Commoriom Submission v3,09 (3)

8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,09 (3)

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A Submission for

Trail of Cthulhu

Commoriom

"I have yet to translate the terrible and

abominable legend telling how a certain doughty

citizen of Commoriom returned to the city after

its public evacuation, and found that it was

peopled most execrably and numerously by the

fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, whichpossessed no vestige of anything human or even

earthly" ! he #amily ree of the $ods, Clar%

&shton 'mith

The protagonists are members of an expedition to

excavate an ancient settlement buried beneath the

Greenland ice. Faced with conflict within and

without, the expedition degenerates into a struggle

to survive as the team members realise that some

archaeological sites should not be disturbed and

some truths should not be revealed.

This scenario is inspired by the Hyperborean Cycle

stories of Clark shton !mith, particularly The

Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathla. "t is

recommended that the #eeper reads these short

stories before running this scenario. The story of

the $athieson %xpedition is told in the Call of

Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late

#eith Herber and published in the supplements

Trail of Tsathogghua, &'() and The Compact Trail

of Tsathoggua, &''*.

The Hook"n &'+, an archaeological team from $iskatonic

-niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement

beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in the

mountains of est Greenland. The protagonists are

members of a &'/+ follow0up expedition to

excavate the site.

The Horrible TruthThe archaeological site dates to the dawn of

humankind. "t is the ruin of Commoriom, the first

capital of the lost civilisation of Hyperborea, which

thrived before the last ice age. %ntombed in the cityis an ancient device that grants visions of the

disturbing origins of life on earth, along with a

dormant, monstrous race descended from

Tsathoggua.

The SpineThe protagonists attend a Briefing in which their

expedition leader, 1rofessor %thelrod, reveals

suppressed evidence of an unknown civilisation

from the $athieson %xpedition of &'+.

The team members voyage to Godth2b, Greenland

where they can confront a Rival Expeditionfrom

Germany. They land in Evighedsfjorden , and

make an arduous overland trek. Tensions increase

between %thelrod and Granger, another veteran,

who is struggling to conceal his alcoholism. fter a

strange footprint is found in the snow, an argument

between %thelrod and the drunken Granger ensues

leading to The Death of Ethelrod. From %thelrod

they can ac3uire a dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yolanguage.

The team receives A Call for Helpfrom the crew

of the German base ship, which has lost contact

with the overland team, giving the protagonists a

moral dilemma.

The team finds evidence that strange0looking

%s3uimaux are watching them. 4ear the site valley,

the protagonists can discover Human Remainsof

the German expedition after being attacked by an

unknown animal. mong their belongings are aninterpretation of glyphs that seem to refer to the

history of the site. The protagonists can use


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%thelrod5s dictionary to give a more accurate

understanding.

Arriving at the Site, the protagonists have several

areas they can investigate. There is a Cube-Shaped

Templewith walls inscribed with a history of the

pre0humans who first settled there. 4earby, the

remains of the last members of the German

expedition can be found in what appears to be a!re. 6n the valley floor, a "!sterious Stru#ture

is visible under the ice.

mysteriousBeast of the $#e Sheetattacks the

team. They may be able to link it with the clan of

Blond Es%uimauxthat has been following them,

and which they may choose to confront.

Ex#avating the Stru#ture will lead to the

discovery that it is the upper0part of an ancient

tower with a partially intact stairway. 7igging into

The $#e-Cho&ed stair'a!uncovers a frie8edescribing a history of Hyperborea and a strange

toad0shaped lump that appears to be a statue or idol.

This dormant, parasitic organism can awaken and

attempt to infect a team member.

Further digging reveals a fissure that expands into a

navigable ice0tunnel and eventually leads to a Cit!

(nder the $#e. $ore artifacts may be found

including The Elder )ens*which can send a

viewer5s mind into the past, eventually to the

disturbing origins of life on earth.The city5s inhabitants begin to awaken. They

attempt to trap the humans under the ice and free

their 9#ing5, potentially leading to the A'a&ening

of +n!gathin ,haum. The protagonists must

prevent this and escape.

Victory Conditions:ictory in this scenario means realising the horror

that lies in Commoriom, and surviving it,

preferably with the site safely sealed.

Antagonist ReactionsThe rival erman Expeditionis not a 94a8i

expedition5 in any official sense ;there is no such

thing until the formation of the hnenerbe in &'/ especially the

esoterically inclined > believed in occult theories ofthe uni3ue ;or divine= origin of their ancestors on a

lost northern continent ;referred to as 9Thule5 or

sometimes 9Hyperborea5 or 9tlantis5=. The purpose

of the expedition is to 9reclaim the ruins of Thule5

for Germany.

!eeing themselves as cultured and honourable men

of science, they are mostly non0aggressive towards

their rivals. However, political relations with

?ritain and the -! are tense and the Germans

subscribe to a supremacist ideology that seems to@ustify the most ruthless behaviour ;as history

testifies=. They could become openly hostile if

provoked or if their goals are obstructed. nd if an

opportunity presents itself to glorify the Fatherland

at the expense of other nations, they may take it.

6nce they have lost contact with their forward

expedition, the surviving members are more

pleasant and cooperative. They seek to persuade the

%thelrod %xpedition to delay the dig in order to find

the missing Germans.

The ?lond %s3uimaux ;see below= will hold a

special fascination for them. %ven more so, a device

that allows them to see the 9glory of their ancestors5

and access the 9truths of the ncients5 might be

enough to tempt them to betray or attack the

%thelrod %xpedition.

The strange, Blond Es%uimauxare among the last

direct descendants of the original Hyperboreans left

in Greenland. Their shamans have long warned of a

terrible cursed city that would one day overrun theworld with evil and the clan seeks to drive all

intruders away or destroy them. They are

vulnerable and few in number and must rely on

stealth, local knowledge, and their ancient songs for

calling the Gnoph-kehfrom the icy wastes.

The third group of antagonists are the Spa'n of

+n!gathin ,haum> descendants of Tsathoggua

with a kinship to the formless spawn ;and less

visibly to the pre0human :oormis=. The presence of

human beings will cause them to begin to awake

from their aeon0long hibernation. To them, humanbeings are both unwelcome invaders and a food

source. Their kinship to humans allows them to

parasiti8e them, and take control of their minds.

They will attempt to trap the humans under the ice

to present them as a gift for their #ing > #nygathin

Ahaum. They are stealthy, intelligent and mobile

and will attempt to lure humans into becoming

infected, until they have the numbers and access to

e3uipment needed to order to hasten the awakening

and liberation of their father.


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Running Commoriom withthe Armitage Inquiry

This scenario takes place in $ay &'/+ > a time

when the rmitage "n3uiry is in its formative

stages. "n &'+(, rmitage, Bice and $organ scored

a victory against the 7unwich Horror and soon 7r

lbert ilmarth @oined them following his

encounter with the 96uter 6nes5 in the hills of

:ermont. "n &'/&, the 1abodie %xpedition returned

from ntarctica with stories of unknown life forms

and a vast range of mountains dotted with strange

structures.

6n his deathbed in &'+', 1rofessor Curtis

$athieson revealed a number of unpublished

secrets about the &'+ expedition to his colleague

7r Francis $organ. $organ shared the story with

1rofessor rmitage and soon they were working

with 1rofessor %thelrod in %ngland to organise afollow0up expedition for &'//. However, in late

&'/&, word reached them of a rival German

expedition to the same region planned for &'/+ and

their pro@ect was hastened by a year. -nfortunately,

this meant 7r $organ was unable to take part, but

he persuaded Charles Granger, a veteran of the

$athieson %xpedition, to @oin.

.S!mbol/ Armitage $n%uir!0This symbol defines

sections that apply only to running the scenario as

part of the rmitage "n3uiry.

Running Commoriom as astandalone

This scenario can be run as a standalone adventure

or mark a dramatic beginning to an ongoing

campaign.

The difference is that %thelrod has organised the

expedition with the ?ritish $useum, independently

of rmitage and his colleagues, who may have little

insight into what really happened on the $athieson

%xpedition.

.S!mbol/ Standalone0 This symbol defines

sections that apply only to running the scenario as a

standalone.

Beginning the Expeditionppropriate roles for the expedition include

archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists,

biologists, explosives experts, drill engineers andradio engineers. ll team members should be

healthy and fit, and be capable cross0country skiers

> represented for game purposes as a minimum

6utdoorsman rating of & and thletics of /. The

expedition leader is highly xenophobic and French

applicants in particular are not considered.

Scenes

BriefingS#ene T!pe/Core ;"ntroduction=

)ead-1ut/1reparations, The tlantic :oyage

Core Clue/ Ethelrod and ranger &no' the

route to the ar#haeologi#al site2

.S!mbol/ Armitage $n%uir!0The briefing takes

place in a seminar room at the rchaeology

7epartment of $iskatonic -niversity. ssociate

1rofessor Francis $organ is a self0assured yet soft0

spoken field researcher in his early /s, whoexpresses regret at being unable to attend the

expedition due to it being brought forward by a

year. He introduces expedition leader 1rofessor

%thelrod, a renowned linguist from Cambridge and

veteran of the $athieson %xpedition

Ar#haeolog!/7r $organ has a good reputation as

a scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. 3-

oint spend/ "t is also rumoured that he has

previously been involved in expeditions and

research of a rather unconventional and slightlycontroversial nature.

