Commoriom Submission v3,25 (1)

8/13/2019 Commoriom Submission v3,25 (1)

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mmoriomA Submission for

Trail of Cthulhu

Commoriom

General/structural comments:

It would be good if, by the end, the protagonists

have an idea of what KZ and his spawn might be,

maybe where they came from. Do they also need a

copy of the Book of Eibon

Include !hule "ociety esoteric conspiracy # vril

stuff $ne of the %ril "ociety ladies is with

&obineau's team.

(ave Ethelrod's manner of death depend on player

actions) If they spot the &erman camp, perhaps he

asks one of them what they think it is, and#or

should we go there. If *E" then &obineau kills him

there. If +$ then the &ermans follow them and

&obineau shoots Ethelrod as they approach#enter

the valley. If both these events are prevented then

&ranger gets drunk and kills Ethelrod ust after theyarrive in the valley -or the &nophKeh kills him/.

!he offspring of KZ have two forms) adult and

uvenile. !he uvenile is simply a fissile offshoot

of an adult. It's about the si0e and appearance of a

leech. $nly the uvenile can parasitise a human.

!hey take about 12 weeks inside a human to reach

adulthood.

!here is a fro0en mastodon carcass in the upper

chamber of the tower.

3hange both clues and instructions to the Keeper

into second person.

3an e4uipment be defined in terms of opportunities

for the use of 5reparedness Eg. 6inches, ropes

etc. 7eview travel, supply levels and some physical

challenges to make them properly playerfacing and

simple to use. But wait to see what 8aws comes up

with in 9ythos E:peditions.

9ake format of clues consistent -bulleted/ as per

above

(ans 7einerth) real archaeologist who did a lot of

work for ;lfred 7osenberg and oined the +"D;5

in


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The Horrible Truth!he archaeological site is the ruin of the lost

(yperborean city of 3ommoriom. Entombed within

it are a descendent of !sathoggua and his

amorphous, parasitic offspring.

The Spine!he team members voyage to Godthb, where they

can confront a Rival Expeditionfrom &ermany.!hey then begin their arduous overland trek in

Evighedsfjorden.

!he protagonists see strange Eskimo watching them

from afar. In addition, a confrontation with the rival

team may have deadly conse4uences.

In The Valley of ommoriom! the protagonists

can find the bodies of the last survivors of the&erman team, mysteriously burned to death.

+earby, there is a strange temple inscribed with a

history of the early prehuman settlers. $n the

valley floor, a shadow under the ice indicates the

location of the archaeological site.

!here is strange singing in the valley and the

protagonists see the elusive figures of blond

Eskimo.

Excavation leads to the discovery of an ancient

tower entombed in ice, containing the remains ofancient astronomical e4uipment.

nseasonal bli00ards harry the team as they work

and they may glimpse a strange creature in the

storm. !he problems escalate with damage to the

camp and people attacked, until the 5rotagonists

neutralise the Eskimo clan that is causing these

problems.

urther digging uncovers a stairway with a frie0e

describing a history of (yperborea and eventually

leads to a ity "nder the #cewhere the teamuncovers a device that sends their minds back in

time to the disturbing origins of life on earth and

merges them with the primordial mind of bbo

"athla.

;s they e:plore and e:cavate, the city's dormant,

parasitic inhabitants begin to awaken and infest the

intruders, leading to the $%a&ening of 'nygathin(haum.

Victory Conditions%ictory in this scenario means discovering the

nature of the site and the horror within it and

escaping alive, preferably with the site safely

sealed.

Antagonist Reactions!here are four factions of potential antagonists in

this scenario.

; private &erman e:pedition of +a0iallied

archaeologists and occultists is investigating the site

as the possible ruin of Fltima !huleG. !hey see

themselves as civilised men, and -with the

e:ception of &obineau/ will initially be inclined to

be cordial. (owever, they see the site as property of

their ancestors and themselves as it's custodians.

!hey will ruthlessly take control of the site or its

artifacts if it seems necessary. 8ikewise, they may

use violence if threatened or obstructed.

