Mad Brew Labs

Empires and civilizations have waxed and waned like the tides on the world of The Dead Wastes. Most recently, if a millennium ago can be called recent, there was the Nadori Empire. An unknown catastrophic event ended the technologically advanced civilization. The remnants of their cities, roads, and monuments can still be seen lying dormant under a thousand years of growth and exposure to the elements.

Many devices that have survived the ravages of time are still in use today, often revered as artifacts bestowed by some god. These devices usually perform some sort of utility such as pumping water to a desert village or bringing gaslight to city streets at night. However, there are also more devious and destructive technologies that have been left behind by the Nadori.

The Necrotek were a cult of Tenebrous, the God of Shadows and Death. As a secret society of an empire shrouded in mystery, very little is known about these dark technomagi by Nadori historians other than they practiced the art of fusing mechanica and necromancy. The Necrotek often warped and mutilated their bodies with the unholy fusion to further their studies and to impress their god.

Some academics believe that the Necrotek may be responsible for the demise of the Nadori Empire.  Perhaps their vile experimentations and research unleashed some ghastly fate upon the people.  They all agree that the world is better off without them, but unfortunately the vestiges of the cult still remain to haunt the present.

Bloodhulks

Today, a handful of Necrotek temples have survived, but now lay buried in remote, undiscovered box canyons of the northern mountains or half-buried in the sands of the east.  The city of Stragus, formerly known as Sidarius prior to the vampiric invasion of the Long Night, was built upon a subterranean Necrotek temple.  It has been revived by the Cardinal Jandalor, the vampire High Priest of Tenebrous.

With the secrets they uncovered beneath the city, the vampire clergy has been able to revive a small number of hybrid steam hulks that are composed of mummified flesh, bone, and iron.  The true horror lies in the fact that these twisted contraptions have been baptized in the blood of infants and are powered by the blood of the enemies they slay in combat.  The vampires are hoping to recover more of these Bloodhulks for the impending war against man.

Last of the Necrotek

Of the few scholars even aware of the long dead cult, most believe that all of its members were stricken from the face of the Valtuus along with the rest of the Nadori.  However, there is at least one sage who has made a connection between a legend of the fringers who live along the edge of the Dead Wastes and what few descriptions recovered from Nadori ruins of Necrotek members.

The legend of the Iron Wraith is told to the children of fringers to elicit acceptable behavior, but much truth lies in the tales of the monstrous wraith.  It is said a man who has rusted iron armor fused to his flesh with exposed bone and shriveled entrails stalks the Dead Wastes, collecting the bodies of zombies and worse for some dreadful and unspeakable experiments.  From a distance the man appears shaded by clouds that are not existent, but upon closer inspection the gruesome visage is actually pure shadow.  Of course, no one who sees the Iron Wraith ever escapes to tale these terrifying tales either.

Listening to: Quiet Riot - Winners Take All – Metal Health

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Forward

Horror.  The genre has captured my imagination and sent chills up my spine since I was a child.  In the beginning it was the classic Universal Monsters I loved.  I couldn’t get enough of Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, or the Wolfman.  It was a rotten seed that had been planted in my brain, and its corruption bloomed and spread its vile roots, perverting and twisting my thoughts and imagination.

Yes, and it did all this before I had even rolled my first die.  After fantasy roleplaying games discovered me, the mephitic leaves of horror that had shaded my thoughts began to whither and receded, for a while.  However, it was still there, dormant but festering, waiting for the opportunity to germinate and spread its rancid tendrils back into my imagination.

The first substantial opportunity came a full five years after I had begun roleplaying.  A new game was in town that allowed you to take on the role of the things that go bump in the night.  Vampires, Werewolves, and Wraiths. OH MY!  While it is certainly horrific to become these things that inspire fear in people, true terror lies in becoming the helpless and weak that these monsters prey upon.

Enter Cthulhu.  A few years after being initiated into the gothic-punk genre of roleplaying, I was introduced to the Call of Cthulhu.  I was a sophomore in high school when the elder evil touched my mind.  It was truly horrific and far exceeded anything in the horror genre I had experienced.  The hopelessness and fatalism inspired by the game was liberating.  Gone was the race for power.  Gone was the attempt to excel at a chosen discipline.  I embraced character flaws and indulged in character development.  I watched while sanity fled my character and madness took root.  I embraced the inevitability of the destruction of my character.

Cthulhu Mini Carnival

On the RPG Bloggers Network’s Google Group, Ed Healy inquired about bloggers who would be interested in participating in a mini Blog Carnival dedicated to Cthulhu.  This is my contribution to the effort.  For those of you who do not know who Ed Healy, he is currently the owner of Moonstew which does the well known Atomic Array and he is also the Advertising Manager for Kobold Quarterly at Open Design.  He has a long list of contributions to the RPG industry from freelance editing and writing to co-founding Eden Studios (All Flesh Must Be Eaten) and The Forge.

It is a shame I did not have time to flesh this story out to a full fledged adventure, but I find myself starting this in the evening after work and it must be done by the following morning!  I hope I can pull off a quality contribution in such a short time.

