Chaosium Digest Volume 17, Number 2 Date: Sunday, November 17, 1996 Number: 1 of 2 Contents: The Cult of N'tse-Kaambl (F. & J. Sronce) CALL OF CTHULHU Spells of N'tse-Kaambl (F. & J. Sronce) CALL OF CTHULHU Editor's Note: This week, a plethora of articles on the obscure Dreamlands goddess N'tse-Kaambl. Also, over in V17.3, a magical weapon for Pendragon. Shannon RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE: * Call of Cthulhu - _Jirel of Joiry_ (Ace, 212 pg., $5.50), by C. L. Moore has recently been released in a new edition. This isn't properly Lovecraftian or Mythos, but the five stories contained within were all originally published in _Weird Tales_ in the 1930s. Together, they form one of the best pulp sword & sorcery sagas around. C. L. Moore was also one of the youthful correspondents of H. P. Lovecraft (see Selected Letters V), and doubtless one of those who distinguished themselves the greatest in later life. MARKETPLACE: When someone has obscure, out-of-print Chaosium material for sale, I'm happy to mention it here. For Sale: Black Sword & Stealer of Souls, signed by Ken Rolston. The Pendragon Campaign, signed by Greg Stafford, and more. For more info, write Danny Bourne (d.bourne@dial.pipex.com). -------------------- From: fsronce@tcac.com (Frank and Jennifer Sronce) Subject: The Cult of N'tse-Kaambl System: Call of Cthulhu In _The House of the Worm_, Gary Myers makes mention of a new goddess, N'tse-Kaambl, who is worshipped in the Dreamlands. What follows is a write-up of this goddess and the strange cults which honor her, taken from my Dreamlands campaign, "The Children of the Worm." N'TSE-KAAMBL, Elder God "those priests... came armed with scrolls and holy periapts and chanting of the goddess N'tse-Kaambl whose splendour hath shattered worlds." -Gary Myers, "Yohk the Necromancer." This goddess is little known outside of the Dreamlands. She is referred to as a goddess of beauty so transcendant that mortal man cannot look upon her and live. She appears as a vaguely humanoid form outlined by a brilliant, golden light. This radiance can be lethal to everyone in the vicinity. Every creature within sight of her will begin to take damage the moment that the goddess manifests herself. Turning away from her will reduce the damage done to minimum, but does not eliminate it. Anyone who goes mad from the sight of this goddess will stare at her in rapture until death overtakes them. The goddess is honored by inhabitants of the dreamlands as an enemy of the Outer Gods and their minions. Her name is invoked by many in the mistaken belief that it provides protection against them. There is a talisman sacred to her which does provide such protection, but her name alone has no magical properties. While N'tse-Kaambl often acts in opposition to Nyarlathotep and the Outer Gods, she is not necessarily an ally to mankind. She is an enigmatic, alien force of great power. The goddess never actually speaks, but can project telepathic images into any nearby mind with a gesture. The yellow-skulled priests of Yuth are her most devoted followers, and the twisted rituals of their worship may show the true nature of N'tse-Kaambl. N'TSE-KAAMBL, She Whose Splendour Hath Shattered Worlds STR 30 CON 30 SIZ 18 INT 50 POW 80 DEX 50 APP 100 Move 18 HP 24 Damage Bonus: +2d6 Weapons*: Touch 50%, damage 5d6 Unearthly Splendour 100%, 3d6 damage to everyone within sight * All damage done by this goddess is doubled against creatures of the Outer Gods Armor: none. Spells: Doubtless many, but she rarely uses any in person. Sanity Loss: 1d3/1d10 Sanity points to look upon her, in addition to the damaging effect of her presence. If someone is somehow able to see her true form despite the brilliant glow surrounding her, the San loss should be doubled. WORSHIPPERS OF N'TSE-KAAMBL This goddess is revered by many priests in the Dreamlands for the protection her name is said to provide against the Outer Gods. This gives them courage to face practitioners of dark magic, but unfortunately that protection is gravely exaggerated. Few people worship her exclusively. The priests of Yuth are a different story entirely. They live in an abhorred monastery in the distant vale of Yuth and honor her with ritualistic self-mutilation and torture. Their faces are often stripped of flesh so that the yellowing bones of the skull are visible. Their guards use weapons coated in strange poisons and they are widely (and justly) feared by ordinary folk. Priests who must go forth amongst normal people wear skull masks over their own fleshless faces. Priests of high standing wear masks of gold in public and are usually quite psychotic. The priests of Yuth believe in the "Kaltek Val Non", the final apocalyptic battle where victory is impossible. The highest honor that any man might have is to die fighting in that ultimate battle. While they are the most steadfast of opponents of all the Outer Gods and their minions, they are notoriously fanatical and may attempt to slay or sacrifice anyone engaging in unusual activities. They believe strongly in signs and portents and may see any odd astrological phenomena as a sign that the "Kaltek Val Non" is about to begin. While they are not as debased as the worshippers of the Outer Gods, the priests of Yuth are in many ways just as dangerous. Unknown to most people, a small number of the priests act as spies for the cult, blending in with ordinary people. These agents engage in even nastier forms of self-mutilation and ritual self-punishment