Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Chaosium Digest Volume 34 Number 07
Chaosium Digest Volume 34, Number 07
Date: Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Number: 3 of 4
The Deep Ones of Shellbourne (pt. 3)
by Mervyn Boyd - jack@ktana.freeserve.co.uk
Church service
Shipley's sermon is pretty much the same as his others of late (see keepers
information), but this time he delivers a few comforting words to the
parents of the missing children before asking everyone to observe a minutes
silence in prayer for their safe return. For those who know Shipley, a
secretly rolled PSYCHOLOGY check allows the character to feel as though
"something's up". He's not entirely focused and seems a little distracted.
Picking up on this, the players may wish to speak to him. At first he tries
to downplay his problem by saying that he's just had a few sleepless nights.
A PSYCHOLOGY check leads characters to believe Shipley. Pressing further,
Shipley explains that he's been having strange dreams, and for the life of
himself cannot remember them - just feelings. It's like he's lost something
very dear to him, but he knows he never had it. Or he's done something, or
forgotten something very important - and it's nagging him. It's like trying
to remember a tune that just on the tip of your tongue, but forever elusive.
He then shrugs it off saying its probably nothing more than anxiety brought
on by the events of late. If another PSYCHOLOGY check is called for, the
character is swayed by Shipley's reasoning - and why not. Truth is, Shipley
is beginning to slowly realize that the disappearances may have something to
do with him, and it's causing him grief. The dreams are subconscious
memories filtering through.
The use of PSYCHOANALYSIS may help here, as will HYPNOSIS - but Shipley must
be PERSUADED to open up and try to discover the root of his anxieties.
Successfully persuading him to undergo such measures calls for a relevant
skill check. Failure brings nothing out, otherwise Shipley recounts his
involvement in the whole affair. The use of either of these skills is not a
ten minute effort over tea and biscuits, but several hours of dedicated
work. The precise time is left to the keeper. It may last all night, but
certainly not less than 11/2 hours.
The players discover that Shipley has been associating with Deep Ones, and
it was he who abducted the children and delivered them to the Shaman Deep
One. He can also point out the caves significance before his breakdown.
Delving into Shipley's subconscious is not without risk. Once Shipley
realizes what he's done, he begins to tremble, then collapses to the floor.
"My God, What have I done? Those poor, poor children." For the time being
Shipley suffers a mental breakdown. If left unsupervised for lengths of a
time he may, at keepers discretion, hang himself in a fit of suicidal
depression - after composing a letter of remorse.
What now? Having learnt of Shipley's involvement there are two courses of
action open to the players: 1) Rush directly to the caves to rescue the
children themselves, and 2) Inform the town of the news, before converging
on the caves.
Going in alone
If the players are very, very careful they can penetrate quite deep into the
caverns without attracting Deep One attention. If they go it alone, run the
caves as is outlined later. The Deep Ones, once alerted to their presence
will try to entrap the intruders, first by cutting off their escape route,
then by forcing them further into the caverns. The keeper is advised to use
the Deep Ones in any manner he/she wishes. If you want to attack the
players - go for it... or, you could try to capture them, imprison them, or
cast assorted spells on them and bring them under the control of the Shaman
like Shipley. Casting Siren's Song may be a good idea.
Siren's Song
The characters have one round in which to react before the spell begins to
take effect (POW resistance roll versus 16). Those succeeding the roll can
act as normal for one round, but must continue rolling to avoid falling
under the influence. Sticking fingers in ears and humming loudly will
prevent the spell from taking effect. Those with 21 INT or more are
naturally immune to the spell.
As the spell takes effect, the character are overcome with an intense
unshakeable desire of belonging and happiness. A special bond is felt
between the rocks, the trees, fellow man, and even the Deep Ones who stand
before them. The effects of the spell lasts 4d10 hours (roll each target
separately), and while under the influence, they carry out whatever is
commanded of them - unless doing so harms the target, or those to whom
he/she has a special bond.
Until the spell wears off, the characters are no longer under the control of
the players, but that of the keeper. During this time the keeper can do
whatever he/she wants to further the scenario or bring about a drastic turn
of events, such as moving the sacrifice and invocation of Cthulhu's chorazin
to tonight. Remember to use dramatic license to heighten play. Once,
however, the spell wears off the character reverts back to player control,
but he/she has absolutely no knowledge or memories of the time spent under
the spell. To avoid further complications, maybe the shaman orders the
characters to leave Shellbourne (by boat, car, or whatever) altogether.
