References

This is a list of people, places, things and events relevant to the campaign. Any time they appear in a blog post or wiki, it will automatically be linked to its definition.

God Trap

A massive machine, spanning the entire continent, created by the Elder Things to power their civilization. A nameless god is imprisoned at its heart.

Miskatonic University

An institute of higher learning located in Arkham, Massachusetts. It is a highly prestigious university, on par with Harvard University.

Mythos Creatures

Elder Things (Elder Ones) (Elder Thing)

An ancient race of extra-terrestrials whose presence on Earth predates humanity by nearly a billion years.

"...eight feet long all over. Six-foot, five-ridged barrel torso three and five-tenths feet central diameter, one foot end diameters. Dark gray, flexible, and infinitely tough. Seven-foot membranous wings of same color, found folded, spread out of furrows between ridges. Wing framework tubular or glandular, of lighter gray, with orifices at wing tips.
Spread wings have serrated edge. Around equator, one at central apex of each of the five vertical, stave-like ridges are five systems of light gray flexible arms or tentacles found tightly folded to torso but expansible to maximum length of over three feet. Like arms of primitive crinoid. Single stalks three inches diameter branch after six inches into five substalks, each of which branches after eight inches into small, tapering tentacles or tendrils, giving each stalk a total of twenty-five tentacles.

At top of torso blunt, bulbous neck of lighter gray, with gill-like suggestions, holds yellowish five-pointed starfish-shaped apparent head covered with three-inch wiry cilia of various prismatic colors. Head thick and puffy, about two feet point to point, with three-inch flexible yellowish tubes projecting from each point. Slit in exact center of top probably breathing aperture. At end of each tube is spherical expansion where yellowish membrane rolls back on handling to reveal glassy, red-irised globe, evidently an eye. Five slightly longer reddish tubes start from inner angles of starfish-shaped head and end in saclike swellings of same color which, upon pressure, open to bell-shaped orifices two inches maximum diameter and lined with sharp, white tooth like projections - probably mouths. All these tubes, cilia, and points of starfish head, found folded tightly down; tubes and points clinging to bulbous neck and torso. Flexibility surprising despite vast toughness.

"At bottom of torso, rough but dissimilarly functioning counterparts of head arrangements exist. Bulbous light-gray pseudo-neck, without gill suggestions, holds greenish five-pointed starfish arrangement. Tough, muscular arms four feet long and tapering from seven inches diameter at base to about two and five-tenths at point. To each point is attached small end of a greenish five-veined membranous triangle eight inches long and six wide at farther end. This is the paddle, fin, or pseudofoot which has made prints in rocks from a thousand million to fifty or sixty million years old. From inner angles of starfish arrangement project two-foot reddish tubes tapering from three inches diameter at base to one at tip. Orifices at tips. All these parts infinitely tough and leathery, but extremely flexible. Four-foot arms with paddles undoubtedly used for locomotion of some sort, marine or otherwise. When moved, display suggestions of exaggerated muscularity. As found, all these projections tightly folded over pseudoneck and end of torso, corresponding to projections at other end."

Elder things came to Earth a billion years ago, and may have accidentally started terrestrial life. They created the blasphemous shoggoths to serve as slaves. Their race began to degenerate before man evolved, and they at least partially lost their innate ability to fly through space on their membranous wings. After numerous conflicts with other races, with the mi-go and the star-spawn prime among them, and the rebellion of their former slaves the shoggoths, the amphibious elder things were eventually driven back to Antarctica. Over the last few million years they have remained there, where their last city lies frozen under a glacier. Their civilization was eventually wiped out by the cold of the ice age, and only ruins remain. The elder things are extinct on land, but may still have colonies in the deepest waters of the Southern Hemisphere.

Nameless God (The Prisoner)

A cosmic entity, pulled down from the outer darkness and imprisoned by the science of the Elder Things.

This unknown cosmic being was snared by the God Trap hundreds of millions of years ago. It is imprisoned in the Cold Hole, where it struggles for its freedom as the God Trap slowly fails. The sheer energy that would be generated by its release would tear the planet asunder.

Shoggoths (Shoggoth) (shoggoth)

Monstrous, protoplasmic creatures created by the Elder Things as living tools and weapons.

"It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway trainâ€”a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of greenish light all over the tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us, crushing the frantic penguins and slithering over the glistening floor that it and its kind had swept so evilly free of all litter."

The shoggoths were created by the Elder Things. Being amorphous, they could take on any shape needed, making them very versatile within their aquatic environment. Though able to "understand" the Elder Things' language, they had no real consciousness and were controlled through hypnotic suggestion.

The shoggoths built the underwater cities of their masters. Over millions of years of existence, some shoggoths mutated and gained independent minds. Some time after this, they rebelled. Eventually, the Elder Things succeeded in quelling the insurrection, but thereafter watched them more carefully. By this point, exterminating them was not an option as the Elder Things were fully dependent on them for labor and could not replace them. It was during this time that, despite their masters' wishes, they demonstrated an ability to survive on land.

Within the Mythos, the existence of the shoggoths possibly led to the accidental creation of Ubbo-Sathla, a god-like entity supposedly responsible for the origin of all life on Earth, though At The Mountains of Madness brings up the possibility of the Elder Things being the creators, having made early life as discarded experiments in bioengineering.
Crew of the SS Gabrielle

Crew Roster of the SS Gabrielle

The full crew of the SS Gabrielle.

SS Gabrielle Crew Roster

Responsibility & Name
Captain - Henry Vredenburgh
First Officer - Paul Turlow
Second Officer - Arthur Ballard
Third Officer - Lamont Quigley
Fourth Oficer - John "Jack" Driscoll
Ship's Physician - Ray Lansing

Chief Engineer - Charles Drummond
Engineer's Mate - Bert Pacquare
Engineers (3) - William Wheeler, Mark Folsom, Clyde Abernathy
Engine Crew (15) - Tom Humphries, Bartholomew White, Sidney Beakins, Philippe Brunel, Samuele Girolamo, Michael Fitzpatrick, Albert Webb, Richard Hartz, Carford Montaigne, Edgar Cawley, Sanley Rupert, Gregory Stanislaw, Lucius Morelli, Wylie Loden, Hugh O'Toole

Radioman - Robert MacIlvaine
Carpenter - Lysander Bertolli
Boatswain - Roger Blunt
Storekeeper - Thomas Price
Quartermasters (3) -Michael Oates, Darren Horst, Gregory Houlihan
Able Seamen (9) - Peter Stokeley, Abelard Almondale, Truman Cotter, Gordon Cooke, Nicolas Pellerin, Alexander Moseley, David Waters, Jude Pierce, Chipper Green

Chief Steward - Judas Whitney
Stewards (5) - Niles Abraham (cook), Adam Henning (messboy), Philip Coates (messboy), David Lyle (laundry, August Wylie (laundry)
Other notes & handouts

A Synopsis of Pym's Narrative

A brief summary of the manuscript of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym with additional chapters, that was to be sold at auction.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pyrn was written by Pym in the spring of 1837. It expands and continues some narratives published as short fiction in January and Februaty of that year in the Southern Literary Messengec a magazine printed in Richmond, Virginia. At that time, according to the tale, Pyrn had returned "to the United States a few months ago, after the extraordinary series of adventures in the South Seas and elsewhere. . . . "

The tale begins in June of 1827. At this time, from evidence in the text, Pyrn is about 18 years of age. He stows away aboard the bark Grampus with the help of Augustus Barnard, son of the vessel's captain. The ship is bound for the South Seas on a whaling voyage. Grampus is never heard of again. Mutineers kill the captain and most of the crew, and the ship is turned far from her destination, before she is wrecked in a heavy storm. Pym, and one crewman, Dirk Peters, are the only ones who survive, barely, to be picked up by the schooner Jane Guy (out of Liverpool, bound for the south Pacific) on August 7th. They accom- pany the vessel on its voyage, passing Prince Edward Island on October 13th, arriving at Kerguelen Land on the 18th. No landings are reported before then, and it is unclear whether any news of Pyrn or the Grampus ever got home.

The captain of the Jane Guy behaves mysteriously at Kerguelen, leaving sealed notes in bottles inland on one of the islands without explanation. After a couple weeks' stay, they travel on in November to the Tristan da Cunha islands, sending mail and so on. From there they set out into the deep ocean for more exploring. They search at sea for many weeks, attempting to chart islands, going further and further south and west, pushing into then-unexplored areas. Jane Guy crosses the Antarctic Circle in mid-December, heading south. They encounter a lot of ice floes in the following days, as well as some pack ice, but they force their way through this pack and into clearer water.

Early January 1829 - Past the thick pack floes, the ice begins to free up and there is a large expanse of free water. A sailor, Peter Vredenburgh of New York, is lost overboard on Jan 10th. More thick ice follows, which they pass through. Beyond this point, both water and air seem to get steadily warmer as the ship sails south. They encounter odd animal- a giant polar bear and an unidentified creature with red teeth and claws, and white fur.

