Temple in the Ice©1993,2000

Michael LaBossiereOntologist@aol.com

Call of Cthulhu

Legal InformationThis adventure is copyright

1993,1999 by Dr. Michael C.LaBossiere. It may be freelydistributed for personal useprovided that it is not modifiedand no fee above the normal cost ofdistribution is charged for it. Visitmy web site atwww.opifex.cnchost.com.

Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium Inc'sregistered trademark for their gameof horror and wonder in the worldsof HP Lovecraft. For moreinformation, contact ChaosiumInc., 950-A 56th St, Oakland, CA94608 -- or call us at 510-595-2440.Visit Chaosium's web page atwww.chaosium.com/cthulhu/ .

IntroductionThis adventure takes place after

the events detailed in “Pines &Sunshine. It is set in Antarctica in2000, but can be modified for othertimes and suitable cold places.

Connection to Pines &Sunshine

This adventure has been writtenfrom the assumption that at leastsome of the investigatorssuccessfully completed the Pines &Sunshine adventure. It is furtherassumed that they have the firstgate component, the gate

component locator and that theyare working with the key NPCsfrom the adventure.

While the Keeper will need todecide exactly what events takeplace between Pine & Sunshineand this adventure, the followingshould serve as a general guide.

The members of the team (West,Lansing, and Reed) and theinvestigators will spend some timeexamining the gate componentthey recovered and trying to figureout what to do next.

In the course of his studies, Dr.Lansing will learn that the itemappears to be part of a largerstructure and that it is clearer not ofhuman manufacture. Dr. West willcontinue his medical research andwill learn more about the genesand will have started working on away to delay or even stop the effectof the genes. He will also learn thatthe component affects the alienDNA, initiating changes in thecells. Because of this Dr. West willtry to keep Reed and Lansing awayfrom it as much as possible.However, they will both find itstrangely compelling.

While the good doctors are doingtheir research, Major Reed will beusing her connections in anattempt to gather as muchinformation as possible.

The Keeper will need to decidewhether the authorities becomeinvolved in the investigators’activities. The adventure is writtenon the assumption that therelevant authorities are keeping adiscrete eye on the investigators buthave decided not to becomeactively involved (yet). If theKeeper decides to have the

authorities undertake a moreactive roll, he will need to makesome alterations in the adventure.

Keeper’s HistoryThe following time line details

the events leading up to theadventure. Some of thisinformation may become availableto the investigators in the course ofthe adventure.1919: While doing research inCanada, Dr. Henry Pierceencounters a cult of Ithaquaworshippers. From the cultists,Pierce learns the legend of a templeof Ithaqua in the Antarctic.According to the legend, the templecontains the means fortransforming a human into animmortal being. The legends alsomention that the temple contains agateway to other worlds. Filledwith a desire for immortality,Pierce is determined to find thetemple.1920: In his quest for the temple,Pierce manages to locate an ancientcompass-like device that issupposed to point to the location ofthe temple. The device is anancient artifact actually designed tolocate Vorceki technology. Piercealso manages to find a map thatpurports to show the location ofthe temple.1921: Pierce starts organizing andplanning his expedition to theAntarctic. Realizing that he willnot be able to fund the expeditionentirely by himself, Pierce gets Dr,John Taylor to join the expedition.June 22, 1923: The Pierce-Taylorexpedition arrives in the Antarcticaboard the steamship Westward .June 23-July 7, 1923: The expedition

searches the wastes of Antarctica,directed by Pierce’s map andartifact. Despite these aids, theexpedition makes little progress.Over the course of the search, fourexpedition members are lost,reportedly to freak accidents. Inactuality, the hapless victims weresacrificed to supply the bloodrequired by Pierce’s artifact.July 8, 1923: Dr. Pierce locates thetemple and sets his men to the taskof blasting away the encasing ice.July 13, 1923: The work crews reachthe temple and are able to excavatethe opening. Pierce enters thetemple and begins to decipher thewritings within.July 14-July 20, 1923: Piercecontinues to decipher the writingsand learns that they continue aritual that will transform a humaninto a supernatural servant ofIthaqua. He begins preparing towork the ritual on himself, whilecarefully concealing what he haslearned from Taylor.July 21, 1923: Pierce sends Taylorand some of the men back to theWestward to get supplies. Taylor issuspicious and leaves behind someloyal men.July 22, 1923: Aided by hisfollowers, Pierce over powers themen loyal to Taylor. He then beginssacrificing them in his ritual. Oneman is able to break free longenough to fire off a flare, whichalerts Taylor..July 23, 1923: Taylor and his well-armed compatriots return and dobattle with Pierce and his followers.In the ensuing melee, everyoneexcept Taylor and Pierce are killed.Pierce, having almost completedthe ritual, is sealed within the

temple by Taylor. Taylor makes hisway back to the Westward.July 27, 1923: The driftingWestward is found and Taylor isrescued.1924: After recovering from hisordeal, Taylor writes a book aboutthe expedition. Naturally, he leavesout many of the actual events.Ironically, Pierce is portrayed as thehero of the expedition.May 4, 1996: The Pierce Antarcticbase, named after the renownedexplorer lost in the area in the1920s, is established by the UnitedStates.May 4, 1998 The United Statesmakes the base into amultinational outpost.Present –5 Days: Shifts in theAntarctic ice sheet partially exposesthe temple.Present –4 Days: Shifting ice cracksthe temple open. Pierce, who hassurvived in a state of enchantedsuspended animation, awakenswhen the imprisoning Elder Signfalls from where Taylor placed it.Present –3 Days: A surveillancesatellite detects the temple. Ahelicopter is dispatched from thebase to investigate. The helicopterlands and the exploration teamreports finding a structure.Present –2 Days: The explorationteam examines the templecarefully. They find Pierce, butthink him to be just a frozencorpse. Pierce magically feeds offthe team members until he isstrong enough to act.Present-1 Day: The investigatorsarrive at the base, late at night.

Pierce kills two of the teammembers and completes the ritual.Transformed into an even greater

inhuman monstrosity, Pierce killsthree more of the expedition. Twoof them escape in the helicopter,only to be brought down by icy,magical winds created by Pierce.

Present: The adventure begins.

Getting the InvestigatorsInvolved

The following providesguidelines for smoothly getting theinvestigators into the adventure.

