Download - Commoriom Submission v3,20
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8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,20
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A Submission for
Trail of Cthulhu
Commoriom
General/structural comments:
It would be good if, by the end, the protagonists
have an idea of what KZ and his spawn might be,
maybe where they came from. Do they also need a
copy of the Book of Eibon
!an second half be structured into scenes Eg. "he
#alley of !ommoriom, E$cavation, "he !ity under
the Ice.
!hange both clues and instructions to the Keeper
into second person.
!an e%uipment be defined in terms of opportunities
for the use of &reparedness Eg. 'inches, ropes
etc. (eview travel, supply levels and some physical
challenges to make them properly player)facing and
simple to use. But wait to see what *aws comes upwith in +ythos E$peditions.
+ake format of clues consistent bulleted- as per
above
ave one or more protagonists placed in charge of
organising the inventory of the e$pedition. 'hen
someone wants to obtain something from supplies
the first characters- make a &reparedness test,
perhaps modified by their initial thoroughness. will
they need a separate &reparedness pool for
individual use- But see what (obin *aws comesup with
Include "hule /ociety esoteric conspiracy 0 vril
stuff
"I have yet to translate the terrible and
abominable legend telling how a certain doughty
citizen of Commoriom returned to the city after
its public evacuation, and found that it was
peopled most execrably and numerously by the
fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, which
possessed no vestige of anything human oreven earthly" ! Clar #shton $mith
"he protagonists are members of an e$pedition to
e$cavate an ancient settlement buried beneath the
1reenland ice. 2aced with conflict from within and
without, and the threat of approaching winter, the
e$pedition degenerates into a struggle to survive as
the team members realise that the true horror isbeneath the ice under their feet.
"his scenario is inspired by the yperborean !ycle
stories of !lark 3shton /mith, particularly The
Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathla. It is
recommended that the Keeper reads these short
stories before running this scenario. "he story of
the +athieson E$pedition is told in the Call of
Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late
Keith erber and published in the supplements
Trail of Tsathogghua, 4567 and The Compact Trail
of Tsathoggua, 4558.
The HookIn 459:, an archaeological team from +iskatonic
;niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement
beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in the
mountains of 'est 1reenland. "he protagonists are
members of a 45
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The Spine"he team members voyage to Godthb, where they
can confront a Rival Expeditionfrom 1ermany."hey then begin their arduous overland trek in
Evighedsfjorden. "ensions increase betweenEthelrod, the team leader, and 1ranger, who is
struggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to TheDeath of Ethelrod. 2rom Ethelrod they can ac%uirea dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yolanguage.
"he team receives A all for !elpfrom the crew
of the 1erman base ship, which has lost contact
with the overland team, giving the protagonists a
moral dilemma.
During their >ourney, the characters find evidence
that strange Eskimo are watching them and may
discover Gravesof members of the 1erman
e$pedition, apparently attacked by an unknownanimal. 3 te$t in their possession, when translated
with Ethelrod=s book gives hints about the history
of the site.
Arriving at the "ite, the protagonists find a ube#
"haped "tructurewith walls inscribed with a
history of the pre)humans who first settled there.
?earby, the remains of the last members of the
1erman e$pedition can be found. @n the valley
floor, a "hado$ %nder the &ceis visible.
"hey are harried by freak weather conditions andattacks by a mysterious'east of the &ce "heet,which continue until they link it with the clan of
strange Eskimo that has been following them, and
neutralise it.
Excavating the "tructure under the &ce leads to
the discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice.
Digging into The &ce#ho(ed stair$a)uncovers afrieAe describing a history of yperborea and
eventually leads to a it) %nder the &ce. In a vaultunder the ruins of a library is a crystal that can send
the mind back in time to the disturbing origins of
life on earth.
3s the city=s inhabitants begin to awaken they try to
free their 2ather=, leading to the A$a(ening of*n)gathin +haum. "he protagonists= only hope is
to flee.
owever, even if they escape, the insight granted
by the crystal may still claim their minds.
Victory Conditions#ictory in this scenario means realising the horror
that lies in !ommoriom, and surviving it,
preferably with the site safely sealed.
Antagonist Reactions
"he rival German Expeditionis not a ?aAie$pedition= in any official sense there is no such
thing until the formation of the 3hnenerbe in 45
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"he third group of antagonists are the "pa$n of
*n)gathin +haum descendants of "sathogguawith a kinship to the formless spawn and less
visibly to the pre)human #oormis-. "he presence of
human beings will cause them to begin to awake
from their aeon)long hibernation. "o them, human
beings are both unwelcome invaders and a food
source. "heir kinship to humans allows them to
parasitiAe them, and take control of their minds.
"hey will attempt to trap the humans under the ice
to present them as a gift for their King Knygathin
Zhaum. "hey are stealthy, intelligent and mobile
and will attempt to lure humans into becoming
infected, until they have the numbers and access to
e%uipment needed to order to hasten the awakening
and liberation of their father.
Running Commoriom with
the Armitage Inquiry"his scenario begins in late une 45
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In 4596, Byrd led a large e$pedition to
3ntarctica, and the following year flew over the
/outh &ole. 1eologists of the Byrd e$pedition
apparently found many fossils indicating a
tropical past.
Geolog):
In 4596, Byrd led a large e$pedition to
3ntarctica, and the following year flew over the
/outh &ole. 1eologists of the Byrd e$pedition
apparently found many fossils indicating a
tropical past.
"he Dane Knud (asmussen is currently on the
si$th of his famous "hule e$peditions, this time
to consolidate Denmark=s claim on Erik the
(ed=s *and in East 1reenland.
In 45
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Archaeolog):Dr +organ has a good reputation as
a scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. 4)
&oint spend- It is also rumoured that he has
previously been involved in e$peditions and
research of a rather unconventional and slightly
controversial nature.
,")mbol: "tandalone."he briefing takes place in a
basement seminar room of the British +useum. Dr1ranger has crossed to 3tlantic to >oin the team.
