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Chaosium Digest Volume 24 Number 06
Chaosium Digest Volume 24, Number 6
Date: Sunday, March 29, 1998
Number: 1 of 3
Contents:
The Thief of Souls (Frank Sronce) COC DREAMLANDS
Amber Waves: A Tale of Terror (Matt Cowger) CALL OF CTHULHU
Announcement: GloranthaCon VII (Janice Sellers) MISC
Editor's Note:
Much to my happy surprise I've been totally overrun by articles in the
last several weeks. I scarcely knew where to start when putting
together this week's Digests.
This week I've collected together all the shorter articles I have and
put them out in a set of three digests. V24.6 contains an NPC for Call
of Cthulhu (part of Frank Sronce's intriguing Dreamlands campaign,
which has appeared several times before in the digest), a new Tale of
Terror from Matt Cowger, and an update on GloranthaCon VII. V24.7 and
V24.8 are exclusively about Mythos strategy--deck conconstruction and
deep ones in V24.7, remortification in V24.8.
I'm going to be breaking my biweekly schedule again to catch up. Next
weekend you'll see 4-5 Digests, featuring a long scenario for Call of
Cthulhu called "From Foreign Shores." Then, in two weeks, 4 digests
will go out featuring another two Call of Cthulhu articles, an
adventure called "Return to the Monolith" and a 1990s essay called
"Gathering Darkness." Thanks to the authors for submitting these
pieces, and also for waiting patiently until they go out!
On a totally different note, fabian.kuechler@medien.uni-weimar.de
(Fabian Kuechler) is *LOOKING* for new Call of Cthulhu articles.
Fabian is putting together a fund-raising book for Tentacle over
Bacharach, the German Chaosium/RQ convention, and he'd like Call of
Cthulhu to be represented within. He needs essays and scenarios for
Call of Cthulhu and quickly! There's no monetary compensation, but
you'll get a copy of the book, and of course the pleasure of seeing
your work in print. If you're interested in writing something drop
Fabian a line. (I've already promised to write him a short essay about
ghouls.)
Shannon
NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:
The Official Chaosium Inc Homepage
http://www.chaosium.com
That's right, it's the new Chaosium home page, with a brand-new
address. Thus far it's much like the old Chaosium home page, but there
are plans to add a plethora of useful and fun items for our
games. Keep watching this site and if you have a link to the old
sirius address please update it!
The New H.P. Lovecraft Archive
http://www.hplovecraft.com
Speaking of new, easier-to-remind addresses, the site now has a new
layout, a new (and highly controversial) background colour, and
several new or expanded areas, most notably: Lovecraft's Personal
Interests; H.P. Lovecraft Misconceptions; Letters; A Lovecraftian
Bestiary; The _Necronomicon_ and Other Grimoires; The Truth About the
_Necronomicon_; The Cthulhu Mythos; Lovecraftian Movies and Television
Shows; Lovecraftian Games; and Lovecraftian Art.
The "Official" Cthulhu Mythos FAQ
http://members.tripod.com/~danharms/
And you can also check out Daniel Harms' page for the "official"
Cthulhu Mythos FAQ. (Daniel is the author of _Encyclopedia
Cthulhiana_, a new edition of which is going to the printers in the
next week or two... if any one truly knows official 'tis he.)
--------------------
From: fsronce@myriad.net
Subject: The Thief of Souls
System: Call of Cthulhu
I've decided to write up some of the more interesting Heroes and
Scoundrels from my Dreamlands campaign. Here's the first, who was
originally inspired by the Myers story, _Xiurhn_.
Kiz
THE THIEF OF SHADOWS, Damned Soul
STR 13 CON 30 SIZ 10 INT 16 POW 14
DEX 34 APP 0 EDU 0 SAN 0 HP 20
Damage Bonus: +0
Move: 9
Weapon: Garrote 95%, Damage strangulation
Dagger 80%, Damage 1d4+2, often poisoned
Armor: None, but the thief can only be damaged by striking him with a
light source. A torch does 1d6 damage, a candle 1d3. If he fails to
resist the light beam of a lamp-eft, the thief will take 2d6 damage.
If a torch or candle is used to attack him, the fire will be snuffed
out as it strikes him.
Skills: Climb (even sheer surfaces) 95%, Conceal 80%, Dodge 95%,
Estimate Value 90%, Hide 95%, Listen 80%, Negotiate Sale 80%, Sneak
95%, Spot Hidden 80%, all other skills 5%.
Spells: None
COMMON KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE THIEF OF SHADOWS
This figure is one of the most mysterious in the dreamlands. A thief
of great skill, he is apparently protected by some sort of magic which
cloaks him in darkest shadow and allows him to penetrate any locks or
defenses. He never speaks, but has stolen many valuable treasures
which have later entered the collections of the very wealthy.
No one knows where to find him or how to hire him. He seems to choose
his own targets, then sell them to the highest bidder. Rumor has
credited many thefts to him, although he has been seen very, very
rarely. No one knows his name, origin, or even true appearance.