Informing the town
Perhaps the players will be reluctant to rave about sea monsters out of fear
of being ridiculed or thought of as crazy people, that is unless other
events have been brought into play in case the town may be more receptive.
In either case, proclaiming that they know where the abducted children are
will generate much interest. A large following gathers as word spreads. The
players will be bombarded with questions about their whereabouts, their
well-being, and such like. The mob will grow impatient with each passing
moment and will demand to know where they are. Once known, they swarm down
to the caves after collecting lamps, torches and other light sources.
As the mob pushes further in, calling for the children, they spread and fan
out and funnel down tunnels in their search. Outnumbered, the Deep Ones
attempt to keep to the shadows, out of sight, or attempt to slink away to
safety out the submerged tunnel in the Cathedral Cavern. The Deep Ones, at
this stage do not want a full scale battle on their hands, and so choose the
better part of discretion. They have all the time they need to see their
plans to fruition - even if it means that they start from the very beginning
again.
A few individuals, players included, may run into a Deep One or two, who
have been spotted, unable to find a suitable place to hide. How will they
react? Some will panic and beat a hasty retreat, some will stand dumbfounded
unable to comprehend what they see before them. Others will become involved
in a fight. If attacked, the Deep Ones defend themselves as best they can as
they try to flee.
The keeper, could wait till the mob has penetrated deep into the caves
before having the Shaman and his acolytes cast SIREN'S SONG. With a 1000
yard range, the spell will reverberate and echo all around the caverns
affecting everyone within the tunnels. Those affected will be told to return
home and say nothing other than to say they were mistaken; the children are
not in the caves, and that the search should be called off. This'll not sit
well with those who wish to continue the search. This point of contention
will be muchly debated with the town split roughly evenly. What happens now
is left up to the keeper, and whatever plan the players settle on is sure to
cause the keeper problems.
Now that the Deep Ones have been discovered and that the Siren's Song won't
last for ever, the shaman knows he must accelerate his plans. Tonight
Cthulhu's Chorazin is invoked.
The cave system
The Deep One colony of G'ath N'thle'i, as it will be called should the Deep
Ones be successful is currently home to 40-odd Deep Ones: male, female and
their offspring. At any one time roughly one third of them are out at sea;
hunting, harvesting mother of pearl, or whatever... The other two thirds
rest, reshape, or install the gathered mother of pearl - making the caves
something more to their liking. The Shaman and his acolytes are always busy
performing magical rites in the Cathedral Cavern - preparing it for the big
night.
Utilized in Shellbourne's history as a smugglers hideaway, the cave system
is extensive and has been only partially explored. It's common knowledge
that the further you travel into its depth the more treacherous and
dangerous it gets - so only the very bold should attempt to venture
completely into its deep interior. A few potholers have never returned and
their bodies were never discovered.
The cave system can be easily found on the sea front approximately a mile
south of Shellbourne. Tidal forces eradicate tracks left by the Deep Ones.
Typically, the passages are wide enough for an elephant to swing a cat.
Though why an elephant would want to swing cat is anyone's guess... It also
gets very cold the further deep you go. Evidence that the tunnels have been
used before is still apparent: Graffiti etched in the walls from smugglers,
empty corroding wall sconces, the odd tarnished object such as coins,
brooches, bits and bobs that only serious treasure seekers would find
interesting.
For the most part the caves are silent, save for the foot falls of our
intrepid investigators. But, occasionally, the characters hear strange
twitters and buzzing sounds from creatures unseen; strange screeches and
echoing calls, strange irregular gurgling sounds, drips and wet slaps.
What are they, where are they coming from? It's too difficult to say for
sure. "Wait, what was that? Did you see it? That shadow... it moved!"
Batteries might fail, things might brush against legs, or drop from
above.... Use dramatic license to instill a sense of isolation, fear of the
unknown and the sense of being watched. As this isolation grows and an over
active imagination takes over the characters may suffer a loss of 0/1d4
sanity.
Sporadically, the tunnels get wetter or muddier, and the characters can come
across webbed footprints. There are many tracks criss-crossing. Untrackable
for the most part, though any impaled track roll allows astute and observant
characters to notice human-made shoe prints in the mud - some may be fresh,
while others may be as much as several days old.
1. Entrance & Bat Swarm
Disturbed by footfalls, flashing lights and voices, 1,000 bats take to the
air in an attempt to get away. They swarm en-masse to the cave entrance past
the investigators. All the characters can do is protect themselves as best
they can as the shear volume of bats overwhelm them, and occasionally fly
into them getting caught in loose clothing and hair. A thousand tiny
squeaking voices, the flap of membranous wings, the feel of them crawling on
your face causes 1/1d6 sanity loss.
