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  Expedition Beyond 
  Mount Terror
  
  2
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  Contained in this book is a complete 
  scenario for Dime Adventures. The material 
  presented here should be enough to cover 
  somewhere between three and five evenings of 
  play, depending on the pacing provided by the 
  GM and the actions of the players.
  Synopsis
  Eight 
  months 
  ago, 
  Professor 
  Esther 
  Hedegaard, a geologist at the University of 
  Straumfjörð, received a grant to organize an expe-
  dition to the distant and mysterious continent of 
  Antarctica. The expedition plans to be the first 
  to research the geology of the Transantarctic 
  Mountains, exploring their natural structure, 
  collecting mineral samples and assessing if they 
  have any valuable natural resources. 
  Such an expedition is a risky venture in this 
  day and age. The fringes of the continent have 
  just barely been explored. It remains a land 
  of danger and mystery, and more than one 
  previous expedition has met an untimely end. 
  Professor Hedegaard needs not only scientists, 
  but bold and rugged adventurers, willing to 
  brave the elements and the unknown, to make 
  the expedition work. She needs the heroes!
  Hedegaard Expedition
  The expedition consists of eight members, 
  plus the heroes and Professor Hedegaard herself 
  (so about 12 – 15 people total). Included in 
  this number is an expert in survival, a supply 
  master, a dog trainer and five grunts to provide 
  the manpower to make the expedition happen. 
  Expedition members are detailed on pages 12-13.
  All of the expedition members are 
  scheduled to meet together for the first time in 
  August in Newark, New Jersey, as this is where 
  the ship that Professor Hedegaard has acquired 
  is currently docked. While in Newark, plans 
  have been made to double-check the supplies, 
  meet the expedition’s grant sponsors and 
  undergo some basic expedition training.
  The expedition should set sail from Newark 
  in September, making its way down the coast 
  of the Americas, and finally reach the port of 
  Punta Arenas in October. This lonely port is at 
  the tip of South America, and will be the final 
  chance the expedition has to resupply before 
  setting out for Antarctica.
  From here the expedition plans to sail 
  southeast, making its way toward the Ross Sea, 
  past Mount Terror. The expedition should make 
  landfall in November. From here the journey 
  truly begins, as the expedition must make its 
  way inland, setting up base camp at the feet of 
  the Transantarctic Mountains by December. 
  This will give the expedition a planned 
  month and a half to investigate the surrounding 
  area, taking samples and exploring, before 
  needing to trek back to rendezvous with the 
  ship. If everything goes as planned, the expedi-
  tion should depart Antarctica by early February.
  Of course, not everything will go as planned.
  Introduction
  
  4
  4
  Fielding Expedition
  Despite Professor Hedegaard’s claims, this 
  isn’t the first expedition to the Transantarctic 
  Mountains. A year ago, another expedition 
  attempted the same thing. This was the Fielding 
  Expedition, organized through Duke University.
  For two months everything went well. 
  The Fielding Expedition set out on the ice and 
  arrived at its destination. The members were in 
  possession of a wireless telegraphy system, which 
  they used to keep in contact with the crew of the 
  expedition’s ship, anchored off of Ross Island.
  The base camp transmitted regularly 
  scheduled messages, indicating that everything 
  was normal and that the research was going well. 
  Everything was proceeding normally until the 
  night of November 5th. Then the transmissions 
  suddenly stopped. The ship attempted to contact 
  the base camp, but there was no response.
  Then, five days later on the night of 
  September the 10th, the ship received one final 
  transmission:
  DOGS MAD IN NIGHT. JOHN ON 
  WATCH NOW MISSING. FOUND IN 
  THE ROCK. IN THE FOOD SUPPLY 
  DOGS SAMUEL. TELL SARAH I WONT 
  BE COMING HOME. STAY AWAY FROM 
  BLOCK ROCK. WE ARE DEAD. STAY 
  AWAY FROM BLACK ROCK.
  Following this final message, the expedi-
  tion’s ship waited another two weeks for a 
  reply. None was forthcoming. Eventually, 
  hope was lost, and the newspapers wrote up 
  the Fielding Expedition as one of the biggest 
  scientific failures of the new century. Surpris-
  ingly quickly, it faded from public memory 
  and into history. Until now. 
  The Retributers
  The grants which provided the funding 
  for both the Hedegaard Expedition and the 
  earlier Fielding Expedition were contributed 
  by the well-respected philanthropic organiza-
  tion known as the Society for the Advance-
  ment of Mankind (SAM). 
  This organization, however, is more than it 
  might appear. In fact, it is controlled by a clan-
  destine group of time-travelers, known as the 
  Retributers, who secretly operate throughout 
  the world, fighting the agents and spawn of an 
  extraterrestrial menace known as the Devourer.
  The Retributers have their headquarters 
  at the End of Time, but their agents in the 
  field (at least those on Arth) rely on a series 
  of sub-bases set at specific weak points in time 
  and space. These weak points can be cracked 
  open, and a series of “jumps” made to reach 
  their End of Time HQ. However, all of these 
  paths back must go through a choke point in 
  Antarctica, some 12,000 years in the past. 
  The problem is that the base the Retrib-
  uters have set up at this choke point has gone 
  dark. No communication has been forth-
  coming for almost two years, and all attempts 
  to jump to that point and investigate have 
  failed. Something must have happened, and 
  the isolated Retributer agents on Arth need to 
  understand what’s going on if they’re to have 
  any hope of fixing the problem.
  Working under the guise of SAM, the 
  Retributers arranged for the Fielding Expe-
  dition to be sent to Antarctica. While in the 
  Transantarctic Mountains, they were to secretly 
  attempt to find the remains of the Retributer 
  base under the ice. By examining the remains, 
  the agents might then glean information on 
  what went wrong 12,000 years ago.
  
  5
  5
  But the Fielding Expedition met disaster 
  and never returned.
  This was a setback, but it didn’t stop the 
  Retributers’ need to understand what happened 
  to their base. So they had SAM fund another 
  expedition—this time the Hedegaard Expedi-
  tion, of which the heroes are a part. They plan 
  to have the expedition search for the remains of 
  the Retributer base once it reaches the Trans-
  antarctic Mountains, but they’ve also learned 
  from their past mistakes. In order to accomplish 
  this, and ensure the success of the expedition, 
  all of the involved NPCs—save for Professor 
  Hedegaard herself—are either Retributer agents 
  or locals secretly in their employ.
  The Preventers
  The complications don’t end there, however. 
  There exists another group of time travelers—
  the Preventers—who oppose the Retributers. 
  This opposition group has taken notice of the 
  Hedegaard Expedition, and has their own agents 
  on the move, acting in secret within the ranks of 
  the Fraternal Order of the Right (FOR). 
  As FOR they will approach the expedi-
  tion early in the adventure, offering their 
  support and involvement. The result of this 
  encounter is up to the players, but they may 
  inadvertently stumble into the middle of a 
  conflict they don’t understand.
  Regardless of the outcome of that 
  encounter, the Preventers have hedged their 
  bets by funding their own rival expedition—
  seeded with their own agents—to travel to 
  Antarctica and beat the Retributers to the 
  remnants of their base. This rival expedi-
  tion—the Yale Expedition—will serve as 
  antagonists throughout the scenario.
  The Devourer
  The Retributers secretly operate throughout 
  the world, fighting the agents and spawn of an 
  extraterrestrial menace known as the Devourer. 
  In fact, it is the spawn of this very entity that 
  is responsible for the destruction of the Retrib-
  uter’s base in Antarctica, as will be discovered 
  when the expedition arrives. 
  
  6
  6
  The Devourer is a powerful, malevolent 
  and inhuman entity that wants nothing more 
  than the destruction of all reality. From where 
  it comes is not known—perhaps the stars—but 
  what is known is that at some point millions of 
  years ago, it arrived, cracked the world open like 
  an egg, crawled inside and started its eons-long 
  slumber. Some speculate that the Devourer isn’t 
  a thing so much as a sentient and malevolent 
  force that infects and pervades the world. 
   The Devourer has birthed monstrous, 
  inhuman spawn that sleep deep under the ice 
  in Antarctica, radiating strange energies that 
  twist the world around them. These tentacled 
  horrors exist only for destruction. It also has 
  human agents—crazed cultists or power-mad 
  occultists—who worship it with an insane glee. 
  These agents are in control of their own secret 
  society, the nefarious True Form Foundation.
  Other Adventures
  Expedition Beyond Mount Terror can be used alone or in conjunction with 
  other published Dime Adventures scenarios. Below are some notes on how to 
  combine this adventure with others. 
   