.S!mbol/ Standalone0The briefing takes place in a

basement seminar room of the ?ritish $useum. 7r

Granger has crossed to tlantic to @oin the team.

Ethelrods Presentation

tall, distinguished0looking man in his


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"n $ay &'+, the $athieson %xpedition of

$iskatonic -niversity investigated a stone wall of

impressive dimensions found in the Helheim

Glacier on the east coast of Greenland.

He passes around a photograph of the stone block

with the expedition ship alongside. "t appears to be

about / wide and approaching + feet high. "t is

dominated by a carving of a human figure with acurved blade, bending over some kind of slain

animal. Cthulhu "!thoswill allow the viewer to

recognise the figure as consistent with inhabitants

of legendary Hyperborea as described in theLiber

Ivonis,for example.

1ictographs found on the wall seemed to describe a

large and ancient settlement in the estern

mountains. %thelrod led a trip overland in search of

the site of the settlement. The team found itself

attacked by a large polar bear that stalked them into

the mountains, leaving several members of the team

dead or in@ured. However, they found a site with

evidence of former habitation, including remains of

a religious site and tantalising evidence of a ma@or

structure underneath the thick ice cap.

He produces a photograph of a vaguely circular

shadow beneath a thick ice sheet.

The expedition ended rather abruptly after several

team members were killed or in@ured by a

combination of climbing accidents and attacks fromthe bear.

The site was of such significance that the team

agreed not to release full information until a second

expedition could investigate it fully. The ill health

and death of 1rofessor Curtis $athieson in &'+'

delayed a second trip under consideration.

However, $iskatonic -niversity has been working

closely with 1rofessor %thelrod to organise a

second expedition, which was originally planned

for the spring of &'//, but plans were rushedforward, when it was learned that a team from

Germany planned to investigate the same area in

the prior year. Begrettably, this meant that 7r

$organ could not take part as planned due to his

commitment to the upcoming 4ew $exico dig.

1rofessor %thelrod stresses his 3ualifications as a

hard0nosed scholar not prone to flights of fancy or

bi8arre speculations. However, there were many

things he experienced that shocked him and caused

him to reconsider ideas about the world. He

believes that what they found in the Greenland ice

were remains of a lost prehistoric civilisation,

perhaps hinted at in Greek myths. He suggests that

while he cannot reveal everything @ust yet, team

members will similarly be shocked by what they

see. $oreover, there may have to face physical

dangers too.

He introduces Charles Granger, a red0haired, red0

faced man of around /, a second veteran of the

$athieson %xpedition who will be @oining them on

this trip..S!mbol/ Armitage $n%uir!01ral Histor! 3-

oint spend/ There are rumours that 7r Granger

has a drink problem.

%thelrod asks each team member to introduce

themselves and assigns roles.

The team will depart in three weeks on a research

vessel. The voyage to Godth2b will take days.

.S!mbol/ Armitage $n%uir!0The expedition ship

is thearlena, the same $iskatonic0ownedgeological research vessel used in the &'+

expedition. "t will depart from ?oston.

.S!mbol/ Standalone0The expedition ship is the

!eatrice, an rctic research vessel leased by the

Boyal Geographical !ociety. "t will depart from

!outhampton. The two vessels are otherwise treated

the same.

6nce resupplied, the ship will sail north to

%vighedsf@orden, where it will disembark and use

dog sleds and a snow tractor to the site, via alonger, but more accessible route than the first

expedition.

6nce at their destination the team will expose the

site using a drilling rig, blasting e3uipment, an

electric ice melting machine, and other e3uipment.

Team members will be armed with rifles to protect

themselves from dangerous animals.

%thelrod asks each team member to introduce

themselves and assigns roles.

Assess Honest!/Henry %thelrod is reserved,

somewhat aloof and doesn5t give much away.

Ar#haeolog! or Anthropolog!/ ccording to the

expedition report, the team made transcriptions of a

number of carvings on a large stone slab found at

the face of Helheim Glacier on the east coast.

rchaeologists have subse3uently associated these

carvings with a Greenlandic colony of the extinct

7orset Culture. 3-point spend/!ome odd artifacts

featuring strange figures wearing hoodless parkas

with tall collars and women with large hairstyleswere found on Cape 7orset on ?affin "sland in

&'+. "t is generally thought that the Greenlandic


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7orset culture is limited to the north0west coast of

the island.

Biolog! or 1utdoorsman 3-oint spend/1olar

bears are mostly found in coastal regions in the

north and east of Greenland > they are largely

unknown in the mountains although females with

cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous

areas in the north.

Questions and Answers

%thelrod will ask if there are any 3uestions. He may

provide the following additional details and any

others the #eeper deems appropriate.

D $athieson remained onboard ship, due to health

problems. He died of a heart condition in &'+'.

D The top of the structure was estimated to be under

at least &


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six days sail north of ?ritain, and near the fro8en

sea. He claimed that people keep bees in this place

and in summer, nights are only two or three hours

long. "t5s not clear whether he is referring to

"celand, Greenland, 4orway or somewhere else

altogether.

The ncient Greeks also tell of the Hyperboreans

who live beyond the north wind ;the literal meaningof 9Hyperborea5=. Their land was perfect, with the

sun shining +) hours a day, and the people free

from war, disease and old age and always happy.

The people were blond and very tall. Hyperborea

has variously been located in north0east sia,

estern %urope or ?ritain. "n the &*th Century,

some !candinavians identified their own land as

Hyperborea.

3 oint Spend/?y the late &'th and early +th

Century, the idea of ThuleIHyperborea as a lost

continent ;possibly the same place as tlantis= had

become popular in certain %uropean occult circles,

including Theosophists, and German vJlkisch

;nationalist= groups.

3 oint Spend/ccording to the!ook of "ibon> a

book, according to legend, written by a

Hyperborean sorcerer > the original capital of

Hyperborea was Commoriom and known for its

marble and granite buildings and lofty spires.

The Boo& of EibonThe library of the $iskatonic -niversity and the

?ritish Kibrary have copies of this book. )ibrar!

(se 3 oint Spendwill locate it. S&immingthis

will give the following informationL

T?7

The &athieson E'pedition of ()*+

)ibrar! (se/ The information on the $athieson

%xpedition report, the 7orset Culture and the

distribution of polar bears described in theBriefingcan be uncovered in a good0si8ed academic library

by substituting point spends in Kibrary -se.

The #erman E'pedition

Finding out more about this expedition is very

difficult as there is nothing published about it

publically. Reassuran#e or 6latter! will get 7r

$organ or 1rofessor %thelrod to reveal that an

associate of %thelrod5s, 7r !ummers of %dinburgh

-niversity, heard a reference to this at an

international archaeology conference in 1aris lastyear. $oreM

,utdoor Trainin$

:arious independently sourced courses in outdoor

skills may grant a protagonist up to + dedicated

pool points in thletics or 6utdoorsman, to be used

in rctic and !ubarctic environments.

The Atlantic VoyageS#ene T!pe/6ptional, Transition

)ead-$n/?riefing, 1reparations

)ead-1ut/Godth2b

This is an opportunity to roleplay various

interactions between player characters as they get to

know one another and their leader.

The voyage for Godth2b takes six days, giving the

1rotagonists plenty of time to get to know the other

members of the team or to read in their cabins if

they prefer.n thletics test against 7ifficulty / is re3uired

avoid seasickness. The effect is the same as being

Hurt and lasts for +) hours.

N?egin sidebarO

The CrewThe ship5s crew consists of the Captain, First $ate,

Chief 1etty 6fficer and a crew of ( sailors.

Captain -ames &acAllen tall, lean, dour man who looks older than his ) without a map, a compass or in

poor visibility will re3uire 6utdoorsman spends in

order to progress in the correct direction.

Ar#ti# travel on foot

Cross0country skiing costs ) thletics, Fleeing or

Health per day in these conditions. ithout skis the

speed is halved.

Travel b! dog-sled

This re3uires 7riving ;7og !led= in addition to the

costs above. 7og teams will use thletics pool

points ;or Health once these are depleted= each day,

/ points are replenished at the end of the day if the

dogs are rested and well0fed.

Effe#ts of Climate

s long as they are wearing rctic clothing, the

characters will suffer no ill effects from the

temperature here at this time of year ;averaging

around +RF in the day and &RF at night=. ithout

protective clothing, 1rotagonists should be treated

as Hurt. 4ote that rctic clothing also provides &point of rmor.

Communi#ations

%thelrod and the crew of the ship agree to

communicate by radio twice a dayL once at *$

and once at (1$.

Sleddin$ Teams

There are three sleds with ten dogs per sled and

three mushers ;or fewer if any 1rotagonists are able

drive a dog0sled=.

(&ale%

stocky "nuit with bad teeth who seems to show

them off with his smile almost all the time.

pproaching middle age, he is an expert hunter and

outdoorsman. He speaks "nuit and 7anish.

Abilities/thletics , 7riving ), Firearms (, Health

, 6utdoorsman


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4eapon/0+ ;fists=, 0& ;knife=, E& ;rifle=,

Armour/0& vs any ;rctic clothing=

:a&ob S;rensen

!Srensen is a highly skilled cross0country skier of

and mountaineer as well as an experienced

outdoorsman and guide. s the name suggests, he is

of 7anish descent and speaks "nuit, 7anish and

some %nglish.

