CoC d20 Arctic Dreams.pdf

Arctic Dreams

A One-Round Call of Cthulhu d20 Adventure

by Robert Hobart

CALL OF CTHULHU is a registered trademark of Chaosium, Inc. RPGA is a registered trademark

of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The Call of Cthulhu d20 Roleplaying Game is a product of Wizards of

scenario is intended for tournament use only and may not be reproduced without approval of the

RPGA Network.

This is a RPGA Network adventure game. A four-hour

time block has been allocated for playing the game (or

this round of the game), but the actual playing time will

be about three hours.

Some of the text in this scenario is written so that

you may present it as written to the players, while other

text is for your eyes only. Text for the players will be in

bold italics . It is strongly recommended that you

paraphrase the player text, instead of reading it aloud, as

some of the text is general and must be adapted to the

specific situation or to actions of the player characters.

It is a good idea to ask each player to put a name tag

in front of him or her. The tag should have the player's

name at the bottom, and the character's name, race, and

gender at the top. This makes it easier for the players to

keep track of who is playing which character.

This is a one-round tournament scenario for Call of

Cthulhu. The setting is the Soviet Union in January

1932. The forced-labor teams constructing the White

Sea-Baltic Canal have discovered some strange

archeological ruins. An international team of politically

suitable experts (the investigators) has arrived to

examine the ruins. Unknown to anyone, what they have

actually stumbled across is a threat to the sanity of the

entire world.

[paragraph for pre-gen games only] Pass out the

player characters based on class, gender, and/or race.

Instruct the players either to prepare their characters now,

or wait until you read the introduction, depending on the

requirements of the scenario as described below. When

they have prepared their characters, you may continue

with the game.

Scoring the game for RPGA points : The RPGA

has three ways to score this game. Consult your

convention coordinator to determine which method to

use:

INTRODUCTION:

No-vote scoring : The players write their names and

numbers on the scoring packet grid, you fill in the

top of the grid. That is all. No one is rated. This

method is used for people who are just playing for

fun.

The time is January 1932. A few weeks ago, the Soviet

Ministry of Science made a startling announcement.

“Workers and citizens” of the Soviet Union had made a

dramatic discovery while working on a canal designed

to link the White and Baltic Seas. Buried beneath the

frozen soil of the northern taiga they had discovered the

ruins of a city, a city so ancient that its existence must

call into question all theories regarding the origination

of human civilization.

Partial scoring : The players rate the game master

and the scenario on their player voting sheet, and

provide personal information, but don’t vote for

other players. The game master rates the scenario

and completes personal and event information, but

does not rate the players as a team or vote for

players. This method is used when there is no

competition, but the convention coordinator wants

information as to how the game masters are

performing, or the game master wants feedback on

his or her own performance.

The world archeological community has so far

reacted with some skepticism to these claims, so the

Soviet government has assembled a team of experts and

journalists, drawn equally from their own country and

the West, to examine the find and pronounce on its

authenticity. You are that team, and after several

harried weeks of travel you now find yourselves

together aboard a Soviet train on the way to the

supposed archeological site.

Voting : Players and game masters complete the

entire packet, including voting for best player. If this

method is used, be sure to allow about 15-20

minutes for the players to briefly describe their

characters to the other players, and about 5-10

minutes for voting. This method is used when the

players want to know who played the best amongst

them, or when the adventure is run in tournament

format with winners and prizes. Multi-round

adventures usually required advancing a smaller

number of players than played the first round, so

voting is required for multi-round adventures.

KEEPER’S INFO

The ruins are the long-buried remnants of Kanothia, a

rogue colony of Hyperborea which worshipped an evil

dreamlands entity, Axlo-Rogai. This is a creature of

pure nightmare, a congeries of madness and delirium

which dwells in the hideous Vale of Pnath beneath the

Dreamlands. The people of Kanothia were gradually

driven mad by their worship of such an entity, and

finally tried to open a direct gate to the Dreamlands so

that Axlo-Rogai could come through to Earth. A few

citizens realized the danger and managed, at the last

minute, to seal the gateway within the temple. The

colony soon died out, its inhabitants drifting away into

When using Voting, rank the players in order of

your voting choice while they are completing their

forms, so that you are not influenced by their comments

on your abilities.

The players are free to use the game rules to learn about

equipment and weapons their characters are carrying.

