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Chaosium Digest Volume 36 Number 09
Chaosium Digest Volume 36, Number 09
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4, 2002
Number: 1 of 2
Contents:
* 3rd Quarter Winner Announced!
* The Thing from Jakarta (CTHULHU)
by Mervyn Boyd jack@ktana.freeserve.co.uk
Editor's Note:
"Feline Invasion" by Shannon R. Bell from issue 36.07 has been chosen as the
winner of the 3rd Quarter 2002 Chaosium contest. Great job Shannon!
This issue features "The Thing from Jakarta" adventure for Call of Cthulhu
by frequent contributor Mervyn Boyd. The 4th Quarter contest is now on and
ends December 31, 2002. Any submission dealing with currently published
Chaosium material serves as your entry to win the $40 in Chaosium
merchandise offered as the prize. Qualifying games include Call of Cthulhu
(BRP or D20), Stormbringer and general BRP system articles. There's some
great new releases on the horizon, so that should provide some inspiration
for the budding writers out there. So, keep those submissions coming!
Enjoy!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
* From Chaosium
This month we have a couple of new releases to announce. We'll be revisiting
Lovecraft Country this fall with the release of sourcebooks for Dunwich,
Arkham, and Kingsport. These books, along with the upcoming Miskatonic
Sourcebook will give Call of Cthulhu keepers a very detailed Lovecraft
Country setting in which to run 1920's campaigns. We're very excited to be
returning to the very roots of our Call of Cthulhu line.
We also have plenty of Call of Cthulhu fiction in the works as well. The
next few months will see several new Mythos works as well as reprints of
classic tales. Our ever expanding Call of Cthulhu fiction line will include
new edition of the Necronomicon and a reprinting of our classic
Encyclopedia Cthulhiana as well.
Our Eternal Champion line has experienced some bad luck of late. Several
titles have fallen into limbo along with their authors. But we've received a
couple of proposals recently which will hopefully lead to new books for both
Stormbringer and Dragon Lords of Melnibone. There is also a book in the
works which the author has asked us to keep secret for now. Once we have the
book in house, we'll announce it in a future R'lyeh report.
Shipping to Game Distributors now:
BASIC ROLE PLAYING : The Chaosium System
CHA 2006 $5.95 1-56882-168-9
September 2002
We thought it'd be fun to jump up and surprise everyone.
CHAOSIUM D20 TEE
CHA 0082
MSRP $20.00 Size L - 4X
Please let your local shop know you want these books! Support your local
shop - it's where new Chaosium gamers come from.
Here's the Chaosium upcoming release Schedule: For more information check
out our web page. http://www.chaosium.com/chaosium/coming-soon.shtml
FOR CALL OF CTHULHU (BRP/Classic)
The Creature Companion
#2375 $21.95 ISBN 1-56882-133-6
Our Manual of Mythos Monsters will be reprinted Fall 2002.
H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands (Hardcover)
#2394, $34.95 ISBN 1-56882-157-3
We'll be releasing a hardcover edition of our Dreamlands Sourcebook Fall
2002.
Miskatonic University (hardcover)
CHA 2389 $39.95 Hardcover ISBN 1-56882-140-9
Winter 2003
Secrets of Japan
Modern-Day Exploration of the Land of the Rising Sun
CHA 2392 $27.95 ISBN 1-56882-156-5
Fall 2002
H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich (dual stat: BRP/d20)
$25.95 ISBN 1-56882-166-2
At the printer. Releases October 2002
H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham (Dual Stat BRP/d20)
$25.95 ISBN 1-56882-165-4
December 2002
H.P. Lovecraft's Kingsport (Dual Stat BRP/d20)
$22.95 ISBN 1-56882-167-0
December 2002
Keepers Companion vol.2
$23.95 ISBN 1-56882-186-7
Fall 2002
FOR CALL OF CTHULHU FICTION
Encyclopedia Cthulhiana (reprint)
#6022 $16.95 ISBN 1-56882-119-0
Expected Fall 2002.
