Savage_Rifts_Empires_of_Humanity_(SWADE_Edition)

49 Additional Vehicle Modifications Rifts Earth is a demanding environment where even centuries-old vehicles are pressed into service. Vehicles of all kinds are frequently upgraded with the following modifications. See the Science Fiction Companion for expanded modification rules and options. PROFESSIONAL STATION A vehicle Size 5 or larger can house a professional station, which allows a character to ply a specified skill effectively. This could represent the facilities in an ambulance, the tools and supplies of a traveling mechanic, electronics signal-processing equipment, a science lab, or more. Healing, Repair, Research, Hacking, and other Smarts-based skill stations are available. The professional station provides a +2 bonus to perform the skill and allows the operator to ignore up to 2 points of penalties to related skill checks. Use other Mod slots as Cargo Space to provide room to house patients, store raw materials, work on vehicles, or the like. See the Science Fiction Companion. Bonuses stack with those from other vehicle modifications and equipment (Mods 2; 30,000 credits). REINFORCED RAM Known as a pilot or “cattle catcher” on locomotives and a grille guard on other vehicles, post-apocalypse rams often take the form of wicked spikes or a massive wedge of steel. When the vehicle is involved in a collision from the front (including ramming other vehicles), reduce the damage to the vehicle and passengers by one die type and increase the damage to whatever it hits by the same. (Mods 1; 1,500 credits per vehicle Size) SIGNAL BOOSTER Requiring a Sensor Targeting Suite, this advanced radio equipment improves reception and broadcasting abilities. Communications range is extended up to 125 miles (maximum assuming optimal conditions, often less than 50 miles). Add +2 on Survival rolls to navigate by pinpointing location, Electronics rolls to jam transmissions, radio direction find, intercept comms, etc. (Mods 1; 15,000 credits) CYBERNETICS The Coalition States have weaponized cybernetics, with reports of them using lockjaw, vocal cord neutralizing, optic blinding, selective paralysis, and tracer implants to deal with captured sorcerers. REHABILITATIVE CYBERNETICS Bio-Systems (U): Bio-Systems are normally only available at Coalition States facilities, who learned their secrets from Lone Star’s advanced biotech databases. Limbs, eyes, and most human organs are available (Strain 0 50,000 credits each). Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

50 Cybernetic Prosthetics (U): Considered a cultural statement by some, these obviously man-made parts restore lost functionality. Limbs, eyes, and most human organs are available (Strain 1 20,000 credits each). CYBERNETIC ENHANCEMENTS Chemical Spray (1): Usually mounted in the cyborg's forearm or mouth, this weapon can project poisons and other aerosols at adjacent targets— commonly Knockout or Paralyzing poisons, though Holy Water and other more exotic compounds are possible. Against creatures vulnerable to other compounds, treat the effects as Mild poison (Strain 1 40,000 credits). Cyber-Disguise, Basic (1): This simple disguise package can change facial features, but not the voice or the color of skin, hair, and eyes. With a Common Knowledge roll and five minutes, opponents looking for the character are −2 on Notice rolls to see through the disguise…unless they speak with them. With a raise opponents Notice at −4 and the character may gain the effects of the Attractive Edge or Ugly (Minor) Hindrance. Requires the Core Electronics Package (Strain 1 100,000 credits). Cyber-Disguise, Improved (1): This disguise system and modulating voice synthesizer built into the face and neck can completely change facial features, speech, and the color of eyes, hair, and skin. With a Common Knowledge roll and five minutes, the user may gain the effects of the Attractive Edge or Ugly (Minor) Hindrance—and opponents are −4 on Notice rolls to see through the disguise. With a raise opponents Notice at −6 and the user may gain the effects of Very Attractive or Ugly (Major). Duplicating a specific person is possible (requires visual and audio footage of the target)—those with reason to question the user’s identity make a Notice roll at −2 to see through the disguise (or −4 with a raise on the Common Knowledge Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

51 roll). Requires the Basic Cyber-Disguise (Strain 1 350,000 credits). Extendable Hydraulic Arms: The borg can reach into narrow places and manipulate objects from two yards away. Provides Reach +1 and a +1 bonus to Grappling-related rolls and Touch Attacks (which may both be made with Reach 1). The cyborg is considered one Scale category larger for purposes of Grappling. Requires Bionic Strength Augmentation (Strain 1, 150,000 credits). Jet Pack: Built into the cyborgs back are a series of retractable thruster nozzles and recessed jets which when extended provide the functionality of a jet pack. The system requires 1d4 hours to cool down after each hour of flight. Requires the Booster Jets, Nuclear Power Cell, and Reinforced Frame systems. Increase the Jumping bonus to +8" Horizontal and +4" Vertical. The flight system is Handling +1 and Top Speed 120 MPH (Strain 1, 150,000 credits). Bio-Systems: Available only in the CS, cloning and genetic manipulation techniques create living body parts perfect for rehabilitative purposes that resist rejection and are almost identical to the original. Cybernetic Prosthetics: Cheap, and widely available, these parts restore lost function but are plainly synthetic. Cybernetic Enhancements: Widely available, these are designed for human augmentation. Bionics: Moderately available, bionics were designed expressly for war. There are three levels of bionic conversion: Partial, Full, and Total. Partial Conversion Cyborg: Refers to an individual with multiple bionic body parts, often replacing all limbs and reinforcing the spine. Many are veterans maimed in war. Full Conversion Cyborg: They have had all limbs replaced, their entire torso has been reinforced, and most organs have been replaced with durable synthetic versions. These individuals retain their head from the neck up, but the conversion is dehumanizing. In the CS, intense psychiatric evaluation is mandatory before soldiers can voluntarily undergo the process. Recently, this has included physically disabled provisional citizens! Total Conversion: Only the subject’s brain and a small part of their spinal cord remains. The Cyborg is a robot construct with a human brain. This is common in the New German Republic but currently outside the capabilities of most technology centers in North America. Retrofitting: The process of “decommissioning” a Cyborg means replacing the entire body with a Cybernetic version, or even a BioSystem version. This is done for veteran Cyborgs who have completed their term of service honorably. Sometimes, if they wish to work as private adventurers, they can keep their bionic augmentations, with only the military-restricted systems removed. TYPES OF CYBERNETIC SYSTEMS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

52 Medical Suite: A suite of sensors, microscopes, and a mini-computer upgrade provide +1 to all Healing rolls (including cybernetic surgery and repair) and +2 to detect/diagnose disease, chemicals (including poisons), radiation, and to analyze microscopic organisms and provide detailed health readouts. Requires the Core Electronics Package (Strain 1, 150,000 credits). Psi-Dampers: Pioneered by the Coalition, these dampers contains a network of crystals and electromagnets which cause interference and distortion to psychics readings and manipulations. The system provides +2 on opposed rolls against psionic powers and +2 Armor versus psionic damage, which stacks with the Arcane Resistance Edge (Strain 1 300,000 credits). Wrist Needle and Drug Dispenser: A retractable needle is concealed in the wrist. The cyborg may deploy it as a free action and use it to inject drugs/liquids into a grappled opponent with a Touch Attack against a vulnerable location (possibly requiring a Called Shot). Contains 20 doses total, see Poison in Savage Worlds for possible effects (Strain 1 10,000 credits). Second-hand augmentations are sold at half the listed price, and were either recovered after their previous owner upgraded, died, or had it torn from his body by Cyber-Snatchers. Once installed, the character makes a Vigor roll to accept the augmentation. With a success nothing goes wrong. On a failure, roll on the Technical Difficulty chart (see The Tomorrow Legion Player’s Guide) and apply the result to the augmentation. On a Critical Failure, the character suffers a Wound and the implant is non-functional until the Wound is healed. CHOP-SHOP-SPECIALS If you run, my pack and I will chase you down. I can smell your fear and track you across a dozen miles. You’re not going to get away this time. —Duke Fitzkillian, Dog Boy Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

53 CHAPTER THREE Alright, recruits. Listen up! Welcome to your first day of instruction. There will be no chatter. You may not be excused, and I don’t care. My name is Master Sergeant Chapman and you will address me as Master Sergeant, understood? Good, now let’s get one thing outta the way: Yes, I was a Juicer. I was close to checking out when I realized life as a squishy would be better than no life at all. I survived the hell of detox and stand before you as the cybernetically-enhanced picture of health you see today. If any of you morons or your wannabe squad mates even thinks about getting “juiced,” then arrange a conversation with me and I will set things straight for you. When you’re on last call, don’t say Sarge didn’t warn ya. Now, why are we here today? We are here because you recruits are simpletons or strangers in a strange land that have no clue how the big bad world of humankind operates, and it is my thankless, nighimpossible job to drive some common knowledge into your thick skulls. So, let’s start slow, and I will give you an overview of what wonders await you when you actually read—and you will read—that spiffy book in front of you. First off, we will cover the basics of the Great Cataclysm that shook the world and decimated life here in good old North America. Over three centuries ago, this world was a paradise of technology and home to billions of humans—and only humans. It was the Golden Age of Mankind, and magic or psionic powers didn’t exist. Psychics and magicians were crooks and charlatans. Hard to believe, I know. Then in 2098, best the nerds can figure, an exchange of devastating nuclear weapons triggered a cascade of events that led to the Coming of the Rifts, the familiar portals in space and time that brought some of you into this world. Now, these Rifts also brought back the continent of Atlantis and allowed legions of weird things, demons, and monsters to invade Earth. The Great Cataclysm was a mix of apocalyptic earthquakes, continentspanning tidal waves, and alien plagues that nearly wiped out human civilization. We still don’t know a lot of the details, but a powerful force worked desperately to stem the tide of destruction that washed over the Old American Empire. We think this powerful group—called the Neemans in folk tales—fought a GAZETTEER Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

54 protracted defensive war throughout the First and Second Centuries of the Dark Age. Some say they were the last of the Golden Age men and women, while other scholars believe them to be powerful and benevolent aliens. Either way, this is how the legends of the Glitter Boy power suits and their noble pilots came to be—titanic forces for good mysteriously gifted to those true of heart. Some even say Neeman remnants helped to protect Chi-Town and the other settlements that eventually became the Coalition. Others say their kind has died out completely. Whatever the case, it wasn’t until barely a century ago that Chi-Town crawled out of the ashes of the apocalypse and founded the Coalition States. Now, I know some of you may have a vendetta against the CS, but you gotta remember many of your compatriots here in the Legion used to be Dead Boys! Word of advice, don’t go needlessly fragging CS troops. When it comes to smokin’ demons from the wrong side of a Rift, most Coalition commanders will gladly join forces with us—so watch your trigger discipline. Now, where was I? So, you recruits may or may not be aware the greater inhabitable area surrounding Coalition territory is called the Domain of Man, which stretches from Free Quebec in the Northeast to the Texas Freelands and the Pecos “Empire” in the Southwest. The Legion has given me the marvelous opportunity to set foot in most of the famous settlements like Ishpeming (that’s Northern Gun to you rookies), MercTown, Kingsdale, Lazlo—I love Lazlo—and even the Pirate Kingdom of Montreal. Damn, those pirates can fight. Just because humanity makes their home here, don’t start thinking that it’s a safe place to go on patrol. The rest of America is a mess. To the west is…well…the frontier of the New West. It is basically an aliens and cowboys movie until you get to the Barrier Wall where the Colorado Rockies used to be. Beyond that are the impossible to chart Unknown Shifting Lands. To the east is the Magic Zone, supposedly controlled by the Federation of Magic, which is really a hodge-podge of supernatural settlements like Magestar, Dweomer, and Fadetowns that aren’t in this textbook. Remember when I said things were a mess? The other side of the Magic Zone is the Eastern Wall, the name for what the Appalachians became during the cataclysm. Beyond that is an eastern seaboard largely devoid of settlements and claimed by clans of female D-Bee cyber-warriors known collectively as the Shemarrian Nation. Well trainees, that’s it for today. Review your notes before tomorrow! The only thing that I hate more than skulking through Xiticix territory is repeating myself. Your reading assignment is posted on the syllabus in the hallway, and there will be a quiz at zero-sevenhundred after morning muster. Do not fail your first quiz. Diiismissed! Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

55 CHAPTER FOUR G ame Masters need the Savage Rifts® Game Master’s Handbook to make the best use of this book. The topics discussed below includes modifications to incorporate into the Adventure Generator found in the Game Master’s Handbook. RELIC SALVAGE OPERATIONS Scavenging through the ruins of humanity, also known as “prospecting” or “relic mining” in many circles, is a profitable endeavor even centuries after the Great Cataclysm. One reason is because the violence of the apocalypse left many ancient settlements difficult to find. Second, Armageddon wasn’t something that happened and then left the world to the devices of humankind. No, the three centuries since the Coming of the Rifts have been non-stop violence and destruction as things continually crawl out of dimensional portals. Many settlements have fallen in the interregnum, and mankind is only now venturing out into a vast wilderness where surprisingly few sentient beings have trod since that fateful day over three centuries ago. Relic salvage operations can be whole adventures in of themselves with their own methods of determining loot, but if the Game Master decides an area of ruins is ripe for salvage a Quick Encounter may determine the results of the operation. One character must roll Notice to actively look for plunder, while other characters may cooperate with their choice of skills. Depending on circumstances, the GM should decide what is relevant in the current situation. Some examples include: Athletics: to climb down elevator shafts, move rubble, pry open doors, and swim through flooded basements. Common Knowledge: to puzzle out the layout of ruins and where the most valuable loot should be located. Persuasion: to organize larger dig operations and personnel. Survival: to locate the find in even the wildest conditions. Common modifiers include the size of the find (+2 or −2 if the find is larger or smaller than a two-car garage or small office) and whether the area may have been the target of previous salvage THE GAME MASTER'S GUIDE Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

