1 TERROR ON THE DARK FRONTIER CAMPAIGN BOOK ®
This page inserted for easier double-sided printing.
1 Savage Worlds is © 2023 and TM Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All Rights Reserved. © 2023 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. Rifts® and Megaverse® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books, Inc. All character names and likenesses are copyright and trademarks owned by Palladium Books, Inc. and used under license. campaign book Written & Designed By: John Stevens, with Sean Owen Roberson Additional Material: Aaron Burkett, Aaron Cameron, PK Levine, Ross Watson Cover Illustration: Aaron J. Riley Interior Illustrations: Alberto Bontempi, Davide Corsi, Alex Elykov, Bien Flores, Allen Geneta, Ani Ghosh, Falk Haensel, Anh Le, Alida Saxon, Vincenzo Sirianni, Unique Soparie, Carly Sorge, Dimitar Spasov, Don Tantiado Interior Graphic Design: Aaron Acevedo, Karl Keesler Layout: Sean Owen Roberson, Thomas Shook Art Direction: Aaron Acevedo, Sean Owen Roberson, Alida Saxon Line Manager: Sean Owen Roberson Production: Simon Lucas, Jessica Rogers, Darrell Hayhurst, Donald Schepis Marketing & Logistics: Jodi Black, Christopher Landauer, Christine Lapp Rifts® Created By: Kevin Siembieda of Palladium Books® Savage Worlds Created By: Shane Lacy Hensley Playtest, Advice, and Special Thanks: Michael Dann, PK Levine, Caleb Nelson, Johnny Roccia, Rob "Ndreare" Towell, Graham Bonnington, Ben Conrad, Chris Conrad, Tyler Morris, and Daniel Sencabaugh, Mike Morrison, Michael Husband, Mel Primus, Patrick Young, Christian Hodges, James Bridges, Jesse Merriett, the savagerifts. com community, and the illustrious playtesters of the official Pinnacle feedback forums. WWW.PEGINC.COM ADVENTUR E EDITION S A V A G E W O R L D S Terror on the Dark Frontier
2 CONTENTS Backstory: The Evil Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Running the Campaign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Footsteps of Giants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Crash Course. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Welcome to Cherryvale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Lives in Danger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Appreciation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Call in the Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Storm Lines of Bearing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 From Whence the Call Came. . . . . . . . 10 Storm’s End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Our Ways. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Face To Face. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Digging Up Dirt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Under Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Disturbing Visions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Final Rest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Return Visit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A Can of Worms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Here Comes Trouble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Dark Times in Malecito. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Searching for Aric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Darden Silver Mine. . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Harvest Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Visiting the Can. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Aftermath. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Here Come the Cavalry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Junction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Simvan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Uprising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Blood on the Plains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Plant Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Hard Choices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Overrun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Smash and Grab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Dark Discoveries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Titan Fall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Small Favors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Hell Bent For Leather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mexican Standoff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Rivers Run Red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sleeping Spirits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 There Be Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 That Escalated Quickly. . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Dungeon Crawl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Night at the Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Get Out of Dodge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 The Great Dance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Expeditionary Force. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Peace Talks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Full Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Small Town Horror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Healing Waters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 New Normal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The Coalition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The Comanche. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The Simvan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The 1st Apocalyptic Cavalry. . . . . . . . . 55 The Psi-Stalker Clans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 The Black Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 The Refugees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 The Worm Wraith Threat. . . . . . . . . . . 55 Savage Tale: The Walk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Savage Tale: Black Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Savage Tale: Blood & Branches. . . . . . . . 60 Savage Tale: Druid Feud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 It Begins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Conflicting Cults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 The Outpost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Through the Rift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Through the Rift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Savage Tale: Food for Thought. . . . . . . . 66 A Broken Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
3 Savage Tale: Dead Dead Boys. . . . . . . . . 68 Unblinking Eyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 The Kansas Vibro-Blade Massacre. . . . 69 Berserker Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Shadow Flesh and Bone. . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Savage Tale: Root of all Evil. . . . . . . . . . . 73 Jimmy Crack Corn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Beating the Pavement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Prison Blues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Wild Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Turn Off the Dark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Savage Tale: The Knackers. . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Civic Duty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Orange Blossom Special. . . . . . . . . . . . 78 High Plains Drifters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Rest in Peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Savage Tale: Twisted Labyrinth. . . . . . . . 82 You Are Here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Hot Gossip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Let’s Go to the Mall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Savage Tale: Grateful Dead. . . . . . . . . . . 86 A Great Secret. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Dead in their Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Grave Stakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Fight to The Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Warrior’s Bond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
4 Welcome to Terror on the Dark Frontier, the first Campaign pack for Rifts for Savage Worlds. The campaign is divided in the four books containing everything you need to know to lead your Legionnaires through a horrifying series of terrible trials. The Terror on the Dark Frontier Region Guide provides a detailed background to the region in which this epic tale is set. Here you'll find a comprehensive overview of the area in which the campaign takes place. The Terror on the Dark Frontier Campaign Book contains the plot points that make up the campaign along with a number of additional Savage Tales. You can run these standalone stories whenever you choose, to add diversions to break up the campaign. The Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual collects in one convenient reference the most common denizens your Legionnaires will encounter, along with some important allies to aid them in their adventures. The Terror on the Dark Frontier Player's Book offers a simple introduction to your Legionnaires to explain the important people and places they are about to discover, setting the scene for them to explore the area and discover the secrets of the Dark Frontier. Breaking the information up in this way allows the GM to keep all the necessary details available and visible at the same time, without flipping through a single volume. GUIDE TO THE DARK FRONTIER
5 CHAPTER SEVEN TERROR ON THE DARK FRONTIER T he Terror on the Dark Frontier Plot Point Campaign focuses on uncovering the source of increased supernatural activity in the eastern part of the former state of Kansas. Alien beings have begun targeting Coalition forces in the area, leading the Coalition to point their gauntleted finger at the Comanche Preserve. The Tomorrow Legion must uncover the sinister plot behind these attacks before the whole area is plunged into war and worse. BACKSTORY: THE EVIL PLAN Worm Wraiths have slithered across the New West since the Dark Ages, killing and slaughtering sentient creatures with impunity. No one knows why they kill, why they try to look humanoid, or what they want. Some scholars believe Worm Wraiths to be manifestations of any one of twelve different powerful extra-dimensional beings, but even that is just speculation. Most people trace the Wraiths’ origins to Arizona, where a group of them has occupied a ghost town the locals now call Wormrot. Recently, worm