The Necronomicon 2nd edition
#6034 $19.95 approx. 550 Pages
ISBN 1-56882-162-X
Expected Fall 2002.
Disciples of Cthulhu II
#6033 $13.95 ISBN 1-56882-143-3
This Book is nearly completed, and should be sent to the printer soon.
Fall 2002
The White People & Other Tales
The Best Weird Tales of Arthur Machen Volume 2
#6035 $14.95 312 pages ISBN 1-56882-147-6
Winter 2002
The Tsathoggua Cycle
$13.95 ISBN 1-56882-131-X
Winter 2002
Other Nations
#6025 $13.95 ISBN 1-56882-128-X
Winter 2002
For Call of Cthulhu d20
Pulp Cthulhu: Reckless adventures in the 1930's (D20)
A new setting for Call of Cthulhu & Call of Cthulhu D20.
8800 $29.95 256 pages ISBN 1-56882-159-X
Expected Winter 2002
H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich (dual stat: BRP/d20)
$25.95 ISBN 1-56882-166-2
August/September 2002
H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham (Dual Stat BRP/d20)
$25.95 ISBN 1-56882-165-4
December 2002
H.P. Lovecraft's Kingsport (Dual Stat BRP/d20)
$22.95 ISBN 1-56882-167-0
December 2002
Other Groovy Stuff:
Arkham Horror 15th Anniversary Edition
CHA 1051 $59.95 1-56882-163-8
A cooperative board game for 1-8 players.
Spring 2003
Thanks for your support Everyone. We couldn't be here with out you!
Charlie, David, Dustin, & Lynn. The Chaosium dudes.
* From Charlie Seljos azathoth@obscure.org
The alpha version of my Chaosium Interest Directory is available at:
http://www.obscure.org/~azathoth/chaosium/
Please mention this in the next edition of the Digest.
* The Black Seal is a magazine devoted to modern horror gaming, Cthulhu Now
and Delta Green. The first issue of The Black Seal has been widely praised
by the gaming community, but don't just take our word for it: "The Black
Seal promises to re-animate the modern-day Call of Cthulhu genre. It's
packed with more facts, spookiness, and great game material than Eihort has
tiny whitish spider-larvae." -- Kenneth Hite, author, GURPS CABAL
The Black Seal #1 features interesting NPCs, dangerous places, leylines and
lloigor, scenarios, Emerson Grant from Delta Green's latest case file, UK
mental health laws, and UK legal and illegal firearms amongst other things.
The magazine can be previewed at http://www.theblackseal.org .
The Black Seal may be ordered from http://www.theblackseal.org/orders
Additionally the magazine can also be purchased from the following sites:
US: http://www.wizards-attic.com <http://www.wizards-attic.com>
Europe: http://www.tradetalk.de <http://www.tradetalk.de>
--
Adam Crossingham
Was, Is, Will Be.... The Black Seal
Editor - The Black Seal
http://www.theblackseal.org <http://www.theblackseal.org>
--------------------
The Thing from Jakarta
Foreword
Because I am not a great creative writer there will probably be many entries
that are vague in content and description causing the adventure to appear
disjointed. While some provision has been made for the places the characters
are likely to visit, it is up to the keeper to improvise, and flesh out all
other areas - including NPC personalities and reaction.
Although the scenario can be played as a stand alone, it is probably best if
it is added to an ongoing campaign as a side-track event. It's essentially a
no-brainer, so specialized characters are not required. Although a loose
time frame is used, it can be modified or ignored by the keeper to make for
a more enjoyable half hour of play. For full effect it should ideally be
played by one player, but no more than three. Although this scenario it is
set in the modern era, it can be easily modified for the 1920s or 1890s.
The setting is Newark, New Jersey but this can be changed to suit the
individual keeper.
Keeper Information
First and foremost the adventure is a bug hunt. You've played a hundred of
'em before so you know what to expect, and yes it does live in the sewers.