An Amazing CoincidenceAmazingly enough, one of the

investigators is distantly related toPierce and will learn of this when apackage arrives from FedEx. Thepackage contains a variety ofantiques (a telescope, a sextant,some books), the alien compass(detailed below as Pierce’sCompass) and a small sheaf ofhand written notes. The packagealso comes with a letter indicatingthat the items were found whenone of the investigator’s distantrelatives died and that this relativeremembered that the investigatorliked odd things. A copy of ThePierce-Taylor Expeditionaccompanies the items.

The investigators should be leadto experiment with the compass. Ifthey get it to work and compare thecoordinates it produces with Beck’sinformation, they will learn thatthe coordinates of the compasscoincide with some of Beck’s data.If the investigators check, they willlearn that the coordinates point to alocation in Antarctica.

Reed’s Investigation

Major Reed has extensiveconnections in the intelligencecommunity and will use theseconnections to gather informationthat might be relevant.

Her investigation will begin withthe information gathered fromBeck’s records and the compass.

This investigation will lead herinto contact with Dr. Taylor.

Meeting with TaylorAfter Reed contacts Taylor, he

will agree to come and talk withher. While Reed and Lansing (andthe investigators) will probably besuspicious of Taylor, he should beable to win them over. He does notknow anything about the aliengenetic material or the gates.However, he will divulge what heknows about the Pierce-Taylorexpedition.

Taylor will say that the eventsdescribed in his ancestor’s book arenot completely accurate. Accordingto information passed down in hisfamily, Pierce went to Antarctica insearch of some sort of ancienttemple that was said to be able totransform beings.

Not surprisingly, the expeditionended badly. Everyone, with theexception of Taylor and Pierce werekilled. According to the tale, Piercehad begun to alter himself, butTaylor was able to seal him in theTemple.

Taylor will say that because of hisfamily history, he has always hadan interest in Antarctica. He willrelate that this interest lead to asurprising find. Almost by accidenthe came across a satellite imagethat showed what appeared to be astructure frozen in the ice. Taylor

will say that he contacted thepeople at the Pierce Antarctic baseand asked them to do a preliminarysurvey. He will emphasize that hetold them not to interfere with thesite until he arrives.

Unless the investigators beat himto it, Taylor will suggest that theycombine their forces and go toAntarctica. If the investigatorsagree, he will help arrange suitabletransport to the base.

If the investigators chose not togo with him, the Keeper will needto find some other way to get theinvestigators into the adventure.

InvestigationThe following details the

information the investigators canfind prior to the action.

Taylor’s BookThe following information is in

The Pierce-Taylor Expedition, 1924by Dr. Jonathan Taylor.June 22, 1923: The Pierce-Taylorexpedition arrives in the Antarcticaboard the steamship Westward .Dr. Henry Pierce was a well-knownexpert archaeologist and arcticexplorer. Dr. John Taylor, theauthor of the work, was also anoted arctic explorer.June 23-July 7, 1923: The expeditionexplores the wastes of Antarctica.Over the course of the exploration,four expedition members are lost toaccidents. The accidents aredescribed in a plausible manner.July 21, 1923: Taylor leads severalmen back to the Westward to getsupplies.July 23, 1923: Taylor and his menreturn and find that Pierce and the

others have perished in adevastating storm. Taylor writesglowingly of Pierce’ heroic attemptsto save his men.

The book concludes with asomewhat odd passage: “It is wellthat men head the fate of bravePierce. There are some placeswhere man should tread carefullyor perhaps not at all. Pierce’s placeof rest, the vast icy realm ofAntarctica, is one such place. Mayhis body rest eternally in peace.”

Pierce’s NotesPierce’s handwritten notes mostly

contain innocuous informationabout the planned expedition.However, there are a few items thatwill interest the investigators.

These sections are as follows:

“The compass device is clearlyancient and alien in nature. I havelearned through my research that itis activated by heart blood. It pointsthe way.”

“While I have followed manywild geese, I think that this time Ihave the answer. The texts speak ofthe ancient temple in which‘transformations take place.’ TheWalker in the Wastes shall havehis ideal servant in me.”

“The ancient texts speak of a racethat flew down from the stars andbuilt might cities. There are somereferences to the Shugguths.However, such is the power of mydesire that I will dare even them.”

“There is a single reference to ahole to the stars in some of thefragments. I know not what this

refers to.”

Map InformationThe following details the maps

for this adventure.Main Map

The main map details the areaaround the Antarctic base.Base: This is the Antarctic base. It isdetailed in its own section.Helicopter Crash Site: This is wherePierce brings down the helicopter.The crash site is detailed below.Mysterious Ruins: This is where atemple to Ithaqua has been exposedby an ice slide.

Antarctic Base MapThe Antarctic Base is a scientific

outpost dedicated to studying theAntarctic. A twenty personinternational team of scientists andsupport personnel mans it. Thebase is constructed out of strong,but light material and the wholething can be disassembled forhelicopter transport.Barracks: The barracks contains theliving quarters for the personnel.To minimize stress, eachcrewmember shares a room withanother crewmember who is onthe opposite shift. The barracks isequipped with the latest inentertainment and exerciseequipment as well as comfortablefacilities. In addition to thequarters, the barracks containskitchen facilities and the mess.Main Building: The main buildinghouses the scientific labs, meetingrooms, computer rooms, and theradio shack for the base. This iswhere the on duty crew works. Theequipment is all state of the art and

cutting edge research in a variety ofareas (such as climate history) isdone here.Ground Vehicle Storage: The base’sfour snowmobiles and one SnowTractor are stored here. Thesnowmobiles are quite large andare capable of holding three adultsand a fair amount of equipment.The Snow Tractor can hold up tothree adults in its heated cab. TheSnow Tractor is used mostly toplow snow.Helicopter Pad: The pad is a heavywooden platform set on the ice. Ithas protected lights set into it aswell as a radio transponder to aidin landings under almost anyconditions. The base is equippedwith two Boeing Arctic Hawkhelicopters.Fuel Storage: Fuel for the vehiclesand power plant are kept here inself-sealing containers. Thebuilding is equipped withautomated fire extinguishers toavoid accidents.Power Plant: This building containsthe base’s power plant. It is atechnologically advanced generatorwhich produces a large amount ofelectricity from a moderate amountof fuel. Each building also has asmall back up generator and a fortyeight hour fuel supply.