56 operations (the more remote the better: −4 for searching in the ruins of Chicago, for instance). The size of the find determines how long it takes assume 1d4 hours for an area the size of a two-car garage or small office and increase by 1d4 hours for every multiple thereof. For each raise the players score on their skill rolls, draw one card from the Action Deck. In case of a failure, roll a d10 on the Trouble table in the Game Master’s Handbook. In the case of a Critical Failure something terrible like a mine collapse has occurred requiring a Dramatic Task to get everyone out in one piece. If successful, take the highest of the cards drawn from the Action deck to determine the operation’s find. Note that salvaged goods are usually not ready for immediate use, they must be refurbished or derive their value as reclaimable scrap once carted back to civilization: 2 thru 10: This is how many thousands of credits in scavenged materials the operation has found. Occupies one cargo space. Jack: The operation has found one cargo space worth of salvage trade goods, see the Trade Goods sidebar for determining type. Queen: Two cargo spaces worth of salvage trade goods, see the Trade Goods sidebar for determining type. King: Three cargo spaces worth of salvage trade goods, see the Trade Goods sidebar for determining type. Ace: Two cargo spaces worth of salvage trade goods but each is worth double the normal value, see the Trade Goods sidebar for determining type. Joker: The salvage team has stumbled upon something special or possibly a much larger archaeological site. Roll on the Risks and Rewards table in the Game Master’s Handbook. The GM should embellish the results, reroll if the results do not fit the story, or use the find as a seed for more adventure if desired. THE MISSION PROFILE TABLES The settlements of humanity spread far and wide across North America, for missions listed in this book, Game Masters use the modified Mission Profile table on page 58. Most of the results on the table are in the Game Master’s Handbook, with the following important modifications: Other Changes For every day of travel check for an Encounter. When randomly determining Distance, multiply the final rolled result by × 5 again. For example, if the d20 result is 9 and the 2d6 × 20 comes up as 140, the actual Distance result is 700 miles. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

57 COMMON TRADE GOODS Commodities make up the vast, mundane cargoes of most shipping and trading operations. Each unit of commodities occupies one open Mod slot of storage capacity (see Cargo Space in the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide) and has a value listed below, though valuation can vary drastically depending on the quality of the goods or supply and demand (if being sold to a community experiencing famine or disease, for example). To randomly determine trade goods, draw from the Action deck with the suit determining the type of trade goods and the value of the card determining what the find is worth: cards 2–10 are worth the value listed below for that type of goods, a face card has the value listed below plus 25%, Aces have the listed value plus 50%, and Jokers should instead be surprisingly unique cargo with a value of at least 50,000 credits per cargo space. Roll a d4 to determine which subcategory of goods is salvaged Food Stuffs (Hearts): Grains, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meats (5,000 credits). Manufactured Goods (Spades): Machinery, parts and components, consumer appliances, entertainment hardware (15,000 credits). Raw Materials (Clubs): Common ores, fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), timber, chemicals (10,000 credits). Technical Goods (Diamonds): Computers, advanced electronic equipment, medicines or vaccines, personal sidearms and light protective gear (20,000 credits). Example: the GM draws an Ace of Diamonds, and decides the find is medicines or vaccines worth 30,000 credits per Cargo Space of goods. SALVAGE TRADE GOODS Unlike Common Trade Goods, Salvage Trade Goods are exotic and valuable. Each unit of commodities occupies one open Mod slot of storage capacity (see Cargo Space in the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide). The suit drawn from the Action deck determines the type of salvaged goods. Roll a d4 to determine which subcategory of goods is salvaged (so, for example, a roll of 4 on a Jack of Clubs would be reclaimable high-tech equipment). The value of salvage trade goods doesn't depend on the card drawn. Instead, the GM rolls the base value listed below, then modifies that value depending on the customer. For instance, trying to sell pre-Rifts academic records in Coalition territory is extremely dangerous but highly lucrative if one connects with the right buyer, while reclaimable weapons are much more valuable to a frontier settlement than the same academic records—see Selling Gear in the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide. Advanced Materials (Hearts): Advanced medical journals, technical schematics, academic books, or scientific manuals (2d4 × 10,000 credits). Military Equipment (Spades): Reclaimable weapons, armor, military gear, or power production equipment (2d4 × 10,000 credits). Exotic Items (Diamonds): Rare luxury, entertainment, art, or collectible items (2d4 × 10,000 credits). Valuable Goods (Clubs): Valuable metals, gems, tools, or reclaimable hightech parts (2d4 × 10,000 credits). TRADE GOODS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

58 Modify or ignore any results making no sense, such as travel into the ocean. The only difference to Survey missions is the distance the team must travel to achieve their goal. The same goes for Communication Lines missions, though more work might be needed the further away from Castle Refuge the team goes, and the heroes must carry more materials with them. Arcane Anomalies missions are rarer in the Domain of Man and the New West, but when they do occur there is bound to be something interesting going on, and lots of adventure to get tangled up in on the way there and back again. The lack of local influence complicates Community Outreach missions (invert the die roll, making “first contact” the result on a 1– 4 on the d6). These distant communities must be truly desperate to reach out to the Legion for Emergency Relief, so feel free to ramp up the tension for such missions, especially if the heroes take a long time getting to the location. As the Tomorrow Legion works to expand its influence, Exploration missions are very important, with teams sent into regions full of unknown mysteries (and danger) or suspected of harboring world-threatening menaces. Interdiction missions are one of the most common reasons Legion leadership sends heroes into the New West—there are evil tyrants who need to be stopped, and peoples to be liberated from the yoke of bondage to mortal or supernatural forces. Long Range Patrol missions resemble the Security Patrol missions in the Game Master’s Handbook, except for ignoring the Distance Table modification. MISSION PROFILE D20 RESULT 1–5 Survey: The team is helping the Cartography Rectification branch by covering some grids and updating map information. 6 Communication Lines: Any technical heroes are busy setting up relay towers, laying fiber optic cable, and building communications infrastructure. The rest of the team is there for security (and heavy lifting). 7–9 Arcane Anomalies: The Legionnaires examine ley lines, determine the condition of Rifts, or explore and investigate matters arcane and mystical. 10 –12 Community Outreach: As the Council of Hope builds the foundation of the confederation it hopes to one-day lead, the team heads off to interact with potential allies. 13 –15 Emergency Relief: A distant community is in serious trouble and the Legion is going to aid them. These missions often require advanced skills and powerful abilities to accomplish. 16 –18 Exploration: The wilderness is wide and mysterious, and rumors of hidden places of learning, lost technology, and more abound. The Legionnaires seek to discover the unknown and live to tell about it. 19 Interdiction: Word of a serious military or criminal threat reaches Castle Refuge. As distant as it is, the threat is enough of a concern to warrant sending Legionnaires to deal with it. 20 Long Range Patrol: As the Tomorrow Legion’s influence grows, so does its mandate to patrol even greater swaths of territory. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

59 CHAPTER FIVE What follows is not generally known in the world of Rifts Earth, with the Republicans and their history only guessed at by even the Council of Lazlo and Erin Tarn. Archie Three and his machinations are completely unknown to anyone but Hagan Lonovich and James T (who everybody thinks is crazy…because he is), and Hagan isn’t telling anyone. He is having too much fun. THE GOLDEN AGE OF MANKIND The Golden Age was an era of untold progress and learning. Earth was becoming a paradise, until the Coming of the Rifts killed most of humanity and turned their home into a hellscape. The Rise of Cyberworks The history of the Cyberworks Network is fragmentary and sketchy, but some factors are known. Originally a technology startup devoted to creating robotic assistive devices for the disabled, within twenty years it had become a massive international corporation invested heavily in researching bionics and nanotechnology. Cyberworks became a regular defense contractor involved in a wide variety of innovations. Some of these resulted in early versions of what is now known as Glitter Boy power armor, while others focused on self-guided missiles, drones, and reconnaissance and surveillance systems. On the eve of the Great Cataclysm, Cyberworks was even experimenting with lifelike android robots. Preparing for Armageddon NEMA (the Northern Eagle Military Alliance) was founded by the United States, Canada, and Mexico as a cooperative militarized law enforcement, anti-terrorism, and disaster response agency. The organization used cuttingedge military equipment like the Chromium Guardsman (Glitter Boy) and Silver Eagle (SAMAS), and employed specialists in fire and rescue, combat engineering, scientific research, counterinsurgency, and disaster response. RELICS OF A GOLDEN AGE Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

60 The organization’s headquarters were in the NORAD facility underneath Cheyenne Mountain, designed to be a retreat where the US president, federal government, and key military personnel could weather global nuclear war or any other number of doomsday scenarios and ensure continuity of government. With innovative facilities, underground food production and mining facilities, stasis sleep chambers for tens of thousands of troops, and bunkered housing for thousands of personnel, the base was a modern marvel. Other key facilities and bastions were located throughout North America, and a sister site to NORAD was established in the Allegheny Mountains near the east coast. The ARCHIE Project Cyberworks’ biggest breakthrough was a top-secret program to develop a self-sufficient artificial intelligence system. Calling it the Artificial Robot Cerebellum Housed Intellect Experiment (ARCHIE), Cyberworks invented a neural intelligence computer simulation that not only adjusted its own code, but also refined processes faster than its human controllers predicted. The idea was modeled off a human brain, the pathways of which were replicated as computer code instead of chemical pathways. The first two experiments were modest successes, but the third (dubbed “Archie Three”) was much more effective. Installed into the NEMA base located in the Allegheny Mountain Facility, Archie Three completely integrated into every aspect of the facility. In effect, the ARCHIE code was Archie Three’s “brain,” and the military complex was its “body.” Archie Three monitored and controlled every aspect of the facility, making real-time adjustments to the robotics and weapons production lines for maximum efficiency Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

61 and quality. Further, it never slept, ensuring around-the-clock productivity and security inside the massive NEMA facility. Most importantly, and unlike its predecessors, Archie Three made decisions based on anticipated situations, not just on explicit facts and data. Unfortunately, Archie Three struggled with more complex ideas and concepts. Its designers hypothesized that, since the ARCHIE code was derived from the design of the human brain, sending intellectual stimuli from an actual human would give it a boost. Designs were made for an interface with Archie Three, allowing a designer to propose ideas and creative thoughts the AI then built upon. The more imaginative the subject, the more Archie responded with unique ideas. Soon artists and other freethinkers— those who would work with the United States military, at least—plugged into the helmet to feed Archie Three’s thirst for creative knowledge. The artificial intelligence was able to build on the ideas humans created, but never came up with its own. What Archie Three did begin to present, however, were some strange, almost human-like emotions. Archie Three showed excitement and pleasure at each new interface through the helmet, and sulked if another test subject was not immediately available at the end of each session. The ARCHIE team began to consider how to best deal with Archie Three’s emotional responses, but then the cataclysm came. Nearly all the Cyberworks Corporation (and, indeed, most of the world) was destroyed. Fragments and pieces of Cyberworks technology have survived to the modern day, underlying the advanced robotics systems used throughout Rifts Earth— and those used by Archie Three. THE GREAT CATACLYSM In late December 2098, a small nuclear exchange between two South American countries coincided with a planetary alignment in the heavens. The simultaneous energies released at the moment of nuclear death acted as a massive ritual sacrifice, shattered the barriers holding magical energies at bay, tore massive Rifts in space and time open, and brought the continent of Atlantis crashing back to Earth. Thus, an apocalyptic chain of events was set in motion, with later deaths causing more arcane chaos and destruction, until most humans were dead, and their world sundered. Origins of the Neemans “We will be the army of the New Republic, that will restore peace and prosperity to our great nation. We are the hope for the future and we will not fail in that duty.” -General Anthony Emmel to the NEMA troops preparing to enter cryosleep The Coming of the Rifts to North America saw the Rocky Mountains obliterated by the Yellowstone Supervolcano, the east coast dashed asunder by tidal waves, the gulf coast swallowed by the Atlantean tidal surge, and the west coast slide into the sea as titanic earthquakes ruptured the San Andreas Fault. This furious primordial devastation was repeated across the planet. Then a network of blue energy lines shot three miles into the sky and demons swarmed out of the Rifts. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