Ethelrods Presentation
3 tall, distinguished)looking man in his CFs walks
to the front of the room and stands in front of the
blackboard. e has a slight limp, but seems to be in
good shape for his age.
Archaeolog)2 Anthropolog)2 Geolog) or !istor):During the 459: +athieson E$pedition, Ethelrod
led an overland trek that discovered artifacts that
have not been e$plained to everyone=s satisfaction.
anguages 3#point spend or Anthropolog):
Ethelrod has a reputation as an intelligent and
accomplished academic specialising in the
development of Indo)European languages. e is
rumoured to have an aristocratic family.
In a polished, upper class English accent, he
introduces himself and, without wasting time on
niceties, launches into the briefing.
In +ay 459:, the +athieson E$pedition of+iskatonic ;niversity investigated a stone wall of
impressive dimensions found in the elheim
1lacier on the east coast of 1reenland.
e passes around a photograph of the stone block
with the e$pedition ship alongside. It appears to be
about
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"he overland team will use dog sleds and a snow
tractor to reach the site, via a longer, but more
accessible route than the +athieson E$pedition.
/ome climbing e%uipment will be provided,
although no ma>or climbs should be needed to reach
the site. "eam members will be issued with rifles to
protect themselves from bears and other dangerous
animals.
@nce at their destination, the team will make an
initial survey of the site then build their camp a
large cabin and outhouses for supplies and dogs.
"hey will use the drilling rig, blasting e%uipment,
the ice melting machine, and hand e$cavation to
access and e$cavate the site.
3fter /eptember it will become difficult to
approach by sea. If necessary, the team will remain
on the ice sheet over winter until +ay or une when
the f>ord will become accessible again. In case of
emergency, 1odthb is accessible overland on foot
in about five days using climbing gear, although
most of the e%uipment would not be transportable
this way.
&rofessor Ethelrod stresses his %ualifications as a
hard)nosed scholar not prone to flights of fancy or
biAarre speculations. owever, as the claims of the
recently returned &abodie E$pedition to 3ntarctica
suggest, the poles may conceal secrets that would
overturn our entire understanding of the past. @n
the +athieson E$pedition there were many thingshe e$perienced that shocked him and caused him to
reconsider ideas about the world. e believes that
what they found in the 1reenland ice were remains
of a lost prehistoric civilisation, perhaps hinted at in
1reek myths.
e introduces 'ilfred ;pton)/mith, a round)faced
Aoologist and friend of the Ethelrod family, and
!harles 1ranger, a red)haired, red)faced man of
around oining them on this trip.,")mbol: Armitage &n-uir).0ral !istor) 3#
5oint spend: "here are rumours that Dr 1ranger
has a drink problem.
Ethelrod asks each team member to introduce
themselves and assigns roles.
Assess !onest):enry Ethelrod is reserved,somewhat aloof and doesn=t give much away.
Archaeolog) or Anthropolog): 3ccording to the
e$pedition report, the team made transcriptions of anumber of carvings on a large stone slab found at
the face of elheim 1lacier on the east coast.
3rchaeologists have subse%uently associated these
carvings with a 1reenlandic colony of the e$tinct
Dorset !ulture. 3#point spend:/ome odd artifacts
featuring strange figures wearing hoodless parkas
with tall collars and women with large hairstyles
were found on !ape Dorset on Baffin Island in
459:. It is generally thought that the 1reenlandic
Dorset culture is limited to the north)west coast of
the island.
'iolog) or 0utdoorsman 3#5oint spend:&olarbears are mostly found in coastal regions in the
north and east of 1reenland they are largely
unknown in the mountains although females with
cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous
areas in the north.
Archaeolog)2 'iolog) or Geolog) 65ipe7:"he
disastrous &abodie E$pedition to the /outhern &ole,
from which there were only three survivors,
reported finding very well preserved specimens of
si$)foot)long, barrel)shaped organisms with
starfish)shaped heads. 5ipe:"he full significance of
this clue will become clear to someone who reads
"he Book of Eibon or e$plores the ruins of
!ommoriom.
Questions and Answers
Ethelrod will ask if there are any %uestions. e may
provide the following additional details and any
others the Keeper deems appropriate.J +athieson remained onboard ship, due to health
problems. e died of a heart condition in 4595.
J "he top of the structure was estimated to be under
at least 4C)9F feet of ice and to e$tend to unknown
depths. e declines to speculate on the age of the
structure.
J 3t an international archaeology conference in
&aris last year, Dr /ummers of Edinburgh
;niversity, heard reference to a forthcoming
e$pedition to e$plore what was nonsensically=described as ruins of "hule found in 'est
1reenland=. It isn=t known what siAe the rival team
is or when they will arrive.
e will wrap up the briefing after three or four
%uestions, or if he doesn=t like the direction the
%uestions are going.
Assess !onest):'hen asked about the specifics ofthe first e$pedition, why the details were not
released or why the second e$pedition was delayed
for so long, Ethelrod seems somewhat evasive. 3
5oint "pend: e is deliberately hiding something.
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Ethelrod will wrap up the briefing after three or
four %uestions, or if he doesn=t like the direction the
%uestions are going.
Henr Ethelrod
"o interact with Ethelrod significantly, British
characters need a !redit (ating of CG, 3mericans
and other Europeans need :G. 3nyone else will
need to make a 4)&oint spend in !redit (ating on
each significant occasion.
Abilities:3thletics C, !redit (ating 8, 2irearms 8,ealth 8, /cuffling 8, 'eapons :
!it Threshold:orden
"he ship makes a scheduled stop in 1odthb, the
capital of 1reenland, for three days, to refuel,
collect supplies and meet the sledding team. @ncethe ship is prepared, a local boat is to transport the
sleds and sled dogs to Evighedsf>orden in a separate
boat.
It is late uly by the time the team arrive. "he
mildness of the climate may be surprising to some.