2. Smugglers' Meet
Large rocks have been arranged in here around the wall. Pieces of broken
furniture poke through the earth. This used to be a meeting place for
smugglers. Graffiti is more extensive in here than other parts of the caves,
there's also a rusty, half submerged kicked over brazier. Digging around for
treasure, one lucky character can find an ornate tobacco tin inlaid with
silver. It is empty, though the inside lid has a name inscribed - Samuel
Hurst. A date stamp on the underside can place the object around 1704. After
a little cleaning, the tin could fetch up to £50 on the market, maybe a
little more to a discerning collector.
Point of interest for anyone who's interested: Born in Shellbourne in 1672,
Samuel Hurst became a notorious braggart and smuggler. He and his band were
involved with the smuggling of everything from pottery and paper to food
stuffs, weapons and even humans on the odd occasion. Betrayed by a friend
for the sum of £5, Samuel was arrested by Customs and Excise agents. As he
was being tried in the local town house on charges of smuggling his
compatriots mounted a daring rescue attempt. They entered the townhouse
wearing handkerchiefs over their faces and brandishing guns. Shots were
fired as they made their escape. They were later tracked down by soldiers
from the local garrison to a farmhouse and during the ensuing firefight
which lasted 17 minutes - eight soldiers were killed as well as nearly three
quarters of Hurst's band, including Hurst himself. The others surrendered
and were later hanged. A descendent of Hurst can still be found living in
Shellbourne somewhere, and will be most interested in buying the tobacco
tin.
3. A breath of air
A steady cold wind blows out from the right tunnel. Nothing suspicious.
4. Large Cavern & Honeycomb offshoots
The immensity of this huge elongated cavern is staggering. A barren cavern
of perilous, jagged boulders and jutting slabs, saw-toothed ridges and
uneven gullies through which several trickles of water has cut a path. An
extensive search of the area, with a spot of digging (to the depth of four
feet) may allow fortunate characters to find a treasure chest full of old
coins, jewelry and assorted wares. Weighing in a 30 lbs its worth roughly
$13,000 (or £2,600). Cashing this in will create instant news stories of the
players. There is a 30% chance that 2d3 Deep Ones emerge into this cavern
from one of the many connecting tunnels, croaking between themselves.
Perhaps they are silently sneaking up to observe and / or attack having been
alerted by flashing lights and uncontrolled chat.
Branching off from the main area are smaller tunnels and caverns that
interweave to form a vast complex maze. No one knows where the tunnels lead.
If the players are determined to go exploring themselves it will be up to
the keeper to determine their outcome. Will they wander forever, eventually
succumbing to whatever lives in there or will they emerge in some other
larger Deep One colony several miles away such as Ahu Y'hloa in Cornwall.
One thing is for sure however; the maze is extremely dark. Pitch black. The
deeper the players go the more complex the maze seemingly becomes. Cold
winds occasionally gust through chilling investigators to the bone. Fine
spider-like webs break across their faces. Mites irritatingly crawl on their
skin, sometimes burrowing beneath it. At times they are forced to wade chest
deep (as based upon a size 12 character) through slime. Maybe they come
across the remains of a lost explorer with some salvageable equipment. Fear
and anxiety of being lost may soon take its toll causing 1/1d6 sanity loss
in extreme cases.
5. Mudslide
The caverns take a tilt down here, the rocky surface giving way to a muddy
slippery slope fifteen feet in length. Any one attempting to carefully
descend the 34° incline requires a DEXx3 check. Failure results in the
character slipping then sliding all the way to the bottom and getting
covered in sticky, clay-like mud. Lanterns, firearms and such may be dropped
and become useless, requiring cleaning before further use.
6. Mud pit & Sinkholes
The steady rain-like drip, drip, drip from above has practically turned this
entire cavern into a muddy quagmire. Generally knee deep - sometimes waist
(as based upon a size 12 character). Several sink holes make the journey
across even more dangerous. Spending time to edge carefully across, feeling
every step before committing to it, all the lead character need do is to
succeed a single LUCK roll. Those following should be safe enough if they
follow their leader. Carelessly striding across requires 1d3+1 successful
DEXx3 rolls. If a character has the misfortune of stumbling into a
sinkhole, he/she immediately sinks 1d8 SIZ points into the muck. Each round
the character remains he/she sinks a further 1d4 size points deeper as
though something is pulling him/her down. To remain afloat without further
sinkage the character is required to succeed a SWIM check. Bulky or awkward
items must be dropped to prevent accelerated sinkage. Any character who
submerges beneath the surface begins to suffocate as per the drowning rules.
