elongated ear0lobes and substantial facial hair. They wear hoodless, wide0collared par as with hats. They believe that the thing that comes from the ice in answer to their song is a 8.hite ?ear !pirit4 and wear amulets, mista enly believing that they can offer protection from the Gnoph0#eh.

The &now &helter

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional Following the trac s will lead to a small igloo, after about an hour. Anthropolog&+ This small type of igloo is typically built as a temporary shelter for hunting trips, often on sea ice. Hanging over the doorway is the s ull of a bear. A stone spi e has been driven through its nose, giving it an almost Bhinoceros0li e appearance. Anthropolog&+ This may be a totem animal spirit, probably to protect the igloo. Si)ple Sear h+ "nside the igloo are a hearth, food for several days, bedding for one, and possible spare clothes or a stone spear, axe or nife.

Anthropolog&+ This primitive 3ewellery is an amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and possibly intended to offer protection of some ind. $iolog&+ The pendant loo s li e polar bear bone and the nec lace is decorated with bear teeth and claws.

Hit Threshold+ ) 5eaponE DC :stone axes, spears< Ar)orE 0& vs all :hide< Stealth 4odifier+ D+ Alertness 4odifier+ D+ Spells+ Contact Gnoph0 eh

$lat< the Angekok

This white0bearded man may be in his ,Cs. He wears a long par a decorated with strange motifs and symbols and an odd, pointed hat. "f -lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensible curses and wave his hands around in a bi7arre, intimidating fashion. As a last resort he will attempt to defend himself with spells or a nife. -lat4s long, colourful par a is decorated with a1uatic designs. Cthulhu 4&thos 2-.oint spend+ The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in undersea towers on the shaman4s long par a seem to be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race. Abilities+ Athletics ,, !cuffling ;, .eapons ;, Health , Hit Threshold+ / 5eaponE 0& : nife< Stealth 4odifier+ D+ Alertness 4odifier+ D+ Spells+ 2read 5ame of A7athoth, Contact Gnoph0 eh, Contact Cthulhu, Contact !pawn of Cthulhu, Contact 2eep 6nes

7inguyakkii and Child

#inguya i is an "nuit woman with a five0year0old mixed0race son 8Fomar4. Her dar hair and stout physi1ue mar her as clearly different from the other members of the tribe. At the time first encountered, she is visibly pregnant. Her first response is to beg :in "nuit< for her and her child to be spared. Assess Honest&+ !he is genuinely afraid. "f captured, #inguya ii will refuse to spea and will try to call the gnoph0 eh to the cabin if she gets the chance. Reassuran e or #nti)idation 0 and /anguages 8#nuit9+ Her devotion to the clan and the #ulu religion is not as fanatical as the Hyperborean %s imo and she is vulnerable to persuasion, especially when it comes to the welfare of her child. "f the child is ta en from her or threatened or she is assured security for both of them, a 6-.oint spend between Reassuran e and #nti)idation will get her to tal , revealing the following cluesE The woman was not born in this tribe, but in the /alaallit tribe. Her village was !ti"&le*. !ix years ago, she was captured while gathering wild flowers and made to be the wife of Faatu , the eldest son of this tribe. Her captors are the last of an ancient race, called the 8Fomaruit4. They claim to be descendants of a great civilisation that originally ruled Greenland. After the glaciers overwhelmed the land, the civilisation collapsed and the people scattered. .hen other people arrived on the island, the Fomaruit were hunted down by her people, because of their worship of a forbidden god called 8#ulu4 and because they sometimes too her people as offerings for their god. The last Fomaruit woman died +) years ago. !he was the mother of the two younger men. The clan stole two women in a desperate attempt to stop the tribe from dying.