Arctic Dreams

Page 2

the wilderness, and their structures crumbled into

ruin…until now.

This scenario uses several skills, concepts, and

spells from the Complete Dreamlands rules. These are

summarized on the Keeper’s Handout for the benefit of

those who do not own the Dreamlands supplement.

(Note that Axlo-Rogai’s Dreamlands spells are found in

the Cthulhu rulebook itself.)

He is polite and civilized, but will brook no other

course.

Golkov is of course an officer of the OGPU, and

makes no attempt to conceal this fact. As such people

go he is actually rather pleasant and personable, and

was in fact shipped into the camp a few days ago for

just that reason. His task is to supervise the

investigators and shepherd them around the

construction site. He is unaware of Vladimir’s true

identity, although as an experienced officer he knows

one of the Soviet investigators is probably an OGPU

plant. He will carefully control the investigators’ access

to their surroundings and, in particular, will not allow

them to photograph anything outside of the

archeological site itself.

Golkov hustles the investigators through the

encampment, allowing them only a brief passing view

of the crude wooden buildings which serve as barracks

for this portion of the canal’s vast prisoner workforce.

With a successful Spot check DC 1-, the investigators

catch a few glimpses of the prisoners marching off to

work: long lines of men in dark, ragged clothing,

trudging into the darkness with shoulders hunched and

heads bowed, escorted by armed troops. If asked,

Golkov describes them as “enemies of the people,

redeeming themselves through labor,” and confirms

that the canal (and the archeological discovery) lie in

that direction. He will not permit the investigators to go

there now, instead insisting that they settle into their

quarters and then speak with the local commandant,

Commissar Ogarsky.

The administration building soon looms ahead, a

large and rather crude wooden structure, its yellow-lit

windows staring blankly at the approaching strangers.

The investigators are escorted to their quarters (three

rooms, each with two beds – the Soviets did not expect

a woman, so the investigators will have a chance to

role-play their sleeping arrangements). After about

half-an-hour, Golkov returns to escort them to breakfast

and the Commissar.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The ruins of Kanothia have been discovered by workers

on the White Sea-Baltic canal project. This was a

massive engineering project undertaken in 1931-33,

using the forced labor of hundreds of thousands of men

– most of them ordinary people who had been

condemned for one or another “political” offense.

Conditions at the Canal sites were appalling, especially

during winter (which is when the scenario takes place),

and approximately 250,000 men died during the

twenty-month construction period.

Foreigners inside the Soviet Union at this time

were closely watched and supervised by the OGPU

(predecessors of the KGB). In the scenario, one of the

Soviet investigators is actually an OGPU agent

assigned to watch the foreigners and prevent them from

having unneeded or politically risky contact with the

locals. The guards and officers at the construction site

will also act to restrict the investigators’ freedom of

movement and in particular to prevent open

communication with the prisoners. The Keeper should

try to create an atmosphere of hostility and paranoia

from the moment the tournament begins…which will

make it all the more surreal when Axlo-Rogai begins to

influence the waking world.

Arrival

The investigators’ train pulls into the construction site

at six a.m., and black night still prevails outside the

poorly heated railway car. The pallid yellow-white of

lamps and searchlights reveals the vague outlines of

some kind of large encampment, and the investigators

can see soldiers and guard dogs patrolling along the rail

line. As they disembark, they are surrounded by the

bitter cold and savage wind of a northern Russian

winter. Amid the occasional eddies of loose snow a

squad of troops comes forward to escort them, led by a

thin, rather handsome young man – Lt Alexei Golkov,

who introduces himself as “deputy Commissar,

People’s Corrective Work Camp #36.” Golkov invites

them to accompany him to the administration building.

Commissar Ogarsky

Stepan Alexandrovich Ogarsky is a Colonel in the

OGPU and the commander of the camp which is

building this portion of the canal. A pudgy, balding

man in his late thirties, and a chain-smoker, Ogarsky is

uncomfortable with the outside scrutiny his discovery

has brought down on his head, and now wishes he had

kept the discovery secret and destroyed the ruins. He is

not a terribly educated or intelligent man, and tends to

come across as crude, cold-hearted, and imperceptive.

Due to the sinister mental influence of Axlo-Rogai,

Commissar Ogarsky has become somewhat unstable.