that leave no outwardly visible scars. The priests of Yuth celebrate a strange Mass and anoint a talisman sacred to the goddess "which is useful to those who would profane that which belongs to the Outer Gods." At least once in the past a foolish thief has stolen the talisman to provide him with protection against those Gods only to have the priests of Yuth recall the talisman from his grasp when he needed it most. It is up to the GM to determine whether this cult is wholly restricted to the Dreamlands or whether the monastery of Yuth actually exists in the waking world. If it does, then the skull-faced priests will remain in seclusion, never leaving their temple if possible and keeping their faces carefully covered if they must. A larger portion of the cult will maintain a semblance of normality and infiltrate outside organizations, but the leaders of the cult will all be horribly disfigured. Seeing a full priest of Yuth without his mask can cause 0/1d6 San loss in normal people. -------------------- From: fsronce@tcac.com (Frank and Jennifer Sronce) Subject: Spells of N'tse-Kaambl System: Call of Cthulhu SPELLS OF N'TSE-KAAMBL The following spells are commonly associated with her priesthood. Most of them are unknown outside her temples. Those spells associated only with the yellow-skulled priests of Yuth are marked as such. Yuth is the location of their main temple, and may also be the name of a subordinate godling who serves N'tse-Kaambl. All of these spells are presented in the following format: Spell Name (MP or POW cost, San loss, Base casting time) Additional Names the Spell is Commonly Known By [Source of the spell, if known] A description of the spell's effects, and any further explanations required. [Any additional notations or cautions for the use of the GM.] If the spell name is marked off with asterisks, then the spell is particularly powerful and the GM should consider all of the possible effects carefully before introducing it into a campaign. The GM may also wish to rule that some or all of these spells are weaker or even powerless in the waking world, as N'tse-Kaambl's cult is based in the nDreamlands. A contest of Magic Points may be substituted for the contest of POW in any spell which calls for one, at the GM's option. *Burning Splendour* (16 MP per round, 3d6 San, 3 rounds) [N'tse-Kaambl] The caster of this spell must cast his arms skyward while invoking N'tse-Kaambl. The spell surrounds the caster with the shimmering splendour of the goddess, which lights the entire area with a golden glow. Everyone seeing the caster suffers 2d6 damage (creatures of the Outer Gods suffer 4d6). Turning away reduces the damage to minimum, but does not eliminate it. Armor has no effect upon this damage but opaque walls will stop it. Maintaining this spell is strenuous; the caster can undertake no activity more complicated than a slow walk. [Without a source of additional magic points, most people cannot maintain more than a single round of this spell. This still does 2d6 damage to everyone in the vicinity, and 4d6 to all creatures of the Outer Gods, so it remains a very potent combat spell for a lone caster. If the caster has access to a supply of external magic points sufficient to maintain the spell for several rounds then it becomes capable of destroying entire legions of servitor creatures or slaughtering hundreds of men.] Chant of the Twelve Glories (4 MP per minute, 1 San, 1 minute) [N'tse-Kaambl] This spell consists of the caster singing the glories of the goddess. It is normally cast by several priests simultaneously. A successful Sing roll is required to cast it successfully in any stressful situation. All creatures of the Outer Gods must resist half of the total MP expended by every caster with their own POW or retreat from the area for at least one minute. The chant is mostly useful for driving away minor creatures of the Outer Gods and animals tainted by their power. [This spell is not particularly useful because it requires a large number of casters working together to repel anything but the weakest of creatures. The casters have an effective POW of 2 per caster versus the POW of the creatures being driven forth.] *Communion of N'tse-Kaambl* (8 MP, 0 San, 10 minutes) [N'tse-Kaambl] This spell requires an enchanted statuette of the Goddess. By holding it and casting this spell the caster can sense the thoughts of anyone else touching a statuette. Whenever someone casts it, all other statuettes on the same planet will begin to shimmer faintly, signalling that someone desires contact. Normally the highest ranking member of each priesthood will cast this spell in turn, enabling them to all communicate. The communion lasts until every priest who cast this spell lets go of their statuette, or after 2 hours, whichever comes first. [If this cult is widespread, then this becomes a very useful spell, enabling the high priests of each temple to communicate at will. In the modern world it is much less impressive, becoming nothing more than a magical conference call, since sending messages is phenomenally faster in the modern world than in the Dreamlands.] *Contact N'tse-Kaambl* (1 POW, 1d6 San, 5 minutes) [N'tse-Kaambl] This spell can only be cast at a place open to the sky. The caster is expected to remain in the vicinity for up to 24 hours, awaiting the goddess's appearance. The goddess will usually send a projection to the caster's presence. Everyone in the vicinity of the projection will take 1d6 Hit