From: "John & Christine Thompson" To: Subject: Chaosium Digest v34.07 Date: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 5:22 AM Chaosium Digest Volume 34, Number 07 Date: Wednesday, August 1, 2001 Number: 3 of 4 The Deep Ones of Shellbourne (pt. 3) by Mervyn Boyd - jack@ktana.freeserve.co.uk Church service Shipley's sermon is pretty much the same as his others of late (see keepers information), but this time he delivers a few comforting words to the parents of the missing children before asking everyone to observe a minutes silence in prayer for their safe return. For those who know Shipley, a secretly rolled PSYCHOLOGY check allows the character to feel as though "something's up". He's not entirely focused and seems a little distracted. Picking up on this, the players may wish to speak to him. At first he tries to downplay his problem by saying that he's just had a few sleepless nights. A PSYCHOLOGY check leads characters to believe Shipley. Pressing further, Shipley explains that he's been having strange dreams, and for the life of himself cannot remember them - just feelings. It's like he's lost something very dear to him, but he knows he never had it. Or he's done something, or forgotten something very important - and it's nagging him. It's like trying to remember a tune that just on the tip of your tongue, but forever elusive. He then shrugs it off saying its probably nothing more than anxiety brought on by the events of late. If another PSYCHOLOGY check is called for, the character is swayed by Shipley's reasoning - and why not. Truth is, Shipley is beginning to slowly realize that the disappearances may have something to do with him, and it's causing him grief. The dreams are subconscious memories filtering through. The use of PSYCHOANALYSIS may help here, as will HYPNOSIS - but Shipley must be PERSUADED to open up and try to discover the root of his anxieties. Successfully persuading him to undergo such measures calls for a relevant skill check. Failure brings nothing out, otherwise Shipley recounts his involvement in the whole affair. The use of either of these skills is not a ten minute effort over tea and biscuits, but several hours of dedicated work. The precise time is left to the keeper. It may last all night, but certainly not less than 11/2 hours. The players discover that Shipley has been associating with Deep Ones, and it was he who abducted the children and delivered them to the Shaman Deep One. He can also point out the caves significance before his breakdown. Delving into Shipley's subconscious is not without risk. Once Shipley realizes what he's done, he begins to tremble, then collapses to the floor. "My God, What have I done? Those poor, poor children." For the time being Shipley suffers a mental breakdown. If left unsupervised for lengths of a time he may, at keepers discretion, hang himself in a fit of suicidal depression - after composing a letter of remorse. What now? Having learnt of Shipley's involvement there are two courses of action open to the players: 1) Rush directly to the caves to rescue the children themselves, and 2) Inform the town of the news, before converging on the caves. Going in alone If the players are very, very careful they can penetrate quite deep into the caverns without attracting Deep One attention. If they go it alone, run the caves as is outlined later. The Deep Ones, once alerted to their presence will try to entrap the intruders, first by cutting off their escape route, then by forcing them further into the caverns. The keeper is advised to use the Deep Ones in any manner he/she wishes. If you want to attack the players - go for it... or, you could try to capture them, imprison them, or cast assorted spells on them and bring them under the control of the Shaman like Shipley. Casting Siren's Song may be a good idea. Siren's Song The characters have one round in which to react before the spell begins to take effect (POW resistance roll versus 16). Those succeeding the roll can act as normal for one round, but must continue rolling to avoid falling under the influence. Sticking fingers in ears and humming loudly will prevent the spell from taking effect. Those with 21 INT or more are naturally immune to the spell. As the spell takes effect, the character are overcome with an intense unshakeable desire of belonging and happiness. A special bond is felt between the rocks, the trees, fellow man, and even the Deep Ones who stand before them. The effects of the spell lasts 4d10 hours (roll each target separately), and while under the influence, they carry out whatever is commanded of them - unless doing so harms the target, or those to whom he/she has a special bond. Until the spell wears off, the characters are no longer under the control of the players, but that of the keeper. During this time the keeper can do whatever he/she wants to further the scenario or bring about a drastic turn of events, such as moving the sacrifice and invocation of Cthulhu's chorazin to tonight. Remember to use dramatic license to heighten play. Once, however, the spell wears off the character reverts back to player control, but he/she has absolutely no knowledge or memories of the time spent under the spell. To avoid further