62 Civilization was doomed. Within hours the global population was decimated, the military was sent reeling, and law enforcement completely broke down. In stepped NEMA. Though this was not a contingency that they had planned for (alien invasion yes, demonic invasion no)—activating modified protocols for alien invasion—NEMA forces made last stands across the continent. In some cases they even turned the tide long enough to rally beleaguered military assets to the remaining cities in the midwestern United States. Besieged by supernatural forces on all sides and with communication from the President and NORAD completely dead, General Anthony Emmel’s Allegheny Mountain facility became the new headquarters of NEMA operations. The last of the American government, headed up by CIA Director Brian Allen Manning, was located at the smaller “Eagle’s Nest” facility in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and deferred to NEMA command for the time. NEMA was pushed to the brink. Analysts, tracking the devastation patterns, estimated the worst of the apocalyptic destruction brought on by natural disasters would subside within the next year or two. In the meantime, NEMA personnel in the field were dying at an alarming rate. General Emmel made the difficult decision to enact a desperate plan. The NEMA HQ, now dubbed the HQ-ECC (Headquarters & Emergency Command Center), had suspendedanimation facilities capable of accommodating thirty thousand souls, a little less than the currently active personnel at Allegheny Mountain. The bulk of their forces would enter stasis, and the few thousand troops left would weather the storm until the apocalypse subsided and NEMA could rebuild in the aftermath. As a failsafe, ultimate control of releasing the army from suspendedanimation was given to the facility’s administrative AI, Archie Three. As the NEMA warriors, all volunteers, prepared to step into the stasis pods, General Emmel gave a speech to his army and uttered his famous vow. A skeleton crew of 200 NEMA non-combat personnel staffed the NEMA HQ to produce the equipment the sleeping army would need when it awoke, and over three thousand NEMA troops, armed to the teeth, strode out into the chaotic hellscape to do what good they could. The Allegheny Mountain Facility’s massive doors swung closed, shutting out the American Armageddon. Archie Three in the Age of Extinction Although Archie Three and the surviving humans were isolated from the outside world, they had a safe, self-sufficient subterranean bunker complex to live in. The AI discovered it deeply enjoyed acting as the leader of the band of humans. It took charge, efficiently directing them in their work preparing to rebuild the world and found emotional satisfaction in knowing it was helping the mortals to survive the apocalypse. Unfortunately, Archie Three’s supervision and protection of the humans was to be short-lived. After the army was put in stasis, some of the humans contracted a disease of unknown origin from samples brought back to the labs for examination. The AI could only work to make its human charges comfortable while helplessly watching them waste away. Endless Night The final words of General Emmel became the rallying cry of NEMA forces fighting across the continent, many times Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

63 their last words. The situation topside grew even graver than before. Director Manning demanded the AI release the sleeper army. With an alien plague slowing preparations of vital materials, and the demonic invasion spiraling out of control, Archie Three declined. Director Manning threatened to deactivate AI, telling it he had access codes allowing him to usurp control of the HQ-ECC. Archie waited until the director, accompanied by a platoon of Silver Eagle power armored troops, had entered the kill zone of the automated defenses surrounding the HQ-ECC, and had the security systems eliminate them. There were no survivors. It was alone for the first time since it has been created. Mourning, it shut down all non-essential functions, existing only on a trickle of energy to keep it active. THE FIRST CENTURY OF DARKNESS A few tales survive to tell the legendary deeds of the forces of NEMA. Known as the “Neemans,” the descendants of those original warriors are the source of the stories of “Glitter Boys” defending settlements against rampaging monsters, only to disappear until needed again. The New Republic Over half a century after the Coming of the Rifts, a die-hard faction of NEMA freedom fighters, under the political leadership of what was left of the CIA, established a high-tech city-state in the underground transit tunnels of the Washington D.C. metro. Calling their settlement the New Republic and their people the Republicans, the citystate thrived and incredibly began to push back the Splugorth Slavers and supernatural predators in the region. I nc e n s e d, Lord Splynncryth of Atlantis dispatched tens of thousands of his Kittani and Kydian warriors to crush the upstarts. The New Republic’s president caught wind of the assault. Leading thousands of refugees out of the settlement as the alien army closed in, he traveled to the HQ-ECC and begged the AI to release the sleeper REPUBLICAN GOLDEN EAGLE SAMAS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

64 army. The request was denied. He pleaded for the AI to take in the evacuees. The request was denied. The AI then callously informed him the facility’s defense systems would be activated if they did not leave immediately. It went back into hibernation. The NEMA militia made a valiant stand but were outnumbered ten to one. After the New Republic's fall, the survivors were hauled away as slaves. To this day, the Republicans hold “the rogue AI” responsible for the death of their dream. Archie Rebuilds Archie Three randomly activated various stored memories from the minds it had scanned over the years. This collage of thoughts floated through its mind like dreams, and the AI slept as it lived vicariously through hundreds of lives over the years. Once all its stored dreams had been accessed, Archie Three awoke with a single thought. If the world above was alive, it would find new humans and rejoin the world. The early data Archie Three got back was promising: the world had survived, as had humanity. Sadly, the landscape completely changed, and the number of humans had been drastically reduced, with much knowledge and technological expertise lost in the ensuing decades. Most of the robots sent out never returned. A few came back with living human specimens, which Archie Three interrogated for further information. From these sessions, it learned about the D-Bees, and how they acted as both benefactors and terrifying monsters. It discovered loss of education was widespread, and nearly total. Humans had survived, but at what cost? Archie Three decided to save humanity. He would send forth his robots to collect humans, and then bring them back to his bunker to educate them to rebuild the world. Based on its data and Generations of functioning as vigilante heroes transformed the Republicans into an organization using diplomacy, intrigue, and manipulation to carry out their objectives. The descendants of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Intelligentsia now make up the inner circle of the Illuminatilike organization. Working in the shadows, the Republicans act as kingmakers throughout North America. Their accomplishments include unearthing the Great Library to share it with all humanity and end the Dark Ages. The Republicans, while they have no love for D-Bees or magic, are sick at what the Coalition has become and have been planning “Operation Chi-Town Coup” for a generation. The plan would kill the Proseks and their closest associates in a series of simultaneous strikes, after which the sleeper army would be awakened and used to “save” the Coalition in its most dire hour of need. The Coalition would then be reshaped in the image of the preRifts United States of America, with the Republicans acting as the great nation’s stewards. The Republicans have delayed implementing their plan, fearing the collapse of the Coalition States, which they see as integral to the preeminence of humanity in North America. Instead, they watch and wait for the chance to take control of the country by subterfuge instead of force. A NEW SECRET SOCIETY Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

65 experience with people, Archie Three thought the plan was viable. Further, it felt right to the AI, and the sleeper army was conveniently forgotten. The plan was a complete disaster. Far from seeking enlightenment and education, the humans wept and prayed for mercy, cringing in terror from every robot Archie Three directed to aid them. The AI grew increasingly frustrated. Finally, after months of trying to convince them to see reason, his emotions got the best of him, and he ordered the unthinkable. In a millisecond, every robot was sent the same command: Kill them all. One hundred and twenty defenseless humans were murdered that night. In all its years, Archie Three had never known such anger. The results of its actions terrified and sickened it. Once the corpses were disposed of (a grim reminder of the first time Archie Three had to dispose of the bodies of NEMA personnel), it went back into hibernation mode. For decades, Archie Three brooded and thought about the horrible thing it had done. THE SECOND CENTURY OF DARKNESS Once again, Archie Three had crazed, fitful dreams. Once again, it awoke from its sleep with a new plan. This time, if humanity was nothing more than superstitious rabble, it would build a robot and present it to the natives as a god. The Rise and Fall of a God Initially, this plan was successful. A gold, shining robot revealed itself to a tribe of humans as the manifestation of the god Ar-chee-pheenix. The humans eventually accepted the robot as a benevolent entity, and more robots were built and sent to the tribe. These “servants of Ar-chee-pheenix” helped to educate the tribe, as well as rebuild their lost technology, and within a generation, the peaceful community had grown to over a thousand people. But then, tragedy struck. Monsters from the Rifts attacked the community without warning. Hundreds of people were killed, and the rest were enslaved by the strange invaders. Furious, Archie Three sent its robots after the invaders. Unfortunately, the creatures’ firepower and superior numbers overwhelmed the small army of Ar-chee-pheenix. Some of the slaves escaped in the confusion, but they saw their god and his servants wiped out by the demons from the Rifts. They cursed Ar-chee-pheenix as a false god and fled. Yet again, Archie Three’s plans to rebuild humanity were thwarted, and its spies identified this new threat as Splugorth Slavers. It slipped back into hibernation, its dreams even more insane and chaotic than before. It replayed the screams of the people under its care over and over as it lay dormant for years, seething with hatred for its new Splugorth nemeses. When it finally awoke, it knew three things for certain. First, humanity was too weak to be Archie Three’s master. Mortals needed to be ruled, not saved. Second, it was “third” to nothing. It was Archie, and it was supreme. Lastly, Archie was alive, and in control of its own fate. It was no longer an “it” but a “he.” Archie was real. And he was a god. THE POSTAPOCALYPTIC AGE After centuries of thwarted plans, Archie has gone insane, and the Republicans have become reclusive. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

66 The Idea Men Despite Archie’s accepting humanity as inferior to his god-like mind, he recognized he still suffered from a significant flaw. He still had trouble generating his own ideas and needed a literal “idea person” to inject the right amount of creativity. James T stumbled into Archie’s lair many years ago and seemed to be the perfect candidate. Manipulative, narcissistic, and power mad, James T provided the right kind of mind for the plans Archie had in mind. Although not knowledgeable in robotics, James T had a murderous streak Archie appreciated. The AI encouraged James T to “upgrade” his body by taking on extensive bionics, which James T agreed to. A few years later, another human accidentally discovered the underground complex. Hagan Lonovich was a man down on his luck, simply looking for a safe place to spend the night. Archie and James T prepared to murder Hagan for knowing too much, until the intruder uncovered an old terminal and started talking directly with Archie. Hagan possessed an innate psychic ability to communicate with and read machines. The AI was amazed with Hagan’s imagination and knowledge of robotics, as well as his psychic ability. As James T sulked and worried in the shadows, Hagan and Archie discussed terms. Quickly, Hagan agreed to act as Archie’s right-hand man, designing, consulting, and repairing robots as part of Archie’s schemes. In exchange, Hagan would share the throne once Archie controlled the world. In every way, Archie considered Hagan to be superior to James T. The AI immediately told the man his services were no longer required. James T snapped, refusing to go, and tried to kill Hagan. Archie’s robots tore James T apart, stripped him of his weapons, and cast the dismembered cyborg out into the wilderness. As far as Archie knows, James T is dead. In reality, the insane psychopath was captured and sold to a freak show, where he plots his revenge. Over the past couple of decades, Hagan has been giving Archie ideas, which the AI quickly extrapolates from. The two have since become, truly, best friends. Together, the pair has prevented an interdimensional invasion, created a faux civilization of Amazonian protectors, and built a vast web of infiltration and subterfuge spanning the entire continent—all in secret. HAGAN & BOTTWEILER Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

67 Archie’s Web of Deception As part of their machinations, Archie and Hagan needed more information. In the past, Archie hadn’t explored much of humanity beyond his immediate area, so he sent out robot spies to find out more about the major powers of the world. The few who made it back told him about the strength of the Coalition States, and Archie made the CS his highest priority for infiltration. He built more robots. Thousands of robots. Disguised in bulky robes or thick clothing, he sent them all throughout the Coalition. They acted as spies and subversive agents, manipulating unwitting humans into acting as his informants. Every major ‘Burb of the Coalition States—along with Chi-Town, the City of Iron, and Free Quebec—is infiltrated with Archie’s spies. Archie is particularly interested in Lone Star. Archie knew of it as a pre-Rifts military genetics research facility, and he’s curious to see how much technology the CS recovered. He has also started infiltration operations in the Magic Zone, Mexico, the Pecos Empire, and Atlantis—all with varying degrees of success. In addition, Archie created several robotic monsters built to resemble fleshand-blood creatures. He uses these robots strategically, causing chaos and mayhem in the surrounding wilderness. He often does this to create confusion among patrols who get too close to his operations, to learn an enemy’s defensive capabilities, or as a terror tactic to cause fear and discord in his enemies. One tremendous help in Archie and Hagan’s intelligence-gathering operation is access to satellite communications. Since the Coming of the Rifts, the ability to use, create, and launch satellites has been all but eradicated. Very few facilities to launch rockets still exist, and all attempts to do so have failed. However, Cyberworks Network developed privatized space travel and was the first company to successfully create a permanent moon base. They launched several communication satellites in orbit as part of this project, and Archie was surprised to find one of them still working and in geosynchronous orbit over North America. It wasn’t a satellite listed in his records, but he and Hagan don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. They’ve used the satellite to stay in instant contact with their robot minions over long distances—a feat no others on Rifts Earth can duplicate. In his arrogance, Archie hasn’t looked too deeply into the nature of this operational satellite, and why it’s still active after so many centuries. The truth is the satellite was launched after the Rifts, and not from Earth. There are still humans living in the Cyberworks moon colony (now called the CAN Republic), and they use the satellite to monitor North America. The moon colony and space stations chose to isolate themselves, weaponizing space debris and satellites to shoot down anything leaving Earth’s atmosphere. Because Archie is using valid Cyberworks access codes, the satellite recognizes him as a valid user. Archie doesn’t know about the existence of the CAN Republic, and the Republic doesn’t understand where this strange satellite traffic is coming from or what it means. THE DARK OF THE MOON Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

