Summary
The scenario takes place in a time of the Handler’s choosing. The author recommends the 90s. Agents begin in media res in the Alaskan wilderness in the aftermath of an operation. One of their cohort will succumb to their wounds and rise again as a mindless killer unless the agents can cremate him.
I’d Sooner Live in Hell
Describe the circumstances leading up to this in montage alongside the agents. They were sent up to Alaska to investigate killings that piqued Delta Green’s attention and discovered inhuman beings that stalked the tundra and consumed human flesh. Ask the agents how a complication was introduced into their investigation, was someone protecting the creatures? Studying them? Was a local politician all too eager to sweep it under the rug? Note the things they describe as the basis for improvisation later. The agents learned the secrets about the creatures. Perhaps from an aging anthropologist in Anchorage, or a missive from A-Cell or Dr. Wu, or from experience. The two secrets they know are:
- Destroy the corpses of the creatures and of those who they’ve slain with fire as soon as possible, lest they rise again.
- There exists such a ritual that can be used to ward off the foul powers that animate these creatures. It involves the ritual insertion of a small doll made from plant materials and human waste into the corpse of the deceased, which then must be watched and prayed over for an entire night.
Lastly, note what equipment the agents describe themselves having. If you know and trust your players, have them describe their own armaments, be reasonable. If you are playing with randoms, or you don’t trust your players (it happens). Have them each roll firearms to see what they get.
- Critical Success: submachine guns, heavy rifles, tactical shotguns and assault rifles of their choosing and good sidearms. Give them an attachment or two. If they ask for grenade launchers, indulge them but only give them 1d3 smoke / stun grenades. Draw the line around LMGs & RPGs.
- If they want fragmentation grenades, have them roll firearms at -40%, if they succeed, give ‘em 1d3 grenades.
- Success: SMGs, pump-action shotguns, bolt-action rifles and good sidearms. 1d3 Smoke grenades / flashbangs.
- Failure: As above, but not great quality. Low on ammo, maybe even Junk. not ordinance to speak of.
- Fumble: let them decide as per “success” then inform them that they have either lost or broken most of their firearms. They choose one they have lost and cannot use, and another that is junk. No ordinance.
Doll out armor accordingly. Draw the line at bomb suits.
IMPORTANT: no matter what they have, their armaments do not contain any incendiaries that could be used to create enough heat to cremate a corpse in below-zero temperatures on their own.
You Talk of Your Cold
The scenario begins in the cold and dark. Agent SAM is dying. He begs the agents to burn his remains. He dies. They’re up to their knees in snow. They have roughly 4 hours until he reanimates. What do they do?
- Loot the Body: They find extra ammunition, some survival equipment. His clothes are wet and cold, not useful.
- Roll luck. If a success, the agents find food, maybe a heat pack.
- Get Moving: Discuss how they intend to move the body. Carrying it through the snow will require an athletic check at -20% to avoid losing WP from the physical exertion. If they drag it by tying a rope about his feet and around an agent's waist, it becomes easier. If they describe having a sled during the prologue or roll to build one, then the body can be lashed to it and driven through the snow no problem.
- Surveil Surroundings: The cold and the dark. The corner of the world. No living thing stirs. The Wendigowak are long dead and burned in their lair.
- Return to the Lair: The lair, a cave in a nearby cliff, reeks of filth, burned flesh, and death. Searching it costs 1/1d4 SAN from violence as they see the horrific mutilated corpses of the creatures’ victims. Make a search check.
- Critical: A brass dagger. 1d6 damage. Double against Wendigowak.
- Success: They find a map. +20% to navigate if they do not already have one.
- Failure: A severed head.
Mushing Our Way
In order to find a place to destroy the body, they need to find somewhere out of the elements. In order to do this, they need to succeed Navigate checks to locate areas of interest & Survival to survive the cold. Every half-hour they must roll. They must pass four Navigate checks to find a landmark. Every time they fail a survival check, they lose 1d3 WP, which they can regain through the warmth of fire or shelter, and they must pass a CONx5 roll or else lose 1d2 HP from hypothermia. Survival checks can be rolled to construct shelter, though this will take up a half-hour.
It Was Called the Alice-May
The following are landmarks the agents may encounter once they've succeeded their four Navigate checks. Use notes from the prologue and your own discretion when deciding, or roll 1d4.
