Download - Commoriom Submission v3,12 (1)
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A Submission for
Trail of Cthulhu
Commoriom
"I have yet to translate the terrible and
abominable legend telling how a certain doughty
citizen of Commoriom returned to the city after
its public evacuation, and found that it was
peopled most execrably and numerously by the
fissional spawn of Knygathin Zhaum, whichpossessed no vestige of anything human or even
earthly" ! he #amily ree of the $ods, Clar%
&shton 'mith
The protagonists are members of an expedition to
excavate an ancient settlement buried beneath the
Greenland ice. Faced with conflict from within and
without, and the threat of approaching winter, the
expedition degenerates into a struggle to survive as
the team members realise that the real horror is
beneath the ice under their feet. And the greatest
horror of all may be truth itself.
This scenario is inspired by the Hyperborean Cycle
stories of Clar Ashton !mith, particularly The
Testament of Athammaus andUbbo-Sathla. "t is
recommended that the #eeper reads these short
stories before running this scenario. The story of
the $athieson %xpedition is told in the Call of
Cthulhuscenario Trail of Tsathogguaby the late
#eith Herber and published in the supplements
Trail of Tsathogghua, &'() and The Compact Trail
of Tsathoggua, &''*.
The Hook"n &'+, an archaeological team from $isatonic
-niversity found evidence of an ancient settlement
beneath an ice cap in a remote valley in the
mountains of est Greenland. The protagonists are
members of a &'/& follow0up expedition to
excavate the site.
The Horrible TruthThe site is the ruin of Commoriom, the first capital
of the lost civilisation of Hyperborea, which thrived
before the last ice age. %ntombed in the city is a
dormant, monstrous race descended fromTsathoggua and an alien crystal that grants visions
of the disturbing origins of life on earth.
The SpineThe team members voyage to Godthb, where theycan confront a Rival Expeditionfrom Germany.
They then begin their arduous overland tre in
Evighedsfjorden. Tensions increase between%thelrod, the team leader, and Granger, who is
struggling to conceal his alcoholism, leading to The
Death of Ethelrod. From %thelrod they can ac1uire
a dictionary of the lost Tsath-Yolanguage.
The team receives A Call for Helpfrom the crew
of the German base ship, which has lost contact
with the overland team, giving the protagonists a
moral dilemma.
2uring their 3ourney, the characters find evidence
that strange %simo are watching them and may
discover Gravesof members of the Germanexpedition, apparently attaced by an unnownanimal. A text in their possession, when translated
with %thelrod4s boo gives hints about the history
of the site.
Arriving at the Site, the protagonists find a Cube-
Shaped Struturewith walls inscribed with a
history of the pre0humans who first settled there.
5earby, the remains of the last members of the
German expedition can be found. 6n the valley
floor, a Shado! "nder the #eis visible.
They are harried by frea weather conditions and
attacs by a mysterious$east of the #e Sheet,
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which continue until they lin it with the clan of
strange %simo that has been following them, and
neutralise it.
Exavating the Struture under the #e leads to
the discovery of an ancient tower entombed in ice.
2igging into The #e-Cho%ed stair!a&uncovers a
frie7e describing a history of Hyperborea and
eventually leads to a Cit& "nder the #e. "n a vaultunder the ruins of a library is a crystal that can send
the mind bac in time to the disturbing origins of
life on earth.
As the city4s inhabitants begin to awaen they try to
free their 8Father4, leading to the A!a%ening of'n&gathin (hau). The protagonists4 only hope isto flee.
However, even if they escape, the insight granted
by the crystal may still claim their minds.
Victory Conditions9ictory in this scenario means realising the horror
that lies in Commoriom, and surviving it,
preferably with the site safely sealed.
Antagonist ReactionsThe rival Ger)an Expeditionis not a 85a7i
expedition4 in any official sense :there is no such
thing until the formation of the Ahnenerbe in &'/; especially the
esoterically inclined > believed in occult theories of
the uni1ue :or divine< origin of their ancestors on a
lost northern continent :referred to as 8Thule4 or
sometimes 8Hyperborea4 or 8Atlantis4 a time when
the Armitage "n1uiry is in its formative stages. "n
&'+(, Armitage, Bice and $organ scored a victory
against the 2unwich Horror and soon 2r Albert
ilmarth 3oined them following his encounter with
the 86uter 6nes4 in the hills of 9ermont. ust a few
wees ago, the =abodie %xpedition returned from
Antarctica with stories of unnown prehistoric life
forms and a vast range of mountains dotted with
strange structures.