Anyway, Professor Stannard has recently come back from an archaeological dig
in Indonesia. Something occurred there which is outlined later, but
essentially he got infected with a parasite which grew in his body, and
today, as the scenario begins, it bursts out his chest (like we haven't seen
that one before) right in front of our player/s. Herein the scenario is
simple. Become proactive and try to find the thing and kill it, otherwise
the scenario will be over inside of four minutes.
Timeline
The following is an account of what is supposed to happen, with the actual
specifics being deliberately left vague. The keeper should expand or change
it should the need arise.
The thing bursts out Stannard's chest and escapes into the sewers as
witnessed by the player/s. Weak and unfamiliar with its surroundings, it
holes up and eats what garbage it can. It grows quickly and as it matures it
soon begins to hunt rats and other vermin. Sewer workers first begin to
notice signs of the thing, but pay it no mind. As these occurrences grow,
they soon begin joking about "something on the loose." Plentiful as they may
be, rats and garbage cannot sustain the thing's energy requirements. By now
it has grown to the size of a large cat. It leaves the sewers to forage for
new food sources. Utilizing the night it begins to prey on cats and dogs
often leaving carcasses which are found the morning after. Concern grows
over the presence of a rabid animal. The joke of "something down here"
begins to grow thin as some sewer workers are genuinely spooked by something
down there. They hear things; see things; find fragments of sloughed off
skin or large patches of blood. As pet slayings continue public concern
grows. Animal control begins to search for the creature, but it remains
elusive. The odd partial animal print is recovered, but it cannot be
identified with any degree of certainty. Officials deny that there has been
an escape from the zoo. A woman is later interviewed on the news about
having narrowly colliding with the suspected rabid animal as she drove home
in the wee small hours. As she hit the brakes it jumped up and clattered
over the roof of her car, scraping the paint work extensively. She gives a
mistaken description of it as being like a large muscular dog, dark in
colour.
Within a few days of this, the thing has grown to the size of a small bear.
Too large for drains, it uses an old storm drain close to East Newark
Bridge. One or two people report they saw something swimming in the river.
Shaky camcorder footage shot at night is shown on the news. Analysis of the
footage is inconclusive. The thing is now mature and seeks a place in which
to spawn - but it continues to grow.
A sewer worker is attacked by the thing. Colleagues who were there say
something rose from the water and pulled Henry, who was at the back, under.
They tried to rescue him but he was nowhere to be found and neither was the
thing, of which no satisfactory description is given. It was all to quick.
One is stated as saying "It wasn't no flushed alligator". Police investigate
the incident and find no evidence. They conclude Henry must've lost his
footing, fell, and was dragged under by an undercurrent. A search of the
local sewers was made but he wasn't found. The reported monster was most
likely a shadow, an optical illusion possibly brought on by a gas leak. The
sewer workers protest this. The thing, by now has spawned and seeks to
procure nourishment for its brood.
The badly mutilated corpse of a homeless person is found, prompting fears
that the rabid animal now has the taste of human blood. Just why he wasn't
taken by the thing is open for discussion. Over the next few nights several
more people are slain by the thing. No trace of them is found save for their
blood at the crime scene and the occasional shorn off body part and dropped
item. A two man sewer worker team enter the sewers and are never heard of
again. Sewer workers threaten to strike if something isn't done about
whatever's down there. The city council, although concerned with the recent
slayings, procrastinate over any definitive plans of action.
Public concern grows, as does hysteria. People harass the police with calls
at night after "seeing" something, be this true or not. Armed neighborhood
watch groups are organized, their patrols being conducted through mobile
phones, text messages and radios. They fail, and often end up chasing
shadows or each other. A man is accidentally gunned down in a case of
mistaken identity. "I thought it was the beast" was the shooter's excuse.
Police issue a statement warning these patrols to immediately cease and
desist. Anyone found on the street with a firearm will be arrested. The
calls are largely ignored by those who think they are acting in the publics'
best interest due to the failings of the authorities.