+ost of the land and sea is free of ice. In spite of a
near complete absence of trees, there is a fair
amount of greenery and the rivers swell with melt
water.1reenland at this time is a colony of Denmark and
uses Danish currency and mostly Danish place
names. 1odthb is the capital and has a population
of around 9FFF, mostly Eskimo, but with a few
people of /candinavian descent. ouses are mostly
traditional Eskimo huts of stone and turf with a few
/candinavian)style structures of imported wood.
"he main industries here are whaling and fishing
and there is a blubber boiling plant >ust outside of
town. "here is also a general store, a newspaper
office, a small school, a seminary and a government
building with a radio station.
"o the east lies 1odthbsf>orden, the long,
meandering f>ord with many inlets where the
+athieson E$pedition landed.
anguages 6Danish or &nuit7 A;D 0ral !istor)
or Reassurance 6loating7:If the &rotagonists go
ashore and talk to the locals, they will hear of
another foreign research ship that arrived over a
week earlier. ollo$#%p 6redit Rating2Reassurance2 latter) or 'argain7:"he vesseldropped off a 1erman research team in
1odthbsf>orden and left shortly afterwards.
Ethelrod will get this information one way or
another from a member of the crew if not from
the &rotagonists. e is furious and curses the
1erman =race=.
Reassurance 3#5oint "pend:e suspects that the1erman authorities were tipped)off about the site
by a veteran of the first e$pedition, ean (aymond1obineau, who >oined the ?aAi cause a few years
ago.
P/idebarQ
8ationalism in Europe in the 9:s
'ith the benefit of historical hindsight, we know to
what horrors 1erman nationalism led. "oday,
?aAism is almost universally synonymous with
almost stereotypical evil. 3nd indeed British and
3mericans would often have been less than
favourably disposed towards the 1ermans, but
probably for slightly different reasons. 'hile many
people regarded the ?aAis as despicable at the time,
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overt racism was far more socially acceptable and
the logical conse%uences of ?aAi rule were less
clear. 3nimosity from British and 3mericans
towards 1ermany at the time would probably have
had more to do with nationalist and colonialist
competition and memories of the 1reat 'ar.
&layers might even decide that their characters are
broadly sympathetic with ?aAi goals. 3nd indeed
this would be an ideal set)up for the Big (eveal= at
the clima$ of the scenario.
P0/idebarQ
The Rival &'"edition"cene T)pe:@ptional, (oleplaying
ead#&n:1odthb
ead#0ut:Evighedsf>orden
"he following day, a small freighter flying the
1erman flag the "i##er arrives in port toresupply. Ethelrod will refuse to have anything to
do with themS however, the protagonists may
choose to approach them. @nboard is a crew of
seven sailors, a radio engineer and an
archaeological research assistant. "hey are in
regular radio contact with the 1erman team,
although reception is increasingly patchy.
"he 1ermans will boast about being the first to
reach and e$plore the ruins of "huleM, about
having a special right to the heritage of theirancestors. "he resulting humiliation is a 4)&oint
/tability test for the protagonists.
&ntimidation:"he characters can avoid humiliation
by giving as good as they get. 3 3#5oint spendallows them to recover 4 /tability point or tricks the
1ermans into revealing the e$pedition route from
1odthbsf>orden north)northeast the same route as
the +athieson E$pedition-.
Reassurance or latter) 3#5oint "pendH "he
1erman team become more amicable and recogniseat least some of the group as kindred either
literally or in a spiritual sense- and will invite them
onboard the ship, offering them drinks and food.
3nyone who accepts will find themselves lectured
about the noble origins of the 3ryan raceM and
how archaeological sites all over the world prove
that their ancestors brought civilisation to the
ancient world. 3nyone who vigorously disagrees
finds the offer of hospitality prematurely
withdrawn.
Reassurance or latter) 3#5oint spend:"he
1ermans reveal their route north)northeast from
1odthbsf>orden, the same route as the +athieson
E$pedition-.
Assess !onest): Behind the bragging, there is aslight sense of uneasiness. 3#5oint spend:the
1erman crew seem to be worried about their team.
ollo$#up: Reassurance 9#5oint spendwill get
the 1ermans to admit that they are being lead to the
site by ean (aymond 1obineau, a +athiesonE$pedition veteranS however, several of them
believe he is unstable. is behaviour is strange and
occasionally violent and he drops hints of terrible
creatures up on the ice sheet.
3 /tealth test against Difficulty 7 will allow the
protagonists to make a %uick and surreptitious
search of the ship under some prete$t. /tealing one
of the books re%uires a !onceal or 2ilch test against
Difficulty C.
"imple "earch: "he ship contains some supplies offood, fuel ammunition, radio e%uipment and so
forth. "here is also a small library of books on
relevant geographical, geological, anthropological,
archaeological, historical, linguistic and occult
sub>ects, almost all in 1erman, including /trabo=s
Geographica and ermann 'irth=sDer Aufgang
#er $enschheit"he Emergence of +ankind-.
anguages 6German7:3n protagonistskimmingthe latter 9 hours- will learn about nationalist
1erman beliefs in their decent from a ?ordic superrace that originated in the 3rctic region and once
ruled the known world.%oringover it 4F hours-
grants 9 dedicated pool points in 3rchaeology,
3nthropology, @ccult or *anguages.
Evidence ollection:3lso here is an enthusiasticletter of support from a senior member of the
?ational /ocialist 1erman 'orkersL &arty named
einrich immler to Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer,
leader of the e$pedition. immler refers to the site
as both ;ltima "huleM and 3tlantisM and refers to
something he calls "hor=s ammer=, a weapon oftheir divine ancestors said to be capable of
flattening mountains.
Captain Alfred $reher
3round
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Abilities:3thletics 7, 2irearms ord at muddy beaches.
!aptain +ac3llen or &rofessor Ethelrod remind the
team that in the colder months, the glacier stretches
all the way to the sea. "hat and the build up of sea
ice means that landing here by sea starts to become
difficult from @ctober until +ay or une.