Abilities/thletics ', 7riving ), Firearms ), Health

(, 6utdoorsman /, !cuffling


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by the dogs5 barking. !potting the bear now at )

yards is a 7ifficulty < !ense Trouble test.

The hungry bear will now approach get close

enough to attack the humans in the camp in two

rounds. ?eing attacked by the bear is a /0point

!tability test.

olar BearThe bear can attack twice in a round > two claws or

a claw and a bite. "f it loses half it5s Health, it will

flee.

Abilities/thletics &), Health &, !cuffling &

Hit Threshold/)

Alertness "odifier/E+

4eapon/E& ;claw=, E ;bite=

Armour/0)

The Clim" to the Ice &heetS#ene T!pe/Core, Challenge)ead-$n/%vighedsf@orden Glacier

)ead-1ut/cross the "ce, Graves

This day begins with an even more difficult climb

up a broken, icy slope onto the ice sheet above.

!omehow, the sleds, the tractor and their loads need

to be raised onto the ice sheet. 6ne method ;both

%thelrod and 1utdoorsmanwill suggest this= is

that most members of the team climb the slope on

foot, carrying ropes, ;a 7ifficulty / thletics test,with failure resulting in a damage roll at 0+=. 4ext,

the team pulls various loads up using the ropes.

%ach of these steps re3uirepigg'backe$thletics

tests against various difficulties, with failure

resulting in a retry and a loss of & Health > at the

#eeper5s option, a result of & might result in a

tumble and damage for whatever load is being

pulled up the slope. The dog teams are led up

;7ifficulty /=, then the humans and dogs together

pull the tractor up ;7ifficulty if a 1rotagonist

can drive it, they will also need to make a 7rivingtest against 7ifficulty < to avoid problems as above.

Then tractor, humans and dogs bring up four

regular loads ;7ifficulty /= and the drill ;7ifficulty

)= on sleds.

The entire process will take at least / or ) hours and

by the end of it, the players themselves should be

feeling tired.

Following %thelrod5s directions, the team can spend

the last hours of the day sledding in a south0easterly

direction across the ice0sheet, before camping forthe night.

1utdoorsman or Eviden#e Colle#tion 3-oint

spendL Karge, strange footprints can be seen in the

snow, perhaps distorted by melting. ;"f none of the

protagonists finds it then one of the mushers does.=

1utdoorsman or Biolog!/ The prints appear to be

those of a large carnivoreQ however, an extended

claw in the middle of the foot shows that this

wasn5t a bear. "n fact, they don5t belong to anyidentifiable creature. 3-oint spend/There is

something very strange about the gait. 5-oint

spend/The bi8arre pattern of prints would almost

seem to imply that it was moving on six legs some

of the time.

Cthulhu "!thos or 1ral Histor!/This may be

the legendary six0legged beast of the rctic, called

Gnoph-keh. The mushers know these stories.

They become 3uite excited and Tiria3 refuses to

continue. %thelrod struggles to convince him. 3-oint Reassuran#e spendwill suffice. "ncontrast -kale3 and to a lesser extent !Srensenwant to hunt and kill it. %thelrod is notconvinced. 3-oint Reassuran#eor6latter! spendwill change his mind.

s soon as 7r Granger sees the print, he becomesextremely agitated and begins muttering tohimself about the unspeakable beast of the icesheet.

Assess Honest! or s!#hoanal!sis/He doesn5tseem to be calming down. 3 oint spend in

s!#hoanal!sis/ He may have a phobia or have had

a traumatic experience in the past that has triggered

extreme anxiety. Assess Honest! 3-oint spend/

%thelrod also seems somewhat alarmed although he

is far more in control of himself.

Eviden#e Colle#tion 3-oint spend/The character

notices that Granger is secretly drinking from a hip0

flask.

Huntin$ the /east"f the team attempts to hunt the beast, a 3-oint

1utdoorsman spendis re3uired per day to track it

on a wandering route roughly east southeast. fter

about three days, they will arrive at the sceneL

9raves5. 7uring this trip the hunters may

experience being spied on by a strange %skimo ;see

cross the "ce, The atcher=.

The 'eath of EthelrodS#ene T!pe/Core

)ead-$n/The Climb to the "ce !heet

)ead-1ut/ Call for Help


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Core Clue/ The route to Commoriom


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with a reasonable level of accuracy. oringover it

grants + dedicated pool points in Kanguages ;Tsath0

o=.

i#tographs in the Temple of ,oth-A%%ua

)anguage/%nglish

S&im/+ hours

This contains %thelrod5s translations of a set ofTsath0o hieroglyphs found on the walls of a

temple in the valley of Commoriom. He describes

the pictographs as being of a more primitive type

than previously seen and postulates that it was

created by a people he calls 9oormis(and that the

Hyperboreans adopted this language and refined it.

Anthropolog! or Ar#haeolog!reminds the reader

that such notions don5t correspond with accepted

human prehistory.

people called oormiscame to this fertilevalley from far to the south and built a city

dedicated to their god*oth-A++ua. Cthulhu

"!thosidentifies this as Tsathoggua.

The temple was consecrated by summoning one

of Aoth033ua5s children to guard it. The high

priest was then ceremonially sealed alive in the

burial chamber behind the altar. Cthulhu

"!thosidentifies the reference to a spawn of

Tsathoggua.

The temperature grew colder and people

stopped following Aoth033ua and began toworship other gods, especiallyA$ukuthat

came from the north and was associated with

the dropping temperatures. Cthulhu "!thos

suggests that this might be "tha3ua.

civil war broke out between the followers of

Aoth033ua and dukwu and the heretics were

forced out of the city, and hunted down. few

survived in the mountains.

!trange people with no hair on their bodies,

only on their heads, came from the north inboats made of skin ;the ancestors of the

Hyperboreans, %thelrod suggests=. They began

to trade, the builders of the city taught them

writing, and the newcomers 3uickly learned the

ways of economics and government.

The land continued to get colder, and trade

dwindled. The coming of the cold was a curse

from dukwu or his long0dead followers.

There is a prophecy that the bare0skinned

people would take the city. %ventually it would

lie abandoned and ravaged by the cold.

N%nd !idebarO

A Call for %elpS#ene T!pe/Core, Boleplaying

)ead-$n/The 7eath of %thelrod

)ead-1ut/aiting on the "ce, cross the "ce

"f the team maintains the agreed schedule of twice0

daily radio communications, the following morning

they receive some news. The team will probably bebreaking the news of %thelrod5s death in the same

broadcast.

The base ship has been approached by

crewmembers of the German base ship re3uesting

assistance. The German expedition has been out of

radio contact for three days. hile this may simply

be a technical problem, the Germans are concerned

and would like help in looking for their teammates.

This is honourable behaviour between international

expeditions. "n particular, they would like to send

two representatives to @oin forces with them.

Captain 7reher, captain of the German base0ship, isavailable to speak directly to the characters ifthey wish.

Helping the Germans would mean a wait of two

days on the ice. 6n the other hand, by bringing a

further two men with them and a sledge, the

Germans could take %thelrod5s body and an

incapacitated Granger back to Godth2b. They could

also bring supplies and could simply take the places

of %thelrod and Granger.

This is an ethical and practical dilemma for the

protagonists. "t is recommended that that the

#eeper bring character 7rives into play here by

using !oft ;or even Hard= 7rivers, ideally

encouraging conflict between characters. For

example, the rrogance or Thirst for #nowledge

7rives might favour pressing on without the

Germans, while 7uty may encourage a character to

do 9the right thing5.

"f they decline to accept, the Germans send a two0

man team to make its way independently. The

investigators may encounter them later and the

Germans will be less than positively disposed

towards them.

n obvious third option is that the protagonists

agree to look for the missing team, which the

Germans will gratefully accept.

(aiting on the IceS#ene T!pe/6ptional, Transition

)ead-$n/ Call for Help


14/30

)ead-1ut/ cross the "ce

"f the protagonists decide to wait for the Germans

to reach them, they face a wait of two days on the

ice.

An 6nearthly Howl

fter sunset on the first day there is a distant, but

terrible and strange howl, which will be noticedwith a successful !ense Trouble test against

7ifficulty


15/30

is reminiscent of descriptions of the inhabitants of

Hyperborea.


16/30

thletics test against 7ifficulty ). 1utdoorsman 3-

oint spendwill successfully locate his tracks,

while another 3-oint spendwill allow them to be

followed westward and higher up the mountain

where they are lost on the rocky surface.

"f none of the protagonists remain here, the mushers

will report the figure when they return and can take

the characters close to the spot where the figurestood.

The expedition will probably need to camp

somewhere on the ridge or tonight.

%uman RemainsS#ene T!pe/ 6ptional,Clue ;?onus=

)ead-$n/6n the %dge, Graves

)ead-1ut/Graves, 6n the %dge

"n addition to the large patch of blood are somepieces of bone and clothing. itnessing this is a /0

point !tability test. Simple Sear#hlocates papers

that identify the victim as Pean Baymond Gobineau,

a French national, German resident and a member

of the 4!71 ;4a8i 1arty=.

