From: "John & Christine Thompson" To: Subject: Chaosium Digest v35.01 Date: Monday, October 01, 2001 4:18 AM Chaosium Digest Volume 35, Number 01 Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 Number: 4 of 4 Contents * The Ascension of Hastorang (CTHULHU) - pt 4 by Mervyn Boyd - jack@ktana.freeserve.co.uk Engraved on the wall, behind the fire is a thousand year old, but well preserved mural. Those who know astronomy see that it depicts constellations of the southern hemisphere. One of which is more prominent, and within that, one star stands out from the rest - Fomalhaut in The Southern Fish (ASTRONOMY roll). Beneath the engraving, a throng of people with arms raised high in prayer surround a mountain, on top of which three figures appear to offer gifts to a pillar of flame. Etched below the mural is another engraving of the F'tag'uan tribe. It measures 20 inches by 16 inches (Player Handout 4). If there is one thing interesting about the F'tag'uan way of writing it is this - it bares a striking similarity to Assyrian Cuneiform. Why? Who knows. Maybe the ancient F'tag'uans were originally from Assyria... It reads, when translated: From a land across uncharted waters, shall come the faithful. When the stars are right the servitor of lightning will command the doorway to be opened, marking the way to enlightenment. Upon that holy time, the sky will boil as lord wisdom, that incubus of fire, returns to pass judgment over all. Those judged worthy shall join the master for all eternity as his side, knowing only truth and wisdom. Those judged unworthy shall be consumed, their flesh rent from their writhing bodies, only to know and endure an eternity of perpetual suffering. The Summit Climbing to the summit by way of the natural snaking rocky pathway takes up to an hour and a half for a fairly fit person (CON 14). Those wishing to reach the summit undetected must succeed at least THREE SNEAK rolls, otherwise they will be spotted and intercepted by armed guards as before. Only the high priest, his aides and a select few individuals are allowed up there before the ceremony proper. The site chosen atop Fire Mountain is approximately 1000 feet wide and is partially enclosed within a rocky collar making it resemble a volcanic cater. In the centre of the crater is an oblong stone slab measuring 20 inches in height, five foot wide and six foot long, its entire surface etched in a mix of Turkish, and Pahlavi. Probably scripture of some kind. It's quite obvious that the block was put there quite recently. Erected in front of the altar, there is a microphone on a stand that is attached to a simple amplifier which in turn is wired to several speakers which radiate out so that the faithful can hear the ceremony. Banks of car batteries power the apparatus. Several dozen five foot tall iron spikes are driven into the ground around the crater. Each are embossed with the Sign of Cthugha, thus signifying them as Enchanted Torches to anyone who succeeds a MYTHOS roll. Their main purpose here is to illuminate the summit at night, in aid to summon Cthugha and his Fire Vampire minions. The summit is also active with six minor sect leaders who spend all day and all their magic points enchanting the brands. They will continue this mundane existence right up to 24 hours before the ceremony proper. A couple (keeper's choice) of armed guards also patrol - day and night. Inscribing an Elder Sign upon the stone altar has no effect. Since the stone itself is non-magical and serves no real purpose other than a resting place for the Entity. The Entity itself is immune to the effects of the Elder Sign anyway. High Priest Yilderim will however be severely pissed to see the desecration of his work. Ah well. Never mind. Those infidels responsible will pay in due course. When inscribing the Elder Sign, the player should be told that the Sign should cover at least one third the alter for it to have any effect. Creating a small unobtrusive Sign just won't work. October 20 From sunrise (06:02) to sunset (17:14) the entire Turkish congregation are led in prayer in homage to the mountain and the Flame Entity within. The High Priest and his immediate aides pay their respects directly to the Flame Entity, and there they will stay all day appealing it to open the gateway when the time is right. Armed guards will not let anyone near the mountain. Up to 500-odd civilian onlookers are drawn to witness today's events. Out of respect they keep their distance. Since nothing much happens many of the bystanders leave through boredom, leaving only a handful of journalists, reporters and other interested parties; some of whom include Mortimer Greyson and other Institute members. Greyson watches with anticipation, still unsure as to what to expect - if anything. Unless the players have clued them in, they will be woefully unprepared armed with a few useless spells and talismans. The ceremony does not begin in earnest until just as the sun sets and Hastorang is in the ascendant. Upon which time the ceremony to create the gateway begins with 100 chosen disciples, who carry flaming torches (to light the way) aligning both sides of the path from the main cavern chamber, up the mountain side to the altar. Four sect leaders lift a ready prepared 2mx2m platform and approach the Flame Entity. The High Priest recites something in Pahlavi, inviting the Entity to participate in the ceremony. The Entity then