1/19 - The ship drops anchor at an inhabited island. Estimated 83'205, 43'5W. Bizarre and savage natives here, but seemingly friendly. Lots of descriptions of people and island follow, some of it extremely weird and unlikely, even in a Call of Cthulhu universe.

2/1 - The natives savagely murder the crew and assault and dismantle the Jane Guy. Pyrn and Peters are the only survivors, but they are trapped on a barren part of the island and it is some time before they can escape to steal a native boat. Much description of carven canyons and channels inland here, some of it may be writing; mention of a few remnants of very tumbled/weathered ruins as well, but no details - Pym wasn't interested.

2/20 - Pym and Peters finally manage to steal a large canoe and flee the island. One native hostage, a young man named Nu-Nu, is taken along and provides a few scraps of info about the locals but little of substance. Nu-Nu and all the locals are absolutely tenified of anything white. They won't touch or go near such things, screaming "Tekeli-li!" and going into convusions or sick fits when forced.

3/1 - Pym, Peters, Nu-Nu in the canoe, in a southerly current. The water gets steadily warmer, and a distant band of haze is visible on the horizon.

3/5 - Wind entirely gone, just the current. The water is turning milky (bubbles?) and the vaporous region is near them. Feelings of numbness and lethargy in mind and body. The water is quite hot.

3/6 - Occasional explosions under the water, suggest gas ventings or other turbulence. Powdery stuff, ash-like, drops on them from time to time.

3/8 - Another one of those dead white animals floats by. Nu-Nu goes catatonic just from seeing it. The water is too hot to put one's hand in.

3/10 - They're fully in the vapor range now. (Pym's description is reminiscent of the way fog pours over the San Francisco hills into the bay sometimes. . . .) The rain of ashy stuff (which dissolves in water) is continual and heavy.

3/11 - Absolutely dim above-but the water exhibits a luminous glare. Gusty winds, much turbulence in the water, but little sound.

3/12 - Gigantic white birds fly through the mists again and again screaming 'Tekeli-li!" Nu-Nu just up and dies. The canoe is caught in the grip of a furious current. ". . . Now we rushed into the embraces of the cataract, where a chasm threw itself open toreceive us. But there arose in our pathway a shrouded human figure, very far larger in its proportions than any dweller among men. And the hue of the skin of the figure was of the perfect whiteness of the snow."

The published account ends here. The editor says that there were "only two or three" concluding chapters, and that Pym retained them "for the purpose of revision" when he died in some unspecified but well-published fashion. "It is feared that . . ." the pages of those final chapters "have been irrevocably lost through the accident by which he perished himself." Peters, we are told, survived. He is, in 1837, a resident of Illinois, but "cannot be met with at present." Poe, who helped publish the first couple of chapters, was available for comment but "...has declined the task-this, for satisfactory reasons connected with the general inaccuracy of the details afforded him, and his disbelief in the entire truth of the latter portions of the narration."

In the unpublished chapters, Pym and Peters ground their boat at the base of the white figure, which they learn is a colossal statue. They observe a group of natives carrying prisoners of evident European origin. Following, they enter a cave, where the natives
flee in fear from something homble Pyrn does not see. The two men pursue the captives and their new captors through long tunnels and make use of a sort of subway which takes them on a very long ride. Eventually it ends, leaving them in a very cold place. Beyond the cold and snow, following some weird tracks, they come to an immense black tower. They enter.

Inside the tower are more remarkable sights, including the captive Europeans and their monstrous captors. Pym and Peters help the others to flee, but not before they observe one of the monsters kill a man, remove his head, and carry it away in a dish.

Pym and the others are pursued by the monsters. They return to the tunnel and flee using the subway. The monsters almost catch them, but Pyrn and Peters throw a lantern in the others' tram. There is an explosion and the fugitives get away. Eventually they and the other men, crew of the brig Nancy, win their way home again

Crazy Man's Note

Note delivered to hotel - Sept 5th

Dear Man of Science.
Soon You will go down far away to the cold and the white ice and
the old old things that wait and move and work an plan. Do not!
Blessed Mary hears me beg You to stay! Do not wake the Sleeping
One there. Do not pass the prison walls of black and white cold ice
and time. The cage mus not open! Let the dead and the dying hold
closed the doors.
I have listened to His dreams. I have seen Its form within His mind.
for He has seen It and He knows It must be free and He will stop You
if You go.
Turn back or we all die.
A friend.

All formatting sic. note. Note delivered by homeless man from a man "Blonde, slightly smaller than Thorson."

Death Announcements

Commander J. B. Douglas

Jeremiah Barnes Douglas, Commander in the United States Merchant Marine (ret.), aged fifty years, died September 5th in New York City.
Douglas served as an officer in the Merchant Marine during the Great War. He retired from the Service as a Commander in 1926 after twenty five years. He then captained his own vessel, the Arkham, notably on an expedition to Antarctica in 1930-31. He retired from active lift in 1932 to his home in New Hampshire.
Known as "J. B." to his family ans friends, Douglas is remembered as quiet, forthright, and a stout friend to all. He is survived by his brother Philip.
A graveside Memorial Service will be held September 8th, 11 a.m., at Saint Brigit's Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Douglas' Unfinished letter to Philip

Douglas' Unfinished letter to Philip

September 5th, 1933
New York City

Dear Philip,

  I have arrived as you see, in New York, and will be with you in a few days. It will not be as soon as I had hoped, however. I am shipping you some personal things by mail which ought to get there before i do. Take care and keep them safe for me. I have some rather sorry business here in the city that I must attend to before I can come.
  There is a man here named Starkweather who is hiring crew for an Antarctic voyage. He has been hounding me for months, by letter and by wire. I have no interest in his voyage, as you well know. I swore I would not ever return to that hellish place and I will not, so help me God! But the man wants me to captain his ship, and he will not take "no" for an answer. I told him I would meet with him when I arrived in New York. Perhaps he will understand my refusal when I shout it to his face.
  You may imagine my annoyance when I got here and discovered that the imbecile has been telling the press that I was already signed on! We are to meet tomorrow. I intend to be quite firm with him.
  Adding insult to injury, a lunatic German here at the hotel has been after me ever since he learned my name. Again and again I encounter him "by chance;" the man is obsessed with fairy tales. Each time we meet he asks if I know anything of South Seas folklore, of great statues in the pack ice, or black-toothed savages, or a man named Pym, or of anything south of the Antarctic Circle but ice, whales, and misery. If he approached me again, so help me, Philips, I shall knock him senseless!
  It is not bad enough that Starkweather has been misusing my name in the newspapers. He has been using it to attract his crews as well. He has even managed to sign some of the boys from the Arkham and the Lady Margaret on the strength of it.
  How he got any of the Arkham crew I shall never know. None of us who were on that voyage are even likely to forget the things that were said about those murdered men, or the howls of that poor mad boy Danforth. The things he whispered to me, toward the end when he knew where he was, still haunt me. God only knows what he told the others.
  I am going to do what I can to convince
(The letter abruptly cuts off. This was presumed to being written when Douglas was attacked and murdered.)

Fuch's Letter

Fuchs' letter regarding the Poe manuscript sold to Percival Lexington.

September 4th, 1921
Philadelphia, Penn.

Dear Mister Bosley,

I write to you in regard to your letter of August 28th.

It is always unpleasant to hear of an untimely passing, especially of one with whom I have had dealings in the past. My business with Percival Lexington having taken place more than twenty years ago, however, I find it difficult to imagine what benefit you may receive from my recollections at this late date.

I am as you know a collector of antiquities. It was in that capacity that I first purchased the erstwhile Poe manuscript from a fellow collector, a man named Lionel White. The book arrived in good order and proved exactly as promised. I recall that it was unbound, in loose form, and that a number of the pages were showing signs of wear. Mister White had also included a letter summarizing his own researches into the origin of the work. It was clear that he considered it genuine. I found, after some inspection, that I had to disagree.

You will be aware, sir, that the Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym differs in several aspects of style from the rest of Mister Poe's body of work. The manuscript I had acquired was substantially the same as the published work in its first twenty-five chapters, including those same uncharacteristic usages and turns of phrase. The additional five chapters, however, were quite different even from the remainder of the manuscript, in both style and content, and clearly had been written by a different hand.

Once this was clear to me, I had no further interesting the work. However clever the fiction, it was evidently not Poe's tale but an homage or attempted forgery, and thus I sought to recover my purchase price by any means possible. Mister Lexington bought it eagerly and I was able to secure a small profit for my trouble.

I concealed nothing from Mister Lexington when he came to examine the manuscript. That is my way of doing business. He drew his own conclusions and was delighted at his purchase, for which I wished him well. As I recall, he was excited by the possibility that the "Narrative" represented an undocumented collaboration rather than an original work. I did not seek to dissuade him.

