Download - Commoriom Submission v3,12 (1) (3)
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8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,12 (1) (3)
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A Submission for
Trail of Cthulhu
Commoriom
"I have yet to translate the terrible and
abominable legend telling how a certain doughty
citizen of Commoriom returned to the city after
its public evacuation, and found that it was
peopled most execrably and numerously by the
fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, whichpossessed no vestige of anything human or even
earthly" ! 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 andUbbo-Sathla. "t is
recommended that the #eeper reads these short
stories before running this scenario. The story of
the $athieson %xpedition is told in the Call of
Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late
#eith Herber and published in the supplements
Trail of Tsathogghua, &'() and The Compact Trail
of Tsathoggua, &''*.
The Hook"n &'+, an archaeological team from $isatonic
-niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement
beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in the
mountains of est Greenland. The protagonists are
members of a &'/& follow0up expedition to
excavate the site.
The Horrible TruthThe site is the ruin of Commoriom, the first capital
of the lost civilisation of Hyperborea, which thrived
before the last ice age. %ntombed in the city is a
dormant, monstrous race descended fromTsathoggua and an alien crystal that grants visions
of the disturbing origins of life on earth.
The SpineThe team members voyage to Godthb, where theycan confront a Rival Expeditionfrom Germany.
They then begin their arduous overland tre in
Evighedsfjorden. Tensions increase between%thelrod, the team leader, and Granger, who is
struggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to The
Death of Ethelrod. From %thelrod they can ac1uire
a dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yolanguage.
The team receives A Call for Helpfrom the crew
of the German base ship, which has lost contact
with the overland team, giving the protagonists a
moral dilemma.
2uring their 3ourney, the characters find evidence
that strange %simo are watching them and may
discover Gravesof members of the Germanexpedition, apparently attaced by an unnownanimal. A text in their possession, when translated
with %thelrod4s boo gives hints about the history
of the site.
Arriving at the Site, the protagonists find a Cube-
Shaped Struturewith walls inscribed with a
history of the pre0humans who first settled there.
5earby, the remains of the last members of the
German expedition can be found. 6n the valley
floor, a Shado! "nder the #eis visible.
They are harried by frea weather conditions and
attacs by a mysterious$east of the #e Sheet,
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which continue until they lin it with the clan of
strange %simo that has been following them, and
neutralise it.
Exavating the Struture 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 vaultunder 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 awaen they try to
free their 8Father4, leading to the A!a%ening of'n&gathin (hau). The protagonists4 only hope isto flee.
However, even if they escape, the insight granted
by the crystal may still claim their minds.
Victory Conditions9ictory in this scenario means realising the horror
that lies in Commoriom, and surviving it,
preferably with the site safely sealed.
Antagonist ReactionsThe rival Ger)an Expeditionis not a 85a7i
expedition4 in any official sense :there is no such
thing until the formation of the Ahnenerbe in &'/; 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 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. ust a few
wees ago, the =abodie %xpedition returned from
Antarctica with stories of unnown 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 colleague2r Francis $organ. $organ shared the story with
=rofessor Armitage and soon they were woring
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with =rofessor %thelrod in %ngland to organise a
follow0up expedition for &'/+. However, in late
&'/, 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 tae 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.
Running Commoriom as astandalone
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.
Creating the ProtagonistsAppropriate 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 siers
> 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 $isatonic -niversity, team members
are liely to be American, perhaps students or
professors at the $isatonic. ?ritish team members
may have accompanied %thelrod.
*S&)bol+ Standalone "f the expedition begins inGreat ?ritain it is liely that most of the team
members would be ?ritish. American membersmay travelled with Granger.
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 (
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"n the ?lood might be interesting if the character is
related to the Hyperborean ?lond %simo.
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 withthis =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 %simo4 in north0western Canada. They
may even subscribe to racist theories lie 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 #nowledgeAdventure
!cholarship
Curiosity
Arrogance
.illars of Sanit&
Beligious Faith
Family
Human 2ignity and 9alue
!cientific =rogress "ntellect
Goodness of $anind
$oral principles
Aesthetics
%picureanism
=atriotism
ove of Home City
Scenes
BriefingSene T&pe+Core :"ntroduction 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 toapproach 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, as the claims of the
recently returned =abodie %xpedition to Antarctica
suggest, the poles may conceal secrets that wouldoverturn our entire understanding of the past. 6n
the $athieson %xpedition there were many things
he experienced that shoced 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 /, a second veteran of the $athieson
%xpedition who will be 3oining them on this trip.
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*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&0ral Histor& 2-
.oint spend+ There are rumours that 2r Grangerhas a drin problem.
%thelrod ass each team member to introduce
themselves and assigns roles.
Assess Honest&+Henry %thelrod is reserved,
somewhat aloof and doesn4t give much away.
Arhaeolog& or Anthropolog&+ According to theexpedition 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 paras
with tall collars and women with large hairstyles
were found on Cape 2orset on ?affin "sland in
&'+. "t is generally thought that the Greenlandic2orset culture is limited to the north0west coast of
the island.
$iolog& or 0utdoors)an 2-.oint spend+=olarbears are mostly found in coastal regions in the
north and east of Greenland > they are largely
unnown in the mountains although females with
cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous
areas in the north.