condenses in size and leaps onto the framework. The sect leaders then carry it out and up to the summit, the High Priest following closely behind all the while in exhortation and adulation. As the Entity is carried up the mountainside the 100 chosen cultists kneel in respect before falling in behind. The procession halts atop the summit and arranges itself as the platform is set down on the stone altar. The Entity resumes its normal size and volume. Once established, the High Priest speaks into the microphone to lead the assembled congregation in an hour's prayer dedicating the assembly's collective will to the entity. The Flame Entity begins to flash, pulsate and ripple - turning white; as it grows into a pillar of fire 300 feet high and 10 feet wide (Sanity loss 1d3/1d10). Snaky fiery tendrils uncoil from the body, and grab nearby cultists who are dragged to a fiery death. The sky above the mountain top begins to shimmer as the gateway begins to slowly form. Stars and galaxies shine more brightly with infused cosmic flux. Space and time begins to fold as the gate gradually expands to engulf the entire mountain top and surrounding area. Star fields shift until one is prominent - Hastorang. Tiny pinpricks of light fill the night sky. The gate has opened. Everyone is captivated by the whole spectacle. They stare around in total amazement. Players included. If they want to break free of the visual feast and do stuff they are required to succeed a POWx3 check. Roll per round, though once free no further rolls are required. Yilderim seems unaffected and continues his adulation as he launches into the spell to Call Cthugha. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthugha Hastorang n'gha-... Best kill Yilderim now, while he's in mid sentence. The sky begins to boil as lumps of molten rock rain down, bombarding the area. Crimson lightning here and there. People require LUCK rolls to avoid being hit for big damage. Frightened disciples begin to back away in uncertainty. So much for their faith. The pinpricks, all 1d100x10 of them are Fire Vampires. They surge through the gate heralding Cthugha's return, and immediately begin to lay waste to the area attacking all those who are on the summit or at the mountain's base. (Players receive a LUCK roll per round to avoid being attacked. Those with Elder Signs can pretty much ward off these attacks). 1d10 minutes after the onset of the attack Cthugha will start to come through. He is seen at first as a fiery comet streaking across the sky gaining in size and volume until it burns as bright as the sun. From somewhere unseen the terrifying howling and baying of dogs is heard. Seeing time and space fold and warp is very sanity blasting as is witnessing the 10-1000 Fire Vampires. The combined effect is a loss of 1d10/3d10. The appearance of Cthugha causes another 1d3/1d20 sanity loss. Cthugha will mop up any survivors and then begin to drift towards Los Angeles. Fortunately the gate is insubstantial and after 1d6x10 minutes or so it reverses and collapses in on itself creating a massive spiraling vortex that acts like a black hole. Anything within a 1d6 mile spherical radius will be sucked into it (including Cthugha) and transported through time and space, eventually to be ultimately annihilated, deposited on or near Fomalhaut, any localized star system within a 100 parsec radius, alternate dimension, or any period of time - past, present, or future. Characters need not end up in the same place. Resolving The Adventure First and foremost, the gateway is the key to the scenario. Without it Cthugha cannot be summoned. Therefore the players must prevent its opening. Although there are many things the players can do to bring about the scenario's end, it basically boils down to two elements - Yilderim and the Flame Entity. Without the Entity the gateway cannot be opened and so Cthugha cannot be called. Killing Yilderim is another, since he must invoke the Entity to open the gateway. The removal of either one of these objects resolves the scenario. It's only a question of when and how. As such, there are no precise, nor preferred methods for it - whatever works will do. Several of which are outlined below, though they are not full summations. Use your judgment when filling in the blanks. Doing Nothing This should be mentioned straight away and for all intents and purposes it's probably the best thing to do - especially if they don't know what's going on. Even if players take a back seat and don't get involved, the scenario is self resolving. If Cthugha is summoned, his time here on Earth is limited before being sucked, along with the rest of his cult, into the vortex. Earth, for now, is safe. Phew! Delay & Interruption Remember, Cthugha can be summoned only when Fomalhaut is above the horizon - September to November (in north America). Unless the players can delay things for over a month then this tactic seems highly unlikely. The only tactic open here would be to abduct Yilderim (and for safety, the other sect leaders) and then kill him/them. Once the gateway has been opened, interrupting Yilderim's summoning is academic. But since the players don't know this all they need to is do whatever it takes to force Yilderim to lose concentration and force him to begin again from the start. Removal of The Flame Entity To prevent the backflow of the vortex, and the disappearance of a chunk of mountain range, it is imperative