The TripTaylor will make arrangements

for the investigators and the others(along with himself) to travel toSouth America via plane. Oncethere, they will get aboard aRussian ship that takes wealthytourists to Antarctica.

Unless the Keeper has otherplans, the trip should be

uneventful. The group will arrivein the cold wastes and be flown tothe base via a sturdy Russianhelicopter. When they arrive, theywill learn that a team from the basehas been working at the site forsome time. This will displeaseTaylor and frighten him a bit.However, he will conceal hisfeelings and take steps to try to getto the site as soon as possible.Unfortunately, events are alreadyunderway.

The Howl of the Sirens, the Roar ofthe Wind

The adventure begins for theinvestigators with the howl of theemergency sirens at 12:01 AM. Theinvestigators will, no doubt, try tofind out what all the noise is about.They will be informed of theevents since 11:45 and say that it isbelieved that the expeditionhelicopter has crashed whileattempting to return to the base,probably due to the weatherconditions. It will be added that it issuspected that the pilot may havepsychologically disturbed, since hislast transmission was extremelyodd. This would help to explainwhy he chose to fly the helicopterunder such dangerous conditions.Since the investigators are thefocus of the actions they must bepersuaded to join the search for themissing helicopter and investigatethe expedition site. Harnst,Armstrong and Gupta will join theinvestigators on the rescuemission.

Of course, no one will leaveuntil the storm dies down. Thestorm will dissipate as rapidly as it

appeared, allowing theinvestigators to depart at 12:15 am,after the helicopter has been madeready.

Defrosting the HelicopterBecause of the harsh Arctic

conditions the helicopter istypically coated with snow and icevery quickly after landing. In orderto get the helicopter ready to fly, theinvestigators will have to spendsome time getting the ice and snowoff it. The standard methodemployed is to use some oldsunlamps that are stored in thebase to speed up the process. Theserather harsh lamps generateenough heat to melt the snow andice off the helicopter. Although thedesigner would probably not bepleased with this method of flightprep, the helicopter’s advancedconstruction makes it able towithstand the stresses of freezesand thaws. Once airborne andpowered up, the heating elementsincorporated into the helicopter areadequate to keep the ice formationdown to a minimum.

ActionThe action begins for the

investigators when they are sentout to investigate the helicoptercrash site. After they visit the crashsite, they will then proceed to thetemple site and their fate.

Helicopter Crash SiteThe search for the crash site will

be uneventful. The investigatorswill soon locate the missinghelicopter, which is on the ice,partially buried in snow. Theinvestigators will notice that the

helicopter has suffered littledamage, although it is lying on itsside and its rotor is smashed. All ofthe helicopter’s doors are open, butno bodies are visible from the air(either in the helicopter or on theice).

If the investigators set down theirhelicopter and go to investigate thedowned helicopter, they will beable to clearly see that the landingwas not too bad and that the crewshould have survived. If theapproach the helicopter, they willspot a 9mm automatic pistol lyingin the snow, with four shell casingsscattered on the ice. Around thehelicopter are thick drifts of snow,which could easily concealsomething quite large. If the playersdecide to inspect the helicopter,they will find it abandoned, withsnow already beginning to collectthrough the open doors.

If the players decide to check thearea, they will notice a bodypartially concealed in the snowbehind one of the drifts. If theinvestigators call out, the body willmove a bit. If the investigators goover to the body, they will be quitesurprised when, the body,Lieutenant Daniel Jones, turns outto be a monster. It would not beinappropriate to give “Jones” a freeattack on the surprisedinvestigators (should conditionswarrant). As soon as “Jones”attacks, the dead scientist RachelTsung will rise out of the snow toattack. While the battle with the IceZombies will not be very pleasantfor the investigators (after all, theywill be forced to mangle thecorpses), the Ice Zombies shouldnot pose a serious threat and the

investigators should be able tojourney on to the expedition site.

If the investigators report in tothe base, the commander will notaccept any explanation thatinvolves zombies. The commanderwill suggest that 1) the expeditionmembers went mad or 2) that theywere exposed to some sort ofnatural or artificial biological agent(remember, they reported feeling illafter entering the structure) whichbrought about their currentcondition. After the good doctortreats any wounds, theinvestigators will be asked tocontinue on to the expedition siteto search for any survivors there.

While the investigators aredealing with the Ice Zombies,Pierce is searching the Antarctic forsigns of other humans. While he isinsane and wants to sacrifice all thehumans in the base to Ithaqua,Pierce wants to be sure that thereare no other humans nearby thatcan come to their aid (Pierce is,after all, terribly afraid of death andwants to take no chances). Once heis confident that there is no helpfor the humans of the base, he willreturn to attack the base. Thisprocess will, however, take him afew hours.

The Temple of IthaquaWhen the investigators arrive

at the expedition site, they will seea circular structure (with a brokensection-it looks like somethingtook a bite out of it) and theexpedition tent nearby. If theinvestigators check the area, theywill see little from the air.

Tent: The tent is the expedition’stent. It is a fairly large arctic tent

and is made of special material andequipped with a small generator.The interior looks as if theexpedition suddenly abandoned itin a great hurry. One side of thetent is torn open, apparently byclaws. There is a small amount ofblood on the ice near the opening.If the investigators check the tent,they will find that it contains theusual arctic gear as well twonotebook computers. All of thecontents of the tent are quite coldand dusted with snow. Fortunately,the computers are specificallydesigned for arctic use and willoperate properly in the cold. Onebelonged to Rachel Tsung, theother to Dr. Charles Daniels. Tsung,the expedition’s biologist, hasextensive notes on the organicmaterial found within the and onthe structure. Most of her notes aremundane, except for two entries. Inone she described the remarkablepreservation of the body of Pierceand reports her findings from thesample taken from Pierce, namelythat Pierce’s cells are still alive,although his metabolic processeshave slowed incredibly.

The second entry reports thatPierce’s body is host to anunknown form of microorganism.Tsung reports that she iscompletely baffled by the organism,which seems to be incrediblyresistant to her attempts to destroysamples. She also reports that itgrows extremely rapidly, withlarger colonies of the organismconsuming smaller ones when noother nutrients are available, whenexposed to UV radiation.