The Tidings of Thule

This story outline for use with Shadows of Cthulhu, a True20 Call of Cthulhu game published by Reality Deviant Publications.  I created this story with new players in mind, as a sort of introduction.  I wanted to expose players to elements of the game and the Mythos in a controlled manner.  As such, it may appear at first glance that it has a railroad quality to it, but I lay the task of maintaining the veil of choice and non-linear progression in the hands of the Narrator.  If you think about it, that actually fits the Cthulhu Mythos.

I have also branded this story with my own take on Lovecraft’s world.  I love the esoteric conspiracy theories that surround the rise of the Third Reich and Hitler’s obsession with the supernatural.  I am strongly influenced by Hellboy, Wolfenstein and a little bit of Indiana Jones in this.  I love twisting real-world phenomenon, events, and locations into Cthulhu stories.

Background

This introductory story takes place in the summer of 1933 in the American Southwest, specifically Mesa Verde, Colorado.  The repercussions of the Great Stock Market Crash of ‘29 are in full swing as the economy has collapsed, people are jobless, homeless, and worse.  The world climate is not much better as Germany’s government, still reeling from its defeat in the aftermath of the Great War, has just undergone a coup as a charismatic upstart, Adolf Hitler, is establishing the Third Reich and rearming the nation.

The premise is that the characters have been in and out of work since the Crash, but have all accepted job offers to come work for an archaeological outfit at Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado.  The first clue that something strange is afoot would be the outfit’s name: The Archaeological Society for Germanic Antiquity (ASGA).  The outfit is not picky about which Roles or Archetypes it employs, so players should feel free to develop the character of their choice.  After all, it doesn’t take specialized skills to dig around in the dirt and sand (or to be sacrificed).

Mesa Verde National Park is home to the remnants of a cliff dwelling pueblo people, the Anasazi.  The Anasazi mysteriously disappeared over a thousand years ago, and it is unclear why.  The Archaeological Society is investigating the reasons behind the strange disappearance.

Overview

The Archaeological Society for German Antiquity is actually a cover name for the Society of Thule, a German secret society that helped establish the Nazis.  Hitler publicly banned all esoteric groups but has secretly enlisted the Society of Thule to gather information and supernatural relics to help him in his future endeavors for world domination.

The scholars of the Society of Thule have discovered documents in Scandinavia and artifacts recently discovered at Mesa Verde that lead them to believe that Hitler’s super race, the Aryans, had connections to the natives of the American Southwest.  Specifically they think that the “Keys to the Origins of the Aryans” are hidden in Mesa Verde.

They believe the “Keys” are a formula that will help Hitler reconstitute the fabled super race.  However, they erred in translating their findings.  It actually reads “Keys to the Lands of the Aryans.”  There is actually a gate that opens to the homeland of long dead Aryans hidden within the mesa.

The truth of what happened to the Anasazi is disturbing, as the Aryans transformed them into Ghouls to guard the gate for eternity.  The Anasazi Ghouls have slept in a deep slumber, hidden deep inside the subterranean complex, but now the excavation has awakened them.

The characters discover the entrance to the gate and soon find themselves caught in a struggle between the Nazi Society of Thule and the Ghouls.  Along the way, they encounter a Navajo warrior, that explains that the term Anasazi means “enemy ancestors” and that disturbing the ancient site has grave consequences.  He says his people have a legend of a hole in the ground, that when opened, will suck the world into it, destroying the universe as we know it.

So the characters become embroiled in a race against the Thules to find the keys to the gate and destroy them before the Society tries to open the gate, possibly destroying the world.  Or perhaps the characters will work with the Society to further Hitler’s goals?

Story Outline

The story is divided into three Acts: The Beginning, The Race, and The Endgame; these are further divided into scenes, all of which may not come to play.  This is just a simple framework which the Narrator can take and fill in the details he or she sees fit.  I have detailed all the NPCs, equipment, and special locations in the Appendix at the end of the outline.  Mechanics and Monsters located in the Shadows of Cthulhu or True20 Adventure Roleplaying books have been bolded the first time they are encountered.  I have also bolded any DC checks.

Act I: The Beginning

The Beginning is where the characters first discover that world is not the decaying, turbulent place they once thought.  Oh no, it is far worse.  There is a reason for that primal fear of the dark.

Scene: Digging into the Past

The characters have all jumped at the opportunity to work at a federal funded job, which provides some piece of mind.  The characters are assembled into a team to work a dig site and collect, study, catalog, and safekeep any artifacts they uncover from the excavation.  Their instructors, Herr Deitrick Eckart and Fräulein Heila von Westarp, all speak with a heavy German accent, and if questioned about their nationality, origins, or why a German Antiquity group is studying the American Southwest they respond by saying that times are tough in the fatherland, and they are willing to study anything.

The characters are given short courses where they are taught how to go about surveying, excavating, and doing preliminary analyses where special attention is given to symbolism.  Of particular importance is a symbol that is an equilateral cross with arms bent at right angles.  The final instruction is to report the discovery of any new rooms immediately.  The characters are then assigned to excavate a room at the base of a cliff dwelling.  They day soon grows long, and dusk begins to settle upon the mesa.