Points of damage per round from her presence and averting their eyes only reduces the damage to minimum. Thus, conversations between the caster and the goddess must be swift lest her mere presence slay him. [It is also possible for the goddess to come in person in response to this spell, but that is rare beyond measure and almost certainly fatal for the caster. The base chance of receiving any response to this spell is equal to 1/2 of the caster's Luck roll.] *Icon of N'tse-Kaambl* (2 POW, 1d6 San, 1 day) [N'tse-Kaambl] This spell enchants a shining talisman, vaguely remiscent of a woman standing with her arms raised. Normally the talisman must be made from purest gold. If presented forcefully, it can drive back the forces of the Outer Gods, but this drains 1+ MP per hour from its holder, depending upon the power of the creature(s) being repelled. When the holder reaches 1 MP, the talisman will not drain any more from them, and its protective properties will also end. If only held on the character's person, the Icon will still drain Magic Points from its holder, but it provides less protection. Its presence will prevent creatures of the Outer Gods from seizing or harming the holder, but will not prevent them from tugging at his clothes or snatching away his weapons or light source. [While an Elder Sign is designed to seal an area against the creatures of the Outer Gods, this talisman is designed to protect the holder against them personally. As such, it is a very powerful defense. The MP drain will vary greatly depending upon the situation. A general rule might be 1 MP per hour per lesser creature being held back, 2 MP per hour per greater creature, and up to 4 MP per round to hold off an Outer God. The icon holds them at bay, but does not drive them away; most creatures will merely mass around the holder and gleefully follow them until their energies are finally sucked dry. Remember that if investigators attempt to pass this talisman from one person to another, they must spend at least one round defenseless as it is changing hands.] Inversion of Pleasure (12/4 MP, 1d10/1d3 San, 2 rounds) [Yuth] This curse is cast upon a single victim. It costs 4 MP and 1d3 San for the caster to use this upon himself, and 12 MP and 1d10 San to cast upon another person, who must be within 10 yards. If the victim loses a POW contest with the caster, their nerves are altered so that pleasure and pain are reversed. Everything that used to feel good to them (a soft touch, a tasty meal, a sexual encounter) now causes pain instead. Formerly painful things (a papercut, hunger pangs, a blow to the head) now produce feelings of delight. The character can be treated as immune to pain, but this misses the true nature of the curse- even eating now becomes a painful activity. Normal life is impossible. Anyone left under this curse loses at least 1d6 San per week and eventually commits suicide, usually in some horrific (and immensely "painful") manner. If this spell is cast upon someone again, it reverses their feelings back to normal. The curse is not permanent, but lasts 1 week per POW of the caster. Very few people live long enough to outlast the spell. [This curse is occasionally used by the Priests of Yuth to torment those who have acted against them. They also use it upon themselves. Any devout priest of Yuth can be considered immune to the effects of pain and injury and their morale may actually be improved by wounds. For them, the boundaries between pleasure and pain have been completely blurred.] Lure of the Womb (10 MP, 1d4 San, 3 rounds) [N'tse-Kaambl] This spell requires the caster to stand perfectly still with arms outstretched towards the target(s), who must be within 20 yards. Everyone targetted must resist the caster's POW with their own or feel drawn towards him. Each additional person being targetted reduces the caster's effective POW by 1. Those failing to resist will see the caster as a source of comfort and aid. Unless they can roll INTx5 or less, they will fall into a daze and walk into the caster's arms. Even if they succeed in the INT roll, they will still be unable to attack the caster and can only flee at 1/2 their normal movement. The draw lasts until the caster takes some other action, such as knifing his victim in the back. After five minutes, the trance will end regardless. [This spell works wonders on animals, which are generally too unintelligent to succeed in the INT roll. It has no affect upon any creature which does not have the appropriate emotions to evoke, so most creatures of the Outer Gods will be unaffected.] Recall Icon (16 MP, 1d4 San, 10 minutes) [N'tse-Kaambl] This ritual can be used to retrieve a lost Icon of N'tse- Kaambl. The caster must concentrate on the Icon in question, and beckon for it to come forth. The current holder of the Icon can attempt to resist by matching his POW against the summoner. If the holder fails, or if the Icon lies unattended, it will shimmer and vanish, reappearing in the arms of the caster of this spell. This spell can affect an Icon anywhere on the same world as the caster, but cannot reach through space. In general, the caster can only attempt to recall an icon which he has personally touched in the past. [If one of these valuable talismans is stolen, the priests will first use the Communion of N'tse-Kaambl to spy upon the thief. If he remains close enough to capture physically, they seize him. Otherwise they will use this spell to retrieve it, preferably when the thief needs