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Chaosium Digest Volume 28 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 28, Number 3
Date: Monday, May 3, 1999
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
The Harvester of Dreams (CTHULHU)
by Terhali ( Terhali@aol.com )
Editor's Note:
We've had some problems with formatting recently. I think
I've finally gotten things worked out so that issues should
arrive in a much more readable form, so I'm resending 28.3.
If any of you have problems with this one, let me know. I
apologize to everyone for the trouble. Hopefully, this will
clear things up. Lastly, Shannon Appel told me that _The
Ithaqua Cycle_ shipped just last week, for real this time!
There, now this resend won't be completely useless.
Thanks go out to Terhali for the majority of this issue.
We've got a good Cthulhu submission for you all this time
around. Also, as you can see in the announcements section, a
fan has set up an ftp archive for the back issues of the
Digest that is being kept up-to-date. Something we
desperately needed and I thank him for the effort. Lastly,
as always, we need submissions! Continual submissions are
necessary for the Digest to keep going. If you've got an
idea, write it down and send it to me at
gobackstage@prodigy.net and put Digest Submission in the
subject line so I don't overlook it.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
*From Pedro Arnal Puente:
He's just completed an ftp Digest archive for us. This is
likely to be your best bet for finding those issues that you
might have missed. Check it out at the following address:
ftp://etsiit.upna.es/misc/chaosium/digest/
*From Terhali:
There is a new website featuring the Elric! RPG. I thought
I'd put together a site since very few Elric sites dealt
with the game. Great game system, and wonderful reading.
here's the site:
www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7909/index.html
_________Online Elric! Campaign Announcement_____________
I am seeking players for an online Elric! campaign. I am
currently soliciting players with or without experience in
RPGs or the Eternal Champion series. Anyone interested,
please contact me at Terhali@aol.com
________Eternal Champions mailing list______
For those of you interested in Michael Moorcock and the
Eternal Champion, I would like to invite you to join the
Eternal Champion mailing list. This list is to discuss
aspects of the Eternal Champion, fan fiction, Elric! RPG,
and other associated material. If you're interested in
joining please contact me at Terhali@aol.com and I'll
forward you the commands to do so. I am willing to take the
best fan fiction and put it up on my site located above.
Thanks for your time!
-----------------------------
________THE HARVESTER OF DREAMS______
I decided to leave the opening pretty generic, for maximum
use by other GMs/Keepers. You should be able to put this
adventure into any suitable spot. I would recommend that the
GM maintain the feel of the CHAMBER, by locating it in a
suitably dark and forbidding place. This may include a cave
of unknown origin, or an old abandoned building, etc. For
my tastes I made the chamber part of a subterranean complex
underneath a building the PCs were tearing down in order to
make room for another building. The box in this scenario is
very powerful and dangerous, but what artifact in Call of
Cthulhu isn't?
PC INFORMATION:
THE BEGINNING: The PCs are placed in charge of a minor
construction project. Jon Drum is a foreman in a local
construction company and oversees the laborers in the
construction effort. The first phases involve tearing down
some old buildings and checking their foundations to
accommodate the new building. During this phase, all goes
well, until the laborers discover a formerly hidden chamber.
(SEE BELOW) Fearing to enter, they recruit the foreman to
look within the dark chamber. The chamber is completely
dark, and no light source will be able to function for long
within the chamber. On the ground in the chamber there can
be found a rusted .38 revolver, and a skull with a large
hole in it. Nothing else of value can be found, but a small
black box. Jon Drum does not mention the box to anyone, and
in the confusion after the discovery of the skull, takes the
box with him.
GM INFORMATION:
THE CHAMBER: The chamber is a secret worship shrine to one
of the dark gods of chaos. An investigation by one of the
local priests will find this information out, but it will
take quite some time, as the site was not used very often,
and nothing really signifies the place's use as a shrine.
However, you might want to give the place some creepy
effects, like always being cold, damp, drafty, etc. As you
see fit to convey the mood. A really good one to use is no
light will function in the chamber. A strong draft at the
entrance blows out all candles, torches and lanterns. Even
electric lights will fail, batteries will die, light bulbs
will burn out, etc. A presence can also be felt in the room,
but nothing is there. However, feeling around in the dark
in an enclosed space underground with SOMETHING there is
probably a pretty creepy feeling. The only thing of note is
that the walls on one side of the chamber are covered in
soot. Since no fire will burn within the chamber, the soot
must have been brought into the chamber and rubbed on the
wall for some purpose.