This is all that pretty much happens. If the players fail (how could they)
in tracking the beast, then the authorities make the break through and
eventually conclude the scenario.
Player Insertion
Players can be inserted in whatever manner the keeper chooses. Be they
friends of Prof. Stannard who is holding an evening meal, or be they total
strangers to Stannard who happens to be passing by as the player is out
cutting the grass, changing the oil in their car, or whatever. This scenario
assumes the latter.
So, there the character is; doing whatever he/she's doing, when Professor
Stannard comes strolling by. He seems to be laboring slightly, as though
out of breath. He stops and leans against a fence, looks at the character,
before coughing up a wad of phlegm, which he spits out. A half SPOT HIDDEN
check allows observant characters to notice that there is blood being
coughed up too. The fit seems to get worse and then Stannard clutches his
chest, then collapses in spasms, as if from a severe epileptic seizure. Our
player can either rush over and try to restrain Stannard from doing injury
to himself or stand by and watch. Struggling to control Stannard requires a
STR (versus 16) resistance roll. Fumbling the roll results in a sock to the
jaw for 1d8 damage (strong guy), which may result in a bloody nose, fat lip
or knockout. Stannard is predominantly spluttering blood by now, unable to
make coherent speech. His body is rigid as he flops about. He appears to be
intent on pulling up his clothes to expose his abdomen. The sound of
cracking ribs is heard, and moments later his belly begins to bulge and
stretch to breaking point and beyond. In a spray of blood the flesh tears
apart and a large blood soaked reddish-pink crab/lobster crawls out. Those
who see this lose 1d3/1d6 Sanity. To ensure it gets away, characters require
a POWx2 check to act otherwise they stare at it unbelievingly. Those who can
act, attack at half chance. We (laughably) assume the characters won't be
totting guns at this point - but players will be players.
The crab makes a rasping hiss of a vocalization before snapping at any
character who is too close for comfort. If the character fails a LUCK or
DEXx5 check he/she is hit for 1d4 damage as the thing bites through the
flesh and into the bone. Stoke player paranoia here with a CON roll. Will
he/she be infected with Hepatitis, AIDS, Rabies, or something far, far
worse. After removing a chunk of flesh, or maybe a finger, the thing nimbly
scuttles away and falls down a nearby drain to safety. Play the bite up for
a while. Player feels faint for a while, his/her face ashen, later on he/she
might feel sick for a period, gets a twinge in the stomach, blurred vision,
or whatever.
By this time 1d6 passers by, and neighbours have converged to see what's
going on in amongst gasps of : "Oh my God" and "Phone 911". A woman faints
at the sight. Stannard, by some grace of God is still alive, unconscious,
but alive. Despite the valiant attempts to save his life he dies moments
before the ambulance arrives.
An IDEA (or KNOW who may be familiar with Stannard's work) check allows
characters to identify the man before going through his pockets. However,
after dutifully giving him the once over - the character finds a wallet
containing fifteen dollars, an American Express card, his ID (Professor
Philip Stannard of 1426 Preston Court). Other stuff includes house keys, a
further 45 cents, a Swiss army knife, a watch, and a letter addressed to
Paula Wilcox, Nebraska (unstamped). No driving license is found though. The
letter itself is unimportant and is nothing more than a letter to an old
friend.
Police Involvement
The police and ambulance soon arrive to take charge. They'll naturally want
to talk to everyone involved. PSYCHOLOGY checks may be had should the player
rant about something bursting out his chest. Detectives are pretty smart,
and will know if something is amiss and will know if a player isn't telling
the whole truth. For now they assume he's been brutally stabbed. This is a
good opportunity to introduce Detective Weaver, though for now he should
occupy a lesser roll. He appears to be less interested in the body, and more
interested in the nearby drain where Stannard's blood is naturally flowing
to.