; tiny clan of latterday (yperboreans -or HBlond

Eskimo'/ lives near the coast to the west of thevalley of 3ommoriom. !he Inuit of the region shun

them for their foul religious practices. !heir

ancestral myths warn that people disturbing the

valley will awaken a giant fro0en in a city under the

ice. !hey will do their utmost to protect the valley.

!heir most effective tactic is calling a &nophKeh

to hamper the e:pedition.

6ithin the city itself, is a colony of amorphous and

parasitic entities descended from !sathoggua.

Initially dormant, they will gradually awaken, andattempt to subdue and infest human hosts, gradually

gaining control over their behaviour and using them

to attempt to awaken their leader Knygathin Zhaum

and the other spawn. 6hen sufficient numbers are

awake, they will launch a fullscale attack on the

intruders.

; fourth potential antagonist is the team member

Dr 3huck &ranger, whose alcoholism and mental

health issues may cause him to become violent

under the stresses of the e:pedition.

Running Commoriom withthe Armitage Inquiry

!his scenario begins in late >une of


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&reenland e:pedition to his colleague Dr rancis

9organ and 9organ shared the story with

5rofessor ;rmitage. "oon they were working with

5rofessor Ethelrod in England to organise a follow

up e:pedition.

)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry,!his symbol defines

sections that apply only to running the scenario as

part of the ;rmitage In4uiry.

Running Commoriom as astandalone

*ou can also run this scenario as a standalone

adventure or mark a dramatic beginning to an

ongoing campaign.

Ethelrod has organised the e:pedition with the

British 9useum, independently of ;rmitage and his

colleagues.

)*ymbol: *tandalone, !his symbol defines

sections that apply only to running the scenario as a

standalone.

Creating the Protagonists;ppropriate roles for the e:pedition include

archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists,

biologists, e:plosives e:perts, drill engineers and

radio engineers. ;ll team members should be

healthy and fit, and be competent crosscountryskiers @ represented for game purposes as a

minimum $utdoorsman rating of < and ;thletics of

1. !he e:pedition will also need a medic with

9edicine and irst ;id ratings of at least .

!he e:pedition leader is very :enophobic and

rench applicants in particular need not apply.

)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry, !eam members arelikely to be ;merican, perhaps connected to the

niversity. (owever, Ethelrod may have brought

British team members with him.

)*ymbol: *tandalone, !he e:pedition is Britishand most of its members are too. (owever, Dr

&ranger may not be the only ;merican to oin the

e:pedition.

Prologue!he 5rotagonists have each applied for a position

on an e:citing e:pedition to &reenland.

!he following clues are availableabout recent polar

e:peditions)

$rchaeology/$nthropology:

In


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!heir Drive @ their reason for oining the

e:pedition

Insight into one or more of their 5illars of

"anity.

!hese things can be drawn out by the interviewer

asking about the applicant's 4ualifications, reasons

for wanting to oin the e:pedition, their beliefs,

what they would rely on to get through the ;rctic

winter and so on.

)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry,If organised by9iskatonic niversity, 3hairman of the

;rchaeology Department, Doctor Ernest 9c!avish

conducts the interview along with ;ssociate

5rofessor rancis 9organ.

)*ymbol: *tandalone, If the e:pedition is

organised by Ethelrod in England, he conducts the

interview himself, accompanied by his friend6ilfred 8ipton, at Ethelrod's office in the British

9useum.

Scenes

!riefing*cene Type:Introduction

.ead0ut:5reparations, !he ;tlantic %oyage

)*ymbol: $rmitage #n+uiry,!he briefing takesplace in a seminar room at the ;rchaeology

Department of 9iskatonic niversity. ;ssociate

5rofessor rancis 9organ is a selfassured yet soft

spoken field researcher in his early 1As, who

e:presses regret at being unable to attend the

e:pedition due to it being brought forward by a

year. (e introduces e:pedition leader 5rofessor

Ethelrod, a renowned linguist from 3ambridge and

veteran of the 9athieson E:pedition, who has

voyaged across the ;tlantic to oin them.