for the players to act before the Flame Entity opens the unstable gateway. Only in the name of Cthugha can the Entity be extinguished; no weapons or magic can harm it. Only an Insane Insight will allow characters to gain this knowledge. Remember a POW resistance roll is also required. If players are successful in this and get away unnoticed, Yilderim will be aghast to find that the one thing he could count on simply vanishes. It breaks his heart and he takes it personally as though he has failed Cthugha and is being punished in some way. Distraught, he begs Cthugha's forgiveness, before resolving to return home to redouble his efforts. Random Player Twitchiness You're on your own with this. Gunfire A full on frontal attack is suicide when faced with 1000 outraged cultists. However, taking advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the High Priest and his aides inside the cavern is perhaps the simplest way to do things - providing the players can make a clean getaway. Without the High Priest there will be no one to conduct the ceremony. This ultimately causes a rift between the surviving sect leaders who begin to squabble, bicker, argue, and fight amongst themselves on how things should proceed - but more to the point who should now become the new High Priest. Battle lines will be drawn. Pick your man; choose a side. However this infighting goes is for the keeper to decide. In whatever case, the following consequence occurs: The Turks, in reprisal for the death of their leader riot and set fire to LA. The fire spreads quickly and fire-fighters are unable to get it under control. After ten hours the fire finally burns itself out. An area of two miles by a half mile is razed to the ground, and a further 250 blocks scorched - many of which lies in the heart of business and residential sections of town. It leaves behind 125 million dollars worth of damage, 12 to 17,000 homeless, and a further 1,300 dead. Players must roll their LUCK to avoid losing their homes or other real estate property in the fire. Maybe the tragedy is further deepened by the death of a family member. Spell Use This is where things can get complex depending on how players go about things. If the players are totally clueless and have a brainstorming session (with or without Greyson) to discuss how to proceed, they may want to try and research spells that could help out. For example; players who are really stuck could hire a medium, or try to find their own spell that allows them to see the future; this way they could react and make a plan. Researching spells, or deliberating on what to do could take days, maybe even weeks. However this is resolved is left to the keeper - though it is suggested that any single researcher should be limited to 1/10th their EDU (round down) in spells learnt - providing the relevant LIBRARY USE, R/W LANGUAGE rolls are made with an accompanying INTx2 or 3 check. Any spells picked up may not even be pertinent to their situation. Just imagine after three weeks of research all they learn is how to Brew Space Mead. Of course, if players define exactly what they want from their spells, then time to find and learn them will be correspondingly longer and harder. Should players suspect Cthugha is going to be summoned then maybe they can they go about finding a corresponding dismiss or banishment spell. All this research is likely to take the characters to other organizations and research facilities such as the US Library of Congress (restricted section), Miskatonic U., etc., but then are they willing to invest in a 12 hour round trip flight for something that might not pay off. Other spells such as Shrivel, Summon Creature, Grasp of Cthulhu, and so forth can all be used to great effect, though how they are employed are for the players to decide and keeper to deal with. What if the players summon a Dimensional Shambler or Nightgaunt to spirit Yilderim away in the middle of the night... Hmmm, what if in deed. Dismissing Cthugha If the players are successful in learning how to dismiss Cthugha, it'll be a matter for them when to cast it. They can either wait until he's arrived on earth (and lost the sanity) or jump right in when Yilderim is in mid casting himself, or just when he's finished. Dismissing a deity is like calling one. Any number of people can join the casting, but a focal member of the group must be chosen. Anyone who knows the spell can expend as many magic points as they want. Those who do not know the spell can only expend one magic point. For a base 5% success chance the players are required to expend 9 magic points. For every other magic point expended thereafter adds another 5% chance. Thus a total of 28 magic points are required for a 100% chance. Any roll of 00 automatically fails; the magic points are lost and the spell is required to be cast again. In order for this casting to take effect it is required that the players be on the mountain summit in close proximity to the main summoning. Simultaneously casting dismiss with Yilderim's summoning causes a great deal of contention and so a battle for dominance ensues. Roll a POW resistance roll between Yilderim (POW 16) and the focal leader of the players. Keep rolling until three clear wins are made. If the battle ends in the players' favour they get to roll their dismiss chance. If Yilderim emerges as the victor Cthugha is successfully called and the players, despite their valiant