6n his deathbed in &'+', =rofessor Curtis
$athieson revealed a number of unpublished
secrets about the &'+ expedition to his colleague2r Francis $organ. $organ shared the story with
=rofessor Armitage and soon they were woring
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with =rofessor %thelrod in %ngland to organise a
follow0up expedition for &'/+. However, in late
&'/, word reached them of a rival German
expedition to the same region planned for &'/& and
their pro3ect was hastened by a year. -nfortunately,
this meant 2r $organ was unable to tae part, but
he persuaded Charles Granger, a veteran of the
$athieson %xpedition, to 3oin.
*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&This symbol defines
sections that apply only to running the scenario as
part of the Armitage "n1uiry.
Running Commoriom as astandalone
This scenario can be run as a standalone adventure
or mar a dramatic beginning to an ongoing
campaign.
The difference is that %thelrod has organised the
expedition with the ?ritish $useum, independently
of Armitage and his colleagues, who may have little
insight into what really happened on the $athieson
%xpedition.
*S&)bol+ Standalone This symbol defines
sections that apply only to running the scenario as a
standalone.
Creating the ProtagonistsAppropriate roles for the expedition include
archaeologists, geologists, anthropologists,
biologists, explosives experts, drill engineers and
radio engineers. All team members should be
healthy and fit, and be capable cross0country siers
> represented for game purposes as a minimum
6utdoorsman rating of & and Athletics of /. The
expedition will also need someone with $edicine
rating of &D and First Aid of +D to fill the role of
medic.
The expedition leader is highly xenophobic and
French applicants in particular are not considered.
*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir& "f the expedition is
organised by $isatonic -niversity, team members
are liely to be American, perhaps students or
professors at the $isatonic. ?ritish team members
may have accompanied %thelrod.
*S&)bol+ Standalone "f the expedition begins inGreat ?ritain it is liely that most of the team
members would be ?ritish. American membersmay travelled with Granger.
Prologue"n order to introduce their characters, it is
recommended that the #eeper run a short scene
from his or her expedition interview as a 2irected
!cene for each one :see The Dying of St Margarets
page (
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"n the ?lood might be interesting if the character is
related to the Hyperborean ?lond %simo.
Pillars of Sanity
The dominant theme of this scenario is the dignity
or otherwise of human origins.
6ne =illar of !anity that might be particularly
interesting dramatically is Family. A character withthis =illar will have a firm conviction in the dignity
of their origins. "f Caucasian, they may believe in
the theory of the origins of their ancestors on the
lost continent of Thule. They may have heard tales
of 8blond %simo4 in north0western Canada. They
may even subscribe to racist theories lie the
5ational !ocialists of Germany.
As players can create their own =illars of !anity it
is impossible to provide an exhaustive list, but
several others from the Trail of Cthulhu ruleboo
that may be particularly interesting areE
Beligious Faith
Human 2ignity and 9alue
The #eeper should try to encourage some players to
pic from the pillars above.
2rives potentially undermined by %yeE
Anti1uarianism
Thirst For #nowledgeAdventure
!cholarship
Curiosity
Arrogance
.illars of Sanit&
Beligious Faith
Family
Human 2ignity and 9alue
!cientific =rogress "ntellect
Goodness of $anind
$oral principles
Aesthetics
%picureanism
=atriotism
ove of Home City
Scenes
BriefingSene T&pe+Core :"ntroduction a
large cabin and outhouses for supplies and dogs.
They will use the drilling rig, blasting e1uipment,
the ice melting machine, and hand excavation to
access and excavate the site.
From 5ovember it will become difficult toapproach by sea. "f necessary, the team will remain
on the ice sheet over winter until $arch when the
f3ord becomes accessible again. "n case of
emergency, a team should be able to reach them
from GodthIb overland in about five days.
=rofessor %thelrod stresses his 1ualifications as a
hard0nosed scholar not prone to flights of fancy or
bi7arre speculations. However, there were many
things he experienced that shoced him and caused
him to reconsider ideas about the world. Hebelieves that what they found in the Greenland ice
were remains of a lost prehistoric civilisation,
perhaps hinted at in Gree myths.
He introduces ilfred -pton0!mith, a round0faced
7oologist and friend of the %thelrod family, and
Charles Granger, a red0haired, red0faced man of
around /, a second veteran of the $athieson
%xpedition who will be 3oining them on this trip.
*S&)bol+ Ar)itage #n,uir&0ral Histor& 2-
.oint spend+ There are rumours that 2r Grangerhas a drin problem.
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%thelrod ass each team member to introduce
themselves and assigns roles.
Assess Honest&+Henry %thelrod is reserved,somewhat aloof and doesn4t give much away.
Arhaeolog& or Anthropolog&+ According to 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.Archaeologists have subse1uently associated these
carvings with a Greenlandic colony of the extinct
2orset Culture. 2-point spend+!ome odd artifacts
featuring strange figures wearing hoodless paras
with tall collars and women with large hairstyles
were found on Cape 2orset on ?affin "sland in
&'+. "t is generally thought that the Greenlandic
2orset culture is limited to the north0west coast of
the island.