"he e$pedition vessel is met here by a local barge
that drops off the sleds, sled dogs and mushers dog
sled drivers-. "he plan then is to use it to ferry
supplies, e%uipment and the e$pedition members
onto the muddy shore.
3bout thirty feet from the water=s edge is a low
mound.
2rom a distance, 'iolog)identifies it as the body of
a whale. 3 5oint "pendreveals it as a narwhal.
Polar *ear
If the characters approach the whale=s corpse will
notice it move strngely several times. 3 polar bear
is behind it with it=s head inside the body, eating it
from the inside. 3 /ense "rouble test against
Difficulty 7 will let the characters spot the bear at
about
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Arctic travel on foot
!ross)country skiing costs 7 3thletics, 2leeing or
ealth per day in these conditions. 'ithout skis the
speed is halved.
Travel b) dog#sled
"his re%uires Driving Dog /led- in addition to the
costs above. Dog teams will use : 3thletics pool
points or ealth once these are depleted- each day,
< points are replenished at the end of the day if the
dogs are rested and well)fed.
Temperature Table
"his table below shows typical temperatures found
in 1odthb and the valley of !ommoriom. Day
temperatures are about 4FT2 higher. ?ight
temperatures about 4FT2 lower. 3reas closer to the
edge of the ice)sheet are about 4FT2 warmer than
the !ommoriom temperature.4onth Godthb ommoriom
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"led Dogs
Abilities:3thletics 49, ealth C, /cuffling :
!it Threshold:7
Alertness 4odifier:Goin them there. "hey would leave climbing
gear at the ridge.
Evidence ollection 3#5oint spend: ;nder a layer
of snow there are numerousempty rifle cartridgesas if there had been a substantial fire fight.
0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:"here are
several sets of footprints around the graves and
signs snow that has been dug up to pile on the
graves. 3 3#5oint spendreveals a snow)coveredtrail hinting that something large trampled through
this part of the valley several times, before the
tracks were mostly covered in snow. 'ith another
3#5oint spend, its route can be followed either to
!uman Remains or to The limb to the &ce"heet. In either case, 0utdoorsmanwill indicate
that after a couple of hundred yards the tracks have
little or no snowfall on them.
orensics:If disinterred and e$amined, one of thebodies appears to have been crushed, one appears to
have deep lacerations to the upper body and the
third has a deep, impaling wound in the abdomen.
3#point spend:"he first also had symptoms of
frostbite. 3#point spend:"he wounds on the second
man are consistent with being mauled by a largecarnivore, but a bear=s claws are not sharp enough
to have inflicted those in>uries.
!hat Happened Here>
"he 1erman e$pedition having ignored their
warning, one of the *omaruit Blond Eskimo- sang
the old song to call the 1noph)keh. "he beast
stalked the e$pedition, called up a bliAAard and
attacked them. /ome of them tried shooting at it
without much success. "hree mere were killed and
the rest fled. 1obineau was followed and killed bythe creature. 3nother man @tto +etAger- died of
hypothermia on the ice. "hree regrouped at the
same spot later, buried their dead and gathered their
possessions to continue.
Arriving at the Site"cene T)pe: !ore
ead#&n:@n the Edge
ead#0ut:"he !ube)/haped /tructure, "he
1erman !amp, "he End of the Bauer E$pedition,"he /hadow ;nder the Ice
ore lue: The "hado$ %nder the &ce
3s the team progresses along the ridge, they see
two mountain peaks ahead, between which they are
heading. Beyond that, according to Ethelrod=s map,
lies the valley of !ommoriom.
"he >ourney is uphill and hard going, re%uiring 7
3thletics, 2leeing or ealth pool points for half a
day.
"he team reaches the top of a rise in the natural
pass between the two peaks and has view of a
mountainous plateau, a valley around a mile across,
with an ice cap covering what was once a valley.
3bout 9 miles away, on the other side of the valley,
a dark cube The ube#"haped "tructure- s%uatson the lower slopes of the highest mountain. 3bout
one mile away, on another slope of tundra is a small
camp.
"he wind blows harshly through the high valley,
whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing
phantoms. 3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty all /aga
PBegin /idebarQ
,")mbol: 5ulp.
!echselapparat !e/6lamethrower
'hile it=s unlikely to do much more than delay the
horror they will face later, you could include an
intact flamethrower at the camp.
"his model is surplus from the 1reat 'ar and
consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and a
noAAle connected by a hose. 3 +echanical (epair
test against Difficulty 7 is re%uired to understand
the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a
wasted shot. 1asoline, kerosene or diesel can be
used as fuel. 3 4F)chambered cylinder in the noAAle
contains the ignition cartridges. Its heavy :C lbs-
and cumbersome nature and high visibility make itdangerous to wear, decreasing the wearer=s it
"hreshold by 4 and increasing 3thletics and
2leeing Difficulties by 4. It=s also %uite fragileH
treat as having 9 3rmour and < ealth if damaged.
Damage: G4 and see below-
"hots:4F
Range:?ear
;otes:@nce hit, a target will continue to burn,
inflicting GF damage for 4D: rounds 3thletics test
against Difficulty : to e$tinguish-. )4 to wearer=sit "hreshold. 3 user can also douse an area before
ignition, creating a fireball that inflicts similar
damage to an e$ploding stick of dynamite see
Trail of Cthulhu rulebook p:8-.
PEnd /idebarQ
The 5ournal of Ekkehardt *auer
anguage:1erman
"(im:7 hours
Doctor Ekkehardt Bauer was the leader of the1erman e$pedition. By the time the protagonists
find him, he is dead. "his is his >ournal, beginning
several months before the e$pedition started. It
includes %uotations from immler, erman 'irth,
and the era Lin#a Book. It includes the following
cluesH
"he purpose of the e$pedition is to find
evidence that the ancestors of the 1ermans had
a civilisation in ancient 1reenland. "his search
is supported by certain nationalist groups, andorganisations, including important members of
the ?/D3&?aAi party-.
