Chaosium Digest Volume 30, Number 8 Date: Sunday, March 5, 2000 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: * A New Past Life for NEPHILIM by Ian Young idyoung@seanet.com * Conducting an Investigation (CTHULHU) by Tom Liberman tomlib@i1.net Editor's Note: We finally received a Nephilim submission! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Nephilim, check Announcements below for a great review of the game on RPG.net. We also have an article on how to conduct an investigation for Call of Cthulhu. Both articles are good quality pieces, so check them out. As previously noted, all Call of Cthulhu, Elric! and Nephilim articles qualify for the quarterly Chaosium Contest. Even though they don't count for the contest, I still gladly accept Pendragon, Delta Green and Glorantha submissions. The deadline for the next contest will be March 31st. The winner gets a copy of the upcoming Call of Cthulhu Keepers Screen for their winning Cthulhu, Elric! or Nephilim submission. So, keep those submissions coming! ANNOUNCEMENTS * From Morag Kennedy Heirs 9606523H@student.gla.ac.uk Glasgow University Gaming Society (GUGS) is hosting the Student National Gaming Championships this year, in Glasgow, on The weekend of April 14th - 16th. It'll be great, and Elric is being run by at least one, if not two people under the category of Open Fantasy. You don't actually need to be a student to play, you can come as an independent. There should be stuff of the GUGS webpage, linked from Glasgow University, Clubs and societies index. * From Tal Meta talmeta@cybercomm.net I realize this hardly consists of a standard contribution, but it might interest some folks... While perfecting my skills with Campaign Cartographer, I elected to use the old campaign map from RuneQuest's Questworld supplement as a teaching aid... I asked Chaosium for permission to put it up on my web site, and would up talking to Lynn Willis (the guy who originally drew the map in question) and he/ they said fine (and Lynn praised the effort). In any case, the map is located at: http://members.xoom.com/talmeta/maps/maps.htm Also, I'm the RPG Coordinator for MonCon, a gaming convention being held March 31-April 2nd at the Holiday Inn, Tinton Falls, NJ. We've got a few CoC scenarios being run.... * From Ricardo J. Méndez Castro rmendez@sheertalent.com Check out my review of Nephilim at: http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_2809.html Comments are welcome, everyone. Cheers, Ricardo J. Méndez Castro ICQ 45996385 Sheer Talent Developments http://www.sheertalent.com/ **RECENTLY RELEASED!** Last Rites four adventures for Call of Cthulhu 2379 $14.95 ISBN 1-56882-137-9 http://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/2379.shtml Call of Cthulhu RPG (Hardcover) 2386 $37.95 ISBN 1-56882-148-4 http://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/rpg/2386.shtml ** UPCOMING CHAOSIUM RELEASES** MARCH >Book Of Dzyan 6027 $13.95 ISBN 1-56882-114-X At The Printer Now! Nonfiction. A discussion of Blavatsky's famous book, the mysterious Book of Dzyan, the heart of the secret books of Kie-Te, once known only to Tibetan mystics. Includes lengthy quotes. Excerpts from the Society for Psychical Research's 1885 report on the eye-opening phenomena connected with the Theosophical Society. Editor Maroney's biographical essay for Madame Blavatsky starts off the volume with a fascinating portrait of an amazing woman. Mention of Dzyan in H.P. Lovecraft's writing is made. >CALL OF CTHULHU Keeper's Screen #2387 $14.95 ISBN 1-56882-149-2 CALL OF CTHULHU GM's (Keepers of Forbidden Lore) can now keep their secrets in style. This new three panel Keepers Screen is jam-packed with vital GM information presented in any easy to use at a glance format. The player's side of the screen features awesome Philippe Caza artwork worthy of its own sanity check. This product includes a new introductory scenario perfect for beginning investigators and keepers alike, as well as three 4-page game aids (weapons table with an alien weapons section, a new 4-page summary of nearly all the rule book spells, and some character sheet masters to jump-start your new Call of Cthulhu game). ----------------------------- A New Past Life for NEPHILIM (c) Ian Young, 1996 and 2000 MEDITERRANEAN, 10,000 BC The Great Compromise and the Drowning of Tarshish HISTORICAL CONTEXT Once properly embodied you were able to see what was going on. Here is a synopsis of critical events. A "New Atlantis", founded 14,000 years earlier upon the Promethean principles of harmony between Nephilim and humans, reached its cultural height at this time. Tarshish was an isle of fertility in the middle of a great salt plain now recognized as the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. From this central kingdom, colonists set