Chaosium Digest Volume 17, Number 3 Date: Sunday, November 17, 1996 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: N'tse-Kaambl Scenario Ideas (F. & J. Sronce) CALL OF CTHULHU The Boar Spear (Shannon Appel) PENDRAGON -------------------- From: fsronce@tcac.com (Frank and Jennifer Sronce) Subject: N'tse-Kaambl Scenario Ideas System: Call of Cthulhu SCENARIO IDEAS INVOLVING N'TSE-KAAMBL AND THE PRIESTS OF YUTH In the Dreamlands, N'tse-Kaambl is more widely known than worshipped. Many priests know of her and invoke her name when dealing with "evil forces," but do not actively worship her. The priests of Yuth are her most active worshippers, and they can be powerful allies for the investigators. But, the GM should always emphasize the twisted nature of their cult. Their deity does not desire mankind's destruction, but she is an alien force and her worshippers have lost much of their humanity in her service. To N'tse-Kaambl, Man is just one more weapon to be honed, used and then discarded. The priests of Yuth should find humor in dark and unpleasant things while feeling no compassion for even the most pitiful wretch. They may be outraged by minor infractions of courtesy while only bored by a murder. If the investigators feel comfortable travelling with a priest of Yuth, then you have not presented him as twisted enough. Finding the Lost Icon Investigators discover a lost Icon of N'tse-Kaambl. Perhaps the priesthood believes it was destroyed long ago, or perhaps it was created by a rogue priest who never reported its creation to the others. Since little knowledge of its nature is really necessary to use it, they may be able to use it to pass a horde of unspeakable creatures or to save themselves from a summoned monster. Once the investigators have become truly attached to it, the priesthood of Yuth should somehow learn that they apparently possess one. The priests of Yuth do not look kindly upon outsiders making use of their most sacred talisman. They will spy upon the investigators and attempt to learn of their purpose and how they acquired the Icon. Unable to simply recall it, they will resort to threats, blackmail or even murder to retrieve it. The investigators may kill the cultists who bother them, but this is a dangerous approach to take as the cult is a ruthless one. They could petition the cult for permission to keep using it; this would entail a trip to the cult's secret sanctuary and a meeting with their leaders. If the investigators cannot provide enough proof of their heroic efforts against the Outer Gods, they will be lucky to be allowed to leave the monastery alive. Perhaps the best method is to return the Icon at once (assuming that they do not need it to complete their current adventure) and try to curry the cult as allies. But, the priesthood of Yuth are dubious allies at best. "Borrowing" an Icon of N'tse-Kaambl Perhaps the investigators learn of the existence of the sacred Icon and feel that one is needed to help them stop an evil force. They could try to enlist the aid of the cult, or try to steal one for their own use. This assumes that the investigators are unaware that the priesthood can recall it at any time. If they steal one, then the Icon will doubtless vanish from their grasp at some point. If the cult decides that they are using it appropriately, they will wait until after the adventure is solved before trying to recall it. Otherwise the investigators may be deprived of it at the cruelest possible moment. Encountering the Black Cult The priests of Yuth have all the trappings of a dark, depraved cult because they ARE a dark, depraved cult. The fact that they worship an Elder God doesn't make them benign. The cult uses murder, assassination and terror to fight the Outer Gods, and they are very broad in their definition of "evil". They see the world as teetering on the edge of destruction, and they are more than willing to sacrifice a few innocents to root out evil. The investigators might learn of the cult's involvement in the assassination of some important figure. They might even be hired by the victim's organization to find his killers, only to learn later that their employers are worshippers of the Outer Gods or a Great Old One themselves. Worshipping the Goddess The priesthood of Yuth was formed to provide the goddess with human weapons to use against Nyarlathotep. Its rituals are designed to strip away all human desires, as these might be distracting. It is a cult of obsession, composed of people who desire nothing more than to find a great and terrible evil to fight against. Members strive to overcome human weaknesses and foibles by inflicting pain upon themselves. This said, it is possible that one or more investigators might find the philosophy