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Knowledge Management
In
Action
BLUE
HADES
The BLUE HADES
civilisation is several million years older than humans. They are – or, to be more
precise, the observed members of their civilisation are – aquatic
humanoids, resembling shambling frogs. BLUE HADES (traditionally known as Deep Ones)
claim the oceans as their domain and they are supremely well adapted for this
environment. They can breathe at any depth, and are apparently immune to the
ill effects of pressure and cold. Their scaly skin gives them limited
protection against conventional weapons, although living at the bottom of the
ocean makes the use of such weapons against BLUE HADES improbable at best. On
the surface, they are more vulnerable and there have been incidents where
humans have inflicted casualties on BLUE HADES shore parties.
Biology
The
classification BLUE HADES covers multiple related species of creature. Some are
known to be cross-breeds or engineered constructs; there are likely other forms
of BLUE HADES in the deep ocean. Given their mastery of creating new life forms
for particular tasks, it is possible that all BLUE HADES encountered up until
now are servitor creatures and we have yet to encounter the true form of the
species.
Type I BLUE
HADES (‘Deep Ones’) are amphibious humanoids, standing approximately 1.5 metres tall.
They have bulbous yellow eyes with nictitating membranes, webbed hands and feet
and stubby but powerful tails. Their gills are located on the neck and are
easily visible (and quite vulnerable to precision attacks). Despite possessing
advanced technology, many BLUE HADES attacks have involved the use of claws and
teeth. Internal organs include two respiratory systems, a circulatory system
that appears to use capillary action instead of a pump, a highly adaptive digestive
system and several unidentified organs. Their closest living relative is the
crocodile. They can speak, but their vocalisations are intended for use
underwater. A few BLUE HADES know English but most produce only untranslatable
whoops and bellows. Diplomatic relations are carried out through Type II or III
interpreters.
Type I BLUE
HADES are capable of mating with humans. Only a subset of the Type I's have appropriate genitalia (either their
anatomy alters in response to some biochemical signal or they are capable of
producing and grafting suitable implants). In several places around the world,
BLUE HADES made contact with isolated coastal communities and coerced or
persuaded them into mating with the sea-creatures to produce Type II (‘Hybrid’) creatures.
It was previously theorised that BLUE
HADES share a common ancestor with humanity, due to their ability to crossbreed
with our species (see INNSMOUTH, WITCHES' HOLE and HADES EXPEDITION);
subsequent analysis of BLUE HADES samples and genetic material has disproved
this theory. BLUE HADES ancestors
diverged from our own approximately 200 million years ago.
Type II BLUE
HADES or Hybrids are the offspring of a Type I and a normal human (or two
hybrids or a human and a hybrid – the BLUE HADES genetics are dominant,
but can lie dormant until activated). Hybrids appear comparatively normal in
early life but, if the BLUE HADES genes are activated, the hybrid becomes more
and more like a Type I until it undergoes a metamorphosis into an aquatic
being. Typical hybrids are bald, with pale or scaly skin and bulging eyes,
similar to an advanced case of Grave's Disease. The precise activating
conditions for BLUE HADES transformation are unknown, but common triggers for
transformation include:
•
Long-term
residence in a coastal location.
•
Drowning
or extreme stress in close proximity to water.
•
Exposure
to thaumic fields.
•
Exposure
to BLUE HADES individuals or artefacts.
Type III BLUE
HADES are silvery humanoids, with a physiology similar to Type Is but with much
more human proportions. Type III BLUE HADES are fully amphibious, unlike Type
IIs who have only a limited aquatic reach and Type Is who prefer to remain in
the deep ocean. Type IIIs were created as ambassadors and interpreters for use
during the second and subsequent Benthic Treaty negotiations.
Employee Note: If you test positive for BLUE HADES
residual genetic code during a standard medical evaluation, consult with Human
Resources. Activation of BLUE HADES genetics can be controlled with medication
and simple precautions.