Players can be detained for further questioning should the NJPD suspect them
of foul play. Stannard's body will be carted off for a post-mortem, where
the pathologist makes some surprising discoveries. He discovers that it
appears that something did burst out from inside from the way the bones are
broken, and the internal organs appear to have been rubbed with an abrasive.
For now this is glossed over and attributed to the seizure.
The investigating detectives will surely follow the same line of
investigation as the players and their paths may even cross here and there
to great annoyance. Use your judgment in what the police know at any time,
and how they react to our players.
Stannard's home
Professor Philip Stannard lives in a modest house at 1426 Preston Court, a
nice well-to-do area of town. The house is large and spacious with well
tended lawns in front and out back. Colorful plants please the eye, and
insects buzz about plying their trade. A cool breeze whips up as the
characters pass by the garage as they approach the front door. Nobody
answers the door if chapped. Nobody's home. Providing the characters have
Stannard's keys entry to the building is easy otherwise a window or door
needs to be forced, which may attract the attention of a passer by or
neighbour.
Looking about we find a nicely decorated interior. Light and airy, with all
the modern conveniences. A couple of potted plants add a splash of greenery.
Carved wooden sculptures, masks, war clubs and other miscellaneous objects
are on show in display cases or hang on the walls around the house.
Souvenirs of past digs. A large fish tank is home to half a dozen grouper
fish (NATURAL HISTORY). A drinks cabinet is well stocked and has a few
bottles of Ogwen Siberry's Cherry Brandy - obviously Stannards favorite
tipple.
His study contains a wealth of anthropological books, an extensive
collection of the National Geographic magazine and other periodicals and
literature. Assorted work-related papers can be found on his desk as can a
PC (he's the curator of a small local museum). A few excavation photos adorn
the walls.
A rather nifty-looking paperweight (carved from a single piece of green
jade) rests on a stack of paper. It stands 3" high, 4.5" long and 3" wide,
resembling a crouching winged hound, sphinx-like but with definite canine
features. Around the base of the weight are etchings, inked in gold paint.
The decorative half symbols appear may be some kind of written language not
readily identifiable by the players. Those with mythos knowledge may
recognise it as the writing of the Tcho-Tchos, a degenerate race of
cannibalistic pygmies said to have been created by interbreeding between men
and monsters, who worship a pantheon of evil gods.
Spending time to go through everything the players find that Stannard liked
to keep detailed journals of all his expeditions - the high points and the
low. The last expedition, apparently, was in Sumatra a year and a half ago
where he stayed with a local tribe for a while. Despite being home six
months, Stannard has failed to account for his Javan expedition in its
entirety. You might say it is conspicuous by its absence, but players won't
know thins until they find...
* A collection of travel tickets and boarding passes. the latest one being
dated eight months ago. It's destination Jakarta on the island of Java,
Indonesia. An IDEA check might suggest that Stannard has a journal
somewhere.
* Stannard liked to collect newspapers from wherever he traveled. The only
one of interest to the players is the Jakartan Post dated six months ago.
There's an account in the paper detailing the dig, and how it was hampered
by local tribal opposition, and that several members of the dig were killed
shortly after a network of caves were discovered which were being used by
rebel forces or drug smugglers. The dig was immediately cancelled and a raid
by Jakartan Commandos was successful which ended with the deaths of 36
terrorists and 6 commandos. The site was later demolished by the commandos
and sealed as a no go area by the government who were continuing with search
and destroy maneuvers until further notice. The players can make of this
what they want. They might even think that the thing they saw earlier might
have something to do with it.
Other than this there is nothing else of interest that the house has to
offer unless players want to steal stuff. The attic and garage both serve as
storage space. Stannard does not own a car.
If the players spend too much time here they may be interrupted by the
police who naturally have to secure the scene to look for any possible
evidence. If the players are careless they're going to leave their prints
every where. It might cause problems if characters are brought in for
tampering with evidence.