Several other collectors inquired about the work. I referred them all to Lexington. There is very little else I can say about the purchase.

As to your other question regarding the content of the additional chapters I fear I can be of little use. I recall that they were unpleasantly speculative, more than usually macabre, and dealt with a tribe of inhuman horrors that dwelt in the Antarctic and practiced human sacrifice. More than that I cannot now say.

Wishing you the best of luck in your continuing research, I am
Sincerely yours,

Stanley Edgar Fuchs

Summary of the Dyer Text (Dyer Text)

A true account of what fate befell the Mistakatonic University Expedition, written by William Dyer

Dyer's taIe and historical accounts agree substantially, up to the point where the rescue party lands at Lake's Camp. In this account, however. the party finds the Camp in great disarray - much as it was found by Moore's group, but with the cruelly murdered bodies of dogs and men still scattered about the camp or arrayed in Hangar H2 in hideous display. That the party was murdered was never in my doubt: the identity of the murderer was uncertain, most likely being Gedney, the missing student. Dyer and Danforth flew several flights over the area in search of Gedney but found nothing. They then lightened a singie piane and flew over the mountains through the nearest pass.

On Ihe far side of the range they found, not a barren plateau, but the incredibly ancient remains of an immense city, uninhabitable for geologic epochs. They landed and walked through the city's near edge, sketcbing and taking many photographs. The city is barren now but contains untold murals, frescoes and other non-portable artifacts which reveal its age and the extreme civilization of its now-vanished builders. Dyer maintains that the city was built, not by men, but by creatures similar in appearance to Professor Lake's "old ones" or "elder ones' - and that the murders were done not by Gedney but by the eight "perfect specimens" removed from the cave by Lake's party. These, it seems, were not dead but somehow hibernating; awakened, they slew their rescuers and fled over the mountains to their city home.

The city is built atop the plareau, but deep underneath the plateau is a great sunless sea which may be reached by long tunnels slanting down from the surface. There, according to Dyer, the city's builders took their final refuge. Their descendants may still remain there; however, in a foray into one such tunnel the two men were set upon by a huge and monstrous predator - a shoggoth-descended of the ancient slaves of the city builders, now apparently free to roam at will. The men escaped through good luck, but the shock of the meeting was one of the things that caused Danforth's breakdown. Dyer and Danforth found the bodies of four of the returned "elder ones" in the downward sloping tunnel, apparently slain by the shoggoh, He concludes hat the rest most likely perished as well while seeking others of their kind. He found Gedrrey's body too, preserved and carried as if for later examination. After examining the city for several hours and being chased by the shoggoth, Danfortb and Dyer conclude chat existence of the elder ones and their city is something that should be kept from the world lest they loose horrors that cannot be controlled. They pledge to keep the secret, and persuade the others in the rescue party to stay silent about what they know as well.

Only the advent of the Starkweather-Moore Expedition, with its avowed intent of exploring the high plateau, has forced him to break his silence in the hopes of warning them away. Although Dyer speaks of a great many photos and samples which originally accompanied the work, they are not provided with the manuscript.

The book can be read end to end in about three hours by a fast reader; a slower reading with more attention to detail, requires as much as a day or two.

Warning Letter

Annonymous letter found on September 7, 1933

Dear James O'Neil

You must listen to this warning. There will be no others. After this, only action remains. I do not expect any of you to understand my reasons, but all that is necessary is that you act. Consider this a threat if you like. A most earnest threat.

The expedition must not sail south. Captain Douglas was only the first to die. If you persist in your brave blind hopes you will all perish. Only those who turn back are safe. I hope that you will be among them.

Let the dead lie peacefully with their secrets. They are the only ones who are beyond pain. Nothing awaits upon the ice but suffering and a bitter ending that I will do anything to help you avoid. Yes, help: even death is a blessing compared to what lies in wait.

I suppose you will blame me for everything. I don't mind, even though it's not true. There are forces at work here that you do not understand, and I have to be content with that. The deadliest sin, sometimes, is in the understanding; and the most damned are those who explain.

Please. I urge you. Turn away. Tell the others. For your own sake, for all of us, turn back while you can. There is nothing more that I dare say.

  Most Sincerely,

    A better friend than you will ever know.
Newspaper Articles

Acacia Backpedals on Murder Accusation

Heiress Denies Own Tale of Murder
New York (AP)- A Startling retraction came today from the daughter of the late industrialist Percival Lexintgton. Just days after she claimed foul play and police mishandling of the case, Acacia Lexington delivered a very different story after her father's funeral.
"With the coroner's report and the physical evidence I have no choice but to face the facts about my father's death," Miss Lexington said.
Earlier this week Lexington claimed that her father's death was linked to the disappearance of a rare manuscript he kept in the study where his body was found.
"I believe that book is still in my father's library," Miss Lexington said when asked about her earlier claim. "I haven't finished cataloging the contents of the house to see if anything is missing. When it is done I'm sure we'll find the book."
"We know this is a hard time for Miss Lexington," said police detective Ronald O'Meira who investigated the Lexington suicide. "Any suggestions she made earlier were obviously the result of the strain of the situation," O'Meira said.
Percival Lexington was eulogized by several business leaders including fellow industrialist John D. Rockefeller and esteemed banker John Pierpont Morgan. He was laid to rest in a private ceremony at the family's estate in Suffolk County.
Lexington's last will and testament will be read at hes attorney's next Wednesday. It is expected that his daughter Acacia will be his sole beneficiary. Questions sill remain as to who will run the Lexington enterprises for this young woman.

O'Neil has pointed out Ronald O'Meira as having what may be an unusual amount of effort put in the case -ed.

Acacia Blames Murder on Rare Manuscript

Acacia reports rare manuscript missing; notes that it may be a motive for murder.

Rare Manuscript Linked to Lexington Death
(Special)-A notice from the estate of Percival Lexington warns rare book dealers to watch out for a missing manuscript that could be linked to foul play in Lexington's recent death.
An extremely valuable and rare galley proof of the Edgar Allen Poe book The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym has been reported missing from Lexington's study where his body was found yesterday.
"Robbery would be a motive for murder," said police detective Ronald O'Meira. "But the physical evidence points to a different conclusion. The book may show up in a few days. It's very difficult for most families to accept the loss of a loved one in this way."
Issuing the notice was daughter Acacia Lexington who previously raised suspicions of foul play and a lax attitude by police in investigating this case.
"This manuscript is unique. I believe it is involved in my father's death," she said. "This manuscript differs greatly from the published version. I fear some collector has killed for it."
The manuscript was to have been sold in public auction today, along with other rare and valuable items from Percival Lexington's collection.
A coroner's report is expected tomorrow. A public service and private family funeral will be held Friday. The public service will be held at St. John the divine Cathedral at 11 a.m.

Acacia's Trip Anouncement

Acacia Lexington announces her expedition

Lexington Sets Sights South
Blonde Beauty to Fly to Pole

New York (INS)-In a startling announcement from her home in Queens today, millionaire industrialist Acacia Lexington told reporters that she intends to set aside her ledger books in favor of seal furs and snow goggles, in an attempt to be the first woman to stand at the bottom of the world.
     Lexington, only child of the late P. W. Lexington of this city, has for years impressed friends and adversaries alike with her skilled maneuverings in troubled financial waters. Now she intends to venture into a new realm.
     Accompanied by a hand-picked team of journalists, photographers, and wilderness experts, the lovely Acacia will cross the Antarctic wastelands in a specially modified Northrop Delta aÃ«roplane and a Cierva C-50 autogyro.
     "It's about time a woman did this," she told our reporters. "Today's women are capable of anything that men can do. If I am the first, it only means that other will find it easier to follow."
     When asked if her planned expedition was in any way affected by the presence of no less than four other parties on the Antarctic ice this summer, Miss Lexington declined to comment.

Addendum by James O'Neil: "The Devil is in Lexington and will kill you all"

Commander Douglas

Commander Douglas to join expedition - September 3, 1933

COMMANDER DOUGLAS TO JOIN EXPEDITION
-------------------------------------------
Famed Sea-Captain Returns to Antarctic Waters
-------------------------------------------
New York (UPI) - Commander J. B. Douglas, famed sea captain and former master of the brig Arkham, will return to Antarctic waters later this year. James Starkweather, world explorer and leader of the forthcoming Starkweather-Moore Expedition to Antarctica, announced today that Douglas had agreed to come out of retirement and captain the expedition's ship on their voyage of discovery. "Commander Douglas will be an invaluable addition to our expedition," Starkweather said. "Not only does he have a personal knowledge of the many of the dangers and hazards of the South Pole, but he is an accomplished explorer and adventurer. The expedition will benefit greatly from his experience of the harsher climes and his keen inquiring mind. I look forward to providing this country's most noteworthy scientists with a means to enrich our understanding of the natural world." Douglas, a twenty-five year veteran of the Merchant Marines, was sailing master of the Arkham on its 1930 voyage to the Antarctic with the now-famous Miskatonic Expedition. He retired from the sea in 1932. Commander Douglas could not be reached for comments. Starkweather has promised interviews with the Commander beginning on September 7, by appointment.

