Call of Dagon

They fashioned a tomb for you, holy and high one,
Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies.
But you are not dead: you live and abide forever,
For in you we live and move and have our being.
—Epimenides, “Cretica,” 6^th Century BCE

The Call of Dagon

Every once or twice a century, Kithaat the Black Island emerges from the waves and offers access to the Abyss. Such an event does not go unheralded! The sundered body of Dagon awaits at the bottom of this Abyss, dreaming of his Resurrection, calling forth his grandchildren to assist the Great Work: Come to the Black Island, children of my children, come and wake me from the dead, come and give birth to a New Aeon.

The vast majority of humans do not hear the Call; though few souls gaze upon the sea without sensing the presence of something more ancient and profound, a primordial awe that thrills the blood. But for some sensitives, usually poets, dreamers, and mystics, this frisson becomes increasingly pervasive, a desire to fill some terrible absence. What some feel as a stirring, others suffer as burning, where some sense an echo, others hear a command. It is impossible to predict who will hear the Call of Dagon. It has reached young and old, pagans and priests, seadogs and lubbers alike. But once admitted to one’s soul, the urge becomes stronger and stronger, an unappeasable demand to leave everything behind and follow the Call. And in the year 1844, the Call of Dagon is more powerful than ever before, reaching across the ocean to resound in the deepest mine and echo from the highest peak. The Black Island is preparing to fulfil its destiny. After broken eons of dreaming undeath, Dagon is ready to meet his grandchildren.

There are five stages to the Call of Dagon. Only the Keeper may determine when a character hears the Call, and when that character advances to the next stage.

Stage 1: Fascination
The Call of Dagon first manifests as a fascination with the sea. Not in the general manner of sailors and fishermen, who may love and hate the sea in equal measure; the Call of Dagon is a disquieting of body and soul, a distant, unresolved chord that must be resolved. Those entering Stage 1 find themselves thinking about the sea, dreaming about the sea, and making sacrifices and compromises to get closer to the sea.

Keeper Notes
Stage 1 is usually triggered by some precipitating event or loss of Sanity. If the afflicted character is already at Kithaat, Stage 1 manifests as an obsession with the Black Island, and requires a Sanity roll for a 1/1D6 loss. In terms of game mechanics, Stage 1 has Power 50. White Leviathan begins with six of the eight player characters already familiar with Stage 1: Tobias Beckett, Montgomery Lowell, Leland Morgan, Quakaloo, Milton Redburn, and Rachel Ward. This is not known to the players, and should not be divulged by the Keeper.

Stage 2: Obsession
While most souls never pass beyond Stage 1, some unfortunates find their fascination becoming an obsession. They simply must get to sea. This stage is characterized by apophenia—the tendency to interpret random patterns as meaningful. Everything seems deeply symbolic, everything connects to some hidden meaning. This impending sense of revelation eventually transforms into an idée fixe specific to each individual hearer. Some dream of the Second Coming or the imminent return of a deity. Others dream of an uncharted island that holds the key to life’s mysteries. Religious and spiritual imagery is common: resurrection, rebirth, Parousia, rapture, Apocalypse, Armageddon, Götterdämmerung, utopia, etc. Whatever form the obsession adopts, it may only be resolved somewhere else, across the waves, where something important waits.

Keeper Notes
Stage 2 is triggered by some precipitating event or catastrophic Sanity loss. Those suffering from Stage 2 develop a particular obsession that drives them to the Black Island. If the afflicted character is already at Kithaat, her obsession with the Black Island deepens, and an automatic 1D6 Sanity points are lost. In terms of game mechanics, Stage 2 has Power 60.

The idée fixe associated with Stage 2 may be broadly interpreted. Captain Joab is obsessed with Mocha Dick, while Oliver Moneypenny, Silas Grimble, and Sydney Prim yearn to see the Golden Altar of God. Two player characters have recently entered Stage 2, Leland Morgan and Quakaloo. Morgan’s obsession with the sea is well-known to the character. Quakaloo interprets the Call of Dagon as a form of personal destiny, but he’s more curious than obsessed. Both characters remain sane and capable of maintaining their objectivity. See “Player Character Secrets and Development” for details.