6orensi#sL The remains have probably been here

for almost a week. 3-oint spend/The bones are

gnawed and crushed. The tooth0marks are possibly

from a bear or other large carnivore.

Eviden#e Colle#tion or 1utdoorsman/The man5sprints can be seen coming from the south. Karge,

footprints can be seen in the snow, possibly

distorted by melting. ?oth sets of tracks have

followed the same route. 1utdoorsman or

Biolog!/ The prints appear to be those of a large

carnivoreQ however, the extended claw in the

middle of the foot shows that this wasn5t a bear. "n

fact, they don5t belong to any identifiable creature.

3-oint spend/There is something very strange

about the gait. further 3-oint spend/The

bi8arre pattern of prints would almost seem toimply that it has six legs.

Cthulhu "!thos/This may be the Gnoph0keh, the

legendary six0legged beast of the rctic.

1utdoorsman 3-oint spend/Tracing the prints to

their origin will take characters to raves.

Following the creature5s subse3uent route will take

them northeast, deeper onto the ice sheet. fter two

hours, snowfall obliterates the trail.

:hat Happened Here;hen surprised by the Gnoph0keh at the site of the

scene 9raves5, Gobineau ;like many others= fled.

The creature hunted him down, killed him and

consumed his body at leisure.

ra#esS#ene T!pe/ 6ptional,Clue ;?onus=

)ead-$n/Human Bemains, The Climb to the "ce

!heet

)ead-1ut/Human Bemains, The Climb to the "ce!heet

Three mounds rise in the snow here marked with

simple wooden crosses. crushed man0drawn sled

has also been abandoned here, its load partially still

loaded and partially arranged on the snow nearby.

Nwould they have left a letter for their missing

team0matesMO

Simple Sear#h/ The mounds are of course graves.

"dentity papers on the bodies will identify them asGerman nationals.

Simple Sear#h/ The sled holds camp gear,

provisions and a broken radio.

Eviden#e Colle#tion 3-oint spend/ -nder a layer

of snow there are numerousempty rifle cartridges

as if there had been a substantial fire fight.

1utdoorsman or Eviden#e Colle#tion/There are

several sets of footprints around the graves and

signs snow that has been dug up to pile on the

graves. 3-oint spendreveals a snow0coveredtrail hinting that something large trampled through

this part of the valley several times, before the

tracks were mostly covered in snow. ith another

3-oint spend, its route can be followed either to

Human Remains or to The Climb to the $#e

Sheet. "n either case, 1utdoorsmanwill indicate

that after a couple of hundred yards the tracks have

little or no snowfall on them.

6orensi#s/"f disinterred and examined, one of the

bodies appears to have been crushed, one appears tohave deep lacerations to the upper body and the

third has a deep, impaling wound in the abdomen.

3-point spend/The first also had symptoms of

frostbite. 3-point spend/The wounds on the second

man are consistent with being mauled by a large

carnivore, but a bear5s claws are not sharp enough

to have inflicted those in@uries.

Eviden#e Colle#tion/There are tracks on the

mountainside further up the valley. These have far

less snow on them. 3-oint spend/Close by is a

figurine made out of ice, a strange six legged

animal with a horn. Cthulhu "!thos/This is a

representation of a Gnoph0keh. 3-oint spend/


17/30

!uch sculptures are used in rituals for calling the

Gnoph0keh.

:hat Happened Here;

The German expedition having ignored their

warning, one of the Komaruit ;?lond %s3uimaux=

sang the old song to call the Gnoph0keh. The beast

stalked the expedition, called up a bli88ard and

attacked them. N7id it kill the summoner firstMO

!ome of them tried shooting at it without much

success. Three mere were killed and the rest fled.

Gobineau was followed and killed by the creature.

nother man ;6tto $et8ger= died of hypothermia

on the ice. Three regrouped at the same spot later,

buried their dead and gathered their possessions to

continue.

Arri#ing at the &iteS#ene T!pe/ Core

)ead-$n/6n the %dge

)ead-1ut/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The

German Camp, The 1yre, The $ysterious !tructure

Core Clue/ The "!sterious Stru#ture

Gobineau5s head placed on a stack of stones in the

middle of the pathM

s the team progresses along the ridge, they see

two mountain peaks ahead, between which they are

heading. ?eyond that, according to %thelrod5s map,lies the valley of Commoriom.

The @ourney is uphill and hard going, re3uiring )

thletics, Fleeing or Health pool points for half a

day.

The team reaches the top of a rise in the natural

pass between the two peaks and has view of a

mountainous plateau, a valley around a mile across,

with an ice cap covering what was once a valley.

bout + miles away, on the other side of the valley,

a dark cube ;The Temple of ,hotha%%uah= s3uatson the lower slopes of the highest mountain. bout

one mile away, on another slope of tundra is a small

camp.

Eviden#e Colle#tion* 1utdoorsman or eolog!

7Core Clue8/ lso about a mile away, close to the

middle of the ice0covered valley is a shadow that

matches the one %thelrod showed the group in the

briefing ;see The "!sterious Stru#ture=.

eolog!/The ice could be up to a thousand feet

thick.

The wind blows harshly through the high valley,

whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing

phantoms. !ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty /

allows 1rotagonists to hear a strange droning sound.

This is a natural effect caused by the wind blowing

between the mountains and through the valley.

6nce this is established, allow any !ense Trouble

points spent to be reclaimed.

The erman CampS#ene T!pe/ 6ptional,Clue ;?onus=)ead-$n/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The 1yre,

The $ysterious !tructure

)ead-1ut/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The 1yre,

The $ysterious !tructure

The camp consists of two tents with two sledges

parked nearby. There is bedding for three men here.

"t appears to be deserted.

1utdoorsman/ The camp has not been used for

days.

Simple Sear#h/ The camp contains some supplies

of food, kerosene, skis, ice picks, rifle ammunition,

and so forth.

Eviden#e Colle#tion 3 point spendis re3uired to

find each of the following in the campL

+ dynamite charges with detonators and

fuse wire

& flamethrower ignition cartridges

The Pournal of %kkehardt ?auer The kraf@all !aga

The -ournal of Ekkehardt /auer

)anguage/German

S&im/) hours

7octor %kkehardt ?auer was the leader of the

German expedition. ?y the time the protagonists

find him, he is dead. This is his @ournal, beginning

several months before the expedition started. "t

includes 3uotations from Himmler, Herman irth,and the .era Lin$a !ook/ "t includes the following

cluesL

The purpose of the expedition is to find

evidence that the ancestors of the Germans had

a civilisation in ancient Greenland. This search

is supported by certain nationalist groups, and

organisations, including important members of

the 4!71;4a8i party=.

"n &'+', Pean Baymond Gobineau, veteran of

the $athieson %xpedition and grandson ofrthur de Gobineau the famous race theorist,

had recently moved to ?erlin and @oined the


18/30

4!71. He contacted Gustaf #ossinna,

1rofessor of German rchaeology at the

-niversity of ?erlin with unpublished

information about the &'+ expedition.

#ossinna, himself a nationalist and race

theorist, encouraged ?auer to organise an

expedition.

Kike %thelrod and $athieson, Gobineau called

the site 9Commoriom5 in reference to a city

mentioned in theLivre $("ibon. #ossinna

called it 9-ltima Thule5.

6n invitation, Gobineau @oined the expedition.

"t arrived in Godth2b in late pril and,

following Gobineau5s directions, landed in

Godth2bsf@orden where the ship anchored in

order to maximise radio reception.

?auer describes Gobineau as obnoxious and

mentally unstable. ?auer feels he is more of a

hindrance to the mission than a help. ?auer andGobineau fight sporadically.

!trange0looking %s3uimaux were spotted

watching from a distance. Kater one of them

approached. He was a bearded old man with fair

complexion and elongated facial features. He

resembled a !candinavian. ?auer felt certain

that this was proof of the origin of the ryans

on ThuleIGreenland. The man was not friendly.

!peaking in a strange dialect, he appeared to

threaten or warn them and left.

The following day, while caught in a sudden

bli88ard, they were attacked by a huge, bear0

like thing that was nevertheless definitely not a

bear. They tried to shoot it without success.

6nce they regrouped, they found that three of

them were dead and two missing. They decided

to press on with only three men left in the

expedition.

The Akrafe7era$ed clue?

)anguage/Tsath0o and German

S&imming Time/The German translationL + hoursQ

translating from Tsath0o takes longer ;see below=

This book is a speculative translation by Herman

irth of certain pictographs found etched onto a

monolith in Finland. irth interprets the symbols

according to his own linguistic theories and wishful

thinking. nyone familiar with Tsath0o will

recognise the glyphs.

)anguages 7erman8will reveal irth5s

interpretationL

A go$$ess arose out of the earth an$ se$uce$ a

human/ She gave birth to the Go$-%an/ The Go$-

%an became a brave arrior an$ a lea$er/

irth associates this with the0arelian stor' of

"lmatar, the spirit of the air who gives birth to

:VinVmJinen, the first man.

