Operation VERDANT TUNDRA
By Cassandra
An operation taking place in central Greenland during September.
The Briefing
The Agents are informed by their Handler that they are going to Greenland. A three-person geological survey team from Orel Minerals, a privately-owned Canadian mining and petrochemical concern, has missed two consecutive radio check-ins. Their last transmission indicated they had discovered a previously-unknown cave containing ‘misshapen’ human remains.
Their last known location was approximately 140 miles northeast of a US National Science Foundation research station. This has afforded Delta Green a limited window to investigate and contain the situation ahead of the involvement of the Canadian, Greenlandic, or Danish authorities.
The Agents will assume the identities of a US Coastguard Search-and-Rescue team. Their mission is simple: ascertain the fate of the Orel Minerals team and eliminate any evidence of the unnatural.
The Truth
The Orel expedition has stumbled upon a temple to Itla-Shua and its leader has already undergone partial transformation into a Wendigo. He wants others to join him, and will feed them human flesh if given the chance.
Timeline
(all listed times are UTC -2:00)
Day Zero:
- 08:00 Orel team checks in as normal.
- 13:30 Orel team discovers cave mouth and investigates.
- 14:00 Orel team leader Mike Miller reports the discovery of human remains with misshapen feet in final contact with Hayworth Station
- 16:00 Rockfall kills Julian Earles and injures Hank Trevino.
- 20:00 First check-in missed. USCG notified of a possible emergency situation. Delta Green alerted to potential unnatural involvement.
Day One:
- 08:00 Second check-in missed. USCG notified. Delta Green launches Operation VERDANT TUNDRA.
- 19:00 Agents arrive at Hayworth Station.
- 20:00 Third check-in missed.
Day Two:
- 08:00 Fourth check-in missed. Agents depart Hayworth Station.
- 12:00 Agents arrive at the Orel camp
Arrival
The Hayworth Station consists of a single-story building raised on stilts above the ice, which contains the living, sleeping, office space, and indoor laboratory. There are also several outbuildings, including a garage, fuel depot, supply store, and radio mast.
The station is only practically reachable by skiplane, using the base’s snow runway. The nearest settlement is 250 miles away. If any Agent has Pilot [Airplane] at or above 40%, they may fly the skiplane that brings the Agents to Hayworth Station. If not, add a DG-Friendly charter pilot (Pilot [Airplane] 60%) to the roster of NPCs.
The Base
Agents are greeted by Site Supervisor Imogen Brewer. She has been told that a rescue team is coming, and has no cause for suspicion unless the Agents give her any. She readily assists the agents in any way that does not endanger her facility or its personnel.
Two of the base personnel aid the pilot in tethering down the plane, whilst Brewer leads the others to the ‘Big House’. Once inside, she takes off the ski-mask and tinted goggles worn by anyone spending more than a few minutes outside, and offer everyone a warm drink. Hot chocolate in-hand, she shares the following information:
- Hayworth Station has capacity for 30 personnel, with 7 currently on-base.
- The Orel team has been in the area for several weeks, and had checked in at 08:00 and 20:00 as scheduled since arriving in the station’s area of responsibility.
- The station maintains a small fleet of snowmobiles, several tracked snow-movers, and a single four-wheel drive modified for arctic conditions. She freely offers the use of several snowmobiles, but only offers the car on a successful Persuade roll.
This is an opportunity for Agents with Survival or Military Science [Land] to shine, as a successful roll (or rating of ≥50%) is sufficient to plan the rescue operation. If no Agents have the necessary skills, or fail their rolls, then Brewer can draw up a plan. This makes her suspicious if the Agents fail to prevent a convincing explanation for their shortcomings.
The Rescue
A snowmobile comfortably carries two people each, driver and passenger, along with a sled. One sled carries enough supplies for two snowmobiles and four riders. An empty sled can carry one passenger, or two corpses.
The car (if obtained) can carry enough fuel and supplies to cover the entire trip, as well as a driver and up to four passengers.
Allow the Agents to work out how many vehicles they take, though if there isn’t enough passenger space factored on for the three rescuees, then Brewer reprimands them and becomes suspicious of their credentials.
She advises it is too late in the day to mount a rescue attempt. There are two bunkrooms in the Big House, one that houses the permanent staff and a larger room for summertime visitors, now vacant. The Agents (and pilot) have the larger bunkroom to themselves.
In the morning, Brewer sees the agents fed and on their way in good time.
Travel
The journey to the survey team’s last known position takes four hours over rolling snowfields broken up by occasional outcrops of bare greyish-brown stone. Agents with any score in Science [Geology] (or similar) recognise them as Precambrian Basalt, formed on the sea floor around 550 Million Years Ago.
More detailed examination (Science [Geology] ≥60%, or Unnatural ≥30%) reveals impossible inclusions of minerals originating between 3 million and 850,000 years ago. This realisation costs 1D6 SAN from the Unnatural, and grants an equal increase to the Unnatural skill.