creatures have begun terrorizing the fringe of Coalition settlements along the borders of CS Missouri. Slithering things of all shapes and sizes have infested and infected plants, animals, and people, twisting them into hideous beings from the inside out. This new form of rot is slowly spreading across the frontier and changing the landscape into a truly bizarre alien vista. The disturbing and ancient entity Muuc’gek, the master of these worms, feeds off of violence and pain. The Worm Wraiths’ work over the past number of years has allowed the alien intelligence to slowly start dimensionally shifting entire regions of Kansas to mirror its home plane of existence. Muuc’gek is a planet-sized interconnected being; the alien wraiths, plants, and other creatures are all shards of Muuc’gek, pieces of a singular writhing entity that seeks to consume entire worlds. Muuc’gek has gained enough of a foothold on Rifts Earth that it has an increased ability to communicate with and influence mortals. Now the malevolent supernatural intelligence uses its mortal pawns to incite violence between the Coalition and the Comanche, hoping to
6 bathe the plains in death so it can consume this world. Running the Campaign The opening adventure, Footsteps of Giants, brings the heroes from Castle Refuge to the Frontier and foreshadows some of what’s to come. After this opening Game Masters can freely mix in exploration and Savage Tales from the later chapters throughout the region, working in the plot points as needed. Many of the plot point adventures feature a relational choice for the Tomorrow Legion (e.g. side with the Comanche or protect the Simvan). As the tension ratchets up and the plot point adventures become more time sensitive these player decisions impact what unfolds. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS The Plot Point has three major acts. Certain adventures within each moment reveal important information that advances the overall story. ACT ONE: SETUP This arc sets up the main problem and establishes key relationships in the Plot Point Campaign. The three plot point adventures should be played in order but can have any number of Savage Tales interspersed between them. Footsteps of Giants Call in the Night Our Ways ACT TWO: DISCOVERY In this arc the true evil threatening the Frontier is revealed. These three adventures can be played in any order with Savage Tales mixed in. Can of Worms Plant Food Blood on the Plains ACT THREE: CONCLUSION Now the pressure is building. As a result, the adventures in this act are best played in order and preferably in rapid succession. However, there is room for some Savage Tales as the group travels to and from Fort Comanche and New Dodge City for Sleeping Spirits. Titan Fall Sleeping Spirits Expeditionary Force Full Circle FOOTSTEPS OF GIANTS Bands of refugees streaming from Minnesota to Refuge are encountering troubles as they pass through the frontier regions. Numerous threats exist on the plains, and the safest routes pass through the Comanche Preserve. These territorial Native Americans do not want a stream of settlers on their lands again, and politely but firmly push refugees away. Castle Refuge dispatches the heroes to Fort Comanche to foster good relations and broker safe passage for refugees escorted by the Tomorrow Legion. For part of the journey, Castle Refuge teams the group up with the legendary Erin Tarn and Sir Winslow Thorpe—himself a member of the Comanche Preserve—who are heading to Tryth-Sal. Crash Course Use the Journey rules from the Tomorrow Legion Field Manual to determine any difficulties the heroes encounter along the way. The Horror Factor of the area is −2. Roll any Encounters on the “Domain of Man” Encounter Table in Empires of Humanity. If nothing happens as the characters trek from Arkansas to Kansas, the crew has the opportunity to interact with their two celebrity companions. Not only are Erin
7 Tarn and Sir Thorpe famous within the Tomorrow Legion, but throughout the known world. The heroes can swap stories with Tarn and Thorpe, who, in turn, share some of what they know about the North American frontier. If this is their first adventure, consider adding an Interlude (see Savage Worlds) based around each hero’s backstory. Otherwise, choose the Trek option. SIR THORPE Sir Winslow Thorpe stares quietly into the fire for a moment, as if deciding how much to share. ”It has been a long time since I have rode the open Plains. Yet, they are where I feel most at home. My tribe guards the Crystal Cliffs, one of our great spiritual sites. When I was young I ascended the cliffs and stayed up there for many days. One night I had a vision, I was riding north across the plains and came across a lost and lonely traveller and felt a great call to protect her at all costs. The next day I left my tribe and began riding north helping all I could along the way, yet did not feel satisfied. I joined the Cyber-Knight Order so I could ride across the plains looking for the one to protect.” Giving a very slight smile, Winslow looks at Erin Tarn before continuing. “When Lord Coake asked if I would accompany a woman as she travelled across the world I immediately said yes and have been protecting her ever since. I cannot imagine things any other way.” ERIN TARN “Truth be told, it has