Who is Professor Phillip Stannard
Talking to neighbours, work colleagues, or checking other avenues of
research uncovers: Stannard was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August
14 1960 to Katherine and George Stannard. He was one of three siblings and
attended Rutgers State University of New Jersey, studying Anthropology,
later moving to Indonesia to continue his studies, where he gained his
doctorates from the University of Indonesia, (in Jakarta). He married one
Sarah-Anne Gooding in 1982 and had two children in '83/'85, two girls -
Amanda and Claire. Sarah and Claire died in a car accident in 1990 while
Stannard was in Peru attending a seminar. The loss devastated him. Today
Amanda is an up and coming Anthropologist like her old man. She studies at
the University of California, Los Angeles. Stannard himself is respected in
his field and has written a few books, and has been published in assorted
scientific periodicals. He has no police record, and has not served in the
military. When not out in the field getting dirty and rummaging about (his
main passion) he is to be found in his museum on Goose Street. Generally,
Stannard was a happy sort of chap, with no known enemies. He didn't have any
great credit problems. He wasn't seeing anybody in particular. The last dig
he was on was in Java and came back about six months ago badly shaken up
about something. He didn't want to talk about it at all, saying that it was
bad and that several deaths had occurred. Out of politeness nobody pressed
the issue. At first he was withdrawn, keeping to himself and spoke only when
he had to, immersing himself in work. It took him a while to come round and
revert back to his old self, but not quite fully. Whatever happened on the
dig really got to him, and he still refused to talk about it.
The Jakartan Expedition
Research on the subject brings up the following "official" account. About a
year ago a native settlement was discovered in the Javan Highlands. It
looked as though it had lain undisturbed for several hundred years, perhaps
as much as several thousand. Much of it had been reclaimed by the jungle.
The site, situated on a high plateau like Machu Picchu, seemed different
from most settlements of the time. An excavation was established and
Stannard got involved nine months ago, arriving a month later. As the dig
progressed it appeared that the civilization that built it was certainly
more advanced than any other tribe. Permanent stone foundations and the odd
wall was unearthed as were tools, pottery shards, and broken pieces of
sculpture. All evidence that a thriving culture had lived and possibly
worshipped there. Then, three months later a fantastical discovery was made
close by to the settlement. Concealed by what appeared to be a rock slide
and jungle foliage was a network of caves. Investigation later concluded
that the caves which were a product of volcanic activity had been expanded
upon and excavated into an underground town carved on many levels. The
massive warren-like excavation could house several thousand people. The
soon-to-be discovered bore holes were used for ventilation or had been sunk
down into a vast subterranean water table. It was speculated that much of
the complex was held over for religious duties and/or storage for it was
there that many an artifact was found intact.
It was about then when the trouble began. The dig had apparently stumbled
into the hiding place belonging to rebel forces opposed to the Government.
With their discovery the insurgents lashed out and massacred many of the
excavation workers before a raid by Jakartan Commandos was made which ended
with the deaths of 36 terrorists and the seizure of weapons, explosives and
raw grade opium. Six commandos lost their lives in the attack. The dig was
immediately terminated and the entire area sealed by the Government in order
to conduct further search and destroy missions.
That's the official line, but what really happened was: as the expedition
explored the extensive caverns they came across a tunnel that had apparently
been deliberately collapsed or sealed up. They excavated the passage way and
explored beyond and just as coincidence has it there was an alien nest close
by full of eggs. As if that wasn't enough there was a couple of aliens as
well. You can guess what happened next and it all ended with the raid by
Jakartan Commandos, the closure of the dig and the lock-down of the
mountainous site.
Finding out who was on the expedition can easily be done through whatever
channel. A simple way of finding these names is to access the expedition
website. This'll give names and brief biographies of each of the 15 main
archaeologists involved, a timeline and regular updates of finds, and
activities with photos, transcripts of live webchats and the like. All is
normal as you'd expect from such a site with nothing leaping out in the form
of a clue, except that it has not been updated since the massacre occurred.
Continued
--
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