Beyond the Mountains of Madness
In 1931, Miskatonic University fielded a historic expedition to the uncharted wastes of Antarctica. Carrying the latest advances in drilling equipment the group, made up of some of the institution's brightest minds, sought to unravel the geologic mysteries of the forbidding continent. Following a route suggested by biologist Percy Lake, the expedition discovered an immense mountain range, never before seen by human eyes and at its base, a cave filled with well preserved fossils, some of which were life forms that had never been encountered before. The find promised to alter the understanding of prehistoric life on this planet. For a time, the entire world waited with bated breath for news of the group's next finding.
Then tragedy struck.
The world would hear that a terrible polar storm had laid waste to the camp, its fury having killed the men and their animals, scattering their remains across the icy plain. The few survivors of the expedition never spoke of the horrific condition of the bodies they found or of their awful suspicions regarding the fossils that were missing. Neither William Dyer nor Paul Danforth, the two men who crossed the primeval mountains by plane, have ever spoken of what they actually found there, of the terrors they encountered in a city forgotten by time.
It is 1933. The world famous adventurer and explorer James Starkweather and noted geologist William Moore are gathering a team of experts for a new expedition into the unexplored Antarctic reaches. Their goals are to recover the remains of the lost members of the Miskatonic venture, to cross the forbidding peaks and to explore and chart what lies on the other side. The press is buzzing with excitement over the new endeavor and Starkweather has stated publicly that as well equipped as his team will be, failure is an impossibility.
None know the horrors that await them beyond that ancient mountain range.
Estimated Members Requested: 6
Game Description:
Beyond the Mountains of Madness is a campaign for Call of Cthulhu, the events of which serve as a sequel to H.P. Lovecraft's short novel, At the Mountains of Madness. Players will take on the roles of members of the Starkweather-Moore expedition to Antarctica, seeking to solve the mysteries of the prior expedition's fate and the riddles of the frozen continent's lost history.
The game will utilize the 6th edition Call of Cthulhu rules. Characters will be created by the method summarized on pages 36 and 37 of the 6th edition rulebook. Individuals having access to The 1920's Investigator's Companion are welcome to use the character creation options given in that book. Players may also make use of the methods given in the "Alternate Ways" box on page 41 of the rulebook to best insure that they create a character that closely matches their concept. Given some of the physical challenges imposed by the icy continent, players are encouraged to provide their characters with skills that will enable them to function within the challenging Antarctic environment.