Dr. Daniels specialty wasarchaeology (no one at the base,

including him, was sure why hewas assigned there-the reason wasthat high government officials hadreason to suspect the presence ofpre-human structures inAntarctica) and his notes areprimarily on the temple. Hedescribes it as being of no knownhuman building style and as beingcomposed of “unknown material.”His notes on the altar state that thedesigns and inscriptions on it aresimilar to those found in sites inAlaska. He has several referencesin his notes to the “Walker of theWastes”, which is one of the titleshumans have given Ithaqua.According to the notes, this“Walker of the Wastes” is describedas a giant monster of the ice which“travels all the realms to sate itseternal hunger.”

Aside from the two computers,there is nothing else interesting inthe tent.

The Temple of IthaquaThe temple building was

originally a storage container usedby Elder Things around 250 MillionBC (just prior to the revolt of theShoggoths).The container was noordinary one for it was used to holdmaterial for the creation of thedread Shoggoths. While the fate ofthe rest of the Elder Thing structureremains a mystery, the containereventually ended up in theAntarctic where it was found by apre-human race that worshippedIthaqua. This race converted thecontainer into a temple (they tookit to be a gift from Ithaqua) and setabout their vile practices with arenewed frenzy.

During their search for more

“temple” structures, these creaturesstumbled across a gate component.Sensing its power, the creaturesdragged the component into theirtemple and made it their centralaltar.

Unfortunately for this vile race,the container still held somemutated shoggoth material thatsoon infested and devoured thebodies of these faithful servants ofIthaqua.

Shortly after these creaturesperished, a serpent man explorerfound the structure and studied itand the gate component carefully.He recognized the menacepresented by the Shoggoth materialand wisely sealed the temple. Hiswritings on the temple wereeventually copied by humanwizards and passed down throughthe centuries.

The temple then lay abandonedfor untold years until Dr. Pierce,after learning of it in dark andsecret books based on the writingsof the serpent man, set out to findit.

The temple structure is clearlyof alien manufacture. While thestructure is not offensive to thehuman eye, there is somethingvaguely off about it, something thatindicates (on a subconscious level)that this is not a work of man. Oneside of the temple structure is open(where the entrance used to be) as itwas broken off by shifting ice.

In the center of the temple is thealtar, which is actually the icecoated gate component.

The Shoggoth ZombieIf the players look inside the

temple, they will see the altar as

well as the body of Dr. Daniels.Daniel’s body is a horrid sight: theflesh seems to be melting off fromit and forming a puddle on thefloor. Mixing with the slowlyforming puddle of flesh are small,grayish clumps with eye likemarkings (shoggoth-matter).Nearby lies the mauled body of theother member of the expedition,Sergeant Mjanwi. If theinvestigators enter the temple, theflesh from Daniel’s body will oozeback up onto his skeleton, guidedby the shoggoth matter. Thehorrible mass will then arise andlurch towards the investigators.

Daniel’s body has almost beencompletely absorbed and convertedto a form of shoggoth matter. Theresulting being is twisted andweaker version of a shoggoth, but itis still dangerous. It is driven by aprimal desire to incorporate moreand more flesh into itself, so it canachieve true shoggoth size.

Temple InteriorThe interior has an odd smell to

it (a mix of fresh blood, old bones,shoggoth-matter, and other stuff)which humans will finddisagreeable. The interior containsthe bodies of the two expeditionmembers. They were drained ofpower by Pierce and then killed assacrifices to Ithaqua. Anexamination of the bodies bysomeone with medical skill willreveal that they were killed by aknife (a survival knife from theexpedition supplies, which isresting on the altar). A knockedover table is on the floor andscattered about it on the floor arevarious instruments and notes. An

examination of the material willreveal the same information as thecomputers, but there are actualsamples present. If theinvestigators examine the samplesand the examiner makes a medicalskill roll, they will learn that thesamples are of what appears to behuman tissue infested by somevery odd, unknown organisms. Ifthe investigators expose them toUV light, they will expanddramatically and consume theirhost tissue. If the investigators arefoolish enough to let any of thematerial come in contact with theirskin, the shoggoth-material willenter their bodies and beginfeeding.Skulls and Bones: This is a pile ofskulls and bones that has collecteddue to the slight tilt of the temple.If some one with biology ormedical skill examines the bonesand makes a skill roll, they will beable to determine that not all thebones are human. The humanones are, of course, those from thePierce-Taylor expedition while thenon-human ones are from the pre-human race that worshipedIthaqua.Altar: The altar is coated in frozenblood, has the survival knife on it,as well as two odd protrusions.These protrusions are all that areleft of a crude stone statue ofIthaqua. The side of the altar iscovered with strange designs andscript. The script, which is in anancient, non-human language,contains the text of the spellsContact Ithauqua, Call Ithaqua, andRitual of Transformation.

Broken WingsWhile the investigators are

examining the temple, Pierce willreturn to the area and notice theirpresence. He will initially want tosimply slay them outright, butwhen he sees Dr. Taylor, he willchange his mind. Pierce will beconvinced that Dr. Taylor isactually John Taylor and Pierce willwant to make him suffer before hesacrifices him to Ithaqua. This willgive the investigators time. Beingin a particularly sadistic mood, hewill damage the helicopter andrender it incapable of flying. If theinvestigators left one of theirnumber behind, they will beattacked, unless they flee. Once theysee the condition of theirhelicopter, the investigators willrealize that they have to trek across26.84 km of frozen waste to reachtheir base.

Journey Across the IceSince the investigators are well

equipped, they will be able to coverthe distance in about seven hours.The investigators have no chanceof getting lost as they have satellitenavigation up link. However, theyhave no way of communicatingwith the base since radiocommunications will be filled withstatic ( a convenient freakatmospheric condition ).

Since Pierce wants to tormentthe investigators, they will not bein actual danger as they travel backto the base. However, theinvestigators will not know thisand their journey will behorrifying. As they trek back acrossthe ice, Pierce will play tricks on theinvestigators. For example, he

might re-animate one of theexpedition members and drop himoff in the investigators’ path. Thekeeper should be sure to instill theproper level of fear in the players.For example “ The snow crunchesunder your feet, like long frozenbones. The wind picks up, tearingat your clothing and howling like alost soul in search of someplacewarm to dwell, someplace like yourbody. Out of the corner of your eyeyou can see shapes moving acrossthe ice, shapes that look nothinglike man, nor bear, nor anywholesome creature of God’searth.”