out and began to settle the lush river valleys where the vast basin met the highlands, creating still smaller kingdoms built upon the same Promethean model. Out of this companionship between Nephilim and Man rose the Great Compromise, an agreement wherein the humans allowed the Nephilim permanent possession of their bodies, permitting the Nephilim continuous progress along the Golden Path toward Agartha. In return, the Nephilim shared with them the secrets of the sky -- astrology, mathematics and the arts of civilization. In this time, only the Priest-Kings and Priestess-Queens served as Simulacra for the Nephilim. From their positions of authority and power, they imparted the wisdom of the immortals upon the people of Tarshish, and all benefited thereby. The Compromise required that toward the end of a Simulacrum's life, the current ruling Nephilim would offer its life up in ritual sacrifice, returning to its Stasis. The next Nephilim in due succession would be wakened and allowed to manifest in the body of the next priest-king or priestess-queen chosen to house the "divine reincarnation". Within this environment of co-operation and enlightenment, human culture flourished as it has not since. However, here in Tarshish, jealousy flourished as well. This tradition effectively denied whole castes of servitors of the ruling hierarchy access to the divine power of immortality and fostered a resentment of the Nephilim and their rule. Ironically, it was the co-operative nature of the Great Compromise that allowed one of the greatest enemies of the Nephilim access to their power and the opportunity to turn it against them. The lesser members of the priesthood, those not destined to become Simulacra, were the first to grow resentful of the Nephilim. Certain factions of Orichalka Men, soon to become known as the Black Star, were able to use this dissent as a means of infiltration into the very ranks of the Nephilim. It was often the responsibility of these lesser priests to preside over the ritual sacrifices of their Nephilim leaders. With agents in position to perform the rites, the Black Star gained access to the bodies and the blood of the Simulacra. Years of subsequent research led to the discovery of a distillation of the blood of the Simulacrum into a source of wieldable power -- the Elixir. Soon, the celebration of the passing of one Nephilim leader to the next became an occasion upon which the Black Star would destroy yet another Nephilim, adding another phial of power to their secret storehouses. The Black Star conspiracy continued to grow spreading to the secular elements of society. Before long an underground organization of soldiers and commanders was formed under the leadership of a Black Star initiate known as Heracles. His army, hidden within the ranks of the faithful soldiers, called themselves the Men of the Lion for the symbol of their strength and their devotion to their Solar cause. No one is quite certain how the conspiracy came to light. Eventually, the Nephilim must have noticed their inability to revive their compatriots from Stasis and confronted the corrupt priesthood. Their secret exposed, the Black Star must have attempted a popular uprising among the humans of the Mediterranean. What is known for certain is that some time around 9600 BC, a great and terrible civil war erupted among the once-peaceful Promethean kingdoms. The Men of the Lion, with Heracles at their lead wreaked great destruction across the lands, and the sorcerers of the Black Star intoned grave magics upon the legions of their former masters. However, the rebels lacked the popular support to triumph, and ultimately, their efforts slowed under the inertia of a prolonged fight. Faced with eventual defeat, the Black Star decided that their last desperate hope would be to destroy the Nephilim kingdoms entirely. The remnants of the Men of the Lion rallied in a final push toward the Great Dam at Gibraltar. Once there, the rebels fought a staying action, waiting for the Sun to reach the height of it's power. Then Heracles, with the aid of a centuries-old hoard of Elixirs and Orichalka weapons, invoked mighty spells and curses, granting him the might to smash the Great Dam. The destruction that followed was horrifying. Millions upon millions of gallons of water cascaded through the strait, flooding the basin of the Mediterranean, scouring the very earth as it rushed inward. Tarshish was not only drowned, but uprooted from its foundations. The kingdoms of the river valleys were flooded and destroyed. There were, however, survivors who fled inland to smaller settlements, bearing what elements of Promethean society they could. In the wake of the destruction, Heracles was hunted down and as punishment was forcibly possessed by the remaining priest-king of Tarshish