Famed Sea Captain Murdered!

Watery Death for Commander Douglas - September 6,1933

Famed Sea Captain Murdered!
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Watery Death for Commander Moore
----------------------------------
New York (AP) - J. B. Douglas, fifty years old, was discovered last night in the water off Battery Wharf. Two fishermen brought the unconscious mariner ashore after an assault by person or persons unknown.
Commander Douglas died on the way to the hospital.
A respected officer of the Merchant Marine for many years, Douglas will be remembered as the captain of the SS Arkham, one of the vessels which carried the Miskatonic University Expedition to the Antarctic in 1930.
Douglas was reportedly in New York City to speak with the leaders of the Starkweather-Moore Expedition, which will leave in a few days. The expedition expects to retrace the route of Douglas' ship three years ago.
Thomas Gregor and Phil Jones, sailors resident in New York City, were returning to their fishing boat Bristol when they heard muffled cries and ran to see what was happening. They spotted a man running away and some agitation in the water.
While Jones ran after the fleeing man, Gregor dove into the cold waters of the harbor and found a motionless figure out there. He heroically pulled the unconscious man out of the water and onto the dock. He attempted to revive the downed man. Meanwhile Jones, who had lost his quarry, went for help.
Police later announced that Commander Douglas had been bludgeoned about the head, and began a search for his murderers.
Anyone with information about this terrible crime, or about Mr. Douglas' whereabouts on the night of the murder, should contact Detective Hansen at the Battery Precinct Station.

Lexington Tragedy

Lexington Tragedy - July 23, 1921

LEXINGTON TRAGEDY
------------------------
New York (AP) - A shocking scene greeted police at the P. W. Lexington mansion on Fifth Avenue today. They came to investigate what appears to be the death of one of New York City's greatest industrialists at his own hand. Percival Woodrow Lexington was discovered in his study dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Police initially suspected foul play from the disheveled nature of the study. "But there are obvious powder burns on his head and right hand," said Police Detective Ronald O'Meira. "That coupled with the position of the body and gun lead us more toward a self-inflicted wound than foul play." But his daughter Acacia does not agree. "Daddy wouldn't kill himself. These buffoons are looking for an easy answer to keep from doing any real work," the distraught young woman said. "I vow I'll find my father's killers and make them pay." Meanwhile an anonymous Wall Street source has hinted that the Lexington fortunes were severely over-extended. The sky in New York society has grown dimmer this evening and the murky surroundings of his death surely spur further inquiry.

Rescue of Acacia

Starkweather rescues Acacia - October 20, 1920

Daring Rescue of Heiress

Nairobi (INS)- The dark continent where the wonders of nature can turn on man and and prove deadly has shown once again that wherever European man goes, so goes chivalry. Wireless reports out of Belgian colonies in Africa tell of the daring rescue of our own socialite scamp Acacia Lexington by that gallant Englishman, Captain James Starkweather.
     Lovely Lexington has been touring the regions of darkest Africa dominated by the mighty Lake Tanganyika. Savages fight daily with alligators longer than a Deusenberg to ensure the passage of commerce in this wild region. Against the advice of her elders, Lady Lexington insisted upon seeing the fabled giraffe mating grounds of Eyasi. Under the expert leadership of Captain Starkweather the band braved the wilderness and arrived at the plains of tall swaying grasses the giraffes find so compelling for their very survival.
     The wild beasts, gentled by our own lovely Lady Lexington, came within a few feet of the party without making threatening gestures. Lady Lexington's presence was so compelling that when she came upon a baby giraffe in the grasses, she immediately tamed it and was able to even embrace it briefly before it returned to its herd, earning her the nickname among the savages as "The Woman Whom the Giraffes Love."
     On the return trip to Nairobi, sudden rains caught the party crossing a branch of the mighty Nakuru river. The party was nearly lost as savages panicked under the onslaught of the rain and river. Brave Captain Starkweather rallied the natives and had them chop trees and fashion rafts to carry the supplies to safety. A person a trip by Captain Starkweather to a nearby village procured enough canoes to carry the party across the river. The crossing was treacherous buy under the skilled hand of Captain Starkweather the entire party made it to port in time for Lady Lexington's return trip to America.
     We'll all be thanking Captain Starkweather for the safe return of one of the brightest lights of our social season. Hurrah for him and hurrah for chivalry!
Vehicles & Transportation

Boeing 247

Advanced, all-metal planes originally designed as 12-person passenger aircraft, the Starkweather-Moore Expedition has modified them for use in the Antarctic.

These very advanced all-metal monoplanes, designed as 12 passenger airliners, have all the most modem features: air conditioning and cabin heating, sound proofing, radio, a de-icing
system for the wings and tail, variable pitch three-bladed propellers, engine super-chargers, flaps, and retractable landing gear. The frst flight by a Model 247 was on February 8,1933. The hinged nose allows access to a luggage compartment. Some mod-ifications have been made to the aircraft of the Starkweather-Moore Exmtion, as follows: retractable ski landing gear, oxygen breathing apparatus, extra radio equipment, gyrocom- pass, radio direction finder, artificial horizon, an eight-gallon fresh water tank, extra fuel tanks, lightweight folding seats, wider doors (to fit cargo and fuel drums), motion picture camera rack and optically flat window, and electric engine heaters.

The Boeing 247 airplane would carry the expedition across the Antarctic continent.

The engines are two Pratt & Whitney "Wasp" SlH1-G nine cylinder aircooled radials, 550 HP each. Features include inertia (hand cranked) and electric (battery) starters, engine fire extinguishers, and a 12-gallon oil tank fitted in each engine nacelle. Each engine uses 25 gallons of gasoline per hour at 'cruise' setting, 35 gallons per hour at full power. Total fuel capacity is 770 gallons: 220 gallons in the wing tanks, and 550 gallons in auxiliary tanks built into the fuselage. Engine overhauls are needed after 300 hours of operation. The Model 247 can climb with one engine shut down, up to 6,000 feet altitude, depending on load.

WEIGHTS
Empty weight - 11,000 lbs. (no fuel, oil, or passengers)
Maximum gross weight - 17,000 lbs.
Emergency overload weight - 19,500 lbs. (cannot take off at high altitudes at this weight)
Each crew/passenger - 200 lbs. (including clothing and gear, for calculation purposes)
Emergency supplies - 100 lbs. (per person)
Each passenger seat - 10 lbs. (12 total; can be tossed out in an emergency)
Gasoline, per gallon - 6 lbs.; 4620 lbs. with all fuel tanks filled
Lube oil, per gallon - 7.5 lbs; 180 lbs. fully loaded
Radio set - 150 lbs. (can be tossed out in an emergency)
Husky sled dog - 90 lbs.
Dog sled - 100 lbs.
Oxygen tank - 20 lbs. (80 cubic feet of oxygen, good for 16 man-hours of work)

On a typical flight, the aircraft will be at 17,000 lbs, including 2 pilots and 5 passengers or 9 sled dogs plus supplies and 605 gallons of fuel (with a range of 2000 miles or so total).

DIMENSIONS
Wingspan - 74'
Length - 51'7"
Height - 12'2" with landing gear out.

PERFORMANCE
Cruise speed - 170 miles per hour
Max speed - 200 miles per hour
Stall speed - 60 miles per hour, flaps down
Ceiling - 25,400 feet, assuming not above max weight limit
Range - up to 2600 miles, depending on the amount of fuel carried
Takeoff/landing - 900' at maximum gross; 600' light; 1200' on skis.

The Starkweather-Moore Expedition started out with three of these aeroplanes - the Shackleton, the Weddell, and the Enderby. The Shackleton was destroyed en route to Antarctica thanks to sabotage.

Cabin Assignments

Cabin assignments of PCs and important NPCs

Evelyn Dubois: 11
James Starkweather, William Moore: 12
Jeeves Weisenthal, Stacey Whitehall, Buernor Thorson: 13
Pierce Albemarle, Douglas Orglefinger*, Richard Greene: 14
William Tyson, Moorehouse Bryce, Charles Myers: 16
Samuel Brighton-Foyle*, James O'Neil, Nikifor Schevchenko: 17
Willard Griffith, Charlie Porter*, Avery Giles*: 18

* = Assistant, graduate student, or intern. Some got lucky!

WC: 1
Showers: 2

Assistants & camp crew are in aft cabins (upper deck).