At some point while theinvestigators are making their trek,Pierce will stop harassing theinvestigators. However, far fromrelieving the investigators, thisevent will fill them withtrepidation: “With one last feeblemoan, the wind dies. The darkshapes that have plagued you onyour journey are suddenly absent.However, far from feeling relieved,a cold terror fills your bones. Youare not sure why, but you knowthat this is worse.” The reason forthis feeling is that Pierce has finallygathered his courage to attack thebase, which he will do. His attackwill be brutal and devastating.

HomecomingAs the investigators approach

the base, they will see the interiorlights shining and everythingapparently normal. Once they getcloser, the will see signs of astruggle: bullet holes in some of thewalls, broken windows, and bloodon the ice. The interior of the baseis a mess. Everything has been torn

up and there are frozen bodies,with horrible wounds andterrifying expressions, scatteredabout within the buildings.

After the investigators realizethe full horror of their situation,they will hear the wind die downand a booming voice will be heard:“Welcome home Taylor. Do youlike what I’ve done to the place?You probably never expected to seeme again, when you sealed me inthe temple, but you never werevery bright. I was awake all thoseyears Taylor. I spent them thinkingof what I would do to you whenmy great intellect and ability led tomy freedom. I think this is suitablerevenge, don’t you Taylor? After Ikill your friends and re-animatethem to keep you company, I’llleave you here. I’ll leave you hereforever.” After giving his speech,Pierce will set about making histhreat good.

Fighting PiercePierce’s great ego is forcing him

to attack the investigators withouthelp. While he wants to liveforever, he is utterly confidant thathumans cannot possibly do himharm. However, he does knowabout firearms and will be subtleand cautious in his attack. This willgive the players some time to planand effect their defense.

Pierce can be defeated in twomain ways. The first is an out andout battle. If the players chose thisoption, Pierce will probablyslaughter them. The second optionis to make use of the investigatorstalents and assets. Being a mythosbeing, Pierce is repelled by Eldersigns. Taylor can construct one,

using the spell passed downthrough his family. Once one isconstructed, the investigators willhave to set a suitable trap for Pierce.If the players checked thecomputers, they will know thatPierce is infested with Shoggothmaterial and that this materialgrows rapidly in UV light. Theinvestigators will know that thebase has a stock of old sun lamps(which are used to melt ice off thevehicles since they emit harsh UVradiation). The investigators can setthese lamps up in a suitable placeand power them off one of thebuildings’ power supplies. The bigproblem will be forcing or luringPierce into the trap. This can bedone in a variety of ways. The twomain ways are 1) to force him intothe area using an Elder Sign or 2) tolure him into an area by havingTaylor taunt him. Because ofPierce’s ego, he will be easilyprovoked by Taylor and willpursue him.

If Pierce is exposed to the lamps,the Shoggoth-material in his bodywill begin to grow and consume hisflesh. He will take no damage thefirst round, one point the nextround, two the second, and so onuntil the fifth round. After fiverounds of exposure to the UV light,the growth cycle of the shoggoth-material will be fully activated andit will continue until Pierce isconsumed. After that, he will take1D6 a round as the rapidly growingshoggoth-material rips its waythrough his body. Seeing thisprocess costs the viewer 1/1D8Sanity points. Once Pierce startstaking damage, he will flee thebuilding, howling. He will rush out

into the arctic to summon Ithaqua,in the hopes that his god will beable to save him. It will be obviousto anyone with Mythos skill (suchas Taylor) that the noises comingfrom Pierce are part of asummoning ritual.

Unless the investigators finishhim off quickly, as Pierce isconsumed his life energy will gointo his summoning spell andIthaqua will be brought to earthjust as Pierce’s body is reduced to awrithing, twisting mass ofmindless shuggoth matter.Needless to say, this will beextremely bad for the investigators.If they are lucky, Ithaqua willmerely kill them.

If Pierce kills the investigators,he will re-animate them as IceZombies and leave them and thestill living Taylor in the base. Hewill then summon Ithaqua totransform Taylor (after Pierce bitesof his feet, of course) and Taylorwill be left, a mad, transformedcannibalistic monster, to gnaw thebones of the dead.

ConclusionThe adventure ends when the

investigators defeat Pierce or theythemselves are defeated.

If Pierce defeats the investigators,they will meet the horrid fatedescribed above. If the investigatorsdefeat Pierce, the survivors willneed to return to the ruins of thebase and undertake repairs so thatthey might survive the harshconditions and secure rescue. TheKeeper should give a few tensemoments by making the playersroll to repair key items (like agenerator or satellite uplink) and by

hinting that they think they see“things” moving out in thewindswept wastes.

Unless the investigators simplygive up, the Keeper should allowthem to be rescued by a Russiancrew after a few days of rather badweather. The survivors shouldreceive a 1D10 point Sanity Award.

The Russian ship is a touristvessel that takes wealthyAmericans to Antarctica. TheRussians, eager for hard currency,can be recruited to help recover andtransport the gate component.With suitable cash inducement,they will also back up any story theinvestigators care to provide.

The investigators’ wisest choice isprobably to lie about whathappened and report that a stormdestroyed the base. If theinvestigators do not come up witha plausible story, there will be anextensive investigation and theymight end up losing the gatecomponent. This, of course,assumes that the investigators arenot operating under the auspices ofthe government in their recoveryof the components.

The team members will study thenewly found gate component. Dr.Lansing will be able to determinefrom his careful study that thereare a total of six gate components.

Non Player CharactersThe following details the NPCs in

the adventure. Statistics are givenonly for relevant NPCs. If theKeeper decides to bring other NPCsinto the action, he will need togenerate their statistics.Relevant Base Personnel

Captain Karl Harnst, GermanArmySecurity Chief, Antarctic BaseSTR: 13CON: 15SIZ: 13INT: 14POW: 15DEX: 14APP: 13EDU: 17SAN: 75HP: 14Damage Bonus: +1D4Skills: Climb 55%, Computer Use15%, Dodge 45%, Electronics 15%,First Aid 45%, Listen 35%, MartialArts 65%, Persuade 55%,Psychology 65%, Sneak 45%, SpotHidden 65%,Track 45% Handgun 75%, Rifle 65%Languages: German 85%, English75%Stereotype: Clean cut, Germanprofessional soldier.Physical Description: Harnst is atall, healthy looking man withblonde hair and blue eyes. He has alarge scar which runs from his leftcheek all the way down to his chest(a hunting accident).Description: Harnst’s entire adultlife has been spent in the Germanmilitary. After enlisting right afterschool, his abilities soon lead himto officer candidate school and upthrough the ranks. In his youngerdays, Harnst was nearly a fascist,but his experiences while assignedto a peace-keeping force in EasternEurope radically altered his views.