  ■
  Circles in the Sky: This adventure constitutes a different expedition, traveling 
  in a different direction. As such, it’s difficult to mesh the two scenarios directly, 
  although a team who has gained a reputation for being good on expeditions from 
  one of the scenarios might be more easily recruited for the other.
   
  ■
  Skull-Spider Island: Found in the Dime Adventures: Quick-Start, this 
  scenario can be easily inserted as an interlude sometime after the expedition first 
  leaves port and before it arrives in South America. In this case, the heroes aren’t 
  transporting the Eye of Wadjet, but other important supplies.
   
  ■
  World’s Fair: The early parts of Expedition Beyond Mount Terror could easily be 
  set at the World’s Fair as part of the fundraising for the journey. This allows GMs 
  to quickly integrate the events of World’s Fair into the scenario.
  Ready-Made Heroes
  The player characters presented in Dime 
  Adventures: Ready-Made Heroes are ideal 
  for use with Expedition Beyond Mount 
  Terror. Simply print out the character 
  sheets, let players choose which character 
  each prefers and you are good to go!
  Of particular note are: Maximilian 
  who has experience leading expeditions 
  and a rivalry with Adrien de Gerlache, Sir 
  Ruprecht von Dusseldorf who would have 
  an interest in the paranormal aspects of the 
  adventure, and Jutta who has experience in 
  cold climates and an interest in preserving 
  the rugged wilderness.
  
  7
  7
  Running an 
  Expedition
  Realistically, running an expedition—
  particularly to a remote and hostile land, 
  like Antarctica—is an exercise in careful 
  planning, supply management and logistics. 
  Tools need inventoried, food needs rationed, 
  sled dogs need cared for and fuel supplies 
  need to be preserved.
  In a roleplaying game, some players really 
  enjoy this sort of detail and verisimilitude. 
  However, in our experience, most would rather 
  gloss over the bean counting and get to the 
  action of the adventure—and we are forced to 
  admit, the latter approach is more pulp.
  As a consequence, this scenario uses an 
  abstract system to track the logistics of the 
  expedition. The goal is to provide the players 
  with the sense that the expedition needs careful 
  planning and logistics, but to do this without 
  forcing the players to handle all the details. 
  That is, a player’s character may stay up all 
  night going over supply ledgers by oil lamp, 
  but the player shouldn’t have to!
  Handling Supplies
  This adventure uses an abstract system 
  of tracking supplies. It breaks supplies down 
  into four categories: food, fuel, tools and 
  dogs. The depletion of each of these catego-
  ries will be represented by a Depletion conse-
  quence. As the stock of supplies goes down in 
  each category, its Depletion will first be light, 
  then moderate, then severe, then critical. If 
  the consequence would ever surpass critical 
  severity, the supply has entirely run out. 
  Needless to say this is a bad thing, as the expe-
  dition then must be immediately abandoned, 
  and even then everyone will likely die.
  Supplies will decrease naturally as the expe-
  dition goes on and they are used up. Disasters 
  and events can also affect the heroes’ supplies. 
  Finally, the players will have a few options 
  throughout the adventure to use up extra 
  supplies in order to gain a benefit.
  Furthermore, as the supplies deplete, each 
  category will have its own effect.
  Food
  The expedition plans to spend three 
  months on the ice. Each month on the ice 
  will naturally increase the Depletion (food) 
  consequence a severity. The extra food in the 
  supply is a safety precaution. 
   
  ■
  Running Out: If the expedition runs out of 
  food, immediately begin starvation (see the 
  Dime Adventures core rulebook, page 139).
  Fuel
  Fuel is necessary to stay warm. It keeps 
  drinking water from becoming impotable blocks 
  of ice. It also makes some equipment warm 
  enough to function. Each month on the ice will 
  naturally increase the Depletion (fuel) conse-
  quence a severity, as the supply gets used up.
   
  ■
  Running Out: The expedition can no longer 
  warm themselves at night. They will not heal, 
  nor recover from the Fatigue consequence. 
  Tools
  Expeditions require lots of tools, from 
  tents, to shovels, from cameras, to spare warm 
  clothing. However, as time goes by tools 
  break, are lost or are used up.
   
  ■
  Running Out: Anytime a hero goes to get a 
  tool, the GM should flip one card per severity 
  
  8
  8
  of the Depletion (tools) consequence. If a 
  joker comes up, there are no more spare tools 
  of that kind available. She should then note 
  this for future reference. For example, if the 
  hero wants rope and the GM flips a joker, no 
  spare rope is in the supply!
  Dogs
  Dogs are necessary to pull the two sleds 
  that move the expedition’s supplies. Without 
  dogs, the heroes will have to abandon all the 
  supplies where they lay in favor of only what 
  they can carry on their persons.
   
  ■
  Running Out: Once Depletion (dogs) 
  reaches severe, there are only enough dogs 
  left to pull one sled instead of both. Once 
  the expedition is out of dogs, they can’t even 
  manage that. All supplies are stuck at the base 
  camp, which cannot be moved in a reason-
  ably timely manner. If either sled breaks, the 
  GM should keep track of that on its own.
  Expedition Members
  The players should keep track of the 
  health and fatigue of the heroes using the 
  usual systems. The NPCs on the expedition, 
  however, can be tracked using the following 
  simplified system.
  Keep track of each NPC’s Fatigue conse-
  quence. This can be easily achieved by drawing 
  a series of boxes on a game mat or piece of 
  paper. Draw one box for no Fatigue, one for 
  light Fatigue, one for moderate Fatigue, etc. 
  Then have a token for each NPC, moving 
  that token between boxes as that character’s 
  Fatigue consequence increases or decreases. 
  This gives the players a very visual indicator 
  of the health of their expedition.
   
  ■
  Anytime an NPC is put to work 
  performing a significant task in the cold—
  such as setting up a new camp, scouting 
  the area, accompanying the heroes out 
  into the frozen mountains, etc., increase 
  that character’s Fatigue a severity.
   
  ■
  If an NPC would take damage, increase 
  that character’s Fatigue a severity instead of 
  tracking damage separately.
   
  ■
  If the character’s Fatigue consequence 
  would ever be increased beyond critical 
  severity, 
  that 
  character 
  dies—likely 
  frozen to death.
  Antarctic Survival
  Antarctica is the last continent to be 
  explored by humanity for a number of very 
  good reasons. Not only is it remote, but it is 
  also a rugged and icy land, hostile to human 
  life. While on the frozen continent, the 
  heroes and their expedition will constantly 
  be at war with the elements.
  Extreme Cold
  Needless to say, Antarctica is extremely 
  cold! The GM should take the time to read 
  the rules for temperature extremes on page 
  139 of the Dime Adventures core rulebook. 
  Characters outside of camp should make 
  End-14 flips against the cold every three 
  hours during the day or every hour at night. 
  Feel free to have characters make additional 
  flips if they do something that would cause 
  extra exposure to the cold. Remember, the 
  “Not Until It’s Over” rule! Fatigue from the 
  cold won’t recover until the heroes can get 
  back to base camp and warm up again!
  
  9
  9
  Setting Up Camp
  Setting up base camp is a long and involved 
  process. Treat it as an End/naturalist-10 
  (Tally 10, 1 day) extended action. Every day 
  the heroes can make a flip to make progress 
  setting up the camp. This is likely a Group 
  Effort flip (see the Dime Adventures core 
  rulebook, page 90). After each day’s progress 
  setting up the camp, have all involved charac-
  ters make a flip against the extreme cold for 
  exposure during setup. Meanwhile, all charac-
  ters must spend the night in the equivalent of 
  a satellite camp (see below). Characters who 
  gain too much Fatigue during this process 
  may want to sit out later flips as they recover.
  Recovery at Base Camp
  The healing and recovery rates given in 
  the Dime Adventures core rulebook assume 
  a level of comfort beyond what Antarctica 
  provides. Every night spent in the warmth of 
  base camp only heals ½ Endurance in HP and 
  one severity of the Fatigue consequence.
  Recovery at Satellite Camps
  When the heroes leave base camp for 
  multi-day excursions, they will often be forced 
  to set up smaller satellite camps. These don’t 
  have all the amenities of base camp, but they 
  do provide shelter from the elements. Char-
  acters don’t heal or recover from the Fatigue 
  consequence for nights spent in these camps, 
  but neither do they get worse.
  Holiday at Base Camp
  Heroes at base camp can opt to declare 
  one night a holiday. During this holiday, the 
  normally assumed rationing is relaxed, extra 
  fuel is burned and extra food is consumed. 
  This helps the expedition’s spirits and allows 
  everyone at base camp to heal normally that 
  night (heal Endurance in HP and remove all 
  Fatigue). Every two times the characters decide 
  to do this, however, the expedition’s Depletion 
  (fuel) consequence increases a severity.
  