His hands shake slightly at all times, and he sometimes

Arctic Dreams

Page 3

pauses in conversation as though listening to

something. He will sometimes do odd little actions such

as putting out a cigarette with his fingertips or staring

intently at a spot on his desk. A Knowledge

(Psychology) or Sense Motive check DC 15 suggests

he has a fragile and fearful psyche.

Ogarsky will provide the investigators the bare

minimum of co-operation, counting on the charming Lt

Golkov to handle any public relations issues.

Golkov explains (on Ogarsky’s behalf) that the

discovery was made about a month ago, when a group

of excavators unearthed the corner of a strange stone

structure. The building was partially sealed in ancient

ice, ice so pure and virgin that edible fish were still

preserved within. (If asked how they know the fish to

be edible, Ogarsky shrugs and remarks in a bored tone

that the excavators immediately tore open the ice and

devoured the fish. This rather shocking remark,

delivered without any apparent concern, costs all

investigators except Vladimir 0/1d2 Sanity.) Eventually

the workers reported the find to their superiors.

Investigation of the site has been limited to excavating

a small portion of the structure, enough to locate a

doorway partially blocked with ice. Since then Ogarsky

has left the area undisturbed, at the orders of the Soviet

Ministry of Science.

that they were part of the excavation team that

discovered the ruins. They speak mostly in

monosyllables, and limit their descriptions of the ruins

to words like “big,” “dark,” and “foreign.” If asked

about the perfectly preserved fish, Viktor says nothing,

and Ivan merely grunts in the affirmative. If any

investigator inquires as to why the workers would

devour ancient frozen fish, Viktor straightens a bit and

stares directly at the questioner. “Why do you think!?”

he demands. At this point Golkov steps in and declares

the interview over, while the guard hustles the prisoners

out. Golkov will try to smooth over the scene by

pointing out that the prisoners are wreckers and cannot

be expected to put a favorable face on the work of the

Soviet Union.

Visiting the site, exploring.

The site is a shallow pit in the already deep excavation

of the canal. Prisoners can be seen in the distance,

laboring on other portions of the canal; in the

immediate vicinity of the discovery site, however, the

only laborers are the dozen who have accompanied the

team.

Within the pit, the excavators have uncovered a

large flow of solid ice, entombed within the permafrost

for millennia. Gouges and hollows mark where the

prisoners ripped frozen ichtyoids from the ice; other

fish can be dimly seen farther in. A Knowledge

(Natural History) check DC 15 can estimate, from the

types of fish, that the age of the ice is over 700,000

years.

The corner of the stone structure sticks out from

the ice. It is built of close-fitted stone, obviously well

constructed. An arched doorway can just be seen,

sticking up from the ice. The door itself appears to be

metal of some type, dark gray and covered in strange

hieroglyphics, and somehow left undamaged by its long

imprisonment beneath the ground. A Knowledge

(Archeology) check DC 10 confirms that the

hieroglyphs and construction style are completely

unknown.

Interview with the prisoners who found

the site.

If the investigators ask to speak with the excavators

who made the original find, Ogarsky appears

uncomfortable and mutters something about

“schedules” and “security.” Golkov will try to charm

the investigators out of the idea by remarking on the

amount of time it will take to track down the workers,

commenting on how they must be anxious to view the

actual site, and so forth. If the investigators are

adamant, Golkov finally hustles them into a nearby

office, where they wait for more than an hour. Finally,

two witnesses are brought into the room, guarded by an

armed soldier. Golkov accompanies to chaperone the

prisoners and make sure they say nothing improper.

The two prisoners are identified as Viktor

Cherensky and Ivan Gorudich; they are described as

“wreckers” serving ten-year sentences for sabotage.

The two prisoners (known in Russian camp slang as

“zeks”) are thin, pale, and ill-nourished, Viktor

obviously suffering from a severe cold, Ivan with eyes

sunken and darkened by lack of sleep. Both are dressed

in dark ragged garments which are clearly too thin for

winter conditions, and both wear thin mittens with

several holes.

Neither prisoner will volunteer any information,

but if questioned by the investigators they will confirm

Golkov defers to the investigators as to how they wish

to proceed. The prisoners have picks and can clear the

ice from the doorway in about twelve hours. If the

investigators wish to move faster, or to excavate more

of the structure itself, Golkov offers to send for

explosives and engineers, although he warns that all the

engineers in the camp are convicted “wreckers” and

cannot be trusted to do safe or competent work. For the

investigators’ own protection, guards will have to be

present. In fact, guards will always be present, no

Arctic Dreams

Page 4

matter what the investigators do or say; purely for their

own protection, of course.