Harnst is a very practical andpragmatic man and considers therational use of force to be aneffective means of problemsolving. Hence, his approaches to

problems tend to be very direct.While Harnst is very intelligent, hehas little in the way of fancifulimagination and dismisses allrumors about some supernaturalbasis to the world’s problems ascomplete nonsense.Equipment: Arctic gear, 9mm Pistoland two clips, HK MP5, MilitaryBinoculars.

Lieutenant Janet Armstrong,Australian Air ForceSTR: 11CON: 14SIZ: 8INT: 15POW: 13DEX: 16APP: 14EDU: 16SAN: 63HP: 11Damage Bonus: noneSkills: Astronomy 35%, ComputerUse 15%, Dodge 45%, ElectricalRepair 35%, Electronics 10%, FirstAid 40%, Hide 85%, Listen 55%,Locksmith 45%, Martial Arts 50%,Mechanical Repair 55%, Persuade25%, Pilot Aircraft (Helicopter)90%, Knife 55%, Handgun 45%,Rifle 35%Languages: English 80%Stereotype: Tough Australian,mixed with a stunt helicopter pilot.Physical Description: Armstrong isa dark skinned Australian womanwith a slightly wild look in hereyes.Description: Armstrong has beenflying helicopters since she was agirl and did several stunt jobs invarious films. When conditionworsened around the world, shevolunteered for military service.

After dumping an amorous generalwho tried to put a move on herinto the ocean, she was transferredto the base.

Armstrong is an incrediblyskilled and extremely reckless. Shetends to live her life like she flies,which has gotten her in trouble onmany occasions. Most of the basepersonnel think she is completelynuts, but there is no one theywould rather have at the controlswhen things get difficult.Equipment: Arctic gear, 9mm pistoland two clips, combat knife.

Dr. Neraj GuptaMedical OfficerSTR: 12CON: 14SIZ: 12INT: 19POW: 12DEX: 12APP: 13EDU: 20SAN: 60HP: 13Damage Bonus: NoneSkills: Biology 65%, Chemistry 25%,First Aid 95%, Library Use 85%,Medicine 85%, Pharmacy 65%,Psychology 25%, Psychoanalysis15%Languages: Hindustani 100%,English 85%, Latin 15%Stereotype: Competent,compassionate doctor.Physical Description: Dr. Gupta is atall, thin man with dark brownhair and brown eyes.Description: Dr. Gupta grew up inIndia and was educated in theUnited States. After practicing forseveral years in the United States,

he returned to India for severalyears. While in India, he wasbefriended by a holy man whotaught him many things aboutmedicine and life. On his deathbead, the holy man told him hemust “journey to the land of ice toface the bitter wind.” When Dr.Gupta heard that there was a needfor a medical officer for the arcticbase, he knew he had to volunteerfor the job.

Dr. Gupta is an extremely skilleddoctor and a kind man. He employsa wide variety of medicaltechniques, ranging from the latestmedical treatments to ancient yogapractices. Dr. Gupta has swornnever to take a human life and is astrict ethical vegetarian.Equipment: Arctic gear, notebookcomputer, and medical kit.

Team NPCsThe following are the NPCs that

should be working with theinvestigators. The investigatorsshould know them from theprevious adventures. The Keepermight need to alter the statistics forthe NPCs based on events that tookplace in previous adventures (suchas Sanity losses).

Dr. Karl WestSTR: 11 CON:12 SIZ: 13 INT: 16POW: 13 DEX: 11 APP: 11 EDU: 17SAN: 65 HP: 13 DB:Important Skills: Biology 70%,Chemistry 70%, Climb 50%,Computer Use 20%, First Aid 75%,Library Use 65%, Medicine 80%,Pilot Boat 20%, Physics 10%Description: Dr. West is forty nineyears old. He is five feet, eightinches tall. He has thinning brown

hair, a moustache and a beard. Heis in reasonable good shape.

Dr. West is a normal humanbeing. He received his M.D. fromOhio State University. Early in hiscareer West had the misfortune ofdelivering a stillborn baby that wasa horribly flawed hybrid. Horrified,yet curious, Dr. West decided toinvestigate further. To his horror,he found that there were anincreasing number of such births.

Dr. West is a verycompassionate and concerned man.He is dedicated to finding out whatis going on and protectinghumanity from what he fears is agreat threat.

Dr. Blake LansingSTR: 16 CON: 17 SIZ: 16 INT: 19POW: 18 DEX: 16 APP: 16 EDU: 19SAN: 90 HP: 13 DB:+1D4Important Skills: Computer Use50%, Electrical Repair 40%,Electronics 80%, Library Use 65%,Persuade 70%, Physics 98%, Swim50%Special Abilities: Dr. Lansing’sgenetics gives him two unusualcapabilities. He heals extremelyquickly (2 hit points each day evenwithout medical attention) and hehas a limited ability to sense theemotions of those within 20 feet ofhim. This ability is not fool proof,but does give him the equivalent ofa 60% in psychology in terms ofdetermining people’s feelings andwhether they are lying or not.Description: Dr. Lansing is thirty-six years old. He is six feet tall andweighs 190 pounds. He has jet-blackhair and intense blue eyes. He is inexcellent physical condition,

handsome and has a deep,commanding voice.

Dr. Lansing is a Terceki-humanhybrid. Fortunately for Dr. Lansing,the DNA combination is stable andhas served only to enhance hisphysical and mental capacities.Dr. Lansing earned his doctorate inphysics at MIT at the age of 18.After that, he worked in corporateresearch for five years and thentook a teaching position at MIT.Throughout his life he was plaguedby strange dreams. As he grewolder, his dreams took on greaterclarity. They revealed, in part, someof the truth of his situation.At the start of the adventure, Dr.Lansing will be a brilliant scientistwho is concerned with finding outmore of what lies behind hisdreams. However, his heritage willbegin to affect him. Eventually hewill become obsessed with findingthe gate components and will bewilling to destroy anyone whostands in his way.

