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Chaosium Digest Volume 05 Number 09
Chaosium Digest Volume 5, Number 9
Date: Monday, February 21, 1994
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Review: Les Portes du Paradis (Frederic Moll) HAWKMOON
The Dogs of Muskovia (Shannon Appel) HAWKMOON
More German Notes for Mythos Books (Chris Jarocha-Ernst) CALL OF CTHULHU
Editor's Note:
Hey all. The digest is a little bit late this week, because I spent
Saturday and Sunday at DunDraCon. I had a good time running an Elric!
adventure at the con, and even managed to pick up a copy of Different
Worlds #1. Overall, it was a lot of fun.
At DunDraCon, a planning meeting was held for RQ-Con 2, which is going
to be in San Francisco next January. Although the spotlight will
clearly be RuneQuest, there will also be Elric!, Pendragon and CoC
games, just like last year. I'll be sending out a bulletin on
RQ-Con 2 sometime mid-week. If you'd like to be on the rqcon2-info
list, just drop me a line. If you were on David Cheng's RQ-Con
informational list, there's no need to send mail. You'll already be
included.
In the last two weeks, there have been a whole slew of Chaosium
related releases. Here they are, in short:
New for Pendragon is Pagan Shore (Chaosium, $18.95). It's the source
book for Ireland in the Age of King Arthur. Included are notes on the
Irish Landscape, Irish People, Irish Magic, Irish Character Generation
and Irish Storytelling. It's much recommended. RuneQuesters
interested in the culture of the Sartarite Orlanthi might want to take
a look too. I think there are a lot of similarities.
The last two weeks have seen two releases for Call of Cthulhu. The
Unspeakable Oath #10 (Pagan Publishing, $4.00) is the first issue in
TUO's new larger format. As usual, it's full of adventures, story
ideas and reviews. Also included is an interview with Keith Herber.
The Investigator's Companion, Volume 2: Occupations & Skills
(Chaosium, $10.95) is now available as well. It's jammed full of new
occupations for 1920s investigators, new skills, and even notes on
forensics and investigation. I picked up a copy of the Investigator's
Companion at DunDraCon, so it might not actually be in stores for
another week.
Finally, Call of Cthulhu players may be interested in a new CD called
Dark Themes from Beyond, Part I: Where Evil Lurks (Wizard's Attic,
$20.00). It's composed of terrific background music that is perfect
for Call of Cthulhu. Wizard's Attic is strictly a mail-order outlet.
You can order from them by calling 1-800-213-1493.
And that's about it for news this week. Whew.
Recent Sightings:
More French Sitings from Frederic Moll.
* Call of Cthulhu - "Les Manteaux Noirs" (The Black Coats), a four
page scenerio for beginning players and GMs, Casus Belli #79
[February/March, 1994]
* Elric! - A review in Casus Belli #79 [February/March, 1994]
--------------------
From: Frederic Moll <fmoll@cix.compulink.co.uk>
Subject: Review: Les Portes du Paradis
System: Hawkmoon
Les Portes du Paradis
ISBN : 2-906897-45-0
128pp, 144 French francs
published by ORIFLAM (132 rue de Marly, 57158 MONTIGNY LES METZ, FRANCE)
"Les Portes du Paradis" is the fourth original supplement published in
French by ORIFLAM for HAWKMOON. It's a 128 pages softcover book with
a nice cover illustration by Alain Gassner. It contains two scenarios
and a campaign with black and white illustrations and maps inside.
All are set in France (which is also the subject of a sourcebook
published by ORIFLAM).
"Un danger venu d'ailleurs" is the first scenario, which is 26 pages
long. It starts in Provence at Mazeille, as an investigation in the
high society. Then, after the discovery of remnants of ancient
technology, it continues with a discovery of the Bretanne area (a
chaotic region). Inside live stange peoples, even one called Merlin
(in fact, it came from the Young Kingdoms).
This is a scenario for players loving action, intrigue and strange
situations.
"Echec a la Reine" is a 16 page scenerio set in Loreine. It is about
a plot prepared by influent members of a church. As usual, players
must thwart it before it is to late....
"Les portes du Paradis" is the biggest part of this book (78 pages).
It is a campaign that can be played before, during or after the coming
of the Grand-Bretons. It is divided in four parts. At the beginning,
players act as bodyguards of a VIP seeking four stones.
The adventure starts in Parye with the discovery of a mutant race and
continues in the Hautes Terres (with mutants again...), then in the
Iles du Feu and ends in the Monts de Pyrain.
Players can travel a lot inside France and encounters, information and
rumours are given (more can be added if the sourcebook LA FRANCE is
used).
The six (!) possible endings that are included are definitely a nice
idea. According to the GM mood, the ending can be heroic, chaotic or
may result in encountering famous people of the multiverse.
Overall, Philip Benz, Pierre Henri Pevel and Eric Simon have done
excellent work on Les Portes du Paradis. It's a must have for all who
like to play in the HAWKMOON universe. Let us hope that ORIFLAM will
continue to publish original supplements for HAWKMOON while we wait
for a hypothetic CHAOSIUM publication....
Frederic
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Subject: The Dogs of Muskovia
System: Hawkmoon
This article contains the seeds of an idea for a Hawkmoon adventure.
It's not a complete scenerio by any means, but it should contain
enough ideas to at least get you going.
INTRODUCTION:
It is said that a single king rules Muskovia, with a hand picked
council of nobles. His power is growing, and it might one day even
rival Granbretan's own. As with all stories, the current tales of
Muskovia contain many elements of truth and falsehood.
Although the King of Muskovia does indeed rule a great kingdom, it
must be remembered that Muskovia is a tremendous land. Although the
King of Muskovia does exert some strong control upon many lands near
to Kerninberg, he rules the furthest regions only in name. Many
villages are isolated from the power structure of Muskovia, and have
been for hundreds of years. This adventure focuses on one such
village, the village of Vuktil, which rests at the edge of the Ural
Mountains.
SETTING UP THE ADVENTURE:
This adventure is begin when the PCs learn certain of the legends of
Muskovia. Perhaps they read them in a long dead explorer's journal,
or hear the stories from a Muskovian farmer, who fled the land many
years ago. The legends will tell of the Dog Men of the Ural
Mountains, and ascribe many magical power to them.
There are many potential adventure hooks that could get the characters
interested:
* In the Tragic Millenium, only a small amount of radiation fell upon
the lands of Muskovia. For an entire colony of mutated men to be
thriving in the land is at least somewhat of an anomoly. A scientist
may wish to study the Dog Men as part of his investigations into
Biological Lore.
* The King of Muskovia could hire the adventurers to seek out the Dog
Men. He has heard tales of them and begun to worry that they might
unify into a fighting force, leaving him with foes on every side. He
wishes the PCs to either assure him that the Dog Men are not a threat,
or destroy them.
* Some legends may tell of powerful artifacts that the Dog Men guard.
They are said to be great ancient items able to protect entire
kingdoms. A kingdom which wishes to remain apart from GranBretan's
empire (such as Kamarg) may send adventurers looking for the Dog Men.
THE TRIP TO VUKTIL:
The trip through Muskovia should be a long one. It is a trying
journey across baren lands. Humanity is sparse in Muskovia, with
occasional farming communities being the only true marks of
civilization. Adventure ideas for the trip include:
* ENCOUNTERS NEAR KERNINBERG: Near the city of Kerninberg, where the
King of Muskovia dwells, military troops are constantly drilling and
training. Adventurers might easily stumble across one of these groups
of soldiers. Explaining their presence in Muskovia will not be
simple, for the King of Muskovia is suspicious of foreigners.
* FREEDOM FIGHTERS: In Muskovia, there are lands that have been
conquered, and people who wish once more for the days of self-rule.
While journeying across Muskovia, the players might stumble across
such a community. Initially, they will have to convince the freedom
fighters that they are not agents of the King itself. Afterwards,
will they be able to abandon the freedom fighters, who seem to be
warring against a regime nearly as oppressive and decadent as that of
GranBretan itself?
* ANCIENT TREASURES: There are great tracts of land in Muskovia which
have not been explored since the Tragic Millenium. As the players
journey across Muskovia, they might stumble upon an ancient city,
nearly intact. Perhaps it is now inhabited by machines, who have
forgotten the ancient humans who once constructed them. Perhaps wild
beasts, or degenerate natives now control the city. Alternatively, it
might still be ruled by men of Muskovia who have kept the knowledge of
ancient technologies since the Tragic Millenium, and now consider
themselves the only True Men (they could be sadly deluded, of course,
and their Technology all a sham).
Eventually, as the adventurers near the Ural Mountains, they will meet
people who know of the Dog Men. They will be directed towards the
village of Vuktil.
THE VILLAGE OF VUKTIL:
Arrival at the village of Vuktil will be somewhat anti-climatic. It
seems that the stories of the place were a muddled exageration. Dogs
are exceedingly plentiful in Vuktil, but they seem to be just ordinary
pets to the normal humans of the village.
Of course, all is not as it seems. The dogs are a species of mutants.
They are highly intelligent and able to communicate telepathically.
The villagers worship the dogs and are able to communicate with them
through their priest, a mutant human who can also communicate
telepathically.
However, the villagers will not easily reveal their secret to
outsiders. Only if the adventurers can prove themselves will the
villagers open up. The villagers of Vuktil value three things above
all others: bravery, generosity and honesty. They will test the
adventurers in these three traits, and only confide in them if they
succeed in all three tests.
When adventurers prove themselves trustworthy, then the people of
Vuktil will do whatever they can to help them in their tasks.
FUTURE STORY IDEAS:
After the adventurers have come to know the villagers of Vuktil,
humans and dogs alike, many new adventure ideas become possible:
* The King of Muskovia, or another local warlord, may decide to attack
Vuktil. Will the adventurers help their new found friends?
* Tired of their cold, desolate home, the Vuktilians ask the players
to bring them to a sanctuary somewhere in Europe. The migration of
the Vuktilians could be an epic tale. Will the players actually be
able to find a true sanctuary?
* The priest of the dogs could be an old man, close to death, who begs
the adventurers to find a replacement for him, lest the dogs leave the
village after his death. The players would have to travel across
Muskovia, searching for rumors of a mutant with rather unique powers.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Although this adventure is set in Muskovia, the village of the dog men
could be moved elsewhere in Europe, as long as it is an isolated
place, usually free of the intrigues of civilization.
Shannon
--------------------
From: "Chris Jarocha-Ernst" <cje@gandalf.rutgers.edu>
Subject: More German Notes for Mythos Books
System: Call of Cthulhu
In-Reply-To: V5.8 German Titles for Mythos Books
Thanks to Ralf Wagner for his comments on the German titles of some
Mythos books (in V5.8). It's great to see a reality check every so
often in regards to this stuff. I have some comments on his comments.
First, Ralf said that he didn't think that the authors who invented
the books knew that much about German. That's very true. Most of
these names come from the Wisconsin contingent of Mythos authors
(August Derleth, Carl Jacobi), and they were probably drawing on local
German variants for their "translations".
UNAUSPRECHLICHEN KULTEN / NAMELESS CULTS:
This is the second-most debated title derivation in the Mythos, after
"Necronomicon". The story as I recall it is this: Robert E. Howard
invented NAMELESS CULTS. Lovecraft and some correspondents discussed
this new tome, and someone suggested "the original German title"
should be used, too. E. Hoffman Price came up with UNAUSSPRECHLICHEN
KULTEN, with some help from August Derleth, who checked it with local
Wisconsin German speakers. Almost immediately after the "UK" version
appeared in print in a story, folks more familiar with German wrote in
saying it more accurately translated into "Unspeakable" rather than
"Nameless".
It's obvious the guilty parties dropped the "Von" in their ignorance,
but the error has stuck with us. Ascribing it to Bridewell seems as
good a solution as any.
CTHAAT AQUADINGEN:
No formal translation for CA was ever given by its creator, Carl
Jacobi. I believe it was Brian Lumley who suggested it might be
connected to the German "Dinge", though "Aqua" is Latin and "Cthaat"
looks Greek.
GHORL NIGRAL:
The name "Gottfred Mulder" which is given in the Keeper's Compendium
is a typo. "Gottfried" is given in all the original sources.
SECRET MYSTERIES OF ASIA:
A translated title was never given in Lin Carter's "Zoth-Ommog", the
only place I know of where the "SMoA" appears.
UNTER ZEE KULTEN:
This is from Jacobi again, with no stated translation ever given.
Ralf says that this should read "Unterwasserkulte" and that it still
doesn't sound very German. I hesitate to question a native speaker,
but wasn't "untersee" used for the U-boats of World War 2? And isn't
"Zee" Dutch rather than German? Are "Unter" and "Kulten" also Dutch?
URALTE SCHRECKEN:
This is thanks to Walter C. DeBill, from "Where Yidhra Walks".
VON DENEN VERDAMMTEN:
Eddy Bertin gave the title as VON DENEN VERDAMNTEN in "Darkness, My
Name Is". Most of his other German seems authentic; might "denen" be
an archaic form or something? He gives the author as Heinz Vogel
Kazaj, "Kazaj" being the surname.
BTW, "Darkness", "Yidhra", and "Zoth-Ommog" may all be found in the
long-out- of-print anthology DISCIPLES OF CTHULHU, if you're looking
for them. But good luck finding *it*.
Yog-Sothoth Neblod Zin,
Chris Jarocha-Ernst Rutgers University Computing Services
Internet: cje@gandalf.rutgers.edu BITnet: JAROCHAERNST@ZODIAC
--------------------
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