effort lose their allocated magic points. Any active member of Yilderim's personal guard will try to go after the players if any are able. The End, Summing Up, and the Gain The resultant vortex creates a humongous and completely spherical indentation up to 12 miles wide and six miles deep in the San Gabriel Mountain Range without so much as an earth tremor. The meteor crater in the Arizona desert is dwarfed into insignificance by it's sheer size. World news is in a frenzy with news reports. Eye witness accounts from up to 100 miles away and nearby near by towns are broadcast; these people explaining to the best of their ability what they witnessed from their point of view. Some even have home movie footage. The military swiftly mobilize and lock-down the immediate area and begin to round up those people who say they saw something. Government scientists pour over he area taking all sorts of readings. No explanations are forthcoming. Will there ever be a satisfactory explanation? Those characters who research well, devise a plan and participate in the end ceremony, and dismiss Cthugha, and survive are rewarded with 5d10 sanity. Bringing about the scenario's conclusion by pre-emptively killing Yilderim out of fear of what he might do, and living with the guilt that they are responsible for the LA fire should be rewarded with 1d10. Extinguishing the Fire Entity gains 2d10. Giving up and letting the Turks get on with it results in no gain. S T A T I S T I C S Fire Vampire -- 7 1 11 13 17 11 7 WEAPON ATTK % DAMAGE Vampires have no armour. All weapons are Touch 85 Special useless, doing no damage. Water, however, does 1 point of damage per half gallon used. Special: If an attack is successful, roll 2d6 and match this against the player's CON on a resistance roll. If the player wins he takes half the rolled damage, otherwise full damage is taken. In the same round, if the attack was successful the vampire may try to steal magic points with a magic point vs magic point resistance roll. If the vampire wins it drains 1d10 magic points from the victim, otherwise it loses one point itself. Cthugha 80 120 140 28 42 21 0 / drift 130 WEAPON ATTK % DAMAGE Armour: None, although all weapon take 14 Pseudopod 40 1d6+13d6 points of damage on connecting with Heat Burst 60 Special Cthugha. Thus if a bullet did 15 damage,14 points would be deducted before Cthugha is harmed by 1 point of damage. San Loss: 1d3/1d20 Cthugha affects an area roughly 2d20x20 yards in diameter. Within this area all living things must make a CONx5 roll. Once the roll is failed they take 1 point of damage per round, automatically - no further rolls are made. The only way to survive this is to flee the area. Each round Cthugha can form 1d4 pseudopods with which he can attack, or he may belch forth a fiery inferno of flame. The flame burst has a range of 150 yards long and 20 yards wide. All caught within this area must make a resistance roll matching their CON with Cthugha's POW. If the player fails the roll he takes damage equal to Cthugha's POW. If the roll is a success, half damage is taken. Armour does not protect. Flambé. News In Brief: Sept 24 - Oct. 20, 1962 Although not essential to the adventure the following news reports can be used by the keeper to pad things out as investigators read, watch or listen to the news. The news extracts have been broken down day by day. While some items are actual news reports of the day there are others that have been made up to become red herring leads (if the keeper wishes to expand upon them) that the investigators may want to follow up. These fictional reports can be shuffled around so that players can come across them at any time. Actual News Sept. 24. War talks focus on Cuban situation. University of Mississippi agrees to admit Negro James Meredith. Sept 25. Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett bars University of Mississippi from admitting James Meredith. Sept. 26. US announce its intentions in supplying Israel with Short Range missiles. Sept. 27. Yemen: Iman Amhad assassinated after one week on throne. Sept 29. President John F. Kennedy federalizes Mississippi National Guard. He orders state to yield on integration. Sept. 30. Rioting erupts as University of Mississippi admits James Meredith. Oct. 1. James Meredith attends first classes. 200 arrested in riots. Oct. 3. Astronaut Walter Schirra orbits Earth six times in Sigma 7. Oct. 4. Huge crowds gather in Italy to watch the Pope travel by train for the first time in 100 years. Oct. 6. Three US troops are killed in helicopter crash in South Vietnam. Oct. 7. Cuba broadcasts "Radio Free Dixie" program praising Negro revolt in the South. Oct. 10. Mariner II data reveals presence of Solar Wind. USA gearing up for World Series Baseball game on Oct. 16. New York Yankees versus San Francisco Giants. Oct. 15. Amnesty International created to monitor human rights. Oct. 16. San Francisco: New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series in final game, four games to three. Fictional News LA: A house fire, yesterday claimed the life of sixty-two year old Alice Sprigs. LA: Archaeologists discover a new archaeological site beneath St. Joseph's Chapel. The remains of an old temple have been found during renovation. Workers excavating the site for a new extension found an old stone floor. Estimates believe it to be 100 years old. LA: Fire claims another victim. Mr. Dan Woodcock, was