There as a cit' in a high, fertile valle' in Thule,

ith mountains to the est an$ forests to the south/The people of the cit' ere envious of the Go$-%an

an$ took him prisoner/ The' cut off his hea$ an$

burie$ the bo$', but he arose, an$ kille$ one of the

people/ The' e1ecute$ him again an$ the same

happene$/ %ost of the people fle$ the cit'/ .n the

thir$ occasion, he reveale$ his $ivine form an$

$evoure$ man' of the people until the last of them

fle$/ Years later, 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

civilisation of Thule an$ the Ar'an race/

This myth, argues irth, is an account of the divine

seed from which the supreme 4ordic0ryan race

appeared on Thule before they went on to rule the

ancient orl$/ 2e also speculates e1tensivel' on

the relationships beteen the pictographs an$

)or$ic runes/

Clue 7)everaged8/ "f using %thelrod5s Tsath0o

dictionary, every six hours work and 5 point

spendsin Ar#haeolog!, )anguages,Cr!ptograph!, Anthropolog!or Cthulhu

"!thos, one of the following points is translatedL

!oldiers from Commoriom captured the outlaw

#nygathin Ahaum and brought him back to the

city.

ccording to rumour, #nygathin Ahaum was

the product of the union of the Shaklip> the

9granddaughter5 of the god*hotha++uahand a

sub0human :oormis.

The city executioner beheaded him three times

and each time, witnesses later saw him alive,

more monstrous than before. 6n the first and

second occasion, #nygathin Ahaum killed and

ate one of the inhabitants of the city.

?y the third reappearance, he had

metamorphosed into a fully alien entity, and had

devoured many of the citi8ens, forcing the final

abandonment of the city.

former inhabitant of Commoriom returned tothe city one day and discovered it repopulated


19/30

with the monstrous offspring of #nygathin

Ahaum.

Translating it or reading an accurate translation will

grant & point of Cthulhu $ythos.

The #eeper might consider using or adapting Clark

shton !mith5s story The Testament of Athammaus

for the content of the main body of the story.

The PyreS#ene T!pe/ 6ptional,Clue ;?onus=

)ead-$n/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The

$ysterious !tructure, The German Camp

)ead-1ut/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The

$ysterious !tructure, The German Camp

Eviden#e Colle#tion or 1utdoorsman/s one

approaches the cube0shaped structure, a blackened,

scattered pile of debris can be seen on the ice."n fact, this is the remains of the German

expedition. There are two bodies here and a

blackened mass of some sort. 6ne man is lying

about + yards away from the others. The following

items are obviousL

/ $auser rifles

/ pairs of skis

echselapparat 9ex5 Flamethrower ;with

five ignition cartridges remaining=

Eviden#e Colle#tion/There are rifle cartridges

scattered around. t least shots were fired.

There is a large, dark mark on the ice around two of

the men and covering one of them completely > an

oily or tarry residue with a strange smell.

Chemistr!/The smell includes burned petrol or

dieselQ however, there is another strange and

unfamiliar odour there too.

6orensi#s or "edi#ine/ 3 oint spendin either

of these is needed to establish each of the followingfactsL

6ne man seems to have died of a skull

fracture

The second ;covered in the dark residue=

appears to have been crushed to death and

smothered by the dark substance. He also

has burns across his body.

third ;about + yards from the others= has

two broken legs, burns and scorch marks to

his body and died of hypothermia

Eviden#e Colle#tion/4ext to the first man is a

dark stone statuette. "t is a s3uat, grotes3ue, vaguely

toad0like form with a fat body, half0closed eyes,

large ears and a lolling tongue. !eeing this is a &0

point !tability test, $ythos related. nyone failing

this test is disturbed by a haunting sense of

recognition, as if of a childhood memory or a

dream. That night, they are visited by an unpleasant

dream of this corpulent entity leering at them in

some dark, subterranean place. They will lose a

second point of !tability. Cthulhu "!thos/ 3-

point spendreveals that similar toad0like statues

were used by extinct merican "ndian tribes in

Canada and 4ew %ngland. They supposedly

represent a being called Tsathoggua. There are

interesting parallels with an entity called Sa$ogah

associated with witchcraft in the uvergne region

of France. The worship of this god supposedly

began on the mythical lost continent of Hyperborea,

where he was known as*hotha++uah.

1utdoorsman or Eviden#e Colle#tion/ 3-ointspendin either of these is needed to reveal each of

the followingL

Three sets of footprints coming from the

direction of the cube0shaped structure. They

were running.

faint trail of fro8en moisture, mucus or

slime, also coming from the cube0shaped

structure

:hat Happened Here;The three surviving members of the expedition

entered the temple and ;as instructed by Gobineau=

recited the spell he brought with him ;Contact

!pawn of Tsathoggua=. They entered and began to

explore. 6ne of the men could not resist taking the

idol of Tsathoggua from the altar when they left.

They fled, pursued by the spawn. They fired on it to

no effect, but managed to set it on fire with their

flamethrower. ?efore dying and dissolving into the

ice, it killed two men, the third, his legs broken and

suffering from burns, died of hypothermia.

N?egin !idebarO

1ew :eapon

4e#hselapparat ?4ex= 6lamethro'er

This model is surplus from the Great ar and

consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and a

no88le connected by a hose. $echanical Bepair

test against 7ifficulty ) is re3uired to understand

the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in awasted shot. Gasoline, kerosene or diesel can be

used as fuel. &0chambered cylinder in the no88le

contains the ignition cartridges. "ts heavy ;< lbs=


20/30

and cumbersome nature and high visibility make it

dangerous to wear, decreasing the wearer5s Hit

Threshold by & and increasing thletics and

Fleeing 7ifficulties by &. "t5s also 3uite fragileL

treat as having + rmour and / Health if damaged.

Damage/ E& ;and see below=

Shots/&

Range/4ear9otes/6nce hit, a target will continue to burn,

inflicting E damage for &7 rounds ;thletics test

against 7ifficulty to extinguish=. 0& to wearer5s

Hit Threshold. user can also douse an area before

ignition, creating a fireball that inflicts similar

damage to an exploding stick of dynamite ;see

Trail of Cthulhu rulebook p*=.

N%nd !idebarO

The Temple of*hothaqquahS#ene T!pe/ 6ptional,Clue ;?onus=

)ead-$n/The 1yre, The $ysterious !tructure, The

German Camp

)ead-1ut/The 1yre, The $ysterious !tructure,

The German Camp

This mysterious, ancient, weathered cube s3uats on

the mountainside like a tomb or a memorial to

something incomprehensibly ancient. "t is built of

dark grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slitshigh in the walls and an open, s3uare doorway

about nine feet wide.

Eviden#e Colle#tionor1utdoorsman/There is a

faint, short path leading from the ice plain to the

doorway.

eolog!/The building is constructed of basalt. 3

point spend/The profound erosion of this hard

stone appears to imply that it is tens or hundreds of

thousands of years old.

Ar#hite#ture/%ach wall appears to be formed of a

single natural block.3 point spend/The building

bears no relationship to any known architectural

style.

The walls and floor are covered in thick frost. There

are footprints across the floor and in places the frost

has been scraped from the walls.

Eviden#e Colle#tion 3 oint spend/ "n other

places, the frost has been melted from the walls as

indicated by dark scorch marks.Pust inside the door is a huge, three0legged basin of

a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of

green, several feet wide around it. Chemistr!or

Ar#haeolog! recognises it as extremely ancient

bron8e covered in thick verdigris. The bowl is six

feet across and three deep. "f examined, the inside

of the bowl is untarnished, in near0perfect

condition. Eviden#e Colle#tion/The feet are in the

shapes of feline0like claws.

The floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern oflarge, irregular, five0sided flagstones. h!si#s or

Ar#hite#ture/This pattern of tessellated pentagons

is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated

understanding of obscure geometry.

!trange hieroglyphs ;identifiable as a primitive

version of Tsath0o= can be seen covering the

walls, in some still covered in frost and some

already exposed. The glyphs relate a history of the

original builders of the city as translated in

%thelrod5s&ictographs in the Temple of *oth-

A++ua.

6n the back wall is an empty two0tiered altar.

Eviden#e Colle#tion/ 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-oint spend

recognises the outline of the statuette found at The

!re.

The /urial Chamber

?ehind the altar, what may once have been a hidden

doorway lies open with fragments of corrodedbron8e chain on the floor nearby.

Chemistr!indicates that the chain fragments have

been in this position for only a few years. Green

stains on the door itself imply that the door was

probably chained for millennia.

The windowless chamber beyond is almost fifty

feet wide and about ten feet deep. 6pposite the door

seated on a large, bron8e throne is the striking

figure of a mummified baboon0like ape dressed in

the remnants of a red and purple robe and afeathered headdress. Tufts of orange hair poke

through holes in the robe. This is a /01oint !tability

test ;$ythos related=.

Biolog!/The creature is of no known species of

ape and possesses certain features, for example the

structure of the foot, which places it closer to

human beings.

The throne is again of heavily corroded bron8e, but

in better condition than the basin.

There is a long stone table at one end of the

chamber, which is empty apart from a few


21/30

fragments of ancient organic matter ;the remains of

flowers, fruit and other foods=.

The +ysterious &tructureS#ene T!pe/ Core

)ead-$n/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The 1yre,

The $ysterious !tructure, The German Camp

)ead-1ut/The Temple of Ahotha33uah, The 1yre,The $ysterious !tructure, The German Camp

4ear the centre of the ice cap, there is a dark spot of

roughly circular shape and about forty feet in

diameter. Eviden#e Colle#tion/ structure of

some kind, the top of which is around fifteen feet

beneath the surface, descends deep into the ice.