David Packard, Ralph DeWitt, Douglas Halperin: 4b
Gregor Pulaski, Olav Snabjorn, Enke Fiskarson: 4c
Gunnar Sorenson, Nils Sorenson, Peter Sykes: 4d
Albert Gilmore, Michael O'Doul, Louis Laroche: 4e
Tomas Lopez, Hidalgo Cruz, Maurice Cole: 4f
Patrick Miles, Lawrence Longfellow, Alan "Colt" Huston: 4g
Samuel Winslow*, Timothy Cartier*: 4h

Cierva C-30 Autogyro (Autogyro)

A rotary-wing aircraft used by the Lexington Expedition for short trips.

An interesting airplane, which obtains its lift from a three bladed rotors mounted on a set of struts above the pilot. The fuselage is constructed of fabric over steel tubing, and the rotor is steel covered with plywood. The pilot and a single passenger are camed in separate open cockpits; most controls are duplicated in each cockpit. This model of autogyro first flew in April 1933, built in Great Britain by A.V. Roe and Co.

The autogyro purchased by the Lexington Expedition is fitted with ski landing gear, and a short range radio. A rotor drive system is clutched in by the pilot to start the rotor turning on the ground before takeoff-then, after declutching the rotor driveshaft, a sudden increase of blade pitch causes the aircraft to make a vertical jump of 30 or 40 feet, lasting just long enough to begin normal forward flight. The autogyro cannot hover, but it can fly as slowly as 25 miles per hour-and since this is air speed, there are frequently wind conditions where it can remain motionless above a point on the ground. Landings are made with virtually no forward speed. The power plant is an Armstrong Siddely Genet Major seven cylinder radial engine, of 140 HP, with a hand-cranked inertia starter.

An unusual aircraft, the autogyro was used for short trips.

The oil tank has an eight gallon capacity (normally filled with just under seven gallons to allow for expansion). The engine uses 10 gallons of gasoline per hour at 'cruise' setting, or 13 gallons per hour at full power. Total fuel capacity is 30 gallons. Engine overhauls are needed after 200 hours of operation.

WEIGHTS
empty weight...........1,300 lbs. (no fuel, oil, cargo or passengers; includes seats, radio, etc.)
maximum gross weight..........1,900 lbs.
emergency overload...........2,100 lbs. (cannot take off at high altitudes at this weight)
each crewfpassenger..........200 Ibs. including clothing, worn equipment, etc., for planning purposes
emergency supplies..........25 lbs. per person aboard-reduced from the usual allowance
gasoline, per gallon..........six lbs. (2310 lbs. when all tanks filled)
lube oil, per gallon..........7.5 lbs. (1 15 lbs. fully loaded)
radio set ..............20 lbs. (could be tossed out in emergency)
On a typical excursion flight:
empty plane .......... 1,220 Ibs.
one pilot, one passenger..........400 lbs.
emergency supplies.......... 50 lbs. as the crew sees fit
lube oil ...............50 lbs.
fuel, 30 gallons..........180 lbs.
cargo.................0 lbs. (Yes, the emergency supplies are the cargo.)

DIMENSIONS
width across skis......... 11'
rotor diameter ..........37'
length............... 19' 9"
height............... 11' 10" standing on landing gear, to top of rotor hub

PERFORMANCE
cruise speed .......... 80 miles per hour
max speed. ........... 100 miles per how
minimum speed..........25 miles per hour
ceiling. ............. .8,000', assuming not above max total weight limit
maximum rang........ .250 miles
takeoff or landing run........neg.

Fairchild FC-2W

A single-engine high wing monoplane used by the Starkweather-Moore Expedition for exploratory flights.

This single-engine high-wing monoplane first flew in June, 1926. The fuselage seats four passengers, in pairs (on bench seats) behind the pilot. Two doors on the right side allow access. The aircraft has earned a reputation for toughness and reliability. Some modifications have been made to the aircraft of the Starkweather-Moore Expedition, as follows: non-retractable ski landing gear, short range radio equipment including direction finder, clock-driven sun compass, &cial horizon, motion picture camera rack and optically flat window, a hoisting eye atop the fuselage, and an electric engine heater. A heated cabin is standard equipment. The wings can be folded back alongside the fuselage by two men, in about two minutes time.

The R.F. Scott would be used for exploratory flights over the Antarctic continent.

The power plant is one Pratt & Whitney "Wasp" SlHl-G nine cylinder air-cooled radial, 550 HP. Features include inertia (hand cranked) and electric (battery) starter, and a 12 gallon oil tank (normally filled with 10 gallons, to allow for expansion). The engine uses 25 gallons of gasoline per hour at 'cruise' setting, or 35 gallons per hour at full power. Total fuel capacity is 220 gallons, camed in wing tanks. Engine overhauls are needed after 300 hours of operation.

WEIGHTS
empty weight ..........2,050 lbs. (no fuel, oil, cargo or passengers; includes seats, radios, etc.)
maximum gross weight.........4,600 lbs.
emergency overload ..........5,000 lbs. (cannot take off at high altitudes at this weight)
each crewlpassenger..........200 lbs. including clothing, worn equipment, etc., for planning purposes
emergency supplies..........230 lbs. per person aboard
each passenger bench..........15 lbs. (two aboard; can be removed to make space for cargo)
gasoline, per gallon..........6 lbs. (1,320 lbs. when all tanks filled)
lube oil, per gallon..........7.5 lbs. (75 lbs. full)
radio set ............. 50 lbs. (could be tossed out in emergency)
husky sled dog..........90 lbs.
dog sled ............. 100 lbs.

On a typical 'excursion' flight around the Ross Ice Shelf region:
empty plane .......... 2,050 lbs.
pilot. ............... 200 lbs.
passenger. .......... .200 lbs.
emergency supplies..........460 lbs.
lube oil............. .75 lbs.
fuel, 220 gallons..........1,320 lbs.; 910 miles range (including 10% reserve)
cargo or passengers.........295 lbs.; one passenger with light emergency supplies for all aboard (100 lbs. each)

DIMENSIONS
wingspan ............50' (8.3" in scale)
length...............31' (5.2" in scale)
height. ..............9' standing on landing gear

PERFORMANCE
cruise speed .......... 115 miles per hour
max speed ........... 130 miles per hour
stall speed .......... .45 miles per hour
ceiling .............. 15,500', assuming not above max total weight limit
range ............... 1,000 miles
takeoff/landing ........ 600' at maximum gross; as little as 500' light; 1200' landing on skis

The Starkweather-Moore Expedition has one Fairchild FC-2W, the R.F. Scott.

Northrop Delta

A modern, all-metal monoplane used by the Lexington Expedition due to its high flight ceiling.

This modem all-metal monoplane first flew in May, 1933. It is an enlarged version of the "Gamma," which was designed for exploration work. The pilot sits under a canopy atop the fuselage; up to eight passengers can be carried. Some modifications have been made to the aircraft for the Lexington Expedition, as follows: non-retractable ski landing gear, oxygen breathing apparatus, extra radio equipment including direction finder, gyrocompass, clock-driven sun compass, artificial horizon, extra fuel tanks, lightweight folding seats, motion picture camera rack and optically flat window, electric engine heaters, and a three-bladed propeller.

The Belle was small but rugged and fast.

The power plant is one Wright SR-1820F "Cyclone" 9 cylinder air-cooled supercharged radial engine, producing 750 HP. Features include inertia (hand cranked) and electric (battery) starters, engine fire extinguisher, and an 18 gallon oil tank (normally filled only with 15 gallons to allow for expansion). The engine uses 30 gallons of gasoline per hour at 'cruise' setting, or 40 gallons per hour at full power. Total fuel capacity is 385 gallons: 275 gallons in the main tanks, and 110 gallons in an auxiliary tank. Engine overhauls are needed after 300 hours of operation.

WEIGHTS
Lexington Expedition configuration:
empty weight...........3.500 lbs. (no fuel, oil, cargo or passengers; includes seats, radios, etc.)
maximum gross weight..........7,500 lbs.
emergency overload..........8,500 lbs. (cannot take off at high altitudes at this weight)
each crewlpassenger.........200 Ibs. including clothing, worn equipment, etc., for planning purposes
emergency supplies..........230 lbs. per person aboard
each passenger seat..........10 lbs. (eight aboard; could be tossed out in emergency)
gasoline, per gallon..........6 lbs. (2,310 lbs. when all tanks filled)
lube oil, per gallon.........7.5 lbs. (115 lbs. fully loaded)
radio set..........150 lbs. (could be tossed out in emergency)
husky sled dog ...........90 lbs.
dog sled .......... 100 lbs.
oxygentank..........20 lbs. (good for 16 man-hours of activity above 18,000')
On a typical cargo flight to Lake's Camp:
empty plane..........3,500 lbs.
pilot ................200 lbs.
emergency supplies........230 lbs.
lube oil .............. 115 lbs.
fuel, 330 gallons ....... 1,980 lbs.; 2,100 miles range (to Lake's camp and back, plus reserve)
cargo or passengers..........1,475 lbs.; three passengers with
emergency supplies, or 245 gallons fuel, or nine dogs, one sled and 565 lbs. supplies

DIMENSIONS
wingspan. ............48' (8" in scale)
length...............34' 3" (5.7" in scale)
height..............9' 8" standing on landing gear
cruise speed .......... 190 miles per hour
max speed. .......... .200 miles per hour
stall speed. .......... .65 miles per hour
ceiling. ..............22,000', assuming not above max total weight limit
range................over 2,400 miles
takeoff/landing .........750' at maximum gross; as little as 600' light; 1300' landing on skis

The Lexington Expedition has one such aeroplane, the Belle.