  10
  10
  
  11
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  In this first part of the adventure, the heroes 
  are introduced to Professor Ester Hedegaard 
  and the rest of the expedition members. They 
  will have a chance to tour the ship, attend a 
  fancy dress party, witness a conflict involving 
  the expedition’s grant, investigate nefarious 
  sabotage and save the expedition from later on 
  being critically undersupplied.
  Meeting the 
  Professor
  The adventure begins with the heroes in 
  Newark, New Jersey. They’ve just sat down to 
  meet with Professor Ester Hedegaard, who is 
  organizing the expedition. She just arrived here 
  from Straumfjörð in Vinland last night, and is 
  looking to set everything in motion, preparing 
  for the expedition’s launch.
  Professor Hedegaard will introduce 
  herself and have each of the heroes do the 
  same. This is a good chance for players to 
  describe their characters’ appearance, special-
  ties, personality, etc. Hedegaard should come 
  across as enthusiastic about the expedition, 
  extremely knowledgeable about geology, but 
  clueless about many of the other practicali-
  ties. She’s intelligent enough, however, to 
  know that she’s clueless in certain areas, and 
  will depend upon the expertise of the other 
  expedition members to make up for these 
  deficiencies. She will tell the heroes exactly 
  this—she’s counting on them!
  Launching the Expedition
  Professor Esther Hedegaard
  “The world is full of scientific mysteries just waiting to be solved!”
  Str 5, Dex 4, Spd 4, End 6, Int 7, Per 3, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 5/11, Willpower 9/18, DR 0, HP 11, Wealth 5, Lifestyle 5
  Skills: Athletics 2, Lib-Arts 3, Mechanics 2, Melee 1, Naturalist 3, Science 4, Socialize 2
  Geologist’s Pick: +3♥ vs. Defense (♠8/♥6/♦4/♣2).
  ♠♥ Stuck: The pick gets stuck in the target, Professor Hedegaard loses her grip 
  on it and she is disarmed.
  Fists: +3♥ vs. Defense (♠6/♥4/♦3/♣1).
  Equipment: Clothes, Geologist’s Pick, Geology Toolkit, Wallet
  Professor Hedegaard is a well-respected geologist at the University of Straum-
  fjörð. For her this expedition is a dream come true, and she has many theories 
  about the geological evolution of the Antarctic continent.
  
  12
  12
  The Ship & the Crew
  The reason that the expedition is meeting 
  in Newark is that the ship which Professor 
  Hedegaard has acquired for the expedition is 
  docked here. The ship—the Cap Nor—is a 
  wooden-hulled barque equipped with three 
  masts and two auxiliary steam engines. The 
  ship was purchased secondhand and is a veteran 
  of exploratory expeditions, having previously 
  been on excursions to East Graenland and the 
  Antarctic Ocean.
  With 
  the 
  introductions 
  complete, 
  Professor Hedegaard will suggest that the 
  heroes accompany her to look over the ship 
  and meet several of the other expedition 
  members that she has hired for the journey. 
  This involves a trip to the docks, and the 
  GM should use this opportunity to cement 
  in the players’ minds some of the important 
  NPCs with whom they will be interacting 
  throughout the expedition. Stats and descrip-
  tions of the other expedition members follow.
   
  ■
  Success on a Per/vehicles-10 flip will allow 
  a hero to inspect the ship, verifying that it’s 
  seaworthy and in reasonable shape for its age.
  Expedition Members
  All of the other expedition members use 
  the stat block below, with the modification and 
  descriptions listed.
   
  ■
  Catherine Sarteu: Head porter of the expe-
  dition. A neat freak and a bit of a worka-
  holic. Endurance 7. HP 12. Awareness 4.
   
  ■
  Isaak Manfred: Arctic climate outfitter 
  and survivalist. A curt and short-tempered 
  fellow who always drinks the last of the 
  coffee. Naturalist 4.
   
  ■
  Jacqueline Beaumont: Porter for the 
  expedition. Will attempt to attach herself 
  to one of the heroes and follow her around 
  like a lost puppy. Melee 4. Guns 4.
   
  ■
  Omar Bongo: Porter for the expedition. 
  Ranking embedded Retributer agent. 
  Retributer Agent
  “Whatever befell the Antarctic base must be discovered!”
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 5, End 6, Int 5, Per 5, Chr 6, Det 5
  Defense 8/16, Willpower 8/16, DR 2, HP 11, Wealth 4, Lifestyle 3
  Skills: Animals 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Deception 3, Guns 2, Mechanics 3, 
  Melee 2, Naturalist 2, Science 3, Stealth 3, Vehicles 2
  Retributer Pistol: +5♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Auto 3, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 9.
  ♣ Dazing Strike: Increase the target’s Dazed consequence a severity, or two with 
  a critical hit.
  Knife: +5♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2).
  Equipment: Hidden Radio, Retributer Pistol (Conceal), Retributer Undersuit (DR 2)
  This stat block represents the other expedition members which Professor Hedegaard 
  has hired under the advisement of her grant sponsors at FOR. Remember, these 
  characters are not only expedition specialists, but secretly Retributer agents as well.
  
  13
  13
  Quiet, but quick-thinking. Intelligence 7. 
  Willpower 9/18. Tactics 3.
   
  ■
  Sascha Hülsen: The supply master. Has 
  a good head for numbers and attention 
  to detail, but is always correcting people’s 
  grammar. Int 7. Willpower 9/18. Lib-Arts 4.
   
  ■
  Tim Johnson: Porter for the expedition. A 
  bit of a slacker. Likes to spend extra time 
  with the dogs. Stealth 4.
   
  ■
  Will Lieber: Porter for the expedi-
  tion. Impressive musical talent. Always 
  carries around a harmonica. Charisma 7. 
  Willpower 8/17. Socialize 3.
   
  ■
  Wolfgang Ramberg: Sled dog trainer and 
  handler. Friendly, but awkward. More 
  comfortable with dogs than with people. 
  Animals 4.
  Alternate 
  Funding Offer
  As the professor, the heroes and several 
  members of the expedition are leaving the 
  ship, they will be approached by a group of 
  fancily dressed men and women waiting on 
  the docks. One of these men will speak, intro-
  ducing himself as Wendell Patton, a repre-
  sentative of the Fraternal Order of the Right 
  (FOR), an organization with an interest in 
  financing worthwhile endeavors of scientific 
  merit around the globe. 
  Mr. Patton will ask to speak with the professor 
  and heroes regarding a potential opportunity for 
  additional funding for their expedition.
   
  ■
  Any hero present can make a Per/empathy-10 
  flip. A success indicates that she gets a feeling 
  for how the other characters are reacting to 
  this offer. Professor Hedegaard seems giddy 
  with excitement, while the other members of 
  the expedition all seem to be giving off a vibe 
  of tense hostility.
  What’s going on here is that Mr. Patton and 
  his associates are Preventer agents operating as 
  members of FOR. They are making an attempt 
  to influence, infiltrate or impede the Hedegaard 
  expedition, which they suspect is being under-
  taken at the behest of their Retributer rivals. 
  If they can influence the expedition using 
  money and get their own agents embedded, 
  that’s great! Otherwise, they’re already hedging 
  their bets by financing their own expedition (as 
  will be revealed tomorrow at the dress party). 
  Meanwhile, the other expedition members are 
  Retributer agents. They recognize this attempt 
  for what it is, but aren’t in a position where 
  they can afford to blow their cover. 
  The professor will excitedly ask the heroes 
  what they think. Let the players answer 
  however they wish and the professor will 
  accept their expert advice.
   
  ■
  If the other expedition members are asked 
  why they are tense, they’ll deny it if asked 
  publicly, or simply say “those people give 
  me the creeps” if asked privately.
   
  ■
  If the heroes ask the professor, she will say 
  that more funding is always better, right?
   
  ■
  If the heroes ask Mr. Patton or his associates 
  why they are interested in funding the expe-
  dition, they will reply “Antarctica is the last 
  great unexplored frontier, and we wish to be 
  among the first to learn its secrets.”
   
  ■
  If, for some reason, stats are necessary, Mr. 
  Patton’s stats are on page 30 and his associates 
  use the Preventer Agent stats on page 17.
  The intent of this scene is to clue the 
  players in that something weird is going on 
  with the expedition and that not everything 
  is as it seems, without giving away the sides 
  involved or their covert natures. Ideally this 
  scene should leave the players wondering 
  “what just happened there?”
  