Just as the characters begin to wrap things up for the night, while excavating and making a DC 15 Search Check, they either uncover (success) or fall (fail) through a hole in the floor of the room they are assigned to.  The hole leads to a round room carved into the sandstone base of the cliff.  Strange paintings adorn the walls of the room.  A single tunnel leads deeper into the side of the cliff.  It requires a DC 20 Climb Check to get out.

The characters now have a choice, follow instructions and report the discovery immediately, or delve deeper into the subterranean complex.  If the characters report their findings, then go to Scene: Under Lock & Key.  If the characters decide to explore the underground complex go to Scene: Cries in the Dark.

Scene: Under Lock & Key

The characters are led to the ASGA headquarters building where they are asked to wait in the debriefing room.  The characters soon realize that they have been locked in with armed guards posted outside their room.

If the characters attempt an escape, they have an encounter with the guards.  After the characters defeat the guards, or they are subdued themselves, there are aberrant sounds of yelps and whining cries coming from outside.  The door to the outside is nearly rattled off its hinges as the entity or entities outside try to force their way in, but the banging eventually subsides.

If the guards are still in control, they rush outside, where automatic gunfire is heard, but abruptly ends with short shrieks of terror as blood splatters on the small window of the door (inducing a Fear 17 Save).  Once the characters break out of their room, they will find nothing but bloody marks where the bodies were dragged off.

Either way, the characters can acquire two MP34 submachine guns, with 20 rounds of ammunition each, and two Luger Parabellum pistols, with 8 rounds each.  These weapons are detailed in the Appendix.  Proceed to Scene: The Anasazi Return.

Scene: Cries in the Dark

The characters stumble through a seemingly abandoned system of tunnels, but eventually find a strange chamber deep in the heart of the mesa.  Imbedded in the northeastern wall of the chamber is a strange metallic arch, inscribed with even stranger markings, only one is familiar, the equilateral cross symbol (which, if you haven’t figured this out, is a swastika).  The wall enclosed by the arch appears to be a dark stone polished to a near glass finish.  There is a podium chiseled from stone in the center of the room with three indentations.  The paintings in the first room showed objects being placed into these notches.  An oddly shaped spear tip, a disc shaped amulet, and a white orb.

Perceptive characters will have sensed that something is pursuing them, but keeps to the dark.  The characters’ light source is unnaturally extinguished, and a whining cry pierces the darkness.  The creature in the darkness begins to assault the characters, clawing at them with hit and run tactics (inducing a Fear 17 Save).  Then, two armed members of the ASGA arrive; a firefight begins with the characters caught in the middle.  The ASGA manage to eliminate the Ghoul, but not before it leaps upon one them and begins to eat the flesh from his face (forcing a Sanity 10 Save to not acquire Cannibalism, but also gain 1 Awareness Point).

The remaining ASGA guard is mortally wounded and dies quickly, but may provide some vague background information about how the ASGA is actually the Society of Thule, which is connected to Nazi Germany and in service to Hitler.  They are here about uncovering the secrets of the master race.  He doesn’t know the specifics of why they are here, as he is just a soldier.  The characters can scavenge two MP34 submachine guns, with 20 rounds of ammunition each, and two Luger Parabellum pistols, with 8 rounds each.  These weapons are detailed in the Appendix.  Once the soldier dies, anyone affected by Cannibalism need to make a Will 10 Save or feed.

If the characters decide to explore more of the complex they will encounter another Ghoul, and upon searching its remains they will find the Mother Spider Dagger, which is detailed in the Appendix.  Once the characters exit, go to Scene: the Anasazi Return.

Scene: The Anasazi Return

At this point, darkness has set and they can hear the screams of other victims in the work camp as well as in the cliff dwellings.  More gunfire is heard, but is swiftly silenced.  The characters may decide to hide or barricade themselves inside a building.  To remain hidden from the Ghouls, a DC 15 Stealth Check is required.  To successfully barricade themselves, they must make a DC 15 Survival Check to cover all the entrances as well as DC 17 Strength Check to place something large enough, such as a desk or large cabinet to keep the Ghouls out.

This scene actually re-occurs every night and lasts until morning; it may coincide with the scenes from Acts II and III.  It requires a DC 20 Stealth Check to sneak about the camp or dig site without the Ghouls noticing.  It is a DC 15 Notice Check to spot Ghouls before they get too close and initiate an encounter.  An encounter will include 1-2 Ghouls.

If the characters wish to escape, they will find all the vehicles either missing or sabotaged, which requires a DC 20 Craft: Mechanics Check and 2 hours to repair one.  More likely, the characters will wish to uncover more information about their employers.  Thus they will begin searching the work camp for more clues.  Proceed to Act II.

Act II: The Race

During The Race, the characters discover who they are working for, and though WWII doesn’t begin in earnest for another six years, they can see the writing on the wall, and worse implications than needing to learn to speak German.  After they decide to find the “Keys to the Origins of the Aryans” they will find out they are in a race against the remnants of the Society of Thule to recover the Keys to the gate, which kicks off Act III: The Endgame.  Characters may decide to look for the Keys before going to every location.