In 4595, ean (aymond 1obineau, veteran of
the +athieson E$pedition and grandson of
3rthur de 1obineau the famous race theorist,
had recently moved to Berlin and >oined the
?/D3&. e contacted 1ustaf Kossinna,
&rofessor of 1erman 3rchaeology at the
;niversity of Berlin with unpublished
information about the 459: e$pedition.
Kossinna, himself a nationalist and racetheorist, encouraged Bauer to organise an
e$pedition.
*ike Ethelrod and +athieson, 1obineau called
the site !ommoriom= in reference to a city
mentioned in theLi!re #'Eibon. Kossinna
called it ;ltima "hule=.
@n invitation, 1obineau >oined the e$pedition.
It arrived in 1odthb in early uly and,
following 1obineau=s directions, landed in
1odthbsf>orden where the ship anchored inorder to ma$imise radio reception.
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Bauer describes 1obineau as obno$ious and
mentally unstable. Bauer feels he is more of a
hindrance to the mission than a help. Bauer and
1obineau fight sporadically.
/trange)looking Eskimo were spotted watching
from a distance. *ater one of them approached.
e was a bearded old man with fair comple$ion
and elongated facial features. e resembled a/candinavian. Bauer felt certain that this was
proof of the origin of the 3ryans on
"hule01reenland. "he man was not friendly.
/peaking in a strange dialect, he appeared to
threaten or warn them and left.
"he following day, while caught in a sudden
bliAAard, they were attacked by a huge,
bear)like thing that was nevertheless
definitely not a bear. "hey tried to shoot it
without success. @nce they regrouped, they
found that three of them were dead and twomissing. "hey decided to press on with only
three men left in the e$pedition.
The Akraf?all Saga @,e.eraged clue
anguage:"sath)Oo and 1erman
"(imming Time:"he 1erman translationH 9 hoursS
translating from "sath)Oo takes longer see below-
"his book is a speculative translation by erman
'irth of certain pictographs found etched onto a
monolith in 2inland. 'irth interprets the symbolsaccording to his own linguistic theories and wishful
thinking. 3nyone familiar with "sath)Oo will
recognise the glyphs.
anguages 6German7will reveal 'irth=s
interpretationH
A go##ess arose out of the earth an# se#uce# a
human. She ga!e birth to the Go#-$an. The Go#-
$an became a bra!e ,arrior an# a lea#er.
'irth associates this with the/arelian stor& of
Ilmatar, the spirit of the air who gives birth to#WinWmNinen, the first man.
There ,as a cit& in a high0 fertile !alle& in Thule0
,ith mountains to the ,est an# forests to the south.
The people of the cit& ,ere en!ious of the Go#-$an
an# took him prisoner. The& cut off his hea# an#
burie# the bo#&0 but he arose0 an# kille# one of the
people. The& e1ecute# him again an# the same
happene#. $ost of the people fle# the cit&. n the
thir# occasion0 he re!eale# his #i!ine form an#
#e!oure# man& of the people until the last of themfle#. Years later0 one of the inhabitants of the cit&
returne# an# foun# the cit& populate# ,ith a race
#escen#e# from the go#s. Thus began the
ci!ilisation of Thule an# the Ar&an race.
"his myth, argues 'irth, is an account of the divine
seed from which the supreme ?ordic)3ryan race
appeared on "hule before they went on to rule the
ancient ,orl#. 2e also speculates e1tensi!el& on
the relationships bet,een the pictographs an#
(or#ic runes.lue 6everaged7: If using Ethelrod=s "sath)Oodictionary, every si$ hours work and 3 pointspendsin Archaeolog), anguages,
r)ptograph), Anthropolog)or thulhu
4)thos, one of the following points is translatedH
/oldiers from !ommoriom captured the outlaw
Knygathin Zhaum and brought him back to the
city.
3ccording to rumour, Knygathin Zhaum wasthe product of the union of the Shaklip the
granddaughter= of the god)hotha**uahand a
sub)human #oormis.
"he city e$ecutioner beheaded him three times
and each time, witnesses later saw him alive,
more monstrous than before. @n the first and
second occasion, Knygathin Zhaum killed and
ate one of the inhabitants of the city.
By the third reappearance, he had
metamorphosed into a fully alien entity, and haddevoured many of the citiAens, forcing the final
abandonment of the city.
3 former inhabitant of !ommoriom returned to
the city one day and discovered it repopulated
with the monstrous offspring of Knygathin
Zhaum.
"ranslating it or reading an accurate translation will
grant 4 point of !thulhu +ythos.
"he Keeper might consider using or adapting !lark3shton /mith=s story The Testament of Athammaus
for the content of the main body of the story.
The &nd of the !auer&'"edition
"cene T)pe: @ptional,!lue Bonus-
ead#&n:"he !ube)/haped /tructure, "he /hadow;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp
ead#0ut:"he !ube)/haped /tructure, "he
/hadow ;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp
Evidence ollection:
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"here are three charred bodies here in a
blackened mass.
"here are rifle cartridges scattered around. 3t
least : shots were fired.
hemistr):
"he group was burned with fuel, probably
kerosene
"here is an odd tarry residue here that you don=t
recognise as a normal by)product of chemical
fires like this. It seems to be organic.
o 'iolog):"his isn=t any known organic
substance
orensics:3ll three men appear to have died fromburns caused by an inflammable li%uid
Evidence ollection:?e$t to the first man is a
dark stone statuette. It is a s%uat, grotes%ue, vaguelytoad)like form with a fat body, half)closed eyes,
large ears and a lolling tongue. /eeing this is a 4)
point /tability test, +ythos related. 3nyone failing
this test is disturbed by a haunting sense of
recognition, as if of a childhood memory or a
dream. "hat night, they are visited by an unpleasant
dream of this corpulent entity leering at them in
some dark, subterranean place. "hey will lose a
second point of /tability.
thulhu 4)thos: /imilar toad)like statueswere used by e$tinct 3merican Indian tribes
in !anada and ?ew England. "hey
supposedly represent a being called
Tsathoggua. "here are interesting parallels
with an entity called Sa#og,ahassociated
with witchcraft in the 3uvergne region of
2rance. 3ccording to the Book of Eibon, the
worship of this god began on the lost
continent of yperborea, where he was
known as)hotha**uah.