$rchaeology:Dr 9organ has a good reputation asa scientist, adventurer and a man of integrity. -


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until a second e:pedition could investigate it

fully. !he ill health and death of 5rofessor

3urtis 9athieson in


6/39

(e wraps up the briefing after three or four

4uestions or if he doesn't like the direction the

4uestions are going.

Henr Ethelrod

;ny attempt to influence Ethelrod or get additional

information from him re4uires British characters to

have a 3redit 7ating of CL. ;mericans and

continental Europeans -apart from the rench/ need

ML. ;nyone else will need to make a


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The +ook of Eibon

.anguage: English#8atin

*&im:1 hours

7ore:MA hours

*&immingthis will provide < dedicated pool point

in ;nthropology, ;stronomy or $ccult and ean 7aymond is highly racist himself, as

well as being somewhat insecure. (e will refuse to

have anything to do with nonwhite people at all

and under stress could react violently to them. If

somehow shown that his idealised theories of his

origins were profoundly mistaken, he would go

irrevocably insane.

$bilities:;thletics 2 -


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2edicine ;core! floating=:Ethelrod is mortally

wounded, but he comes round briefly. (e will tell

the protagonist to follow the route marked on the

map in his personal pack. (e also warns them that

the Fguardian of the temple must be placatedG but

slips into unconsciousness before he can e:plain

how.

; third Reassurance 57oint *pendor5sychological !riage will get &ranger talking. (e

raves and mutters incoherently about Fblond

EskimoG, Fthe maneating beast of the iceG, Fthe

city of evilG, Fthe formless guardian of the templeG

and Ethelrod stealing his whisky. (e soon lapses

into a state of muttering, incoherent catatonia, from

which, as 7sychoanalysisindicates, he is unlikelyto recover without lengthy therapy.

Ethelrods Personal Effects

Ethelrod left most of his personal possessions onone of the sleds. 7eliant as they were on Ethelrod,

the rest of the team do not know with certainty the

route to their goal. !hey may find this material

while looking for his maps.

Ethelrod's possessions include)

ore lue:; detailed map of 6est &reenland

with handwritten markings showing both the

route taken by the 9athieson E:pedition and

the route planned for the current e:pedition

Ethelro#)s *otes on the Liber !onis-see

HEthelrod's "ecrets' sidebar/

lue ;7ipe=:A 'reliminar( nter%retation of

the Tsath-+o Language -see HEthelrod's

"ecrets' sidebar/

'ictogra%hs in the Tem%le of the ,oth-Aua

-see HEthelrod's "ecrets' sidebar/

TBegin "idebarU

Ethelrods Secrets

EthelrodCs >otes on the .iber #vonis

.anguage:English

*&im: hours

7ore:A hours

!hese handwritten notes were written in the late


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; civil war broke out between the followers of

Zoth;44ua 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 in

boats made of skin -the ancestors of the

(yperboreans, Ethelrod suggests/. !hey beganto trade, the builders of the city taught them

writing, and the newcomers 4uickly learned the

ways of economics and government.

!he land continued to get colder, and trade

dwindled. !he coming of the cold was a curse

from ;dukwu or his longdead followers.

!here is a prophecy that the bareskinned

people would take the city. Eventually it would

lie abandoned and ravaged by the cold.

TEnd "idebarU

The Valley of Commoriom*cene Type: 3ore

.ead#n:$n the Edge

.ead0ut:E:cavation, &ranger goes 9ad

ore lue: The *hado% "nder the #ce

Arri)ing at the Site

;s the team progresses along the ridge, they see

two mountain peaks ahead, between which they areheading. Beyond that, according to Ethelrod's map,

lies the valley of 3ommoriom.

!he ourney is uphill and hard going, re4uiring 2

;thletics, leeing or (ealth pool points for half a

day.

!he team reaches the top of a rise in the natural

pass between the two peaks and has view of a

mountainous plateau, a valley around a mile across,

with an ice cap covering what was once a valley.

