The Boundary Waters Club (Player Characters)

This game is for 6-10 players.

Angella, the extrovert

Colleen, the nerd

Dashon, the seducer

Faris, the optimist

Jaren, the hero

Johanne, the pessimist

Kaimana, the introvert

Madeleine, the coward

Toni, the bully

Zaccary, the charmer

A. Outside the Cabin
The air is dark green. Far up in the sky, the clouds seem to be swirling in a vortex high up, directly above the cabin. There is rain coming down in sheets, and bolts of spectacular lightning illuminating the sky in brilliant flashes of violet. Through binoculars or through the lens of a camera, it is possible to see an unnatural pit of blackness at the heart of the vortex, through which stars appear to be shining. It does not take a meteorologist to confirm that there's something unnatural about this.

1. The Big Rock
The big rock is covered with peculiar hieroglypics. They resemble Mayan hieroglyphics. With a successful Archaeology check one can verify that they are not in fact Mayan. If, however, a comparison is made between the hieroglyphs on the big rock and the "Transcriptions of Hieroglyphs Found at the Beta Site, Coban," it is evident that they are of the same type.

2. The Boats
The Boats have all been vandalized, the bottoms smashed through so that they are no longer river-worthy.

3. The Bodies
There are four dead bodies lying twisted on the ground in front of the cabin. They are dressed in robes of scarlet and black, and have been horribly mangled, as though by some terrible animal. There is blood everywhere. Around each of their necks are hanging talismans with a strange symbol on it. With a successful Cthulhu Mythos check one can verify that this symbol was associated with the cult of Yog Sothoth.



4. The Campfire Site

5. The Dock
When the characters have wandered away from the docks as far as the campire site, they will hear a scraping noise by the docks. When they turn back, they will see shadows scattering into the nearby trees and across the river. Examination of the canoes will show that someone (or something) has torn great, gaping holes in the bottoms of their canoes.

6. The Outhouse
The outhouse appears ordinary enough. It is a single seater. There is roll of (almost used) toilet paper on a primitive toilet paper dispenser fastened to the wall. By shining a flashlight down through the hole into the septic pit six feet down, it will be possible to catch the glint of something shiny. Attempts to "fish" the object out automatically fail. The bench is not nailed down and can be removed, allowing someone to descend into the slippery, putrid pit and retrieve the shiny object. It is a key to the trapdoor under the rug in the cabin (B-11).

7. The Pennaker River
With the current, unnatural rains, the river is swollen and is rushing rapidly, much too rapidly for amateur canoeists to safely navigate it.

8. The Sauna

9. The Tool Shed
The toolshed contains a sledgehammer (STR x 2; d10+db; touch; 1 attack per round; 20 HPs), a crowbar (25%; d8+db; touch; 1 attack per round; 20 HPs), a saw, a fifty-foot length of heavy rope, a hammer, a box of 2-inch nails, and some shovels (25%; d8+db; touch; 1 attack per round; 20 HPs).

10. The Woods
Lurking in the darkness of the nearby woods are Spectral Hunters (see below). As long as there is daylight, they will not venture out of the woods until they have studied their prey for at least an hour, but at night they will lose their fear of entering the clearing, and will mercilessly kill anyone who strays more than a dozen feet from the cabin. The peak of the Temple of Yog-Sothoth with its ancient magical wards keeps them away from the cabin, though their Master will be arriving soon to break the wards and allow them to desecrate the temple of their vile enemy. In the meanwhile, they stalk the woods, ready to pounce upon any so foolish as to enter its shadows. As characters approach the woods, by making a successful Spot Hidden check they will see large, sinister shadows lurking on both sides of the river. As they continue to study the shadows, in flashes of lightning they will see the hideous faces, with saucer-like yellow eyes and shark-like mouths full of rows of teeth.

11. The Well

B. Inside the Cabin
The cabin is quite dilapidated. It looks like it is at least 100 years old, though there are signs of recent inhabitance in it. It's very dark inside the cabin, and impossible to see much anything without some sort of artificial illumination. The windows are black with dust, soot and grease.

1. The Armoir
Contains some clothes hangers and a few clothes, including trousers and shirts. On the floor are two pairs of men's boots. The shelf at the top is a hat.

2. The Bookshelf
The bookshelf contains no books of any importance. Mostly old American and European history texts, a few trashy paperback novels, and a couple of cookbooks.