Eviden#e Colle#tion3 oint spendor

Ar#hite#ture/"t is difficult to see through the

distortion, but it has a resemblance to the top of a

tower complete with railed balcony.

N!idebarO

Antagonist Reactions ofthe Blond Esquimaux

The tiny clan of ?lond %s3uimaux has camped near

the valley in order to drive the outsiders away and

interfere with the dig. This takes the form of

sabotage and singing the ancestral song for

summoning the Gnoph0keh from the ice0plains towreak havoc in the valley.

ll of the following antagonist reaction scenes run

concurrently with exploration and excavation in the

valley until either the outsiders leave the area or the

%s3uimaux are defeated.

Trackin$ the Es4uimau' to theirCamp

1utdoorsman/ 3-oint spendwill allow tracks

to be followed southwest to the Es&imo Camp. "fthis is attempted at night, this is a 5-oint spend.

4ote that if the clan is not effectively defeated

;killed, captured, scattered etc=, it will continue to

be a thorn in the expedition5s side by repeatedly

calling the Gnoph0keh andIor sabotaging the dig

while the team is exploring Commoriom.

NI!idebarO

&ingingS#ene T!pe/ ntagonist reaction

Trigger/First night after Arriving at the Site

!ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty ( allows a

character to hear a murmuring, chanting sound

carried on the wind.

The Beast of the Ice &heetS#ene T!pe/ ntagonist reaction

Trigger/!econd night after Arriving at the Site

This event will occur on the second night after the

protagonists arrive at the site.

"f an "nvestigator makes a !ense Trouble test

against 7ifficulty ) he will awake to hear a distant,

rhythmic singing on the wind. "f followed, the

sound seems to come from a low hillock at the foot

of one of the southern peaks. nother 7ifficulty )

!ense Trouble test is needed to locate the source of

the singingL a white haired and bearded old man in

an %skimo parks sitting, huddled against the cold.

7ifficulty ) !tealth test ;7ifficulty < during theday= is necessary to creep up undetected.

6therwise, the man will attempt to escape up the

mountain.

"sma, the head of the clan calls the Gnoph0keh.

"f unable to escape, "sma will defend himself

ferociously with his spear.

"f allowed to complete the spell unmolested, "sma

attracts the attention of a Gnoph0keh, and it may

kill himbefore moving on to attack the camp. !ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty ) alerts an

"nvestigator to a brief cry in the night, soon

followed by the sound of the creature5s approach.

6nce close to the camp, the creature will summon

up a bli88ard, and attack. "f it loses over half of its

Health, the Gnoph0keh will retreat back to the ice0

plains.

noph-&eh

For full details of the Gnoph0keh see the Trail of

Cthulhurulebook p&/).

thletics ', Health &


22/30

Anthropolog!/ The man is clearly not an %skimo.

His long features and fair colouring make him look

more like a !candinavian, although smaller in

stature.

6orensi#s/The man appears to have been gored

and crushed to death.

Eviden#e Colle#tion 3-oint spend/Close to the

body is a figurine made out of ice, depicting astrange six legged animal with a horn. Cthulhu

"!thos/This is depiction of a Gnoph0keh. 3-oint

spend/!uch sculptures are used in rituals for

calling the Gnoph0keh.

&a"otageTrigger/Third night after Arriving at the Site

The team awakes to discover that some of their

e3uipment is sabotaged > the drill in need of$echanical Bepair, the "ce melter destroyed or

most dramatically, the diesel tanks set on fire.

!ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty ) will allow

the protagonists to hear the culprits > most likely

the two younger ?lond %s3uimaux > at work.

noph,-eh comes a &econdTime

Trigger/Fifth day after Arriving at the Site unless

theEs&imo Camphas been visited and the%s3uimaux there have been incapacitated

This event is the same as The Beast of the $#e

Sheet except thatL

"t occurs during the day ;decrease !ense Trouble

7ifficulty by & and increase !tealth 7ifficulty by &=

"t is the angekok, -lat who calls the Gnoph0keh this

time

"f -lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensible

curses and wave his hands around in a bi8arre,intimidating fashion. s a last resort he will attempt

to defend himself with spells or a knife.

-lat5s long, colourful parka is decorated with

a3uatic designs. Cthulhu "!thos 3-oint spend/

The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling in

undersea towers on the shaman5s long parka seem

to be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.

The Es-imo Camp

S#ene T!pe/ Core)ead-$n/!inging, The ?east of the "ce !heet,

!abotage, Gnoph0keh comes a !econd Time

This small clan has built a temporary camp about

two hours from the edge of the valley. The shelter

is a whalebone and hide construct, covered in ice

and snow and out of sight of the valley. trickle of

hearth smoke often emerges from a hole in the roof.

4ear the fire is a makeshift altar and a grotes3ue

idol. The altar is a @agged, natural rock. "n front of

it, is a bowl of blood and the heart of a polar bear,sprinkled with tiny flowers. 1erched on the altar is a

small, crude whalebone statue of a s3uatting

creature with tentacles for a face. !eeing this

re3uires a &0point !tability test, $ythos related.

Cthulhu "!thos identifies it as a depiction of

Cthulhu.

ll of the surviving males of the clan will be here.

pproaching without alerting anyone is a !tealth

test against 7ifficulty *. "f alerted, they will flee a

strong group or attack a weak one. "f surprised, they

will be in or around the shelter. "f cornered, they

will fight fiercely to the death.

N?egin !idebarO

The Blond EsquimauxThese 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 hunter0gatherers, living harsh

lives in the more remote parts of Greenland. Theirancient religion has been lost and they make their

offerings and prayers to Cthulhu, who they call

90ulu(.

1hysically, they look very different from other

%skimo people, being blond, with long faces,

elongated ear0lobes and substantial facial hair. They

wear hoodless, wide0collared parkas with hats.

6lat8 Shaman8 Priest of 0ulu

This white0bearded man may be in his s. He

wears a long parka decorated with strange motifs

and symbols and an odd, pointed hat.

thletics , !cuffling


23/30

5sma8The .ather

ged ), this gri88led patriarch is the head of the

clan. His hair is greying, but he is still fierce and

strong.

thletics *, !cuffling (, eapons ', Health

Hit Threshold/ )

4eaponL E ;spear=

ArmorL 0& vs all ;hide=

Stealth "odifier/E&

Alertness "odifier/E&

Spells/Contact Gnoph0keh

>aatuk and &aakuk

These two men are the sons of the patriarch, aged

+* and +(. They are fierce, agile and almost

fearless.

Abilities/ thletics &, !cuffling (, eapons &&,

Health 'Hit Threshold/ )

ArmorL 0& vs all ;hide=

Stealth "odifier/E+

Alertness "odifier/E+

4eaponL E ;stone axes, spears=

5n7esti$ation

Anthropolog!/These men do not appear to be a

members of any known %skimo tribe, either in

terms of their clothing or in terms of their fair hair,

slender build, long faces, large noses or long ear

lobes. 6ne man, who may be a shaman, has motifs

on his clothing and ornamentation in an unfamiliar

style and a3uatic theme. 3-oint spend/:ilh@almur

!tefansson reported blond %s3uimaux in northern

Canada in &'&, and there have been such reports

since the &*thCentury.

Cthulhu "!thos/The images of odd, octopoid

beings dwelling in undersea towers on the shaman5s

long parka seem to be a depiction of Cthulhu and

his race.

1ew Spell

Conta#t noph-&eh

This spell must be cast in the fro8en wastes of

Greenland or the 4orth 1ole. small effigy of the

beast must be made out of snow and ice.

Stabilit! Test Diffi#ult!/


24/30

clear significant amounts of ice with little

assistance. 1ower for both the melter and the pump

are supplied by the diesel generator.

The operator;s= must have %lectrical Bepair.

oint Spend Benefits

"n any given phase, a character operating the ice

melter can spend a pool point of %lectrical Bepairand reduce the length of that phase by one day.

Resour#es Consumed

.< barrels of diesel per day ;M=

E'plosi7es

%xplosive charges can be used to widen existing

boreholes 3uickly or, used with great care, to break

up ice inside the tower itself.

The character using explosives must have the

%xplosives general ability.

oint Spend Benefits

"n any given phase, a character overseeing the use

of explosives can spend up to two pool points of

%xplosives and reduce the length of that phase by

one day per point spent.

Resour#es Consumed

+ detonators per day.

NI!idebarO

Accessing the &tructureS#ene T!pe/ Core

)ead-$n/The $ysterious !tructure

)ead-1ut/%xcavating the Chamber

?y default this phase takes ) days.

The top of the structure is about &*5 below the

surface. ?eneath that is the roof of the structure and

a chamber > in fact the upper chamber of a tower.

"t is assumed that the team will create a shaft of pit

to reach the tower then excavate the inside of it.

The #eeper may have to improvise somewhat if

they take a very different approach. The characters

may decide to build a shaft next to the tower and

enter via one of the doors or windows on the

balcony, or they may simply bore a hole directly

through the roof.

Ar#haeolog! or Ar#hite#ture/ The roof and floor

are already partially collapsed.

eolog!L The tower is black gneiss basalt. 3-

oint spendestablishes that it is tens of thousands

of years old.

