Chaosium Digest Volume 18, Number 6 Date: Sunday, February 16, 1997 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: Creeping Death (Mauro Reis) CALL OF CTHULHU Announcement: Glorantha Con V (Neil Robinson) MISC Editor's Note: This week, a small Chaosium Digest featuring a short adventure idea for Call of Cthulhu and all the info on this summer's Glorantha convention. Shannon RECENT MAGAZINE SIGHTINGS: * Call of Cthulhu - "Priceless", by Sandy Antunes and Matt Grossman, an 8 page horror adventure, set in the late 1800s or early 1900s. It is theoretically generic, but clearly intended for the Call of Cthulhu RPG, Shadis #32. NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: The Chaosium Digest Archives ftp://ftp.csua.berkeley.edu/pub/chaosium This is actually an ancient resource, but it's been flaky for over a year. Recently, due to yet another machine swap, the archive seems to have finally settled down. I just uploaded all the newest issues of the Digest to "archives/ascii". There's also a new README file there, giving a composite Table of Contents for all 221 issues. -------------------- From: Mauro Reis Subject: Creeping Death System: Call of Cthulhu I created this adventure idea thinking about playing it in the 1920's, but I don't see why it can't be played in any other time frame. CREEPING DEATH (an adventure idea for CoC) A few days ago, an archaeological expedition in Egypt discovered what could have been one of the greatest finds of history: an ancient tomb, which bears inscriptions linking it to Moses. The tomb was closed by a big stone slab that aparently had been covered with now-faded inscriptions. Among the few words still recognizable were "Moses", "the first born of Egypt", "Pharaoh", "death", "promised land", and "never removed". When the scientists opened the tomb, however, disaster struck. Several of them were killed on the spot by a "cloud of gas" that burst out, and then rolled away. The tomb, to the dismay of the survivors, was completely empty. In fact, it was more like a cave than a tomb, the entrance to it being the only part that was actually built by man. The doctors were not able to tell WHY those people died, since there were no signs of poisoning whatsoever. A day later, a tragedy occured in a small village close by. In the morning, several people of both sexes and of all ages were found dead in their beds. The deaths were apparently at ramdom, and except in a few cases at least one person in each household was taken. Two days ago, the same thing happened at another village, and by now the story is starting to spread, causing panic in the villages in the area, because no one has a clue about what is causing the deaths. What humanity doesn't know is that, some thousands of years ago, that "cloud" was summoned by Moses to kill the first born of Egypt. It is, in fact, an entity from another world, brought forth by an enchantment so old that even Moses didn't know it very well. He was able to summon the creature and make it do his bidding, but couldn't send it back to where it came from. The best thing he was able to do was to confine it using the same thing his people used as a protection on that fateful night: lamb's blood. Moses and a handful of his people used a lot of blood and the imminent appearance of the sun to force the creature inside a natural cave that he had prepared to that end, building a "doorway" so that the cave could be closed with a stone slab marked with protective sigils. He then painted the entrance with blood, preventing the monster from getting out. After closing the entrance with the stone slab, he carved many warning messages on it, and left with his people to the promised land. The extreme dryness of the cave sort of "mummified" the blood, and kept the protection effective until the scientists came. The opening of the cave made the mummified blood that still covered the entrance turn into dust, and the creature was then able to get out, killing the first born among the scientists in the process. Now the creeping death is on the loose, hungry after being trapped for so many centuries. It will only kill the first born, as those were its instructions, and even then only at night, for the fierce gaze of Ra becomes deadly to it after some time. The creature kills by draining the life-force of its victims, leaving no trace at all about the cause of death. It won't stop until it is destroyed or sent back, altough the spell to do so was long ago lost. There are ways to protect oneself against the Creeping Death, though, as Moses well