of the cult strangely attractive. Entering the actual priesthood of Yuth might be a way to retire a critically low-Sanity investigator to NPC status. A low-ranking priest could also be written up as an investigator. Membership in the cult of Yuth does have some benefits. The cult is knowledgable in the occult and has many resources available, but the investigator would also be at the command of higher ranking priests whose sanity would always be suspect. More likely, an investigator might cast Contact N'tse-Kaambl in hope of acquiring divine aid. The goddess is usually willing to aid causes which intersect with her own interests, but she expects unswerving devotion from her adherents. Still, the priests of Yuth will be much more friendly to anyone who seriously honors their deity, even if they do not practice the ritual torments that the priests of Yuth subscribe to. The Serpent Strikes Some powerful figure has been targetted by the cult for assassination. He may be a cultist himself, or an innocent wrongly marked for death. The investigators must work to uncover who is behind the assassination attempts before one succeeds. If they succeed in stopping all of the mortal attacks, one cultist will be chosen to matyr himself by casting Tendril of Wrath on the "evil one." The spectral, serpent-like spirit will be seen hunting for its victim. Unless the players are extremely clever or have powerful magical resources available, the victim is probably doomed if it gets this far, but this could lead into more encounters with the cult or an attempt to put a stop to their evil ways. The best way to save the victim is to convince the cult that he should be spared, a problematic task at best. Since the cult does not believe in taking chances when it comes to fighting "evil," investigators had better be able to convince them that their selected victim is actually fighting evil himself. Lest Allies Become Martyrs This adventure requires that the investigators have made an ally out of a moderately stable priest of Yuth. The ally should be a valuable source of aid, both in keeping the cult from interfering with the investigators, but also in providing weapons and manpower when it is needed. When next they contact him, they learn that his superiors in the priesthood of Yuth have decided to honor him with the opportunity to martyr himself by expending all of his POW on a Tendril of Wrath aimed at a particularly dangerous enemy. The ally will not explain in detail, but the investigators should be aware that he is making preparations to sacrifice himself in some terrible spell which may (or may not) succeed into destroying their foe. If they request a chance to try and stop the "evil one" themselves, the priesthood will give them a reasonable period of time before their ally commences his spell. The chosen enemy should be a mysterious figure, mysterious enough that the Tendril of Wrath may well fail. Of course, the ally might intend to martyr himself in a more mundane fashion instead. Perhaps he is purchasing explosives to construct a truck bomb which he will drive. Or perhaps he will undertake the Seal of True Purpose and embark on a dangerous solo mission into the heart of the enemy. Regardless, the investigators must undertake a desperate quest against time or a valued ally will perish, probably meaninglessly. The Initiate If one or more of the investigators has performed in a particularly heroic manner against dark forces, the priests of Yuth may attempt to recruit him. They know that their secret rituals are very disturbing to outsiders, so they bring in initiates very slowly. They start out teaching forms of meditation designed to overcome pain, then later teach the initiate to inflict pain upon himself to build up his inner strength. The cult sets brutally difficult but rarely fatal tasks for their initiates, teaching them to shed their human weaknesses (and much of their humanity in general). They will hone their combat skills and their ruthlessness. Drugs and magic may be used to produce the proper attitude in those who have difficulty in giving up their old lives. Each priest is allowed only a single outside hobby, and they may be stripped of even this right if it begins to interfere with their duty to the cult. The cult prefers to cut all ties between an initiate and his prior life. If an initiate appears particularly promising but is reluctant to join, they may be forcibly brainwashed. Other investigators may be called upon to rescue the initiate, or even kidnap him if his brainwashing has gone too far. Of course the initiate need not have been a player character. A desperate phone call from an NPC initiate could bring the investigators into conflict with the cult. If any investigator