who had managed to escape the drowning. The Black Star was hunted and scattered throughout the land. Though shattered and diminished, Nephilim society survived, spreading outward to establish the rule of the Great Compromise in new settlements throughout the Mediterranean region. However, the last great dream of re-establishing Atlantis had vanished forever. Secret Societies The Black Star The origins of the Black Star have their roots in a subversion and betrayal of the highest order. Seizing upon growing resentment within the ranks of the priesthood, the Orichalka Men found the them ripe for infiltration. Creating a network of priests, scribes, petty bureaucrats and servants throughout the temples, all loyal to their cause, these Orichalka Men established direct access to the estates, and even the bodies, of the Priest-Kings and Priestess-Queens of the Mediterranean. Utilizing their research of Nephilim Stases, they perverted the very life-blood of the Nephilim to their own purposes. Calling themselves the Black Star, they nurtured their influence within the temples of all of the Nephilim kingdoms. Their eventual discovery and subsequent persecution scattered them across the Western world. Their close association with the Nephilim, however, inflicted damage that could never be undone. The Men of the Lion Under the leadership of Heracles, the Men of the Lion formed the secular, militant branch of the Black Star conspiracy. Joining in a common cause with the lower orders of priests, these warriors created a conspiracy of arms, waiting for the order to fight against the Nephilim in the name of Humanity. Your Simulacrum You awoke for unknown reasons, and had a very short time to find a Simulacrum. Roll 1d100 on this table to find what Simulacrum you chose. Simulacrum Selection d100 Simulacra 01-50 Priest-King, male 51-00 Priestess-Queen, female Priest-King Art (choice) Astrological Lore Build or Farming Business Fast Talk Hunt Law Life Experience (Tarshish/Colony) Read/Write (Tarshish) Religion Sorcery, Lower Magic Sorcery, Higher Magic Speak (Tarshish) Priestess-Queen Art (choice) or Craft (choice) Astrological Lore Farming or Pharmacy Fast Talk Law Life Experience (Tarshish/Colony) Natural Lore Read/Write (Tarshish) Religion Sorcery, Lower Magic Sorcery, Higher Magic Speak (Tarshish) Simulacrum Age * Roll 3d6 x5. This gives your Simulacrum's age before incarnation. Simulacrum Skill Points * Multiply age times 4. This gives your current Simulacrum skill points. You may spend these points on the skills listed with your Simulacrum's profession, up to 50 points per skill in this past life, and to a maximum of 90 points. * Add pre-incarnation age as value of Life Experience. * Roll (2d6+6) x5. You may spend these points on any spoken language skills. Your New Life You undertook a new life of embodiment. Find out how long you lived in this new body, and what you learned for that time. Nephilim Age * Roll another 3d6. This number x5 is the number of years you lived in the Simulacrum after incarnating. Occult Development Points * Multiply the number of years your Nephilim was incarnated by 2 to determine how many occult development points you have to spend on occult skills. Distribute occult development points among available techniques, spells, occult Lores or a specific Arcanum Lore, up to 50 points per technique in this past life, and to a maximum of 90 points per technique. Available Techniques Sorcery, Lower Magic Sorcery, Higher Magic What Did You Do? You were one of the great priest-kings or priestess-queens of the Mediterranean kingdoms at the height of the Great Compromise. What secrets of civilization did you grant your subjects? Did you do battle with the Black Star and Heracles, or did you manage to escape the conflict? Stasis Event What events led to the death of your Simulacrum, and your re-imprisonment in your Stasis? Stasis Event d100 Event 01-20 Died peacefully of old age 21-50 Voluntarily killed in ceremonial sacrifice 51-66 Killed by the Black Star 66-85 Killed by the Men of the Lion 86-00 Killed in the flooding of the Mediterranean Stasis Form For Nephilim of the first incarnation Stasis Form d100 Stasis 01-16 Small stone idol 15-25 Mammoth ivory carving 26-35 Stone axe head 36-45 Obsidian blade (arrow point, knife, or axe head) 46-60 Ceremonial sacrament bowl (stone) 61-70 Jewelry of beaten metals 71-85 Ivory bead 86-92 Animal teeth 93-98 Crystal (quartz, diamond, etc.) 99-00 Natural feature of landscape (Carving of stone outcrop, cave painting, etc.) --------------------------------- Conducting an Investigation by Tom Liberman tomlib@i1.net INITIAL INFORMATION Any good Cthulhu scenario starts off with some small amount of initial information. It is up to the group to take this and expand to the point where they have a good