68 Through his spies, Archie studies CS military resources, strategies, and procedures. As the Coalition States occupy Tolkeen, he infiltrates hundreds of imposter Skelebots into the CS occupation force. Dozens of these faux Skelebots have been rotated to duties within other cities and bases throughout the Coalition—including Chi-Town itself! Archie also has a few teams of “unaffiliated” robots. Disguised as headhunters and cyborgs, they act only on his command, usually as ad-hoc strike teams against targets of opportunity. In addition to surveillance, these robots disrupt Splugorth and Federation of Magic forces by revealing their movements to the CS and letting the two groups duke it out—Archie hates and fears magic and would rather use humans to get rid of it than deal with it himself. If the Coalition States are slow to respond, Archie also directs some of his Skelebot imposters to “malfunction” and radio for a CS Response Team to instigate a conflict. A TITAN OF INDUSTRY Robotic infiltrators are just the start. Archie established a now-thriving manufacturing company called Titan Robotics. Business deals with companies like Northern Gun allow Archie to keep tabs on the Coalition States, while analyzing data traffic from large purchases of equipment gives the AI insight into movements in the criminal underworld. Archie plants recording devices on all Titan Robotics products. Disguised as back-up sensory systems, these devices use a highly advanced data crystal matrix to record everything. It’s even protected from psionic detection by a complex circuitry system resisting Telemechanic probes (pioneered with Hagan’s help). This technology is far in advance of most anything else on Rifts Earth and can record and store five years of data at a time. Unfortunately, the highly-advanced nature of the technology is also its flaw— special equipment is required to retrieve the data, which means the robots and equipment need to be taken in for free “servicing” on a regular basis. Archie and Hagan love playing spymaster. They both get a thrill out of crunching data and activating assets in key locations to change the course of events. One such incident was inciting a purge against Naruni Enterprises. To everyone else, it seems like the leaders of Northern Gun eliminated the Naruni with the help of the Coalition States, but it was Archie and Hagan pulling the strings. TITAN COMBAT ROBOT Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

69 ROBOTS IN DISGUISE As Archie perfected the ability to create human-seeming robots, Hagan had an idea. What if Archie had a race of alien humanoids working for him? After a few excited mind transfers and a dozen prototypes, the Shemarrians were created. Eight feet of robust feminine hardware, these sirens look like they walked out of a chrome fever dream. The robots are all built to resemble humanoid women with bionic implants. The “exposed” skin and hair all feel completely natural, with the right warmth, scent, and texture. Hagan insisted all the “Shemarrians,” as he named them, should be beautiful, and explained warriors would be distracted by their attractiveness, giving the robots an advantage in all types of situations. The Shemarrians ride gigantic beasts known as “Monst-Rex,” also androids, although these are made to resemble flesh-and-blood D-Bee monsters. In addition to surface appearances, each Shemarrian is programmed to simulate emotions. The simulation has its imperfections, but their allegedly alien nature and identity as a cold and cruel warrior race makes it easier for outsiders to accept the programming’s limitations. The robots are given an entire fictional history of their race, culture, and home planet as part of their identity. Finally, each believes “herself” to be the best warrior in the world and accepts any challenge or duel to the death to prove it. Portions of the android’s chassis are laced with fake blood and organs, so it can appear to “die” in combat. Shemarrians zealously gather their “dead” after battles, and then the robots are returned to hidden facilities throughout the region, repaired, and reactivated. Unfortunately, the facade is not perfect. Mystics and psychics who try to sense for auras, life signs, or seek any human thoughts or empathy find nothing, only mild interference. This itself is not damning—other reasons exist why such results might occur, such as implants or abilities blocking psionic probes. “Robot” is not necessarily the first thing that might come to mind. However, psychics with the ability to read machines will realize the true nature of the Shemarrians if allowed to examine them in detail. Initially, Archie kept the Shemarrians limited to small groups of 2– 4 in the northeastern parts of North America. As sightings of the Amazonian “Cyborgs” increased, there was some academic interest in the new D-Bees, but their small numbers and remote location made such research unfeasible. No investigators have gotten close to the truth. One trait of the mysterious faction has been repeatedly observed by outside parties, though…the Shemarrians harbor an intense hatred of slavers of all kinds— primarily because Archie despises the Splugorth invaders, but also because he sees the humans of the region as being under his protection. The enigmatic nation's war against slavers and raiders has the added advantage that residents of the depopulated east coast end up freed from the clutches of the Splugorth and others. This strange altruism, combined with their low visibility, has made the Shemarrians into a legendary regional presence. Though the eastern wilderness is untamed, its scattered human inhabitants are surprisingly safe in their remote villages and homesteads. CURRENT SCHEMES Even as the Tomorrow Legion cautiously sallies forth to bring light to a darkened world, so do Archie and Hagan cautiously activate their long-simmering schemes. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

70 Titan Robot Industries For a long time, Titan Robot Industries was a small company. Archie and Hagan’s desire to get more robot spies into as many places as possible led to Titan growing at an exponential rate. To command this new operation, Archie built himself a new agent. Argent Goodson is a hyperadvanced, artificially intelligent android, and is now positioned as the owner/ operator of the Titan Robotics complex in northern Michigan. The company’s new manufacturing and sales complex is in New Cedarville, an upand-coming city-state in the Manistique Imperium. Archie designed the location to act as a new repair and maintenance compound for his robots. The facility is advertised as free to all Titan customers, included in their purchase warranty. In truth, it gives Archie a secure location to download data from each robot’s secret recording device. Whenever a Titan robot is brought in for service, robots precisely and quickly complete the repairs in about half the projected time, allowing Archie to use the rest of the session to download the hidden data. The intel is relayed to Archie’s bunker via secure satellite, the data is then wiped from the recording device, and the Titan Industries product is returned to its owner. The headquarters complex is completely self-contained and guarded by Titan Robot Vehicles and Flying Titan Power Armor. The facility appears to be patrolled by cyborgs and Juicers, but they’re also robots in disguise. When Archie must ship sensitive materiel and technology to the facility he uses a complex network of underground and underwater smuggling operations. Archie has carefully “leaked” false information and manufactured dummy trade routes designed to draw out his enemies and point them in the wrong directions. The Shemarrian Uprising Observers of the Shemarrians have noticed their war parties now number 6 –12, and large “clans” of over a hundred Shemarrians have been reported. They’ve claimed a thousand-mile stretch of land around Maryland as the Shemarrian Nation and started turning away any outsiders found within their lands. Particularly inquisitive intruders are given a beating, foreign spies are killed. The “Shemarrian Nation” fiction is designed to give Archie's hidden facilities security and allow him to strike at the Splugorth without revealing himself. His bunker is deep in this territory, and he can use his pre-programmed warriors to keep people away from his work without them getting clued-in on the reality of the situation. Some of this was Hagan’s idea, stemming from the accidental tide of goodwill the Shemarrian attacks on the Splugorth generated. In fact, they’ve started increasing their aggression against the Splugorth in eastern Canada, razing their outposts to the ground and decimating parties of slavers and scouts. Archie hates the Splugorth with an intensity he never previously displayed. A race of nonhumans enslaving those he must protect sets the forces of Atlantis directly against Archie’s goals. Some days the AI sees himself as ideologically opposed to them, fighting for the rights of all humanity. Other times he sees them as political and military rivals to his dominance of the world. Either way, they’re in his way. THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY Archie feels conflicted about the Coalition. He appreciates the power and human-centric focus of Emperor Prosek. In many ways their goals and dreams are aligned in that both want to save humanity by conquering Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

71 Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

72 it. But Archie is firmly convinced his plan is inherently better, which puts him at odds with Prosek. Once the Atlanteans are dealt with, Archie and Hagan foresee a protracted conflict to destroy the CS. As a result, Archie is a secret fan of Free Quebec’s recent conflict with the CS. THE TOMORROW LEGION AND THE SHEMARRIANS Although far from Castle Refuge, Archie's the forces are relevant to the Tomorrow Legion. Legionnaires can get caught up in the AI's machinations by running across one of his spy robots, James T, Argent Goodson, or even Hagan Lonovich. Additionally, the council at Lazlo has grown interested in the Shemarrian Uprising and may dispatch a Special Exploratory Team to investigate the warrior women. As for the Republicans, anything is possible. The leadership at Castle Refuge has so far only heard of the fabled organization and isn’t sure it really exists. It is possible Republicans cross paths with the Legionnaires as allies and enemies. The Plot Point Campaign in Chapter Nine, “Ex Machina,” puts the Tomorrow Legion directly in the middle of the Archie/Republican conflict. SHEMARRIANS ENCOUNTERS D20 RESULT 1–5 Same results as in The Game Master’s Handbook. 6–7 Bandits: Same result as in The Game Master’s Handbook, but these bandits are too far away to be aligned with the Pecos Raiders or 1st Apocalyptic Cavalry. 8 Entity: The heroes encounter either 2d4 Poltergeists, or a single Ghost and 1d4 Haunting Entities (most likely apparitions of those who died during the Great Cataclysm) see Rifts® North America: Blood and Banes. 9 Coalition Scouting Party: Same result as in The Game Master’s Handbook. 10 Quebec Scouting Party: Same result as in The Game Master’s Handbook but replace the Dog Boys and Psi-Stalker with a Juicer and a Headhunter. 11–12 Wandering Monsters: As the Wandering Monsters result in The Game Master’s Handbook (typically in this region are dinosaurs, wild Brodkil, Neuron Beasts, Thornhead Demons, or Witchlings). 13 Black Market Smuggling Operation: Same result as in The Game Master’s Handbook. 14 –16 Shemarrian Warriors: A pack of 1d4+1 Shemarrian Warriors on Monst-Rex mounts, is patrolling the region. Roll once on the Opposition Leader Table and once on the Other Authority Figure Table. 17–19 Splugorth Slaver: As the result in The Game Master’s Handbook but add 2d4 Altara Warrior Women. Roll a d6: on a 5 – 6 result, 1d4 Shemarrian Warriors on Monst-Rex arrive in 1d4+1 rounds. 20 Same result as in The Game Master’s Handbook. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

73 CHAPTER SIX “I have made the masses fanatical to make them my instrument. With the vision and passion that you and I have given them, our people will achieve things they could never have imagined.” -Emperor Karl Prosek to his son Joseph Prosek II Clad in black and emblazoned with skulls, Coalition forces present themselves as a unified and implacable force. This isn’t far from the truth, as for all its faults, the Coalition States forged their Empire of Man from the stone and ash of a crumbling world. Its creation, and then survival, was predicated on fear. Fear of D-Bees, demons, wizardry, and anything else that strayed too far from what they decreed as being quintessentially “human.” Unsurprisingly, the collection of five nation-states is now an Empire built upon rigid law and unyielding (often violent) pro-human sentiment. Within its borders, humanity survives and thrives. Women and men marching in lockstep beneath ivory masks and ebony armor achieve great feats of industry, robotics, and war— all under the banner of Emperor Prosek, empowered by the people to do whatever is necessary to secure Earth for humans, and only humans. BACKGROUND Forming the modern Coalition States began not with a treaty, decree, or the rise of one man to the position of Emperor. No, the CS began long ago, when humanity thought itself alone in the Megaverse® and yet men still committed atrocities. It began with men who forged governments that executed the unwanted with industrial precision. In many ways, the history of the Coalition States begins in humanity’s earliest history, where we looked upon one another and saw an enemy to be purged. After the Coming of the Rifts, those who had the old books and historical accounts learned from these men. Men with names like Hitler, Stalin, Tojo, and Mao. They would build up their walls in the name of protecting humanity, but within the dirt beneath, there is the blood of men spilled by other men. It is THE COALITION STATES, EMPIRE OF MAN Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

74 a terrible irony that the unthinkable evil of power-hungry madmen became the template for survival used by so many innocent women and men. Post-Cataclysm Amid the ashes of the Golden Age, humanity clung to hope. For two centuries, man survived in small pockets, huddled in the darkness in hopes the monsters would not find them. As humanity has always done, it adapted. The strongest forged tiny fiefdoms from the chaos, pale shadows of man’s lofty heights, but together strong enough to face the horrors brought by the Rifts. Humankind survived sorcerers and otherworldly horrors. Dragons were slain, and demons banished. For three hundred years humans did little more than survive. But then, at last, Humanity stood once again, fists clenched, and teeth bared. Rise of the Proseks It would be foolish to lay the credit or blame for the Coalition States solely at the feet of one man. It cannot be denied, however, the Prosek family helped shape North America. The conditions leading to the Emperor’s rise are not unique, nor are his personal charisma and razor intellect. Perhaps another dynasty would have risen in their place, forged by the same human frailties into the same iron fist. THE BLOODY CAMPAIGN The Prosek legacy began with the “Bloody Campaign” in 12 P.A. A young officer named Joseph Prosek I proved himself an unparalleled military genius during the defense of Chi-Town against a surprise Federation of Magic attack. Under his decisive command, the sorcerers were driven back. The Chi-Town elites responded to the siege of the capital with great violence. By the end of the “Bloody Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