0utdoorsman or Evidence ollection:
"hree sets of footprints come from the
direction of the cube)shaped structure. "hey
were running.
3 faint trail of froAen moisture, mucus or
slime, also coming from the cube)shaped
structure
!hat Happened Here>
"he three surviving members of the e$peditionentered the temple and as instructed by 1obineau-
recited the spell he brought with him !ontact
/pawn of "sathoggua-. "hey entered and began to
e$plore. @ne of the men could not resist taking the
idol of "sathoggua from the altar when they left.
"hey fled, pursued by the spawn. "hey fired on it to
no effect, but managed to set it on fire with their
flamethrower. It attacked them, causing the
flamethrower to rupture and burning the entire
group, including the spawn, to death.
The Cu%e,Sha"ed Structure"cene T)pe: @ptional,!lue Bonus-
ead#&n:"he End of the Bauer E$pedition, "he/hadow ;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp
ead#0ut:"he End of the Bauer E$pedition, "he
/hadow ;nder the Ice, "he 1erman !amp
"his mysterious, ancient, weathered cube s%uats on
the mountainside like a tomb or a memorial to
something incomprehensibly ancient. It is built ofdark grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slits
high in the walls and an open, s%uare doorway
about nine feet wide.
Evidence ollectionor0utdoorsman:"here is afaint, short path leading from the ice plain to the
doorway.
Geolog):"he building is constructed of basalt. 3point spend:"he profound erosion of this hardstone appears to imply that it is tens or hundreds of
thousands of years old.Architecture:Each wall appears to be formed of a
single natural block.3 point spend:"he buildingbears no relationship to any known architectural
style.
"he walls and floor are covered in thick frost. "here
are footprints across the floor and in places the frost
has been scraped from the walls.
Evidence ollection 3 5oint spend: In other
places, the frost has been melted from the walls as
indicated by dark scorch marks.
ust inside the door is a huge, three)legged basin of
a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of
green, several feet wide around it. hemistr)or
Archaeolog) recognises it as e$tremely ancient
bronAe covered in thick verdigris. "he bowl is si$
feet across and three deep. If e$amined, the inside
of the bowl is untarnished, in near)perfect
condition. Evidence ollection:"he feet are in theshapes of feline)like claws.
"he floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern of
large, irregular, five)sided flagstones. 5h)sics or
Architecture:"his pattern of tessellated pentagons
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is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated
understanding of obscure geometry.
/trange hieroglyphs identifiable as a primitive
version of "sath)Oo- can be seen covering the
walls, in some still covered in frost and some
already e$posed. "he glyphs relate a history of the
original builders of the city as translated in
Ethelrod=s%ictographs in the Temple of )oth-A**ua.
@n the back wall is an empty two)tiered altar.
Evidence ollection:3 bare spot in the frost and
wear on the stone indicates that an ob>ect rested on
this altar for a long time time. 3#5oint spend
recognises the outline of the statuette found at The
End of the 'auer Expedition.
The *urial Chamber
Behind the altar, what may once have been a hidden
doorway lies open with fragments of corroded
bronAe chain on the floor nearby.
hemistr)indicates that the chain fragments havebeen in this position for only a few years. 1reen
stains on the door itself imply that the door was
probably chained for millennia.
"he windowless chamber beyond is almost fifty
feet wide and about ten feet deep. @pposite the door
seated on a large, bronAe throne is the striking
figure of a mummified baboon)like ape dressed inthe remnants of a red and purple robe and a
feathered headdress. "ufts of orange hair poke
through holes in the robe. "his is a
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summoning the 1noph)keh from the ice)plains to
wreak havoc in the valley.
aving tracked the outsiders to the valley, they
build their snow shelter and male members of the
clan take turns to be dropped off by sled, on a
possibly suicidal mission to draw the gnoph)keh to
their enemies= camp.
;nfortunately for them, while their song summonsthe creature, it offers no control or protection from
it. If the caller is successful, they are as likely as
not, to become victims themselves. Either toss a
coin, a die or make a decision according to what is
dramatically interesting in each instance. "his also
means that all the men of the clan bar one are likely
to be dead by the time the creature has been
summoned about si$ times.
3ll of the following antagonist reaction scenes run
concurrently with e$ploration and e$cavation in thevalley over a period of weeks or months until either
the outsiders leave the area, there is only one male
member of the clan alive or the clan is defeated.
;ntil then it will continue to be a thorn in the
e$pedition=s side while the team is e$cavating the
site.
"he Keeper should run these events fle$ibly to
steadily terrorise and demoralise the &rotagonists.
"he fre%uency and time of summoning attempts,
their success or failure, whether the summonerescaped alive or not and the intensity and nature of
the 1noph)Keh=s attacks, should be determined by
whatever works dramatically at the time. "he
threat level should climb steadily, with more
intense and bold attacks, more serious damage to
assets and a growing certainty that there is
something supernatural going on. @ne attack every
couple of weeks is probably about the right sort of
pace.
The Singing
3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty 6
Difficulty : under tents at night- allows a character
to hear a haunting, rhythmic chant or song carried
on the wind.
Art !istor) or "inging:3 3#5oint spendidentifies it as traditional throat singing of some
kind.
3 further Difficulty 7 test : at night- is needed to
locate the singer. 3nd a Difficulty C /tealth test 7
at night- is necessary to approach undetected,otherwise the singer will flee into the mountains.
/imilarly, if the &rotagonists delay before
investigating the sound, the singer will have fled
the possible approach of the 1noph)Keh.