;bout miles away, on the other side of the valley,a dark cube -The Temple of (hotha++uah/ s4uats

on the lower slopes of the highest mountain. ;bout

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

camp.

!he wind blows harshly through the high valley,

whipping up particles of ice and snow into dancing

phantoms. ; "ense !rouble test against Difficulty 1

allows 5rotagonists to hear a strange droning sound.

!his is a natural effect caused by the wind blowing

between the mountains and through the valley.$nce this is established, allow any "ense !rouble

points spent to be reclaimed.

Evidence ollection! 0utdoorsman or Geology

;ore lue=: ;lso about a mile away, close to themiddle of the icecovered valley is a shadow that

matches the one Ethelrod showed the group in the

briefing -see The *hado% "nder the #ce/.

Geology:!he ice could be up to a thousand feet

thick.

Evidence ollection: ;s you approach the cubeshaped structure, you see a blackened, scattered pile

of debris on the ice.

In fact, this is the remains of the &erman e:pedition

-see The End of the -auer Expedition/.

The &erman Camp

!he camp consists of two tents with two sledges

parked nearby. !here is bedding for three men here.

It appears to be deserted.

0utdoorsman: !he camp has not been used for

days.

*imple *earch: !he camp contains some supplies

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

and so forth.

Evidence ollection 5 point spendis re4uired to

find each of the following in the camp)

A dynamite charges with detonators and

fuse wire

ournal of Ekkehardt Bauer

!he ;krafall "aga

TBegin "idebarU

)*ymbol: 7ulp,

!echselapparat !e,5lamethrower

6hile it's unlikely to do much more than delay the

horror they will face later, you could include anintact flamethrower at the camp.

!his model is surplus from the &reat 6ar and

consists of a backpack with fuel cylinders and a

no00le connected by a hose. ; 9echanical 7epair

test against Difficulty 2 is re4uired to understand

the firing mechanism, with failure resulting in a

wasted shot. &asoline, kerosene or diesel can be

used as fuel. ;


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leeing Difficulties by


22/39

thir# occasion0 he re!eale# his #i!ine form an#

#e!oure# man( of the %eo%le until the last of them

fle#. +ears later0 one of the inhabitants of the cit(

returne# an# foun# the cit( %o%ulate# ith a race

#escen#e# from the go#s. Thus began the

ci!ilisation of Thule an# the Ar(an race.

!his myth, argues 6irth, is an account of the divine

seed from which the supreme +ordic;ryan raceappeared on !hule before they went on to rule the

ancient orl#. 2e also s%eculates e1tensi!el( on

the relationshi%s beteen the %ictogra%hs an#

*or#ic runes.

lue ;.everaged=: If using Ethelrod's !sath*o

dictionary, every si: hours work and 5 point

spendsin $rchaeology, .anguages,

ryptography, $nthropologyor thulhu

2ythos, one of the following points is translated)

"oldiers from 3ommoriom captured the outlawKnygathin Zhaum and brought him back to the

city.

;ccording to rumour, Knygathin Zhaum was

the product of the union of the Shakli%@ the

Hgranddaughter' of the god,hothauahand a

subhuman %oormis.

!he city e:ecutioner beheaded him three times

and each time, witnesses later saw him alive,

more monstrous than before. $n the first and

second occasion, Knygathin Zhaum killed and

ate one of the inhabitants of the city.

By the third reappearance, he had

metamorphosed into a fully alien entity, and had

devoured many of the citi0ens, forcing the final

abandonment of the city.

; former inhabitant of 3ommoriom returned to

the city one day and discovered it repopulated

with the monstrous offspring of Knygathin

Zhaum.!ranslating it or reading an accurate translation will

grant < point of 3thulhu 9ythos.

!he Keeper might consider using or adapting 3lark

;shton "mith's story The Testament of Athammaus

for the content of the main body of the story.

The End of the +auer E,pedition

Evidence ollection:

!here are three charred bodies here in a

blackened mass.