been some time since I visited this region. When I last passed these parts there was nothing but the Comanche Preserve and a few small towns in eastern Kansas. In some ways not much has changed. It is still flat and sparsely populated. Sadly, though, this area has also been touched by the war in Tolkeen. Refugees seek safety, the Simvan press down from the north, driven from their lands following the war, and now the Coalition casts its long shadow in this direction. I fear another war. I know the Comanche will defend their land to the last, a kind of existential fight the likes of which the Coalition has not yet experienced.” She sighs and seems to pull herself back from the melancholy line of thinking. “Thankfully we have the Tomorrow Legion. I know our mission here will help bring some light and hope to the region. There is a better path forward for everyone who lives on this world and we are helping to forge it.” Welcome to Cherryvale After crossing into eastern Kansas, the group spots a small village on the horizon. The ever-curious Erin Tarn insists on a visit. Sir Thorpe would prefer to make more headway toward their destination but is used to Tarn’s ways and encourages the heroes to join them on the “scenic route.” The settlement’s architecture is reminiscent of late 19th-century construction and technology, and the economy appears to center around ranching and farming. All is quiet until, as they approach the outskirts of town, a band of villagers emerges from the trees and an old woman dressed in overalls and carrying an old pre-cataclysm assault rifle comes closer to the Legionnaires: “Oh thank the old gods for your arrival. I’m Esmae Black, the matriarch of this place. Please, you have to help me. Dead Boys have come and are trying to kill my family; you have to help me stop them!” One look at the villagers shows they are definitely mutants. While they are mostly
8 human-looking, their mutations include bulbous eyes, mottled skin, webbed hands, and other traits the Coalition would find undesirable. Erin Tarn is ready to charge in and help, but Sir Thorpe stiffens at the mention of the Coalition and advises caution: “I fear our presence may make matters worse. If we are recognized, the Coalition might ravage this town, and any others for miles, to try and find us.” Looking at the heroes, he says, “Go save the family. Erin and I shall scout the area to ensure there are no more CS forces nearby.” Lives in Danger Sir Thorpe is cut off by gunshots and a commotion coming from the center of the village. Esmae Black rushes towards the sound and gestures for the team to follow her. The heroes are greeted by a scary sight in the town square. A CS squad, armed with new-style gear and supported by a Dog Pack, has cordoned off the town square. The most obviously mutated residents are tied up while some grunts load them into a transport. An officer stands amidst it all, overseeing the operation. The grunts hold their fire if the Legionaries approach non-threateningly; otherwise, they fight back. The CS Officer (a Common Knowledge at −4 or Battle check identifies him as a member of the Rifts Control Study Group) warns the heroes not to interfere, saying these mutants are being taken in for testing. If talking starts to drag on Esmae and her fellow villagers use the lull to attack and free their people. The Coalition troops respond, and a firefight erupts in the town square. These troops are not interested in making a last stand and cover each other as they evacuate in their vehicle—a light CS APC towing a prison trailer. The officer leaves some Dog Boys behind to cover their escape. COALITION FORCES E Kyle Bates, CS Junior Officer: See Empires of Humanity. CS Grunts (1 plus 1 per hero): One in three have a C-29 "Hellfire" Heavy Plasma Cannon, see Empire of Humanity. E Moon Hawk, CS Psi-Stalker: Leads the Dog Pack, see Savage Foes of North America. CS Dog Boys (3 plus 1 per hero): See Savage Foes of North America. Mark IX EPC (1): See sidebar, with three CS Technical Soldiers; one Vehicle Operator MOS, two Gunner MOS, see Savage Foes of North America. VILLAGERS Esmae Black: see Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual MARK IX EPC The Mark IX is a boxy design with heavy treads for traversing rough terrain. Generally used as a small exploratory APC it can also pull modular trailers and be outfitted with other special systems. Mark IX Exploratory Personnel Carrier: Size 6 (Large), Handling +0, 110 MPH, Toughness 35 (15), Crew 3+7, Cost 6 million credit Notes: ATV, ECC, MDC Armor, STS, Tracked, Nuclear Powered, 2 Mods (for cargo, additional troops, or Professional Stations; see Empires of Humanity) Weapons: Dual-Linked Anti-Personnel Laser Mini-Missile Launcher (ROF 5, Shots 10; front only)