0utdoorsmanwill allow their tracks to be
followed into the foothills. 3nd 3#5oint "pendwillidentify hide shoes and the fact that the wearer was
running.
"here is a real potential here for &rotagonists to be
caught out in the open when the bliAAard arrivessee below-.
The Howling
If the summoning was successful, a /ense "rouble
test against Difficulty 7 will allow characters to
hear strange and eerie howling sounds. "his is a 4)
&oint /tability test.
'iolog)or 0utdoorsman:"his isn=t any known
animal, a realisation which increases the /tability
test to 9)&oint. "his is %uickly followed by a snow
storm blowing suddenly over the mountains from
the ice sheet.
"he howling may be heard in the midst of the more
severe bliAAards, heard with a /ense trouble test
against Difficulty C.
A *od in the -ce
If the singer is killed during an attempted
summoning, a /ense "rouble test against Difficulty
: alerts an Investigator to a brief cry in the distance,
probably soon forgotten as a bliAAard arises.
Evidence ollection: If the area is searched, this
abilityreveals the body of the singer, unlesscovered by snow. 3 3 5oint spendis needed if
heavy snow has fallen on the area. 3nother3#5oint
spend:!lose to the body is a figurine made out of
ice, depicting a strange si$ legged, horned animal.
3nthropologyH "his is a totem possibly used for
calling spirits. thulhu 4)thos:"his is depiction
of the 1noph)Keh the legendary beast of the
3rctic wastes. 3#5oint spend:"his carving is atotem for calling the 1noph)keh.
orensics: "he manner of death isreveals the
manner of death goring, mauling crushing or
hypothermia. If the body has been devoured,
2orensics indicates that a large carnivore is the
culprit. 3 3#5oint spendreveals that this was not a
polar bear, but something unknown and larger.
'iolog) or 0utdoorsman:;nless covered by
snow, there may be prints nearby that can be
identified as not originating from a polar bear.
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3fter finding either anomaly above, thulhu
4)thos reminds the &rotagonist of the legends ofthe 1noph)Keh.
Antagonist Reaction of the#no"h,.eh
"he 1noph)Keh is motivated by hatred and hunger.
It will attempt to kill any human it encounters,
probably by freeAing them to death, and devouring
the remains if it can.
@nce close to the camp, the creature will summon
up a bliAAard, and if it sees vulnerable targets
disorientated, few in number or in>ured it will
attack in the confusion and blindness of the
snowstorm. If it loses over half of its ealth, the
1noph)keh will retreat back to the ice)sheet. If it is
killed, the Eskimo=s song will simply summon a
different 1noph)Keh.
*liBBards
Define rules for bliAAard creation or simply refer to
"rail of !thulhu &4
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anging over the doorway is the skull of a bear. 3
stone spike has been driven through its nose, giving
it an almost (hinoceros)like appearance.
Anthropolog): "his may be a totem animal spirit,
probably to protect the igloo.
"imple "earch: Inside the igloo are a hearth, food
for several days, bedding for one, and possible
spare clothes or a stone spear, a$e or knife.
0utdoorsman: "racks of a dog sled can be found
nearby. 3 3#5oint "pendis needed per day to trackthem to the homestead.
The &s-imo )omestead"cene T)pe:@ptional
3bout four days away by dog sled, the clan=s
homestead is huddled in a narrow valley in the wild
mountains near Evighedsf>orden.
"he house is large structure of whalebone and hide
construct, covered in ice and snow and out of sight
of the valley. 3 trickle of hearth smoke often
emerges from a hole in the roof.
?ear the fire is a makeshift altar and a grotes%ue
idol. "he altar is a >agged, natural rock. In front of
it, is a bowl of blood and the heart of a polar bear,
sprinkled with tiny flowers. &erched on the altar is a
small, crude whalebone statue of a s%uatting
creature with tentacles for a face. /eeing thisre%uires a 4)point /tability test, +ythos related.
thulhu 4)thos identifies it as a depiction of!thulhu.
3ll of the surviving members of the clan will be
here. 3pproaching without alerting anyone is a
/tealth test against Difficulty 8. If alerted, they will
flee a strong group or attack a weak one. If
surprised, they will be in or around the shelter. If
cornered, they will fight fiercely to the death.
PBegin /idebarQ
The !lond &s-imo"hese natives are, to the best of their knowledge,
the last of an ancient race that once had great cities
here. +ost of their civilised culture has been lost
they are now simple hunter)gatherers, living harsh
lives in the more remote parts of 1reenland. "heir
ancient religion has been lost and they make their
offerings and prayers to !thulhu, who they call
/ulu'.
&hysically, they look very different from other
Eskimo people, being blond, with long faces,
elongated ear)lobes and substantial facial hair. "hey
wear hoodless, wide)collared parkas with hats.
"hey believe that the thing that comes from the ice
in answer to their song is a 'hite Bear /pirit= and
wear amulets, mistakenly believing that they can
offer protection from the 1noph)Keh.
Anthropolog):"his primitive >ewellery is an
amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear andpossibly intended to offer protection of some kind.
'iolog):"he pendant looks like polar bear bone
and the necklace is decorated with bear teeth and
claws.
"lat the Angekok
"his white)bearded man may be in his :Fs. e
wears a long parka decorated with strange motifs
and symbols and an odd, pointed hat.
If ;lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensiblecurses and wave his hands around in a biAarre,
intimidating fashion. 3s a last resort he will attempt
to defend himself with spells or a knife.
;lat=s long, colourful parka is decorated with
a%uatic designs. thulhu 4)thos 3#5oint spend:
"he images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in
undersea towers on the shaman=s long parka seem
to be a depiction of !thulhu and his race.
Abilities: 3thletics :, /cuffling C, 'eapons C,
ealth :!it Threshold: ust above freeAing
'ater is dripping from the ceiling
&ools of water are collecting
/mall rivulets are running from that wall of ice
"he surface of that wall seems more pitted than
when we first saw it. I don=t remember those
holes being there
Someones )issing
@ne of the ?on)&layer !haracters if there are any
left- working or moving alone in the city ruins is
noticed as missing.