knew. For some reason, the blood of a dead mammal keeps the monster away. However, it doesn't have to be lamb's blood as Moses believed. The blood of any mammal, even human's blood, is harmful to the creature, and it will avoid the blood at almost any cost. For that reason, it won't cross a threshold painted with blood and will never get near a slaughter-house. Probably the best way to get rid of that menace is to use the same strategy as Moses. The inside of the stone slab still has its carving reasonably intact, and may contain hints of the importance of the blood to control the creature (written in ancient Hebrew, of course). Another option is to keep the creature out in the sunlight long enough to kill it, probably using blood to keep it there. The investigators could be drawn into this adventure by being part of the expedition, or by being at a nearby village when the events mentioned took place. Time is short, because if the creature gets too far from the area where the cave is, they may not be able to find another suitable place to trap it within. The creature will stay in the area until there are no more new villages close by for it to go, and then move on. It will hide inside caves or abandoned houses during the day, and attack a different village about each other night. The Creeping Death is a gaseous creature, very much like a rolling mist, probably impervious to almost any kind of damage. If you're not a first born, it won't hurt you unless you attack it. If you're a first born, however, contact with the mist drains your life away in a matter of seconds. I will not provide statistics for the creature, because I think that's not the most relevant thing, and probably everyone would change them anyway. The only important things to remember are that the creature's touch kills almost instantly by draining the victim's life-force, and that it is highly sensitive to blood and sunlight. copyright (c) 1997, Mauro Reis -------------------- From: "Neil Robinson" Subject: Announcement: Glorantha Con V Please excuse this blatant piece of advertising - just be sure to attend!!! Glorantha Con V July 25-27, 1997 Victoria, BC Canada Dudilus DoBright says: Join us to Welcome the Goddess to the Descended Island Kingdom of Vancouver! LARPS Life of Moonson Fall of the House of Malan Revolt in the Redlands Featured Guests Featured Events ------------------- --------------------- Greg Stafford Welcoming the Goddess Heroquest Sandy Petersen Orlanthi/Lunar Debate Nick Brooke King of Sartar Panel MOB Mythos Tournament David Hall Cthulhu Seminar Chris Gidlow Tabletop Gaming Stephen Martin and of course, Trollball All this in the lush and idyllic setting of the University of Victoria campus. Come see how gaming is done in the Pacific Northwest. This gala event is co-sponsored by the Society for Interactive Literature, the Seattle Farmers Collective, and with help from Chaosium, and the Reaching Moon Megacorp. How to Get to Victoria Victoria is located on Vancouver Island, across the strait from the city of Vancouver. It is reached by boat or plane. Despite popular misconceptions, the Con is NOT in Vancouver. The best net resource is www.victoriabc.com. Foreign visitors can contact us for more help - remember to get a visa for the US if you want to visit our southern neighbour too. Plane: Take a connecting flight from Seattle (SEATAC) [SEA] or Vancouver International Airport [YVR] to Victoria International Airport [YYV]. Shuttle buses and regular transport can get you down to the city and the university. Vancouver Ferry: There is an hourly car ferry from Twassassen to Swartz Bay (near Victoria) for about $36.00/car one-way. A coach line runs directly from downtown Vancouver or from the Vancouver Airport to downtown Victoria. Contact: BC Ferries. Http://ww.bcferries.bc.ca (250) 386-3431 Toll free (888)-BCFERRY (223-3779) Seattle Ferry: Car ferry from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria sailing at 1:00 PM each day for the island. It takes 4 1/2 hours. Cost is $50 round trip for passengers, $100 for a car and driver. Phone (250) 480 5555 or (800) 668-1167 There is also a high-speed passenger ferry running from downtown Seattle to downtown Victoria, cost about $100.00 round trip. It sails twice daily. Contact: Victoria Clipper: (206) 448-5000 Lodgings We will be staying at the University of Victoria campus. You will need to make reservations before June 25th, 1997 or we cannot guarantee a spot for you. There are shared toilet facilities (dorms) in all but the suites. Please mention the Interactive