,sma< the 6ather

Aged ),, this gri77led patriarch is the head of the clan. His hair is greying, but he is still fierce and strong. "f unable to escape, "sma will defend himself ferociously with his spear. Abilities+ Athletics *, !cuffling (, .eapons ', Health , Hit Threshold+ ) 5eaponE DC :spear< Ar)orE 0& vs all :hide< Stealth 4odifier+ D& Alertness 4odifier+ D& Spells+ Contact Gnoph0 eh

+aatuk and *aakuk< the Sons

These two men are the sons of the patriarch, aged +* and +(. They are fierce, agile and almost fearless. Abilities+ Athletics &C, !cuffling (, .eapons &&, Health '

The Fomaruit say their god came down from the s y with his children in ancient times before there were any people. They were overthrown by ancient enemies and driven beneath the ocean, which is where they sleep now. ?ut one day in the future the stars will be in 3ust the right places and they will return and free those who follow them. The religion of #ulu is all over the world. According to the Fomaruit, their ancestors once lived in a great city in the valley below, but a giant called !nook came to the city and devoured many of the people there and the survivors fled. .hen the ice came, "noo was fro7en inside the city. The creature of the ice is a mighty bear spirit called 5oo 0He or Kthe Hairy ThingM that the clan has been calling to protect the valley from outsiders. Characters hearing this material will gain & =oint in Cthulhu $ythos.
'ingu&a%%ii

long par a seem to be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.

8e" Spell
Conta t Gnoph-%eh

This spell must be cast in the fro7en wastes of Greenland or the 5orth =ole. A small effigy of the beast must be made out of snow and ice. Stabilit& Test Diffi ult&+ ; :) with !inging< Cost+ / !tabilityH$agic Ti)e+ &; minutes of eerie singingT the beast appears in about half an hour. Qend sidebarR Q?egin sidebarR

"#ca!ation ,ethods
%xact rates of excavation are not important. Guidelines for the timings of the various phases of excavation are provided the various excavation phases described below. The #eeper should feel at liberty to modify these timings for dramatic effect. There are several methods at the team4s disposal for excavating the siteE

Abilities+ Athletics ;, Fleeing ;, !cuffling /, .eapons /, Health / Hit Threshold+ / 5eaponE 0+ :fists<, 0& : nife< Ar)orE 0& vs all :hide< Stealth 4odifier+ C Alertness 4odifier+ D& Spells+ Contact Gnoph0 eh
/o)ar the Child

Drilling
The drill provided for the expedition is a standard cable tool rig, which can be operated by single engineer. "t operates by repeatedly lifting and dropping 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 scoop0li e device attached to the cable. This process creates a borehole ' inches wide. %ither the ice melter or explosive charges could be used to widen the shaft enough for a man to be lowered on a rope. The drill is obviously of little or no use for excavating the interior of the tower. The operator:s< must have $echanical Bepair.
.oint Spend $enefits

Abilities+ Athletics &, Fleeing &, !cuffling &, Health & Hit Threshold+ / 5eaponE 0/ :fists< Stealth 4odifier+ D& Alertness 4odifier+ D&

,nvestigation
Anthropolog&+ These men do not appear to be a members of any nown %s imo tribe, either in terms of their clothing or in terms of their fair hair, slender build, long faces, large noses or long ear lobes. 6ne man, who may be a shaman, has motifs on his clothing and ornamentation in an unfamiliar style and a1uatic theme. 2-.oint spend+ 9ilh3almur !tefansson reported blond %s imo in northern Canada in &'&C, and there have been such reports since the &*th Century. Cthulhu 4&thos+ The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in undersea towers on the shaman4s

"n any given phase of the excavation, a character running the drill can spend up to two pool points of $echanical Bepair and reduce the length of that phase by one day per point.
Resour es Consu)ed

C.; barrels of diesel per day :X<

*anual E/cavation
$anual excavation is slower, involves brea ing the ice apart with ice pic s and chainsaws then removing it with shovels and buc ets.
.oint Spend $enefits

