Cthulhu Invictus!
I'm looking for an additional 1-2 players for a Call of Cthulhu one shot taking place the afternoon/evenings of 10/10 and 10/17. The specific start time is TBD. The game will be streamed and recorded.
Since Agricola’s first invasion of Caledonia in 79 B.C.E., the harshness of these lands and her strange people have kept the Romans from advancing far beyond Hadrian’s Wall. Most who have ventured north of these Roman-held lands have not returned. Blame for this often falls on the highly aggressive, tattooed Picts in the west and north.
Few, if any, Romans are aware of the much greater dangers that lie in the fierce Highlands of northern Caledonia, preying equally on Picts and Romans with alien indifference. Caledonia has long been home to creatures and races that arrived millennia ago from worlds and dimensions unknown. The Picts and earlier settlers of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages learned to avoid conflict with these dangerous beings or, in some cases, chose to worship them. Over time, however, the power and presence of these Mythos threats has waned significantly.
Yet, such beings are still encountered from time to time, in certain places. One such place is a cavern system on the north side of Ben Nevis, Caledonia’s largest mountain. For centuries, Pict hunters and explorers who entered these dark caverns never returned. Among the Pictish tribes, the tunnel into the mountain was renamed the “Devil’s Throat,” and men now shun the area. The cave has been taboo for as long as anyone can remember. The lands of the Vacomagi lie in the shadow of Ben Nevis.
Decimus Vatinius Calvus, an intrepid diplomat of considerable renown, is unaware of any such history, nor would he heed any fanciful warning. Calvus is an eminently capable and, perhaps overly, confident envoy for Rome. He has made a name for himself by negotiating treaties with numerous chieftains and kings in Hispania, Germania, and Britannia, allowing Rome to pursue her imperial interests in those regions in relative peace. His successes have brought him great acclaim and made him rich beyond most men’s dreams.
Calvus is driven not by wealth, however, but by desire for influence and power. His need to satisfy this desire has led him to live much of his life on the edge of empire and in the company of less “civilized” men. Trading the comforts and entertainments of empire for the wilds of the Caledonian Highlands, Calvus now seeks to parlay with the Pictish chieftain Collos, son of Vergis. Collos is the leader of the Vacomagi, one of the largest tribes of Picts in northwest Caledonia, and well respected among his people. His mission is to convince Collos to become a client king of Rome. As incentives, Calvus brings with him not only gold and silver, but also promises of trade and military alliance with Rome. Collos would become the northernmost client king of Rome in Caledonia.
The expedition requires a considerable investment in men, horses, and supplies. Calvus has amassed a small force of twenty-six men, including himself, but not including the investigators, to take with him across the Caledonian forests and further north into the mountains. Calvus is aware of potential threats from bandits and Pictish tribes hostile to both Rome and the Vacomagi. Three-quarters of the expedition is made up of mercenaries from all over the Roman Empire. Although they are led by a few select veterans, most of them are young and have seen few battles.
As per Decimus Vatinius Calvus’ requirements, investigators joining this expedition should be physically fit and able to endure the rigors of traveling through the wilds. He wants people who are skilled at arms to defend the camp and caravan, as well as those able to track, hunt or fish, navigate, ride, drive wagons, or tend to beasts of burden. He greatly desires those who have studied the language and customs of the Picts, as the team currently has only has a single translator.
Investigators with high status could be friends of Vatinius Calvus, or politically well-connected enough to be sent by Quintus Lollius Urbicus, the Governor of Britannia between 139 and 142 A.D., as independent observers to the negotiations. Investigators who are active duty soldiers (legionaries or auxiliaries) might be sent along as well, as an honor guard representing the Empire.