3. The Bunkbeds

4. The Chairs

5. The Counter
The counter has two drawers. In the left drawer are 3 spare mantles for the kerosene lantern (B-10) and 6 candles (each of which will burn for 2 hours, and provides 10' of dim illumination). In the right drawer are cooking utensils, including a butcher knife, a seive, a serrated bread knife, and 4 wooden spoons. On a shelf under the counter are stacked various pots and pans.

6. The Desk
In the top center drawer of the deck is a thick magnifying glass.

7. The Loft
There are two mattresses in the loft. Stacked at the eastern edge of the loft are various dried goods, including a five-gallon cannister of flour, a five-gallon cannister of dried beans, a one-gallon cannister of lard, canned meats and vegetables, a small jar of salt, a small jar of pepper, and a small jar of baking powder.

8. The Mats

9. The Mirror
The mirror is held in a wooden frame. The back of the frame is held in place with two nails. The nails can be twisted to release the back from the frame. In between the back of the frame and the mirror is a small piece of paper with the following letters and numbers written on it: "R366L91R151L29." It is the combination to the safe (B-12). If anyone breaks the mirror, their Luck score is cut in half for the remainder of the game.

10. The Pillars
Hanging on a nail on the western pillar is a kerosene lantern, with sufficient fuel for three hours of light. The lantern will illuminate an area with radius of 30' brightly, and will dimly illuminate up to 30' beyond that. A successful operate light machinery check means a character is successfully able to light the lantern without breaking the mantle.
Hanging on a nail on the eastern pillar is a M1 Rifle (2d6+2; 110 yards; ½ attack/round; 8 bullets in gun; 00). The gun is loaded with 8 bullets. There are two full cartridges of guns hanging on another nail on the same pillar.

11. The Rug
The floor of the cabin is constructed of solid oak. Underneath the rug is a sturdy trap door with a heavy steel lock. The door has 50 HPs, and could be smashed open with the sledgehammer from the tool shed (A-9). The lock can be opened with the key from the outhouse (A-6). It can also by picked with a successful locksmith roll. The trap door opens into a crawl space underneath the floor.

The crawl space is 3½' high and 30' long by 30' wide. The floor is made of ancient, weathered stone. Directly beneath the trap door is a square stone door 3' x 3' with runes inscribed on it. There appears to have been a stone seal over the door which has been broken, the rubble of which is lying on the floor of the crawl space around the door. The runes are similar to those found on the big rock outside (A-1) and in the Copan Transcript. (Though no character will be able to interpret the runes, they tell the story of why the temple was sunk into the earth, sealed with protective wards, and its inhabitants committed suicide.) The stone door can be pried open with the crowbar from the tool shed (A-9) and moved with a successful STRx3 check.

The crawl space is pitch dark and infested with rats. If an investigator crawls more than five feet from the trap door without light, the rats will attack, doing 1 point of damage per round. If a bright light (such as the kerosene lantern [B-10]) is used to illuminate the crawl space, the rats will scatter into various small holes. If a dimmer light such as a flashlight is used, the rats will not flee, but will leave the light-bearing intruder alone. In the northwestern corner of the crawl space is a 70'-long rope ladder, wrapped up in a bundle. The ladder is equipped with a hook and loop for easy and secure fastening to the nearest pillar in the cabin.

There is a 60' drop from the opening in the stone floor to the floor of the Temple of Yog Sothoth below (C). It is pitch dark inside the temple.

If a rope is securely tied to the pillar nearest the trap door, about 10' of rope will be used between the pillar and the opening in the stone floor. Thus, for instance, a 50' rope attached to the pillar would end 20' above the floor of the temple. If the rope is lengthened by tying clothes or different gauge ropes together, there is a 50% chance of the knots coming undone when under stress. Make a Climb check for every 30' of rope descended or ascended. A character takes 2d6 damage for every 10' fallen (or fraction thereof). If a character makes a successful Jump check, they take 1d6 fewer points of damage. If the mattresses from the loft (B-7) are dropped to the floor of the temple below where the rope ends, the fall takes 1d6 less damage. A character must be able to see the bottom of the temple in order to attempt a Jump check or to land properly on mattresses.

12. The Safe
The safe can only be opened using the combination hidden inside the mirror (B-9). Inside the safe are two tomes, Transcriptions of Hieroglyphs Found at the Beta Site, Coban and the Diary of Balthazar (see below).

13. The Table
On the table is a deck of playing cards and three candles in candleholders, almost burned down (with about another 30 minutes worth of wax left in them). The playing cards can be used to cast an Augur spell, but not as effectively as a tarot deck. 33% chance that the spell will fail with the playing cards, in addition to the normal POW x 5 check. (See COC 5.6.1, pp. 191-192.)