The BLUE HADES’ reasons for
creating Type II crossbreeds is unknown, but the widespread nature of the
phenomenon suggests it is of great importance to their civilisation. Theories
include:
•
The Benkett
Hypothesis: BLUE HADES
are biologically long-lived, perhaps even immortal. They therefore must
reproduce exceedingly slowly to avoid over-expansion. The few hybrids produced
every year are the only offspring produced in the entire BLUE HADES
civilisation. Critics of this theory argue that BLUE HADES predates humanity’s evolution
by millions of years; how did the species reproduce before that? The appearance
of Type III creatures also suggests that BLUE HADES are capable of reproducing
without human incubators.
•
The
Crick-Omstead Hypothesis: BLUE
HADES are engaged in a long-term genetic engineering process. The ‘taint’ remains
dormant in all carriers; some estimates suggest that up to 40% of the
population are carriers for BLUE HADES genetic material. This project might be
intended to merge homo sapiens into BLUE HADES or to avert CASE NIGHTMARE
GREEN or some other cosmological threat. The Benthic Treaty forbids using
humans as test subjects.
•
The Allen
Hypothesis: The
primary purpose of the BLUE HADES interactions with coastal communities is to
gather intelligence about events on the surface. The Type IIs are effectively
spies for the undersea civilisation; when the change brings them into the oceans,
they carry the information they have learned down with them.
Culture
Most of what
is known about BLUE HADES culture comes from the few interactions involving coastal
communities and the Deep Ones; these accounts are necessarily coloured by the
beliefs of either the BLUE HADES hybrids or, more commonly, the beliefs of
neighbouring communities who feared and mistrusted the hybrids. BLUE HADES
worship or serve ancestor-deities called Dagon and Hydra (who may be elder Deep
Ones). In several cases, adopting Dagon worship was part of the bargain struck
by BLUE HADES with coastal communities (see also BABYLON FILE).
BLUE HADES are
urbanised, with most of their population living in cities on the ocean floor.
Most of these cities are on the abyssal plains but there are smaller
settlements in shallower waters. These shallow-water settlements are usually
close to hybridised communities (cf Innsmouth in Massachusetts and DEVIL'S
REEF, Dunwich and DANTE EAST). Whether the BLUE HADES settlements were built to
monitor the surface operations or if the Deep Ones simply made contact with the
closest humans to their settlements is a mystery.
Technology
Without the
ability to use fire and work metals, BLUE HADES have followed a radically
different technology path to that of humanity. They use servitor creatures
(including shoggoths) instead of vehicles and much of their technology involves
biological engineering, sorcery or psychic effects. They also manipulate
condensed matter states using abstruse physics; one side effect of this technology
is high levels of neutrino emissions, which have allowed us to partially map
BLUE HADES colonies. BLUE HADES’ offensive capabilities against the
surface are surprisingly extensive. In previous encounters, they have
demonstrated the ability to sink ships by creating bubbles of methane underneath
the keel, removing the vessel’s buoyancy. A larger methane release
could massively accelerate climate change, rendering the surface virtually
uninhabitable within a comparatively short time (clathrate gun hypothesis).
They are also capable of producing earthquakes and tsunami on demand. Their use
of biological agents suggests a capacity of biowarfare beyond our capacity to
contain. Furthermore, BLUE HADES is virtually immune to counter-attack – we currently
have no effective weapons that could target their cities, as even a nuclear
depth charge would be severely limited by the pressure at the ocean floor.
Diplomatic
Relations
Up until 1957,
encounters with BLUE HADES were extremely limited and usually hostile. During the
20th Century, the
advent of mass communication and transport made it harder for isolated coastal
communities to conceal BLUE HADES presence. After several incidents (Dunwich, England
in 1889, Innsmouth, MA in 1927/8, Port Pegasus, New Zealand in 1938) where
human authorities intervened to prevent further contact and multiple
retaliatory strikes by BLUE HADES (Witches’ Hole, Bermuda Triangle), the decision
was taken in 1943 to attempt peaceful contact
with the
sea-dwellers. Using formulae derived from Order of Dagon scriptures and the
Chain Home Low radio stations at RAF Dunwich, SOE managed to call up BLUE HADES
emissaries. Initially, BLUE HADES assumed that SOE desired the standard bargain
(gold and eventual immortality in exchange for mating rights), but diplomacy
prevailed. In retrospect, it is likely that the discovery of
the Turing
Theorem proved a decisive factor – now that humanity had the capacity to
accidentally wipe out all life on Earth, the BLUE HADES civilisation had to take notice of us.