SS Gabrielle (Gabrielle)

The SS Gabrielle is a steamship built for Arctic travel licensed to the Starkweather-Moore Expedition for the voyage to Antarctica.

The SS Gabrielle is a 7500-ton steamship built for travel in Arctic waters. She was launched from Scotland in 1913, and served her first decade in the waters of the North Atlantic. Her hull is composed of Swedish wrought iron an inch and a quarter thick. She is not an icebreaker though, and safe travel in the Antarctic seas is dependent on timing and weather. The Gabrielle has been leased to the Starkweather-Moore Expediiton to the Antarctic for the duration of the endeavor, at a cost of roughly $2000 per day.

The SS Gabrielle at sea.

Gabrielle has five decks, used by passengers and crew. From top down, these are the bridge deck, the boat deck, the main deck, the tween deck, and the engine (or cargo) deck. Passengers and crew aboard the Gabrielle, when they are not on deck, will spend most of their time in one of three living areas: the forecastle, the aftercastle, and the super-structure. These are described below. The forecastle is a small cluster of cabins on the main deck in the far forward portion of the ship, just behind the bow. Normally these cabins are used only by the crew, generally the ship's regular seamen and quartermasters. The cabins in the afrercastle are normally reserved for the engineering crewmen and any ship's specialists, such as carpenters, who bunk aboard. These take up space on both the main and tween decks at the far sternward portion of the ship, directly above the ship's propellers.

Deck layout of the SS Gabrielle

The captain, the ship's officers, and any passengers normally sleep in the superstructure three decks tall, that rises off of the main deck amidships. The superstructure is directly above the ship's engines. The ship's bridge is on the highest deck, and looks forward toward the ship's bow. Cabins in the forecastle and aftercastle are spare and cramped, and have no windows or portholes. Most cabins have multiple occupants who sleep in narrow bunk beds. Cabin doors have slitted vents, but there are no other conduits or means of circulating air or cooling the rooms. When needed, heating of all cabins is accomplished by means of steam radiators bolted securely to the floor or wall.

The remainder of the ship is given over to cargo holds. There are five of these, numbered 1 to 5 from the bow to the stem. Holds 1,2, and 3 are forward of the bridge, while 4 and 5 are toward the stem. A large refrigerated compartment (the "reefer hold") lies immediately forward of hold 4, above the ship's main fuel tank.

Cross-section of the SS Gabrielle

DIMENSIONS
Length - 440 feet.
Beam - 45 feet.
Depth, Keel to Main Deck - 39 feet.
Draft, Light Ship - 10 feet.
Draft, Loaded Ship - 26 feet.
Register Tons - 7,500

DISPLACEMENTS
Light Ship - 4.550 tons.
Loaded Ship - 13,350 tons.
Deadweight - 8,800 tons.
Crew, Stores - 40 tons.
Fuel, Oil - 1,690 tons.
Fresh Water - 160 tons.
Cargo - 6,910 tons.

CARGO SPACE
Number of Holds - 5 + reefer space.
Hatches - 5 (each 45 feet long by 25 feet wide)
Cargo Booms - 6 x 1 ton capacity, 6 x 10 ton capacity, 2 x 30 ton capacity
Loading Speed - 25 tons per gang hour (18-man 'gang') for cargo items under 1 ton (1 'gang' per hatch)

MACHINERY
- Reciprocating steam engine, top speed 12 knots.
- Uses 0.14 tons of fuel per nautical mile at 11 knots.
- Maximum cruising range is about 12,000 miles.

CREW (48 TOTAL)
- Master and 4 deck officers.
- Chief engineer and 4 engineer officers.
- Ship's physician.
- Radio operator, carpenter, boatswain, and storekeeper.
- 3 quartermasters, 9 seamen.
- 15 engine room crew (oiler, firemen, wipers, water tenders).
- 1 chief steward, 5 other stewards (cooks, messboys, laundrymen, etc).

INCIDENTAL EQUIPMENT
- Line gun, 18 life rings with water lights, flares and rockets, life raft.

SS Tallahassee (Tallahassee)

The ship used by the Lexington Expedition, she is an icebreaker originally built in Norway and launched in 1921.

The Lexington Expedition's ship was built in 1921 in Norway, and launched as the Evanger: It has an ice-breaking bow, for use in the Baltic Sea. The captain is Joseph Burr.

DIMENSIONS
length..................307 feet
beam................... .32 feet
depth, keel to main deck............27 feet
draft, light ship...............9 feet
draft, loaded ship............17 feet
register tons ............... 5,000

DISPLACEMENTS
light ship. ............. 1,500 tons
loaded ship ........... .4,500 tons
deadweight ............ 3,000 tons
- crew & stores ........... 20 tons
- fuel oil. ............... 580 tons
- fresh water. ............. 55 tons
- cargo............... .2,345 tons

CARGO SPACE
no. of holds............4
hatches...............4 (each 24 feet long x 18 feet wide)
cargo booms ...........
- 2 x 1 ton capacity
- 2 x 5 ton capacity
- 2 x 5 ton capacity cranes (one between forward, one aft)
loading speed ......... 20 tons per gang hour (18 man
gang; one gang per hatch usually)

MACHINERY
- reciprocating oil-burning steam engine, top speed 13 knots
- uses 0.05 tons of fuel per nautical mile at 11 knots
- maximum cruising range about 11,500 milesons of fuel per nautical mile at 11 knots

CREW (29 TOTAL)
- master and 3 deck officers
- chief engineer and 2 engineer officers
- radio operator, carpenter, boatswain, storekeeper
- 3 quartermasters, 6 seamen
- 5 engine room crew (oilers, fuemen, wipers, watertenders)
- 1 chief steward, 1 cook, 2 other stewards (messboys, laundrymen, etc.)

INCIDENTAL EQUIPMENT
- line gun, 18 life rings with water lights, flares and rockets, 4 life rafts
- 2 lifeboats, 25 person capacity each; these are motorboats with a 6 knot top speed
Occult Books and Mythos Tomes

Necronomicon

A grimoire written by the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, it was translated into English by Dr. John Dee.

The original version of the Necronomicon,known as the Kirab Al-Azif, was written around the year 730 A.D. in Damascus by the Arab, Abdul AI-Hazred (Abd al-Azrad). A student of magic as well as an astronomer, poet, philosopher, and scientist, al-Azrad was born around 700 A.D. in Sanaa, in Yemen. Before composing his great work he spent years visiting the ruins of Babylon, the pits of Memphis, and the great southern desert of Arabia. He died in Damascus in 738, according to his 12th-century biographer, Ebn Khallikan, devoured in broad daylight by an invisible demon.

Manuscripts of the Al-Azif circulated secretly among philosophers and scientists of the age, but it was not until the year 950 that the work was translated into Greek by the Byzantine Theodorus Philetas, who renamed it the Necronomicon. Numerous copies of Philetas' manuscript were made. The increased circulation of the blasphemous tome led to its eventual condemnation in 1050 by the Patriarch Michael of Constantinople. Many copies were confiscated and destroyed, their owners suffering harsh penalties. In 1228 Olaus Wormius effected a Latin translation of the Greek version, all copies of the original Arabic having by this time been lost. Its rapid circulation among philosophical circles led to its banning in 1232, both the latin and Greek rersions placed on the Index Erpurgmorills by Pope Gregory IX. Qlaus did not retitle the Greek Necronomicon, and the work is thereafter commonly referred to by that name. The year 1454 saw the first practical printing press using moveable type and before the end of the century a black-leiter version of the Latin Necronomicon had been printed in Gerrmany, prooobly in Mainz. The text does not identify the date Of place of printing.

In the early 16th century, probably before 1510, a version of the Greek translation was printed in Italy. Although again lacking any identifying marks, this version is generally believed to have come from the press of Aldus Manutius, founder of the Aldine Press, famous for its printing of unedited Greek and Latin texts. In 1586 an English translation of the Necronomicon was produced by Dr. John Dee, mathematician, astrologer, and physician to Queen Elizabeth of England. Nerer published, Dee's translation is believed to have been made from a Greek edition discovered by the doctor during his travels in eastern Europe. Although accurate, it is incomplete, partially expurgated by its translator. A second printing of the Latin version was made in Spain in the early 17th century. As usual, the printer is unidentified but the poorer cut of the type distinguishes it from the finer German work. It is in all other ways faithful to the earlier edition.