9 The Black Clan (12): As Civilians, see Savage Foes of North America. Appreciation Esmae Black and her people are incredibly grateful for the help and offer the heroes enough food and provisions to supply the rest of their journey to Fort Comanche. Staying in town reveals that the people are friendly enough but very odd. Their food is mainly large grubs and snakes that they catch in the area. What produce they make, they tend to trade with either the Comanche or the Coalition, or whenever they can find a willing buyer. It turns out Esmae is a widow with many children and has managed to eke together an existence on the frontier with the help of a very tight-knit group of townspeople. She gushes about how each one is willing to sacrifice so much to help the other. Esmae plays off any concerns the group has for the town’s future safety and simply asks them to relay a request to Fort Comanche for regular patrols to be sent through the area. If the team wishes to explore the area more, Erin Tarn and Sir Thorpe continue on their way and offer to put in a good word for them at Fort Comanche. Otherwise, the team can continue with them as a group to Fort Comanche and begin to explore while Erin Tarn and Sir Thorpe continue on to Tryth-Sal. THE CALL IN THE NIGHT The night is a beautiful one in the New West with a clear sky and gleaming stars. The Legionnaires set camp for the evening amidst sagebrush, cactus, and a desert plain flanked by a butte and a sandy mesa. At the witching hour (midnight), if no character is on watch one awakes. While distant stars blink in the cloudless sky, one of the heroes picks up a faint radio transmission. Though the signal is distorted and often cuts out due to the atmospheric interference of Rifts Earth, a woman can clearly be heard screaming in pain and terror. The chilling, unintelligible speech is transmitted continuously, and no attempt to send messages on the radio frequency is acknowledged in any way. A successful Common Knowledge or Electronics check determines the transmission’s source to be only a few miles away across the badlands. With a raise, the heroes verify the transmission is live and not a recording—the group can hear thunderclaps from a brewing storm both overhead and over the radio. Storm Lines of Bearing The gathering squall is a particularly potent ley line storm (for standard effects, see Ley Line Storms in the Game Master’s Handbook). As the sky roils with eerie dark energies, arcane, TechnoWizard, and electronic devices fritz out. Vehicles and flight systems cease to
10 function, while power armor and smaller gear (including weapons) suffer a −2 penalty to all Trait rolls made while using them. Items providing bonuses or mitigated penalties—such as night vision or targeting equipment—no longer function. Instead of rolling on the Ley Line Effect tables arcane powers activated within the storm have Range, Damage, and other numerical effects halved. At this point, it’s clear to the heroes that someone is torturing the woman they hear on the radio, and they can also hear another innocent in the background. The Legionnaires must sally forth into the eye of the storm and track down the source of the transmission before it’s too late. This is a Complex Multi-Person Dramatic Task (see Dramatic Tasks in Savage Worlds). Skills for this Dramatic Task could include Electronics and Survival (tracking) checks made at −2, or Common Knowledge at a −4 (the ley line storm’s equipment penalties have been factored into these modifiers). Complications could include thorny brush or a crevasse in their path or temporarily losing the radio signal. Whether the Legionnaires make it in time to save the woman, they arrive at an ancient wooden mansion squatting atop a bleak hill. From Whence the Call Came While approaching the hill, a successful Notice check modified by Dim Illumination, and any Ley Line Storm effects, reveals the occasional thick, mucus-covered worm hiding amongst the rocky outcroppings and brush; a raise spots a few slipping into the shadows of the manor. The heroes trace the transmissions to a dugout basement below the ramshackle building. As they approach the ley line storm roils with ghastly lights, silhouetting the mansion atop the hill. Inside the building’s long-forgotten cellar a band of marauding Worm Wraiths and their leader wait in ambush. If approaching covertly, each hero rolls Stealth opposed by a group roll of Notice d8+2 for the Worm Wraiths (via their Spy Worms). If a hero succeeds with a raise they can act normally on the first round of combat. Critical failure results in the Worm Wraiths gaining the Drop against the heroes. Whether they approach stealthily or not, the trap is sprung using the normal rules for attackers waiting in ambush (see Surprise in Savage Worlds) but modify the Notice roll of the Legionnaires for Dark Illumination. The ghastly scene requires the rescuers to check Fear for Terror at −3 (instead of the normal −2); roll after resolving the effects of Surprise but before any actions are taken. In the rear of the subterranean chamber is the torturer, the malevolent hag Skeimotha— cloaked using her Invisibility special ability. Note, Skeimotha’s spells are affected by the ley line storm, as are the Worm Wraiths’ laser pistols (but not their purely mechanical shotguns, which they use first). THE AMBUSHERS IN THE DARK E Skeimotha, the Witchling: Armed with a cruel looking Vibro–Knife, see Savage Foes of North America. Worm Wraiths (2 per hero): See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. THE VICTIMS Paruuku Quahadi: As a Civilian wearing only the tattered and bloody remnants of a nightgown. She is a relative of Mupitsukupu Quahadi, the Tribal Administrator of Fort Comanche. Ardyn Uller: A wilderness trapper, as a Militia. His gear is in a nearby trunk, see Savage Foes of North America.
