The Tethys Corporation has led the way in deep-sea exploration in the recent decade. They have a sterling international reputation for developing technologies that allow man to probe the ocean depths. Last year, the company announced the development and testing of a new type of deep sea vehicle (DSV), the Deep Harvest, which would allow scientists and explorers to venture deeper and longer than before.

Unfortunately, the Tethys Corporation lost much of their research grants and government funding due to an administrative decision to shift the emphasis on exploration to ROVs, remote operated vehicles, which are smaller and safer than submersibles. In addition, Tethys endured three recalls of undersea devices within the last year. Pressure to complete the Deep Harvest project pushed the board of directors to test 16 months ahead of schedule.

Michelle Anderson, 33, was the pilot of the three man test vessel. Her crew consists of Dr. Hamid Faraaj, 29, and Stephen Winters, 25. All three were experienced deep-sea oceanographers. According to Tethys records, the Deep Harvest passed all initial tests. Dr. Robert Weinstein, director of the project, made several statements to the effect that while he felt the project was being pushed to its limits, Tethys took no shortcuts with regards to safety.

The Deep Harvest received its first open sea test in relatively shallow waters near the wreck of the site of an early 20th-century steamer, the United. The United sank for unknown reasons in 1907, claiming three lives in the wreck: Captain Isaac Williams, a passenger named Constance Lee, and an unidentified stow-away. The wreck is of little historical interest since several examples of that particular class still survive. According to all reports, the crew emptied the ship’s safe before consigning her to the deep. As a result, treasure hunters have ignored the wreck.

During Deep Harvest’s descent to the wreck site, Captain Anderson reported all systems functioning at peak capacity. Once the vessel reached the wreck site, exploration proceeded apace. The log records from the Tethys Corporation show the Deep Harvest performing perfectly. At 31:12 hours into the mission, Dr. Faraaj reported unusual visual contacts emanating from the wreck of the United. Deep Harvest’s side-scan, digital scanning and narrow beam sonar readouts showed no contacts. At 32:17 hours, the in-sub microphones picked up a voice saying “set me free.” The identity of the speaker is unknown. A safety tether attached to the vessel failed for reasons not fully understood by Tethys, but is currently being ascribed to mechanical failure. A second tether to the tow ship also disengaged from the vehicle at the same time, under similar circumstances. The crew of the Deep Harvest had no means of releasing the tethers. Surface ships monitoring the Deep Harvest noted a change in heading, followed by an apparent attempt to surface. A towed sonar array registered a detonation within the Deep Harvest, and the vessel came to rest on the sea floor. Rescuers launched an automated rescue vessel, the Manatee (designed to grab Deep Harvest so the support ships could tow it to the surface). The surface ships lost contact with the Manatee as it approached the wreck. Using the tow tethers on the Manatee, the surtface team retrieved the vehicle. The Manatee’s computer systems showed considerable physical damage, although Tethys was unable to identify a possible source.

Rescuers made several attempt to approach the wreck site. Four divers, including an ex-Navy SEAL, were unable to complete the dive. They reported seeing lights and suffering from effects similar to nitrogen narcosis. Citing safety concerns due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, Dr. Weinstein and the Tethys Corporation called off the rescue operation.

Tethys Corporation made three further attempts to retrieve the test vehicle, including one launched in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. All attempts resulted in failure. All divers and vehicle crew who approached the wreck site suffered visual and auditory hallucinations and reported instrument failure.

For the Tethys Corporation, retrieval of the Deep Harvest is of paramount importance. Rival groups offered to salvage the experimental vessel while the families of the Deep Harvest crew filed negligence lawsuits against the Tethys Corporation. The Deep Harvest incident is an unmitigated disaster.

The Tethys Corporation has offered their staff and the research vessel, North Star, to deliver a team to the wreck site. Although it is not public knowledge, they believe that a supernatural presence brought about the failure of the Deep Harvest mission. They request the removal of any hostile supernatural entities, and/or the retrieval of the crew’s bodies, a cabin log device (a black box similar to those in aircraft) and a removable portion of the engine marked “EN-14”, roughly the size of a dresser drawer.

The Deep Harvest is a small, three-man submarine about thirty feet long, with a main cabin, two small sleep bays and an engine room. Entry is possible through a hatch on the top side. According to Tethys, the Deep Harvest currently rests on its port side, with a large hole on the starboard side of the engine room, facing the surface.

The United was a 560 foot steamer, roughly 63 feet wide with steam triple expansion engines and twin screws. It has two large stacks each approximately a third of the way from the stern or the aft. The vessel could carry 1740 passengers, 540 first class, 200 second class and 1000 third class. It was operated by American Line when it went down. Similar vessels include the Paris, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Yale. The sinking of the United was a disappointment to the American Line, but with little loss of life, few records remain specifically on the vessel.

Mission Parameters

The team should expect hostile contact with unknown entities, though we’re currently unsure if the ghosts are the three who died aboard the United. By our current estimations there are no ghosts older than three years. If the United’s victims still persist, they represent the oldest ghosts currently documented. The primary mission objective; however is to remove the ghosts or negotiate with them to allow Tethys to retrieve the Deep Harvest. Due to the dangers posed by the underwater environment, all agents should project from a surface vessel or another safe location. Agents should venture underwater physically only if they have appropriate training or feel it absolutely necessary to protect fellow Orpheus agents. When working with Tethys members, all agents may share information on a need to know basis only. In matters relating to ocean safety, Orpheus agents should defer to the expertise of Tethys personnel. Orpheus security personnel will travel with the team to serve as guards for the projectors’ bodies. As a secondary objective, agents should return with as much intel as possible about the site for potential future operations.

Intel

Captain Issac Williams was romantically involved with Constance Lee. The two were to be married May of 1908. Based on historical documents, Captain Williams may have gone down with his ship, and Constance Lee may have stayed with him out of love or loyalty. He could also have forced her to remain on board.

Captain Williams had a reputation for smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States. He was arrested five years before the wreck for involvement in a smuggling operation. It is likely, based on the level of supernatural activity, that he had not one, but several stowaways in the hold – probably illegal immigrants from Europe.

Background checks on Deep Harvest’s crew show nothing unusual in regards to Michelle Anderson or Stephen Winters. Dr. Hamid Faraaj had an interest in the occult, but we believe this was limited to the occasional Ouija session, Tarot reading or research book for his library. Nothing indicates the Deep Harvest’s crew purposely triggered the incident.

Additional Information

Tethys Corporation stands on the brink of financial ruin. As a result, they may take extra risks to ensure the success of the retrieval operation. The box labeled “EN-14” contains nuclear material. Handle with extreme caution, but please note that the hazard comes from radiation leakage. There is no danger of an explosion.

Research shows that several ships traveling in the vicinity of the United wreck experienced mysterious instrumentation failures over the years. All of these accounts were discounted as sea-faring anomalies.