After the first location, the characters enter Scene: Charge of the Countess.

Location Scene: ASGA Headquarters

Within the ASGA Headquarters they find evidence of a slaughter as blood and not a few body parts are mingled with a mess of paperwork and destroyed furniture.  Under a severed hand, they find missives with Nazi regalia emblazoned in the letterhead.  If the characters can read German, they will find they are working for the Society of Thule, which have instructions to “find the Keys to the Origins of the Aryans at all costs.”

A DC 10 Search Check reveals a map of the excavation hangs in tatters on the wall.  One of the dwellings is circled in red with the text “disc” scrawled next to it.  A DC 15 Search Check reveals one 32 round magazine for an MP34 hidden under some paperwork in a drawer.

Location Scene: Herr Deitrick Eckart’s Quarters

Within the austere accommodation of Eckart’s quarters, the characters find a military uniform fitted with jagged “SS” emblems on the collar.  They also find a rough manuscript entitled Mein Kampf.  There are letters with the official Nazi letterhead as well as a Luger pistol with 8 rounds in the desk drawer.  A DC 20 Search Check reveals a hidden compartment in his foot locker, storing two M24 stick grenades which are detailed in the Appendix.

Location Scene: Fräulein Heila von Westarp’s Quarters

Heila’s room is richly furnished with a wardrobe full of expensive dresses and a single uniform adorned with a red armband with a black swastika set in a white circle emblazoned upon it.  A DC 15 Search Check uncovers a journal between the mattresses, written German, but detailing the excavation.  A hand-drawn map of the dig has a location circled with the word “orb” written next to it.  The same check result also allows the characters to find a rapier, detailed in the appendix, in the back of the wardrobe.

A DC 20 Search Check reveals love letters written in English addressed to a Countess von Westarp from what must be an aristocrat named Winston Churchill (who was most likely unknown to Americans in ‘33 as he didn’t become British Prime Minister until 1940).

Location Scene: The Barracks

The characters will find the barracks a bloody mess, the premises decorated with entrails as if they were birthday party banners.  This forces a Terror 15 Save.  The characters will find German soldier uniforms as well as four MP34s with 15 rounds of ammunition each, and a pair of binoculars.  Not much else if of use here.

Location Scene: Worker Dorms

Blood is splattered everywhere in the dorms, and most of the furniture is overturned or destroyed.  However, a DC 20 Search Check reveals project notes that state one of the dig workers encountered an old Navajo man who seemed to be monitoring the excavation from them bluff just east of the mesa.  The man had only said “light will be your strongest ally when the dwellers of darkness rise.”  Characters can keep the Ghouls at bay if they bring enough light with them (at least four flashlights, lanterns, or torches).

Scene: Charge of the Countess

After finishing the first location scene, the characters are ambushed by Heila and five guards.  Heila maintains cover behind a car, demanding the characters to surrender and hand over everything they have found.  If they do, proceed to Scene: Oblivion Comes.

Otherwise the guards will throw smoke grenades to cover their retreat once a single guard falls.  The characters can recover another MP34 with 5 rounds of ammunition as well as Luger pistol with 4 rounds.

Act III: The Endgame

The characters know that Heila and a few guards are out there looking for the Keys.  However, once they recover one Key, Nazi reinforcements arrive and recover the second key, and finally the characters are defeated while trying to reach the third key, which ends the story with Scene: Oblivion Comes.

Scene: The First Key

The players can only possibly know about two Key locations, as the third is still an unknown.  Which Key they wish to pursue is of little consequence.  If the players recovered the binoculars from the barracks, with a DC 10 Notice Check, they will be able to see that Heila’s contingent is working in the suspected location of the other Key.

With a DC 20 Search Check, the characters find a buried trap door that leads down into a dark room.  A tunnel leads deeper into the cliff.  The tunnel eventually opens up into a large cavern, with the stone podium located across a wide chasm.  Upon the podium is a Key, glowing with its own malevolent light.

A DC 15 Jump Check or a DC 20 Climb Check is required to make it across.  Once the key is removed from its podium, a Huge Ghoul climbs out of the chasm and attacks the characters.  This encounter needs to expend much of the characters’ resources and possibly drop a character.  Anyone who fails and falls will plummet to their death, or worse.

Once the encounter has lasted long enough, the Huge Ghoul emits a high pitched whine as a gore covered spear ruptures its chest cavity.  The Ghoul falls unlifeless to the cavern floor revealing the characters’ savior, an old Navajo man gripping a spear with an odd shaped blade.

The man speaks in a gravelly voice, demanding the characters leave this foul place before they uncover something worse.  It requires a DC 15 Diplomacy Check to coax more information out of the Navajo.  He reveals that he is a warrior for the local Navajo tribe, and they have had the duty of keeping the bad spirits here buried, but the white man knows no bounds.