14. The Stove
The stove is full of ashes, and a couple of half-burnt logs. At the very back of the stove, jammed behind the logs and partially obscured by the ashes is the Missing Portion of the Coban Beta Site Hieroglyphs (see below).

15. The Washbasin

16. The Wood Pile
There is a box of matches on the floor behind the wood pile.

C. Under the Cabin (Temple of Yog Sothoth)

1. The Canopic Jars
On each sarcophagus (C-6) is a heavy, stone jar approximately six inches in diameter and ten inches tall, with an airtight, stone lid. The lid has a small protruberance with an eye at the top, through which leather straps have been looped and are wrapped tightly around the jars so as to fasten the lids to the jars. Both the jars and the leather straps appear quite ancient. The leather straps are deteriorated and can be easily broken and removed, so as to allow the jars to be opened freely. If the jars are opened, they will pop slightly as air rushes into the slight vacuum inside the jars. The jars are half-filled with a noxious, greenish-brown, viscous fluid that, if exposed, emits a nauseating stench. Any character in the temple at the time a jar is opened must make a CONx5 check, or be too nauseated to do anything for 1d4 minutes.

The fluid contains the life essence of the ancient, alien beings who once ruled a great subterranean city, in which this temple is the uppermost room. The fluid in each canopic jar corresponds to the mummified remains in the sarcophagus on which it rests (C-6). If the fluid touches any organic matter, living or dead, the entire quantity of fluid will immediately flow into the matter and possess it. Thus, pouring the liquid onto one of the mummies will bring the mummy back to life, animated with the soul in the life-essence liquid. If a human being touches the liquid, it will flow into the human and take over his or her body.

Any player touching the liquid must make a resistance check, with their POW as the passive characteristic against the POW of the entity who is trying to possess them (16). Failure means that the character is possessed by the soul of the entity. Sanity loss from the shock of coming into such sudden, immediate contact with an alien intelligence: d4/d20).

If their mummies are revived or if they come into possession of a human subject, the Yaddithians will immediately attempt to revive their companions, and will try to take any non-Yaddithians in the temple captive, to use for suitable sacrifices in order to operate the altar. See Denizens of Yaddith, below.

2. The Crystalline Skull
The skull is enormous, about the size of the head of an elephant. It appears to have been carved from crystal. If indeed it was carved, it was clearly not modeled from a human or any other commonly known terrestrial animal. If a character comes within 10' of the skull, it will begin to glow faintly with a violet light that seems to emanate from somewhere inside the skull. Sanity loss from the sight of the Crystalline Skull lighting up suddenly as one comes into close proximity with it: 0/1. The closer one comes to the skull the brighter and whiter it glows, until one comes close enough to touch it, when the light becomes blinding to whomever is near it, and will brightly illuminate the entire sanctuary. In such close proximity to the skull, one begins to feel sinister vibrations from it, energies that pulsate out of it and vibrate through one's whole being. Sanity loss from feeling the vibrations: 0/d4. The skull is a portal for receiving revelations from the deity. Anyone touching the skull will come into immediate psychic contact with Yog Sothoth, experiencing a rush of horrific, mind-bending visions, and immediately being confronted with the meaninglessness and despair of one's own existence. Sanity loss from touching the Crystalline Skull: d10/d100.

3. The Groove in the Floor
The pentagonal groove in the floor is about an inch wide and an inch deep, and is encrusted with a dark brown substance. At the bottom of the groove is a fresher, reddish substance. The floor inside of the groove appears slightly convex, so that any liquid spilled on the altar side of the groove would run into the groove. The floor inside the groove appears to be stained with a dark brown substance similar to that inside the groove. A successful Biology check will confirm that the substance in the groove is dried and fresh human blood. Sanity loss from realizing that there is human blood around the altar: 0/1.

4. The Landing Place (below the trap door, marked by an "X")
Descending into the temple straight down from the opening in the crawl space (B-11), one will land directly in front of the Star Altar (C-7).

5. The Runestones
There are a total of 20 crystals resting on the Star Altar (C-7) in small indentations that appear to have been carved specially for them. Like the Crystal Skull, they glow brighter as living beings come in close proximity to them, though they never glow brighter than about the brightness of a candle, and always glow only a cool shade of violet. The runes can be picked up and held, and have no effect on the holder other than to transmit a tingling feeling to the skin and giving a slight sense of vertigo. Other than that, they appear to be plain, undifferentiated crystals. It is only by examining the crystals more closely under a magnifying glass that one can see the very delicate markings on the facets of the crystals. A successful Archaeology check will reveal that the markings are very similar to the ancient Mayan numerical system. An examination of all twenty stones will reveal that each one has a unique digit scratched on it, from zero through nineteen.