understanding of their opponents. There exist three main ways to better inform yourself before taking on the enemy in his lair. Research, Stakeouts and Confrontation. They do not always go in that particular order but it is generally a good idea to do some research before a stakeout and a stakeout before a confrontation. The difficulty often arises in the difference between a confrontation and a fact-finding interview. All this is discussed below in the appropriate category. This area often includes searching the corpse. Many times the group becomes involved when someone drops dead in front of them. Always search the corpses wherever they might be found. RESEARCH The group has some initial information and is now looking to expand it through research. This takes place at libraries, newspapers, city hall and other places where records of those involved might be lurking. This stage is often returned to each time more information is gathered in the interview stages. Many items of interest are dug up during these sessions some of them valid and others Red Herrings. How you interpret the information gathered here through the interviewing and further research process is essential to solving the problem correctly. Notes are very important during this stage, as it is easy to forget pertinent information during a crisis later. CLUES You will gather many clues during this stage and storing this information is vital. Often times you will reference things that make no sense in the current investigation but down the road will prove invaluable. Often a group will note a clue but then when the time comes to use this clue have forgotten all about it. You must physically write down clues and check your notes each time you get new information. Note taking is essential to good investigating. Not all clues are vital but you will most likely gain necessary information for success during this stage. Note everything. THE FIRST INTERVIEW You’ve gathered what information from your research that seems pertinent to the task at hand and now you’re ready to interview victims, suspects, bystanders and anyone else who might have a clue. The first thing you must have ready is your story. You’re not going to tell them about Mythos material initially so you must have a good cover story. You never know who the real villain is and if you reveal yourself too quickly you and you’re friends are doomed. Always have a good reason to ask questions. During this phase you will be using your skills. See that section for important information. HINTS Some of those involved will give you hints to what is going on. Sometimes you might need to push the interview if this is the case but generally it is good to go back and do more research before pushing your case into dangerous territory. You can always go back and re-interview. Sometimes there is a rush but generally being patient and careful is the proper attitude at this stage. DECISIONS You’ve done your interviews, gathered clues and gone back and done more research. Now its time to make decisions. Who is the bad guy, who is an innocent bystander? Who needs to be re-interviews with more pressing questions? Who needs to be told about the Mythos? Most importantly you will still have questions about what to do with certain people. If you are in doubt about anyone, the best solution to discovering more is the stakeout. The option after that is the break-in. Information gathered from the stakeout and break-in will help you greatly in determining who is the enemy. THE STAKEOUT Possibly the most important aspect of the entire investigation. People you talk to will often be lying and the stakeout will determine some reasons for those lies. Who comes to visit, where the suspects go. Not all suspects are the villain but they might well have important information they don’t trust the investigators with. Stakeouts answer many questions and lead the group to new suspects. Stakeouts also generally bring up more questions and often result in a renewed research phase. THE BREAK-IN When you’re certain that someone has some vital clues and you’ve exhausted legal methods of obtaining that information its time for the break-in. This act is illegal and often holds great danger. If the person is not a cultist then police might be brought in and you could be arrested. If the person is a cultist then there might well be traps and monsters awaiting you inside the forbidden doorway. Take extreme precaution and have a story ready in case you’re caught. CONFRONTATION You’ve decided to tell the person about you’re involvement in the Mythos. This is a dangerous tactic often taken too early in an investigation. Players often become frustrated and try to shake up the barrel to see what falls out. This sometimes works. If you take this method with a cultist you’ve revealed