He explains that Anasazi means “ancestor enemy” in their language, and there is a legend that there is a hole in the world located here.  If that hole is opened, it will suck all of existence into oblivion, destroying the universe as we know it.  When the characters turn their back, he mysteriously vanishes.  Proceed to Scene: Apprehended.

Scene: Apprehended

Upon exiting the tunnel that leads to the Key, the players are ambushed again by Heila, but this time she has fifteen soldiers under her command.  The characters could decide to fight, and most likely die, or they could do as Heila asks, and surrender and be witness to the greatness of the Aryan Race.  Maybe they would rethink their loyalties, as Germany could use magnificent agents like themselves.

Heila confiscates the Key and all of the characters weapons (unless one of them managed a DC 25 Sleight of Hand Check to conceal a pistol.

Scene: Oblivion Comes

Heila drags the characters back to the original location they were assigned, down the hole, and through the tunnel.  The come to the gate room and find that the Nazis have run electricity and brought down large work lights.  The lights all shine outside of the room, most likely to keep the Ghouls at bay.

The characters are forced to a kneeling position around the podium, with the guards behind them, burying the muzzles of their submachine guns into the backs of their heads.

She begins reciting a ritual in some ancient, better left unspoken language.  As she does so, she reverently draws the Keys out of a drawstring bag.  First the Orb, and as she fits in its slot upon the podium, the markings on the gate begin to glow faintly.  Second is the Disc, she inserts it into its proper place, and the marking glow brighter.

Finally she pulls the third Key, the spear tip, which looks exactly like the one that sat atop the Navajo spear that saved their skins.  When she places the third Key upon the podium, the polished stone in the gate begins to glow white.  It is apparent now that it is an enormous vein of crystal.  The crystal pulsates and then begins to shudder and crack.

From the behind the crack, large purple tentacles slither out and grasp Heila at the waist. They begin to drag her towards the gate; all the while she is screaming and clawing at the floor.  Her fingernails crack and tear as she tries desperately remain in this world.  Her screams stop when her back snaps as she is folded backwards and pulled through the crack.

The soldiers let lose bursts of machine gun fire into the crack, yelling in German.  The tentacles lash out and start attacking the soldiers, but this leaves the characters free to act.  They may flee and try to escape the tentacles and watch as the cliff dwelling collapses in upon itself.  They may attempt to fight the tentacles and lose.

Or if they read the advice found in the worker dorms about the light, they could turn the work lights on the tentacles, which promptly shrivel up and recede as the gate closes and the podium cracks and breaks.  If they inspect the podium afterwards for the keys, they find the disc and orb, but where the spear should be, there is only dust, maybe it was the wrong spear tip?  Regardless, this is an Sanity 20 Check and characters receive a random Disorder on a fail.  The characters also gain 1 Awareness Point.

Other Outcomes

The characters could have attacked the Navajo shaman, if they recognized the third Key as his spear.  If they possessed two of the Keys when they were apprehended, then the Narrator can determine what happens when Heila attempts to open the gate.  Perhaps it was the end of the world…

The characters could have repaired a vehicle and escaped.  But if they tried to explain what happened to authorities, there is a good chance that they would all be committed to an asylum.  They were well on their way to insanity anway.  The Society of Thule would also be hunting them, to maintain their secrecy.

The characters could have attempted to destroy the Key in their possession or maybe toss it down the chasm.  Once Heila discovers this, in Scene: Apprehended, she will fly into a rage and order the characters to be fed to some captured Ghouls.

Appendix

Equipment

MP34 Submachine Gun: +3 Dmg Bonus/20+3 Critical/Ballistic, Autofire/30′ Range/Medium Size/17 Cost

Luger Parabellum Pistol: +3 Dmg Bonus/20+3 Critical/Ballistic/30′ Range/Small Size/15 Cost

Monsters

Huge Ghoul: same as Ghoul except: Size Huge, +5 Str, Att +2, Dodge/Parry +0/+2, Toughness +4

NPCs

Heila von Westarp
Human Expert 4/Cultist Background

Lvl 4, Dex +2, Cha +4, Bluff +7, Diplomacy +5, Knowledge (supernatural) +5, Mythos Knowledge (History) +3, Mythos Language +1, Att +2, Dmg +3 (pistol), Dodge/Parry +3/+6, Initiative +3, Toughness +2, Fortitude +1, Reflex +4, Will +2, Sanity +2

Heila von Westarp is actually a Countess in Germany.  She sits on the inner circle of the Society of Thule and enjoys special missions that involve the seduction of foreign officials.  She is fanatic in her belief of Hitler’s doctrines.  She has long blond hair, blue eyes, and towers above many men at 6′ tall.  She has an athletic build is an excellent fencer.

Deitrick Eckart
Human Expert 3/Military Background

Deitrick has his own agenda, but is willing to ride the coat tails of the Third Reich to get them done.  He actually coached Hitler with public speaking, and Mein Kampf is dedicated to Deitrick.  He is currently a commander in the Nazi SS and is still at large after the conclusion of this story.

