Galápagos Islands: The Lowell Expedition

9) The Lowell Expedition
Albemarle Island, June 26–July 2, 1845

A) Background
Pynchon’s reasons for approving the Lowell Expedition are detailed in “Chapter 4—Background.” The following scenario assumes that Lowell has at least partially confided in the officers, and the Lowell Expedition is an official outing. If any other player character has slipped away unannounced—Morgan, for instance—the Keeper should adjust the scenario accordingly. It’s unlikely Pynchon would assemble a team to search for a lone runaway, in which case they’ll catch up with the “deserter” at the caldera. Whether or not runaways have been captured by the Republic of Caliban is a different matter, and the Keeper is free to direct events however she wishes! She should also remember she has two wild cards to play: Rafael Castro and Salvator R. Tarnmoor.

B) Goals
Unless Lowell’s player has other ideas, the goals of the Lowell Expedition are simple: hike to the northern end of Albemarle, climb Volcán Wolf, find Lowell’s cave, and record the “work” he scratched into the walls. The expedition is expected to take four to five days.

C) Personnel
The Lowell Expedition will be commanded by Mr. Pynchon, and should contain as many members as there are players. It should be easy to involve most of the player characters: Dr. Lowell is a given, Dixon can provide security, Quakaloo has extensive island experience, and Beckett and Redburn are physically capable and highly literate, able to carry the expedition’s supplies and help the Professor record his “work.” Morgan may not be anyone’s first choice, but the proximity of the Deep One temple compels him to go, and Morgan should make a reasonable case for his inclusion—whether that involves certain truths shared with Pynchon, or rests solely upon saying “pretty please” is up to the player. Even if denied, Morgan may be willing to disobey orders and trail the expedition. This could lead to several exciting possibilities—Morgan could be captured by the Calibans, he could rescue the party from Quiring, or he could encounter Rafael Castro on his own.

The only characters not permitted to join the expedition are Joseph Coffin and Rachel Ward. The former must fill in for Pynchon, while the latter is recovering from labor. In order to involve the players of these characters, the Keeper should instruct them to bring along their secondary characters; two additional sailors to help carry equipment, forage for food, hack through the saltbush, etc. This fortuitously provides the Keeper with a pair of non-essential characters, “red-shirts” ready to bear the brunt of any misfortune. An alternate way to involve these players is to give them new NPCs to roleplay; perhaps Geoffrey Turrick or Salvator R. Tarnmoor?

D) Outfitting the Expedition
The player characters should generate a list of necessary equipment and supplies, with Pynchon adding important items they might have forgotten. A reasonable inventory should include at least two firearms and several machetes; fresh water; hard tack and salted meat; cooking equipment; hammocks, blankets, and insect netting; lanterns and spare oil; blank journals and ink; and a ten-foot pole for checking for traps. Dr. Lowell may also bring scientific equipment such as nets, specimen cages, and books, all of which are carried by common sailors.

E) Common Hazards
Hiking the Galápagos Islands can be a difficult experience, and the Keeper is encouraged to spice up the expedition with a few random rolls such as Climb, Dodge, Jump, or Survival. At some point during the trek, each player character should make a “Hazard Roll” to navigate an individual hiking challenge.

Hazard Roll

The Keeper may call for a Hazard Roll at any time, but should vary the circumstances for each character—maybe Quakaloo misses a Climb roll, or Redburn seems particularly inattentive. A Hazard Roll involves passing three simultaneous checks: Luck, Spot Hidden, and Dodge. None of these rolls may be pushed. The Keeper records the successes and consults the following chart, improvising a sensible narrative.

Triple Success
If all three rolls are successful, the character skillfully avoids any pitfalls. If any of these rolls is a critical success, the Keeper may award the character with something interesting—spotting a useful shortcut, catching sight of a plump tortoise, or finding evidence of Tarnmoor’s passage. Upon reaching the caldera, the character is awarded +1D4 points in Survival and Tracking.

Double Success
The character experiences a slip, scrape, or spider-bite, but nothing serious. (The failed roll should help the Keeper determine the nature of the incident.) Upon reaching the caldera, the character is awarded +1D4 points in either Survival or Tracking.

Single Success
The character experiences a slip, scrape, or bite that inflicts 1 HP damage. Again, the exact nature of the incident should depend on the failed rolls.

Failure
If all three rolls fail, something nasty happens to the character. Perhaps they fall into a crevasse for 1D4 HP damage, break the expedition’s water keg, or lose a vital piece of equipment. Maybe they’re bitten by a scorpion! It’s really up to the Keeper’s imagination, but damage shouldn’t exceed 4 hit points.

Critical Failure
A critical failure on one roll cancels the effects of the other rolls, even if it they were critical successes. A fumble triggers a serious accident for 2D4 HP damage. If 5 or more HP are lost, it’s possible the character cannot proceed with the expedition. (If that character is Lowell, the Keeper should find some other punishment.)

White Leviathan, Chapter 4—Galápagos Islands
[Back to Encounter 8, Tarnmoor’s Lagoon | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 10, Lowell Expedition Day 1]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 26 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]