If there is something conveniently close by that can be grabbed, then the
character can begin to pull him/herself to safety by overcoming the bogs
pull with a successful STR check. Success recovers 1d4-1 size points. The
quagmire has a pulling strength of 2d8+2. If friends rally and help, then
they must also independently overcome the mire's STR rating....though they
run the risk of inadvertently falling in also (DEXx5 or LUCK to avoid). Each
success pulls another 1d4-1 size points free.
From here on in the chances of running in to a party of Deep Ones is great.
Hide, sneak, as well as cautious movement allows characters to remain
undetected for a while. Remember, there are something like 26 Deep Ones
here, and one of them has got to see the beam of a flashlight sometime.
7. Pool Cavern & Connecting caves
The chambers here are being covered with Mother of Pearl, by attendant Deep
One females. These coatings add to the over all ambience of the place and
light reflects off its iridescent surface in a glittering subtle play of
colours. The main feature of chamber 7 is a pool of water that measures
roughly 30 feet in diameter. The pool's depth is varied due to the tide, so
depending on the time of day the pool may only be a deep wet pit. Deep Ones
are often found languishing here.
8. Cathedral Cavern
Much like cavern four in appearance, this room, as the title suggests is as
large as a cathedral - larger even, only this time there are exceptional
columns of stone connecting floor to ceiling, where stalagmites and
stalactites have joined. Adding to the magnificence is the vast use of
Mother of Pearl. A steady rain fall of water cascades from above making the
floor wet and in patches extremely slippery. Black algae grows in clumps and
anyone standing on it requires a DEXx1 roll to remain standing. Anyone
falling over suffers 1d3-1 points of damage due to cuts and abrasions. One
fifth of the chamber is flooded, though this time the water level is not
governed by the tide. A large sub-aqua tunnel leads off to the English
Channel somewhere. This tunnel is extensively used by the Deep Ones.
Tethered to the wall (marked A) by lengths of super-strong seaweed are the
missing children. These dirty underfed human beings cry out to their hopeful
liberators. Guarding the captives is a solitary elderly Deep One who carries
a Trident and net. He currently has his back to the players and is not all
that alert and can be easily overcome by swift and aggressive action. Using
brute force to snap the seaweed requires a STR resistance check versus a
rating of 1d10+5 (per strand). Five successful rolls frees a captive.
Slicing it with a blade requires the player to deliver a minimum of eight
point of damage for the bond to be severed.
In the centre of the cavern, which is relatively clear of columns and spires
there is an imposing 36 inch high crude sculpture of a creature of vague
anthropoid proportions; its body grotesquely swollen and bloated; an
octopus-like head whose face is a mass of feelers or tentacles; large
prodigious bat-like wings. Anybody with Cthulhu Mythos may recognise this as
Great Cthulhu himself. It is being tended to by the Deep One Shaman, and
after several millennia of spiritualism and occult worship, it has been left
stooped over (even for a Deep One) and thin. Its skin hangs loose from its
skeleton and instead of a green-brown colour, it is mottled with an odd
discoloration. Upon its head it wears a head-dress of seaweed, whale bone
and fish parts. Around its neck dangles a necklace of 15 sharks teeth. On
each wrist a bronze bracelet, both engraved with images of the sea. Dolphins
and fish mostly with a few decorative squiggles and swirls. The shaman also
carries a staff, a little taller than himself, topped with an orb. The shaft
of the totem is made of a gnarled black lacquered wood, bound with
intertwining strips of hide. Bones are tied to it with ligaments and sinew
just below the iron orb. The sphere topping the staff, upon closer
inspection is impressed with geometric shapes, points and intersecting
lines. (Extensive as well as assiduous research allows the dedicated
investigator to discover that the engraved image depicts the world as it was
350 million years ago with the corresponding constellations. It may even
depict where R'lyeh is.)
There are at least another dozen or so Deep Ones here preoccupied with
coating the rocks with mother of pearl.
* Monday, 13 September. 1920
Should the scenario last this long, the day passes uneventfully - providing
no strange and unusual things have been thrown in by the keeper, or the
scenario has had an abrupt turn of events. A week has passed and Thatcher
and Curwin have nothing to show for their labors. The town reluctantly
accept the grim outcome. The Deep Ones, however, plan to invoke Cthulhu's
Chorazin tonight at midnight.
(continue)
--
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.