- THE LODGE, a trapper’s lodge deep in the snow, not used for months, maybe years. The lock gives easily and there is dry wood and a fireplace but not big enough to stuff in SAM. It’s good shelter, though. Survival or Demolitions checks tell that the cans of Sterno, propane tanks, firewood, and the wooden planks on the floor or the clapboard siding could be used to make an adequate funeral pyre for SAM. One critical or two passed Craft (construction), demolitions, or melee weapons at -20% checks will disassemble the lodge to create enough fuel. Each check consumes 20 minutes.
- THE BLACKHAWK, a crashed military helicopter. Heavier weapons attached to it and the corpses buried beneath the snow. Firearms checks at -20% for the corpses and -40% for the helicopter mean they are functioning. The fuselage has enough gas that a spark would set it ablaze with enough power to cook SAM for good. Not terribly good shelter, though.
- THE OIL DERRICK, A snow-caked oil well with a pipeline connecting it and some far-away facility. Drums of unprocessed oil are stored nearby, and the shacks surrounding it are adequate shelter, but lack power, so beyond the heat of the burning oil (and body), it will be almost as cold inside as outside.
- THE ALICE-MAY, a derelict ship on the lip of the water. Coal in its furnace and planks from the floor will create enough heat to destroy SAM. Agents approaching it must pass Alertness checks to spot that they must tread over ice to get to it. They must pass survival checks to cross the ice without falling it, which could be potentially lethal.
Stabbed Like a Driven Nail
Below are some threats that could arise during the scenario. Consult notes taken from the prologue to inform your decision, or roll 1d6.
- BLACK HELICOPTERS, Operation BLUE FLY, CORAL NOMAD, or even mercenaries of another faction like the Karotechia, are hunting the agents and their cargo with lethal sanction and high technology. They will use lethal force if necessary, but can be talked into leaving with the corpse without hostilities. Charismatic / courteous agents may even be able to score directions to civilization or a lift (depending on the group).
- THE STRAGGLER, A single Wendigo survived the raid and vengefully hunts the agent, intent on welcoming its new brethren with a feast of fresh carcasses.
- THE MOLE, One of the agents is a mole. An OUTLOOK Group sleeper agent, a double-agent for NRO DELTA or GRU SV-8, or a secret agent of some other cult. Call a five minute break and inform them privately of their new purpose during this time.
- THE LAW, in their investigation, the agents angered the local law - they killed the deputy who harbored the Wendigowak or robbed an antique store for an artifact to act as a ward against them. Armed policemen are now trudging through the snow, wishing they were home. The pillar of oily black smoke will draw their attention.
- A BEAR, It is Alaska, after all. Pick an agent and make them roll luck. If they pass, it's a black bear, if they don’t, it's a polar bear. Either way, it's a bear.
- THE MI-GO, at the height of their earthly activities, the Mi-Go paid homage to Itla-shua to pacify the rancorous god of wind. The den the agents raided was really a Mi-Go shrine to Itla-Shua, and the Mi-Go intend to reconsecrate that site as soon as possible. They send a Metoh-Kangmi to collect the sacrifices necessary.
Statblocks
The Wendigowak
Cannibal Abomination
STR 24 CON 25 DEX 9 INT 8 POW 16
HP 25 WP 16
ARMOR : 4 points of thick and frozen hide (see ICY VITALITY).
SKILLS : Alertness 40%, Athletics 90%, Stealth 80% (90% in snow), Track Prey 99%.
ATTACKS : Claw 80%, damage 1D10 or pin.
Bite 80%, damage 1D8 (see WENDIGO BITE).
COLD PROFILE : In the frigid conditions around Willis, the wendigo does not appear on thermal imaging or infrared night-vision devices except as a vague, dim blur.
GIANT STEPS : As its action, the wendigo can bound up to 20 meters vertically or 40 horizontally in one turn.
HOWL : As its action, the wendigo can howl, spending 4 WP. Anyone present who fails a SAN test immediately suffers temporary insanity; those who succeed are stunned for one turn in shock and terror. A victim can be affected by wendigo howls only once a day.
ICY VITALITY : Ordinary attacks inflict half damage against a wendigo, before applying armor. A successful Lethality roll does not destroy it, but inflicts damage equal to the Lethality rating. Hypergeometry inflicts full damage. Fire ignores the wendigo’s armor and inflicts double damage
BLUE FLY / CORAL NOMAD
Alien-hunting pararescueman, age 25–35
STR 14 CON 15 DEX 11 INT 10 POW 12 CHA 11
HP 15 WP 12 SAN 60 BREAKING POINT 48
ARMOR : Tactical body armor and helmet, Armor 6.