complications, maybe the shaman orders the characters to leave Shellbourne (by boat, car, or whatever) altogether. Informing the town Perhaps the players will be reluctant to rave about sea monsters out of fear of being ridiculed or thought of as crazy people, that is unless other events have been brought into play in case the town may be more receptive. In either case, proclaiming that they know where the abducted children are will generate much interest. A large following gathers as word spreads. The players will be bombarded with questions about their whereabouts, their well-being, and such like. The mob will grow impatient with each passing moment and will demand to know where they are. Once known, they swarm down to the caves after collecting lamps, torches and other light sources. As the mob pushes further in, calling for the children, they spread and fan out and funnel down tunnels in their search. Outnumbered, the Deep Ones attempt to keep to the shadows, out of sight, or attempt to slink away to safety out the submerged tunnel in the Cathedral Cavern. The Deep Ones, at this stage do not want a full scale battle on their hands, and so choose the better part of discretion. They have all the time they need to see their plans to fruition - even if it means that they start from the very beginning again. A few individuals, players included, may run into a Deep One or two, who have been spotted, unable to find a suitable place to hide. How will they react? Some will panic and beat a hasty retreat, some will stand dumbfounded unable to comprehend what they see before them. Others will become involved in a fight. If attacked, the Deep Ones defend themselves as best they can as they try to flee. The keeper, could wait till the mob has penetrated deep into the caves before having the Shaman and his acolytes cast SIREN'S SONG. With a 1000 yard range, the spell will reverberate and echo all around the caverns affecting everyone within the tunnels. Those affected will be told to return home and say nothing other than to say they were mistaken; the children are not in the caves, and that the search should be called off. This'll not sit well with those who wish to continue the search. This point of contention will be muchly debated with the town split roughly evenly. What happens now is left up to the keeper, and whatever plan the players settle on is sure to cause the keeper problems. Now that the Deep Ones have been discovered and that the Siren's Song won't last for ever, the shaman knows he must accelerate his plans. Tonight Cthulhu's Chorazin is invoked. The cave system The Deep One colony of G'ath N'thle'i, as it will be called should the Deep Ones be successful is currently home to 40-odd Deep Ones: male, female and their offspring. At any one time roughly one third of them are out at sea; hunting, harvesting mother of pearl, or whatever... The other two thirds rest, reshape, or install the gathered mother of pearl - making the caves something more to their liking. The Shaman and his acolytes are always busy performing magical rites in the Cathedral Cavern - preparing it for the big night. Utilized in Shellbourne's history as a smugglers hideaway, the cave system is extensive and has been only partially explored. It's common knowledge that the further you travel into its depth the more treacherous and dangerous it gets - so only the very bold should attempt to venture completely into its deep interior. A few potholers have never returned and their bodies were never discovered. The cave system can be easily found on the sea front approximately a mile south of Shellbourne. Tidal forces eradicate tracks left by the Deep Ones. Typically, the passages are wide enough for an elephant to swing a cat. Though why an elephant would want to swing cat is anyone's guess... It also gets very cold the further deep you go. Evidence that the tunnels have been used before is still apparent: Graffiti etched in the walls from smugglers, empty corroding wall sconces, the odd tarnished object such as coins, brooches, bits and bobs that only serious treasure seekers would find interesting. For the most part the caves are silent, save for the foot falls of our intrepid investigators. But, occasionally, the characters hear strange twitters and buzzing sounds from creatures unseen; strange screeches and echoing calls, strange irregular gurgling sounds, drips and wet slaps. What are they, where are they coming from? It's too difficult to say for sure. "Wait, what was that? Did you see it? That shadow... it moved!" Batteries might fail, things might brush against legs, or drop from above.... Use dramatic license to instill a sense of isolation, fear of the unknown and the sense of being watched. As this isolation grows and an over active imagination takes over the characters may suffer a loss of 0/1d4 sanity. Sporadically, the tunnels get wetter or muddier, and the characters can come across webbed footprints. There are many tracks criss-crossing. Untrackable for the most part, though any impaled track roll allows astute and observant characters to notice human-made shoe prints in the mud - some may be fresh, while others may be as much as several days old. 1. Entrance & Bat Swarm Disturbed by footfalls, flashing lights and voices, 1,000 bats take to the air in an attempt to get away. They swarm en-masse to the cave entrance past the investigators. All the characters can do is protect themselves as best they can as the shear volume of bats overwhelm them, and occasionally fly into them getting caught in loose clothing and hair. A thousand tiny squeaking voices, the flap of membranous wings, the feel of them crawling on your face causes 1/1d6 sanity loss. 2. Smugglers' Meet Large rocks have been arranged in here around the wall. Pieces of broken furniture poke through the earth. This used to be a meeting place for smugglers. Graffiti is more extensive in here than other parts of the caves, there's also a rusty, half submerged kicked over brazier. Digging around for treasure, one lucky character can find an ornate tobacco tin inlaid with silver. It is empty, though the inside lid has a name inscribed - Samuel Hurst. A date stamp on the underside can place the object around 1704. After a little cleaning, the tin could fetch up to £50 on the market, maybe a little more to a discerning collector. Point of interest for anyone who's interested: Born in Shellbourne in 1672, Samuel Hurst became a notorious braggart and smuggler. He and his band were involved with the smuggling of everything from pottery and paper to food stuffs, weapons and even humans on the odd occasion. Betrayed by a friend for the sum of £5, Samuel was arrested by Customs and Excise agents. As he was being tried in the local town house on charges of smuggling his compatriots mounted a daring rescue attempt. They entered the townhouse wearing handkerchiefs over their faces and brandishing guns. Shots were fired as they made their escape. They were later tracked down by soldiers from the local garrison to a farmhouse and during the ensuing firefight which lasted 17 minutes - eight soldiers were killed as well as nearly three quarters of Hurst's band, including Hurst himself. The others surrendered and were later hanged. A descendent of Hurst can still be found living in Shellbourne somewhere, and will be most interested in buying the tobacco tin. 3. A breath of air A steady cold wind blows out from the right tunnel. Nothing suspicious. 4. Large Cavern & Honeycomb offshoots The immensity of this huge elongated cavern is staggering. A barren cavern of perilous, jagged boulders and jutting slabs, saw-toothed ridges and uneven gullies through which several trickles of water has cut a path. An extensive search of the area, with a spot of digging (to the depth of four feet) may allow fortunate characters to find a treasure chest full of old coins, jewelry and assorted wares. Weighing in a 30 lbs its worth roughly $13,000 (or £2,600). Cashing this in will create instant news stories of the players. There is a 30% chance that 2d3 Deep Ones emerge into this cavern from one of the many connecting tunnels, croaking between themselves. Perhaps they are silently sneaking up to observe and / or attack having been alerted by flashing lights and uncontrolled chat. Branching off from the main area are smaller tunnels and caverns that interweave to form a vast complex maze. No one knows where the tunnels lead. If the players are determined to go exploring themselves it will be up to the keeper to determine their outcome. Will they wander forever, eventually succumbing to whatever lives in there or will they emerge in some other larger Deep One colony several miles away such as Ahu Y'hloa in Cornwall. One thing is for sure however; the maze is extremely dark. Pitch black. The deeper the players go the more complex the maze seemingly becomes. Cold winds occasionally gust through chilling investigators to the bone. Fine spider-like webs break across their faces. Mites irritatingly crawl on their skin, sometimes burrowing beneath it. At times they are forced to wade chest deep (as based upon a size 12 character) through slime. Maybe they come across the remains of a lost explorer with some salvageable equipment. Fear and anxiety of being lost may soon take its toll causing 1/1d6 sanity loss in extreme cases. 5. Mudslide The caverns take a tilt down here, the rocky surface giving way to a muddy slippery slope fifteen feet in length. Any one attempting to carefully descend the 34° incline requires a DEXx3 check. Failure results in the character slipping then sliding all the way to the bottom and getting covered in sticky, clay-like mud. Lanterns, firearms and such may be dropped and become useless, requiring cleaning before further use. 6. Mud pit & Sinkholes The steady rain-like drip, drip, drip from above has practically turned this entire cavern into a muddy quagmire. Generally knee deep - sometimes waist (as based upon a size 12 character). Several sink holes make the journey across even more dangerous. Spending time to edge carefully across, feeling every step before committing to it, all the lead character need do is to succeed a single LUCK roll. Those following should be safe enough if they follow their leader. Carelessly striding across requires 1d3+1 successful DEXx3 rolls. If a character has the misfortune of stumbling into a sinkhole, he/she immediately sinks 1d8 SIZ points into the muck. Each round the character remains he/she sinks a further 1d4 size points deeper as though something is pulling him/her down. To remain afloat without further sinkage the character is required to succeed a SWIM check. Bulky or awkward items must be dropped to prevent accelerated sinkage. Any character who submerges beneath the surface begins to suffocate as per the drowning rules. If there is something conveniently close by that can be grabbed, then the character can begin to pull him/herself to safety by overcoming the bogs pull with a successful STR check. Success recovers 1d4-1 size points. The quagmire has a pulling strength of 2d8+2. If friends rally and help, then they must also independently overcome the mire's STR rating....though they run the risk of inadvertently falling in also (DEXx5 or LUCK to avoid). Each success pulls another 1d4-1 size points free. From here on in the chances of running in to a party of Deep Ones is great. Hide, sneak, as well as cautious movement allows characters to remain undetected for a while. Remember, there are something like 26 Deep Ones here, and one of them has got to see the beam of a flashlight sometime. 7. Pool Cavern & Connecting caves The chambers here are being covered with Mother of Pearl, by attendant Deep One females. These coatings add to the over all ambience of the place and light reflects off its iridescent surface in a glittering subtle play of colours. The main feature of chamber 7 is a pool of water that measures roughly 30 feet in diameter. The pool's depth is varied due to the tide, so depending on the time of day the pool may only be a deep wet pit. Deep Ones are often found languishing here. 8. Cathedral Cavern Much like cavern four in appearance, this room, as the title suggests is as large as a cathedral - larger even, only this time there are exceptional columns of stone connecting floor to ceiling, where stalagmites and stalactites have joined. Adding to the magnificence is the vast use of Mother of Pearl. A steady rain fall of water cascades from above making the floor wet and in patches extremely slippery. Black algae grows in clumps and anyone standing on it requires a DEXx1 roll to remain standing. Anyone falling over suffers 1d3-1 points of damage due to cuts and abrasions. One fifth of the chamber is flooded, though this time the water level is not governed by the tide. A large sub-aqua tunnel leads off to the English Channel somewhere. This tunnel is extensively used by the Deep Ones. Tethered to the wall (marked A) by lengths of super-strong seaweed are the missing children. These dirty underfed human beings cry out to their hopeful liberators. Guarding the captives is a solitary elderly Deep One who carries a Trident and net. He currently has his back to the players and is not all that alert and can be easily overcome by swift and aggressive action. Using brute force to snap the seaweed requires a STR resistance check versus a rating of 1d10+5 (per strand). Five successful rolls frees a captive. Slicing it with a blade requires the player to deliver a minimum of eight point of damage for the bond to be severed. In the centre of the cavern, which is relatively clear of columns and spires there is an imposing 36 inch high crude sculpture of a creature of vague anthropoid proportions; its body grotesquely swollen and bloated; an octopus-like head whose face is a mass of feelers or tentacles; large prodigious bat-like wings. Anybody with Cthulhu Mythos may recognise this as Great Cthulhu himself. It is being tended to by the Deep One Shaman, and after several millennia of spiritualism and occult worship, it has been left stooped over (even for a Deep One) and thin. Its skin hangs loose from its skeleton and instead of a green-brown colour, it is mottled with an odd discoloration. Upon its head it wears a head-dress of seaweed, whale bone and fish parts. Around its neck dangles a necklace of 15 sharks teeth. On each wrist a bronze bracelet, both engraved with images of the sea. Dolphins and fish mostly with a few decorative squiggles and swirls. The shaman also carries a staff, a little taller than himself, topped with an orb. The shaft of the totem is made of a gnarled black lacquered wood, bound with intertwining strips of hide. Bones are tied to it with ligaments and sinew just below the iron orb. The sphere topping the staff, upon closer inspection is impressed with geometric shapes, points and intersecting lines. (Extensive as well as assiduous research allows the dedicated investigator to discover that the engraved image depicts the world as it was 350 million years ago with the corresponding constellations. It may even depict where R'lyeh is.) There are at least another dozen or so Deep Ones here preoccupied with coating the rocks with mother of pearl. * Monday, 13 September. 1920 Should the scenario last this long, the day passes uneventfully - providing no strange and unusual things have been thrown in by the keeper, or the scenario has had an abrupt turn of events. A week has passed and Thatcher and Curwin have nothing to show for their labors. The town reluctantly accept the grim outcome. The Deep Ones, however, plan to invoke Cthulhu's Chorazin tonight at midnight. (continue) -- 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.