$iolog& or 0utdoors)an 2-.oint spend+=olarbears are mostly found in coastal regions in the
north and east of Greenland > they are largely
unnown in the mountains although females with
cubs are sometimes found in coastal mountainous
areas in the north.
uestions and !Ans"ers
%thelrod will as if there are any 1uestions. He may
provide the following additional details and any
others the #eeper deems appropriate.
J $athieson remained onboard ship, due to health
problems. He died of a heart condition in &'+'.
J The top of the structure was estimated to be under
at least &;0+ feet of ice and to extend to unnown
depths. He declines to speculate on the age of the
structure.
J At an international archaeology conference in
=aris last year, 2r !ummers of %dinburgh
-niversity, heard reference to a forthcoming
expedition to explore what was 8nonsensically4described as 8ruins of Thule found in est
Greenland4. "t isn4t nown what si7e the rival team
is or when they will arrive.
He will wrap up the briefing after three or four
1uestions, or if he doesn4t lie the direction the
1uestions are going.
Assess Honest&+hen ased about the specifics ofthe first expedition, why the details were not
released or why the second expedition was delayed
for so long, %thelrod seems somewhat evasive. 2.oint Spend+ He is deliberately hiding something.
%thelrod will wrap up the briefing after three or
four 1uestions, or if he doesn4t lie the direction the
1uestions are going.
Henry Ethelrod
To interact with %thelrod significantly, ?ritish
characters need a Credit Bating of ;D, Americans
and other %uropeans need D. Anyone else will
need to mae a &0=oint spend in Credit Bating on
each significant occasion.
Abilities+Athletics ;, Credit Bating *, Firearms *,Health *, !cuffling *, eapons
Hit Threshold+/
Ar)or+ 0& vs all :if wearing Arctic gear
The three surviving members of the expedition
entered the temple and :as instructed by Gobineau most liely the
two younger ?lond %simo > at wor. "f someone
is on watch, success indicates that their approach
has been noticed.
Trac+ing the "s+imo
0utdoors)an+A 2-.oint spendwill allow tracsto be followed southwest for about three miles fromthe valley edge to a cramped shelter in the snow. "f
this is attempted at night, this is a 6-.oint spend.
Q!idebarR
The &now &helterSene T&pe+6ptional
Following the tracs will lead to a small igloo, after
about an hour.
Anthropolog&+This small type of igloo is typicallybuilt as a temporary shelter for hunting trips, often
on sea ice.
Hanging over the doorway is the sull of a bear. A
stone spie has been driven through its nose, giving
it an almost Bhinoceros0lie appearance.
Anthropolog&+ This may be a totem animal spirit,
probably to protect the igloo.
Si)ple Searh+ "nside the igloo are a hearth, food
for several days, bedding for one, and possible
spare clothes or a stone spear, axe or nife.
0utdoors)an+ Tracs of a dog sled can be found
nearby. A 2-.oint Spendis needed per day to tracthem to the homestead.
The "s+imo %omesteadSene T&pe+6ptional
About four days away by dog sled, the clan4s
homestead is huddled in a narrow valley in the wild
mountains near %vighedsf3orden.
The house is large structure of whalebone and hide
construct, covered in ice and snow and out of sight
of the valley. A tricle of hearth smoe often
emerges from a hole in the roof.
5ear the fire is a maeshift altar and a grotes1ue
idol. The altar is a 3agged, natural roc. "n front of
it, is a bowl of blood and the heart of a polar bear,
sprinled with tiny flowers. =erched on the altar is asmall, crude whalebone statue of a s1uatting
creature with tentacles for a face. !eeing this
re1uires a &0point !tability test, $ythos related.
Cthulhu 4&thos identifies it as a depiction ofCthulhu.
All of the surviving members of the clan will be
here. Approaching without alerting anyone is a
!tealth test against 2ifficulty *. "f alerted, they will
flee a strong group or attac a wea one. "f
surprised, they will be in or around the shelter. "f
cornered, they will fight fiercely to the death.
Q?egin !idebarR
The Blond "s+imoThese natives are, to the best of their nowledge,
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. Their
ancient religion has been lost and they mae theirofferings and prayers to Cthulhu, who they call
8/ulu.
=hysically, they loo very different from other
%simo people, being blond, with long faces,
elongated ear0lobes and substantial facial hair. They
wear hoodless, wide0collared paras with hats.
They believe that the thing that comes from the ice
in answer to their song is a 8hite ?ear !pirit4 and
wear amulets, mistaenly believing that they can
offer protection from the Gnoph0#eh.
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Anthropolog&+This primitive 3ewellery is an
amulet depicting a fierce, stylised polar bear and
possibly intended to offer protection of some ind.
$iolog&+The pendant loos lie polar bear bone
and the neclace is decorated with bear teeth and
claws.