Major Janice ReedSTR: 15 CON:16 SIZ: 15 INT: 15POW: 16 DEX: 16 APP: 14 EDU: 17SAN: 80 HP: 16 DB:+1D4Important Skills: Computer Use40%, First Aid 40%, Hide 45%,Jump 47%, Martial Arts 50%,Mechanical Repair 40%, Sneak50%, Spot Hidden 55%, Swim 43%,Throw 45%,Handgun 60%, Rifle 50%, SMG 50%Special Abilities: Reed’s geneticsgives her two unusual capabilities.She heals extremely quickly (2 hitpoints each day even withoutmedical attention) and he has alimited ability to influence theemotions of those within 20 feet of

him. This ability is not foolproof,but does give her the equivalent ofa 60% in Fast Talk and Persuade.Weapons: Glock 9mm 60% Shots 3Damage 1D10 Ammo 30 Range 20Yards, Silenced HK MP 5 50% Shots2/Burst Damage 1D10 Ammo 30Range 45 Yards, Knife 44%1D4+2+DBArmor: Light Vest 6 Armor Points,-5% on skills.Other Equipment: Headset radio,night vision goggles.Description: Major Reed is thirty-three years old. She is five feet,eight inches tall. She has brownhair and brown eyes. Major Reed isin excellent physical shape and isgood looking in a rough sort ofway.Major Reed is a Vorceki-humanhybrid. Her genetic material isstable and gives her excellentphysical and mental capabilities.

Major Reed was born to a poorfamily in the inner city. A athleticscholarship supplemented with anROTC scholarship gave her a ticketfrom her humble origins. Sheexcelled in school, but had troublewith her temper and was arrestedseveral times for fighting. Aftergraduation she entered activemilitary service and eventuallyended up in a Special Forces team.Major Reed has intense dreamsthat have revealed to her that sheis meant for a higher purpose. Herdreams have also inspired her todo extensive research using hercontacts in the intelligencecommunity.

Dr. David Taylor, ScientistSTR: 11CON: 14

SIZ: 12INT: 19POW: 16DEX: 12APP: 13EDU: 21SAN: 74HP: 13Damage Bonus: NoneSkills: Anthropology 35%,Archaeology 85%, Biology 60%,Computer Use 10%, CthulhuMythos 4%, Geology 35%, LibraryUse 85%, Occult 75%, Spot Hidden35%, Handgun 35%Languages: English 105%, Latin65%, Greek 60%Stereotype: middle-aged, but activeprofessor.Physical Description: Taylor is atall, thin man with light brownhair and blue eyes. He has a beardand moustache. He also looksalmost exactly like his ancestor, Dr.John Taylor.Description: Dr. Taylor is the last ofthe well-known Taylor line and theheir to the secret of the Taylors. Dr.Taylor is aware that John Taylorwas an investigator of Mythossecrets and that he and hiscompanion Dr. Pierce ran intosome horrible trouble in theAntarctic that resulted in Pierce’sdeath. After learning of theseevents, and several others in JohnTaylor’s notes (which were passeddown through the family), Dr.Taylor became interested in whatwas really going on in the worldand on more than one occasion hehas had the opportunity to findout.

Taylor is a knowledgeable andbrave individual who has facedsome strange terrors in the past.

Because of his experiences, he isready for almost anything.Equipment: Arctic gear, 9mmParabellum pistol, and notebookcomputerSpells: Elder SignMagic Items: Elder Sign

Equipment

Arctic GearArctic gear consists of a full body

suit of heat retaining material. Thebody suit is equipped with a batterypowered heating system that isgood for twenty-four hours of use.Along with the suit comes ahelmet equipped with a two-wayradio and polarized lenses. Storedin various convenient pockets aresurvival items such as medicalsupplies, a knife, flares, and otherequipment. Arctic gear with afunctioning heating system countsas four points of armor against coldattacks and two points against suchattacks when the batteries areexhausted.

Military BinocularsMilitary binoculars are highly

advanced optical binoculars thatare also equipped with a thermaland light enhancement viewingsystems. They are also equippedwith microcomputers that cancalculate ranges and enhanceimages. Such binoculars areextremely useful in the arctic asthey can be used to detect heatsources (such as vehicles, bases, andpeople) even through snowstorms.

Creatures and Spells

Shoggoth “zombie”STR 13CON 17INT 4SIZ 12POW 12DEX 4Move 4 HP: 10Damage Bonus: noneWeapons: Claw 35%, damage 1D6.Armor: None, but 1) fire andelectrical attacks do only threequarters damage, physical weaponssuch as firearms do only quarterdamage, and 3) it regenerates 1 hitpoint per round.Sanity Loss: 1/1D8 Sanity points tosee this being.

Ice ZombiesIce Zombies are rather horrible in

appearance as they look like frozenhuman corpses of people who havetied terrible, agonizing deaths andhave been forced back into someunholy semblance of life. This isbecause this is exactly what theyare. Because of their magicallyfrozen state, they can move, but doso in a jerky fashion and allmovement is accompanied by ahorrid sound that remindslisteners of breaking bones.

Like their normal zombie“cousins”, Ice Zombies are almostimmune to impaling weapons(such as firearms), although suchweapons will give them an evenmore horrifying appearance. Beingdead, Ice Zombies cannot be killedbut must instead be hacked apart ordestroyed by some other means.