/ead-#n+ The !hadow -nder the "ce /ead-0ut+ %xcavating the Chamber ?y default, this phase ta es ; days. 4ethods "sable+ 2rilling, "ce $elter, %xplosives The top of the structure is about &*4 below the surface. ?eneath that is the roof of the structure and a chamber > in fact the upper chamber of a tower. "t is assumed that the team will create a shaft of pit to reach the tower then excavate the inside of it. The #eeper may have to improvise somewhat if they ta e a very different approach. The characters may decide to build a shaft next to the tower and enter via one of the doors or windows on the balcony, or they may simply bore a hole directly through the roof. Ar haeolog& or Ar hite ture+ The roof and floor are already partially collapsed. Geolog&E The tower is blac granite gneiss. A 2.oint spend establishes that it appears to be extremely ancient, perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands of years old. Ar hite tureE The style doesn4t resemble that of any nown architectural tradition.

"n any given phase, a character excavating manually can spend up to two pool points of Athletics and reduce the length of that phase by one day per point.
Resour es Consu)ed

Additional man0days of foodX

,ce *elter
The ice melter is an electrical device with long cable that heats up when connected to a power source. "n 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. The operator:s< must have %lectrical Bepair.
.oint Spend $enefits

"n any given phase, a character operating the ice melter can spend a pool point of %lectrical Bepair and reduce the length of that phase by one day.
Resour es Consu)ed

"#ca!ating the Cham er

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ %xcavating the !tructure under the "ce /ead-0ut+ Clearing the Chamber This phase ta es +) days. 4ethods "sable+ $anual %xcavation, "ce $elter, %xplosives Ar haeolog& or Eviden e Colle tion+ The remains of an un nown metallic device can be found in the upper chamber of the tower. Geolog&3 Craft or Ar haeolog&+ "t was decorated with gold, emeralds and rubies. Astrono)& or 2-.oint spend in Ar haeolog&3 .h&si s or 4e hani al RepairE "t was an optical device of some ind, possibly a telescope.

C.; barrels of diesel per day :X<

E/plosives
%xplosive charges can be used to widen existing boreholes 1uic ly or, used with great care, to brea up ice inside the tower itself. The character using explosives must have the %xplosives general ability.
.oint Spend $enefits

"n any given phase, a character overseeing the use of explosives can spend up to two pool points of %xplosives and reduce the length of that phase by one day per point spent.
Resour es Consu)ed

+ detonators per day. QH!idebarR

Accessing the &tairway &tructure

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ %xcavating the Chamber /ead-0ut+ The "dol Thaws, Tunnelling the !tairway

"#ca!ating the under the Ice

S ene T&pe+ Core

Core Clue+ The stru ture des ends deep into the i e-sheet1 There is a se)i-inta t stair!a& leading do!n1 This phase ta es &+ days. 4ethods "sable+ $anual %xcavation, "ce $elter, %xplosives Ar hite ture or Ar haeolog& 8Core lue9+ There is a stairway descending deeper into the ice. pictographs, Lboo sL X, map showing location of $t 9oormithadrethX Ar haeolog& or Eviden e Colle tion+ A strange and grotes1ue ob3ect is uncovered in the ice near the top of the stairwell. "t loo s li e a grotes1ue idol fashioned of some dar , mottled material, vaguely toad0li e in shape, very dense and about the si7e of a melon. !eeing this re1uires a /0point !tability test, $ythos related. Cthulhu 4&thos+ !tatues of grotes1ue, toad0li e forms are used in the worship of Tsathoggua. Geolog& or Che)istr&+ The ob3ect is not made of any nown material. "n fact, the ob3ect isn4t a statue at all. "t is a dormant organism > one of the !pawn of #nygathin @haum. 6nce uncovered, the spawn will begin to thaw and awa en. !ee The #dol Tha!s. This nominally ta es +) hours or ( hours if left in a warm place, li e an inhabited tent, however it should ta e as long as is dramatically interesting.