Guard

Lvl 1, Intimidate +2, Notice +4, Att +1, Dmg +3 (submachine gun), Dodge/Parry +1/+2, Initiative +1, Toughness +2, Fortitude +2, Reflex +1, Will +0, Sanity +0

Navajo Warrior
Human Warrior 5/Primitive Background

Lvl 5, Str +3, Dex +2, Con +2, Wis +2, Cha +1, Climb +5, Jump +5, Knowledge (supernatural) +4, Att +7, Dmg +5 (spear), Dodge/Parry +4/+8, Initiative +4, Toughness +5, Fortitude +6, Reflex +2, Will +4, Sanity +4

The token mysterious figure.  Yes, he still has the last Key.

Want to learn more about Shadows of Cthulhu? Read on…

• •SoC Preview: Click to Download
• •Atomic Array: Episode 010: Shadows of Cthulhu
• •RPGAgression: The Rudis Review
• •RPG Blog II: Roaring 20s Cthulhu: The Silver Screen
• •Critical Hits: Power Attack the Shoggoth
• •The Geniuses: So Many Ways to Cthulhu
• •Yog-Sothoth: Shadows of Cthulhu: A Review
• •Fear the Boot: Shadows of Cthulhu

Listening to: Tiamat - A Deeper Kind of Slumber – Cold Seed

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This month’s RPG Blog Carnival is being hosted by the Dice Bag.  Usually, religion is a subject I do not breach in public forum, at work, or with the in-laws (by and large they are Latter Day Saints).  However, within the context of roleplaying games and science-fiction literature, I do love to read about, tinker with, and discuss the myriad pantheons available to use in a game.

I find that many gamers respond to alterations to the deities and dogma of their favorite campaign setting in much the same way as fundamental practitioners of any religion respond to dissimilar viewpoints on god(s).  They balk, argue, and throw tantrums.  Another reason I like creating my own “homebrew” settings; no one has any grounds to disagree with what you’ve done.

Pantheon Creation

When I create pantheons for my worlds, I like to grab a few sheets of paper and begin “mapping” out the various levels and interactions of the pantheons/gods with a kind of flow chart.  If I do it at the PC, I will usually open up FreeMind, which I reviewed here.  I will then create nodes, which represent either entire pantheons or individual gods depending on which “level” I am working on.  When creating a pantheon(s) for your game, there are a few things you should consider:

• Influences: Are you using existing sources?
• Breadth: How many gods occupy a layer?
• Depth: How many layers exist in the pantheon?
• Portfolios: What, if anything specific, does each god govern?
• Personalities: Define the gods’ personalities.
• Alliances: Are there one or more aligned groups?
• Church Structure:  How are their churches organized?
• Worshipers: Who are the general members of each god’s church?

Influences

When designing pantheons for your world, the very first thing you need to decide is whether or not you are going to use an existing set or sets of deities either completely stock or as a foundation.  You could look to real world mythologies [Egyptian, Greek, Scandinavian, Native American, Oriental, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity] or fiction-based resources [books, movies, video games, other campaign settings].

You can take each pantheon wholesale, include more than one (or all), or even mix and match deities.  If you decide to mix and match, I highly recommend that you at least rename the majority of deities, as it could cause confusion among the players with even a nominal amount of recollection.

Another approach with using influences is to lift the structure and hierarchy of a pantheon.  You could take the monotheistic approach of Islam, or perhaps a henotheistic approach where there are many gods, but only one is supreme.

As a rule, I almost never lift an existing pantheon for use in my game, unless it is on purpose (such as a game set on Earth).  I try to mix it so that players may see the influence, but there is no mistaking that it is not the same.

Breadth & Depth

If you are borrowing from existing sources, this step in the process may already be decided.  Now you need to decide how many different pantheons exist, and if there are any that may be subordinate to another.  You can apply this step multiple times to each “node” you place on the pantheon map.

For example, let us say that in my new world, I have a pantheon for each major race.  Long ago, the gods of the lizardmen were triumphant in their conquest of a quasi-elemental plane and subjugated the powerful entities there, which are deific in their power.  So now there is a sub-pantheon of quasi-elemental entities that are both servants and messengers for the gods of the lizardmen as well as being venerated somewhat like saints or totem spirits by the lizardmen themselves.  I could even take this a step further by saying that the chieftains are believed to be the children of the gods and are themselves venerated as deities.

I could then go into each level I just created and continue applying breadth and depth.  The quasi-elementals could have three tiers of power, consisting of princes, dukes, and lords.  Each prince rules over an aspect, such as swamp gas.  I then create as many aspects as I need.

Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Portfolios

This is not necessarily a separate step, but something to keep in mind as you are creating the various pantheons and deities.  Does an entire pantheon, a group of gods, or a single deity hold dominion over a concept, such as love or death?  Is there even the concept of portfolios for your gods?

Personalities

A god’s personality is usually defined by their portfolios, but do not be afraid to break the mold with this one.  What is the story behind a god of war that is a coward and weakling?  Many gods of wine and drink are frivolous beings who constantly party with decadence, how about a sad, mournful god that drowns his sorrows in alcohol?