MUKWOORU SPIRIT TALKER 11 Storm’s End Two victims, Ardyn and his partner Paruuku, are in the cellar. Ardyn is Exhausted from Bumps & Bruises suffered while attempting to resist the evil creature Skeimotha, who tortured his love in front of him out of sadistic spite and in a bid to lure in further prey. If the Legionnaires succeeded in the Dramatic Task Paruuku is still alive but fading fast; she begins rolling per Bleeding Out when the combat ends. If they failed she’s passed and Ardyn attempts to kill himself out of heartbreak. Even if they foil his attempt, Ardyn is bereft for the remainder of his days. The survivors need an escort back to their tribe, either Ardyn alone to return the body for a proper burial, or both so Paruuku can recover. The Quahadi lands are on the way to Fort Comanche and it is only a small detour for the group. When they arrive Ardyn boasts greatly, almost too much it seems, about the heroes' exploits and everything they did to help save Paruuku. The other members of the tribe appreciate their efforts. The team is invited to stay with the Quahadi for a few days either to join in a mourning ceremony or a wedding! This is a great opportunity to learn about Commanche culture, and cement Ardyn as a contact. OUR WAYS When the team arrives at Fort Comanche they can see a large construction site on the outskirts of town. The city is surrounded by innumerable teepees of both high-tech and traditional manufacture. Horses, hovercycles, and people are everywhere. It looks like a significant gathering is taking place. A successful Common Knowledge roll reminds the characters that outsiders like themselves, called Taibos, are generally tolerated if they come in with respect for local customs. However, today the people seem very wary of the new strangers in town. Some simple Networking or Research at the local newspaper reveals that a rash of horrendous murders has gripped the Comanche capital over the past few days. Bodies have been turning up at a local construction site, hacked to pieces. Influential families call for calm. Others— those who feel like the nation should not rely on outside technology but produce their own—are whipping people into a frenzy, saying their ancestors may abandon them if they continue to sell their independence to the highest bidder. Moving through town, you can see a crowd forming in the central plaza where a chief dressed in traditional garb is giving a soapbox speech to an outraged audience. “I, Mukwooru, chief of the Wakoh, ask you to hear me. Friends, the tragedies that have befallen our people are of our own making. We have welcomed outsiders who do not have our best interests at heart. They seek to take from us that which should be our own.”