!here are rifle cartridges scattered around. ;t

least M shots were fired.

hemistry:

!he group was burned with fuel, probably

kerosene

!here is an odd tarry residue here that you don't

recognise as a normal byproduct of chemicalfires like this. It seems to be organic.

o -iology:!his isn't any known organic

substance

8orensics:;ll three men appear to have died fromburns caused by an inflammable li4uid

Evidence ollection:+e:t to the first man is a

dark stone statuette. It is a s4uat, grotes4ue, vaguely

toadlike form with a fat body, halfclosed eyes,

large ears and a lolling tongue. "eeing this is a


23/39

!hey fled, pursued by the spawn. !hey fired on it to

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

flamethrower. It attacked them, causing the

flamethrower to rupture and burning the entire

group, including the spawn, to death.

The Temple of.hothaqquah

!his mysterious, ancient, weathered cube s4uats on

the mountainside like a tomb or a memorial to

something incomprehensibly ancient. It is built of

dark grey stone with sides fifty feet, narrow slits

high in the walls and an open, s4uare doorway

about nine feet wide.

Evidence ollectionor0utdoorsman:!here is afaint, short path leading from the ice plain to the

doorway.

Geology:!he building is constructed of basalt. !heprofound erosion of this hard stone appears to

imply that it is unfeasibly ancient.

$rchitecture:Each wall appears to be formed of a

single natural block.!he building bears norelationship to any known architectural style.

!he walls and floor are covered in thick frost. !here

are footprints across the floor and in places the frost

has been scraped from the walls.

Theology:

Evidence ollection 5 7oint spend: In otherplaces, the frost has been melted from the walls as

indicated by dark scorch marks.

>ust inside the door is a huge, threelegged basin of

a corroded greenish material that forms a pool of

green, several feet wide around it. hemistryor$rchaeology recognises it as e:tremely ancient

bron0e covered in thick verdigris. !he bowl is si:

feet across and three deep. If e:amined, the inside

of the bowl is untarnished, in nearperfect

condition. Evidence ollection:!he feet are in the

shapes of felinelike claws.

!he floor is seen to be tiled in a strange pattern of

large, irregular, fivesided flagstones. 7hysics or

$rchitecture:!his pattern of tessellated pentagons

is unfamiliar and implies a sophisticated

understanding of obscure geometry.

"trange hieroglyphs -identifiable as a primitive

version of !sath*o/ can be seen covering the

walls, in some still covered in frost and some

already e:posed. !he glyphs relate a history of the

original builders of the city as translated inEthelrod's'ictogra%hs in the Tem%le of ,oth-

Aua.

$n the back wall is an empty twotiered altar.

Evidence ollection:; bare spot in the frost andwear on the stone indicates that an obect rested on

this altar for a long time time. 57oint spendrecognises the outline of the statuette found at TheEnd of the -auer Expedition.

The -urial hamber

Behind the altar, what may once have been a hidden

doorway lies open with fragments of corroded

bron0e chain on the floor nearby.

hemistryindicates that the chain fragments have

been in this position for only a few years. &reen

stains on the door itself imply that the door was

probably chained for millennia.

!he windowless chamber beyond is almost fifty

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

seated on a large, bron0e throne is the striking

figure of a mummified baboonlike ape dressed in

the remnants of a red and purple robe and a

feathered headdress. !ufts of orange hair poke

through holes in the robe. !his is a 15oint "tability

test -9ythos related/.

-iology:!he creature is of no known species of

ape and possesses certain features, for e:ample the

structure of the foot, which places it closer to

human beings.

!he throne is again of heavily corroded bron0e, butin better condition than the basin.

!here is a long stone table at one end of the

chamber, which is empty apart from a few

fragments of ancient organic matter -the remains of

flowers, fruit and other foods/.

The Shadow under the 4ce

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

roughly circular shape and about forty feet in

diameter. Evidence ollection:; structure of

some kind, the top of which is around fifteen feetbeneath the surface, descends deep into the ice.