By arranging the stones in particular positions on the Star Altar (C-7), it is possible to open and close various portals, or produce other magical effects. (See Balthazar's Diary and the Missing Portion of the Copan Beta Site Manuscript, below.)

The rune stones are currently arranged in the configuration found in Balthazar's Diary. When the stones are arranged in the configuration of the Missing Portion, the skull at the center of the altar will turn toward the person closest to it and begin to glow with an intense violet light. Once the requisite sacrifice is made, either by spilling 12 HPs of blood from a single human sacrifice into the groove, or pouring the contents of one of the canopic jars into the groove, the Portal in the sky above the cabin will close (see D, below).

6. The Sarcophagi
Inside each sarcophagus is the mummified corpse of a Yaddithian. Sanity loss from the sight of the alien corpse: 0/d6.

A corpse will be revived if it is touched by the life-essence fluid from one of the canopic jars (C-1). Sanity loss for seeing an alien corpse come back to life: 1/d10.

If revived, see Denizens of Yaddith, below.

7. The Star Altar
This is a large stone altar in the shape of a pentagram, about 4' high, and with a radius of 10' from the center of the altar to the tip of each arm of the pentagram. At the center of the altar is situated a huge crystalline skull.
Next to the altar is the naked corpse of a human male. Examination of the corpse reveals that the throat, wrists, Achilles tendons, and chest appear to have been ritually slit, so that the blood would drain out of the body into the groove in the floor surrounding the altar (C-3), filling it with blood. A successful Medicine check can verify that the body was killed earlier the same day. (About the same time that the mysterious storm began.)

D. Epilogue
If, by nightfall (around 9:30 p.m. in northern Minnesota in August), our intrepid party have failed to close the portal, Azathothian mages will arrive through the portal and break the spells of protection on the Temple of Yog-Sothoth. The Spectral Hunters will have their prey!

If, on the other hand, they succeed in closing the portal, as suddenly as it appeared, the strange storm in the sky will disappear, the sinister shadows in the surrounding woods will fade, and peace will return to the north woods. Our intrepid heroes will be left to reflect on the price they have paid to prevent something terrible from happening!

The Extraterrenes

Yaddithians
Characteristics: STR 17, CON 13, SIZ 14, INT 20, POW 16, DEX 11; HP: 14; Move: 8; Damage bonus: +1d4; Weapons: Claw 30% (1d6+db); Armor: 2 (chitinous shell); Spells: Call / Dismiss Yog Shothoth, Chant of Thoth, Contact Denizen of Yaddith, Create Gate, Create Time Gate, Dominate, Liquid Ka; Sanity Loss: 0/d6. (See Creature Companion, pp. 53-54.)

If a human is possessed by the life essence of one of the Yaddithians, they will have the same STR, CON, SIZ, HP, db, but will be possessed by the consciousness of the Yaddithian, with its INT, POW, and DEX. If the body of a revived Yaddithian or a possessed human subject is killed, the life essence will leak out of the dead body, and will not be able to revivify or possess any being for at least one day.

Yaddithians are very susceptible to high-pitched music. A successful Art (Oboe) or Art (Recorder) check will prevent them from attacking for one round, and will give them -10%.


Spectral Hunters
Characteristics: STR 21, CON 8, SIZ 19, INT 13, POW 18, DEX 11; HP: 14; Move: 8; Damage bonus: +1d6; Weapons: Pincer 50% (1d6+db), Bite 30% (3d6); Armor: 1 (hide); No spells; Sanity Loss: 1/d6+2. Can attack once per round, with pincer or bite. When not exposed to sunlight, the Spectral Hunters can turn invisible at will, lowering an opponent's chances of striking them by 90%. While invisible, they also become immaterial, making them immune to non-magical damage, and increasing their chances of hitting an opponent by 20%. The Hunters cannot survive without their connection to their home Temple of Azathoth on the other side of the portal. (See Creature Companion, pp. 44-45.)

Tomes

Transcriptions of Hieroglyphs Found at the Beta Site, Coban
The title on the cover, and the inscription on the title page indicating that the manuscript dates from 1966 and is the property of the University of New Mexico, are in typescript. There is a brief introduction explaining that in 1964, a new temple was discovered near Coban, Guatemala. Though it bore superficial similarities to other Mayan temples in the region, there were disturbing differences. More importantly, the sacrificial chamber of the temple was filled with hieroglyphs that were clearly not Mayan in origin. There were some hieroglyphs that did appear to be Mayan, including a number of pentagonal diagrams including Mayan numerals. What follows is a transcription of the hieroglyphs as they appeared on the temple walls. The back cover and a number of pages appear to have been torn off. (B-12.)