SKILLS : Alertness 60%, Athletics 60%, Firearms 60%, First Aid 60%, Heavy Weapons 50%, Melee Weapons 50%, Military Science (Land) 60%, Navigate 60%, Search 60%, Stealth 50%, Survival 60%, Swim 60%, Unarmed Combat 60%.
SPECIAL TRAINING : Parachuting (DEX), SCUBA (Swim)
ATTACKS : M16A2 rifle 60%, Lethality 10% with three-round burst.
M9 pistol 60%, damage 1D10.
Air Force survival knife 50%, damage 1D6+1, Armor Piercing 3.
Unarmed 60%, damage 1D4.
AN/PVS-7 NIGHT VISION DEVICE : The AN/PVS-7 (from Army/Navy Portable Visual Search) is a set of night-vision goggles with a light-enhancement tube. It provides infrared light enhancement and has autogating to block sudden light intensification. It allows operating in reduced light, but sight-intensive skill tests such as Drive, Pilot, and ranged attacks are at a −10% penalty
Alaska State Police
STR 11 CON 11 DEX 10 INT 10 POW 11 CHA 10
HP 11 WP 11 SAN 55 Breaking Point 44
ARMOR : Reinforced Kevlar vest, Armor 4.
SKILLS : Alertness 50%, Athletics 50%, Bureaucracy 30%, Criminology 30%, Driving 40%, Firearms 40%, HUMINT 40%, Law 40%, Melee Combat 50%, Persuade 50%, Search 40%, Stealth 30%, Unarmed Combat 50%.
ATTACKS :.40 pistol 40%, damage 1D10.
AR-15 carbine 40%, damage 1D12, Armor Piercing 3 (in the trunk of a patrol car).
Shotgun firing shot 60%, Damage 2d6, armor values doubled.
Unarmed 50%, damage 1D4−1
A Bear
Arctic Predator
STR 23 CON 17 DEX 10 POW 10
HP 20 WP 10
ARMOR : 4 points of fur and thick hide.
SKILLS : Alertness 70%.
ATTACKS : Bite 30%, damage 2D6.
Claws 50%, damage 2D4 and hold (see HOLD).
HOLD : A claw attack that rolls an odd number for damage also pins the target.
The Metoh-Kangmi
STR 16 CON 14 DEX 13 INT n/a POW 13
HP 14 WP 13
ARMOR: 3 points of ablative coating
SKILLS: Alertness 80%, Athletics 80%, Stealth 40%
ATTACKS: De-Oxygenator 40% (see DE-OXYGENATOR)
Kick 40% Damage 1d8
Tendrils 40% Damage 1d5 or erasure (see ERASE)
DE-OXYGENATOR: This ray burst, emitted as part of the Metoh-Kangmi’s high-pitched cry, removes the oxygen from the air in a three-meter radius around the target. This triggers immediate suffocation (see page 62 of the Agent’s handbook) in anyone not wearing oxygen gear. It costs the Metoh-Kangmi 2 WP.
ERASE: The tendrils of the Metoh-Kangmi can inject a substance which prevents the creation of short-term memories for 12 hours. The victim ‘comes to’ 12 hours later and loses 0/1 SAN. All SAN lost during the initial attack is regained, and inflicted again only if the target discovers the lost time.
LUNG-GOM-PA: The Metoh-Kangmi can move up to 100m in one turn by spending 2 WP.
SHESPA-PO: By spending 2 WP, the Metoh-Kangmi can create a convincing illusion of itself up to 8 km away, or more if the witness has already seen the Metoh-Kangmi, The illusionary double can speak and sense its surroundings, but cannot be affected by physical force. (For 4 wp, the Metoh-Kangmi can project its double invisibly to that location). The Metoh-Kangmi can spend 6 WP to instantaneously (and undetectably) switch places with its bilocated double.
THING OF COLD: A Metoh-Kangmi suffers no harm or ill effects from the cold.
RITUALS: The controlling Mi-Go can use the Metoh-Kangmi to perform any ritual it knows.
SAN LOSS: 0/1D4.
Credits
The Cremation of Agent SAM was written by Fee Fi Fo Fin for the 2023 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bW_iX2AbpArkxPyDy5rqg40Ev7kAo-xJo8_7afD2FW4/edit