It can be a daunting task to define the personalities of an entire pantheon, or pantheons, of gods, but I find this to be the most fulfilling part of the exercise.  I find that once I have laid the foundation of the pantheon with the last few steps, this process just seems to flow.  I also begin to look forward to the next step when creating personalities, seeing how these gods would co-exist with each other.

Alliances

Deific alliances are wonderful sources for plot hooks, as the gods use the players as pawns in their immortal power plays.  Alliances can occur between just two gods or may span entire pantheons.  Maybe the pantheons of all the monstrous humanoids have joined forces to protect themselves from the onslaught of men and their gods.  Maybe the god of lust has seduced the goddess of death, and uses her influence for his own agenda.  The possibilities for story ideas are endless.  Along with alliances, be sure to note enemies.

Churches & Worshipers

Not every deity may have an organized church, but the major players will.  When thinking about church structure, look to real word or fictional examples.  The catholic church is always a fun one to pull from.  It is also important to consider the god’s portfolio and personality.  The church of a god of war might be structured like the military.  Just take care when using cliche structures (like the god of war).

Titles given to the priesthood will also likely reflect the portfolio of their god.  The monks of the God of Beer may have the titles of Masher, Lauterer, Boiler, Worter, and Brewmaster.  The clerics of the goddess of knowledge may have the titles of Adjunct, Lecturer, Professor, and Dean.

It may be important to note the worshippers of a given deity.  Worshippers may be defined by class (poor, merchant, noble), race (human, vampire, dragon), profession (assassin, cobbler, sorcerer), lifestyle (hedonists, ascetic, masochism), or anything else that comes to mind.

It may also be useful to define any symbols associated with the deity, how worshipers conduct service, and if the church/worship is allowed by law.  Does the church have holy writ?  Are there rules for behavior?  Are the worshipers tolerant of other beliefs?

The Shepherds

This is a tribute to the Crs’Tchen Debacle of Dragon Magazine (retold by The Core Mechanic).  Insert this faith into your campaign world if you need a corrupt religious organization full of plot hooks for adventures of political intrigue, betrayal, and misguided crusades.

The Shepherds are the worshipers of the True Creator, Genovah, and believe him to be the only true god.  All other gods are false gods: demons, devils, and pretenders.  Though the Shepherd religion has been around for nearly a millennium, it is considered an upstart by many of the other religions that can trace their heritage back to the days before words, when men communicated with simple drawings on stone.  In that relatively short time frame, the Shepherds have become the most popular faith in the land.

However, within the last century, the Temple of Genovah has experienced some growing pains.  The faith was fractured in the Grand Rift, when a growing number of priests had become disillusioned with the corrupt operations of the Temple.  These priests, commonly referred to as the Objectors or Dissenters, left the original Temple, now known as Orthodox Temple, and began teaching their own sermons.  The Objectors now make up half of the faithful.

Today there are hundreds of sects of Shepherds, each preaching their own brand of the faith.  It is a wonder they can all call themselves Shepherds as the only thing they truly agree on is that Genovah is the only god to worship (though a few sects do recognize other gods, they just believe Genovah is supreme), and he sent his Harbinger and Prophet, Susej, to the lands of mortals to be sacrificed for their sins.  Everything else is up for debate, or more than likely, war.

The Shepherd sects are in a constant struggle between themselves, attempting to prove that their version of the faith is the correct path to worship Genovah.  However, the various sects set aside their differences all too quickly when confronted with the followers of a different god.  Temple officials have concocted numerous lies and blamed plague, famine, and moral erosion on many other religions to incite intolerance, persecution, and outright war on those who would not convert.

The annals of history are stained by the innocent blood that has been shed in the name of Genovah.  In fact, today many are afraid to practice their chosen religion in the open out of fear of being burned at the stake simply for being different.

Shepherds can easily be identified by the implement of torture and death they use as the symbol of their faith.  Most wear a golden miniature of the contraption suspended by a chain about their necks and adorn their churches, homes, and businesses with this tool of execution, a crucifix, often with an image of the Harbinger, Susej, frozen in death upon it.

In the past, the image would have invoked disgust and horror, but now the icon is so commonplace that most people have become desensitized to the ghastly image of tortuous death.  To display such a horrible image so casually is truly appalling.

The vilest aspect of the Shepherds is the secret of its creation and the lies used to control millions of followers.  For while most of the faith are good people that have good intentions, the authority of the faith has led their flock astray, and direct their parishioners to line their coffers with gold and commit foul atrocities in the name of good.

For you see, the entire foundation of the Shepherd faith was built on lies, commandeered practices, and forced worship.  The faith was engineered to attract followers, feeding them lies of salvation and paradise in an afterlife.  It incorporated the rites, rituals, and personalities of older religions to appeal to the converted, and make them comfortable.  It has duped its followers in tithing the majority of their wealth to ensure salvation.  Most of all, it has allowed the Temple authorities to control the masses and further their own political agendas of power.

