Scenario IIA The Search for Kadath

Scenario II–A: The Search for Kadath

Intro 1:
 You stay the night at Einar’s Place.
Your rest is anything but peaceful. Even if one could sleep within a dream, you certainly do not.
Your mind teems with anxiety over the quest looming ahead. You reflect on the black cat’s warning about danger in the waking world, and you wonder about the others who have followed Virgil Gray down the steps of slumber and through the Enchanted Woods. Are they here now, too? Perhaps if you find this castle and return with proof of the Dreamlands, you can save everyone: yourself, your friends, and the other dreamers as well.

Check Campaign Log.
ÆÆIf the black cat is at your side, proceed to Intro 2.
ÆÆIf the above is not true, and Luke Robinson is in this group, skip to Intro 3.
ÆÆIf neither of the above is true, skip to Intro 4.

Intro 2:
 When day breaks and light peeks through the curtains of your room, you notice a cat-shaped silhouette sitting in front of the window.
As your vision adjusts, you are transfixed by its piercing yellow eyes, bright as the dawn light. You recognize the shape as Virgil’s talking cat.
You ask the black cat how long it has been sitting there.
“Long enough to know you are neither waking nor asleep,” it replies paradoxically.
The nature of this world still confounds you. Can one even sleep in the Dreamlands? If so, where would their minds go? Curious, you pose this question to the cat.
“Those here in their physical bodies can, but you are something else entirely. Now, never mind all that. On to business.” The black cat leaps onto your bed. “I gave your friends the warning you wanted me to pass along. They are preparing to enter the Dreamlands as well, it seems.
In the meantime, I will stay with you. Somebody has to watch over you and my pet human, anyway.”

Check Campaign Log.
ÆÆIf Luke Robinson is in this group, proceed to Intro 3.
ÆÆOtherwise, skip to Intro 4.

Intro 3:
 In the morning, you find Virgil and Randolph talking in the town square outside of Einar’s Place. You still aren’t quite sure what to think of either of them, but you have a good sense of where you should go next. After all, this is not your first excursion into the fabled land of dreams. Addressing Randolph, you suggest talking to the high priest Atal in the nearby Temple of the Elder Ones. It is a name you heard the last time you visited the city of Ulthar in your sleep, though until now you had no reason to seek the priest’s advice. Randolph gives you a startled glance that transforms quickly into a smirk. 
 “How curious,” he says, “I was about to suggest the same. Atal is wise beyond all our measure. He may know where to find the place we seek.”
Virgil, eager to embark on this adventure, claps his hands. “Well, what are we waiting for? This way, my friends!”
You nod and head for the temple, a circular tower of ivoried stone crowning the highest hill in town. A small army of cats patrols its walls.
The cat at the head of the formation is none other than the old cat with the scar you encountered in the woods earlier. He steps forward to bar your entry and regards your party with great acrimony.
“Hello again,” the old cat says with a sharp tone. “I suppose yeh want me to step aside.”

Check Campaign Log.
ÆÆIf the investigators parleyed with the Zoogs, or if the investigators were saved by Randolph Carter, skip to Intro 5.
ÆÆIf the cats collected their tribute from the Zoogs, skip to Intro 6.

Intro 4:
 The next morning, you find Virgil and Randolph talking in the town square outside of Einar’s Place. Though you aren’t quite sure what to think of either of them just yet, you know that both of them are well versed in the lay of this strange land. You ask them about your next move. “We should speak to the high priest Atal in the Temple of the Elder Ones,” Randolph suggests. “He is wise beyond all our measure and may know where to find the place we seek.” You wonder aloud how far the temple is from here.
“Not far at all,” Randolph replies. “It stands atop the highest hill within Ulthar. Come, I will lead the way.” With Randolph taking the lead, you make your way to the Temple of the Elder Ones, a circular tower of ivoried stone protected by a small army of cats. The cat at the head of the formation is none other than the old cat with the scar you encountered in the woods earlier. He steps forward to bar your entry and regards your party with great acrimony.
“Hello again,” the old cat says with a sharp tone. “I suppose yeh want me to step aside.”

Check Campaign Log.
ÆÆIf the investigators parleyed with the Zoogs, or if the investigators were saved by Randolph Carter, proceed to Intro 5.
ÆÆIf the cats collected their tribute from the Zoogs, skip to Intro 6.

Intro 5:
 “Well, too bad,” the cat says, tail stiff and straight. More cats flank you from the sides, several hissing loudly. Their fur puffs up, and their eyes flare with anger. “It’s our duty to guard this place from impetuous outsiders like yerself. Yeh ain’t wanted here.”
“Be reasonable,” Randolph implores. “We are only trying to speak with Atal. We mean no harm.”
“Yeh can mean one thing and do another.” The scarred cat paces. “Now get outta here and don’t come back.”