KEEPER INFORMATION
It is said that many years ago a cunning robber named Thish set forth
into the land of Mhor seeking to steal the ultimate prize, the dark
jewel of immeasurable worth which is the soul of the Outer God known
as Xiurhn. Thish's stolen talisman failed to protect him from that
dark one, and he was lost.
Yet he has not perished, for Xiurhn added the robber's soul to his
collection. Xiurhn casts the souls of those who disturb him into the
form of gemstones of great size, and then slowly and carefully carves
them into shapes which it finds more pleasing. It does so by cutting
away all of those unnecessary parts which clutter up mortal souls and
leaving bare the essense within. The desires and emotions that Xiurhn
finds uninteresting are discarded. This leaves only certain facets of
their personality, now fantastically amplified.
Thish's body reflects what was done to his soul. He is a shadowy
figure, his form visible only as a patch of darkness in the shape of a
cloaked man. Unable, or perhaps unwilling to speak, he travels the
lands of dream in silence, always seeking a prize of great worth. He
steals... for no purpose whatsoever. Whatever he steals, he sells.
Then he discards the money, having forgotten what it is for.
Thish is a pathetic thing; he rarely seeks human company, save when
looking for something to steal... or to sell. He is deadly and
ruthless when he sets his sights on a target. He will murder anyone to
get it and he is extremely cunning.
Physically, Thish can be considered to be a cross between a human
being and a Shade. While he normally appears solid, when necessary he
can flow through small cracks and glide along sheer surfaces like a
Shade. Thish does not like to be reminded of his inhuman nature and
thus is reluctant to use his inhuman powers too overtly. He has even
been known to flee from armed men as though he feared their blades.
It is not known whether or not death will end his torment--it may be
that so long as his soul remains in the possession of Xiurhn, Thish
will roam the dreamlands as the thief of shadows.
- * -
"It is said that many years ago, when the city of Ogrothan was
struck by riot and rebellion, the high priest of Jun-Kalar came
forth from his temple with his many guards and soldiers to calm the
people. They came across a band of looters defiling a shrine and
his soldiers set upon them at once.
"The high priest dropped to his knees and prayed to the gods to
forgive them for spilling blood on such sacred ground. All while the
battle raged, he continued his fervent prayer. After all of the
defilers had been slain, his soldiers stood by respectfully and waited
for their lord to complete his supplication. Many minutes passed, but
he stirred not at all.
"Finally they moved closer and discovered to their horror that in the
confusion of the battle the high priest had been strangled from behind
and his limbs lashed together with silken thread so that his body
remained in a position of prayer. The sacred key to the temple vaults
was missing, and his corpse had been relieved of its many golden
ornaments.
"Thus ended the worship of Jun-Kalar in Ogrothan."
-The Book of Black Fables
ADVENTURE POSSIBILITIES
The Thief of Shadows is a dark, damned figure. He signifies mystery
and danger. He may be credited for a particularly unbelievable theft,
or perhaps a sharp-eyed character may spot him moving along a rooftop.
If the players manage to acquire some device of great worth, it is
even possible that the thief will come to steal it. Since he is no
longer even remotely human, it is quite likely that he will succeed.
The players might also be hired to protect some such treasure from
him, or even to try and capture him. Some people believe that the
thief uses a magical cloak to perform his impossible feats, and would
pay dearly to acquire it.
--------------------
From: tenebrae@earthling.com
Subject: Amber Waves: A Tale of Terror
System: Call of Cthulhu
AMBER WAVES
A TALE OF TERROR
(Suitable for use also with Pagan Publishing's _Delta Green_.)
Summary: A plague of devastating tornadoes has ripped through
south-eastern Kansas, causing massive destruction and loss of
life. Arial photographs of the path of destruction show that the
tornadoes' patterns zig zag unusually, causing all of the many
twisters that savaged the area to go around the small town of
Danvers--almost completely ringing the city in a circle of disaster
but leaving it untouched. The few residents of the town of
approximately 134 people who would talk to the press claim that the
"Lucky Rock" was responsible for the good fortune of the town. A
photograph of a large black boulder in the center of the town will
accompany the article.
Possibilities:
1.) Because of the lay of the land, and the depression that Danvers
sits in, a strange metorological effect has occured that causes
tonadoes to "jump" over Danvers. Even more interesting is the small
government weather monitoring station on the edge of town. Actually
the monitoring station is far from innocent and is in fact a research
facility for a horrible new weapon that attempts to use atmospheric
effects to cause destruction. The facility is funded by a secret
government agency which will attempt to blackmail, then kill, anyone
discovering the secret. The agency will be unwilling to leave the town
due to the perfect location of it for testing (due to the
aforementioned phenomenon) and recent successess, but are willing to
stage a massive "accident" to the place should a cover up become
neccessary. The few people in town that may know the secrets of the
lab have had their silence bought or have vanished. The rest of the
citizens of Danvers just try and forget the place is there.