  14
  14
  Assignments
  The heroes are on the expedition for a 
  reason. Each should be expected to contribute 
  in some way. Perhaps one is a skilled 
  physician and will be the doctor for the expe-
  dition. Maybe another one is a skilled surviv-
  alist, another sponsor, a celebrity to attract 
  attention to the expedition or a scientist 
  interested in the Antarctic. If these roles aren’t 
  clear, the GM should have the players discuss 
  them among themselves.
  At this point the heroes should each receive 
  a task that they need to accomplish before the 
  expedition departs. The GM should make 
  something up based around the role that the 
  hero is fulfilling for the expedition. This should 
  get the players engaged, and ideally give them a 
  reason to interact with the rest of the expedition 
  members. They may optionally involve a flip of 
  some sort. Some ideas are provided below:
   
  ■
  The expedition doctor must perform a 
  physical on each member of the expedition.
   
  ■
  The expedition celebrity must give a speech 
  to the press.
   
  ■
  An expedition scientist must check over 
  the supplies of scientific equipment.
   
  ■
  An animal trainer or sled master must 
  check on the health of the dogs.
   
  ■
  The expedition quartermaster must go over 
  equipment manifests and supplies.
  These assignments should represent several 
  days of time in the game world—after all, 
  there’s a lot to accomplish and an expedition 
  requires a lot of planning. After several days go 
  by, the professor then expects all of the heroes 
  to attend one final, but important, dress party 
  before the expedition sets sail. She will drop 
  by to remind the heroes of this while they go 
  about their assignments.
  "Gentle Persuasion"
  Other than the professor, the heroes are 
  the only members of the expedition who 
  aren’t embedded agents. To the Retributers, 
  they represent an unknown quality and this 
  makes their planners nervous. To test the 
  heroes’ mettle, they have paid several local 
  thugs to “gently persuade” the heroes to leave 
  the expedition. From the perspective of the 
  Retributers, if this convinces the heroes to 
  leave, then that’s one less unknown variable 
  to account for. If it doesn’t, then at least 
  they know that the heroes have the mettle to 
  potentially be useful in the Antarctic. 
  The hired thugs aren’t original planners. 
  They simply follow the heroes at a distance 
  until they can catch them relatively alone—
  such as on an empty Newark street at night. 
  Then they show up, clubs in hand, demanding 
  that the heroes agree to leave the expedition or 
  else “they’ll receive a hurtin’.”
   
  ■
  Use the Thug stat block on page 229 of the 
  Dime Adventures core rulebook. There 
  are a number of thugs equal to the number 
  of heroes. They are minions.
   
  ■
  The thugs don’t know anything other than 
  some man in a suit paid them a lot of 
  money (Income 5) to intimidate the heroes 
  into leaving the expedition.
  Research
  It’s possible that one of the heroes will 
  decide to do some research at this point. 
  Perhaps she wants to look up information 
  about Antarctica, about the expedition’s SAM 
  sponsors or about Professor Hedegaard.
   
  ■
  Doing research on any of these topics 
  requires a Det/lib-arts-10 flip.
  
  15
  15
   
  ■
  Success will turn up basic information 
  on the subject, but also references to the 
  Fielding Expedition, which disappeared 
  in Antarctica a year ago. The hero will 
  dig up the basic information about the 
  expedition as well as the expedition’s final 
  transmission (see page 4).
   
  ■
  Professor Hedegaard was a consulting 
  expert during the Fielding Expedition’s 
  preparation, although she did not go on 
  the expedition. If questioned, she will 
  admit this, but didn’t bring it up earlier 
  because she doesn’t want to unduly worry 
  the members of her current expedition.
   
  ■
  As with the Hedegaard Expedition, SAM 
  was the sponsor of the Fielding Expedition.
  Fancy Dress Party
  Regardless of each hero’s individual assign-
  ment, they are expected to attend a dress party 
  which Professor Hedegaard is hosting ahead 
  of the expedition’s official launch. The party is 
  taking place at the rather fancy Robert Treat 
  Hotel. Formal attire is requested, refreshments 
  will be served and each of the heroes will have 
  a chance to mingle with the grant sponsors and 
  other members of the expedition.
  This party is important because represen-
  tatives of the expedition’s grant sponsor, the 
  Society for the Advancement of Mankind, 
  will be in attendance and will be making early 
  evaluations of the expedition. The professor 
  wants to impress the SAM representatives, as 
  she has hopes for future funding. Addition-
  ally, for all of the expedition members, the 
  party represents one last hurrah in civilized 
  lands before the expedition sets sail.
  Behind the scenes, the dress party represents 
  a chance for the Retributer agents embedded 
  on the expedition to receive their final instruc-
  tions before setting out. It also represents a 
  chance for the higher-up Retributer agents 
  attending the expedition to evaluate the heroes 
  and decide if they’re going to pose a problem 
  for the expedition’s secret goals.
  Narratively, the dress party represents 
  another chance for the players to realize that 
  something strange is going on with the expedi-
  tion. During the party they may catch hushed 
  snippets of conversation between the expedi-
  tion members and the SAM sponsors. It also 
  provides a dramatic backdrop for the revela-
  tion about the rival expedition that will also 
  be voyaging to Antarctica. Finally, it also keeps 
  the heroes occupied, while their supplies are 
  quietly sabotaged (see page 17).
  SAM Representatives
  Two representatives of the Society for the 
  Advancement of Mankind are present at the 
  dress party. These are also the two highest-
  ranking Retributer agents on Arth. Over the 
  course of the party they will make a point to 
  talk to the heroes, sizing them up, and also 
  quietly give instructions to the other expedi-
  tion members. They use the Retributer Agent 
  stat block (see page 12), with the modification 
  and descriptions listed below.
   
  ■
  Mary Hanson: An older woman with an 
  elaborate picture hat and a cane. She is the 
  ranking Retributer on Arth. Int 9, Det 9. 
  Willpower 12/24. Lib-Arts 4, Tactics 4.
   
  ■
  Morgan Reeves: A stunningly handsome 
  man with a tailored suit and univer-
  sally flirtatious attitude. Int 7. Chr 9. 
  Willpower 10/21. Persuade 4, Socialize 4.
  
  16
  16
  Professor Hedegaard's  
  Funding Woes
  If the players earlier advised Professor 
  Hedegaard to take the Fraternal Order of the 
  Right up on their funding offer, they will 
  find her at the dress party looking somewhat 
  downtrodden. If asked, she will explain that 
  while she initially took the heroes’ advice, 
  her current grant sponsors at SAM refused 
  to have anything to do with an expedition 
  partially funded by FOR and they threatened 
  to pull their funding. Because of that, she was 
  forced to turn back around and decline FOR’s 
  funding offer. She’s now bummed, thinking 
  about what might have been.
   
  ■
  She doesn’t know why SAM refused to 
  allow FOR to fund the expedition as well. 
  (They explained to her that they don’t want 
  their good name associated with villains 
  like FOR, but it didn’t stick with her.)
   
  ■
  If the heroes ask the SAM representatives 
  about this, they’ll give the heroes the same 
  explanation, further stating that FOR 
  often funds cultural endeavors to which 
  they object. Success on a Per/empathy-10 
  flip will allow a hero to discern that they’re 
  not being told the whole truth.
  Arrival of the 
  Rival Expedition
  An hour into the fancy dress party the doors 
  of the hotel ballroom will fly open and in will 
  walk a group of uninvited and fancily dressed 
  men and women, looking smug. These are the 
  leaders of the Yale Expedition, flush with newly 
  expanded funding from the Fraternal Order of 
  the Right. They’re here to crash the party and 
  flaunt their intent to beat the Hedegaard Expe-
  dition to the Transantarctic Mountains. 
  Make their entrance unexpected and 
  dramatic. Have them taunt the heroes’ expe-
  dition, then allow the heroes to react however 
  they wish. During their time at the party, they 
  will announce that they’re fully provisioned and 
  plan to leave first thing tomorrow morning, 
  well ahead of the Hedegaard Expedition!
  After making their point and flaunting it, 
  and after the heroes have had the opportunity 
  to react, the rival expedition will take their 
  leave and prepare for the morning.
   
  ■
  Adrien de Gerlache, a Belgian explorer of 
  some renown, has been hired to lead the 
  Yale Expedition’s efforts. His stats can be 
  found on page 31.
   
  ■
  Wendell Patton, the FOR representative who 
  approached the heroes earlier, is also present. 
  His stats can be found on page 30.
  Leaving Newark
  With the revelation that a rival expedi-
  tion is leaving tomorrow morning, Professor 
  Hedegaard will want to move up the timetable 
  and have her expedition depart from Newark as 
  soon as possible. She will ask each of the heroes 
  if their individual tasks are accomplished, and 
  if they could be ready to leave in the next day 
  or two rather than in a couple weeks as origi-
  nally planned. If they seem ready, she will tell 
  them to plan to leave soon then. However, 
  these plans will soon receive a setback...
  