The investigators must decide (choose one):
ÆÆLeave empty-handed. Skip to Intro 7.
ÆÆForce your way into the temple. Skip to Intro 8.

Intro 6:
 You tell the cat that you are merely here to speak with Atal, and that you mean no harm. “Ah, no worries, human,” the cat says with a gaping yawn—the kind only a cat can perform and still look regal in the act. “You don’t seem the type to make trouble. ’Sides, I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” You see a small lump in front of the cat: a bloodied, half-eaten pheasant. You resist the urge to turn up your nose and count yourself lucky you are on this cat’s good side. “Go on in,” he says, then
licks his chops as he prepares to finish his meal.

Skip to Intro 9.

Intro 7:
 Resigned, you leave the temple on the hilltop behind. “I suppose we shall have to make do without Atal’s wisdom,” Randolph says with a sigh. “In any event, it is likely our destination is far from here—perhaps on another continent altogether. We will need to secure passage by sea. I suggest we travel south, to the port city of Dylath‑Leen.
We can figure out our next step from there.” You nod and take one last look at the stone temple, wondering at the knowledge you may have left behind.

Skip to Setup.

Intro 8:
 You inform the cat you are entering the temple one way or another, and that a simple cat will not stand in your way. “Wanna bet?”he growls, lowering his body and preparing to pounce. Noticing the commotion, several cats guarding the temple surround you. You don’t wish to harm these cats, but you won’t let them block you from your objective, either. Nodding to your companions, you make a mad dash for the temple gates. A storm of hisses and angry screeches erupts all around you as the cats mount a desperate defense. A wall of tiny claws and teeth meets you, but you push through, defiant. You slam the stone door shut behind you and hear the old cat yelling from the other side: “Fine then, human! See your priest! But do not think this transgression will be forgiven!”

In your Campaign Log, record the investigators forced their way into the temple.

Proceed to Intro 9.

Intro 9:
 At the top of the temple, seated on an ivory dais, the high priest Atal awaits you. He is a frail, wiry man with a long, wispy black beard, caved-in cheeks, and the pale, milky eyes of one afflicted by blindness. “Do not let your eyes deceive you,” Randolph whispers as you seat yourselves in front of the dais. “Atal is over three centuries old, but his memory is sharp as a tack.”
You ask the priest about your quest and about your destination: the castle Randolph described from his dreams. “You speak of the resting place of the Great Ones, high above unknown Kadath. Even I know not its true location. And that is all well and good, for the fruits of attempting to ascend to such a place would be bitter indeed. My companion Barzai once scaled a peak only a fraction as sacred, and he was never seen nor heard from again. The gods of Kadath may seem powerless, but they are protected by the Other Gods from the Outside, whom it is better not to discuss. It would be wiser to let all the gods alone and leave this folly behind.”
Atal’s use of the word “gods” has you curious. You wonder aloud what kind of god might exist in a place like this.
The priest shakes his head. “They are not our gods, but the gods of Earth, for this land is but a reflection of yours.”
You attempt to pry deeper into Atal’s wisdom with your questioning, but his advice does not budge. “I have already said more than I should,”he insists. “Please, for your sake, pursue this madness no further.”

In your Campaign Log, next to “Evidence of Kadath,” record 1 tally mark.
Check Campaign Log.
ÆÆIf the investigators parleyed with the Zoogs, proceed to Intro 10.
ÆÆIf the cats collected their tribute from the Zoogs, or if the investigators were saved by Randolph Carter, skip to Intro 11.

Intro 10:
 A flash of inspiration strikes you, and you remember the moon-wine given to you by the Zoogs in the Enchanted Woods. You offer some to Atal, and he accepts graciously. You pretend to partake of the wine yourself while offering draught after draught to the priest. 
 Eventually, Atal’s lips loosen, and he speaks of forbidden things he would never discuss were it not for the wine. He tells of an image carved into the face of the mountain Ngranek on the isle of Oriab—the likeness of the gods, or so he claims. He tells of the pillars of Kadatheron wherein the history of Earth’s Dreamlands is recorded. He tells of those slain by the hordes of Night itself and interred in the crypts of Zulan-Thek, the city of the dead. He tells of a baleful star above a forgotten city that appears on no map. “If you absolutely must seek Kadath in the Cold Wastes,” he says drowsily, “there is a city along the coast to the south: Dylath-Leen. You may secure passage there.”

In your Campaign Log, next to “Evidence of Kadath,” record 1 tally mark. Each investigator earns 2 experience. Skip to Setup. 

Intro 11:
 Atal refuses to give you any more advice, so you decide to leave the temple on the hilltop behind. “We have learned much, but we are still no closer to knowing the location of Kadath,” Randolph says with a sigh. “It is likely that our destination is far from here—perhaps on another continent altogether. We shall need to secure passage by sea if we are to travel such great distances. I suggest we begin by traveling south, to the port city of Dylath‑Leen. We can figure out our next step from there.”