your true nature and opened yourself to attack. The more the villain knows about you and your plans the less chance you have of succeeding. This will often lead to the climax of the adventure and if you’re not prepared for the decision-making solution then you are doomed. When you confront someone who is not the villain they might well be willing to aid you if they have knowledge of the Mythos. This is a double-edged tactic and must be used with extreme caution. VIOLENCE You know who the enemy is and now its time to destroy. Many scenarios require a violent solution and this often the proper course. Remember though that cultist will respond in kind. Know what you’re dealing with before attacking if at all possible. Have a plan of attack. Coordinate, organize, set diversions, hit hard and finish the job right the first time. Going back after a botched job is the leading cause of death among investigators. Creatures are smart and will make plans against you. Once you’ve reached this stage plan well and do it right or doom awaits. THE FINAL SOLUTION Your clues and hints are vital to solving most scenarios. The greater the threat the less likely you are to be able to solve it through shear violence. You will have to use items found to close gates, dispel creatures, and banish nastiness among other things. Often this final solution is only a temporary delay of the inevitable. Accept this. Many times no perfect solution exists and striving for it will only get you killed. Do what it takes to stop this particular manifestation. Remember the world is doomed eventually and so are you. Do what you can and sacrifice yourself if necessary. Be prepared. Don’t start the chain of events leading to the Final Solution unless you have a good idea of what is going on and how to stop it. If you missed vital clues and start this sequence you are doomed. INNOCENTS Involving those not directly associated with the Mythos leads to death for those individuals. Anyone you encounter in a Cthulhu game is living on borrowed time. The more people you involve, the more will die. Avoid this at all costs. Send people away to far off places. Hide them as necessary. Your sanity is at stake. The more people who know who you are and what you do the more people who can betray you. THE LAW The law is similar but different than innocents. Most of the time you don’t want to bring in the law but sometimes the case is just too big for you to handle by yourself. The research, stakeout and break-in stages are vital to making this decision. The more you know about you enemy and the greater your evidence of illegal (not immoral) activity the better chance you have of letting the law handle the problem. Often law enforcement officers brought in prematurely will die, be driven insane or worst of all join the cult. Be careful involving anyone but don’t be afraid to have someone help if the situation is bigger than you can deal with. USING SKILLS This is one of the most forgotten aspects of the game. The Keeper isn’t going to tell you to use your skills when appropriate. You must make this decision. Often you try to do things that skills cover without using those skills. The Keeper isn’t going to help you. Familiarize yourself with all your skills and use them early and often. A list of often overlooked skills follows. 1. Accounting: Useful skill when digging through organizational records 2. Credit Rating: Much overlooked. Opens doors and mouths. 3. Fast Talk: All the time. Role play it but tell the Keeper you’re using it 4. Mechanical Repair: Opens locks 5. Psychoanalysis: Anytime you’re dealing with a loony this can be vital 6. Psychology: During every interview to check for reaction. Tell the Keeper THE GAME SESSION ROLE PLAYING Role-playing is everything to Cthulhu. When we sit down you will be asked to become the character in question. You will not be yourself. This is often difficult but is made easier the more you understand the character and his/her motivations. You will probably develop phobias. Role-play your fears. Don’t take a character that is so alien to you that you can’t get into the role. Use your skills and profession as often as possible. If you're a doctor then make sure you're the one who goes to the asylum seeking records. If you're a lawman then you deal with local law. Don’t let others do your job for you. Whatever your characters background keep it in mind during the investigation. Cthulhu often goes beyond the bounds of the written scenario. Surprise the Keeper. Go to areas your character has knowledge about even if they don’t seem involved in the story line. The Keeper will be happy to expand to accommodate your interests. If you speak any language go to a part of town that speaks that and use your knowledge to gain information. Try not to get frustrated. --