Ar#hite#tureL The style doesn5t resemble that of

any known architectural tradition.

Exca#ating the Cham"erS#ene T!pe/ Core

)ead-$n/ccessing the !tructure

)ead-1ut/Clearing the Chamber

?y default this phase takes * days.

ith Ar#haeolog!orEviden#e Colle#tion the

remains of an unknown metallic device can be

found in the upper chamber of the tower.

eolog!* Craft or Ar#haeolog!/"t was decorated

with gold, emeralds and rubies.

Astronom! or 3-oint spend in Ar#haeolog!*

h!si#s or "e#hani#al RepairL "t was an optical

device of some kind, possibly a telescope.

Clearing the Cham"erS#ene T!pe/ Core

)ead-$n/%xcavating the Chamber

)ead-1ut/The "dol Thaws, 7escent into the

7epths

Core Clue/ The stru#ture des#ends deep into thei#e-sheet2 There is a semi-inta#t stair'a! leading

do'n2

?y default, this phase takes * days.

Ar#hite#ture 7Core #lue8/There is a stairway

descending deeper into the ice.

pictographs, books M

ith Ar#haeolog! orEviden#e Colle#tiona

strange and grotes3ue ob@ect is uncovered in the ice

near the top of the stairwell. "t looks like agrotes3ue idol fashioned of some dark, mottled

material, vaguely toad0like in shape, very dense and

about the si8e of a melon. !eeing this re3uires a /0

point !tability test, $ythos related.

Cthulhu "!thos/!tatues of grotes3ue, toad0like

forms are used in the worship of Tsathoggua.

eolog! or Chemistr!/The ob@ect is not made of

any known material.

"n fact, the ob@ect isn5t a statue at all. "t is a dormant

organism > one of the !pawn of #nygathin Ahaum.6nce uncovered, the spawn will begin to thaw and

awaken. !ee The $dol Tha's. This nominally takes


25/30

+) hours or ( hours if left in a warm place, like an

inhabited tent, however it should take as long as is

dramatically interesting.

'escent into the 'epthsS#ene T!pe/ Core

)ead-$n/Clearing the Chamber

)ead-1ut/

?y default this phase takes < days until breaking

through to the ice0free section of the stairwell.

!tairwell runs around perimeter of tower. !olidly

constructed from basalt, most of it is still intact.

There are places where steps have eroded or broken

and places where there are gaps.

1ictographs in stairwell tell history of

Hyperboreans in reverse going back to their arrival

on Hyperborea. Heyday of Commoriom showing current

kings

:arious older dynasties

%ncroaching cold

1rophesy of !ybil of 1olarion

Bise of houndeh cult

Komar and Aobna

6ther settlements

%arly Tsathoggua cult

:oormis driven to $t. :oormithadreth

Aon $e88amalechM

Founding of Commoriom

Hyperboreans leaving homelands ;KomarM=.

rrival of Hyperboreans

1eople of Komar arrive from Aobna, driven

by cold

The "ce ge is brought about by the

combined power of "tha3ua and phoom

Ahah. Gradual collapse of :oormis

civilisation

Gnophkeh and :oormis at war. Former

driven to Komar.

:oormis settlement and temple of

Ahotha33uah

Humans appear on earth

:oormis liberation, worship of Tsathoggua

!erpent 1eople found civilisation in

Hyperborea ;with :oormis slaves=

they break through to an ice0free section of the

stairwell, stretching down into darkness. "t widens

allowing much faster progress.

The stairs descend over feet into the ice0sheet.7ue to the tower walls it is very dark and artificial

light is essential. Getting to the bottom will take at

least around half an hour.

Three thletics tests are re3uiredL one at 7ifficulty

), one at 7ifficulty and one at 7ifficulty ). There

are also four places where the stairs have

completely collapsed creating gaps. These will need

to be bridged somehow or climbing gear will need

to be used.

Gap W&L feet, 7ifficulty /, 7amage & die

Gap W+L &+ feet, 7ifficulty


26/30

method using dog sleds, drilling e3uipment or the

snow tractor.

NIsidebarO

The Idol ThawsS#ene T!pe/ 6ptional, ntagonist Beaction

Trigger/Clearing the Chamber

s it thaws, especially if it has been brought back

to the camp, the dogs begin to act in a disturbed

way, barking all day and night.

6nce it has awakened, this intelligent, sentient

organism will escape, and scuttle across the ground

at night, on many limbs or slide under the edges of

tents in order to find a sleeping host. The spawn

will attempt to enter a sleeping or subdued human

host, smothering their sounds as it forces itself

down their throat and takes up residence in theirbody.

-nless one of the protagonists unwittingly sets

himself up as an obvious target, the spawn should

attack a 41CL one of the mushers or Germans. His

tent mate wakes up to see it and screams out for

help before being attacked and infected himself.

successful !ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty

;' if the attack is at night= will allow protagonists to

hear a strange sound in the camp. "f they rush out

immediately they will catch sight of a bi8arre blackthing like a huge spider attempting to crawl into

one of the tents. ttacking it will cause it to attack

the protagonist. Following it, he will witness it

attacking the mushers.

"n any case, the 1rotagonists will automatically be

woken by a blood0curdling scream that is suddenly

cut short.

Eviden#e Colle#tion/There are traces of a dark

greyish slime on both bodies and at the edge of the

tent where the canvas seems loose.6utcome for the victimM

!ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty < ;( at

night= will alert a character to an imminent attack.

Hunting it down, while it hides in the camp has the

same 7ifficulty. 4oticing the thing attack a

companion sleeping in the same tent is a 7ifficulty

test.

N?egin sidebarO

Spawn of 0ny$athin @haumlso known as 91arasitic !pawn of Tsathoggua5,

these entities bear some similarity to their cousins,

except that they are smaller ;about the si8e of a

?order Collie=, and can invade and live inside

human hosts. Kike the formless spawn, they are

black, oo8ing, plastic entities capable of taking

almost any shape and of s3uee8ing themselves

under doors and through small holes.

7ue to their li3uid nature, normal physical wounds

will flow closed. However, this process is notinstantaneous. They may be temporarily

incapacitated by physical attacks, but even if

completely dismembered and the members

scattered, the parts will reassemble > by flowing,

rolling into balls, s3uee8ing through cracks or even

breaking out of containers ;controlled by a unifying

intelligence, thletics can still be used in this state=

until the parts gather together and the creature is

intact once more. They cannot be killed in this way

> the amount of damage they take only affects the

amount of time it takes for their Health to get above and able to act once more. Fire damage does not

heal in this way, nor may some magical or chemical

attacks.

7ue to the hominid strain in its ancestry, the spawn

has an affinity for human biology and can live

inside a human being, substituting natural

biological functions with its own. They will attempt

to subdue a target and then, in li3uid form, typically

force itself down his throat. The victim may be

incapacitated or even killed during the attempt. Thespawn will need to remove most of the victim5s

internal organs in order to make space for it5s own

body. This will take about < minutes. The rest of

the body, including the brain will remain alive,

provided for by the spawn. The spawn will then

take control of the brain, raiding his memories and

taking control of his actions. -ntil it fully settles in,

for the first )( hours, a !tability test against

7ifficulty will allow the host to have full control

for a few minutes or allow some recollection of the

attack event. N!tability test to resist it when itasserts controlMO

The host5s previous 7rive disappears and instead is

subconsciously substituted with the spawn5s goals.

To an observer, the host5s personality and mind

seem to be intact, but Assess Honest!will detect a

listless or 9off5 3uality that may be mistaken for

shock or other mental health issue. 3-oint

spendsuggests that the host seems to lack sincere

emotions.

Suffo#ate/The creature can use a limb to sei8e avictim around the neck or simply smother with its

viscous body. pply the 7rowning and !uffocation


27/30

rules ;Trail of Cthulhu rulebook 1(=. hen being

strangled, successful thletics contest will allow a

victim to break free.

rab/Tendrils or limb attacks can be used to

immobilise a target or cling to the target. 6nce

grabbed, an thletics contest is re3uired to break

the grip.

$nvade Host/The creature can force itself into avictim via a bodily orifice ;usually the mouth= if the

target has been successfully suffocated or grabbed

in the previous round or is unconscious. gainst a

conscious victim, this is an thletics contest with

the spawn rolling against a 7ifficulty 4umber of /.

"f the mouth is being used as an entrance, the victim

will suffer the effects of !uffocation ;as in

!trangling above=, until the contest is over and for

another / rounds.

Spa'n of +n!gathin ,haum

thletics &+, Health , !cuffling +

Hit Threshold/)

Stealth "odifier/ E& ;E in snow and ice, E/ in

shadows or darkness=

4eapon/ 0& ;tendril=, E ;limb=, E& ;pseudopod= Q

can extend tendril attack at near rangeQ can attack

one to three targets with a limb simultaneously,

adding one to the Hit Threshold for each additional

targetQ can attack other targets even when inside a

hostArmor/ 0) vs any, when within a host. Heals

physical damage ;except fire, chemicals,

explosives= at Health per round.

Stabilit! )oss/ E&

hile in a fro8en, dormant state, although very

hard, the spawn can be cut or physically damaged.