AFTER FINDING THE CHAMBER:
The site is closed for a few days as the forgotten chamber
is investigated, and the foundations are checked to ensure
they are sound. The architect and the contractor will have
much to discuss in this time, as they were not anticipating
having a large empty space underneath one of the supporting
columns. Locals may be interested in the site as well. The
police will conduct a cursory investigation of the site.
The skull will be the only bones located in the chamber, and
the rusted .38 will be found with 5 bullets still in the
gun. From the damage to the skull, police determine that
the victim was an apparent suicide. The age of the gun and
the lack of other bones prevents their discovering out more
about the victim.
AFTER THE BEGINNING, NOT QUITE THE END:
At night, there will be many strange things going on in the
town. There is a sudden upswing in disorder in the city,
animals will bay incessantly at night, many people will
report having nightmares, etc. People who are normally
polite, are somewhat less courteous to others. Generally,
everyone is very moody. But nothing to explain this will be
readily found. Perhaps the weather is too hot/cold? This
behavior is very odd, and even the characters will begin
having restless sleep.
Upon return to the jobsite to continue the project, Jon Drum
will not be present. Work on the site can continue without
him, but he must be found soon, or the project will surely
fall behind. In fact, the union is threatening to close
down the site, if there is no foreman present overseeing the
laborer's work. Calling in another foreman will take time,
and money. If the players visit Jon Drum's home, they will
find him missing, whereabouts unknown. Several scraps of
paper will be found at Jon Drum's home with disturbing
images rubbed on them. Those who make a successful Cthulhu
Mythos roll; or, if the GM believes the character would have
knowledge of runes, will glean the glyphs for Dreams and
Reeve (as in a harvester). Failure or no ability in this
will mean the players will have to seek out assistance with
these glyphs. At Keeper's option, these runes may or may
not be contained in any Mythos tome. Jon Drum's wife,
Salene, will remember him having a black box which he seemed
obsessed with. None of the other inhabitants of the home
will know the location of the black box if the PCs ask about
it. A successful search of the house will find the box in
the attic. Jon will be nowhere in the house.
GM INFORMATION:
THE BLACK BOX: A simple black box of ancient red wood,
approximately 4"x6"x3". At one time it was carved with bas
relief images or writing of some kind. Now it is worn from
age and completely black. If looked at for a long period of
time, the box will appear shiny and reddish. The box is
cool to the touch and damp, similar to the chamber above.
The faint images can be made out by rubbing the images on a
piece of paper. Opening the box (SEE BELOW) reveals a
rather plain interior, however in the upper lid of the box a
small slip of parchment can be found underneath the box
lining. This slip of paper contains the ravings of the
boxes' last owner. It warns of dire consequences for
opening the box, along with the dire fate that he knows
himself to be doomed to.
"Beware the dreams that come in the night. Sleep not. No
sleep. No sleep for the Keeper."
However this fragment will be of little value to the PCs and
others will believe it to be the ravings of a mad man.
Unfortunately for Jon Drum, he failed his test and became
attuned to the box (SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS). Jon Drum could
not stand the images and has fallen under the boxes spell.
When the box is found it will be opened. It will be
impossible for players to close the lid of the box. No
amount of force will close the lid of the box.
GAME EFFECTS: Opening the box causes the bearer to face a
resistance test against Power 16* to avoid being "attuned"
to the box. Attuned individuals are known by the term
"Keeper." Once attuned to the box, the victim will receive
disturbing images of dark rituals, suicide, murder, hatred,
past and present conflicts, wars, etc, etc. He will also
feel a "presence" with him at all times. Watching, waiting,
making disquieting noises. He may even begin to speak to
the "presence", although no one else will be able to hear or
see the "presence". The Keeper is able to channel these
images to others while sleeping. For some the images are
too much, and suicide of the box owner has been a common
ending.
*this resistance test may be modified by the box sacrificing
power points currently stored. For each stored power point
used the box increases the active characteristic by one.
For example, sacrificing one point of POW will make the
opener test against the boxes Power 17 (16+1).