They are particularly vulnerable tointense heat or large fires, takingdouble normal damage from suchattacks. Ice Zombies also requirefreezing temperatures to remainactive, otherwise they begin tothaw out. Once thawed, they ceaseto be animated. Ice Zombies, likenormal zombies, require one pointof power from their creator.Char Rolls AveragesSTR 3D6 x2 20-22CON 3D6 x2 20-22SIZ 3D6 10-11POW 1 1DEX 1D6 3-4Move 3 HP 15-17Av. Damage Bonus: +1D4 - +1D6Weapon: Bite 30%, Damage 1D3,Bludgeon (punch) 30% 1D6+dbArmor: Frozen body acts as 2 pointsof armor, impaling weapons do 1point of damage, and all others doone half rolled damage.Sanity Loss: 1/1D8 Sanity points tosee an ice zombie

Lieutenant Daniel Jones, IceZombieSTR 26CON 28SIZ 13POW 1DEX 3Move 3 HP 21Damage Bonus: +1D6

Rachel Tsung, Ice ZombieSTR 20CON 22SIZ 7POW 1DEX 5Move 3 HP 15Damage Bonus: +1D4

Dr. Henry Pierce, Servant ofIthaquaSTR 26CON 30SIZ 26INT 18POW 19DEX 14Move: 8/ 60 FlyingHP 28Damage Bonus: +2D6Weapons: Wind Gust 50% ,damage lift and drop: 1D6 x 10 feet,each 10 feet dropped equals 1D6damage. Claw: 40%, Damage2D6+db (normal armor and “cold”armor, such as arctic gear, countsagainst this attack).Attacks: If Dr. Pierce is within sixmeters, he can use powerful windsto whisk victims up into the airand drop them onto the ice. Playersof those attacked must roll on theResistance Table, matching theinvestigator’s STR against Pierce’sSTR on that table. If Pierce isattacking several people, he mustdivide his strength among them.Pierce can also use his winds tointerfere with flying vehicles,especially helicopters. Used in thismanner, the pilot must roll asuccessful piloting skill. This skillis modified by subtracting Pierce’sSTR from the pilots skill. On amissed roll, Pierce can force thecraft 3D6 meters in any generaldirection he chooses. If the pilotsucceeds, she retains control of thecraft.Armor: 4 points of skin.Spells: Call/Dismiss Ithaqua,Contact Ithaqua, Create Ice Zombie,Power Drain, Ritual OfTransformation, Shrivelling.Sanity Loss:1/1D10 to see Pierce in

his new form.Physical description: Pierce is ahorrid monstrosity. He appears tobe an unholy mix of his original,human form and Ithaqua. Despitehis horrid alteration, many ofPierce’s features are stillrecognizable (which makes hisappearance even more horrible).Description: Once human, Pierce isa vicious and insane monster.After successfully completing theritual, he was transformed into aservant of Ithaqua. Now he existsto further madness, death, and thespread of icy cold.

Despite his complete insanity,Pierce still has a brilliant mind andhe retains most of his memoriesand knowledge. His mainvulnerabilities are his ego and hisdesire to live forever. He can bedriven into rages by insults andprovocations and during such rageshe will often make mistakes thatcan be exploited. His desire to liveforever, which helped lead him tohis current fate, makes him overlycautious and somewhat cowardly(at least when he is not in a rage).

SpellsCreate Ice Zombie

Casting this spell requires ahuman body which was eitherkilled by cold (or by a being of thecold such as Ithaqua, a Servant ofItahqua, or a Gnoph-Keh) or acorpse that has been allowed tofreeze all the way through. Thisbody must be coated in snow or iceand then the spell must be cast.Casting the spell requires onemagic point for every three Sizepoints of the corpse, a permanentpoint of POW from the caster, and

1D6 Sanity Points. Casting the spellrequires a number of minutesequal to its cost in magic points. Atthe end of the spell, the newlyformed zombie (which looks like afrozen corpse) stands up to do itsmaster’s bidding.

Ritual of TransformationThis extremely rare spell enables

a human being to transformhimself into a monstrous Servantof Ithaqua. Casting this spellrequires three days (which need notbe consecutive). On each day ofcasting, at least two humans (orhuman like beings) must besacrificed and the caster mustexpend 20 magic points and onepermanent point of POW. Thecaster (if not already insane) loses1D8 points of Sanity per casting.After the third casting, the caster istransformed into a hideousmonstrosity. The caster’s STR, CONand SIZ all double, while all otherattributes (except APP) remain thesame. The caster’s SAN drops to 0,if it is not there already. Thetransformed person has the attackabilities and inflicts the Sanity lossas described above in Pierce’sstatistics.

ItemsPierce’s Compass

Pierce’s compass is actually anancient device constructed by theserpent man who found thetemple. He placed a “charge” on thetemple and constructed a devicethat would locate the temple fromany point on earth. The devicesurvived the eons, eventuallybeing partially rebuilt in the 18th

century by a skilled madman.

The compass was eventuallylocated by Pierce, who was able tolearn its purpose through arcaneresearch.

Externally, the device looks like avery ornate, complex and unusualcompass/gyroscope combinationmade of brass. Internally, thedevice is composed of incrediblyodd and very advancedinstruments. In the center of thecompass is a small cap. The capcovers a tube which runs downinto the mechanism. The interiorof the tube is coated with driedblood.

The device is inert until blood ispoured into the tube. Tenmilliliters of blood is enough toactivate it for ten minutes. Piercemistakenly thought that the bloodhad to come from the heart of ahuman victim, but any blood willdo.

When active, the compass partwill spin and the gyroscope partswill rotate. The device will indicatethe location of the temple, usingthe compass arrow. The rings of thegyroscope like part are coveredwith odd mathematical symbols. Asuccessful roll using Navigationwill reveal that the rings indicateposition in latitude and longitude.Naturally, the location willcorrespond exactly to that of thetemple.

Handout #1It is well that men head the fate of

brave Pierce. There are some placeswhere man should tread carefullyor perhaps not at all. Pierce’s placeof rest, the vast icy realm ofAntarctica, is one such place. Mayhis body rest eternally in peace.

Handout #2 Pierce’s Notes

“The compass device is clearlyancient and alien in nature. I havelearned through my research that itis activated by heart blood. It pointsthe way.”

“While I have followed manywild geese, I think that this time Ihave the answer. The texts speak ofthe ancient temple in which‘transformations take place.’ TheWalker in the Wastes shall havehis ideal servant in me.”

“The ancient texts speak of a racethat flew down from the stars andbuilt might cities. There are somereferences to the Shugguths.However, such is the power of mydesire that I will dare even them.”

“There is a single reference to ahole to the stars in some of thefragments. I know not what thisrefers to.”

Helicopter Crash Site

26.84 km.

Base

15.89 km.

Mysterious Ruins

Ocean

Helicopter Pad Fuel Storage

Power Plant

Ground Vehicle Storage Main Building

Barracks

Skulls and Bones

Altar

Tent