6n the outside wall, there is a series of wide panels with images and Tsath0Oo hieroglyphs. These tell a history of Hyperborea, beginning with the time of construction and going deep into the past. Anthropolog&3 Ar haeolog&3 Cr&ptograph&3 /anguages3 or Cthulhu 4&thos+ .ith the help of the Tsath0Oo dictionary, each panel can be translated in about an hour. For every five panels translated, a 2-.oint spend is needed. 2epicts busy and wealthy city with many tall towers. Construction of tower for some sort of wise or holy man. #ing Fo1uamethros 9arious older ings and previous dynasties %ncroaching cold =rophesy of !ybil of =olarion Bise of Ohoundeh cult Fomar and @obna 6ther settlements %arly Tsathoggua cult 9oormis driven to $t. 9oormithadreth @on $e77amalechX Founding of Commoriom =eople of Fomar arrive from @obna, driven by cold 2escendents of tall, thin antehumans leave homelands in -ltima Thule in the north and arrive in Hyperborea The "ce Age is brought about by the combined power of "tha1ua and Aphoom @hah. Gradual collapse of 9oormis civilisation Gnoph eh and 9oormis at war. Former driven to Fomar. 9oormis settlement and temple of @hotha11uah Humans appear on earth 9oormis liberation, worship of Tsathoggua !erpent =eople found civilisation in Hyperborea :with 9oormis slaves<

Tunnelling the &tairway

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ Accessing the !tairway /ead-0ut+ 2escent into the 2epths This phase ta es ' days until brea ing through to the ice0free section of the stairwell. 4ethods "sable+ $anual %xcavation, "ce $elter, %xplosives A stairwell runs around the inner perimeter of the tower. !olidly constructed from granite, most of it is still intact. There are places where steps have eroded or bro en and places where there are gaps. Ar hite ture+ The stairway is constructed in a possibly uni1ue way, with the spiral of the stairway growing narrow as one descends and the base of one level seemingly supported by the level beneath it.

they brea through to an ice0free section of the stairwell, stretching down into dar ness. "t widens allowing much faster progress.

(escent into the (epths

S ene T&pe+ Core /ead-#n+ Tunnelling the !tairway /ead-0ut+ The stairs descend over ,CC feet into the ice0sheet. !trange architecture of the stairs perhaps with the circle of the spiral staircase getting narrower towards the ground :it4s almost solid granite at the base<. 2ue to the tower walls it is very dar and artificial light is essential. Getting to the bottom will ta e at least around half an hour. Three Athletics tests are re1uiredE one at 2ifficulty ), one at 2ifficulty , and one at 2ifficulty ). There are also four places where the stairs have completely collapsed creating gaps. These will need to be bridged somehow or climbing gear will need to be used. Gap Z&E , feet, 2ifficulty /, 2amage & die Gap Z+E &+ feet, 2ifficulty ;, 2amage & die D/ Gap Z/E &) feet, 2ifficulty ;, 2amage & die Gap Z)E ( feet, 2ifficulty ), 2amage & die "f a safety rope is used, unless the roll is a natural & :in which case the rope doesn4t hold<, the damage is reduced to 0&, with a second Athletics test re1uired to complete the climb. QsidebarR

This is an Athletics test against a 2ifficulty of ; for the person on the surface. Q.hat if they failXR "t will ta e around &C minutes to be lowered to the bottom and +C minutes to be lifted bac up. The protagonists may be able to devise a faster or safer method using dog sleds, drilling e1uipment or the snow tractor. QHsidebarR