If a victim under the boxes influence commits suicide, the
box absorbs the victim's POW. Regardless of the distance
between the box and the victim, it will increase its current
"store" of POW. The box can store up to 175 POW points.
The box currently contains 75 POW. Upon the suicide of the
box owner, the box lid closes, and awaits another victim to
open the box.
THE BOX'S PURPOSE: Once the box stores enough psychic
energy 50+ POW points, then the presence may compel the
Keeper to take it to the secret chamber. The Keeper may make
a test against power (as when he first opened the box) to
resist this. The box may modify the base resistance of 16
by sacrificing stored POW as above. While the victim is
sleeping, the box's willpower is modified by +5 (16+5=21)
without using stored POW. Eventually, the box will control
the keeper and force him to take it to the secret chamber.
Once the box is in the secret chamber the keeper will be
compelled to perform a one hour ritual to release the POW
contained in the box to the entity within the chamber.
However, the ritual is very demanding and the keeper must
make a test against his CON every 10 minutes to avoid
botching the ritual.
THE ENTITY: The entity is also known as the Harvester (or
Reeve) of Dreams. The Harvester of Dreams is an entity
trapped between this world and another sphere. It can leave
the chamber once it acquires enough POW through the ritual.
The number of POW within the box is the percent chance the
entity can break through the bounds holding it back. The
entities maximum chance to leave the place it is trapped in
is 95%. The Harvester of Dreams has no physical form, and
is made of purely mental energy. To find his statistics use
all POW points used to release him. The entity may use
these as characteristic points on any statistic. Remember,
the creature has no physical form, just Int, Pow and skills.
The Harvester cannot be harmed by physical weapons, unless
they are magical. The Harvester has no physical attack.
When it means to do harm, it channels mental images to the
target. A successful Sanity Roll is required to resist this
attack. Failure means the victim loses 1D6 sanity points.
Even a successful save loses the victim 1 sanity point.
GM OPTIONS: The entity is what you'd like it to be.
However, it is thoroughly malevolent, bent only on causing
pain and suffering. A demon if you like, something like a
malevolent specter if that is more to your liking. Whatever
you'd like it to be. The box and the shrine are tied to the
entity. Destroying the box will keep the entity trapped
between the worlds. However, doing so will almost surely
doom the keeper to suicide or insanity. It may be possible,
if the players have found Mr. Drum of declaring him
incompetent, and committing him to a mental institution.
There he may not be rid of the dreams, but might be
prevented from hurting himself. Releasing the creature will
require the death of innocents and allow the creature to
wander the world. The PCs might find a way to trap the
creature in this world after releasing it, and then
exorcising it, but it may be a difficult situation. Another
option might be to exorcise the box and the keeper before
the ritual is attempted. Exorcism on the box will cause
the stored POW to dissipate, but the hold on the keeper will
still be there. Exorcism on the keeper may or may not break
the entities hold on him. There is no way to exorcise the
entity from the space between the worlds. Perhaps a way to
close off this side to him exists. An Elder Sign may or may
not work against the entity depending on Keeper preference.
However, placing an Elder Sign on the wall of the chamber
will be difficult due to the chamber's properties.
AFTERMATH:
Whatever the Harvester is in your campaign, if the PCs do
not act, Jon Drum will commit suicide due to the images in
his head. It may be possible for the players to find him,
he's hiding out in a seedy part of town, near the
construction site. When players find him, he will not have
slept in days and his disappearance will have suffered for
it. He will be muttering about not being able to sleep, and
the terrible dreams. He will also have a .38 revolver
(unloaded) with six bullets in his pocket. If the PCs took
the box from his house, he will attempt to find it. The box
sends out a "homing signal" to its location, so the victim
can find it easily. If the PCs don't come to him, Jon may
come to them. Jon is not homicidal, and will not attempt to
harm PCs, but will attempt to steal the box from them when
they are not about. If he cannot retrieve the box or is
caught by the PCs he may attempt suicide. The PCs may
notice the boxes lid almost shutting on several occasions
during the time of their investigation. The box is sensitive
to the mood of the victim, and the closer to suicide, the
closer the lid comes to shutting. Should the Keeper wish,
Jon may commit suicide, allowing another PC to open the box
and become the "keeper".
--