$lat< the Angekok
This white0bearded man may be in his s. He
wears a long para decorated with strange motifs
and symbols and an odd, pointed hat.
"f -lat is pursued he will mutter incomprehensible
curses and wave his hands around in a bi7arre,
intimidating fashion. As a last resort he will attempt
to defend himself with spells or a nife.
-lat4s long, colourful para is decorated with
a1uatic designs. Cthulhu 4&thos 2-.oint spend+
The images of odd, octopoid beings dwelling inundersea towers on the shaman4s long para seem
to be a depiction of Cthulhu and his race.
Abilities+ Athletics , !cuffling ;, eapons ;,
Health
Hit Threshold+ /
5eaponE 0& :nife the temptation to view the %ye is a
Hard Driver. For all other characters, this is a Soft
Driver.
Adventure
Anti1uarianism
Arrogance
Artistic !ensitivity
?ad uc
Curiosity
2uty
%nnui
Follower
"n The ?lood
=ower
Bevenge
!cholarship
!udden !hoc
Thirst For #nowledge
9iewing the crystal sends the user4s mind into the
past and connects it with the mind of a long dead
Hyperborean sorcerer @$ and via @$4s use of the
crystal to the ancestral memory of the species. This
ancestral memory is in fact the mind :or proto0
mind< of -bbo0!athla, the proto0shoggoth created
by the %lder Things to spawn the first shoggoths
and from which all earthly life spawned as a by0
product. These ancestral memories are
predominantly from direct ancestors, but they also
3ump from other, nearby branches. Communion
with the =roto0$ind and its many branches throughtime and space produces a cumulative loss of self0
identity and a dissociation with what humans call
LrealityL. This is reflected as a loss of !anity, and
occurs irrespective of whether anything is recalled
or not. !anity reduced to 7ero in this manner causes
a total loss of selfhood. Afflicted in this way, a
person may wal into moving traffic, sit and stare
into space or simply wander into oblivion and
disappear.
9iewing crystal regresses user to @$ :loss of &
!anity :discreet + Lhite apesL :actually relatives of
9oormis< under hidden influence of Great
Bace, raise city in Congo, rapidly evolving
spread out across world as early humans.
6 point Stability test.
Drives lost+"n the ?lood.illars of Sanit& s)ashed+Family :if itinvolves beliefs about humanrace origins
in Hyperborea / 9oormis gain freedom from !erpent
=eople, found Hyperborean colony
5 point Stability test
)& > ) !erpent people in Ooth genetically
engineer simians into land and a1uatic
hominids to serve as slaves
lose 3 Stability45 Sanity..illars of Sanit& s)ashed+Family,Human 2ignity and 9alue, Beligion.
Drives lost+Anti1uarianism, Thirst for
#nowledge
;& > ;+ !erpent people civilisation wiped out by
rise of dinosaurs
lose 7 Stability45 Sanity
;/ > ;) !hoggoth rebellion defeated
lose 7 Stability45 Sanity
;; > ; !erpent people ingdom of 9alusialose 7 Stability45 Sanity
& > + Cataclysm raises BLlyeh, arrival of
Cthulhu. ar of Cthulhu and %lder Things
lose 8 Stability46 Sanity0
Drives lost+Anti1uarianism, Thirst for#nowledge
/ > ) %lder thing experiments create vertebrates
lose 3 Stability45 Sanity.
.illars of Sanit& s)ashed+Family,Human 2ignity and 9alue, Beligion.
Drives lost+Anti1uarianism, Thirst for#nowledge
; > Tablets of the %lder Gods
lose 3 Stability45 Sanity.
Drives lost+Anti1uarianism, Thirst for#nowledge
Awa+ening of .nygathin
/haumThe spawn and #@ gradually begin to wae up,
which builds into an antagonist reaction climax.
6nce they begin to awaen en0masse, the spawn
will abandon the infection strategy, switching
instead to openly capturing the remaining humans.
Chase
Typically this will constitute a
Combat9ictory
7nygathin haum
The entity that was nown an age ago, by the name
8#nygathin @haum4 is a dar, mottled and
mammoth0si7ed entity > a bloated trun, with a
one0eyed 8face4 emerging from its midsection, and
a second eye beneath that. Two long tentacles with
8fingers4 lie nots of writhing snaes emerge from
its 8shoulders4 and a cup0lie mouth protrudes at the
top. The lower limbs are a mass of slender
proboscides covered in sucers.
#nygathin @haum can attac with each of its two
tentacles in a single round. ie his spawn, he can
assume the form of a viscous, blac li1uid. And
most forms of physical in3ury will simply flow
closed.
Athletics &+, Health ++, !cuffling +(
Hit Threshold+/
5eapon+ D; :trample
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many mouths for automatic damage on each
following round
Ar)our+ 0+ :thic, mottled membrane