  17
  17
  Sabotage!
  While the heroes were attending the dress 
  party, Preventer agents were sneaking aboard 
  the Cap Nor, the Hedegaard’s Expedition’s 
  ship, and sabotaging the supplies. Tools were 
  dumped into the harbor, food containers were 
  cracked open to let spoil, fuel was spilled and 
  dogs were let loose.
  When the heroes next head to the ship, or 
  when the other expedition members head there 
  the next day, they will discover the sabotage. 
  Unless something is done to fix it, the expedi-
  tion will be critically undersupplied! 
  As it currently stands after the sabotage, 
  the expedition suffers from the Depletion 
  (dogs), Depletion (food), Depletion (fuel) 
  and Depletion (tools) consequences, all at 
  moderate severity. Heroes can take actions to 
  fix these shortages, but every action takes two 
  days, as the heroes have to gather new supplies 
  and have them loaded on the ship.
   
  ■
  Rounding up the missing dogs requires 
  a Per/animals-10 flip. On a success, the 
  Depletion (dogs) consequence drops to 
  light. It’s removed entirely with Mag 5+.
   
  ■
  Finding and resealing the broken food canisters 
  requires a Per/crafts-10 flip. On a success, the 
  Depletion (food) consequence drops to light. 
  It’s removed entirely with Mag 5+.
   
  ■
  Cleaning up the spilled fuel and refilling 
  the canisters requires a Det/investigate-10 
  flip. On a success, the Depletion (food) 
  consequence drops to light. It’s removed 
  entirely with Mag 5+.
   
  ■
  Purchasing new tools at an affordable price 
  requires a Chr/socialize-10 flip. On a success, 
  the Depletion (tools) consequence drops to 
  light. It’s removed entirely with Mag 5+.
  Preventer Agent
  “Of course I can handle those Retributer bastards!”
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 7, End 6, Int 6, Per 6, Chr 6, Det 6
  Defense 9/19, Willpower 9/18, DR 2, HP 11, Wealth 5, Lifestyle 4
  Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Deception 4, Guns 3, Mechanics 3, Melee 3, 
  Naturalist 3, Science 3, Socialize 2, Stealth 3
  Preventer Pistol: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Auto 3, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 9.
  ♣ Bloody Shot: Increase the target’s Bleeding consequence a severity, or two with 
  a critical hit. Additionally, the trail of blood makes the target easier to track, 
  granting a +4 bonus to do so.
  Knife: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2).
  Equipment: Hidden Radio, Preventer Pistol (Conceal), Preventer Undersuit (DR 2)
  The Preventers are time travelers who oppose the Retributers and who have secretly 
  embedded themselves in positions of power within FOR and other organizations across 
  Arth. This stat block represents a field agent qualified to trek around Antarctica.
  
  18
  18
  
  19
  19
  During this part of the adventure the 
  expedition will make its way from the port of 
  Newark, down the coast of Americas, make a 
  final stop in Punta Arenas and then venture 
  southward onto the ice. Along the way the 
  tension should build as problems are revealed 
  and the heroes are pitted against both the envi-
  ronment and a tight timetable.
  Departing Newark
  Now that the competing Yale Expedition 
  has revealed itself, both Professor Hedegaard 
  and her SAM grant sponsors are anxious for 
  the expedition to leave Newark as soon as 
  possible. They are only willing to wait a couple 
  days as the heroes round up some of the lacking 
  supplies (see page 17).
   
  ■
  Convincing them to wait an additional two 
  days requires success on a Chr/persuade-10 
  flip. The TN increases by +4 for every 
  successive delay.
  On the day the expedition leaves, all 
  expedition members gather at the Cap Nor 
  early in the morning, then perform one final 
  check of the ship and supplies before setting 
  off with the morning tide.
  Voyage by Sea
  The voyage from Newark to Antarctica is 
  expected to take almost two months, counting 
  time at stops along the way to refuel and 
  resupply. This will give the heroes a good deal 
  of downtime, albeit time in which activities are 
  confined by being on a ship.
   
  ■
  The Cap Nor is crewed by 10 sailors, led 
  by Captain Holger Von Meyer. These 
  are freelance sailors hired by Professor 
  Hedegaard to stay with the ship. They are 
  not members of the expedition proper. 
  None of them are Retributer agents, nor do 
  they have any idea of what’s going on behind 
  the scenes. Use the Pirate stats on page 227 
  of the Dime Adventures core rulebook. 
  This would be a good moment to go 
  around the table and have each of the players 
  describe what her character is doing to pass 
  the long voyage. It might also be good to 
  emphasize the length of the voyage by having 
  a few events happen along the way. Ideally 
  events should be chosen to suit the hero’s 
  strengths, backstory or experience. Give 
  personal objectives a moment to shine. To 
  spur creativity, some ideas are given below:
   
  ■
  Tim Johnson may fall overboard and need 
  saved from a hungry shark! Use the Shark 
  stats on page 233 of the Dime Adventures 
  core rulebook.
   
  ■
  Perhaps Jacqueline Beaumont finds 
  herself growing close to one of the heroes 
  during their time on the ship together 
  (see page 12).
   
  ■
  A mysterious illness may spread among 
  the crew and a hero with medical expertise 
  Southward!
  
  20
  20
  may need to come up with a cure, aided 
  by a survivalist who can extract the cure’s 
  necessary ingredients from the sea.
   
  ■
  For a change of pace, as the heroes are 
  passing the Caribbean, considering running 
  the “Skull-Spider Island” adventure found 
  in the Dime Adventures: Quick-Start. 
  Some details may need to be changed to fit 
  the journey, but it makes for a fun single-
  session pulp adventure!
  Finally, it would be good to keep in mind 
  that during the voyage the heroes will be 
  cooped up on a ship with the other expedi-
  tion members. This provides plenty of time 
  to interact, overhear whispered conversa-
  tions, do some snooping or even do some 
  inappropriate fraternizing. If the players 
  haven’t caught on yet as to the full extent of 
  the secrets behind the expediton, this would 
  also be an opportune time to drop some 
  clues and stir the players’ curiosity.
  Managing the Mystery
  Throughout the adventure the GM should take care when dropping hints 
  as to the nature of the expedition. The goal is to balance keeping the players’ 
  interest piqued, while at the same time not pushing them so far that they dig in 
  their heels and demand to know what’s happening here and now. 
  Depending on the players, this admittedly can be a tricky proposition. The 
  GM should make sure that she gets a sense of her players and how far she can 
  push them, then drops hints appropriately. Ideally the heroes will be strung along 
  until the expedition lands in Antarctica, at which point the GM can prepare the 
  big reveal. Once on the ice there’s little to do but to go along.
  If the worst happens and the players do dig their heels in and demand an 
  explanation, here are a couple ways the GM may handle the situation:
   
  ■
  Interrupt the scene. Maybe at the very moment when the hero is demanding 
  an explanation, gunmen kick down the door and start firing. Just make sure to 
  shift the hero’s priority in the moment. This might provide enough distraction 
  that it takes the hero another session or so to go back to demanding answers.
   
  ■
  One of the expedition members could take the hero aside and provide a half-
  truth: SAM and FOR are secretly working against each other. The two rival 
  expeditions are the result of this proxy war. They both believe they will find 
  remarkable resources in the Transantarctic Mountains that they don’t want 
  the other group to obtain first. This might be enough of an explanation to 
  sate the hero’s curiosity for now.
  
  21
  21
  Ports of Call
  The Cap Nor is a wooden-hulled, three-
  masted steamship, a barque. It uses its sails 
  for propulsion when the winds are favorable. 
  It burns coal to power its steam engines when 
  the winds are not. Because it can only carry a 
  limited amount of coal, along the journey the 
  ship must stop at several ports of call to refuel. 
  This is especially true if the expedition is trying 
  to make good time in the voyage, rather than 
  waiting for favorable winds. Additionally, each 
  port of call represents a chance for the expe-
  dition members and sailors to have a day not 
  cooped up on the ship, to exercise the dogs so 
  that they will remain in good shape and to do 
  any necessary shopping.
  Narratively, each port of call represents a 
  chance for the heroes to get involved in other 
  sorts of adventures, to spy on the activities 
  of the other expedition members or even to 
  pursue personal side-plots.
  The plan is for the expedition to make 
  stops at ports of call along the way. The first 
  will be in Grenada, the second stop is at Rio 
  de Janeiro and the final stop will be at Punta 
  Arenas in Patagonia.
  Grenada
  The first coaling stop the expedition 
  makes is at the British colony of Grenada. It 
  represents one more chance for the heroes to 
  hunt down replacement supplies, although 
  the difficulty of any flips to resupply here are 
  TN 14 rather than TN 10.
  The Yale Expedition has already visited the 
  island, and the Preventer agents have hired local 
  thugs to assault the heroes when they make it here.
   
