Whispers In The Frostbound Woods

A 1940s Call of Cthulhu Scenario by Miskatonic Repository / Chaosium

A Dual-Scenario Call of Cthulhu One-Shot Set on the Frozen Borderlands in 1941.

Far in the northern forests of Europe, where winter night stretches long and the wind moves like something alive, two groups of strangers enter an untamed, frozen wilderness. Some fall from the sky on parachutes in the dead of night. Others follow at dawn, tracking unfamiliar footprints through the snow. None of them realize what waits beneath the ice… or what has begun to whisper back.

Whispers in the Frostbound Woods is a historical, atmospheric one-shot set in February 1941, during a brief and uneasy pause in the fighting between the Soviet Union and Finland. The scenario unfolds in the remote borderlands of Karelia, a sparsely populated region of deep woods, frozen lakes, and old folklore. Two distinct storylines using the same core mystery, playable twice with different groups.

No prior knowledge of the era is required; all essential context is presented clearly for players and Keepers alike. Contains harsh winter conditions, danger, and unsettling visions. Keeper discretion advised.

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Your group chooses one of two very different ways into the same hidden mystery:

Soviet Agents (Covert Operatives)

A small team of Soviet intelligence operatives (often called desants) parachutes deep into foreign, enemy territory. Officially, they are sent to espinage mission on the region. Unofficially, they are ordered to investigate something far stranger, and their already uneasy field mission soon spirals into horrors none of them could have anticipated.

Finnish Civil Guard Patrol

Across the frontier, a rural Finnish patrol responds to reports of parachutes near a remote wilderness lake. Their orders are simple: track the intruders, apprehend them, and survive the brutal winter terrain. They move quickly on skis, but the woods hold dangers of their own.

Both stories begin differently and carry different emotional arcs, yet all roads lead toward the same deepening mystery buried beneath snow and ice.

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Key Features

• Setting: Winter borderlands between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1941.
• Gameplay: One-shot structure, typically 1–3 sessions, for 2–6 Investigators.
• Narrative: Two distinct storylines using the same core mystery, playable twice with different groups.
• Content: 116 pages, 2 maps, 14 handouts, 14 pre-generated characters, plus authentic 1940s photographs.
• Themes: Winter survival, psychological breakdown, distrust, mythic folklore, creeping cosmic dread
• System: For Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition.

Whispers In The Frostbound Woods is available through DriveThruRPG in PDF.

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