2.) An ancient curse was laid on the place back in the mid 1800s, when
settlers first congregated in the area. The local native population
revered the rock and, while allowing settlers to place homes around
it, warned them that "great disaster will come" should they try and
move it. The settlers honored this agreement and built their
town. Time passed and the tribe was forced to relocate and the legend
eventually forgotten. Recently, though, the mayor of the tiny town,
Harlan Worth, decided it was time to move the "Lucky Rock of Danvers"
onto a gazebo where they would then make it a tourist attraction. A
crane was brought to the center of town and the gazebo constructed (it
can be seen in the background of the newspaper photo) Plans were made
to move it the next day. That night the tornadoes struck; one
interesting tidbit not mentioned in the paper was that the crane was
literally snatched from the center of town and the wreckage left 10
miles to the north by a twister that passed over the city.
The only reference to the completely forgotten curse can be found in
the "Charter of Danvers Township", an old document in a dusty glass
frame, hanging in the building that serves as the County Sherriff's
Office/Town Hall/City Motorpool. The document hangs in a conference
room that is little used. Should another attempt be made to move the
rock, another calamity will occur, this time affecting the town.
3.) The entire town is, lock stock and barrel, a cult of Ithaqua. The
current mayor of the town, Harlan Worth, is its High Priest. The night
of the tornadoes will be discovered to be the summer solstice. That
night the revelry celebrating their dark god got out of hand and a
partial avatar of Ithaqua appeared, flailing madly about but not
harming his worshipers (the non-worshippers in nearby farms weren't
quite so lucky). The lucky rock is in fact an altar on which many a
human sacrifice has occured. The townspeople are trying to downplay
the event, and seem saddened by all the destruction--though they are
just acting. The town itself is a picture postcard Kansas prarie town.
People are friendly and polite to guests and go about their business
in a normal fashion. There is nothing that would suggest that the town
is a snake pit of Old One worship. Kids play baseball and pies cool on
windowsills. Should the investigators find out what is going on,
though... they will find themselves faced with a crazed and fanatical
mob bent on protecting their secret and maybe picking up an extra
sacrifice for Ithaqua.
(c) Matt Cowger
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++snip++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ - +
'I am a firefly dreaming'
Matt Cowger
Tenebrae@Earthling.net
http://home.gvi.net/~tenebrae
+ - +
--------------------
From: <janice@chaosium.com>
Subject: Announcement: GloranthaCon VII
System: Misc
ANNOUNCEMENT:
GloranthaCon VII
May 22-25, 1998
Los Angeles, California
U.S.A.
Everything and everyone are coming together for GloranthaCon VII,
which will take place in conjunction with the Gamex Convention at the
LAX Wyndham Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
FEATURED GUESTS
Greg Stafford, the creator of Glorantha, and Robin Laws, the author of
the new Glorantha RPG, will be Guests of Honor. Guests of Distinction
will include Sandy Peterson, Michael O'Brien (MOB), Larry DiTillio,
David Hall, David Cheng, David Dunham, and Steve Martin.
HOTEL
The convention will take place at the LAX Wyndham Hotel, 6225
W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045; (310) 670-9000. Room
reservations must be made directly with the Wyndham. The convention
room rate is $84 (plus taxes)/night for a single, double, triple, or
quad. The cut-off date for this rate is May 8, 1998.
The Wyndham runs a free shuttle between the hotel and
L.A. International Airport.
For those driving, parking at the hotel is $6/day ($9 for valet
parking) with convention validation, and free (but still $9/day for
valet parking) for hotel guests.
EVENTS
Regular GloranthaCon events will include Stafford Reads, Trollball,
Gloranthan Storytelling, and the Glorantha Auction.
NEW GLORANTHA RPG DEMONSTRATIONS
Our featured game will be the demos of the Glorantha RPG, the new game
coming from Issaries, Inc. Robin Laws and a specially trained demo
team will run and teach the game on Saturday and Sunday.
Additional events already scheduled are Once Upon a Time in Glorantha
(Gloranthan version of the storytelling card game); Three Heads are
Better than One (a freeform LARP); two Gloranthan miniatures games;
and seminars on Mythology of the Red Moon, Glorantha RPG, History of
the Orlanthi, The Seattle Farmer's Collective Cultural Exchange,
Secret History of Sun County Seminar, and the First Age.
There is still some room for additional events. Anyone interested in
running an event should contact Roderick Robertson at
Roderick_J_Robertson@ccm.sc.intel.com
REGISTRATION
Please register through us for GloranthaCon. Preregistration is
$27.50 through May 1, 1998. After that date registration is $33.00.
Checks and money orders must be in U.S. funds and should be made out
to "Strategicon." Please mail them to:
GloranthaCon c/o Janice Sellers
Chaosium, Inc.
950 56th St.
Oakland, CA 94608
Preregistration materials will then be mailed to you.
For further information, please contact Janice Sellers at
janice@chaosium.com.
--