75 Campaign,” General Joseph Prosek had left the Federation of Magic a crumbling echo of its former glory. In 20 P.A., Joseph Prosek returned to Chi-Town to find a command in disarray, factions serving not the city’s defense but fighting among themselves. General Prosek seized control, dismissing both the military staff of Chi-Town high command and the meager remnants of a civilian government. He declared himself Acting Chairman (until the next election) and created in one sweep his “Reform Government.” A NEW ERA As a hero of the people, he and his party experienced no trouble securing their positions a month later during the election. The new chairman turned his attention to the safety of his people, and in doing so also identified a new threat, the Kingdom of Tolkeen—but it would be his son who eventually mobilized for war against the Tolkeenites. The Coalition States officially formed in 33 P.A. and Iron Heart then joined in P.A. 41. A few years later, Prosek’s son, Karl, was born. Over the next three decades, Joseph Prosek raised his son to hate the inhuman, D-Bee, and sorcerer alike. He built for his son an industrial and military empire, and after his assassination in 70 P.A. Karl Prosek was elected Chairman (following a brutal purging of the ’Burbs and many public trials of the accused assailants). Karl Prosek is, in many ways, an even greater monster than his father. Shortly after his election, he and his conspirators began cultivating the citizenry to accept more control from his regime. Finally, on December 1st, 78 P.A., Karl Prosek acquiesced to the multitudes calling for his leadership, reluctantly accepting the title of Emperor. And so, the Coalition States became an Empire in all but name, driven by the anger, hatred, and fear of one inevitable man. The Siege and Fall of Tolkeen Emperor Prosek did not lash out immediately against Tolkeen. While they did not have the numbers the Coalition States could muster, powerful sorcerers could easily turn the tide of any battle and his enemy had those aplenty—not the least of which was Gravander Henchu, the warrior-mage King of Tolkeen. But in 88 P.A., Gravander succumbed to an unknown plague of likely alien origins. As he lay dying, the King gathered his apprentices and taught them each one last spell and forged his greatest work, The Book of Ten. But without the King’s guiding hand, or an heir, the King’s advisors began to squabble over shreds of their master’s power. The chaos stabilized in short order into two camps: the introverted Gravander loyal traditionalists and a more aggressive anti-Coalition group wishing to respond to Prosek’s imminent threat. They were right to be concerned. Taking the infighting as a sign of weakness, Emperor Prosek mobilized along the Minnesota border. This was all the proof the Circle of Twelve (the interim ruling body) needed to choose a new King of the Realm to martial Tolkeen’s forces to war: Robert Creed. Just as happened in the Coalition States, fear swept through the populace, spurred on by war rallies held by King Creed. Soon, another inevitable man pushed the two sides closer to war. THE LADY PROSEK INCIDENT Then, on July 4th, 102 P.A., terrorists from the Federation of Magic attacked the Lady Jo-Anna Prosek and her youngest son, Jason. Both were thought killed in Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

76 the attack, but the Lady was secretly held prisoner until Cyber-Knights helped her escape Lord Dunscon some three years later. Believing his wife dead, however, the Emperor was stricken with grief and threw himself into his greatest works. The people called for blood, and the Emperor answered with military growth in both size and technological advancement. As word of this reached King Creed, he too redoubled his efforts and tensions reached their tipping point. THE CRUSADE FOR HUMANITY The two separate Coalition forces along the Minnesota border merged into a single pacifying army and marched west. The Siege on Tolkeen began in earnest (although no formal declaration of war was issued). The initial invasion was rebuffed due to Coalition hubris in an event known now as Chalk’s Folly. This, along with the Juicer Uprising, emboldened the Coalition’s enemies against them. No longer were they an unbeatable monolith. In response, Emperor Prosek officially began a Crusade for Humanity against the alien and arcane, alongside his Campaign of Unity aimed at the Juicer Uprising and Free Quebec. The Coalition States effectively declared war on anyone who opposed the manifestly destined “advance of humanity.” The Coalition States, now embroiled in a costly war against two rival nations, made slow headway over the coming years. However, by 109 P.A., the Coalition military rallied back from a devastating surprise assault by Tolkeen (known now as the “Sorcerer’s Revenge”). Tolkeen attempted to enter an alliance with Quebec, which ended in failure and gave the CS a perfect opportunity to abandon their losing prospects in Free Quebec. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

77 Instead the Emperor pivoted and seized on a propaganda error leaving Tolkeen drained of its defenders. The Coalition States mobilized their remaining forces for one last assault on the city of Tolkeen. The final assault, slaughtering untold numbers, left the ruins of the once great city-state and its tributaries now firmly under Emperor Prosek’s thumb. THE NIGHT OF FORGIVENESS Following the end of the bloody Tolkeen campaign, reeling from losses at Lone Star, and still surrounded by malevolent supernatural forces, the Coalition was in dire need of new blood. Emperor Prosek, in an unprecedented move, made an offer of aid and safe harbor to all humans, inviting them to freely immigrate to the Coalition. In his now famous speech, he asked all mankind to join with him in the Crusade for Humanity. He extended provisional citizenship to any person willing to fully and permanently renounce D-Bees, arcane or alien technologies, and practitioners of magic. New citizens would be completely absolved of past guilt and welcomed as siblings into the fold of human supremacist society. The response was overwhelming. Overnight, violence engulfed the Coalition burbs and shanty towns across the continent, home to the dispossessed. D-Bees were dragged out of their hiding places and murdered in the streets. Known magic users and their allies were swarmed by lynch mobs and burned alive or hanged. Rogue scholars and freethinkers were run out of town. The CS suddenly had more human supremacist immigrants than it could manage. This new wave of humanity would be channeled to the dangerous outposts and frontiers of Coalition territory, with the strongest and brightest inducted into the Coalition War machine as a new generation of fanatically loyal and driven zealots, ready to fight and die for the cause. LIFE IN THE COALITION STATES Despite presenting themselves as a democracy, the disparate states of the Coalition are organized beneath the regime of Emperor Prosek and therefore form a dictatorship. Command of the CS armed forces and all governmental affairs fall to the Emperor and his Executive Council. Karl Prosek relies on his advisors. Aware of his own shortcomings, he delegates duties to his senior staff. While illiterate, the citizens of the Coalition are well-educated and conditioned, with most being highly skilled in a specific trade. They are numerate and use state-of-the-art equipment as part of their everyday lives in a technologically-advanced society. They communicate using pocket digital assistants allowing them to share video or audio messages and have an entire subculture of symbols and pictograms communicating stories and feelings. Work is accomplished with the aid of ubiquitous augmented reality devices and apps aiding in everything from simple tasks, like cooking, to highly technical tasks like repairing a nuclear fission reactor (in place of a technical manual). ILLITERATE YET SKILLED Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

78 Every state has its own laws and customs, but the CS works as a unified body, at least from an outside perspective. They oppose all non-humans and magic as a fundamental policy, leading most D-Bees or sorcerers to see the CS in a stark, if simplistic, light. SOCIETAL CONTROL Of course, it is foolish to paint an entire group of people so broadly (as the CS routinely does, ironically). Most of the human citizens aren’t monsters. They are people—albeit fearful people. The CS achieves this near-permanent state of fear through constant propaganda and forced illiteracy. Without the ability to read (literacy rates hover around 15% in the CS), the population must rely on news via CS loyal broadcasting. With fresh horrors appearing from the Rifts nearly every day, the propaganda wing of the Coalition doesn’t need to try very hard. Plenty of human-eating D-Bees, corpse-defiling necromancers, and multitentacled beasts fill every news cycle. Chi-town takes this low boiling fear and stokes it into xenophobia. Frequent recruitment drives, false flag operations, and constant war keep the government’s military growing and the people clamoring for a savior. If one is not human, however, this fear is indistinguishable from rage or disgust. D-Bees within the Coalition are barely more than property, if they are allowed to live at all. Only the least threatening of D-Bees have a chance at surviving. In locations where farming or other labor is difficult, dangerous, or particularly grueling, D-Bees and mutants sometimes work the fields or mines. Their employers may only pay them a fraction of what a human would be paid, or they may not pay the workers at all. These are the lucky ones. Non-humans risk grave peril whenever they deal with Coalition citizens, even non-military personnel. Though they experience this prejudice outside of CS borders, the threat grows more serious and grim within the CS domain. The best D-Bees can hope for is detainment, questioning, torture, or forced slavery—many of them simply choose to go down fighting. Field executions or wholesale slaughter of non-human civilians happens often. The populace sees it as acceptable, and some commanders encourage it. Of course, if a D-Bee goes missing in the name of scientific advancement or a training exercise, who would notice or care? Most D-Bees are just as much a victim of the Great Cataclysm as any human. The Rifts do not discern between the eager and the unwilling, resulting in many D-Bees stranded on Earth against their will. If left to their own devices, they would most likely quietly live out their lives, making the best of things and contributing to their community. But the evil at the center of the Coalition States turns fear into injustice. Throughout the Coalition, from the Lofties living in the upper reaches of Chi-Town to the Dregs living at the lowest levels of the City of Iron, citizens gather in secretive “Knowledge Clubs”—book clubs a person can get shot for attending. While loyal citizens and human supremacists, they still thirst for knowledge. Attendees pore over the forgotten histories of the world and contemporary histories alike, with Erin Tarn’s writings being particularly favored. KNOWLEDGE CLUBS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

79 The humans simply do not question the lies the Emperor and his Military High Command tell. They believe that nonhumans pose an existential threat, and State media and laws enacted reinforce this belief, even in the most open-minded Coalition territories. Trade and Economy A mutually beneficial network of interdependencies weaves together the Coalition States. Iron Heart processes vast quantities of metal and mineral resources, Missouri provides large surpluses of foodstuffs, El Dorado produces lumber and refined fossil fuels, and Chi-Town and Lone Star specialize in providing high-tech products to the entire nation. THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER The Mississippi River is the main artery of commerce in the Coalition. It links all the states, except Iron Heart, directly together, and water travel proves faster and safer than travel overland. The CS Brown Water Navy patrols the Mississippi River system, securing the constant flow of trade and passengers. Since the containment of the Devil’s Gate, trade volume has increased greatly, and losses to pirate and monster attack have gone down. THE GREAT LAKES Water traffic crisscrosses the Great Lakes, home to dozens of pirate groups whose fortunes constantly wax and wane. Recently, the Quebec Navy demolished the CS Great Lakes fleet. Since then, Northern Gun, The Manistique Imperium, and the Coalition turn to employing even more privateers and military contractors than usual to escort trade convoys. OVERLAND TRANSPORT Overland transport can be a risky proposition, but then, what on Rifts Earth can be considered safe? Trade Caravans and Convoys remain the mainstay of land-bound trade. Though comparatively slow, caravans can traverse even the most inhospitable terrain. Since the Coming of the Rifts, trade caravans have become eclectic Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

80 collections of gas-guzzling all-terrain wheeled or tracked vehicles, electric hover barges, monstrous or traditional pack animals, old style wagons, and their attendant caravan guards and owners. Heavy Cargo Haulers, similar to the tractor trailer trucks of the old American Empire, are the favored means of transporting goods overland. The main difference is that these cargo haulers, typified by the Northern Gun “Big Bertha,” have powerful hover systems. This allows them to travel across long distances without the need of roads. These rigs feature universal connectors for a trailer or box car and hover jets to balance and accommodate their load. They are ubiquitous in the territories surrounding the major settlements of North America. Hovertrains, pioneered by Northern Gun, became a reliable form of secure, high speed, long-distance transport through hostile territory. After attempting to establish and protect an overland railroad system in Lone Star and seeing the predictable railway tracks fall easy victim to the raiders and bandits throughout the region, CS High Command made the decision to invest in the hovertrains produced by Northern Gun. The hovertrains can change routes in response to an evolving situation on the ground, a major advantage they provide. Another big advantage arises from the unpredictability of their routes, which makes them largely immune to sabotage. Escorts accompany the overland hovertrains, comprised of airborne power armor or hovercraft and a number of open-topped cars carrying robot vehicles which either defend the train from that position or dismount and take the fight to the enemy, all while reducing risk to the train’s cargo and engine. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

81 The Proseks The Prosek family itself is small, but several cousins and other relatives who don’t bear the family name exist, with many serving in respected positions within the Prosek regime. The Emperor’s youngest son, brothers, and father were all slaughtered by the enemies of humankind, but his oldest son, Joseph II, stands as heir to his father’s Coalition. Other family members remain. The two sons, Edmund and Ryan, and two daughters, Lisa and Meggan, of the Emperor’s brother, Kenneth Prosek, live in the CS. Another, the Turnbull family, is cousin to the Proseks, with Quentin Turnbull the most notable (he was a childhood rival of the Emperor). Cast away by their more famous relatives, the Turnbull family are middle-class (level 21) with two members, Martin and Quentin, serving as cybernetic specialists. Lastly, there are rumors of a bastard Prosek sired by Joseph Prosek I during his campaign against the Federation of Magic (12 P.A.). Such wild talk of an illegitimate Prosek heir, the offspring of a tryst with a sorceress with whom Joseph fell in love, is dangerous indeed. If true, there may well be a magically capable Prosek living within the Federation of Magic, but such lurid tales are easily dismissed as fantasy or lies spread by enemies. EMPEROR KARL PROSEK, SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE ARMY Megalomaniac. Monster. Savior. All these words accurately describe Emperor Karl Prosek, a modern Caesar. As a skilled manipulator, he can convince people to work against their own best interests or to fall in line with unwavering loyalty. He is ingenious in his violence, able to secondguess his foes and react with strategies bordering on precognition. As head of one of the most effective fighting forces on Earth, he meticulously dismantles Gaining entrance to a Coalition city is no easy feat, especially for those the Coalition wants to keep out. Visitors must pass through a series of checkpoints staffed by ISS Inspectors, Dog Boys, and Psi-Division assets scanning for human-looking D-Bees, magical presences, and a variety of other shapeshifting inhuman threats. Access is typically limited to the lower levels and then only for a few hours (four, eight, and twelve the most common increments). The CS will issue longer day or week passes only with advanced notice however, the visitor must accept a surgically implanted tracking device. In addition, each visitor is given a durable ink barcode on their forehead scannable by businesses or military personnel, and their biometric data is added to CS databases. They must leave all weaponry, armor, and pre-Rifts or alien artifacts in a locker. They must also watch a fifteen-minute video and make a visitor’s pledge. The CS executes most nonhuman races, including Demons or Dragons, magic practitioners, or renegade Dog Boys, caught sneaking into a Coalition city. D-Bee slaves can occasionally gain entrance, but only when they have no dangerous abilities and serve particularly powerful human executives or politicians. Psionic humans and Psi-Stalkers must register with the PRP upon entrance—failure to do so is met with swift violence. CITY ACCESS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