The Shepherds are a powerful force in the world, but what would happen should the truth be revealed?  Would the faithful turn a blind eye, happy to continue worshipping a lie?  Or would it spell the end of this intolerant religion?  We may never know, for the keepers of these secrets are willing to keep them secret at all costs…

Listening to: Velvet Revolver - Contraband – Fall to Pieces

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Before my days as a programmer, or as a ground pounder for that matter (which seems like a different lifetime), I was an aspiring sequential artist and illustrator.  I used to draw all the time, but the days of emulating my heroes of the four color world has passed.  Now I find some skills I used to take for granted have slipped and it takes me a while to get back into the groove, and even once I’m there, it seems like my vision far outpaces my execution.

Mad Brew’s Avatar

But alas, enough lamenting my poor abilities.  I have been kicking around some rough ideas for a new avatar for the site, something to brighten up my banner.  I finally decided on one of my roughs, so I scanned it in and began inking it up and I wanted to show what I have.  I tried to keep the lines simple and clean (like the the site) but still bring some edge and grit in attitude.

I plan on doing some simple color, but with some cool lighting effects emanating from the item ol’ Mad Brew is grasping (a philosopher’s d20?).  I haven’t decided if I will “pog” the avatar’s head to be my gravatar or if I will go with a more stylized (and cleaner) version of my current flask design.

Game Table Update

I am also making progress on the design of my dream gaming table.  I’ve went through about five preliminary sketches, before settling on this one.  I was at work when I doodled this one up, and only had pens (and dry erase markers) at my disposal.  So the drawing may not be too clear.

The idea is that there are two levels within the table itself, the bottom being comprised of wood and is the actual bottom of the table.  This level would probably be inscribed with a grid of 1″ squares.  About 6 inches above the bottom level would be a ledge where two lexan panels would sit, providing the second layer.  I envision having several interchangeable panels with different grids (1″ hex, 1″ square, 1.5″ square) transfixed under the playing surface.  This lexan surface would be 1-2 inches from the top of the table.  The third layer would actually be an insert that would sit flush with the top of the sides of the table.

The idea would be to have some bad-ass image carved into the center using something like the CompuCarve.  Otherwise this would just be an ordinary table surface to play card and boardgames on.  I don’t forsee the need for a bunch of drawers (like on the Sultan), just large workspaces and book storage.  I have decided to do a 3D animation of the table using Maya 2008 (before I actually CAD it up), and here are some screenshots of the WIP.

Digital Tools

So I have a few crude tools that I had created for personal use, but I was thinking about re-designing them from the ground up and putting a slick interface on them (I just got Microsoft’s Expression Studio) and providing them to the community for free.  But I find myself wondering if there is really a need for another digital tool.  I don’t think I’d be doing anything new, but it gives me an excuse to fine tune my programming skills with something that interests me.  These of course would be for D&D (3.5 or 4e, or both depending on what I think I will be playing more of).  However, I have thought about doing Storytelling System versions.

Here are some things I was thinking about creating:

• Creature Crucible: Updatable creature catalog, monster creator, encounter builder, xp calculator
• Campaign Chronicler: Helps with the task of world building, adventure creation, and documentation
• Character Forge: Character generator & play log
• Game Nexus VTT: A virtual table top with dice and chat functions

This is really just a pipe dream, as I might get knee deep in one of these and hit the proverbial wall and give up, but I would like to at least attempt one or two.  I have [very] rough versions of the Creature Crucible and Campaign Chronicler already, that I use just for myself, but are limited and buggy.

What would be nice is to develop each one with the other in mind, as a suite of tools.  Create an XML schema that each one shares so information can be passed freely between the programs.  For example, you can import encounters or creatures created with the Creature Crucible into Game Nexus to run an online adventure, then export the game log to the Campaign Chronicler for inclusion into the campaign’s game notes.  Eh, we’ll see how motivated I am after I finish the few projects I already have started.

Listening to: Powerman 5000 – Tonight the Stars Revolt -When Worlds Collide

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Expect to see WoDO, or The World of Darkness Online, within 3-5 years as CCP/White Wolf is currently accruing talent to begin development on the new MMORPG.  No doubt many of you are aware of the merger of the two companies that happened almost two years ago exactly.

CCP being the developer of the popular EVE Online, “a player driven science fiction MMORPG where players pilot their customizeable ships through over five thousand galaxies” (Wikipedia).  And we all know White Wolf as the publisher of the Storytelling System of books that includes Vampire: the Requiem.

There was speak of producing RPG material for EVE, but I have yet to hear of anything solid.  And the big deal was that they confirmed an MMORPG version of White Wolf’s World of Darkness.  Bringing a persistent world for players of their Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, and other supernaturals.  If it is well executed, this may be the first time I try an MMO subscription, but we’ll have to see how it develops.

I know first hand they are beginning to hire, because I was contacted by a recruiter for a position with CCP/White Wolf.  I have declined to pursue the offer because 1) I am not a fan of the ridiculus work hours that you put in at a game development house and 2) I am not fond of Georgia, where the position is located.  CCP also has the jobs posted on their site if you are in the market.

Sorry for the short post, but I have been under the weather for a bit as well as working on some projects for the Labs.  Oh, time is getting close, I have a date at the Blogger’s Bloodbath.

Listening to: Anthrax – The Sound of White Noise -Black Lodge

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