Proceed to Setup.

Setup

ÆÆGather all cards from the following encounter sets: The Search for Kadath, Agents of Nyarlathotep, Corsairs, Dreamlands, Whispers of Hypnos, and Zoogs. These sets are indicated by the following icons:
ÆÆPut Ulthar, Skai River, and Dylath-Leen into play.
==Each investigator begins play in Ulthar.
ÆÆSet each other location aside, out of play.
ÆÆSet the following enemies aside, out of play: Cats of Ulthar,Stalking Manticore, The Crawling Mist, Horde of Night, Beings of Ib, both copies of Tenebrous Nightgaunt, both copies of Corsair of Leng, and all 3 copies of Priest of a Thousand Masks.
ÆÆSearch the gathered encounter cards for 1 copy of Pack of Vooniths and spawn it at Skai River. If there are 3 or 4 investigators in the game, search the gathered encounter cards for another copy of Pack of Vooniths and spawn it at Dylath-Leen, as well.
ÆÆThe lead investigator takes control of the Virgil Gray (Writer of Strange Tales) story asset and puts him into play.
ÆÆ Shuffle the remainder of the encounter cards to build the encounter deck.

Locations in The Search for Kadath
Each of the locations in this scenario have no unrevealed side, and therefore they enter play with their revealed side faceup. Instead of an unrevealed side, these locations have story cards on their reverse sides. Whenever a location in this scenario enters play (including during setup), place clues on that location equal to its clue value, as normal.
Locations can be flipped over in one of two ways. Most are flipped over by the veiled keyword, as described below. Some locations are instead flipped over by an ability printed on that location.
Once a location has been flipped over and its story text has been read, it cannot be flipped over again for the remainder of the game unless otherwise noted.

Veiled

Many of the locations in this scenario have the veiled keyword.
This keyword represents that a location contains unknown lore or assistance that must be sought out by the investigators before it can be of use to them.
As a  ability, an investigator at a veiled location with no clues on it may flip that location over, resolving the text on its other side.
Enemies with Swarming and Victory When Victory X appears on a swarming enemy, this text is only active for the host card. Swarm cards cannot enter the victory display and are never worth victory points.

Stop!

At this point, you are ready to begin playing The Search or Kadath. Ignore the four additional sets of setup instructions for now. You will be instructed to resolve them at a later point during the scenario.

Oriab Setup
ÆÆEach investigator loses each of their clues.
ÆÆRemove each location in play from the game (or place it in the victory display if it has Victory X and no clues on it).
Each enemy and attachment at those locations is discarded. 
Investigators are not defeated during this process.
ÆÆPut each set-aside Oriab location into play (Baharna, Mt. Ngranek, and Nameless Ruins).
==Place each investigator at Baharna.
ÆÆSearch the encounter deck for 1 copy of Nightriders and spawn it at Mt. Ngranek. If there are 3 or 4 investigators in the game, search the encounter deck for another copy of Nightriders and spawn it at Nameless Ruins, as well. Shuffle the encounter deck.
ÆÆAdvance to Act 2a—“The Isle of Oriab.” Mnar Setup
ÆÆEach investigator loses each of their clues.
ÆÆRemove each location in play from the game (or place it in the victory display if it has Victory X and no clues on it).Each enemy and attachment at those locations is discarded. Investigators are not defeated during this process.
ÆÆPut each set-aside Mnar location into play (Kadatheron, Sarnath, and Ruins of Ib).
==Place each investigator at Kadatheron.
ÆÆSpawn the set-aside Beings of Ib enemy at Ruins of Ib.
ÆÆAdvance to Act 2a—“The Doom That Came Before.”

Forbidden Lands Setup

ÆÆEach investigator loses each of their clues.
ÆÆRemove each location in play from the game (or place it in the victory display if it has Victory X and no clues on it). Each enemy and attachment at those locations is discarded. Investigators are not defeated during this process.
ÆÆPut each set-aside Forbidden location into play (Ilek-Vad, Forbidden Lands, and Zulan-Thek).
==Place each investigator at Ilek-Vad.
ÆÆSpawn the set-aside Stalking Manticore enemy at Forbidden Lands.
ÆÆSpawn the set-aside Horde of Night enemy at Zulan-Thek.
ÆÆAdvance to Act 2a—“Seek Out the Night.”