However, once it thaws, it will regain the ability to

physically reassemble itself. Treat it as having

Health and rmor of 0< ;vs all= in a dormant state.

N%nd sidebarON!idebarO

Anta$onist %eactions of the Spawn

s soon as the protagonists enter Commoriom, the

spawn will begin to gradually thaw and awaken.

Eviden#e Colle#tion/thawing of ice, water

collecting, dripping, rivulets, pitting of ice.

"nitially a single spawn on the loose.

!ense Trouble test against 7ifficulty to catchglimpse of movement or sound ;could be

anywhere=.

"t will attempt to ambush a lone individual,

probably surprising them with a suffocation attack .

nyone alone in Commoriom for a significant time

is a potential target. !ense Trouble against

7ifficulty < to detect its approach.

"f ambushed it is recommended the #eeper takes

that player aside to resolve outcome in secret. "f the

creature successfully invades or incapacitates itshost then that character infected and is likely to

come under the control of the spawn within hours.

Their first action on waking will be to hide any

blood and tissues expelled during the implantation

process. ;Can it assert control immediatelyM=

"f infected, the character will have no memory of

events. The #eeper should ask the 1layer to

roleplay their ignorance and > when prompted to do

so > the growing influence that the spawn has over

them. This can be handled in much the same way as

roleplaying insanity.

6nce fully under the control of the parasitic spawn,

the infected character will secretly seek to awaken

#nygathin Ahaum at The PunctionIThe !3uare or

rouse more spawn using the ice melter, fire,

excavation tools or if, necessary, explosives. This

should not occur until the team has found The %lder

Kens. !ee A'a&ening of +n!gathin ,haum.

N%nd !idebarO

City /nder the Ice

The /ase of the Tower

Bubble, ice and a few bones including human

The 5ce Corridor

"ce0walled tunnel follows ancient path over rock

and cobble surface of prehistoric pathway,

descending from base of tower in a series of

stairways for about / yards before reaching the

$ain !treet.

&ain Street

From the "ce Corridor this can be followed left and

slightly uphill or right and slightly downhill. Keft

leads to the ruins of an ancient library and the

:ault. Bight leads to The !3uare.

Haunting view of primordial city imprisoned in iceL

streets, buildings, homes, towers, palace etc

1itted, dripping walls of ice with a narrow

crawlspace. The spawn are dormant in here.


28/30

Ex#avation/reveals strange channels, possibly

more 9toad idols5 and explosives could result in

accelerated awakening of the spawn

The S4uare

Central space, crossroads with fossilised blockM ;6r

is this where #A is still fro8enM= Human remainsM

Ex#avation/reveals strange channels, possiblymore 9toad idols5 and explosives could result in

accelerated awakening of #A and the spawn

The >ibrary

$ore documentation of history, possibly more

artifacts. !omewhere there may be a spell for

!peaking with Ahotha33uah as his !tatue. 1ossibly

a spell to call dukwa from the icy wastes.

ault

This place must be accessible and obvious. hereis itM -nder the libraryM -nder a templeM -nder the

tower itselfM

The historical frie8e spirals at right angles towards

a plinth built into the middle of the room and spiral

around the plinth to its top. pale stone about the

si8e of a small orange is mounted there.

"ts entirely possible that the crystal is embedded in

a wall, table, statue etc. The Commorians I

Commorian sorcerer could have done so after

ac3uiring it from A$. This might make it feel lessarbitrarily present.

The Elder 0ens# 9Crystal of Aon $e88amalech5, 9%ye of

-bbo0!athla5

:isions of the past, initially back to sorceror, then

@umps to A$. Then barrier then @umps into past all

the way back to -! and tablets. lso addictive and

leads to disillusionment with present0day realitywhich appears to be unreal. "dentification with A$

then once past barrier disidentification and loss of

selfhood. To onlookers, perhaps enters comatose

state, then a while later suddenly leaves and

disappears ;if somehow followed, seems to have

killed self=.

iewin$ the Elder >ens

For characters with the following drivesL

nti3uarianism, dventure, Curiosity, Thirst for

#nowledge > the temptation to view the Kens is aHard Driver. For all other characters, this is a Soft

Driver.

:iewing the crystal sends the user5s mind into the

past and connects it with the mind of a long dead

Hyperborean sorcerer A$ and via A$5s use of the

crystal to the ancestral memory of the species. This

ancestral memory is in fact the mind ;or proto0

mind= of -bbo0!athla, the proto0shoggoth created

by the %lder Things to spawn the first shoggoths

and from which all earthly life spawned as a by0

product. These ancestral memories are

predominantly from direct ancestors, but they also

@ump from other, nearby branches. Communion

with the 1roto0$ind and its many branches through

time and space produces a cumulative loss of self0

identity and a dissociation with what humans call

reality. This is reflected as a loss of !anity, and

occurs irrespective of whether anything is recalled

or not. !anity reduced to 8ero in this manner causes

a total loss of selfhood. fflicted in this way, a

person may walk into moving traffic, sit and stareinto space or simply wander into oblivion and

disappear.

:iewing crystal regresses user to A$ ;loss of &

!anity ;discreet=

Compulsion/

!tability test against 7ifficulty ) is re3uired to

resist viewing the stone again.lsocurrent 7rive

becomes meaningless. Beplaced with 7riveL Thirst

for #nowledge of the Tablets of the %lder Gods

NpermanentMO

$nitial union 'ith the mind of ,"

N/ point !tability test, + point !tability recovery for

those with 1illar of !anityL Family ;9Hyperborea

Hypothesis5=, plus drive superseded with Thirst for

#nowledge of the Tablets of the %lder GodsO

%ach !ubse3uent useL loss of & !anity ;discreet=, &

1oint !tability test

Test at 7iff < to regress furtherL loss of & !anity

plus & more per / hours

Begression all the way to the beginnings of earthly

life takes &7E/ hours. $ental union with -bbo0

!athla in this way causes an additional loss of &

point of !anity.

Begression can be interrupted.

For each hour of regression there is one potential

recollection. "mmediate recollection of each

memory is a !tability test against 7ifficulty


29/30

later, especially in dreams or under hypnosis. E&

Cthulhu $ythos is granted for every two recalled

memories. There may be costs to !tability and

!anity on recollection. 4ote that the costs of having

a 1illar of !anity smashed or a 7rive rendered

meaningless, override any other stated cost for that

revelation.

lsoL!piders, amphibians

1rimitive vertebrates

Trilobites, molluscs, sponges etc

"f the regression process of completed, the final

memory experienced with be union -bbo0!athla as

the origin of all earthly life.

-bbo !athla produces the first earth life

lose 3 Stabilit'45 Sanit'/ &illars of Sanit' smashe$6

7amil', 2uman ignit' an$ alue, 8eligion/rives meaningless6 Anti+uarianism, Thirst for

0nole$ge

6ther revelations may be chosen by the #eeper or

rolled on the table below. !tart by establishing the

number of memories recalled and then establish

what they are.

1ther Revelations during Regression

Take two ds and decide which is tens and which is

ones ;like percentile dice=. Boll belowL(esult

&& > & Human kingdom of Hyperborea, battles

with :oormis, rise and fall of various cults

etc

9 point Stabilit' test

+& > + hite apes ;actually relatives of

:oormis= under hidden influence of Great

Bace, raise city in Congo, rapidly evolving

spread out across world as early humans.

9 point Stabilit' test/ &illars of Sanit'smashe$6 7amil' :2'perborea

2'pothesis;, 8eligion/

/& > / :oormis gain freedom from !erpent

1eople, found Hyperborean colony

5 point Stabilit' test

)& > ) !erpent people in oth genetically

engineer simians into land hominids

;voormis= and a3uatic hominids ;deep

ones= to serve as slaves

lose 3 Stabilit'45 Sanit'/ &illars of Sanit'smashe$6 7amil', 2uman ignit' an$

alue, 8eligion/ rives meaningless6

Anti+uarianism, Thirst for 0nole$ge


30/30

#nygathin Ahaum can attack with each of its two

tentacles in a single round. Kike his spawn, he can

assume the form of a viscous, black li3uid. nd

most forms of physical in@ury will simply flow

closed.

thletics &, Health ++, !cuffling +(

Hit Threshold//

4eapon/ E< ;trample=Q E+ ;tentacle=Q E+ ;lithe,sucking proboscides=Q a successful tentacle attack

may, instead of inflicting damage, pull the victim to

the many mouths for automatic damage on each

following round

Armour/ 0+ ;thick, mottled membrane=Heals most

physical damage at Health per round

Stabilit! )oss/ E+

Temporary AppendixXThe sorceror %ibon, son of $ilaab, was born in thecity of "33ua in the ear of the Bed orm. "n that

same year the doom whereof the hite !ybil had

spake a century before came down upon the famous

city of Commoriom and the king thereof,

Kor3uamethros, and all his folk, rose up and fled

into the south to establish the city of -8uldaroum

amidst the @ungles of Aesh in the land of 1harnath,

abandoning forever splendid Commoriom to the

abnormality #yngathin AhaumX

0 The ?ook of %ibon

XFew had escaped the holocaust of inconceivable

cold that blew ravening down from the boreal 1ole,

and those few had fled the metropolis into the

south. 4ow deserted -8uldaroum stood fro8en,sheathe

Documents

Commoriom Submission v3,09 (3)