Stage 3: Resolution
Souls who cannot master their obsession are inevitably faced with one of two choices: go insane, or go to sea. If a hearer in Stage 3 cannot follow the Call of Dagon to Kithaat, he loses his mind and/or kills himself. However, most find a way to follow the Call, even if that path involves mutiny, murder, and mayhem.

Keeper Notes
Stage 3 may only be reached when a hearer’s Sanity has been reduced to half its original amount. If the hearer resists going to sea, he must make a Sanity roll every week for a 1/1D6 loss. Once his Sanity reaches zero, the hearer goes mad. Aside from obeying the Call, the only way to prevent madness is to end one’s life. A hearer who obeys the Call, however, earns an immediate +1D10 Sanity bonus. Good boy! If the afflicted character is already at Kithaat, Stage 3 deepens his obsession into monomania, and he loses 1D10 Sanity points. In terms of game mechanics, Stage 3 has Power 70.

Stage 4: Celebration
Only those who have found their way to Kithaat may enter Stage 4. The sense of relief upon reaching the Black Island is overwhelming, and the Call quickly transforms from a compulsion to a soothing radiance, a subconscious directive to remain in place and wait; good things are coming. Most Abaddonites inhabit Stage 4. Although some “Celebrants” are aware of the true nature of Dagon, most remain beguiled by their personal delusions; for example, a Mormon may believe that Dagon is the Angel Maroni, while a fallen Christian may believe he’s Satan. In terms of game mechanics, Stage 4 has Power 80.

Keeper Notes
There’s no additional Sanity loss associated with Stage 4, but long-term exposure to the Fenstraal has driven most Abaddonites insane.

Stage 5: Eschaton
The final stage of the Call of Dagon is only possible near the Black Island. Those fully succumbing to the Call dedicate themselves to immanentizing the eschaton. Every Celebrant in this stage knows that a Supplicant is destined to awake the Sleeper. All potential Supplicants are convinced of two important facts: (1) One True God is rising, and will take over the world, and (2) the Supplicant will be rewarded with his heart’s desire.

Keeper Notes
Upon reaching Stage 5, a hearer must make a 0/1D4 Sanity roll every week. When her Sanity reaches zero, she must work towards the Resurrection of Dagon or commit suicide. However, not all Celebrants have zero Sanity, especially those who have been planning for the Resurrection, such as the Kingsport Cult, Amon Stockhausen, or the Ministry. And despite what some worshippers believe, anyone fulfilling the requirements may become the Supplicant, no matter her Sanity or moral inclinations! (See Chapter 8 for details.) In terms of game mechanics, Stage 5 has Power 90.

Managing the System

The Call of Dagon is managed by the Keeper, who moves characters along the stages as she deems appropriate. The following notes and mechanics are intended to help the Keeper with this delightful responsibility.

Resisting the Call
The Call of Dagon is at its most powerful near Kithaat, and even those previously immune are subject to its awesome gravity. In order to resist the Call, every character in sight of Kithaat must make a weekly Power roll. This roll becomes increasingly difficult until it stabilizes at Week 7. A failed roll advances the hearer one Stage and resets the weekly timer. This Resistance Roll is made every week until the hearer succumbs to Stage 5 or leaves the boundaries of Kithaat. (Certain travelers who arrive through time or space automatically fail their first Resistance Roll; see the Calliope and the Benito Cereno for examples.)

Zero Sanity
In White Leviathan, player characters are not removed from play if the Call of Dagon reduces their Sanity to zero. Rather, they are rebranded as Celebrants, and must work towards the resurrection of Dagon. However, because Celebrants suffers from personal delusions—and because only one Supplicant gets to “remake the world” when the Abyss opens—insane player characters will find themselves competing against other characters! However, an insane player character no longer has the option to voluntarily stop the resurrection. (See “Making the Campaign Work” for notes on managing characters with zero Sanity.)

The actions of nonplayer characters are determined by the Keeper, of course, and their character profiles detail their obsessions and general moral inclinations. Keep in mind that zero Sanity does not mean “raving mad,” so proximity to the Black Island will have varying effects on members of the Covenant. For instance, Joab may go crazy, but Pynchon finds himself right at home in Abaddon’s world of intrigue.

White Leviathan > Auxiliary Materials
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 23 August 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]