Orel Camp
The Orel team’s camp consists of one tent, two sleds, and three sets of skis. A little past the tent is a long, low ridge of exposed rock. There is a cave opening near the tent, with a rope leading down.
The tent and sleds contain camping gear, supplies, and scientific equipment expected of a geological survey. A successful Search or Survival check reveals tracks consistent with a group of three arriving at the site by ski, setting up camp, then entering the cave on-foot.
As the Agents approach the cave mouth, Orel Expedition Leader Mike Miller emerges and greets the ‘rescue team’ with relief. He explains that their radio was destroyed in a rockfall that killed Earles and injured Trevino, who he has been tending to.
The Cave
Entering the cave does not require a roll if the Agent is using the rope. Beyond the entrance is a winding tunnel that opens up into a wide chamber containing piles of human bones (0/1 Violence). Closer examination of the bones reveals many of the skulls, finger and toe bones are strangely elongated, and an Agent with Anthropology, Forensics, or Surgery notes tool marks consistent with butchery (0/1D4 Violence).
Also in this room is the body of Julian Earles, wrapped in a sleeping bag and secured to a sled. His head and upper torso can be exposed with ease, revealing blunt force trauma across his head and shoulders. Forensics or Medicine ≥40% (or successful roll) reveals his injuries were fatal within minutes, and he died two days ago.
If Agents wish to further examine Earles’ body, Miller attempts to convince them to wait until reaching Hayworth Station. If this fails, he attempts to separate the agents from one another and attack them.
Examination reveals that the meat of Earles’ thigh has been removed with a camping knife (0/1D4 SAN loss from Violence).
Unless this happens, Miller leads the Agents through a rough-hewn tunnel at the back of the chamber into a larger room, at the center of which stands an eight-foot tall walrus-ivory statue of a slender humanoid figure with towering, branching antlers.
Successful Anthropology or Occult rolls identifies the Wendigo, a spirit of famine and cannibalism from Algonquian folklore. A successful Unnatural roll reveals its true name - Itla-Shua.
Behind the statue is a collapsed tunnel, where Trevino lies with his leg pinned by a large rock, movable by two people working together. An Agent with Medicine or First Aid ≥30% can tell his leg is badly broken. He is also feverish, and likely to die without swift evacuation.
The statue and warped humanoid remains can be destroyed by either burning them with fuel as an accelerant, or by collapsing the cave. Reward creative solutions. Destroying either gains 1D4 SAN, or 1D6 for both.
If Miller becomes aware of the intended destruction, he objects, escalating to violence if the issue is forced.
Evacuation
The return journey is harried by a cold wind from the north. By the time Hayworth Station is reached, winds are too high for the plane to take off. Brewer greets the Agents and the rescued. Trevino is taken to the large bunkroom for treatment and rest, and Miller (if he is still alive), swaps his goggles for a pair of mirrored sunglasses and offers to help with dinner.
He adds human meat to it, and continues to do so over the next several days. Those who eat the tainted food for multiple meals fall ill, and eventually transform into Wendigos.
The weather clears within minutes of Miller’s death.
Statblocks
Mike Miller
Geologist, Human (former)
STR 24 CON 25 DEX 9 INT 14 POW 16 CHA 12HP 25 WP 16
ARMOR: 2 points of leathery, thickening skin (see ICY VITALITY)
SKILLS: Alertness 40%, Athletics 85%, Persuade 60%, Science [Geology] 75%, Stealth 60% (80% in snow), Track Prey 99%
ATTACKS: Claw 80% damage 1D6 or grapple, Bite 70% damage 1D6 (see WENDIGO BITE)
HOWL: As his action, Miller can howl, spending 4 WP. Any present who fails a SAN test immediately suffers temporary insanity; those who succeed are stunned for one turn in shock and terror. The howl affects a given Agent no more than once in a day.
ICY VITALITY: Ordinary attacks inflict half HP damage against Miller. A successful Lethality roll does not destroy him, but inflicts HP damage equal to the Lethality rating. Hypergeometry inflicts full damage upon Miller. Fire ignores his armor and inflicts double damage.
WENDIGO BITE: After combat, bitten Agents must make SAN tests (at a −20% penalty if bitten more than once, or −40% if the Agent has ever eaten human flesh). On a failure, the Agent gains +6 STR and +6 CON, adds 40% to their Unarmed Combat skill (up to 99%), and does 1D6 damage (and communicates wendigoism) with a bite. The Agent has a new disorder: an addiction to eating human flesh. The Agent’s feet begin to deform and their eyes change color; this can be noticed with an Alertness test. At the end of the operation (or later at the Handler’s discretion), the Agent transforms into a wendigo and flees civilized lands for the north.
NOTES: Miller’s Charisma stat applies only if someone has not seen his eyes, which glow red and are clearly inhuman. He wears tinted goggles or sunglasses to conceal this effect at all times.
Credits
Operation VERDANT TUNDRA was written by Cassandra for the 2025 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UzTGyX0b5GYZV_gK-QmN1dCayRFIfbqO23HjQ9J0iqw/edit