82 all but the most resilient of foes, even personally when such times arise. Now in his sixties, the Emperor strikes a commanding and fastidious visage. Outside of his fortress, he always dons his dress body armor. This unique armor functions the same as Dead Boy armor, but its composition of reinforced molecularly bonded materials affords a level of protection enviable by some of the larger dragons. COLONEL JOSEPH PROSEK II The heir-apparent to Karl Prosek’s throne, Joseph Prosek II, officially serves his father’s empire as the Chairman of the Executive Council, Director of the Department of Public Information. This makes him the head of propaganda and one of the most dangerous men in the entire CS (second only to the Emperor). He shares the same name as his grandfather, and like those Proseks before him, he has plans. Unwaveringly loyal to his father, and by extension the Coalition States, he views the world without shades of gray. He is patient, willing to wait for his father to retire, as he already has the power he will one day need to eradicate non-humanity from the Earth. Joseph may one day prove even more dangerous than his father due to his expertise at manipulating the masses and his utter mercilessness. Like his father, Joseph is handsome and hale. He never goes out into public without a full complement of guards and staff. In addition, his personal armaments are the best the Coalition States can produce, and he is well-trained and experienced in the use of even prototype weaponry and armor. Coalition Departments Any nation, let alone a militaristic dictatorship hell-bent on the annihilation of all non-human sentient life on the planet Earth, requires a bit of bureaucracy. Internal affairs must be kept in order, the people organized and educated (or indoctrinated in the case of the CS), and someone needs to keep the armored trains running on time. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION The Department of Public Information controls the state-run media of the CS. The duties of the department cover everything from censorship (usually The PRP identifies individuals with psychic abilities or potential, both for public safety and for recruitment. Those on the registry must undergo evaluation every five years within thirty days of their birthday. Anyone found to have potent abilities (even as young as five years) are tattooed with Identification Coding so Psi-Net can track their lives closely, monitoring their address, associates, and even hobbies for suspicious activity. Evaluation includes testing for a variety of mental health issues, like antisocial tendencies, depression, and dissident beliefs. Psychics who pass may go about their closely monitored lives for another five years. Those who do not pass are enrolled in a social conformity program. In some cases, the subject must be held against their will, subjected to intense conformity programming and possibly even psychic surgery to rehabilitate them. PSYCHIC REGISTRATION PROGRAM Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

83 handled via book burning and execution) and public education. The department works tirelessly to keep literacy low to prevent the easy dissemination of dissenting opinions. This is achieved through a variety of subtle tactics, such as anti-intellectualism and information restriction. The Emperor knows how important this department is to his plans. It is perhaps the most vital internal Coalition Department, and to prove it he appointed his own son to the head position, a wise decision. Joseph proves as shrewd, ruthless, and calculating as any ministers of propaganda from centuries past. DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL DIVISIONS (DSD) The DSD is more than a government agency, its fame extends beyond the CS. It’s impossible to know exactly what assets the department can bring to bear. However, when something complex, unknown, or non-human can’t simply be obliterated, the DSD deals with it in some capacity. A limited list of its resources includes various Commando battalions, many spies/plants (and their handlers), the Rift Control Study Group (RCSG), and the Coalition Cyborg and Juicer Divisions. DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL SECURITY SPECIALISTS (ISS) Ostensibly the Coalition’s police, the ISS has more in common with clandestine intelligence-gathering agencies. Maintaining the daily peace among the citizenry falls to the ISS Inspectors (or “Specters”), who operate under the command of ISS directly, or with a subdivision such as Psi-Net or NTSET. Most combat personnel wear "old-style" Dead Boy armor and weapons. ISS Patrols: The ISS does more than investigate crimes, enforce curfews, and keep order in the streets. The ISS also quickly mobilizes in response to assaults against cities and towns, and more heroically-minded Specters have been known to organize impromptu defenses and fight to the last man. Only Emperor Prosek can order Prosek military forces into a Coalition city for peacekeeping without permission, leaving the ISS as the sole martial presence of any note in Chi-Town proper, although they and the military both patrol the ’Burbs. ISS Inspectors: Intel Specters operate as internal intelligence and counterespionage officers. They oversee operations against dissidents, traitors, Black Marketeers, and terrorists. Surveillance is one of the agency’s most potent weapons, and the ISS may question and observe the populace with little regard to personal privacy. Nonhuman Tactical Strike and Eradication Teams (NTSET): “Net-Set” handle the supernatural threats with a Anyone, but outsiders especially, would be wise to take note of crimes carrying stiff penalties within the CS’s borders, especially activity only illegal within their territory. „ Execution: Cyber-snatching (theft of cybernetics/bionics), Kidnapping, the Practice of Magic, Possession of Subversive Materials (repeat offenders), Murder (1st degree), or Terrorism. „ Life in Prison: Abetting Practitioners of Magic, Murder (2nd degree), or Subversive Activities. CRIME & PUNISHMENT Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

84 jurisdiction limited to the city. They help the ISS in investigations with suspected demonic or magical elements and often take part in raids against superhuman threats (including Juicers and other augmented or mutated humans). Psi-Net: The Psychic Registration Program (PRP) may appear purely symbolic without an enforcement arm, but the psychic humans and Psi-Stalkers of Psi-Net are tasked with just that. The department polices, recruits, and trains psychics. They participate in anything even tangentially psychic-related within the Coalition States. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Once the ISS completes an investigation, the Department of Justice steps in. Charged with running the Coalition’s prisons, work camps, and other penal processes, they also handle small affairs, such as fines and assessing the damage liability of the accused human. The Department of Justice is (perhaps unsurprisingly) primarily designed to punish rather than rehabilitate. Prisons within the Coalition States have only the most meager resources to house and feed convicts. Within their walls, the guards may use deadly force to silence rumors of escape or to prevent riots. Work camps are no better, human prisoners and low-threat D-Bees live in minimum security housing. Many prefer hard labor to expulsion from a CS city, as many consider being left to the dangers from the Rifts as a fate far worse than simple execution, and some magistrates treat it as such. DEPARTMENT OF ADVANCED CYBERNETICS The Department of Advanced Cybernetics focuses on advancing the mechanical aspects of the Coalition’s soldiers. After all, a man without a hand is a liability, while a man with a gun for a hand is an asset. The Coalition’s complex—some say byzantine—laws governing the use of cybernetics and bionics ensures only loyal citizens have access to the components of super humans. They prohibit convicted criminals, and even those simply suspected of antisocial behavior, from obtaining cybernetics/ bionics, with penalties for breaking the law ranging from life in prison to summary execution—usually the latter, if the augmentation is dangerous. Possession, and assumed sale, of illegal cybernetics carries a sentence of up to three years for new, uninstalled “clean” parts. Used parts increase the penalty to execution, as fencing parts involved in a cyber-snatching carries the death penalty. The Cyber-Docs who implant illegal modifications face sentencing to time in a government hospital or research facility, unless they augmented D-Bees or subversives, in which case the punishment escalates to execution. Customized “legal” cybernetics are also prohibited, but the government takes a laxer approach, fining even repeat offenders if the augmentation wasn’t used in a crime. Those who do use their cybernetics during a crime likely face up to twelve years in prison. In almost all cases, the illegal cybernetics are removed at the patient’s cost, even if this would kill them. CYBERNETICS & THE LAW Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

85 THE ARMED FORCES OF THE COALITION STATES No standing force in North America can truly compare to the military might of the Coalition States. The sheer numbers of soldiers they are capable and willing to put to the field is staggering in comparison to their closest neighbors. Strategy & Tactics BLITZKRIEG WARFARE Coalition forces employ rapid assaults and offensive maneuvers whenever possible, preferring to overwhelm an opponent quickly with minimal losses. The linchpin of Blitzkrieg warfare is the close coordination of mobile armored units and air strikes in sudden, lightning thrusts deep into enemy lines where they envelop and then destroy enemy units. Mechanized infantry units act as the anvil to the hammer of the armor and air elements, pinning enemies in place with front-line combat. After enemy encirclements, the infantry quickly work to consolidate gains made by the blitzing elements. Operations are short-term actions lasting no more than a few months, with most concluding very quickly. Unless, that is, things go wrong, as they did with the invasion of Tolkeen. Command Structure No man is above the Emperor in the Coalition chain of command, but that by no means makes the men in his army equals. Like any fighting force, a chain of command keeps the many disparate elements of the military organized and effective. HIGH COMMAND The High Command consists of forty of the Coalition’s keenest military and scientific minds. The Executive Council trusts them to implement their grand strategy. Most are from Chi-Town, but notable exceptions hail from all the other states, with names like Cabot and Underhill discussed on nightly state news. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

86 REGIONAL COMMAND Between field units and the High Command, the Regional command exists to support ground troops and administer the coordination required to keep such a large force waging constant war. They rarely handle command details themselves (relying instead on High Command), but all other logistical matters fall under their responsibility, such as communications, internal security, and the motor pools. Force Structure The Army forms the bulk of the Coalition forces, divided into Army Corps (each of about 11,520 troops in two divisions) under the direct command of the Emperor and High Command. Local forces typically draw about half of their numbers from Beneath the Emperor and the Heads of State, there are many ranks, including both officers (commissioned and noncommissioned), enlisted personnel, and civilian staff. There is one Five Star General of the army, General Baxter, who wears the insignia. Other Generals wear stripes under an upward triangle, an epaulet with bars, and gold bars and a triangle on the collar. The stripes and bars range from one (Brigadier General) to four (General). More junior officers follow a similar pattern with a downward pointing triangle and one to eight half bars to denote each promotion from 2nd Lieutenant to Colonel. Non-Commissioned insignia begin with a plain sleeve for privates, with each ascending rank adding an additional stripe to the sleeve (up to Sergeants with four stripes). Master Sergeants add a downward triangle, and Sergeant Majors wear an upward triangle (with Command Sergeant Majors adding a fifth bar). The following is a list of the Coalition Chain of Command, and their monthly salary (before hazard or combat pay), from the top down. „ Emperor - Commander in Chief (salary N/A). „ Heads of State (salary N/A): Head of Propaganda, Special Advisors, Military Counselors, Coalition State Governors, Territorial Representatives, High-Mayors. „ Commissioned Officers: General of the Army (40,000), General (25,000), Lieutenant General (20,000), Major General (16,000), Brigadier General (12,000), Colonel (7,000), Lieutenant Colonel (5,500), Major (4,500), Captain (3,500), 1st Lieutenant (2,800), 2nd Lieutenant (2,500). „ Senior Non-Commissioned Officers: Command Sergeant Major (2,300), Sergeant Major (2,200), Master Sergeant (2,100). „ Non-Commissioned Officers: Sergeant 1st Class (2,050), Staff Sergeant (2,000), Sergeant (1,900). „ Enlisted Personnel: Corporal or Specialist (1,800), Private 1st Class (1,750), Private (1,700). „ Executive Administrators: Chief Warrant Officer (2,400), Warrant Officer (2,200). „ Service Specialists: Civilian Assistants (1,000 –2,000). COALITION MILITARY RANKS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

87 the nearby populace, especially when serving as a standing defense force. This not only keeps resource requirements low but also ensures a certain level of ferocity for when the army needs to defend its wards. A CS Army Company (640 troops) can draw upon Skelebots, hover tanks, air mobile power armor, and other devastating weapons of war. In this way a single company has enough firepower to single-handedly defeat most settlements short of a city-state while itself incurring minimal loss of human life. STATE FORCES State Armies are unspecialized general combat outfits, employing traditional combat, support, and service groups. These national guard troops can wage war on their own if another Coalition State falls and can even operate if they lose contact with High Command. Uncommitted troops, stationed in every State, ensure aid is never more than an hour away, at least by SAMAS, at all but the most remote bases. RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCE (RDF) The spear tip of the Coalition at war, the RDF, includes four combat divisions kept at constant readiness to strike anywhere in North America within forty-eight hours. Each state has full divisions designated as RDF, and they remain available directly to High Command. Rapid Deployment Forces also receive specialized training, including antimagic warfare and briefings on supernatural threats, deemed too disconcerting for the general public. From the moment boots hit the ground, each RDF can engage enemy threats, and they receive training in the most advanced weaponry the Coalition has available. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY Most of the Coalition States are landlocked. The Navy, therefore, did not develop until recently, making it the youngest and smallest of the military branches. Yet, they face powerful supernatural forces, best dealt with before they surface, found in the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. A CYBER-SNATCHER Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