The Idol Thaws

S ene T&pe+ 6ptional, Antagonist Beaction Trigger+ Clearing the Chamber As it thaws, especially if it has been brought bac to the camp, the dogs begin to act in a disturbed way, bar ing all day and night. 6nce it has awa ened, this intelligent, sentient organism will escape, and scuttle across the ground at night, on many limbs or slide under the edges of tents in order to find a sleeping host. The spawn will attempt to enter a sleeping or subdued human host, smothering their sounds as it forces itself down their throat and ta es up residence in their body. -nless one of the protagonists unwittingly sets himself up as an obvious target, the spawn should attac a 5=CE one of the mushers or Germans. His tent mate wa es up to see it and screams out for help before being attac ed and infected himself. A successful !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty , :' if the attac is at night< will allow protagonists to hear a strange sound in the camp. "f they rush out immediately they will catch sight of a bi7arre blac thing li e a huge spider attempting to crawl into one of the tents. Attac ing it will cause it to attac the protagonist. Following it, he will witness it attac ing the mushers. "n any case, the =rotagonists will automatically be wo en by a blood0curdling scream that is suddenly cut short. Eviden e Colle tion+ There are traces of a dar greyish slime on both bodies and at the edge of the tent where the canvas seems loose. 6utcome for the victimX A !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty ; :( at night< will alert a character to an imminent attac . Hunting it down, while it hides in the camp has the same 2ifficulty. 5oticing the thing attac a companion sleeping in the same tent is a 2ifficulty , test.

If

they Bore &haft

Vertical

The protagonists may decide to forego the stairway altogether and instead use the drill in combination with explosive charges to bore a vertical shaft down to the base of the glacier > either through the centre of the tower or elsewhere. Beaching the base of the ice sheet will ta e &; days, modifiable by up to ; $echanical Bepair or %xplosives point spends as described in the %xcavation $ethods sidebar on =age SS. This will produce a relatively smooth and vertical shaft with a diameter of / feet on average. =eople can be lowered or lifted one at a time by a companion on the surface using a belay device.

Q?egin sidebarR

Spa"n of 7nygathin Chaum

Also nown as 8=arasitic !pawn of Tsathoggua4, these entities bear some similarity to their cousins, except that they are smaller :about the si7e of a ?order Collie<, and can invade and live inside human hosts. Fi e the formless spawn, they are blac , oo7ing, plastic entities capable of ta ing almost any shape and of s1uee7ing themselves under doors and through small holes. 2ue to their li1uid nature, normal physical wounds will flow closed. However, this process is not instantaneous. They may be temporarily incapacitated by physical attac s, but even if completely dismembered and the members scattered, the parts will reassemble > by flowing, rolling into balls, s1uee7ing through crac s or even brea ing out of containers :controlled by a unifying intelligence, Athletics can still be used in this state< until the parts gather together and the creature is intact once more. They cannot be illed in this way > the amount of damage they ta e only affects the amount of time it ta es for their Health to get above C and able to act once more. Fire damage does not heal in this way, nor may some magical or chemical attac s. 2ue to the hominid strain in its ancestry, the spawn has an affinity for human biology and can live inside a human being, substituting natural biological functions with its own. They will attempt to subdue a target and then, in li1uid form, typically force itself down his throat. The victim may be incapacitated or even illed during the attempt. The spawn will need to remove most of the victim4s internal organs in order to ma e space for it4s own body. This will ta e about ; minutes. The rest of the body, including the brain will remain alive, provided for by the spawn. The spawn will then ta e control of the brain, raiding his memories and ta ing control of his actions. -ntil it fully settles in, for the first )( hours, a !tability test against 2ifficulty , will allow the host to have full control for a few minutes or allow some recollection of the attac event. Q!tability test to resist it when it asserts controlXR The host4s previous 2rive disappears and instead is subconsciously substituted with the spawn4s goals. To an observer, the host4s personality and mind seem to be intact, but Assess Honest& will detect a listless or 8off4 1uality that may be mista en for shoc or other mental health issue. A 2-.oint

spend suggests that the host seems to lac sincere emotions. Suffo ate+ The creature can use a limb to sei7e a victim around the nec or simply smother with its viscous body. Apply the 2rowning and !uffocation rules :Trail of Cthulhu ruleboo =,(<. .hen being strangled, successful Athletics contest will allow a victim to brea free. Grab+ Tendrils or limb attac s can be used to immobilise a target or cling to the target. 6nce grabbed, an Athletics contest is re1uired to brea the grip. #nvade Host+ The 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. Against a conscious victim, this is an Athletics contest with the spawn rolling against a 2ifficulty 5umber of /. "f 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 / rounds.
Spa!n of 'n&gathin (hau)