Evidence ollection5 7oint spendor$rchitecture:It is difficult to see through thedistortion, but it has a resemblance to the top of a

tower complete with railed balcony.

If, at any stage, the 5rotagonists balk at e:cavating

the structure @ to ensure they can leave the site

before the searoute is closed off by ice for e:ample

@ you can use a 3ard


24/39

Setting up Camp

;t some stage, the protagonists will probably want

to build their cabin. ;nyone with 0utdoorsmanor

$rchitecturewill know to build it on solid ground

rather than on ice. !here are several spots on the

foothills at the edge of the valley to choose from.

Building the cabin takes four days. If the

5rotagonists wish to do so, they can spend pool

points from ;rchitecture or a relevant 3raft and

reduce construction time by half a day per point

spent.

6hile the team members are sleeping in tents and

building the cabin, it might be a good time for their

first e:perience of !he "inging -see sidebar/.

$nce completed, the cabin has two rooms @ a living

space with a stove and simple kitchen and 4uarters

that sleep eight people in bunks. $thers may need

to sleep in the living space. Both rooms have one

small window. !here is an outhouse for storage and

another for the dogs.

Attac/s %y the)y"er%oreans

*cene Type: ;ntagonist 7eaction

.ead#n:!he %alley of 3ommoriom

.ead0ut:!he (airy !hing in the Bli00ard

!he tiny clan of Blond Eskimo has camped near thevalley in order to drive the outsiders away and

interfere with the dig. !his takes the form of

sabotage and singing the ancestral song for

summoning the &nophkeh from the iceplains to

wreak havoc in the valley.

(aving tracked the outsiders to the valley, they

build their snow shelter and male members of the

clan take turns to be dropped off by sled, on a

possibly suicidal mission to draw the gnophkeh to

their enemies' camp.nfortunately for them, while their song summons

the creature, it offers no control or protection from

it. If the caller is successful, they are as likely as

not, to become victims themselves. Either toss a

coin, a die or make a decision according to what is

dramatically interesting in each instance. !his also

means that all the men of the clan bar one are likely

to be dead by the time the creature has been

summoned about si: times.

The Hperboreans!hese natives are, to the best of their knowledge,

the last of an ancient race that once had great cities

here. 9ost of their civilised culture has been lost @

they are now simple huntergatherers, living harsh

lives in the more remote parts of &reenland. !heir

ancient religion has been lost and they make their

offerings and prayers to 3thulhu, who they call

HKulu).

5hysically, they look very different from other

Eskimo people, being blond, with long faces,elongated earlobes and substantial facial hair. !hey

wear hoodless, widecollared parkas with hats.

!hey believe that the thing that comes from the ice

in answer to their song is a H6hite Bear "pirit' and

wear amulets, mistakenly believing that they can

offer protection from the &nophKeh.

$nthropology:!his primitive ewellery is an

amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and

possibly intended to offer protection of some kind.

-iology:!he pendant looks like polar bear boneand the necklace is decorated with bear teeth and

claws.

$nthropology:!hese men do not appear to be amembers of any known Eskimo tribe, either in

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

slender build, long faces, large noses or long ear

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

on his clothing and ornamentation in an unfamiliar

style and a4uatic theme. 57oint spend:%ilhalmur

"tefansson reported blond Eskimo in northern3anada in


25/39

3it Threshold: 1

4eapon) < -knife/

*tealth 2odifier:L

$lertness 2odifier:L

*pells:Dread +ame of ;0athoth, 3ontact &noph

keh, 3ontact 3thulhu, 3ontact "pawn of 3thulhu,

3ontact Deep $nes

The 8ather! #sma

;ged 2M, this gri00led patriarch is the head of the

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

strong.

If unable to escape, Isma will defend himself

ferociously with his spear.

$bilities:;thletics N, "cuffling O, 6eapons =,

(ealth M

3it Threshold: 2

4eapon) LA -spear/

$rmor) < vs all -hide/

*tealth 2odifier:L

Documents

Commoriom Submission v3,25 (1)