Terror From the Deep

## HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In 1845, Sir John Franklin departed England with the HMS *Erebus* and *Terror* to search for the Northwest Passage. His party never returned.

In 2016, the wreck of the HMS *Terror* was found off King William Island - 100km south of its reported resting place. Parks Canada announced its intent to explore the wreck during the following summer, conditional on the approval of the Nunavut government.

## M-EPIC

M-Section has long suspected a paranormal factor in the loss of the Franklin expedition. *Erebus*, explored in 2015, yielded no clues. The Director hopes her sister ship can finally solve this mystery.

Personnel from the Whitehorse office are embedded in Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team as “ecological observers". Officially EPIC’s presence is to “investigate residual lead sources” and “document any possible contamination”. Their real mission is the usual one; investigate, contain, cover up.

The first dive is April 24th, 2017. The Handler should give SCUBA Training to any Officers who do not have it.

## KING WILLIAM ISLAND

The hamlet of Gjoa Haven is reached by charter plane from Cambridge Bay, NU. Cell coverage is nearly nonexistent this far north. The only reliable communication to M-EPIC is through satellite phone.

Parks Canada (see **DRAMATIS PERSONAE**) has set up directly on the ice of Terror Bay. Their camp consists of tents, and a heated trailer with a diesel generator.

## ON THE ICE

Dives are scheduled each morning, with the possibility of a second in the afternoon. Two UAT divers are below at any time, with the other two standing by in case of emergency. Encourage the Officers to all dive together, as there is little to do while remaining above.

## BELOW

Between heavy layers and freezing temperatures, each dive is exhausting; non-swimming physical actions are at -20%, and any character below for at least an hour loses d4 Willpower.

Access to the wreck is through a manmade opening in the bay ice. This means the divers cannot rely on surface umbilicals, instead carrying two hours oxygen and a twenty-minute emergency tank. Communication with the surface is by radio, through facemask microphones/speakers and grainy head-mounted cameras. Beneath the ice is dark, and visibility is poor even with lighting.

## HMS TERROR

The ship is intact, which is surprising given its age. It lies on its side, half buried in silt and overgrown with kelp. The aft cabin windows are more broken than not, but too small to enter. **Alertness** 40% finds an unusual abundance of sea life in the area. Some distance away is a ship’s boat, one of three. It was not with *Terror* when she went down.

Each deck takes an hour to search fully. *Terror* contains many artifacts of mundane archaeological significance; they are not documented here.

## WEATHERDECK

Only the stern ladderway is open; swimmers can pass through one at a time with a **Swim** check(failure gets stuck and must be assisted; **0/1 Helplessness** but otherwise unharmed). **Alertness** 40% finds deep gouges on the inside in parallel groups of four. **Forensics** 40% notes that the hatch was forced open.

## LOWER DECK

Kelp grows everywhere inside the ship, even areas that receive no sunlight. In the ship's mess is a human skeleton of prodigious size (see **THE SKELETON**). Along the stern sides, the sickbay and officers’ cabins. In the stern cabin, **Search** finds a tin box soldered shut and sealed with canvas and tar. Inside is the logbook of Captain Francis Crozier. (see **THE LOG**).

## HOLD

Where coal would be stored there are bones, heaped in piles (see **BONES**)

When the Officers return, secretly make **POW** rolls. Anyone who fails is unusually hungry at next meal; as is O'Connell.

## THE SKELETON

Nearly complete, and easily mistaken for a large human. Standing height would have been at least seven feet, though more likely it adopted a hunched posture. **Biology** 20% notes heavy limbs and broad shoulders suggesting powerful musculature. **Forensics** 40% finds skull and rib fractures suggesting bullet wounds, and knife marks consistent with de-fleshing. Any genetic analysis is inconclusive.

## BONES

All human. Thorough genetic analysis isolates twelve individuals, all European male. **Forensics** 40% finds breakage, pot-polishing, and knife marks consistent with de-fleshing. **Medicine** 40% finds pitting and scaling indicative of Vitamin C deficiency.