Literature Conference (our local non-profit society) and the GloranthaCon V. Room Rates (these include taxes) Contact: Single $38.00 (includes breakfast) Housing and Conference Services, UVic Double $50.00 (includes breakfast) P.O. 1700 Suite $158 (4 rooms + kitchen Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 and living room Canada but no breakfast) Tel: (250)-721-8395 Fax: (250)-721-8930 Local Bus Information. If you take the coach line from Vancouver, you will be dropped off downtown. The #14 Bus runs from downtown to the University, and you can also take the #4 and #7. Costs All costs are in Canadian funds. Yes, we have coloured money. Think of it, this will make the visit even cheaper. Oh, all US bank/ATM cards work in the Canadian system, so don't worry about that - and there are ATM machines on campus right by the pub. We'll be sending the full events list out soon, but are still looking for GMs for the tabletop games. Please contact us if you are interested in running a game or volunteering. Here is a brief list of the planned events: Seminars Horror in Cthulhu - From the master (Sandy) King of Sartar Panel - Joerg Baumgartner and Stephen Martin host Stafford on Glorantha - Greg speaks on our favourite topic Making Glorantha your own - How to deal with mythic Glorantha in your game Running Glorantha - Running Glorantha can be hard - tips from the experts Cultural Exchange - Nick and others ramble How to Get Published - Writing stuff for Tales, Drastic Resolutions, and more Chaosiana - Chaosium news and events RQ Rules and Alternatives - Rules are important to many gamers. Meet the Megacorp - Hobnob with the Tales crowd Arthurian Britain - Pendragon and Arthur Arachne Solara's Web - Glorantha and gaming on the Internet Games and Events Life of Moonson - A Lunar LARP from the Brits who brought you Home of the Bold (49 players) Fall of the House of Malan - Orlanthi tribal politics at its finest. A LARP for 40-50 players Orlanthi/Lunar Debate - Can the wily Lawspeakers talk down the Friendly Lunar Missionaries Meet the Goddess Heroquest - A celebration of the Goddess arriving in Victoria. - and a treat! Trollball - A full festival of troll culture Lore auction - Want to know the secrets of Glorantha - it will cost you Pelorian Stories - Tales from the Oslir Revolt in the Redlands - The continuation of Chris Gidlow's epic - The Tarsh War Stafford Reads - A story from a real trickster Beer - Just in case you doubted.. Mythos Tourney - Play Chaosium's collectable card game. We're also considering running miniature wargames and Dragon Pass/Nomad Gods. Please let us know if you are interested. ALL HAIL THE REACHING MOON! --------------------------------------------------------------------- REGISTRATION FORM Yes, I am interested in the hottest convention ever to hit Victoria, BC. Sign me up! And sign up quickly so you get a spot in the LARPs, places going fast. Basic Cost: $40 US or $50 CDN _______________ Life of Moonson $10 US or $12 CDN _______________ Fall of the House of Malan $10 US or $12 CDN _______________ Total (denote currency) ________________ Send check or Moneys to: US Funds Canadian Funds Neil Robinson Bill Thompson 2650 NW 58th St., Unit 1 202-1002 MacKenzie Ave Seattle, WA 98107 Victoria, BC V8X 4B5 USA Canada Tel: (206) 706-3250 Tel: (250) 727-9741 E-mail: neilr@wolfenet.com Please answer the following questions to help us better tailor the Con to your needs: - I would be interested in helping out Y/N - I have things to sell at the auction Y/N - I want to run a game Y/N - I've got a wonderful Pelorian Tale Y/N - I would consider getting a T-Shirt Y/N - I want to play in a LARP Y/N - I plan on getting ENCLOSURE, the feature-packed Y/N Pacific Northwest Farmer's Collective Handbook (loads of Gloranthan Info from many known authors) - I will play Trollball and try to get the Grand Y/N Prize of Uzdom - I want a lead role in Welcoming the Goddess Y/N - I want to attend the Sunday B-B-Q Y/N (cost is about $10) - I will play in the Mythos Tourney Y/N Please list the types of games that you would like to run or play. Name _______________________________ Address _______________________________ City/Country/Zip _______________________________ Email _______________________________ Phone _______________________________ Neil Robinson Glorantha-Con V net rep. July 25-27 1997 neilr@wolfenet.com Come visit our web site! Seattle, WA USA http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha/con5/gcon5.htm -------------------- 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.