The Horror in the Mine

a scenario for Call of Cthulhu by Christian Conkle
e-mail: conkle@mecha.com
http://www.mecha.com/~conkle
(Time= January, 1920. Place= Cheshire Peak, Massachussetts.)

Mysterious disappearaces have plagued the small town of Cheshire Peak, Massachussetts since its founding 175 years ago. The disappearances seem to occur in 15 year cycles and have remained unsolved and mostly ignored. The townspeople say the mountain, for which the town is named, is haunted. the cycle has begun again with the disappearances of 6 townspeople living near the peak.

Coincidently, a foreign mining operation, which has recently begun excavation on the side of the mountain, reports finding a strange basaltic monument of some sort in a collapsed cave. Intrigued, Miskatonic University sends an academic team to the site to investigate the monument and the surrounding Geology.

What the investigative team finds in the mine is far from ordinary academia. What the find there is an ancient Hyperborean burial chamber, sealed for eions and preserved intact. Intact, that is, except for the intrusion of a pod of four Ghasts. Their tunnels have riddled this mountain. The Ghasts normally feed on small animals living on the mountain, but occasionally, they stray beyond the mountain for more delectable human prey. the team must fend off the Ghasts, then explore the mysteries of the burial chamber itself. Their investigative foray is cut off, however, by Marcus Henry (or one of the team) when he removes the fabulous Orb of Thalamulet from its pedastal. This activates an antedilluvian trap which quickly floods the chamber with boiling water. Only the fittest will survive The Horror in the Mine!

Event 1: Arrival in the Town. The townspeople are panicked by the recent wave of disappearances. They will help the investigators any way they can with information or aid.

Event 2:The Mine. Thomas Sean McGuire has his team already organized when the investigators arrive. The investigators are introduced to all the members of the team. They will begin immediately. The mountain, itself, is apparently riddled with tunnels caused by Geothermal activity. Steam rises from several vents on the side of the mountain. Perkins will navigate, warning when there might be danger.

Event 3: The Statue. The Statue resembles a basalt Obelisk with a ball attached to the top. There is a large Basalt slab that is cracked on one side and steam is venting out. Through some effort (strength checks) the slab can be moved aside, releasing the steam and revealing a tunnel. Perkins checks it out and gives the go-ahead.

Event 4: The Stairs. After exploring the cave (climb checks, possibly strength and dexterity checks), the investigators find a large spiral staircase carved out of rock leading down a vertical cylinder. Steam rises up the center of the shaft, condensating on the ceiling of the cave and dripping down in large "spacks" far below. There is an unearthly glow at the bottom of the shaft.

Event 5: The Chamber. At the bottom of the shaft the investigators find a large chamber carved out of the basalt. There is a large recessed pool of boling water in the center of the chamber which covers the ceiling with a layer of swirling steam. On the opposite end of the chamber are a wide set of stairs leading to a burial temple carved into the wall. The glowing Orb of Thalamulet hovers above a small obelisk of stone. Behind the team, hidden in the rocks of the collapsed wall (spot hidden check), are 4 sleeping Ghasts. If the team makes much noise or moves quickly about, they awaken and will leap out of the rocks to attack.

Event 6: The Betrayal. After the fight with the Ghasts, the team may explore (spot hidden, archeaology checks). They may find a trap door behind the temple and it's mummified remains. It leads to a treasure trove lined with gold, swords, and armor from thousands of years before the Egyptians. At that moment, Marcus Henry (who elected to stay outside, or snuck away) steals the Orb of Thalamulet, causing the boiling water in the pool to overflow and begin to flood the chamber. Anyone hesitating for a moment will be trapped by the boiling water. The team must now rush to escape (making dexterity, stamina, or any other physical checks) or be caught in the destruction. If they make it out alive, the witness the boiling water erupt from the mouth of the mine and explode into steam, collapsing the mine and the cave system forever.

Outcome: The Mine should be destroyed. The mining company may opt to sue Miskatonic U. but will fail. The orb and the burial chamber should pique the interest of the players and characters into the history of the Hyperboreans. This adventure leads seamlessly into the next: The Temple of the Toad.

Map of the Tunnels.

Max Perkins, Spelunker.

Str=18 Con=17 Siz=15 Int= 9 Pow= 7 Dex=12 App=18 Edu=10 San=35 HP= 17
Skills: Climb 95%, Orienteering 25%, Jump 80%, Geology 30%
Max is a dashing cave explorer. He was hired by the mining company to explore the cave but is unaware of anything supernatural.

Thaddeus Larson, Archaeologist.

Str=14 Con= 9 Siz=10 Int=18 Pow=11 Dex=12 App=15 Edu=18 San=55 HP=11
Skills: Archaeology 95%, History 85%, Geology 50%, Climb 45%
Thaddeus is a dedicated academician but rarely gets out into the real world. He is interested in anything found but will protest any disturbances.

Marcus Henry, Miner.

Str=15 Con=18 Siz=17 Int=8 Pow=7 Dex=11 App=16 Edu=4 San=35 HP=16
Skills: Climb 80%, Jump 70%, Listen 50%, Mechanical Repair 30%
Marcus is the only miner brave enough to enter the cave. He believes that whatever is plaguing the town is in the cave and means to stop it. Once he enters the burial chamber and sees the orb, he sees a quick means to get out of his present position and make something of himself. He steals the orb and attempts a getaway.

Thomas Sean McGuire, Mine owner.

Str=10 Con=11 Siz=14 Int=18 Pow=16 Dex=13 App=12 Edu=19 San=80 HP=10
Skills: Accounting 95%, Credit Rating 90%, Bargain 90%, Law 50%
Thomas Sean McGuire is the bigoted mine owner. He was born and raised in Ireland and speaks with a heavy accent. He is a skeptic and will attempt to discount any claims of the supernatural. He views the finding of the statue to be a nusiance and wishes to resume digging his new mine.

The Orb of Thalamulet

The orb of Thalamulet is a glowing ball created by the Hyperorean sorcerors to propell them through time and space. It floats above a basalt obelisk carved with Hyperborean glyphs and runes. Basically a "Create Time Warp" spell. It was buried with the Hyperborean mummies in this cavern. The orb grants an additional +5% to Cthulhu Mythos and skill checks in Archaeology and Read Hyperborean.