actually becomes a member of the cult, he will gain formidable skills from the intense training, but at a cost of much of his Sanity. He will also forever remain at the beck and call of his leaders. The Madman A rogue priest has learned of a particular celestial configuration when the spell Contact N'tse-Kaambl will always cause the goddess to appear in person. He believes that N'tse-Kaambl wants him to destroy some part of modern culture which he finds repulsive. He has selected a particularly large and noisome public gathering occuring on that date to be "purified" by the goddess. The priests of Yuth will be trying to find him, but he knows their ways and their faces, their codes and their methods. They will seek aid from the investigators in tracking down this madman before he causes the deaths of thousands of people and brings public scrutiny that the cult can little afford. On a darker note, perhaps the priesthood approves of his intended martyrdom. The investigators may receive a mysterious message (from a priest who still has enough Sanity left to dislike mass-murder), warning them of the impending calamity and beseeching them to prevent it. -------------------- From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel) Subject: The Boar Spear System: Pendragon The following is a magical artifact appropriate for use in a Pendragon campaign. NAME: The Boar Spear TYPE: Great Spear (Pendragon pg. 177) DESCRIPTION A typical boar-spear, long with a crossed-bar near the head. If examined closely, strange designs can be seen scratched along the entirety of the wooden shaft. [Awareness. Success = The designs form a strange, elongated boar emblem. Religion (any). Success = The designs are Pictish.] POWERS The boar spear grants two gifts, and along with those confers two geases. The Gifts: Long Fighting. While in combat, the wielder does not fall unconscious or die until he has taken 2x his Hit Point in damage. At that point, his utterly mangled body finally falls to the ground, devoid of life. Inhuman Endurance. While in combat, Major Wounds do not have any affect upon the wielder. All hit point loss and major wounds take their full, normal effect 1d20 minutes after any battle is ended. Typically, this means the wielder of the spear falls to the ground and dies. The Geases: Extreme Courage: The wielder of the spear may not retreat from battle once it has been commenced, unless he is the last of his side still standing. Berserker Rage: Once the wielder has been wounded (for even 1 HP damage), he must all-out attack for the remainder of the current battle. If a geas is ever broken, the spear turns back upon its wielder, automatically hitting him once for a critical success (ie, doing 2x the wielder's own damage). At this point, both gifts are immediately revoked as well. HISTORY The Boar Spear was a great gift given to the Pictish Ce Clan long ago. It contained within it all the power of the Boar Samhladh, and the Clan used it to win many victories against their enemies. In battle, the leaders of the Ce were untouched by the greatest wounds, and their rivals began to hold them in supernatural awe. In later years, the Boar Spear was lost to the Ce through an unknown sequence of events, and did not surface again until recently. It is now held by wild Picts, just beyond the wall, who use it in their raids upon King Arthur's knights. STORY IDEAS * Against the Picts - Pictish incursions across Hadrian's Wall are increasing due to a new, nearly invulnerable leader. How will the knights defeat the Pict who holds the Boar Spear? Travel into the Pictish lands, to discover the legends behind the weapon, might be required. * The Priest & The Spear - After defeating the Picts and capturing the spear, the players must face the problem of what to do with it. Portents warn that if it is simply destroyed, a powerful and vengeful boar spirit will be released. Yet players may not want such a powerful Heathen weapon to fall back into Pict hands. An aged priest is said to have the power to lay great wards upon Heathen items of power, but he must be found in the uncultured wilderness of Cambria, and then he will need certain religious & arcane tokens to be found before he can conduct his ritual. * A Question of Justice - When the Spear is finally dealt with, players will be faced with a visit from the entire Ce Clan. They claim that the spear is theirs by hereditary right, and that it must be returned to them if Justice is to prevail. Numerous problems should arise from the visit of an entire Pictish clan. If accidental bloodshed can be avoided, the issue of Justice will still need to be addressed. -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. 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