This initial
hesitant contact was followed in 1953 with the Benthic Treaty of the Azores.
There is a large BLUE HADES colony close to the Azores and emissaries from that
colony met with representatives of the British Government about HMS
Eagle. From this
meeting, the groundwork for a treaty between our two species was established.
Both sides agreed to meet again six months later. During this intervening
period, the British government contacted NATO allies and briefed
them on
AZORIAN BLUE HADES. After the second meeting (which was attended by the first
Type III BLUE HADES), this briefing was extended to all signatories of the
Helsinki Protocol including the USSR and its satellites and a draft treaty was
circulated to all parties.
The Benthic
Treaty (also known as the Agreement of the Azores) was signed in October of
1954. The treaty covers relations between the Deep Ones and humanity, outlines
their respective spheres of influence and establishes limits on the actions of
both sides. The penalties for breaking the treaty are severe; they are enforced
by geasa on the signatories. (This actually penalises the immortal BLUE HADES
signatories more than the human ones, as an individual human representative may
be long dead before his side breaks the treaty; this is balanced by the BLUE
HADES policy of answering treaty violations with extreme force.) The treaty has
also become the cornerstone of post-Helsinki occult diplomacy in the developed
world. As no human power wishes to anger the Deep Ones, the Benthic Treaty is
the ultimate court of appeal. Subsequent additions to the treaty define
communications channels between the various human occult intelligence agencies,
allowing them to observe each other and ensure the Benthic Treaty is not being
violated. So far, the Benthic Treaty has survived four revisions; the next
summit meeting is in 2013, by which time we will be well into CASE NIGHTMARE
GREEN and it may all be academic anyway.
1 1 Certain paranoids have
suggested that the whole Benthic Treaty is a huge bluff on the part of BLUE
HADES and that when the Stars Come Right, the Deep Ones will side with their
squid-like masters and eat our brains. According to this theory, Articles 6 and
7 are a nefarious scheme to retard our development of the occult weapons that
might stop the cosmic horrors. Supporting evidence for this: pretty much none,
although the regular late night poker games in the Azores do show that Deep
Ones are really good at bluffing.
The
Benthic Treaty for Bluffers!
Article
1: Both species have the right to exist on Earth.
Article
2: Everyone agrees to abide by the terms of this treaty. The treaty
can be revised by
subsequent
agreements and both sides agree to attend future meetings.
Article
3: Remedies and punishments for treaty violations, which can be
summarised as ‘we
reserve the
right to sink your country’.
Article
4: Sets the limits of both sides; humanity is limited to one
kilometre below mean sea
level and the
Deep Ones agree not to encroach upon the land, unless they feel like it.
Humanity
is not to
bother the Deep Ones; the Deep Ones will consider not swatting our civilisation
on a
whim.
Article
5: The Deep Ones agree not to take our women without permission;
establishes
communications
protocols for interactions outside the scope of the treaty and ensures that
Type II
hybrids are permitted to exist.
Article
6: Both sides agree not to summon Azathoth or any other cosmic
horror that might
eat the planet
without written notification.
Article
7: Do not mess with anything in Appendix Two. It is mostly a list
of sites on the ocean
floor and
Antarctica where Thou Shalt Not Go but also includes several incantations and
gate
destinations.
Article
8: Gives the Deep Ones observer status at the UN (they do not use
it) and a legal
standing in
international affairs – but the existence of an alien hyper-civilisation is to
be kept
secret as much
as possible.
Appendix
One: Legal and linguistic definitions for both sides, plus the
binding geasa.
Appendix
Two: The list of things humanity is not meant to meddle with, in case
we blow up
the planet.
Appendix
Three: More legal stuff that the Deep Ones could
not be bothered reading, so it is
stuffed into
this appendix and ignored by everyone except lawyers. The relevant bits cover
relations
between Helsinki signatories.
The details above have been taken from the Laundry rulebook
for player information only and are not intended as an infringement of copyright.