## THE LOG

*In English*. Study time: days. *Occult +5%*, *History +5%*, SAN loss 1d4.

The majority of Crozier’s log merely confirms history. It describes the initial voyage, the crew’s wintering on Beechey Island, and the ships subsequently becoming trapped in the ice. Crozier briefly mentions Franklin’s death - mauled by an “arctic ape” - and his decision not to mention it in his report to the Admiralty for fear of not being believed.

After this point Crozier’s writing becomes more unhinged. The dates are often misspelled or wrong. Bearings are inconsistent. Some entries are written as letters to his family.

In 1849 Crozier and thirty men abandon the rest of the surviving crew “to their barbarism” - he does not elaborate. Their party return to the *Terror* in the hopes of sailing her south to Hudson’s Bay. They are hunted and harassed by an unknown party. By the time they reach the *Terror* they are less than twenty.

The final entry is made shortly after. Crozier says only that he is storing the log out of sight “in case hunger should claim us before we set sail".

## WEATHER

At dinner day 1, weather forecasts show a heavy storm moving towards the Island. It is expected to last several days. Dr. Watson overrules any discussion of leaving; departing to wait out the storm would use up their time and could mean coming back next year.

Dives continue on day 2, despite worsening conditions above. MacKenzie and O'Connell dive in the afternoon. Keep them separate from the Officers; after an hour all radio and video goes dead - even the Officers (**0/1 Unnatural**). It returns a few minutes later, except for O’Connell; MacKenzie is floating unconscious. No matter where they look O'Connell cannot be found before the divers exhaust their air.

When brought to the surface, MacKenzie regains consciousness. He remembers nothing before being knocked out.

By supper the camp is in whiteout. Satellite phones now function only with a **Luck** roll each hour. O'Connell is assumed dead.

On Day 3 O'Connell is found near the Terror, completely naked. **First Aid** or **Medicine** 20% finds he is, miraculously, alive (0/1 **Unnatural**). If brought somewhere warm and examined with **Medicine** or **Biology** 40%, he shows no symptoms of hypoxia or even minor frostbite, and rapidly recovers. He remembers nothing, reports no pain or discomfort aside from extreme hunger. Remind any Officers who failed their POW tests that their stomachs too feel empty.

A thorough medical examination of O’Connell show high levels of lead.

O'Connell goes missing that night, as does a random member of the crew. Searching is difficult in the blizzard, but a **Search**, **Forensics** or **Survival** roll spots a trail of fresh blood leading away from camp. Following it finds the dismembered remains of the missing camp crew (**0/1 Violence**); **Forensics** or **Medicine** 40% suggest they were partially eaten though the marks are consistent with no known arctic predator.

Searches during Day 4 turn up nothing. Unless the Officers take action, Dr. Watson goes missing in the night and O'Connell is never found.

If the Officers set an ambush or go hunting, they encounter a misshapen ape-like humanoid with leathery skin and empty eyesockets (see **THE GOURMAND**).

The Gourmand is an intelligent and patient hunter. If the Officers are separated it will pick them off one at a time, using its superior speed to withdraw if threatened. If the Officers group together it will lead them away from camp, then double back to feed on undefended NPCs. It is not a ghoul, nor a wendigo or anything else M-Section has documented. If killed, examination of the remains suggest it is, or was, human. Genetic analysis yields a partial match to O’Connell, if the Officers somehow have a sample from him; also a partial match to its victims, and the skeleton.

Whether or not the Officers encounter the Gourmand, the UAT expedition leaves the afternoon of day 5. Any survivors from the camp will publish their account unaltered unless the Officers prevent it. If successful  - and if any crew survived - the Handler may share the official accounts of the *Terror* dives.

## DRAMATIS PERSONAE

***John MacKenzie**, **Samuel O'Connell**, **Katherine Bouchard** **(Divers)***

**STR** 10 **CON** 12 **DEX** 10

**INT** 12 **POW** 10 **CHA** 12

**HP** 11 **WP** 10

**SKILLS**: Swim 50%, Search 50%, First Aid 50%

MacKenzie and O'Connell are former fishermen from Newfoundland. Bouchard joined Parks Canada straight out of UBC.