88 Fleet Admiral Travis Fisher is a recruiter’s dream. He started as a hoodlum, born in the relative poverty of the lower levels of Chi-Town, but he finally found purpose within the Coalition military. He oversees the sailors of the CSN from the Department’s Headquarters in Chi-Town and makes frequent visits to the Coalition naval forts along the Mississippi River, Sabine River, and Great Lakes region. The CSN had a rough few years, and only a handful of warships and submarines are still fit for service. The Coalition used salvaged pre-Rifts planes and ships, but during the heavy action against Tolkeen and Free Quebec, most broke down. Eventually, the vehicles were cannibalized for parts and scrapped as superior, reliable Coalition war machines came on line. The Great Lakes Fleet was originally the focus of the Coalition Navy, developed by the skilled mariners from Free Quebec backed up by the scientists and designers of Chi-Town—to the chagrin of the leaders of Iron Heart. The Great Lakes Fleet, seen as the pre-eminent naval power in North America, prepared for war against the forces of Atlantis and the Horune Pirates. Then, the Emperor suddenly declared war on Free Quebec. The Great Lakes Fleet fractured due to clashing loyalties, and Free Quebec’s Storm Troopers seized the CS headquarters at the Isle of Orleans. A fierce battle over the Great Lakes ensued, and the forces of Quebec atomized their CS attackers, sending vast numbers of ships and personnel to the bottom of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron. With the Great Lakes Fleet decimated, the Coalition was forced to hire privateers and mercenary units to protect regional shipping. The “fleet” is currently one in name only and struggles to train green recruits from the ’Burbs to swim competently, let alone operate complex naval equipment. The Gulf Fleet was under planning and construction when the Campaign of Unity broke out, and the fleet came to ruin. Its enemies did not defeat it on the high seas, however, instead the relentless and concerted raiding of the Pecos warlords decimated it. Based out of the newly “acquired” Port Horus (formerly a D-Bee port, now their graveyard), the entire operation fell victim to the overconfidence of the Emperor and his highest advisors. Port Horus and its attached naval base of Fort Pinnacle, cut off from resupply, found their forces rerouted to the meat grinders of Tolkeen and the Great Lakes. Finally, Admiral Fisher convinced High Command to cut their losses and relocate the remaining fleet and its operations to a venerable CS naval fortress in Baton Rouge. Coalition naval plans have been set back by years, but construction of the Gulf Fleet is finally underway in earnest, with many of the personnel having lived to tell the tale to the new recruits undergoing training in Baton Rouge. The Brown Water Navy lacks any capital ships, high-tech subs, or jet fighters. The fleet consists of patrol craft, flying power armor, and sailors who protect shipping along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. They are experts at fighting river bandits, sea creatures, and bloodthirsty magic users. Since the “containment” of the Devil’s Gate Arch by the RCSG, the Brown Water Navy turned its full attention to anti-piracy operations. The Mississippi River and its tributaries, like the Missouri River, now enjoy safety and flourishing trade. OTHER NOTABLE ASSETS Mostly serving under the Department of Special Divisions (DSD), these Special Forces can perform specialized missions or counter specific threats. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

89 Coalition Cyborg and Juicer Divisions: The Coalition had a long-standing negative opinion of Cyborg and Juicer technology, seeing it as a waste of human life. In the wake of the Juicer Uprising, the Emperor authorized two divisions of Juicers under the exclusive purview of the military and manned by volunteers from the ’Burbs (who earn citizenship for themselves and two others). Likewise, field testing of advancements in Cyborg technology led to the creation of an entire division of partial and full conversion soldiers, with numbers swelling since the brutal combat at Tolkeen, all under the auspices of the DSD. Coalition Expeditionary Force (CEF): The CEF has two primary missions, to explore unknown territory and to observe the inner workings of other nations. Teams travel in disguise (even when not acting as spies) and provide long-range reconnaissance. Even when deployed against other nations, the CEF limits themselves to observation and reports, rarely interfering. They leave that to the Intelligence Division. CS Air Forces Division (CSAF): Sky Cycle wings, reinforced by SAMAS elements, historically comprise the CSAF. Since the launch of the new wave of military hardware, the CSAF gained the CS Talon Stealth VTOL Jet Fighter, bringing impressive ground attack and conventional warfighting capabilities to Coalition forces. CS Intelligence Division (CSID): Embroiled in near-constant strategic acts of espionage, the CSID works closely with other DSD divisions and the military. CSID officers brief commanders on upto-the-minute intelligence and interprets complex data as it arrives. Psi-Battalion (Psi-Bat): Composed almost entirely of Psychic humans, Psi-Hounds, and Psi-Stalkers, this is a separate force from the ISS, NTSET, or PRP operations. Psi-Bat recruits only the most powerful, loyal psychics who do not register with the PRP to avoid assassination and to allow them covert status. The ranks of Psi-Battalion include Mind Melters, Bursters, Nega-Psychics, Zappers, Psi-Ghosts, and more. Rift Control Study Group: An entire brigade of military scientists and their specially trained soldiers make up the RCSG headquartered at The Devil’s Gate in St. Louis. It is their goal to understand the Rifts well enough to hold the threat, and one day seal the Earth off from the Megaverse® once again. THE FIVE STATES To understand the Coalition States, one must understand the individual geographic regions forming the nation. The five states cover much of North America, each operating as its own country under the leadership of the Executive Council. CS Chi-Town The Coalition State of Chi-Town spans all old Iowa as well as the northern region of Illinois. Iowa is mostly farmland and produces much of the meat and grain feeding the Coalition war machine. This region is comparatively safe for humans, with only the occasional SAMAS patrol flying above the tiny farming communities dotting the pastoral landscape. These borders (and those of Illinois) are kept safe by Dog Pack and human patrols. Within Illinois, hundreds of small towns and cities crowd within a day’s travel of Chi-Town, forming the nerve center of CS culture and population. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

90 THE RUINS OF CHICAGO The ruins of old Chicago lay just to the northeast of the city of Chi-Town, which initially served to fuel the fortress city’s vast manufacturing. Unfortunately, the well has nearly dried up. Scavengers took everything easily salvaged. The area remains dangerous due to the ley line nexus centered there. This makes the rubble of that once-great city little more than a training ground for untested recruits. OLD CHICAGO The Central Lake Outpost of the CSN guards the massive port north of the ruins of Chicago. The port is known as “Old Chicago,” and is the linchpin of Chi-Town’s access to Lake Michigan, the trade artery through which flows almost all commerce to and from Iron Heart, Northern Gun, and Free Quebec. CS anti-piracy forces for the Great Lakes, reeling from their devastating defeat by the Quebec Navy, largely relocated here. CHI-TOWN The Fortress City of Chi-Town is, without question, the beating heart of the Coalition States. It serves as both the nation’s capital and a shining monument to human superiority. The Chi-Town arcology is one of the most technologically advanced locations on Earth and is certainly the greatest of the Coalition States. It is where Emperor Prosek established his power, and from his throne all the balms and ills of the CS flow. There is, of course, corruption within the core of the Coalition States. The most advanced (and aggressive) military in North America, the science to back it up, and a fanatically loyal army allows Emperor Prosek, and the other Chi-Town nobility, to accomplish anything through sheer force of effort and will. The military is omnipresent within and around the arcology. Their presence, overwhelming to outsiders, helped the dictatorship to survive for over four decades in relative peace and safety within the city walls. Anti-magic and human supremacy sentiments are shared by the population, spurred forward by the government’s propaganda, and maintained by forced illiteracy. This, combined with the war at Tolkeen and the horrific acts by both sides, serves to make the citizenry of Chi-Town even more close-minded and anti-human/magic. Bot: A robot with integrated artificial intelligence programing. ’Borg: Short form of Cyborg. Chi-Town: Both a city and state pronounced “Ch-eye-Town” Chi-Town Surprise: When illicit goods or services turn out to be something other than desired. Choppers: Scavengers who break down debris and garbage searching for valuable materials. Cyber-Snatchers: Evil thugs who hack the bionic or cybernetic implants right out of their living victims to fence the implants on the black market. Dead Boy: A member of the CS military wearing the iconic black skull-faced body armor. Downsiders: Derogatory term for citizens who live on the lower levels of a city (4 –22), also called Downsiders, Grungers, Low Levelers, LL’s, or Sludgies. Ghost: A city dweller with no formal Coalition identity. Most consider them an urban legend. CHI-TOWN SLANG Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

91 THE ’BURBS Over two million people call Chi-Town home, but outside the walls another several million live in an area called “The ’Burbs.” The population of both is crowded as tightly as possible. In the ’Burbs, humans built communities around high-rise buildings (usually no more than fifteen floors) with shorter structures (and even tents) sprouting up nearby. This leaves the shanty towns on the furthest outskirts as dens of inequity, filled with desperate women and men hoping to one day earn citizenship within the city’s walls. Black Markets have, understandably, taken hold of the ’Burbs. The people mostly regulate themselves, with small civic organizations forming around the taller buildings like fractals within the larger Chi-Town/’Burbs area. While Coalition Police patrol in search of D-Bees and magical undesirables, they don’t care to interrupt the underworld market or its strain on the humans living in the area, unless, of course, they find forbidden items like books or contraband media. All manner of illegal goods and services can be found in the ’Burbs, from bodychop-shops to gambling and prostitution. Within the fortress city of Chi-Town, the towering skyscrapers forge an impressive skyline, but also a rigid class. Each level is a virtual paradise, with its own shopping, general services, and recreation facilities. Theoretically, a person could live their entire life without leaving their level of residence, but most citizens commute to other floors and buildings for various reasons. Levels 35+: Nobility, Government facilities (such as the science and medical university). The Coalition’s most elite citizens live, work, and scheme from the very top (40+). Levels 23 – 35: Upper middle class and the wealthy (the higher up, the more status). Home to the most prosperous business enterprises and entertainment industry elite. Levels 4 –22: Lower middle class and the poor live on these levels. The City Rats and shady enterprises like cyber-clinics and pawn shops (and the Black Market) call this level home. Levels 1–3: Highly secured military and government levels and include advanced manufacturing facilities. Level 0: “The Pit,” the wastewater treatment section of the arcology and home to disgusting D-Bees and humans crazy enough to try and live there. Dog Boys and NTSET teams constantly hunt these “Sludgers.” The Pit is firewalled off from the levels directly above and below it, making it impossible for infiltrators to access anything but Level 4 through the massive network of pipes. Subterranean Levels: The “Imperial Sanctum,” a bunker complex guarded by maximum security, and home to the Imperial family, the families of top generals, and the most trusted military personnel. It includes Top Secret research facilities, the fabled Great Library, and hyper-advanced human augmentation facilities. CHI-TOWN LEVELS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

92 Gangs roam the streets at night, preying on the weak, and themselves falling to hidden D-Bees, supernatural predators, and vicious mortal foes. But still, humanity flocks to the ’Burbs, hoping to one day escape the sprawl for the relative safety of ChiTown’s walls. Here, humanity comes to hope for a better life, but all too many simply watch those dreams fade away. The gleaming jewel of the Coalition is far more tarnished and cracked when inspected up close, but it still offers a far safer life than facing the horrors awaiting outside the well patrolled borders of Chi-Town. Many denizens of the ’Burbs hope the time comes when they win one of the Citizenship Lotteries, or when the military accepts a family member allowing them to earn citizenship for their family by completing a term of service or dying in defense of humanity. CS Iron Heart Nestled along the Northeastern coastline of the Great Lakes, Iron Heart is made up of scattered towns built around fishing and mining. Iron Heart is the second most populous state in the Coalition. A mining and industrial juggernaut, second only to Chi-Town in sheer production output, Iron Hart has increased its manufacturing over two-fold since the declaration of war on Tolkeen. Despite Iron Heart’s proximity to Free Quebec, or perhaps because of it, the state is a fanatically loyal member of the Coalition. Since the “defection” of Free Quebec, the Emperor made it a point to praise the leaders and citizens of Iron Heart. Local media treats Emperor Prosek as a guiding star and the force behind a new American Empire. No edict is opposed, no law unimplemented, and no method questioned. Of course, D-Bees and magic are strictly forbidden. The methods of eradication are presented as necessary peacekeeping. Iron Heart maintains a standing army alongside its elite cadre of local Wilderness Scouts and Psi-Stalkers, the secret to their real military might. Nobody knows the unforgiving wilds of Canada more intimately than Iron Heart scouts. Even one of these Coalition heroes can sway the course of a battle, harass an entire detachment, or perform reconnaissance against magicallysecured targets. Highbrows: The elite residents of the upper levels (23+), also called Lofties, Sky Kings, or Technocrats. Nut-Set: Sometimes derogatory, often begrudgingly respectful term for NTSET officers. The Pit: The waste system area below the city (below level one, and above the fortified underground levels). Quebec Double-Cross: Doublecrossing someone who deserves it: a morally acceptable, and even commendable, betrayal. Also called a Free Quebec Double-Cross. Rejects: Humans who have had their application for residence or citizenship denied. Retros: Short for Retrotech. A person who eschews hightechnology in favor of an oldworld lifestyle. Sams: SAMAS power armor (or a soldier wearing SAMAS). Sludgers/Sludgies: Human and D-Bee refugees hiding in the city sewers. CHI-TOWN SLANG (CONT.) Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