  ■
  Use the Thug stats on page 229 of the 
  Dime Adventures core rulebook. There 
  are a number of thugs equal to the number 
  of heroes. They are minions.
  Rio de Janeiro
  Rio de Janeiro is the capital of Portugal 
  Novo, and the largest city that the expedition 
  will stop at along the way. There’s plenty to see 
  and do here, although unless the GM dictates 
  otherwise, there is only one event of relevance 
  to the ongoing plot of the adventure.
   
  ■
  While the heroes are out and about in 
  Rio de Janeiro, have anyone present make 
  a Per/awareness flip. The hero with the 
  highest total overhears Mocci M’Ba, a 
  sailor, conversing with others about his 
  recent experiences. 
  As Mocci speaks, it quickly becomes clear 
  that he is talking about the time he spent with 
  the Yale Expedition, sailing from Newark to Rio. 
  Apparently he was so spooked by what he saw, he 
  abandoned the expedition while on shore leave, 
  and is looking for new work. He tells stories of 
  the Yale Expedition having hushed conversa-
  tions, strange ways and even stranger technology. 
  He believes that “something was off” about the 
  whole affair, as if those on the expedition have no 
  fear of death or sense of what’s real.
  The players are free to react to this however 
  they wish. They might have questions for him 
  or even offer him a position on their ship. If 
  the Retributer agents hear his story, however, 
  they will want to know everything and then 
  silence Mocci so that he doesn’t give too much 
  information away to others.
   
  ■
  Success on a Chr/socialize-10 flip convinces 
  Mocci to tell all he knows.
  
  22
  22
  Last Stop in 
  Civilization
  Regardless of how the Cap Nor is doing 
  in terms of fuel, the ship will need to stop at 
  the port of Punta Arenas. This port is located 
  in Patagonia, near the southernmost tip of 
  South America. Not only is it an important 
  waypoint for ships traveling the Straits of 
  Magellan, but it is also the last human settle-
  ment that the expedition will encounter 
  before it sets out to the frozen south.
  Behind the scenes, this stop is also 
  important to the Retributer agents on the 
  expedition, as there is a dropbox containing 
  their final instructions, located in the ruins 
  of Puerto del Hambre, just a day’s journey 
  from Punta Arenas.
  While the heroes are out and about, they 
  should notice that many members of the expe-
  dition seem to be missing, whereas they can 
  usually be found hanging around the ship or 
  at the local pubs. Pick the members that the 
  heroes are most likely to miss.
   
  ■
  If the heroes ask the other expedition 
  members they will try to cover for the missing 
  individuals. Success on a Per/empathy-10 flip 
  will allow a hero to realize that the member 
  being questioned isn’t saying all she knows.
   
  ■
  Asking the locals will reveal that the 
  unaccounted for expedition members 
  were spotted heading out of town in the 
  direction of Puerto del Hambre.
   
  ■
  For more information on Patagonia, see page 
  44 of the Dime Adventures core rulebook.
  Puerto del Hambre
  Puerto del Hambre, formally known as 
  Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, was a Spanish 
  settlement founded in the 1500s to combat 
  piracy. The settlement was ill-fated, and all 
  of the original settlers either starved or froze 
  to death, except for a single survivor, who 
  was rescued by the English pirate captain, 
  Thomas Cavendish, in 1587. Today the 
  settlement is a ruin located 36 mi. (56 km) 
  south of Punta Arenas.
  Because of its remoteness, this site was 
  chosen as a message drop and secret resupply 
  by the Retributers. It was used during the 
  doomed Fielding Expedition, and the Retrib-
  uters agents embedded in the Hedegaard Expe-
  dition are planning a trip there to pick up any 
  final instructions that might have been left, 
  and any necessary replacement tech.
  Unfortunately the location of this secret 
  drop has leaked to the Preventers. Their agents 
  recently visited when the Yale Expedition was 
  in port and took all of the stored supplies. They 
  then attacked and drove the local Patagone 
  giants into a frenzy. These Patagones now 
  watch the site, looking for the little humans to 
  return so they can get their revenge.
   
  ■
  Once the heroes enter the ruins, a 
  number of Patagones will attempt to 
  sneak up and attack them. There are half 
  as many Patagones as heroes (round up). 
  Their stats are on the next page.
   
  ■
  After the fight the heroes can encounter 
  the expedition members who ventured out 
  here. They will be obviously upset (their 
  secret drop is not here).
  
  23
  23
  Into the 
  Unknown
  After the expedition leaves Punta Arenas, 
  only a week or so of the voyage remains until 
  the Cap Nor reaches the Antarctic ice. This is 
  the most perilous segment of the journey by 
  sea, as there is no one here to rescue a stranded 
  ship and the seas have been just barely explored.
  It is also the Antarctic spring, and the 
  earlier the heroes set off and the better time 
  they made during their voyage, the worse the 
  weather will be. Indeed, setting off early may 
  have allowed the Hedegaard Expedition to 
  keep pace with the Yale Expedition, but it also 
  makes approaching the Antarctic coast more 
  unpredictable and dangerous.
  Antarctic Storm
  As the Cap Nor approaches the ice, a fierce 
  storm will be brewing in the west. Unless the 
  heroes spot it early and prepare the ship in 
  time, it may take damage, the sails may be torn 
  and precious supplies may be lost.
   
  ■
  Noticing the developing storm in time 
  requires a successful Per/naturalist-10 flip. 
  On a failure, when the storm hits, the ship 
  will be unprepared and supplies will be lost. 
  Increase the Depletion (dogs) or Depletion 
  (fuel) consequence a severity.
  Regardless, the heroes will still need to help 
  the sailors lower the sails and prevent expedi-
  tion members from being washed overboard. If 
  the heroes don’t act and instead leave it to the 
  crew, they will manage to accomplish one of 
  these two tasks successfully, but in their haste 
  leave the other one unfinished.
   
  ■
  Lowering the sales requires a Str/vehicles-10 
  flip. On a failure, the expedition will lose 
  more time as repairs must be made.
   
  ■
  Saving an expedition member from being 
  washed overboard requires a successful 
  Spd/athletics-10 flip. Pick the expedition 
  members the players like the most to put 
  in jeopardy.
  Patagone
  Has difficulty telling the little people apart.
  Str 13, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 10, Int 4, Per 4, Chr 5, Det 5
  Defense 7/15, Willpower 7/14, DR 0, HP 34
  Skills: Animals 2, Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Crafts 2, Melee 2, Naturalist 2, Stealth 3
  Fists: +5♥ vs. Defense (♠14/♥12/♦11/♣9).
  ♣ Head Smash: Increase the target’s Dazed consequence two severities, or three 
  with a critical hit.
  ♣ Knockback: The target is knocked back a zone and on a critical hit also 
  increases her Prone consequence a severity.
  Size +1: Patagones are large and powerful. This has been factored into their Defense and HP.
  Ever since Magellan first visited Patagonia, stories have been told about the giants 
  that live there. These giants stand twice human height and wear no clothes.
  
  24
  24
  
  25
  25
  In this section of the adventure the 
  heroes will finally set foot on the Antarctic 
  continent. Not only will they have to battle 
  the elements, they’ll encounter the ruins of 
  the Fielding Expedition, face rivals, discover 
  deadly creatures under the ice and the truth 
  behind SAM’s funding of the Hedegaard 
  Expedition will be revealed!
  Onto the Ice
  Once the storm is passed, the expedition 
  is free to make a second attempt at venturing 
  onto the ice. This is where the real work of the 
  expedition begins. Not only do the heroes have 
  to transport themselves safely off the ship, but 
  they have other characters to coordinate with 
  and several tons of supplies to move as well. 
  Getting all these people and things off the ship 
  and sorted is a lengthy process in dangerously 
  cold conditions that is likely to take several days. 
  Make sure to review the Antarctic Survival 
  rules on page 8. During this time the heroes 
  can sleep on the ship at night, recovering all 
  their Fatigue and Endurance in HP. Once they 
  set out on the ice, however, the full survival 
  rules will be in effect.
   
  ■
  Transporting everything correctly is an 
  extended Int-10 (Tally 10, Interval 1 day) 
  action. Failure means that a complication 
  of some sort arises. Perhaps one of the 
  expedition members is exposed to the cold 
  long enough for her to require medical 
  attention. Or maybe one of the Depletion 
  consequences for the expedition’s supplies 
  is increased a severity.
  Scouting Inland
  Once all of the supplies are off the ship, 
  they’ll need to be moved inland by dogsled 
  until they arrive at a suitable spot for the base 
  camp. Ideally this will be at the base of the 
  Transantarctic Mountains, so that the expedi-
  tion can begin to explore from there.
  Scouting out a suitable spot for a base 
  camp will mean an extended trip by dogsled 
  for the heroes. During the trip they will have to 
  sleep in satellite camps (see page 9).
   