Arhaeolog&3 $iolog& or Geolog& 5.ipe6+The
disastrous =abodie %xpedition to the !outhern =ole,from which there were only three survivors,
reported finding very well preserved specimens of
six0foot0long, barrel0shaped organisms with
starfish0shaped heads. .ipe+The full significance
of this clue will become clear to someone who
reads The ?oo of %ibon or explores the ruins of
Commoriom.
uestions and !Ans"ers
%thelrod will as if there are any 1uestions. He may
provide the following additional details and anyothers 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+ feet of ice and to extend to unnown
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 lie the direction the
1uestions are going.
Assess Honest&+hen ased about the specifics of
the first expedition, why the details were notreleased or why the second expedition was delayed
for so long, %thelrod seems somewhat evasive. 2.oint Spend+ He is deliberately hiding something.
%thelrod will wrap up the briefing after three or
four 1uestions, or if he doesn4t lie the direction the
1uestions are going.
Henry Ethelrod
To interact with %thelrod significantly, ?ritish
characters need a Credit Bating of ;D, Americansand other %uropeans need D. Anyone else will
need to mae 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
The three surviving members of the expedition
entered the temple and :as instructed by Gobineau 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 tae 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 directlythrough the roof.
Arhaeolog& or Arhiteture+ The roof and floor
are already partially collapsed.
Geolog&E The tower is blac granite gneiss. A 2-
.oint spendestablishes that it appears to beextremely ancient, perhaps tens or even hundreds of
thousands of years old.
ArhitetureE The style doesn4t resemble that ofany nown architectural tradition.
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"#ca!ating the ChamerSene T&pe+ Core
/ead-#n+%xcavating the !tructure under the "ce
/ead-0ut+Clearing the Chamber
This phase taes +) days.
4ethods "sable+$anual %xcavation, "ce $elter,
%xplosives
Arhaeolog&orEvidene Colletion+ The remains
of an unnown metallic device can be found in the
upper chamber of the tower.
Geolog&3 Craft or Arhaeolog&+"t was decoratedwith gold, emeralds and rubies.
Astrono)& or 2-.oint spend in Arhaeolog&3
.h&sis or 4ehanial RepairE "t was an optical
device of some ind, possibly a telescope.
Accessing the &tairwaySene T&pe+ Core
/ead-#n+%xcavating the Chamber
/ead-0ut+The "dol Thaws, Tunnelling the!tairway
Core Clue+ The struture desends deep into theie-sheet1 There is a se)i-intat stair!a& leading
do!n1
This phase taes &+ days.
4ethods "sable+$anual %xcavation, "ce $elter,%xplosives
Arhiteture or Arhaeolog& 5Core lue6+There
is a stairway descending deeper into the ice.
pictographs, LboosL X, map showing location of $t
9oormithadrethX
Arhaeolog& orEvidene Colletion+ A strangeand grotes1ue ob3ect is uncovered in the ice near
the top of the stairwell. "t loos lie a grotes1ue
idol fashioned of some dar, mottled material,vaguely toad0lie in shape, very dense and about
the si7e of a melon. !eeing this re1uires a /0point
!tability test, $ythos related.
Cthulhu 4&thos+!tatues of grotes1ue, toad0lie
forms are used in the worship of Tsathoggua.
Geolog& or Che)istr&+The ob3ect is not made of
any nown material.
"n fact, the ob3ect isn4t a statue at all. "t is a dormant
organism > one of the !pawn of #nygathin @haum.6nce uncovered, the spawn will begin to thaw and
awaen. !ee The #dol Tha!s. This nominally taes
+) hours or ( hours if left in a warm place, lie an
inhabited tent, however it should tae as long as is
dramatically interesting.
Tunnelling the &tairwaySene T&pe+ Core
/ead-#n+Accessing the !tairway
/ead-0ut+2escent into the 2epths
"t taes ' days to reach the ice0free section of the
stairwell.
4ethods "sable+$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 broen and places where there are gaps.
Arhiteture+The stairway is constructed in apossibly 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.
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 Arhaeolog&3 Cr&ptograph&3
/anguages3 or Cthulhu 4&thos+ith the help ofthe Tsath0Oo dictionary, each panel is about a yard
wide and can be translated in about an hour. Three
panels are probably excavated in a day. For every
five panels translated, a 2-.oint spendis needed.
The content of the panels is as followsE
&. There are five blan panels
+. #ing o1uamethros of Commoriom
honours the astrologer called %iphooras
2ex, of $hu Thulan by granting him a
ma3estic, high tower in the city.
/. A busy and wealthy city with many tall
towers. Construction of tower for some sort
of wise or holy man.
). 9arious older ings and previous dynasties
;. %ncroaching cold
. =rophesy of !ybil of =olarion
*. Bise of Ohoundeh cult
(. omar and @obna
'. 6ther settlements
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&. %arly Tsathoggua cult
&&. 9oormis driven to $t. 9oormithadreth
&+. @on $e77amalechX
&/. Founding of Commoriom
&). =eople of omar 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
&*. Gnopheh and 9oormis at war. Former
driven to omar.
&(. 9oormis settlement and temple of@hotha11uah
&'. Humans appear on earth
+. 9oormis liberation, worship of Tsathoggua
+&. !erpent =eople found civilisation in
Hyperborea :with 9oormis slaves