Athletics &+, Health ,, !cuffling +C Hit Threshold+ ) Stealth 4odifier+ D& :DC in snow and ice, D/ in shadows or dar ness< 5eapon+ 0& :tendril<, DC :limb<, D& :pseudopod< T can extend tendril attac at near rangeT can attac one to three targets with a limb simultaneously, adding one to the Hit Threshold for each additional targetT can attac other targets even when inside a host Ar)or+ 0) vs any, when within a host. Heals physical damage :except fire, chemicals, explosives< at , Health per round. Stabilit& /oss+ D& .hile in a fro7en, dormant state, although very hard, the spawn can be cut or physically damaged. However, once it thaws, it will regain the ability to physically reassemble itself. Treat it as having , Health and Armor of 0; :vs all< in a dormant state. Q%nd sidebarR Q!idebarR

Antagonist )eactions of the Spa"n

As soon as the protagonists enter Commoriom, the spawn will begin to gradually thaw and awa en. Eviden e Colle tion+ thawing of ice, water collecting, dripping, rivulets, pitting of ice.

"nitially a single spawn on the loose. !ense Trouble test against 2ifficulty , to catch glimpse of movement or sound :could be anywhere<. "t will attempt to ambush a lone individual, probably surprising them with a suffocation attac . Anyone alone in Commoriom for a significant time is a potential target. !ense Trouble against 2ifficulty ; to detect its approach. "f ambushed it is recommended the #eeper ta es that player aside to resolve outcome in secret. "f the creature successfully invades or incapacitates its host then that character infected and is li ely to come under the control of the spawn within hours. Their first action on wa ing will be to hide any blood and tissues expelled during the implantation process. :Can it assert control immediatelyX< "f infected, the character will have no memory of events. The #eeper should as the =layer to roleplay their ignorance and > when prompted to do so > the growing influence that the spawn has over them. This can be handled in much the same way as roleplaying insanity. 6nce fully under the control of the parasitic spawn, the infected character will secretly see to awa en #nygathin @haum at The AunctionHThe !1uare or rouse more spawn using the ice melter, fire, excavation tools or if, necessary, explosives. This should not occur until the team has found The %ye of -bbo0!athla. !ee A!a%ening of 'n&gathin (hau). Q%nd !idebarR

Haunting view of primordial city imprisoned in iceE streets, buildings, homes, towers, palace etc =itted, dripping walls of ice with a narrow crawlspace. The spawn are dormant in here. Ex avation+ reveals strange channels, possibly more 8toad idols4 and explosives could result in accelerated awa ening of the spawn

The S;uare
Central space, crossroads with fossilised bloc X :6r is this where #@ is still fro7enX< Human remainsX Ex avation+ reveals strange channels, possibly more 8toad idols4 and explosives could result in accelerated awa ening of #@ and the spawn

The +ibrary
$ore documentation of history, possibly more artifacts. !omewhere there may be a spell for L!pea ing with @hotha11uah as his !tatueL. =ossibly a spell to call Adu wa from the icy wastes.

Dault
This place must be accessible and obvious. .here is itX -nder the libraryX -nder a templeX -nder the tower itselfX The historical frie7e spirals at right angles towards a plinth built into the middle of the room and spiral around the plinth to its top. A pale stone about the si7e of a small orange is mounted there. "tLs entirely possible that the crystal is embedded in a wall, table, statue etc. The Commorians H Commorian sorcerer could have done so after ac1uiring it from @$. This might ma e it feel less arbitrarily present.