  ■
  Scouting out a suitable spot will require 
  three flips: Det/animals-10 to ready 
  the dogs, Str/vehicles-10 to operate the 
  dogsled and Per/naturalist-10 to pick out 
  a suitable spot for the camp.
   
  ■
  Failure on any of the flips means that 
  the scouting trip is delayed until things 
  can be done properly, and all of the 
  characters present increase their Fatigue 
  consequences a severity.
   
  ■
  In addition, for each of the above flips, 
  have the heroes check for Fatigue from the 
  cold, as per the Antarctic Survival rules.
  Bottom of the World
  
  26
  26
  Setting Up Base Camp
  To set up base camp, all the supplies and 
  expedition members will need to be trans-
  ported to the chosen site and then the camp 
  constructed.
  With all of the supplies off the ship, this 
  should be straightforward, if lengthy. Simply 
  have a day pass, increase the Fatigue conse-
  quence for all NPCs a severity and have the 
  heroes each flip against Fatigue from the cold.
   
  ■
  Resisting the cold en route is an End-14 
  flip. Failure results in a severity of Fatigue.
   
  ■
  Rules for setting up base camp can be 
  found on page 9.
  With a base camp established, the expe-
  dition can begin its exploratory work in 
  the Transantarctic Mountains. Professor 
  Hedegaard is excited to begin examining the 
  geology, even if her teeth chatter while she 
  exclaims her excitement. The other expe-
  dition members, meanwhile, are secretly 
  making plans to trek to the location of the 
  hidden Retributer headquarters.
  Ruins of  
  those Before
  As the heroes head up into the Transant-
  arctic Mountains—regardless of how they get 
  involved—the first thing of note that they will 
  discover are the ruins of the Fielding Expedition’s 
  doomed base camp. To the untrained observer 
  this appears as little more than a few bits of cloth 
  and other manmade items sticking out from the 
  Antarctic ice, half-buried. Closer inspection, 
  however, will reveal the nature of the camp.
  If the heroes have yet to hear the story of 
  the Fielding Expedition, Professor Hedegaard 
  will take this moment to solemnly recount the 
  story of the expedition’s doomed voyage to the 
  Antarctic (see page 4). Otherwise, allow the 
  players to come to their own conclusions.
   
  ■
  Success on a Per/investigate-12 flip will 
  turn up enough salvageable tools to 
  supplement the expedition’s dwindling 
  supply. On a success, lower the expedition’s 
  Depletion (tools) consequence a severity.
  Leaving Tasks to the NPCs
  This is a roleplaying game. The heroes are the main characters, so they should 
  be front and center! It’s possible, however, that the heroes will delegate tasks 
  entirely to the NPCs. This is fine, but there will be consequences—after all, we 
  want the heroes involved! Here are some guidelines for handing this situation.
   
  ■
  Regardless of anything else, any NPCs sent out to perform a task come back 
  with their Fatigue consequences increased a severity (see page 8).
   
  ■
  If the GM judges that the task was particularly difficult or dangerous, pick 
  one of the NPCs who was sent out. This character comes back horribly 
  frostbitten, injured or dead! If alive, she will need to be transported back 
  to the ship to recover.
  
  27
  27
  Things Under the Ice
  Just as the heroes are finishing up their 
  survey of the Fielding Expedition’s ruins, one 
  of the expedition members should suddenly 
  start screaming about a thing under the ice.
  There is little time to react, but heroes will 
  hear the ice creak and see a section of it bust 
  open. Out of this crevice will crawl a terrible 
  creature composed of tentacles, teeth and eyes, 
  with a fluid-like form and a harrowing wail. 
  This is a spawn of the Devourer, and it has 
  been lying in wait to ambush either the Retrib-
  uters or their Preventer rivals.
   
  ■
  Use the Alien, Starspawn stats on page 5 
  of the Cryptid Codex supplement. If the 
  GM does not have this supplement, substi-
  tute in the Giant Killer Prairie Dog stats, 
  but reflavor as appropriate (see the Dime 
  Adventures core rulebook, page 238).
  Secrets Revealed!
  In the aftermath of the spawn’s attack, 
  the other expedition members will begin to 
  worriedly talk among themselves about it. Shit 
  has just gotten real in their view as Retributer 
  agents, and at this point all pretense of being 
  simple explorers falls away.
  The Retributer agents weren’t expecting 
  to find Devourer spawn here, rather they 
  were assuming that the loss of their base in 
  the Antarctic was a Preventer plot! The revela-
  tion that Devourer spawn are present comes 
  as a shock for them as well. In their minds it 
  also means that events have suddenly taken 
  a turn very much for the worse. At least the 
  Preventers are human, with human motives 
  and weaknesses. The Devourer and its spawn, 
  on the other hand, are alien and powerful 
  beyond comprehension.
  From the Retributer’s conversation, it 
  should become immediately clear to the heroes 
  that their “fellow expedition members” not only 
  know what the thing under the ice is, but also 
  have a great deal of context that the heroes lack. 
  This would be a good time to demand 
  answers. Even if the heroes aren’t that straight-
  forward, one of the expedition members will 
  pull them aside—pick the member with 
  which the heroes are the most friendly—and 
  explain things. (For the full story, see pages 
  4-6.) The tone of this explanation should vary 
  with how friendly the heroes have been with 
  the other expedition members. However, the 
  GM should make sure that all of the relevant 
  information comes to light—it’s no fun for 
  players if the big reveal never happens!
  How players react to this information is up 
  to them, but if necessary, remind players that 
  they are otherwise all alone in a deadly land 
  with limited supplies, 
  terrible Things That 
  Man 
  Was 
  Not 
  Meant to Know 
  and other hostile 
  agents who will 
  shoot first and 
  ask 
  questions 
  later. 
  Some 
  semblance of 
  cooperation is 
  the best hope 
  of survival.
  
  28
  28
  Rival Camp
  While the heroes have been undergoing 
  their own journey, the Yale Expedition has also 
  traveled to Antarctica and established a base 
  camp some 10 mi. (16 km) away. The Retrib-
  uter agents in the expedition will want to pay 
  this camp a visit to survey what resources the 
  Preventers have at their disposal. This is doubly 
  important now that Devourer spawn have been 
  encountered in the Antarctic.
   
  ■
  Locating the camp requires success on 
  a Per/naturalist-10 flip. Failure means 
  time wasted in the cold. Have all of the 
  heroes make an extra flip against Fatigue 
  from the cold.
  Smoke Signals
  The first sign the heroes will see of the 
  Yale Expedition’s base camp is a long thin 
  trail of smoke, such as might be given off by 
  a cooking fire. As the heroes approach closer, 
  however, something seems not quite right 
  about the smoke.
  The rival expedition’s camp is in tatters. 
  Tents have been ripped. Fuel tanks have been 
  pushed over, ripped open and spilled. Tufts 
  of fur from dogs litter the frozen ground. A 
  broken sled sticks out of the ice. A dozen paces 
  from the camp the ice has been cracked open, 
  leaving a deep crevice. No bodies are to be seen.
  This is the aftermath of an attack by 
  Devourer spawn. If the players don’t come 
  to this conclusion on their own, one of their 
  fellow expedition members will point it out.
   
  ■
  Success on an Int/investigate-10 flip allows 
  a character to notice that there are remains 
  of only one sled. A proper expedition would 
  have at least two, indicating that either one 
  sled got away or the spawn attacked while 
  one sled was out scouting.
   
  ■
  A 
  Per/investigate-10 
  flip 
  allows 
  a 
  character to pick through the ruins 
  and salvage supplies. Success decreases 
  either the expedition’s Depletion (food) 
  or Depletion (fuel) consequence a 
  severity—assuming 
  the 
  heroes 
  can 
  transport the supplies back to base camp.
  Scouting Party Returns
  The spawn attacked while a party from 
  the Yale Expedition was out scouting, and this 
  scouting party will return right as the heroes 
  are picking through the rubble. 
  Imagine what this scouting party thinks: 
  When they left, the camp was whole and 
  largely healthy. They haven’t encountered 
  any Devourer spawn. Upon their return, 
  they find their means of survival destroyed 
  and their sworn enemies looting the broken 
  remains of their camp. They’re inclined to 
  shoot first and ask questions never.
   
  ■
  There are a number of Preventer agents 
  equal to the number of heroes. Their stats 
  can be found on page 17. They are minions.
   