Condemned and destroyed by the Church, only five copies of the Necronomicon are known to exist today. although an unknown number of copies may still be held in private collections. Copies that reach the open market are usually purchased by libraries or private collectors who appreciate the book only for its rarity, or possibly for its blasphemous nature and wicked reputation. The resultant increase in value has driven the price beyond the range of most serious students of the occult. Few can afford to obtain their own copies of this dark and powerful book, and, given the value and fragile conditions of the existing copies, few public institutions allow unrestricted access.

The documented extant copies are all Latin versions, four from the surreptitious 17th-century Spanish printing and the fifth a single sUfviving specimen of the fine 16th Century German edition. The four remnants of the edition printed in Spain are presently held in the collections of the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the Miskatonic University Library in Arkham, the Widener library at Harvard, and the library of the University of
Buenos Aires. The precious single copy of the edition printed in Germany resides in the British Museum in London.

Although the last known copy in Greek is believed to have perished in flames during the chaos of the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, rumors of other Greek copies occasionally surface. The most recent of these claimed that:l copy was owned by the New York artist Richard Upton Pickman. If true, the book apparently disappeared along with the artist in 1926.

Pnakotic Manuscripts

A manuscript concerned with the myths, lore, and pre-human history of the Pacific.

Only five bound copies of this manuscript exist, one of which is held in Miskatonic University's occult reference library. It's precursor volume, the Pnakotica, was written in classical Greek and apparently no longer exists. It concerns both the myths and the rites and rituals of certain South Pacific island cultures, specifically dealing with a pre-human race of crinoids said to be the creators of life on Earth.

Polynesian Mythology, with a Note on the Cthulhu Legend-Cycle

One of a set of three volumes by Harold H. Copeland examining strange practices, myths, and archaeology in the Pacific.

Prehistoric Pacific in the Light of the Ponape Scripture

One of a set of three volumes by Harold H. Copeland examining strange practices, myths, and archaeology in the Pacific.

Prehistory in the Pacific: A Preliminary Investigation

One of a set of three volumes by Harold H. Copeland examining strange practices, myths, and archaeology in the Pacific.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

A novel, written by Edgar Allen Poe, about a strange voyage to the South Pacific.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus. Various adventures and misadventures befall Pym, including shipwreck, mutiny, and cannibalism, before he is saved by the crew of the Jane Guy. Aboard this vessel, Pym and a sailor named Dirk Peters continue their adventures further south. Docking on land, they encounter hostile black-skinned natives before escaping back to the ocean. The novel ends abruptly as Pym and Peters continue towards the South Pole.
Antarctic Expeditions

Barsmeier-Falken Expedition

A scientific expedition to the South Pole funded by industrial concerns in Germany with the stated goal of finding exploitable mineral wealth in Antarctica.

This expediition to the Antarctic has been funded by a group of wealthy industrialists with strong National Socialist ties. While the expedition's purported goal is to do a scientific survey of the continent in order to locate possible forms of exploitable, mineral resources, details of their operation have been not been published.

Lexington Expedition

This privately-funded expedition is headed by famed businesswoman and activist Acacia Lexington.

Departing New York City in the fall of 1933 aboard the SS Tallahassee, this expedition's primary goal is to film the stark vistas of the Antarctic landscape, notably the strange formations reported to exist in the Miskatonic Mountains.

Miskatonic University Expedition

Also known as the Pabodie-Lake Expedition, Miskatonic University launched this ill-fated expedition to Antarctica in 1930.

WHAT THE WORLD KNOWS ABOUT THE MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY EXPEDITION

Most of the following came to the world via the Arkham Advertiser's powerful radio installation at Kingsport Head, Massachusetts. The expedition landed at Ross Island in the Ross Sea. After several tests of the drilling gear and trips to Mt. Erebus and other local sights. the land party, consisting of 20 men and 55 dogs plus gear, assembled a semi-permanent camp on the barrier not far away and readied their five big Dornier aircraft for flight. Using four of the aircraft, the fifth being held in reserve at the barrier camp, the party established a second base camp on the Polar Plateau beyond the top of the Beardmore Glacier (Lat 86d7mLong E174d23m) and did a lot more drilling and blasting in that vicinity. During December 13-15, 1930, Pabodie, Gedney, and Carroll climbed Mt. Nansen. Many fascinating fossil finds were made using the drill rig.
On January 6, 193 1, Lake, Dyer, Pabodie, Daniels, and ten others flew directly over the South Pole in two aircraft, being forced down once for several hours by high winds. Several other observation flights were made to points of less noteworthiness during the week before and after. The published plan for the expedition at this point was to move the entire operation eastward another 500 miles in mid-January, for the purpose of establishing once and for all whether Antarctica was one continent or two. The public also received word during this period that Lake, the biologist, campaigned strongly for an expedition to the northwest before moving the base camp. Therefore, instead of flying west on the 10th of January as planned, the party remained where it was while Lake, Pabodie, and five others set out via sled to probe over- land into unknown lands. This expedition lasted from January 11ththrough the 18th, and was scientifically successful and marred only by the loss of two dogs in an accident while crossing a pressure ridge. During this same period, many supplies and barrels of fuel were airlifted by the others up to the Beardmore camp. The expedition's published agenda was changed once again when it was decided to send a very large party northeastward under Lake's command.

The party left Beardrnore by aircraft on January 22nd, and radioed frequent reports directly to the Arkham for rebroadcast to the world. The party consisted of 4 planes, 12 men, 36 dogs, and all of the drilling and blasting equipment. Later that same day the expedition landed about 300 miles east and drilled and blasted up a new set of samples, containing some very exciting Cambrian fossils. Late on the same day, about 10 p.m., Lake's party announced the sighting of a new mountain range far higher than any heretofore seen in the Antarctic. Its estimated position was at Latitude 76d15m, Longitude E113d10m. It was described as a very broad range with suspicions of volcanism present. One of the planes was forced down in the foothills and was damaged in the landing. Two other craft landed there as well and set up camp, while Lake and Carroll, in the fourth plane, flew along the new range for a short while up close. Very strange angular formations, columns, and spiracles were reported in the highest peaks. Lake estimated the range peaks may top 35,000 feet. Dyer called back to the ships and ordered the crew there to ready large amounts of supplies for shipment to a new base which would have to be set up in the foothills of the new range.

On January 23rd Lake commented .on the likelihood of vicious gales in the region, and announced that they were beginning a drilling probe near the new camp. It was agreed that one plane would fly back to the Beardrnore camp to pick up the remaining men and all the fuel it could carry. Dyer told Lake that he and his men would be ready in another 24 hours. The rest of that same day was filled with fantastic, exciting news that rocked the scientific world. A borehole had drilled through into a cave, and blasting had opened up the hole wide enough to enter. The interior of the limestone cave was a treasure trove of wonderful fossil find in unprecedented quantity. After this discovery, the messages no longer came directly from Lake but were dictated from notes that Lake wrote while at the digsite and sent to the transmitter by runner. Into the afternoon the reports poured in. Amazing amounts of material were found in the hole, some as old as the Silurian and Ordovician ages, some as recent as the Oligocene period. Nothing found was more recent than 30 rnillion years ago. Fowler discovered triangular stipple-prints in a Comanchian fossil stratum that were close cousins to ones discovered by Lake himself in Archaean slate elsewhere on the continent. They concluded that the makers of those tracks were members of a species of radiant that continued significantly unchanged for over six hundred million years, and was in fact evolved and specialized at a time "not less than a thousand million years ago when the planet was young and recently uninhabitable for any life forms of normal protoplasmic structure. The question arises when, where, and how that development took place."

Later that evening Orrendorf and Watkins discovered a huge barrel-shaped fossil of wholly unknown nature. Mineral salts apparently preserved the specimen with minimal calcification for an unknown period of time. Unusual flexibility remained in the tissues, though they were extremely tough. The creature was over six feet in length and seems to have possessed membraneous fins or wings. Given the unique nature of the find, all hands were searching the caves looking for more signs of this new organism type. Close to midnight, Lake broadcast to the world that the new barrel-bodied animals were the same creatures that left the weird triangular prints in fossil strata from the Archaean to the Comanchian eras. Mills, Boudreau, and Fowler found a cluster of thirteen more of the specimens about forty feet from the entrance, in association with a number of small, oddly-shaped soapstone carvings. Several of the new specimens were more intact than the first, including intact head and feet samples that convinced Lake that the creatures were his track-makers (an extremely detailed anatomical description folowed at this point). Lake intended to dissect one, then get some rest and see Dyer and the others in a day or two.