A number of pages are devoted to diagrams of elaborately embellished pentagrams, with Mayan numerals in the corners. These appear to correspond to a number of diagrams in the "Diary of Balthazar" (see below), which can be confirmed by a successful Archaeology check.

The "Diary of Balthazar"
The majority of the diary is scrawled in a rather spindly, labored hand. The more recent entries appear erratic and hurried. The author of the diary refers constantly to an individual named "Balthazar." Only gradually reading the diary does it become apparent that "Balthazar" is the author of the diary, referring to himself in the third person.

The first entry in the diary, dated July 1, describes how Balthazar has managed to put his hands on a manuscript from the University of New Mexico that holds much promise for unlocking the secrets of the "Temple of our Lord."

Entries after that describe Balthazar's gathering of the "requisite coven of five," returning to the cabin, opening the "seal" of the temple, and continuing, less successful efforts to translate the "Copan manuscript."

The last entry to be written in the "tidy" hand, dated August 10 expresses Balthazar's extreme frustration at being unable to translate the manuscript. "The stars are moving into their proper positions, but we will be unready. I must do something desperate and bold. I will dare to touch the skull and make direct contact with Our Lord." All entries after that are written in the "erratic" hand.

The next entry, no date, says, "Eureka! Praise be to the One in All and the All in One! Our Mighty and Hungry Lord has revealed the Secrets of the Universe to me! I have communed directly with his mind! I can now read the Sacred Texts and comprehend their secrets as if they were written for children! All Power and Glory to Blessed and Pure Yog Sothoth!!! He hungers for blood, and the blood of millions is not too little for his great hunger! For Union with Him it is a small price."

The next entry, no date, says, "So says the Holy Text, the correct configuration for opening the Highway of our Lord is this as follows."



The following entry, more erratic than ever, and no date, says, "A Confusing Spirit took hold of me, but I shook it off. The clarity has returned. This Spirit of Vile Weakness and Confusion convinced me to transcribe the configuration needed to close the Highway. But now that the Light of Truth shines again in my mind, I will burn the transcription, and the filthy portion of the manuscript I drew it from. For once the Glorious Gate is open and the Highway traversed, we shall have no need ever again to close it! Praise be to the One in All and the All in One!"

The next entry, no date, says, "I have found a provision in the sacred text: 'no portal can be opened or closed without the sacrifice of a soul by the shedding of blood.' It is indeed unfortunate. We do not have the time to find the requisite victim, so it will have to be Dimitrius. I have taken the others into my counsel, and they agree. It is just as well, for Dmitrius' faith seems to have been wavering lately."

The next to last entry is clearly dated, with the date circled and underlined, August 17. "The stars are right! The time will be at noon!"

The final entry says, "Marcus and Jonathan are wavering now too. They say that the Servants come through the portal are not servants of our Lord Yog Sothoth and that they mean to kill us. O ye of little faith! We will go forth to make the necessary offering of peace, and then we shall be welcomed into the bliss of our Lord!"

The Missing Portion of the Coban Beta Site Hieroglyphs
The pages have been charred around the edges. Apparently the manuscript was too moist when someone attempted to burn it. On the first page is another pentagram diagram, the last one in the whole set of transcriptions. (B-14.) This is, in fact, the formula for closing the portal. Folded and tucked into the missing portion is the following hand-drawn diagram:



A successful Archaeology check will confirm that the numerals in the hand-drawn diagram correspond to the Mayan numerals in the diagram in the manuscript. To see a comparison of the diagrams, click here.

Spells

Liquid Ka
The life essence of the individual undergoing the spell is transferred to a liquid, which can then be transferred to any living or dead organic matter. Dead organic matter will automatically be reanimated by the liquid ka. Living organic matter makes a resistance check, with the POW of the liquified entity opposed by the POW of the being being attacked. A being possessed by this liquid ka keeps its all physical characteristics and attacks, but gains the INT, POW, DEX, memories, consciousness and any known spells of the liquified entity.

If a corpse is revived through the reinfusion of liquid ka or an individual possessed the liquid ka is killed, the life essence will leak out of the dead body, and will not be able to revivify or possess any being for at least one day.

Items

Flashlights
Flashlights will brightly illuminate an area directly in front of the flashlight of about ten feet, and will dimly illuminate another twenty feet beyond that.