***MS René Laforge (RCN diver)***

**STR** 10 **CON** 14 **DEX** 10

**INT** 10 **POW** 14 **CHA** 10

**HP** 12 **WP** 14

**SKILLS**: Swim 60%, Alertness 60%, Athletics 60%, Demolitions 60%, Firearms 60%

**ATTACKS**: Unarmed 40% (1d4), P-35/medium pistol 60% (1d10)

Unaware of M-EPIC but has orders to obey the Officers “in the event of an emergency”.

***Dr. Julia Watson (UAT expedition leader)***

**STR** 10 **CON** 10 **DEX** 10

**INT** 14 **POW** 14 **CHA** 10

**HP** 10 **WP** 14

**SKILLS**: Bureaucracy 60%, Persuade 60%, Archaeology 60%, Forensics 60%

An accomplished archaeologist employed full-time by Parks Canada. Ambitious and not in the habit of being told “no”.

***Prof. Kirima Annogaq (Anthropologist, University of Toronto)***

**STR** 10 **CON** 10 **DEX** 10

**INT** 12 **POW** 10 **CHA** 12

**HP** 10 **WP** 10

**SKILLS**: Anthropology 50%, Occult 50%, HUMINT 50%, History 60%, Firearms 40%

Parents are survivors of the Residential Schools. Mistrusts anyone from the federal government.

***Other Camp Personnel***

12 in relevant stats, 10 in all others

40% in relevant skills, base in all others

The remaining camp workers consist of two technicians, a medic, and a second anthropologist/archaeologist. Their names, personalities and skills are not crucial to the scenario.

***The Gourmand***

**STR** 24 **CON** 24 **DEX** 15

**INT** 12 **POW** 13

**HP** 24 **WP** 13

**ARMOR**: See **RESILIENT**

**SKILLS**: Alertness 70%, Athletics 80%, Swim 90%, Stealth 90%, Track (by heat) 65%, Unnatural 40%.

**ATTACKS**: Chitinous talons 40%, damage 1d8 AP 3,

Bite 40%, damage 1d10+2 (see RIP AND TEAR)

**INHUMAN AGILITY**: With a successful Athletics or Swim roll, the Gourmand can leap five meters in any direction from a standing position, dash five meters through water from a standstill, scale any vertical surface, or drop up to 15 meters without damage. At top speed, the Gourmand can run or swim nearly 60 kph.

**RESILIENT**: A successful Lethality attack does not destroy the Gourmand, but inflicts damage equal to the lethality rating.

**RIP AND TEAR**: After a successful Bite attack, the Gourmand grasps its victim and may inflict additional bite damage each round without an attack roll. The Gourmand may take no other actions while **RIPPING AND TEARING** a victim. The victim may attempt to break free with an opposed STR test each round as an action.

**SIGHTLESS**: The Gourmand perceives the world through some unknown sense akin but superior to sight. Stealth checks against it are at -20%, and its “vision” is unimpaired by darkness, fog, smoke, rain or snow.

**WARM FEAST**: Consuming fresh human flesh immediately restores 1d6 HP to the Gourmand. This may be a recently-killed corpse (as an action), or a living victim (as part of **RIP AND TEAR**).

**VEINS OF ICE**: The Gourmand does not breathe, and is unaffected by subzero temperatures.

**SAN LOSS**: 1/1d6

## Credits

Terror From the Deep was written by Will Roy for the 2017  shotgun scenario contest.

Published by arrangement with the Delta Green Partnership. The intellectual property known as Delta Green is a trademark and copyright owned by the Delta Green Partnership, who has licensed its use here. The contents of this document are © Will Roy, excepting those elements that are components of the Delta Green intellectual property.

Terror From the Deep is not available here under CC-BY-SA.