Despite Golkov’s warnings, the prisoner-engineers

prove to be quite competent, and a quick explosion

clears the entrance safely. The investigators are now

free to explore further.

small stone pedestals on the corners. There are more

hieroglyphs on the walls and ceiling, and the

investigators can deduce from these that this chamber

housed

junior

temple

personnel,

acolytes

apprentices.

The Collapsed Chamber

This far end of this room (which faces north, if the

investigators check a compass or make an Intuit

Direction check DC 10) is partially crushed and

collapsed, evidently by the aeons-long pressures of

glaciers in past millennia. Judging from what little

survives amidst fallen stone and mounds of ice, this

was once a large worship or temple chamber. The wall

through which the investigators emerge is covered in

hieroglyphs which surround a large bas-relief mural.

Although the colors of the mural have faded, the

carvings themselves still give a vivid image of a large,

prosperous city in a temperate river valley. The people

inhabiting this city appear human, but close

examination (or a Spot or Search check DC 15) shows

certain odd features: long straight noses and elongated

earlobes. A Knowledge (Anthropology) check DC 5

can certify that no human ethnic/racial group today

displays such features. A Cthulhu Mythos check DC 15

identifies the types as Hyperborean, which is

surprising; Hyperboreans were supposed to be limited

to Greenland.

The hieroglyphs appear to be hymns and religious

chants, and identify the city as “Kanothia.” There are

also references to a guardian deity or spirit of some sort

named “Axlo-Rogai,” which is credited with the city’s

prosperity and happiness. The deity cannot be

identified from any historical religion, nor will a

Cthulhu Mythos roll assist; however, a Knowledge

(Dream Lore) check DC 10 will bring a sense of great

uneasiness at the name, and a vague sense of

recognition.

Translating the Hyperborean

Hieroglyphs

In order to make a successful translation of the

Hyperborean writings, investigators must succeed at

either a Cthulhu Mythos check DC 20, or both a

Knowledge (Archaeology) and a Read Egyptian

Hieroglyphs check DC 20. A Cthulhu Mythos roll also

suggests that the language may be either Hyperborean

or related to that tongue. Even with a success, however,

the investigators can build only a vague, uncertain

guess at what the hieroglyphs are saying – an accurate

literal translation would require months of work, and

the investigators will not be granted that time.

The Interior Entrance Chamber

Beyond the doorway is a large rectangular stone

chamber, exited by three archways. The floor, walls,

and ceiling are all built of smooth, close-fitted stone.

An Archeology roll can determine these ruins are older

than anything known today, even in Sumeria, and their

construction is of a higher quality than anything seen

prior to the 15 th century. A Knowledge (Geology)

check DC 10 estimates the structure as being,

impossibly, hundreds of thousands of years old – far,

far older than the earliest known human civilization, as

a Knowledge (History) check DC 5 will confirm.

The walls are covered in Hyperborean

hieroglyphics. These show a certain vague resemblance

to Egyptian hieroglyphs, but are much more complex

and include many abstract symbols which are more like

writing than pictographs. If the investigators can

manage a partial translation, as explained above, they

can guess that this was apparently the antechamber of a

religious shrine or temple of some sort.

The Priest’s Chamber

This chamber is sealed behind a bronze door, carved in

elaborate hieroglyphs and symbols. A translation

identifies this as the chamber of an important person, a

leader of some sort. There are marks of vandalism on

the outside of the door, as though someone tried to

break in. The door can be broken open by making a

Strength check DC 15, or with explosives; the latter

option, however, will destroy the evidence within the

chamber.

The air beyond is stale and musty, and it is evident

that this chamber has been somewhat better preserved

than the rest of the complex due to the sealed door. It is

evidently the personal chamber of a single individual,

complete with a bed, a low chair, and a table. An

Living Quarters

It is evident from the ancient, age-moldered furnishings

that this was once a living/sleeping chamber. There are

several pallets and chairs, all of a strange design not

resembling anything in conventional archeological

records (Knowledge (Archeology) check DC 10. The

furnishings had evidently already undergone some

decay before they were preserved by their isolation

under the ice, and threaten to collapse in moldering

wreckage at the slightest touch. A pair of corroded

brass lanterns, each containing a frozen candle, rest on

Arctic Dreams

Page 5

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: