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Chaosium Digest Volume 17 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 17, Number 3
Date: Sunday, November 17, 1996
Number: 2 of 2
Contents:
N'tse-Kaambl Scenario Ideas (F. & J. Sronce) CALL OF CTHULHU
The Boar Spear (Shannon Appel) PENDRAGON
--------------------
From: fsronce@tcac.com (Frank and Jennifer Sronce)
Subject: N'tse-Kaambl Scenario Ideas
System: Call of Cthulhu
SCENARIO IDEAS INVOLVING N'TSE-KAAMBL AND THE PRIESTS OF YUTH
In the Dreamlands, N'tse-Kaambl is more widely known than worshipped.
Many priests know of her and invoke her name when dealing with "evil
forces," but do not actively worship her. The priests of Yuth are her
most active worshippers, and they can be powerful allies for the
investigators. But, the GM should always emphasize the twisted nature
of their cult. Their deity does not desire mankind's destruction, but
she is an alien force and her worshippers have lost much of their
humanity in her service. To N'tse-Kaambl, Man is just one more weapon
to be honed, used and then discarded.
The priests of Yuth should find humor in dark and unpleasant things
while feeling no compassion for even the most pitiful wretch. They may
be outraged by minor infractions of courtesy while only bored by a
murder. If the investigators feel comfortable travelling with a priest
of Yuth, then you have not presented him as twisted enough.
Finding the Lost Icon
Investigators discover a lost Icon of N'tse-Kaambl. Perhaps the
priesthood believes it was destroyed long ago, or perhaps it was
created by a rogue priest who never reported its creation to the
others. Since little knowledge of its nature is really necessary to
use it, they may be able to use it to pass a horde of unspeakable
creatures or to save themselves from a summoned monster. Once the
investigators have become truly attached to it, the priesthood of Yuth
should somehow learn that they apparently possess one.
The priests of Yuth do not look kindly upon outsiders making use of
their most sacred talisman. They will spy upon the investigators and
attempt to learn of their purpose and how they acquired the Icon.
Unable to simply recall it, they will resort to threats, blackmail or
even murder to retrieve it.
The investigators may kill the cultists who bother them, but this is a
dangerous approach to take as the cult is a ruthless one. They could
petition the cult for permission to keep using it; this would entail a
trip to the cult's secret sanctuary and a meeting with their leaders.
If the investigators cannot provide enough proof of their heroic
efforts against the Outer Gods, they will be lucky to be allowed to
leave the monastery alive.
Perhaps the best method is to return the Icon at once (assuming that
they do not need it to complete their current adventure) and try to
curry the cult as allies. But, the priesthood of Yuth are dubious
allies at best.
"Borrowing" an Icon of N'tse-Kaambl
Perhaps the investigators learn of the existence of the sacred Icon
and feel that one is needed to help them stop an evil force. They
could try to enlist the aid of the cult, or try to steal one for their
own use. This assumes that the investigators are unaware that the
priesthood can recall it at any time. If they steal one, then the Icon
will doubtless vanish from their grasp at some point. If the cult
decides that they are using it appropriately, they will wait until
after the adventure is solved before trying to recall it. Otherwise
the investigators may be deprived of it at the cruelest possible
moment.
Encountering the Black Cult
The priests of Yuth have all the trappings of a dark, depraved cult
because they ARE a dark, depraved cult. The fact that they worship an
Elder God doesn't make them benign. The cult uses murder,
assassination and terror to fight the Outer Gods, and they are very
broad in their definition of "evil". They see the world as teetering
on the edge of destruction, and they are more than willing to
sacrifice a few innocents to root out evil.
The investigators might learn of the cult's involvement in the
assassination of some important figure. They might even be hired by
the victim's organization to find his killers, only to learn later
that their employers are worshippers of the Outer Gods or a Great Old
One themselves.
Worshipping the Goddess
The priesthood of Yuth was formed to provide the goddess with human
weapons to use against Nyarlathotep. Its rituals are designed to strip
away all human desires, as these might be distracting. It is a cult of
obsession, composed of people who desire nothing more than to find a
great and terrible evil to fight against. Members strive to overcome
human weaknesses and foibles by inflicting pain upon themselves. This
said, it is possible that one or more investigators might find the
philosophy of the cult strangely attractive.
Entering the actual priesthood of Yuth might be a way to retire a
critically low-Sanity investigator to NPC status. A low-ranking priest
could also be written up as an investigator. Membership in the cult of
Yuth does have some benefits. The cult is knowledgable in the occult
and has many resources available, but the investigator would also be
at the command of higher ranking priests whose sanity would always be
suspect.
More likely, an investigator might cast Contact N'tse-Kaambl in hope
of acquiring divine aid. The goddess is usually willing to aid causes
which intersect with her own interests, but she expects unswerving
devotion from her adherents. Still, the priests of Yuth will be much
more friendly to anyone who seriously honors their deity, even if they
do not practice the ritual torments that the priests of Yuth subscribe
to.
The Serpent Strikes
Some powerful figure has been targetted by the cult for
assassination. He may be a cultist himself, or an innocent wrongly
marked for death. The investigators must work to uncover who is behind
the assassination attempts before one succeeds. If they succeed in
stopping all of the mortal attacks, one cultist will be chosen to
matyr himself by casting Tendril of Wrath on the "evil one." The
spectral, serpent-like spirit will be seen hunting for its
victim. Unless the players are extremely clever or have powerful
magical resources available, the victim is probably doomed if it gets
this far, but this could lead into more encounters with the cult or an
attempt to put a stop to their evil ways.
The best way to save the victim is to convince the cult that he should
be spared, a problematic task at best. Since the cult does not believe
in taking chances when it comes to fighting "evil," investigators had
better be able to convince them that their selected victim is actually
fighting evil himself.
Lest Allies Become Martyrs
This adventure requires that the investigators have made an ally out
of a moderately stable priest of Yuth. The ally should be a valuable
source of aid, both in keeping the cult from interfering with the
investigators, but also in providing weapons and manpower when it is
needed. When next they contact him, they learn that his superiors in
the priesthood of Yuth have decided to honor him with the opportunity
to martyr himself by expending all of his POW on a Tendril of Wrath
aimed at a particularly dangerous enemy.
The ally will not explain in detail, but the investigators should be
aware that he is making preparations to sacrifice himself in some
terrible spell which may (or may not) succeed into destroying their
foe. If they request a chance to try and stop the "evil one"
themselves, the priesthood will give them a reasonable period of time
before their ally commences his spell. The chosen enemy should be a
mysterious figure, mysterious enough that the Tendril of Wrath may
well fail.
Of course, the ally might intend to martyr himself in a more mundane
fashion instead. Perhaps he is purchasing explosives to construct a
truck bomb which he will drive. Or perhaps he will undertake the Seal
of True Purpose and embark on a dangerous solo mission into the heart
of the enemy. Regardless, the investigators must undertake a desperate
quest against time or a valued ally will perish, probably
meaninglessly.
The Initiate
If one or more of the investigators has performed in a particularly
heroic manner against dark forces, the priests of Yuth may attempt to
recruit him. They know that their secret rituals are very disturbing
to outsiders, so they bring in initiates very slowly. They start out
teaching forms of meditation designed to overcome pain, then later
teach the initiate to inflict pain upon himself to build up his inner
strength.
The cult sets brutally difficult but rarely fatal tasks for their
initiates, teaching them to shed their human weaknesses (and much of
their humanity in general). They will hone their combat skills and
their ruthlessness. Drugs and magic may be used to produce the proper
attitude in those who have difficulty in giving up their old
lives. Each priest is allowed only a single outside hobby, and they
may be stripped of even this right if it begins to interfere with
their duty to the cult. The cult prefers to cut all ties between an
initiate and his prior life.
If an initiate appears particularly promising but is reluctant to
join, they may be forcibly brainwashed. Other investigators may be
called upon to rescue the initiate, or even kidnap him if his
brainwashing has gone too far. Of course the initiate need not have
been a player character. A desperate phone call from an NPC initiate
could bring the investigators into conflict with the cult.
If any investigator actually becomes a member of the cult, he will
gain formidable skills from the intense training, but at a cost of
much of his Sanity. He will also forever remain at the beck and call
of his leaders.
The Madman
A rogue priest has learned of a particular celestial configuration
when the spell Contact N'tse-Kaambl will always cause the goddess to
appear in person. He believes that N'tse-Kaambl wants him to destroy
some part of modern culture which he finds repulsive. He has selected
a particularly large and noisome public gathering occuring on that
date to be "purified" by the goddess. The priests of Yuth will be
trying to find him, but he knows their ways and their faces, their
codes and their methods. They will seek aid from the investigators in
tracking down this madman before he causes the deaths of thousands of
people and brings public scrutiny that the cult can little afford.
On a darker note, perhaps the priesthood approves of his intended
martyrdom. The investigators may receive a mysterious message (from a
priest who still has enough Sanity left to dislike mass-murder),
warning them of the impending calamity and beseeching them to prevent
it.
--------------------
From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel)
Subject: The Boar Spear
System: Pendragon
The following is a magical artifact appropriate for use in a Pendragon
campaign.
NAME: The Boar Spear
TYPE: Great Spear (Pendragon pg. 177)
DESCRIPTION
A typical boar-spear, long with a crossed-bar near the head. If
examined closely, strange designs can be seen scratched along the
entirety of the wooden shaft. [Awareness. Success = The designs form a
strange, elongated boar emblem. Religion (any). Success = The designs
are Pictish.]
POWERS
The boar spear grants two gifts, and along with those confers two
geases.
The Gifts:
Long Fighting. While in combat, the wielder does not fall unconscious
or die until he has taken 2x his Hit Point in damage. At that point,
his utterly mangled body finally falls to the ground, devoid of life.
Inhuman Endurance. While in combat, Major Wounds do not have any
affect upon the wielder.
All hit point loss and major wounds take their full, normal effect
1d20 minutes after any battle is ended. Typically, this means the
wielder of the spear falls to the ground and dies.
The Geases:
Extreme Courage: The wielder of the spear may not retreat from battle
once it has been commenced, unless he is the last of his side still
standing.
Berserker Rage: Once the wielder has been wounded (for even 1 HP
damage), he must all-out attack for the remainder of the current
battle.
If a geas is ever broken, the spear turns back upon its wielder,
automatically hitting him once for a critical success (ie, doing 2x
the wielder's own damage). At this point, both gifts are immediately
revoked as well.
HISTORY
The Boar Spear was a great gift given to the Pictish Ce Clan long
ago. It contained within it all the power of the Boar Samhladh, and
the Clan used it to win many victories against their enemies. In
battle, the leaders of the Ce were untouched by the greatest wounds,
and their rivals began to hold them in supernatural awe.
In later years, the Boar Spear was lost to the Ce through an unknown
sequence of events, and did not surface again until recently. It is
now held by wild Picts, just beyond the wall, who use it in their
raids upon King Arthur's knights.
STORY IDEAS
* Against the Picts - Pictish incursions across Hadrian's Wall are
increasing due to a new, nearly invulnerable leader. How will the
knights defeat the Pict who holds the Boar Spear? Travel into the
Pictish lands, to discover the legends behind the weapon, might be
required.
* The Priest & The Spear - After defeating the Picts and capturing the
spear, the players must face the problem of what to do with
it. Portents warn that if it is simply destroyed, a powerful and
vengeful boar spirit will be released. Yet players may not want
such a powerful Heathen weapon to fall back into Pict hands. An aged
priest is said to have the power to lay great wards upon Heathen
items of power, but he must be found in the uncultured wilderness of
Cambria, and then he will need certain religious & arcane tokens
to be found before he can conduct his ritual.
* A Question of Justice - When the Spear is finally dealt with,
players will be faced with a visit from the entire Ce Clan. They
claim that the spear is theirs by hereditary right, and that it must
be returned to them if Justice is to prevail. Numerous problems
should arise from the visit of an entire Pictish clan. If accidental
bloodshed can be avoided, the issue of Justice will still need to be
addressed.
--------------------
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