City -nder the Ice

The .ase of the To"er
Bubble, ice and a few bones including human

The "ye of -

o*&athla

A#A 8Crystal of @on $e77amalech4 9isions of the past, initially bac to sorceror, then 3umps to @$. Then barrier then 3umps into past all the way bac to -! and tablets. Also addictive and leads to disillusionment with present0day reality which appears to be unreal. "dentification with @$ then once past LbarrierL disidentification and loss of selfhood. To onloo ers, perhaps enters comatose state, then a while later suddenly leaves and disappears :if somehow followed, seems to have illed self<.

The ,ce Corridor

"ce0walled tunnel follows ancient path over roc and cobble surface of prehistoric pathway, descending from base of tower in a series of stairways for about /CC yards before reaching the $ain !treet.

*ain Street
From the "ce Corridor this can be followed left and slightly uphill or right and slightly downhill. Feft leads to the ruins of an ancient library and the 9ault. Bight leads to The !1uare.

Die"ing the Eye of $bbo%Sathla

For characters with the following drivesE Anti1uarianism, Adventure, Curiosity, Thirst for #nowledge > the temptation to view the %ye is a Hard Driver. For all other characters, this is a Soft Driver. Adventure Anti1uarianism Arrogance Artistic !ensitivity ?ad Fuc Curiosity 2uty %nnui Follower "n The ?lood =ower Bevenge !cholarship !udden !hoc Thirst For #nowledge 9iewing the crystal sends the user4s mind into the past and connects it with the mind of a long dead Hyperborean sorcerer @$ and via @$4s use of the crystal to the ancestral memory of the species. This ancestral memory is in fact the mind :or proto0 mind< of -bbo0!athla, the proto0shoggoth created by the %lder Things to spawn the first shoggoths and from which all earthly life spawned as a by0 product. These ancestral memories are predominantly from direct ancestors, but they also 3ump from other, nearby branches. Communion with the =roto0$ind and its many branches through time and space produces a cumulative loss of self0 identity and a dissociation with what humans call LrealityL. This is reflected as a loss of !anity, and occurs irrespective of whether anything is recalled or not. !anity reduced to 7ero in this manner causes a total loss of selfhood. Afflicted in this way, a person may wal into moving traffic, sit and stare into space or simply wander into oblivion and disappear. 9iewing crystal regresses user to @$ :loss of & !anity :discreet<

Co)pulsion+

!tability test against 2ifficulty ) is re1uired to resist viewing the stone again. Also current 2rive becomes meaningless. Beplaced with 2riveE Thirst for #nowledge of the Tablets of the %lder Gods QpermanentXR
#nitial union !ith the )ind of (4

Q/ point !tability test, + point !tability recovery for those with =illar of !anityE Family :8Hyperborea Hypothesis4<, plus drive superseded with Thirst for #nowledge of the Tablets of the %lder GodsR %ach !ubse1uent useE loss of & !anity :discreet<, & =oint !tability test Test at 2iff ; to regress furtherE loss of & !anity plus & more per / hours Begression all the way to the beginnings of earthly life ta es &2,D/ hours. $ental union with -bbo0 !athla in this way causes an additional loss of & point of !anity. Begression can be interrupted. For each hour of regression there is one potential recollection. "mmediate recollection of each memory is a !tability test against 2ifficulty ;. 6nce the number of recollections is established, roll on the table below for details of any revelations. $emories may also surface hours or even years later, especially in dreams or under hypnosis. D& Cthulhu $ythos is granted for every two recalled memories. There may be costs to !tability and !anity on recollection. 5ote that the costs of having a =illar of !anity smashed or a 2rive rendered meaningless, override any other stated cost for that revelation. These experiences are not mere visions > the 8viewer4 fully experiences the life of the creature witnessed. This means that the experiences are hard to dismiss > seeing is believing in this case. !ome of these experiences are capable of causing lost 2rives or smashed =illars of !anity. AlsoE !piders, amphibians =rimitive vertebrates Trilobites, molluscs, sponges etc "f the regression process of completed, the final memory experienced with be union with -bbo0 !athla, the origin of all earthly life.