it most. The existence of this spell is naturally kept secret, even from most cult members.] *Seal of True Purpose* (1 POW, 0 San, 1 hour) [Yuth] This ritual binds the caster's mind with a Mission. This is His Mission, and nothing can dissuade him from it. The result of this is that all San loss he experiences (whether from monsters or spell-casting) is deferred until after His Mission is complete or has ended in obvious failure. This can really total up, particularly if the Mission is a long one. This spell will only work if cast with something that the caster really cares about in mind. Furthermore, the caster's mission will grow in importance to him as the accumulated San loss piles up. Whenever the GM feels that the caster might be putting off an opportunity to accomplish his mission (whether because it is too risky or because of moral qualms about the means involved) he should roll %. On a roll equalling the accumulated San loss or less, the character feels an unreasoning urge to try and fulfill his mission, no matter what the cost. If the GM rolls 1/5 of the accumulated San loss or less, the character MUST take the opportunity to try and fulfill his mission or the spell ends right then and there. When the spell finally ends, the caster loses all of the accumulated San loss at once. This generally means permanent madness or even immediate death, unless the mission was a very short one. [This spell can be a very powerful aid to investigators because someone who has cast it can bear the sight of even the most potent deity and will simply not go mad until after his mission is complete or has ended in abject failure. It is also appropriate for NPCs who are obsessed with accomplishing some particular goal to the exclusion of all else.] Swift Run (1 MP per yard and 0 or 1 POW, 1d4 San) [Yuth] This spell enables the caster to increase his movement rate. It cannot be cast upon other people. A normal human can move 8 yards per round. This spell can add 1 yard to that distance per MP expended. If a character increases his movement to at least double the actual distance being travelled, the GM may allow him to move there and still act normally. The spell normally lasts for only a single round. If 1 POW is expended along with the MP, then the caster's Move will be increased for as many days as the caster's original POW. The caster must still make an all-out run in order to achieve these superhuman speeds; it cannot be used in most indoor situations. [The priests of Yuth sometimes use this spell when sent forth on important missions. They run tirelessly for days, covering inhumanly long distances with ease. If someone manages to increase their Move to a phenomenal rate, the GM should require DEX checks to deal with any sudden obstacles. Tripping over something at 60 miles per hour can be fatal.] *Tendril of Wrath* (1+ POW, 2d6 San, 1 hour per POW) [N'tse-Kaambl] This spell causes a portion of the caster's soul to tear itself free. It becomes a shimmering, serpent-like tendril of brightly colored energy. The color will match the aura of the caster. It has whatever goal the caster set it when casting this spell; normally to seek out and slay a particular person. The shimmering tendril will snake out, slithering through the air towards its target. It can pass through stone as easily as air, but must detour around living creatures. It will seek out its target using whatever knowledge the caster possessed. If it cannot locate them, it will lose 1 POW per day until it fades from existence. If the caster had inexact knowledge of exactly who he was trying to target, then the spell will hunt for that person using the caster's knowledge. It moves as many yards per round as the caster's INT and is tireless. It can also expend one of its stored POW to sense the current location of its target. When the tendril finally reaches its target, it will strike like a snake, lashing out. The tendril uses its caster's Idea roll as its attack skill. If it hits, it does 1d6 damage per POW invested in it. This attack bypasses all armor. The target must also roll their POW versus the damage done or be struck unconscious for 1 hour per percentage point that they failed to resist by. If it misses, it will continue to attack each round until it successfully strikes. Having done so, the tendril will disintegrate. The tendril is difficult to defend against; it has no physical form to harm. It is vulnerable to only a few spells, which can affect souls directly. Against these it has an effective POW equal to twice the POW invested in it. [This is a very powerful spell of assassination. If the caster is willing to expend 5+ POW, any human target will almost certainly be slain. The mere existence of this spell is a closely guarded secret in this priesthood and only a few of the highest ranking priests will ever know it. It is unlikely to be written down for fear that the writings might fall into the wrong hands. Only the most trusted of outsiders would ever be allowed to learn it and they would be sworn to many oaths of secrecy. While no spell-caster would ever use this spell casually, the priesthood fears that ordinary people would turn against them if they knew of its existence.] -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. In no way should it be considered representative of the views or beliefs of Chaosium Inc. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. The old digests are archived on ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.