3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty 7 may allow
characters to hear a cry for help.
3fter a search, the character is found unconscious,
lying in a large pool of blood.
4edicine:"here is no obvious sign of in>ury. 4
point spend- e appears to be in a coma.
orensics: 4 point spend- "here is no sign ofin>ury apart from bruising around the neck and face.
)ore Thawing
3gain this is something that one of the &rotagonists
should notice passively. "his can occur more than
once.
Evidence ollection:
3 black substance is ooAing from holes in the
!igh "treetor The "-uare
o 'hen revisited, the ooAe is gone.
o If a sample is taken the container is later
found broken or overturned and the
sample missing
Something in the Shadows
'hen two or more characters are moving through
the city, with a successful /ense "rouble test
against Difficulty :, they catch a glimpse of
something slithering or scuttling among the ice and
rubble. By the time they reach the spot toinvestigate, there is nothing there.
A Protagonist is Attacked
If a &rotagonist is so foolish as to be alone in the
city they may be targeted by one of the spawn. "he
Keeper may want to resolve this event privately, to
avoid the possibility of the other players learning
that one of their companions is infested with an
parasitic monster.
3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty : will allowthe character to catch a glimpse of movement or a
sound as the creature approaches or waits in
ambush. If they succeed, the spawn will !hase
them. "hree or four successful 3thletics or 2leeing
tests may be enough to allow the character to reach
the rest of the group, at which point the spawn will
retreat. If they fail the /ense "rouble test above, the
spawn will attack with surprise.
(uthless Keepers may want to consider a result of 4
or 9 on the /ense "rouble test as automaticinfestation, in order to keep the victim=s player in
the dark about what has happened.
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Evidence from a successful attack will be similar to
the "omeone?s 4issingsection above. 3n infestedcharacter will have no memory of the attack,
although when they awaken they may e$perience
some odd symptomsH
3 spaced out=, apathetic feelingH treat as if
"ha(en. *oss of Drive.
3bdominal pain
3 sluggish, bloated feeling
"hese symptoms may initially be confused with
nervous shock=. "he victim themselves will
rationalise and >ustify any unusual behaviour. "his
is a good roleplaying opportunity for the player.
)utin of the -nfested
'ith time, they will also begin to e$perience
strange urges and black)outs. /ee the "pa$n of*n)gathin +haumsidebar on &age $$.
@nce fully under the control of the parasitic spawn,
the infected character will seek to awaken
Knygathin Zhaum and his spawn using the various
e$cavation tools at The 5alaceelsewhere.
?aturally this will accelerate the A$a(ening of
*n)gathin +haum, although ideally this shouldn=t
occur until the team has found "he Eye of ;bbo)
/athla.
@ther possible sabotage attempts includeH
*uring as many people into the city as possible
Blocking the escape route with e$plosives
If the spawn is found out and cannot escape it will
attack from within the host body with its Attac(from !ostability. "he eyes will roll back and turn
black, and sticky black tendrils will shoot from
mouth and nose, striking anyone in range. 3 /ense
"rouble test against Difficulty C to avoid being
surprised. Being attacked in this way is a 8)&oint/tability test.
The Spawn and their ProgenitorAwaken
'hether due to the use of "?" to e$cavate "he
&alace, sabotage by spawn)infested characters or
simply the gradual, collective thawing generated by
the spawn, at some stage all hell is going to break
loose. "his event should occur either as determined
by &rotagonist actions, by antagonist reactions
sabotage by an infested character- or simply whenthe Keeper decides is suitably dramatic. In any case
it should be no longer than 76 hours from when the
&rotagonists enter the city.
/pawn which until now had remained furtive and
have assaulted only isolated characters, have
awakened in sufficient numbers that they can
launch a direct attack. ?ot far behind is Knygathin
Zhaum itself.
"his eventuality is handled below in the scene The'lac( Doom.
PEnd /idebarQ
The !lac- Doom"cene T)pe:
ead#&n:
ead#0ut:
3 /ense "rouble test against Difficulty : is re%uired
to detect the approaching spawn. "he first waveconsists of five spawn, with others not far behind.
/omething much larger can be heard or even
glimpsed- crashing, slithering and hissing in the
rear. "his is an 6)&oint /tability test.
!haracters who don=t flee immediately will be
attacked in two rounds.
2or those who flee, this is a !hase. If none of the
protagonists passed their /ense "rouble, the test
Difficulty is C. "hose who passed get a head start
and a Difficulty of
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/uppressive fire
@n the third round of the chase, another spawn
suddenly emerges from the left bank of the igh
/treet, blocking the &rotagonists= escape. It attacks
the character with the lowest /ense "rouble pool
points. Each round of delay adds 4 to the test
Difficulty.
+I?D "E 13&
If the spawn fail the !hase contest, this means that
the protagonists have reached at least temporary
safety a vehicle, the cabin, a vertical shaft
accessing the top of the ruins with the rope ladder
pulled away etc-.
owever, as Knygathin Zhaum can probably get
through most barriers, this freedom may be short
lived. ;nless they can come up with a way to seal
the entrance to the city e$tremely %uickly, they will
probably need to get to the snow tractor to escape.
7ngathin haum
"he entity that was known an age ago, by the name
Knygathin Zhaum= is a dark, mottled and
mammoth)siAed entity a bloated trunk, with a
one)eyed face= emerging from its midsection, and
a second eye beneath that. "wo long tentacles with
fingers= like knots of writhing snakes emerge from
its shoulders= and a cup)like mouth protrudes at the
top. "he lower limbs are a mass of slenderproboscides covered in suckers.
Knygathin Zhaum can attack with each of its two
tentacles in a single round. *ike his spawn, he can
assume the form of a viscous, black li%uid. 3nd
most forms of physical in>ury will simply flow
closed.
3thletics 49, ealth 99, /cuffling 96
!it Threshold: