From: To: Subject: Chaosium Digest v35.11 Date: Friday, March 22, 2002 11:35 PM Chaosium Digest Volume 35, Number 11 Date: Friday, March 22, 2002 Number: 1 of 1 Contents * The Upper House (CTHULHU) by Tim Wiseman Editor's Note: This issue brings us back on schedule. I still have two articles submitted that will be used within the next couple of issues of the Digest. If we can keep the submissions coming in a steady trickle, I should be able to easily maintain the intended bi-weekly schedule for the Digest in the near future. Keep those submissions coming! This issue presents an excellent Call of Cthulhu adventure capsule by Tim Wiseman. The Upper House is rooted in historical events given a Mythos twist. Perfect material for a CoC adventure. Enjoy! ANNOUNCEMENTS * The Black Seal's Pay Pal account is now set up and ready to receive orders. 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The first issue of The Black Seal features: * 'The Tombola Cipher' - the Army of the 3rd Eye's secure channel of communications by Rik Kershaw-Moore * 'Let Sleeping Gods Lie: PISCES Section H' by Graeme Price * 'A Landscape of Barrows and Stones' - an examination of leylines and lloigor by Davide Mana * 'With Extreme Prejudice...' - a look at PISCES' Jaguar teams in action by Jonathan Turner * 'Zodiac Clearance' - a campaign outline and starting brief by Phil Ward * 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' - underworld complications by Nick Brownlow * A Mythos Gazetteer to the British Isles (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland) by Adam Crossingham * Firearms of the UK and Irish Military and Police by Hans-Christian Vortisch * UK Mental Health Laws by Phil Ward * Tales of Terror * Dangerous Places * The Further Files of Prof. Grant Emerson * Unusual Suspects * Occupational Templates for Investigators and Agents * Green Box equipment reviews * Reviews For those still interested in looking before they buy, check out our preview PDF on our web site: http://www.theblackseal.org. I look forward to your orders. -- Adam Crossingham Was, Is, Will Be: The Black Seal - March 2002 E-mail: info@theblackseal.org ------------------ The Upper House 1. Preface This is an adventure written for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying system. Designed to occur in the years 1928 and 1929, it could be amended to take place anywhere from 1910 to 1940 with a minimum of difficulty. The adventure takes real events (the Tsotsowa nomads, their massacre by the Mustang rulers) real places (Jiwakhar, Drakmar) real people (Agon Sangpo, Rigdzinbum) and incorporates elements of the Cthulhu Mythos in a retelling of the history to set up the present. 2. Introduction: Geography and Brief History Mustang is an isolated Himalayan kingdom in northern Nepal. It is split north - south by the empty river gorge of the Kali Gendaki. The valley was formed where a section of the earth's crust, set through by fault lines, slipped as the plates slipped apart. This is the deepest river gorge in the world and affords a unique direct passage through the 24,000-foot peeks between the Tibetan plateau and China to the north and the Indian subcontinent to the south. A vast river must have once flowed between the towering walls for sedimentary deposits exist to a depth of several hundred feet. Also, the region is perhaps the richest known source of shaligram (fossil ammonite shells from the Tethys Sea) that is used to carve symbols of Vishnu that stand on altars throughout Hindu India. The landscape is scoured by icy winds and is almost treeless; wood is a valuable commodity in Mustang, and the depth of firewood stowed atop a man's dwelling provides an indication of his status. Cliffs are deeply wind-eroded - soft sediments have been endlessly shaped to form fantastic caves and weird formations - and as long as 3,000 years ago man-made caves were hollowed alongside natural occurrences in the plateau above the great river gorge. Today "chortens" (stone pillars), prayer flags and colours (red, white, black) appear wherever there is a population - all having religious meaning. The scattered tribes have relied on the same three components of their economy for these millennia: agriculture (with careful use of the little water), pastoralism (goats, yaks) and trade. The first mention of Mustang comes in the Tun-Huang Annals for the rat year 652, when it comes under the influence of the Yuang dynasty - a situation that would endure until the 9th century. By the 10th century it was under control of the Ngari Korsum dynasty of western Tibet at which time Bonpo meditators came to inhabit the Kali Gendaki's caves and passages. The 12th century brought the Menshang nomadic tribe who settled and populated Tibet, Changthang and then Mustang, and the 13th century saw the Jumla move in. In the latter part of the 13th century the Tibetan kingdom of Gungthang came to prominence over Mustang and indeed the rest of Tibet; a century later, Mustang returned to the control of the Menshang. None of this presaged a remarkable rise to power of the Mustang region's small and poor indigenous population. In the first half of the 15th century, under their shrewd leader Amepal, Mustang suddenly rose to become the foremost power in Western Tibet. His son Agon Sangpo continued this dominance; and legendarily brutally put down the Tsotsowa nomads after he murdered their leaders under a supposed truce. After Agon Sangpo followed his three sons who maintained Mustang's supremacy in the region through the end of the century. But by the 16th century, the place of Mustang in the region seems to have slipped just as dramatically and inexplicably as it had risen a hundred years before for tributes were being paid to a neighbouring kingdom. Famine further weakened Mustang and it split: Upper Mustang falling under the influence of Ladakh and Lower Mustang under Jumla. The two territories feuded for decades, Jumla finally emerging as the partial victor by the end of that century. But with Ladakh and Jumla continuing to fight over Mustang through the early 18th century, the region reached it lowest point only regaining some power when its king was recognized by the rulers of Kathmandu. 3. A Story: Mustang and the Tsotsowas The facts above hide a very different story and at the same time explain the rapid rise and rapid fall of Mustang. In the early 15th century Amepal, much to the surprise and alarm of his advisers, cultivated ties with the Tsotsowa nomads (the fabled Tcho-Tcho of the Cthulhu Mythos) having learned rumours from spies of their dark secret. The Tcho-Tcho tribe, only some two thousand strong, wandered the Nepalese, Chinese and Tibetan lands - and were much hated and persecuted by the local peoples for their brutality and rituals. Yet their real power lay in Drakmar in the river gorge in Mustang, their only permanent habitation. This was a holy place to the inhabitants of Mustang for the cliffs, rising massive and red illustrate a myth. It states that the hero Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) fought and slew Balmo, a huge demoness. Her blood and liver dyed the precipitous rocks, her intestines formed a long wall of stones and a large chorten was erected to pin down her heart. Lesser chortens cover spillages of her blood. Here several hundred semi-human Tcho-Tcho dwelt in secret with their god, and tended to his needs: they hid in the lower caves of the stark ochre cliffs, while high and deep in the rocks, immobile on a rock pedestal was the Great Old One Chaugnar Faugn. The Nepalese shunned the area around the ancient site, their myths reinforced by deaths and unearthly noises - the rituals of the Tcho-Tcho. Amepal guessed he had things to gain, so he gave sacrificial victims and companions to the nomadic Tcho-Tcho, who took them to Drakmar and their god. Chaugnar Faugn had subsisted for many hundreds of years on the very few travelers and enemies that his servants could provide him, or even the twisted Tcho-Tcho themselves; the far greater quantity of these offerings awakened. The Tcho-Tcho, freed from the difficult task of gaining sacrifices petitioned their God on Amepal's behalf who targeted the leader's enemies. He sent dreams of himself to them, driving them mad, or for those who resisted he would simply stop their hearts as we would stop a clock. So Amepal's opposition close and far from home were weeded out and his reputation and strength were unrivalled. The power and glory of the Mustang kingdom grew greater than it could ever have hoped to do. And so things went until Amepal's death. But his son despised the Tcho-Tcho, and even though his father was rightly convinced that the sacrifices were efficacious, Agon Sangpo determined he did not need the help of these cruel and inhuman wanderers to maintain his prestige. He laid a trap for the Tcho-Tcho under the guise of wanting to expand current arrangements: "As it happened that the Mustang king Agon Sangpo and the army chief Amogha told the Tsotsowa nomads: "There are many reasons why we and the Tsotsowas must hold talks, Come with your headmen to discuss them." Accordingly Tsotsowa Rigdzinbum lead about ten headmen together with their assistants and went to Mustang. At that time Agon Sangpo remained behind as he went to see the army chief. Agon's nephew, who was not far from the meeting place, went to the meeting. not many days after, as many butchers were each given a task, Rigdzinbum and his brother; Arpon, a chief; one called Pon Gyel; five notables; and Rigdzinbum's assistant Pelsi were murdered. Moreover, the eyes of five of the six chiefs were taken out" -- The Biography of Cheleg The survivors, leaderless, were forced into perpetual flight for the next generation as Agon Sangpo sought to eradicate them utterly. The population of Drakmar was forced to flee too, and abandon their god as the Mustang army reached their refuge. Soldiers penetrated into the outer caverns and a little beyond, but faced with the evidence of the dreadful rituals, and the terrible and unseen proximity of Chaugnar Faugn they retreated. They sealed the passages and entrances with prayer wheels, magic charms and chortens, thinking that Balmo had returned to life and the earth. Chaugnar Faugn slowly relapsed into a state of perpetual and random sleep and there was no focus to these dreams. The persecution took many Tcho-Tcho lives and was considered to be completely successful, however by the time that Agon Sangpo was succeeded by his son Tashigon and Tashigon's two brothers, the few survivors had crept back to Drakmar, reopened it, and with elaborate rituals reawakened Chaugnar Faugn. And Mustang too, was bereft of its alliance and threatened by its neighbours. Now the Tcho-Tcho took a terrible slow revenge, and the three brothers and many around them were tormented nightly by the recurring nightmares of an elephant-headed obesity, while others were struck down in their prime as their hearts were choked. Its leaders insane and dying, Mustang slowly and inevitably fell. The Tcho-Tcho, just a few dozen in number, hid in their fastness and awaited the promised White Acolyte who would come from the West and bear Chaugnar away to a new land. 4. The Fate of the First Expedition, 1928 In late 1927, an Italian researcher at the University of Milan, Professor Roberto Anzalone believes he has made an important historical, in that he had pinpointed the location of Jiwakhar, the 14th century Mustang capital, seat of Agon Sangpo. An expedition is planned and put in place from two Italian universities, augmented by the Italian military. Nepal's borders have been closed to westerners since the mid-18th century and the time of Prithvi Narayan Shah, ("First the Bible, then the trading stations then the cannon"). The party's ostensible goal will be research into the Gungthang kingdom of Tibet. Rather, they will set up a base there, hire sherpas and strike just across the border into Nepal and Mustang. The expedition does not find Jiwakhar - indeed the city has not been discovered to this day - rather they encountered the site of Drakmar holding its ghastly secret. Expedition members are listed in the appendix. Timeline: 18th August 1928: Expedition leaves Naples on the Italian freighter 'Vittorio Alfieri" bound for Calcutta via Bombay. 19th September: Arrive Calcutta. Spend eight days collecting further equipment. 1st October: Expedition enters Tibet having traveled overland by rail and horseback through India via Bacca (now Dhaka capital of Bangladesh) and Darjeeling. 31st October: Expedition reaches Jongkha, Tibet, having come by zopkio (male cow-yak crossbreeds) and mule. Takes over a climbing/hiking hall and hires a guide, Pon Rinchen and seven other sherpas. The next two weeks are spent garnering supplies. Delnegro, Tuminardo, Rinchen make a short reconnaissance trip. 15th November: The 15 expedition members pushes east across the Mapphm Tsho river expecting a three week push to Mustang and then three days to the site of Jiwakhar. Schippone is left at Jongkha to man the radio and act if unforeseen circumstances arise. 4th December: Expedition enters Nepal (Mustang) on schedule. The route Anzalone has chosen leads along the Kali Gandaki gorge and then up and out to Drakmar. 17th December: Party arrives at Drakmar. Anzalone and Bacci argue: this is clearly not Jiwakhar but Drakmar (also read about but never seen by western eyes). Bacci wishes to push on, but Anzalone determines rather to explore and document this site and stake the expedition's success upon this find. The sherpas make camp a full mile back, unnerved by the state of the camp (see Pon Rinchen's interview later). The Italians camp right in the shadow of the cliffs. 21st December: Party (Anzalone, Bacci, Conte, Boggiani, Delnegro) penetrate Drakmar for the first time; they encounter some drawings and remarkable script. Tuminardo and Gary remain in the camp, which is now spotted by the Tcho-Tcho who begin rituals to awaken Chaugnar Faugn. They do not attack, for this is likely to be White Acolyte and his retinue. 23rd December: Second exploration: evidence of recent habitation. Christmas Day: Chaugnar Faugn awakens and his heartbeat can be heard throughout the valley that night, sounding to each man as though it is his own. That night he sends dreams that affect 3 of the 7 Europeans (Anzalone, Boggiani and Gary) and 3 of the 8 sherpas. In each camp all three awaken in a panic and confer. 26th December (day): Third exploration, and Chaugnar Faugn attacks. Anzalone, Boggiani and two sherpas (Sonam Dendu and Lhapka Gyalu) are killed. With the others in the caves, Gary stays on the radio to Schippone the entire day, exhausting the last batteries, as he babbles on recounting his dream. Schippone cannot calm him. The party decides to pull back at first light the next day. Three sherpas retreat sooner - Rinchen comes up to the forward camp with the news, but Gary does not even acknowledge his presence. 26th December (night): Guards set. The god sends dreams that affect Conte, Gary and Rinchen (who has returned to the sherpas' camp. With a full moon in the sky, the Tcho-Tcho attack the advance camp, and despite armed resistance from the alert camp they overcome and carry off the five Italians. 27th December: Rinchen and the remaining two sherpas seek to find the party. They find no one. They take Bacci and Boggiani's diaries and Delnegro's cameras. 1st January 1929: Was to be the turnaround date. 20th January: Rinchen and five of the seven sherpas arrive back in Jongkha - the two groups having joined on the way back. 23rd January: Schippone meets Rinchen and tries to convince him to take him to Drakmar - Rinchen refuses. Word has spread that Drakmar is cursed so Schippone cannot engage other help. 25th January: Schippone telegraphs Milan for assistance. 4th, 6th February: Italian newspapers speculate on the expedition's fate. 12th February: Milan notifies Schippone that seasonal weather is deemed too severe to attempt to reach the camp. In reality the weather is not the deciding factor - the university does not have the resources to mount another trip, and the increased chance of the discovery of an incursion into Nepal dissuades the Italian government from sponsoring its own expedition. 15th February: Schippone leaves Jongkha with a guide, arriving in Calcutta via Khampa Dsong (Tibet), Darjeeling and Rajshari. 12th March: Schippone arrives back in Italy via Alexandria. 5. The Goals of the First Expedition Prof. Anzalone's ambition: His professional interest has drawn him to this period - he has been fascinated by trying to explain Mustang's rise to become a regional power. While he has little inkling how the Tsotsowa nomads could have been involved, he does realize there is no economic, military or political theory that has been advanced that adequately explain events. He feels that in finding Jiwakhar he may find the key and he wants the prestige that this detective work will bring him. The Italian government's interest: This expedition bears political risk - Nepal is closed to Westerners (and doesn't reopen to the West until 1951), so the government has offered only unofficial support. If the expedition is a success it will be trumpeted; Italy is anxious to have foreign glory to hold up against those of its rival colonial powers. If the expedition fails it will be ignored and if necessary disowned. Dreams of riches: it is quite possible that the lost city will produce treasures. Anzalone and the university will keep 25% - the government and Roman Museums the rest. Appendix Documentation on the First Expedition a) Corriere dell Sera (Milan) runs story on departure 17th August 1928 UNIVERSITY OF MILAN EXPEDITION TO SEEK ANCIENT TIBETAN ARTIFACTS An Italian expedition leaves from Napoli for Calcutta today on its way to Tibet. It aims to discover artifacts dating from as early as the 12th century. The expedition is under the leadership of Professor Roberto Anzalone, Professor of Asian History at the University of Milano and a worldwide authority on Asian civilization. Also among those traveling are Professor Paulo Bacci also of Milano and Professors Guiseppe Conte and Rafaele Boggiani of the University of Roma. This Italian expedition marks the first time that Europeans have tried to reach this part of this remote and forbidding Himalayan province. b) The Statesman (Calcutta) note's arrival 20th September 1928 ITALIAN TIBETAN PARTY ARRIVES IN CALCUTTA An Italian archaeological party disembarked at the Calcutta docks yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock. They had traveled on the small freighter 'Vittorio Alfieri' which left Naples on 7th August and made a stop in Bombay. The party is bound for Darjeeling and thence the Tibetan town of Sakha Dsong which will serve as their base for a journey into the southern region of that country bordering Nepal. The party hopes to make discoveries dating from the 13th century contemporaneous with the Tibetan kingdom of Gungthang. c) Schippone's record of his interview with Pon Rinchen [Notes on interview with Tibetan Guide Pon Rinchen, 23rd January 1929. Carlo Schippone, University of Milan.] "There is nothing to talk of in the journey. The travel is very slow after we leave the valley because of the high land and the slowness of some of the men. We come to the site of Drakmar and the leaders argue to go or not as they look for Jiwakhar. My men will not stay in Drakmar as it is unholy." [Drakmar is the place where according to legend the hero Guru Rimpoche killed Balmo. The chorten there to pin down her heart has been felled - Schippone.] "The stones now describe the wrong shapes. We make camp two thousand paces down the valley, the other men make camp against Drakmar. We are to stay 16 days. The first days there is nothing to talk of, but on the 9th night [25th December - S] some men have bad dreams which scare them very much. Sonam and Lhapka Gyalu stop breathing during the day [It seems they are the ones who had dreams - S] and Gyalzen and Tenzing and Ang Rinzing will not wait longer. Ang Temba Lhapka Doma and I put the dead men under rocks. I am very tired even though we are not high up. I walk up to Drakmar, only one man is there talking to the box [Gary on the radio - S] and he does not speak to me. On the next night I have an evil dream [he would not explain it - S] and I wake to guns from the other camp. [more than twenty shots - S] On the 11th day, I, Ang Temba and Lhapka Doma walk up to Drakmar as we fear for the men. No one is there, but there is blood, boots, and blankets. We are too tired to go higher, and we fear Balmo has taken them. We go back and catch Gyalzen and Tenzing and Ang Rinzing four days after." [Rinchen refused to entertain returning to Drakmar and became uncooperative causing this interview to end - S.] d) Schippone's radio transcripts from the expedition, 18th November to 29th December 1928 Contains key information on the route that the party took, initial finds in Drakmar and an extended synopsis of Christian Gary's tortured retelling of his dream. e) Corriere dell Sera, Il Messagero (Rome) mention party's presumed loss f) Bacci's diary g) Boggiani's diary h) Delnegro's camera Personalities No statistics and only skeleton skills are given for most of the European characters of the First Expedition, as dependent on the Keeper they will all but on be dead before the players become involved in this story. Statistics are provided for the sherpas and Schippone. 1. Robert Anzalone, Age 51, Professor of Asian History at the University of Milan, expedition leader 2. Paulo Bacci, Age 38, Professor of Archaeology at Milan 3. Guiseppe Conte, Age 49, Professor of Chinese History at the University of Rome 4. Rafaele Boggiani, Age 48, Professor of Geology at Rome 5. Ricardo Delnegro, Age 32, ex-Captain in Italian Mountain trips 6. Christian Tuminardo, Age 46, comrade of Delnegro, camp chief experienced in travel in Libya and Abyssinia. 7. Christian Gary, Age 42, comrade of Delnegro, Physician. 8. Carlo Schippone, Age 31, stolid Graduate Student of Archaeology at Milan STR 16, DEX 14, INT 14, CON 12, APP 9, POW 7, SIZ 14, EDU 16, SAN 17, HP 15 Damage bonus +d4 Skills: Archaeology 42%, Geology 36%, Library Use 64%, Persuade 41%, Occult 12%, Speak Italian 84%, Latin 40%, Tibetan 13%, French 25% Attacks: Grapple 37%, Fist 42% An unlikely looking academic, big and broad, Schippone had been at Milan for 5 years before the expedition. Though not a gifted scholar, he works hard and takes direction well. He blames himself for the failure to rescue the party, and has nightmares of himself up on that plateau, seeing what Gary saw. His nationalistic fervor, previously strong, has been undermined by the failure of the authorities to react to the disappearance of his colleagues. He will be reckless in his desire to get to Drakmar but he is also straightforward and honest. 9. Pon Rinchen, Tibetan, Age 39, Guide STR 12, DEX 14, INT 12, CON 16, APP 7, POW 9, SIZ 13, EDU 0, SAN 38, HP 15 Damage bonus +d4 Skills: First Aid 45%, Hide 59%, Tibetan/Nepalese History 34%, Identify flora and fauna 78%, Listen 80%, Predict Storm 40%, Navigate Land 84%, Track 30%, Speak Tibetan 48%, Nepalese 28% Attacks: Grapple 58%, Kick 44%, Knife 35% 10. Sherpas, Tibetan, Age 26 STR 13, DEX 14, INT 10, CON 15, APP 7, POW 7, SIZ 11, EDU 0, SAN 40, HP 13 No damage bonus Skills: Hide 50%, Identify Flora and Fauna 60%, Listen 70%, Navigate Land 55%, Speak Tibetan 40% Attacks: Grapple 42%, Kick 35%, Knife 20% References Carrier, Jim. "Gatekeepers of the Himalayas" National Geographic Vol 182, No. 6 Dec. 1992 Forgey, Benjamin. "From Nepal, Images of the Stark Ages" Washington Post, Feb 14th 1999 Powell, Robert. "Earth Door Sky Door: Paintings of Mustang" Serindia Publications 1999 Schofield, John. "Kathmadu's Remarkable Newars" National Geographic Vol 155, No. 2 Feb. 1979 Ship - Get them on a plane then a ship through the Suez Canal? The idea of a Canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea dates back to ancient times. Unlike the modern Canal, earlier ones linked the Red Sea to the Nile, therefore forcing the ships to sail along the River on their journey from Europe to India. It has been suggested that the first Canal was dug during the reign of Tuthmosis III, although more solid evidence credits the Pharaoh Necho (Sixth Century BC) for the attempt. During the Persian invasion of Egypt, King Darius I ordered the Canal completed. The Red Sea Canal, consisted of two parts: the first linking the Gulf of Suez to the Great Bitter Lake, and the second connecting the Lake to one of the Nile branches in the delta. The canal remained in good condition during the Ptolemaic era, but fell into disrepair afterwards. It was re-dug during the rule of the Roman Emperor Trajan, and later the Arab ruler Amr Ibn-Al-Aas. Over the years, it Fell again into disrepair, and was completely abandoned upon the discovery of the trade route around Africa. It was Napoleon's engineers who, around 1800 AD, revived the idea of a shorter trade route to India via a Suez Canal. However, the calculation carried out by the French engineers showed a difference in level of 10 meters between both seas. If constructed under such circumstances, a large land area would be flooded. Later, the calculations showed to be wrong, and the final attempt to dig the Canal was undertaken by former French Consul in Cairo and famous Canal digger Ferdinand de Lesseps. He was granted a "firman" or decree by the khedive Said of Egypt to run the Canal for 99 years after completion. In 1859, Egyptian workers started working on the construction of the Canal in conditions described by historians as slave labour, and the project was completed around 1867. On November 17, 1869, the Canal was officially inaugurated by Khedive Ismail in an extravagant and lavish ceremony. French, British, Russian, and other Royalty was invited for the inauguration, which coincided with the re-planning of Cairo. A highway was constructed linking Cairo to the new city of Ismailia, an Opera House was built, and Verdi Was commissioned to compose his famous opera, "Aida" for the opening ceremony. Ironically, Verdi did not complete the work in time and "Aida" premiered at the Cairo Opera a year later. -- 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.