discovered late last night by his wife Mary. Investigators conclude the Mr. Woodcocks death was attributed to smoking in bed and falling asleep. MONTEREY CA: Sea Monster washed up on beach. The strange three ton, 20 legged monster is covered in a matted fur. The disgusting blob is baffling experts. SAN FRANCISCO: Hospital Porter Juan Carlos Sanchez was yesterday jailed for ten years after he was found guilty of selling body parts to Professor of Biology, Lenard Zinnefki. Zinnefki will appear in court for sentencing in one weeks time. GARDEN GROVE, CA: 39 members (21 women, 18 men) of a local church were found after fire-fighters managed to extinguish a blazing fire after several hours. It is believed that Reverend Nathaniel Lincoln was not amongst the dead. Police Investigators are not releasing any details at this time, although they are discounting the possibility that they are the victims of a death cult as is rumored. Rev. Lincoln was not available for comment. At that same time, in an unassociated incident, five more bodies, including that of an infant were found in a chalet in San Diego Handout 1. Institute of Higher Learning 09-23-62 Tel: 213-272-2186 Gaining enlightenment through fellowship, understanding and an abundance of knowledge. Dear Friend, It has been brought to my attention that you are a patron of the sciences and literature. One who strives for the betterment of ones self through pursuit of the understanding of knowledge. I am delighted to announce that you are invited by our distinguished board of advisors to join The Institute of Higher Learning - a private fellowship of people committed to the gathering, documenting and sharing of Earth's history, mankind's accomplishments and knowledge. In fact to properly welcome you, I would like to extend to you an invitation to an open evening for a more in depth chat and tour, where you can meet similar like-minded people. If you are interested please come on Wednesday, September 26 at 8.00pm If this inconvenient please contact us at the phone number above. If you are at all skeptical about this invitation, let me assure you that I'm not going to waste your time with irresponsible guarantees of 'instant knowledge' or 'overnight enlightenment'. It will take months, even years of dedication just to begin the process of 'understanding'. Also, Please do not - under any circumstances - pass this invitation on to anyone else. I know how tempting it will be to share this news with others like yourself, especially once you begin to start enjoying the reward of your membership. Sincerely Yours, Mortimer Greyson Handout 2. I gravely .....ich Denis set loo....not be contained for ever. ...living darkness... ... fortunately some kind of insane insight enabled us to... -..tled it into a series of caves... Lives and souls were ...... to impri...n it beneath... Only myself (Dav......avis) and Daniel Lyons survi........e days following we swo......a pact to never... ...nor ...eal what happened, how...er, we must continue our searc.......arn of all that which is not known so that one day.... build an Institute of learning.... -in which we shall secretly learn more about the .... Only those who are.......y of the kno....ge shall... Handout 3. Nestar also writes... The faithful shall feel an irresistible pull to the golden land of new; to a desert valley of great desolation, once the home to people, their skins died red, who gathered at the mountain of the lord to bathe in the light of his eternal holy flame. The time of gathering shall be performed at a time upon the great cosmological alignment when Hastorang is in the ascension. The holy flame shall then, on commandment, open the doorway marking the way for the faithful to call forth Asha - in all his divine splendor. Upon this great conjunction, that demon of fire shall return. He will rage over this earth on the four uppermost sides, and the uppermost one third. The earth will cry out: "I cannot endure this demon, which is has been brought forth, I cannot endure its habitation of me, for its seizes me with such fervor". As such the sky will boil and fire shall rain like molten lead. The Hounds of Tindalos shall bay for three nights at the twin suns. And only then at the Bridge of Discrimination shall all souls be judged. Unbelievers shall be cast into the pit of oblivion and consumed in the hellfire's wrath as the disciples of truth and enlightenment pass over as though drinking warm milk. So go forth my faithful and seek thy destiny and thine redemption. (Player Handout 4 translation) From a land across uncharted waters, shall come the faithful. When the stars are right the servitor of lightning will command the doorway to be opened, marking the way to enlightenment. Upon that holy time, the sky will boil as lord wisdom, that incubus of fire, returns to pass judgment over all. Those judged worthy shall join the master for all eternity as his side, knowing only truth and wisdom. Those judged unworthy shall be consumed, their flesh rent from their writhing bodies, only to know and endure an eternity of perpetual suffering. -- To unsubscribe from the chaos-digest ML, send an "unsubscribe" command to chaos-digest-request@chaosium.com. Chaosium Inc., Call of Cthulhu, and Nephilim are Registered Trademarks of Chaosium Inc. Elric! and Pendragon are Trademarks of Chaosium Inc. All articles remain copyright their original authors unless otherwise noted.