Timeless Realm Setup

ÆÆEach investigator loses each of their clues.
ÆÆRemove each location in play from the game (or place it in the victory display if it has Victory X and no clues on it). Each enemy and attachment at those locations is discarded. Investigators are not defeated during this process.
ÆÆPut Celephaïs, Serannian, and Hazuth-Kleg into play.
==Place each investigator at Celephaïs.
ÆÆShuffle the set-aside The Crawling Mist into the encounter deck.
ÆÆSearch the encounter deck for 1 copy of Priest of a Thousand Masks and spawn it at Hazuth-Kleg. If there are 3 or 4 investigators in the game, search the encounter deck for another copy of Priest of a Thousand Masks and spawn it at Celephaïs, as well. Shuffle the encounter deck.
ÆÆAdvance to Act 2a—“The King’s Decree.”

DO NOT READ until the end of the scenario

Before resolving any other resolution, if at least one investigator was defeated: The defeated investigators read Investigator Defeat first.
Investigator Defeat: You wake to find yourself restrained by thick cords of hempen rope, lying on top of hard, moist wood.
The floor rocks steadily back and forth, and you hear ocean waves crashing against the walls. You are captive aboard some kind of galley. But why?

ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, each defeated investigator records (your investigator name) was captured.
ÆÆIf a defeated investigator’s deck contains Randolph Carter and at least 1 investigator resigned, give ownership of Randolph Carter to an investigator who resigned.
ÆÆProceed to the resolution the investigators reached. If no resolution was reached…
==…and at least 1 investigator resigned, proceed to Resolution 1.
==…and each investigator was defeated, skip to Resolution 2.
If no resolution was reached because each investigator resigned: Proceed to Resolution 1.

Resolution 1 (each defeated investigator should resolve Investigator Defeat first):
 You have ventured far and wide, from the quaint cobbled villages of the kingdom of the Skai to wondrous lands you could have never in a hundred years imagined. You learned much of the Dreamlands and of the gods who dwell atop unknown Kadath. Though you are closer to your goal, you still don’t know its precise location. In the meantime, your quest grows deadlier with each passing day. No matter where you go, foul, nightmarish creatures pursue you across land and sea. Winged beasts with no faces, horned Corsairs wielding razor-sharp cutlasses and commanding great black galleys—the agents of your demise bear many shapes. You decide to return to your ship, safe from the many dangers of the Dreamlands…or so you thought.
Unfortunately, your ship is no safe haven. When you return, the crew and captain are nowhere to be found. There are no signs of struggle, but Virgil, who returned to the ship earlier to prepare for your next departure, is also missing.
“I fear the worst,” Randolph mourns. “If those fiendish Corsairs captured them, they are in dire trouble. They are agents of the Other Gods from the Outside, whose soul and messenger is the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep.” The mere utterance of the name causes you to shudder, though you do not know why.
You ask where they might have been taken. As if discussing any other port of call, he replies: “The beasts who command their black galleys sail from the Moon. If we are to rescue Virgil and our other companions, that is where we must go.”

ÆÆEach investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.
ÆÆFor each Sign of the Gods the investigators unveiled during this scenario, record 1 tally mark next to “Evidence of Kadath” in your Campaign Log.
ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, record Virgil was captured.
ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, record Randolph eluded capture.
ÆÆIf you are playing The Dream-Quest as a four-part campaign, proceed to Scenario 3–A: Dark Side of the Moon.
ÆÆIf you are playing The Dream-Quest and The Web of Dreams as an interconnected eight-part campaign…
==…and you have not yet played Scenario 2–B: A Thousand Shapes of Horror, proceed to that scenario.
==…and you have already played Scenario 2–B: A Thousand Shapes of Horror, proceed instead to Interlude II: The Oneironauts.

Resolution 2:
 As you examine your surroundings, you notice that your other companions, including Virgil and Randolph, have been captured as well. They are unconscious at the moment, but maybe when they awaken you can formulate a plan to free yourselves. After all, despite this setback, you have learned much of the Dreamlands and of the gods who dwell atop unknown Kadath. Though you still don’t know its precise location, if you are able to escape from this wretched galley, perhaps there is hope for your quest. You swallow a ball of despair and hope that this is not the end of your journey…
ÆÆEach investigator earns experience equal to the Victory X value of each card in the victory display.
ÆÆFor each Sign of the Gods the investigators unveiled during this scenario, record 1 tally mark next to “Evidence of Kadath” in your Campaign Log.
ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, record Virgil was captured.
ÆÆIn your Campaign Log, record Randolph was captured.
ÆÆIf you are playing The Dream-Quest as a four-part campaign, proceed to Scenario 3–A: Dark Side of the Moon.
ÆÆIf you are playing The Dream-Quest and The Web of Dreams as an interconnected eight-part campaign…
==…and you have not yet played Scenario 2–B: A Thousand Shapes of Horror, proceed to that scenario.
==…and you have already played Scenario 2–B: A Thousand Shapes of Horror, proceed instead to Interlude II: The Oneironauts.