  ■
  A charismatic hero might be able to salvage 
  the situation with some good roleplaying 
  and a successful Chr/persuade-14 flip. The 
  hero only gets one shot, however; after this 
  the Preventers stop listening.
  Survivor
  After the confrontation the heroes will 
  encounter Ezra Weisbender, a survivor from 
  the Yale Expedition. Depending on the circum-
  stances, he could be someone who escaped 
  the spawn attack and then collapsed from the 
  cold outside of camp or even a member of the 
  
  29
  29
  scouting party who just returned. Whatever 
  his story, he has some information that can be 
  passed along to the heroes.
   
  ■
  The scouting expedition just returned 
  from “the Black Rock.” Several expedition 
  members, including Adrien de Gerlache 
  and Wendell Patton, were dropped off 
  there to continue investigating. They 
  are expecting to be picked up when the 
  scouting party returns.
   
  ■
  Wendell Patton appeared worried by 
  whatever it is he found there, but he 
  didn’t share whatever was worrying him 
  with the others.
   
  ■
  Both the Preventer and Retributer agents 
  in the expeditions know that the Retrib-
  uter base is located under the Black Rock. 
  This will be mentioned.
  The Black Rock
  The Black Rock is a large igneous rock 
  formation sticking out of the Transant-
  arctic Mountains. Its dark color stands in 
  stark contrast to the surrounding ice. Under 
  this formation lies a secret facility that the 
  Retributers have built and use as their base 
  of operations. The GM is free to draw up the 
  layout of this facility, making it as simple or as 
  expansive as needed for the story.
  Trek to the 
  Black Rock
  The trek up the mountains to the Black 
  Rock is a difficult one. The base was inten-
  tionally constructed in a location meant to be 
  hard to reach and defensible.
   
  ■
  There are many treacherous paths to 
  avoid, where ice and rocks threaten to 
  cause an avalanche. Picking the best path 
  requires that one character succeed in a 
  Per/naturalist-12 flip. Failure results in 
  wasted time and a severity of Fatigue.
   
  ■
  Climbing the rugged mountains here is a 
  difficult task, requiring each hero succeed 
  on a Str/athletics-12 flip. Failure results in 
  a severity of Fatigue.
   
  ■
  Finally, gaining entry to the Black Rock 
  facility requires that either the charac-
  ters rely on one of the Retributer agents 
  or succeed on a Per/thievery-12 flip to 
  locate the hidden door and its operating 
  mechanism. Failure means all heroes must 
  flip against Fatigue from the cold and 
  locating the door may be attempted again.
  Doors to Other 
  Worlds and Times
  At the very heart of the Retributer base is 
  the Door Room. This circular room contains 
  advanced 
  technological 
  equipment 
  and 
  doorways leading to other times and worlds. 
  Currently the machines are powered down 
  and the doorways stand empty—all except 
  one. This glowing portal is currently the sole 
  source of light in the room. Through the open 
  doorway a swirling and maddening dance of 
  lights and colors can be seen. It’s through this 
  door that the Devourer spawn crawled shortly 
  before they consumed everyone in the facility. 
  And it is this door that must be closed.
   
  ■
  Closing the door requires three successful 
  Int/mechanics-10 flips. Each flip requires 
  1 AP and must be performed in different 
  rounds.
  
  30
  30
  The Spawn Attack!
  Before the heroes can fully investigate the 
  room or begin closing the door, they will be 
  interrupted by the sudden appearance of a 
  rampaging Devourer spawn! One will show 
  up and initiate combat. At the end of each 
  round, another will emerge from the doorway 
  until there are three total. If the heroes don’t 
  know about closing the door, one of the other 
  expedition members will take this opportunity 
  to shout, “They’re coming from the portal! We 
  must close it—and quickly!”
   
  ■
  Use the Alien, Starspawn stats on page 5 
  of the Cryptid Codex supplement. If the 
  GM does not have this supplement, substi-
  tute in the Giant Killer Prairie Dog stats, 
  but reflavor as appropriate (see the Dime 
  Adventures core rulebook, page 238).
  Confrontation
  While the heroes have been investigating 
  the facility, Wendell Patton and Adrien de 
  Gerlache have been hiding from the spawn. 
  With the threat of the spawn no more, they 
  will take this opportunity to confront the 
  heroes, hoping to defeat them while still 
  reeling from the previous fight.
  Adrien is silent, as all this is still as new 
  to him as it is to the heroes. Wendell, on 
  the other hand, loves a dramatic flourish 
  and will take the opportunity to monologue 
  and gloat about how the Preventers will now 
  be in control of this base and will have sole 
  access to all Arth! Wha ha ha!
   
  ■
  Adrien and Wendell’s stats are on this page 
  and next. They will fight to capture, not 
  kill. Wendell wouldn’t miss the opportu-
  nity for a post-capture taunting speech of 
  forcible exile through one of the portals.
  Wendell Patton
  “Fools, you are being used! Now surrender to the superiority of the Preventers!”
  Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 9, End 6, Int 8, Per 6, Chr 7, Det 6
  Defense 10/21, Willpower 10/21, DR 2, HP 22, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 5
  Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Deception 4, Empathy 4, Guns 3, Lib-Arts 3, 
  Mechanics 3, Melee 3, Naturalist 3, Science 3, Socialize 2, Stealth 3, Tactics 4
  Preventer Pistol: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Auto 3, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 9.
  ♣ Bloody Speech: Increase the target’s Bleeding consequence a severity, or two 
  with a critical hit. Additionally, Wendell may make a short monologue 
  without interruption.
  Knife: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2).
  Villain: As a villain, Wendell has twice the usual number of HP and on his turn may 
  take up to three actions requiring a flip.
  Equipment: Hidden Radio, Preventer Pistol (Conceal), Preventer Undersuit (DR 2)
  Wendell Patton is the Preventer agent in charge of their operations on Arth. 
  In the Yale Expedition he is acting as the FOR representative. He is fond of 
  dramatic gestures and is ruthless to the core.
  
  31
  31
   
  ■
  Adrien is feeling out of his element, and a 
  clever player might be able to turn him against 
  Wendell. This requires good roleplaying and 
  success on a Chr/persuade-14 flip.
   
  ■
  A number of Preventer Agents equal to the 
  number of heroes are hidden in a nearby room 
  to call as backup if needed. Use the Preventer 
  Agent stats on page 17. They are minions.
  Conclusion
  At this point the Devourer spawn have 
  been defeated, the doorway has been closed 
  and the Preventer plot has been foiled. The 
  heroes are victorious!
  Still, they are in Antarctica with a hopeful 
  professor and likely have many questions that 
  are still unanswered. What happens from here 
  is up to the GM and the continued interest of 
  the players. GMs looking for a quick conclu-
  sion can “fade to black” and cut to the expe-
  dition’s triumphant return to civilization. On 
  the other hand, if the players hope to finish 
  the expedition, the GM can make use of the 
  Antarctic survival rules and have them make 
  some Int/science flips for geology work.
  Whatever the case may be, the Retributers 
  now have their base back and the heroes know 
  too much. Depending on how friendly the 
  heroes are with the agents, they may find them-
  selves being recruited into the Retributers, or 
  maybe the time travelers will return in the 
  future as antagonists looking to “tie up loose 
  ends.” By this point, they’ve also run afoul of 
  the Preventers, who may jump to the assump-
  tion that the heroes are Retributer agents, and 
  look to eliminate them in the future.
  Whatever the case may be, there are 
  many more stories waiting to be told!
  Adrien de Gerlache
  “We shall be the first to set foot upon the Transantarctic Mountains!”
  Str 6, Dex 4, Spd 5, End 7, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 6
  Defense 7/15, Willpower 8/16, DR 0, HP 20, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 3
  Skills: Animals 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Crafts 2, Guns 1, Lib-Arts 2, Medicine 2, 
  Melee 2, Naturalist 4, Socialize 2
  Revolver: +3♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Conceal, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 6.
  ♣ Leg Shot: Treat this attack as a Called Shot to the leg. The target’s Prone conse-
  quence increases a severity, and she may not use that leg for movement for 
  the rest of the round.
  Danger Sense: When Adrien would normally be surprised at the beginning of combat 
  he does not suffer the usual reduced AP.
  Toughness: Adrien adds his Endurance to his HP (already figured).
  Equipment: Backpack (Container 5), Revolver (Conceal), Rope, Tent, Trail Rations
  Adrien de Gerlache is a Belgian explorer of some renown who has been hired to lead 
  the Yale Expedition’s efforts in Antarctica. He does not know about the Preventers, 
  but is fiercely protective of his expedition.
  
  2
  2
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dime Adventures/Expedition Beyond Mount Terror.pdf