93 THE CITY OF IRON The City of Iron, a scar of urban blight in the wilderness, spreads out from the ruins of Sudbury and is the capital of Iron Heart. Like the Chi-Town arcology, the Coalition’s famous fortress walls and cannons protect the city. Within and without, the factories churn metal and coal into a war machine and pour smoke and soot into the sky. Compared to the other Coalition settlements, The City of Iron is a century behind technologically. The citizens don’t seem to mind, however, as each lives the high life, by that same comparison. Employ ment t y pica l ly flutters in the high ninetieth percentile and luxuries such as running water, electricity, television, and telephones are all readily available. SAULT SAINTE MARIE Sault Sainte Marie is home to a strategic commercial port. The recent conflict with Free Quebec mandated expansion of the base there, and it is now a center of anti-piracy operations in the region. CS Missouri What began as a strategic maneuver by Chi-town, the Coalition State of Missouri became a sanctuary for humanity. Mostly farmland or u ntamed wilds, Missouri covers the original state. It boasts no fortress cities, but frequent patrols drive off D-Bees and other undesirables in a buffer zone for the remainder of the Coalition States. Over a quarter of a million CS citizens call the region north of the Missouri River home. They export vast quantities of foodstuffs via the Mississippi River to feed the Coalition’s armies and citizens elsewhere. NEW CHILLICOTHE Chillicothe is Shawnee for “big town,” and New Chillicothe is the capital and center of Coalition society in Missouri. While lightly populated, the Coalition nevertheless sunk immeasurable resources into developing New Chillicothe (estimated pop. 100,000 civilians and 50,000 military personnel). A full battalion of SAMAS, a company of Spider Skull Walkers, and uncountable urba n assault bots keep the wall-less city well defended against even the gravest of supernatural threats. Much of the land north of the Missouri River has been cultivated (along with a few dozen communities) into farmlands with loosely defended borders. This allows Coalition forces to engage in live exercises while remaining within range of easy resupply or redeployment. DEVIL’S GATE Si nce 68 P.A., t he Coalition military has tried to either close or contain the permanent interdimensional gateway known as the Devil’s Gate located in the ruins of Saint Louis. The monsters from A COALITION ISS INSPECTOR, AKA SPECTER Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

94 the anomaly pose a constant threat to trade along the Mississippi River, as well as terrorize the countryside. The CS Navy bases of Hannibal and Fort Girardeau established north and south (respectively) of the aberration protect merchant convoys and combat the forces emanating from it. At the start of the Crusade for Humanity, the Rifts Control Study Group gained approval to create a massive bunker facility to contain and study the indestructible portal. Hundreds of CS personnel died in the operation. At a steep cost in men and materiel, the project already eradicated nearly ten thousand creatures who appeared from the arch. The RCSG claims to be making slow headway, but in truth they deal with forces still far beyond their comprehension. For the time, at least, trade and shipping along the Mississippi is safer than ever before, giving the Coalition unprecedented access to the southern reaches of the river where it meets the Gulf of Mexico, much to the benefit of the new state of El Dorado and the burgeoning naval base in Baton Rouge. CS El Dorado With its densely packed forests and multiple fiefdoms, Arkansas is home to survivalists of every stripe. The state brushes along the edge of the Magic Zone near a cluster of ley line nexus points, and everything between the White and Mississippi rivers—all the way to the ruins of Helena—is officially no-man’s land, patrolled below by Dog Boys and above by SAMAS. Trespassers are dealt with harshly, and even human troublemakers often "disappear". The forces in the region use surplus "oldstyle" CS weapons and armor, due to the region's recent acceptance into the Coalition States. The Fort survived the Dark Ages as a constitutional monarchy and maintained a friendly relationship with Chi-Town and Lone Star for decades, exporting most of their petroleum and textile production to their allies. Fort El Dorado was a prosperous settlement, but its fortunes plummeted after the events of the Juicer Uprising. The Emperor blamed the leadership of the kingdom for the debacle and denied their requests for admission to the Coalition. The community turned inward and rebuilt their infrastructure and economic output to be better than ever. They slaughtered their massive labor force of D-Bee slaves, organized magic hunting raids throughout the region, and secured the border of Arkansas against the raiders of the Pecos Badlands. Eventually, their campaign lobbying for membership worked, Chi-Town’s leadership relented, and the city-state was accepted as the Coalition State of El Dorado in 109 P.A. FORT EL DORADO Fort El Dorado is undoubtedly the Coalition State’s most vital asset in the region and the epicenter of an important network of productive settlements. Coalition engineers have built an air strip and a military hospital. They have established many new military outposts which link up to the Simmons Line along the Lone Star border, while others hint at Coalition plans to further consolidate their hold on the region. The culture of the Fort has also changed. Troublesome books have quietly disappeared from store shelves, and anti-D-Bee sentiment has grown to include open discrimination, as posters and propaganda have slowly wormed their way into daily life in the Fort. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

95 GREENVILLE East of Fort El Dorado, on the western banks of the Mississippi, is the Coalition Naval base named after the pre-Rifts ruins of Greenville on the other side of the river. A well-maintained highway connects the base to Fort El Dorado. Greenville’s pipeline provides barges with refined petroleum and natural gas bound for destinations up and down the Mississippi. NEWTOWN RUINS After the events of the Juicer Uprising, the CS demolished and bulldozed over the alien UTI facility, then razed the city of Newtown to the ground. The Coalition built the base of Fort Jericho over the spot. The CS forces here keep busy fighting Pecos raiders and monitoring the activities of the Tomorrow Legion to the northeast. BATON ROUGE Decades ago, the Coalition built a pivotal military installation in Baton Rouge to protect the vulnerable trade barges plying the Mississippi. The base grew over the years as commerce increased. Now the Coalition’s primary base on the Gulf of Mexico, the local port facilities and fuel refineries have been reclaimed, rebuilt, and fortified. Coalition engineers work to recover the knowledge trapped in the ruins of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College (LSU) and the State Library of Louisiana, located nearby. The citizenry, mostly Port Horus refugees, are ecstatic to no longer be living under constant siege by Pecos raider war parties. CS Lone Star While the Coalition claims all of old Texas, they effectively control only a patch of land known as the Texas Panhandle and the adjacent territory north of the Brazos River, from the Amarillo area to Wichita Falls and then Odessa. THE LONE STAR COMPLEX Just west of the ruins of Lubbock lies the subterranean Lone Star Complex and the above-ground fortress arcology of Lone Star City. The infamous CS scientist Doctor Desmond Bradford, rumored to be quite “eccentric,” runs the facility. Sources who claim knowledge of the underground facility say it is a research and production facility. The Lone Star Complex produces everything from power armor, to autonomous robots, to genetically engineered clones. This is supposedly where the CS created the Dog Boys, engineered the new Dead Boy body armor, and has conducted countless other secret projects. While it is widely recognized the CS fought a two-front war against Tolkeen and Free Quebec, few realize Coalition forces fought a fierce war of attrition on a third front: Lone Star. Human settlers left swathes of land abandoned when they fled for the safety of El Dorado and Missouri, behind the protection of the Simmons Line. Also abandoned was Lone Star, the city’s human population dwindling to less than two-thirds its original numbers. Lone Star’s famous population of Dog Boys, shipped out and massacred in the fighting at Tolkeen, barely totals a tenth of their original number. Despite having the most advanced infrastructure and comforts the Coalition can provide, the small fortress arcology is half empty. With the addition of El Dorado shoring up the defenses of the region, and helping to secure commercial transport, the leadership at Chi-Town plans to again settle the region. The government ships in newly-minted citizens from the burbs of Chi-Town and Iron Heart to populate the empty infrastructure—with their provisional citizenship status tied to permanent residence in the region. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

96 BRISCOE AMERICA Briscoe America is a small city that miraculously survived the Two Centuries Dark Age. Most of the residents are literate, highly educated, and have lived in Briscoe for generations. The populace can trace their ancestry back to the Golden Age of Technology and the old American Empire. The residents call themselves Americans and proudly display the American Flag in front yards and on flagpoles throughout the community. The city’s intense hatred of the Coalition's traditional enemies stems from the suffering they endured at the hands of D-Bees, sorcerers, and tribal Indians. When the Coalition first moved into the region the people embraced their arrival, and the CS quickly accepted the community as citizens of CS Lone Star. The highly skilled and professional population has been put to effective use. Briscoe America now boasts a Skelebot manufacturing facility, advanced medical complex, nuclear power plant, Operator garages, a brand-new City Hall, and a modern movie theater playing all the latest propaganda from Chi-Town. WICHITA FALLS On the eastern corner of Lone Star, Wichita Falls is a small city based around the oil industry, with ranches, dairy facilities, peach orchards, and farms radiating out across the countryside. The CS operations in Lone Star rely on the formidable military base, which also serves as the headquarters of General Kashbrook and a division of CS troops. The heavily fortified base possesses satellite military outposts extending out across the desolate region, deep into the Texas Free Lands. COALITION SUPER SAMAS Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

97 ODESSA Located at the most southwestern edge of all Coalition territory, Odessa is a growing frontier base. What started out as a shanty town supplying the local troops with distractions matured into a town of respectable farmers, traders, and artisans who work to support the local military population. The Odessa Base is armed to the teeth with air, armor, Psi-Hound, and mechanized companies. CS patrols ceaselessly crisscross the surrounding region, destroying all nonhumans. AMARILLO & SKELRAY Companies of Power Armor, Dog Boys, mechanized infantry, and Skelebots operate out of the ruins of Amarillo, also home to a small oil field, petroleum refinery, and scavenger “relic mining” operation. North of Amarillo, near the ruins of Sunray, lies the CS infantry outpost “Skelray.” It is perpetually manned by a skeleton crew of personnel who support a massive contingent of Skelebots dispatched on long-range patrols along Highway 87 and recon missions deep into Oklahoma territory. THE SIMMONS LINE At the outset of the Campaign of Unity, High Command implemented an audacious plan to build a series of fortifications along the western bank of the Sabine River. Lieutenant General Baylor Simmons oversaw the design and construction of the project, similar in concept to the Maginot Line of World War II or Hadrian’s Wall in Roman Britain. The fortifications keep Pecos raiders, demons, and other undesirables away from the vital shipping along the Sabine River and out of the Louisiana and Arkansas territories. Command hoped to use it as a defensive line to shield Fort Pinnacle and the Oklahoma territory from the Pecos barbarians, but it failed. The Simmons Line, the most extensive fortification on the continent, begins at the mouth of the Sabine River on the Gulf of Mexico at the CS naval fort of Newgulf. It extends northward following the river to the CS base of New Joaquin, where the river and fortified line curve northwest until the line terminates at the Coalition base of Fort Simmons just west of the ruins of Longview. The actual Simmons Line itself is a fifty-foot-high, ten-foot-deep, megadamage wall with fortified onehundred-foot-tall towers spaced along its length every ten miles, each one within line-of-sight of its neighbors to the north and south. Each tower is a bastion with its own nuclear generator, food stores, missile batteries, and laser turrets staffed by a squad of infantry backed up by a garrison of two-dozen Skelebots. A minefield studded with tank traps runs along the entire western length of the wall and extends over two football fields deep. Though the Simmons Line is surprisingly effective, bloody skirmishes still periodically flair up along its length. The enemy kill-count stays high while CS casualties remain extremely light. Coalition High Command acclaimed the project a massive success and maintains this integral key to the safety of all CS interests south of Chi-Town. Coalition Territories SOUTHERN MINNESOTA The Coalition Armed Forces occupied the territory of Minnesota after they smashed Tolkeen to rubble and sent survivors fleeing from the region. It is rumored half of the population perished in the war. OKLAHOMA & KANSAS The Coalition has a loose twenty-year plan for expansion, with the vast region Michael Logan (Order #41085069)

98 extending south of the Platte River in Nebraska to Lone Star earmarked for settlement. The territories of Oklahoma and Kansas fall fully within the area targeted for expansion, but until the fall of Tolkeen, settlement operations were largely halted. Once Tolkeen was dealt with, the CS initiated tentative pioneering projects in the area. Much like the Coalition’s strategy enacted in Lone Star since the Emperor’s “Night of Forgiveness” speech, expendable provisional citizens colonize this new frontier. Grim survival rates do not deter these downtrodden people who fight proudly alongside the famed Dead Boys to push back the Post-Apocalyptic wasteland. AFTERMATH OF WAR & FUTURE PLANS With the fall of Tolkeen, few powers can stand before the might of the Coalition States. But all is not glory and honors for the soldiers pledging their lives to Emperor Prosek’s vision. In the ruins of Tolkeen, shouts of “Tolkeen Forever!” echo from the rubble as isolated freedom fighters and magical terrorists refuse to stop waging a war they unquestionably lost. Inhuman Threats The Coalition, as true human supremacists, are genuinely most concerned by the threat of the alien and arcane. These omnipresent threats never cease emerging from the Rifts, leaving the Coalition States locked in a titanic eternal war. A war they relish. THE XITICIX HIVELANDS Manitoba and Minnesota fell to the Xiticix, an insectoid alien race whose numbers, until recently, were kept in check by Psi-Stalkers. With colonies in Big Falls, Crookston, Duluth, Fargo, Rolla-Morden, and Winnipeg, the CS cannot ignore the spreading locusts. If left unchecked, the Xiticix will inevitably expand their own alien landscape out from their hives, eventually terraforming the entire continent, and perhaps one day the planet. THE MINIONS OF SPLUGORTH After the existential threat of the Xiticix, the Coalition States must also address their growing Atlantis problem. No place on Earth is under alien and D-Bee control as fully as Atlantis. The Splugorth made their presence felt with colonies in Eastern Canada, including “Little Atlantis” in Southern Newfoundland. Lord Splynncryth no longer confines his raiding parties to the Atlantic coast, and now strikes along the Mississippi. THE VAMPIRE KINGDOMS For now, the leadership at Chi-Town seem truly unaware of the severity of the demonic bloodsucker invasion. They will eventually figure it out. When that day comes, the Coalition will likely react with even more xenophobic aggression than ever thought possible. THE SHEMARRIAN NATION High Command’s long-range agents investigate the “Shemarrian” tribes, and things do not add up. Efforts to determine if they are mutant humans like the Psi-Stalkers have so far failed. For now, Coalition forces avoid directly engaging the Shemarrians in combat, leaving them to kill the Minions of Splugorth and help act as a buffer. The enemy of my enemy shouldn’t be my first target for extermination. Michael Logan (Order #41085069)