-bbo !athla produces the first earth life. ose 3 Stability45 Sanity. .illars of Sanit& s)ashed+ Family, Human 2ignity and 9alue, Beligion. Drives lost+ Anti1uarianism, Thirst for #nowledge Anagnorisis for &+ !tability and + !anity loss, 2rives are lost as is the sense of self0identity. The character should be retired at or before the end of the scenario. 6ther revelations may be chosen by the #eeper or rolled on the table below. !tart by establishing the number of memories recalled and then establish what they are.
0ther Revelations during Regression Ta e two d,s and decide which is KtensM and which is KonesM :li e percentile dice<. Boll belowE (esult && > &, Human ingdom of Hyperborea, battles

,& > ,+ Cataclysm raises BLlyeh, arrival of

Cthulhu. .ar of Cthulhu and %lder Things lose 8 Stability46 Sanity0 Drives lost+ Anti1uarianism, Thirst for #nowledge
,/ > ,) %lder thing experiments create vertebrates

lose 3 Stability45 Sanity. .illars of Sanit& s)ashed+ Family, Human 2ignity and 9alue, Beligion. Drives lost+ Anti1uarianism, Thirst for #nowledge
,; > ,, Tablets of the %lder Gods

lose 3 Stability45 Sanity. Drives lost+ Anti1uarianism, Thirst for #nowledge

Awa+ening /haum

of

.nygathin

with 9oormis, rise and fall of various cults etc 6 point Stability test
+& > +, L.hite apesL :actually relatives of

The spawn and #@ gradually begin to wa e up, which builds into an antagonist reaction climax. 6nce they begin to awa en en0masse, the spawn will abandon the infection strategy, switching instead to openly capturing the remaining humans.

9oormis< under hidden influence of Great Bace, raise city in Congo, rapidly evolving spread out across world as early humans. 6 point Stability test. Drives lost+ "n the ?lood .illars of Sanit& s)ashed+ Family :if it involves beliefs about humanHrace origins in Hyperborea<, Beligion.
/& > /, 9oormis gain freedom from !erpent

Chase
Typically this will constitute a Combat 9ictory

7nygathin Chaum
The entity that was nown an age ago, by the name 8#nygathin @haum4 is a dar , mottled and mammoth0si7ed entity > a bloated trun , with a one0eyed 8face4 emerging from its midsection, and a second eye beneath that. Two long tentacles with 8fingers4 li e nots of writhing sna es emerge from its 8shoulders4 and a cup0li e mouth protrudes at the top. The lower limbs are a mass of slender proboscides covered in suc ers. #nygathin @haum can attac with each of its two tentacles in a single round. Fi e his spawn, he can assume the form of a viscous, blac li1uid. And most forms of physical in3ury will simply flow closed. Athletics &+, Health ++, !cuffling +( Hit Threshold+ / 5eapon+ D; :trample<T D+ :tentacle<T D+ :suc ing proboscides<T a successful tentacle attac may, instead of inflicting damage, pull the victim to the

=eople, found Hyperborean colony 5 point Stability test

)& > ), !erpent people in Ooth genetically

engineer simians into land and a1uatic hominids to serve as slaves lose 3 Stability45 Sanity. .illars of Sanit& s)ashed+ Family, Human 2ignity and 9alue, Beligion. Drives lost+ Anti1uarianism, Thirst for #nowledge
;& > ;+ !erpent people civilisation wiped out by

rise of dinosaurs lose 7 Stability45 Sanity

;/ > ;) !hoggoth rebellion defeated

lose 7 Stability45 Sanity

;; > ;, !erpent people ingdom of 9alusia

lose 7 Stability45 Sanity

many mouths for automatic damage on each following round

Ar)our+ 0+ :thic , mottled membrane< Heals most physical damage at , Health per round Stabilit& /oss+ D+

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