Lake's dissection of the fossil yielded unusual conclusions.

January 24th, at 3 a.m. Lake reported that the fourteen specimens had been brought by sled from the dig site to the main camp and laid out in the snow. The creatures were extremely heavy and also very tough. Lake began his attempt at dissection on one of the more perfect specimens, but found that he could not cut it open without risking great damage to delicate structures, so he exchanged it for one of the more damaged samples. This also gave him easier access to the creature's interior. (More details - vocal systems, very advanced nervous system, exceedingly foul smell, weird and complex sensory organs). He jokingly named the creatures the "elder ones."

The fossilized remains revealed a vastly different order of life than was currently known.

The last report, about 4 a.m., was as follows. Strong winds rising, all hands at Lake's camp were set to building hurried snow barricades for the dogs and the vehicles. As a probable storm was on the way, air flight was out of the question for the moment. Lake went to bed exhausted. No further word was received from Lake's camp. Huge storms that morning threatened to bury even Dyer's camp. At first it was assumed that Lake's radios were
out, but continued silence from all four transmitter sets was worrisome. Dyer called up the spare plane from McMurdo to join him at Beardmore once the storm had subsided

January 25th, Dyer's rescue expedition left Beardsmore with 10 men, 7 dogs, a sled, and a lot of hope. Piloted by McTighe, they took off at 7:15 a.m. and were at Lake's Camp by noon. Several upper-air gales made the journey difficult. Landing was reported by McTighe at Lake's camp at noon, and the rescue party was on the ground safely. At 4 p.m on the same day, a radio announcement was sent to the world that Lake's entire party had been killed, and the camp all but obliterated by incredibly fierce winds the night before. Gedney's body was missing, presumed carried off by wind; the remainder of the team were dead and so grievously tom and mangled that transporting the remains was out of the question. Lake's dogs were also dead; Dyer's own dogs were extremely uneasy around the camp and the few remains of Lake's specimens. As for the new animals - the elder ones - described by Lake, the only specimens found by Dyer were damaged, but were still whole enough to ascertain that Lake's descriptions were probably wholly and impressively accurate. It was decided that an expedition in a lightened plane would fly into the higher peaks of the range before everyone returned home.

January 26th, an early morning report by Dyer talked about his trip with Danforth into the mountains. He described the incredible difficulty in gaining the altitude necessary to reach even the lowest of the passes at 24,000 feet. He confirmed Lake's opinion that the higher peaks were of very primal strata, unchanged since at least Comanchian times. He discussed the large cuboid formations on the mountainsides, and mentioned that approaches to these passes seemed quite navigable by ground parties but that the rarefied air makes breathing at those heights a very real problem. Dyer described the land beyond the mountain pass as a "lofty and immense super-plateau as ancient and unchanging as the mountains themselves - twenty thousand feet in elevation, with grotesque rock formations protruding through a thin glacial layer and with low gradual foothills between the general plateau surface and the sheer precipices of the highest peaks." The Dyer group spent the day burying the bodies and collecting books, notes, etc., for the trip home.

On January 27th, Dyer's party returned to Beardmore in a single air hop using three planes, the one they came in and the two least damaged of Lake's four craft. By January 28th, the planes were back at McMurdo Sound and the expedition packed and left soon after that.

Starkweather-Moore Expedition

A privately-funded expedition to the Antarctic launched in the fall of 1933 with the goal of exploring the Miskatonic Mountains.

Headed up by renowned geologist Professor William Moore and noted explorer James Starkweather, this eponymous expedition is scheduled to begin in the fall of 1933 and return in the spring of 1934. The Starkweather-Moore Expedition's goal is to follow up on the work done by the ill-fated Miskatonic University Expedition of 1930-31. There will be two distinct phases to the expedition. During the first phase, the explorers will locate the remains of Lake's camp, re-discover and re-examine the fossils he found, and if possible determine what happened there. During the second phase, the explorers will fly to the super-plateau described by William Dyer and investigate the geology of the Miskatonic Mountains.
Important Places

City of the Elder Things

Located on a high plateau in the Miskatonic Mountains, this city was built by a pre-human race and abandoned millions of years ago.

Built on a high mountain plateau in the middle of the Miskatonic Mountains, this vast city extends more than 30 miles to the west of the peaks and runs for more than 200 miles along them. Ancient beyond human reckoning, the city was built and re-built at the site of the Elder Things' first arrival on Earth, and thus has a special significance to them. As it is found at an elevation of 20,000 feet, the air is thin and visitors need to supply their own oxygen. The lower levels of the black stone city are buried under a 40-foot deep glacier, while many of the upper towers have begun to crumble and show signs of millions of years of weathering and erosion. Stange buildings, many five-sided, abound and include soaring towers, truncated pyramids, stepped buildings, and conical pits. Great archways lead to ramps that spiral down into the Stygian blackness below, and thousands of passages, galleries, and chambers form countless underground layers.

Many of the buildings are decorated with intricate murals carved by the Elder Ones over millions of years. Though their style began to degenerate over the aeons, their meaning is clear. The Elder Things arrived on Earth more than a billion years ago, and fought wars against their rebellious servants and against other interlopers from the outer darkness. Eventually the climate began to change as the continents drifted apart, and with the coming of the ice they were forced underground. Still, the city remains.

Cold Hole

Found at the heart of the God Trap, this is the prison the Nameless God struggles to escape.

Found in a valley located at the center of the Western Range, the Cold Hole is a prison for the Nameless God. The cosmic entity is held there by a field of absolute zero temperature, causing its molecular motion to cease. A perpetual storm rages around the prison of the entity, though it still manages to struggle against its confinement as the God Trap breaks down.

Elder Pharos (Black Tower) (Lure)

A black tower, much like an obelisk, located 200 miles west of the City of the Elder Things, with a strange, blue light shining at its apex.

This 500-foot high black obelisk is the Lure, and acts as the control center of the God Trap. It stands before the valley where the nameless god is imprisoned, at the edge of the perpetual storm that surrounds the Cold Hole. It was damaged millions of years ago during a great cataclysm, and only with a patchwork of bio-technology and living brains keeps the crystal matrix at the heart of the tower functioning. The Elder Things returned here after awakening from their long hibernation, and they are trying to ensure that the great machine will continue its function.

Should the patchwork repairs performed by the Elder Ones prove insufficient, the nameless god will breach the Cold Hole, tearing the world apart in the process. Living brains are a major component of their repairs. It is for that reason that James Starkweather, Richard Greene, Nikifor Schevchenko, and Samuel Brighton-Foyle lost their lives.

Lake's Camp

The locale, high in the foothills of the Miskatonic Mountains, where the Miskatonic University Expedition made Lake's startling find.

Found more than 12,000 feet above sea level, Lake's camp is the site where the Miskatonic University Expedition used Pabodie's remarkable drilling apparatus to search for rock samples. They uncovered a cave that was a veritable treasure-trove of fossils, covering hundreds of millions of years of life on Earth. Among their finds were Elder Things in hibernation, who slew and dissected Lake's party upon awakening. Only now has the truth been uncovered.

Miskatonic Mountains (Mountains of Madness)

An impossibly high range of mountains near the heart of the Antarctic continent. Stange formations dot the black peaks, hinting at intelligent construction on an unbelievable scale.

Extending hundreds of miles across the center of the Antarctic continent, the Mountains of Madness (as William Dyer named them) are ancient, mysterious, and unexplored. They stand more than 25,000 feet high, rivaling the Himalayas. Their foothills are more than 12,000 feet high and surpass the Alps in many areas. The upper peaks are composed of black rock and are free of ice and snow. Strange and disturbingly regular cuboid and columnular formations cling to the higher peaks, and rectangular and semi-circular cave openings can be seen with the naked eye. Though similar to natural formations of rock, such as the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, the regularity of the peaks and formations hint at construction by intelligent hands.

From what the investigators learned in the City of the Elder Things, the structures and caves on the slopes of the Mountains of Madness are indeed artificial, and form part of some massive air-pumping system that normalized the pressure on the high plateau. Further investigation at the Elder Pharos revealed that not only are the mountains artificial, they are part of some vast, continent-spanning machine that the Elder Things constructed millions of years ago.

Western Range (Great Machine)

A range of impossibly high, disturbingly regular and symmetrical peaks located hundreds of miles west of the Miskatonic Mountains.

These mountains soar, impossibly, to more than 30,000 feet in height. The black peaks are distrubingly symmetrical, sharp and regular cones free of ice and snow, that seem to pierce the edge of space. The peaks nearest the Elder Pharos form a perfect pentacle with the black tower and the storm-shrouded valley of the Cold Hole at the center. They are completely artifical, part of the enormous God Trap that powered the civilization of the Elder Things.