OLD OWL TRIBAL ADMINISTRATIOR 12 Spotting your Tomorrow Legion team, Mukwooru points you out to the crowd. “We cannot be like Taibos. Our people have been given new opportunities in this world… opportunities to reclaim who we are and not be at the mercy of bad treaties and uneven deals.” As he speaks, the crowd presses in close against the group. Armed adventurers have no problem pushing them back, but violent action leads to a full-scale riot and possibly innocent casualties. Quick Encounter: Each player makes an appropriate skill roll and describes what their hero does to keep the crowd at bay (e.g., Athletics to avoid the group, Persuasion to calm people down, Intimidation to scare them away, etc.). Failure results in a −2 penalty to Persuasion and Intimidation with the Comanche for the rest of the adventure. Eventually, Mupitsukupu (an elder relative of Paruuku, see Call in the Night) and a few Comanche warriors step in to break things up. The people reluctantly back down out of respect for their elders, and Mupitsukupu welcomes the characters to town. “Welcome, Maddischea, friends. I am Mupitsukupu, but you can call me "Old Owl." As you see, you’ve walked into a sticky situation—a situation somewhat of my own doing, unfortunately, as I am the one who negotiated a deal with Northern Gun to build their new trading post here. The money and trade it could bring to our community would be good for the Numunuu. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees,” he gives a little wave of his hand to the dispersing crowd. “And now, there have been gruesome murders at the construction site. The crew refuses to work. People who want the trading post blame those who oppose MUKWOORU WAHKOH, CHIEF OF THE WAHKOH BAND The “Spirit Talker” is a wise chief from the Wahkoh band of Comanche who generally roam the eastern part of the preserve, even as far as Missouri. He has seen the atrocities of the Coalition firsthand and is extremely leery of any outside influence on the affairs of the people. The chief earns his name from his ability to commune with spirits and know their will. As a result, people take his counsel very seriously.
13 MUPITSUKUPU QUAHADI, TRIBAL ADMINISTRATOR Known as the Old Owl to outsiders, Mupitsukupu is not a chief but the elected administrator of Fort Comanche. He is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the whole Preserve negotiating with the cities and towns, distributing revenues, brokering deals, and otherwise making sure the Preserve operates like an advanced nation while preserving the traditions of the people. Before taking this post he was an adventurer who traveled widely and is very comfortable with outsiders (some would say too comfortable) and has connections across North America. A Wilderness Scout from Savage Foes of North America. it. The opposition says the events are a sign to abandon the project to develop our production capabilities. Personally, with the Coalition breathing down our necks, I think we need both. Nevertheless, the chiefs are gathering to discuss the issue, but the deaths cloud everything.” Old Owl pauses for a moment, giving each of you a long look, “Ardyn told me of the great service you did by returning my family. I have also heard of the Tomorrow Legion and know the family of your traveling companion Sir Thorpe. Perhaps the chiefs can benefit from your help as well. I am willing to change my mind on the trading post, but I don’t want it to be a reactionary decision. However, we first need to establish your credentials.” Face To Face Old Owl sets up a meeting with the tribal Council to sell them on the idea of letting the Tomorrow Legion investigate the murders. The Council is made up of the various chiefs from across the Comanche Preserve. Many believe the Comanche should do things their own way and avoid outside interference from the likes of Northern Gun; Mukwooru leads the opposition. It is up to the players to argue for the Legion’s intervention in a culturally appropriate way (see Gift Economy in the Terror on the Dark Frontier Region Guide). Make this a Social Conflict treating the Council as a single Wild Card with a Spirit of d10, a Wild Die, and two Bennies. Mukwooru is a Vagabond (see Savage Foes of North America) with a Persuasion of d10+1 and argues against the players. OLD OWL'S STRATEGY Before the meeting, Mupitsukupu explains that despite their assertive posture and selfconfidence, the Comanche people look down on self-aggrandizing braggarts. Instead, they let their actions speak so loudly that others must talk of them. This could mean giving lavish gifts, utterly destroying an enemy in war, or other grand gestures. Family and friends are expected and encouraged to build up and brag about their relatives on their behalf, see Gift Economy (Region Guide). If the heroes choose a lead negotiator, the other players can roll Support to bolster them. As a twist, offer them a +1 to their Support skill to build up the lead hero by bragging about her exploits, virtue, etc. Not only is it culturally fitting, but it highlights the relationship between the Legionnaires. MUKWOORU’S STRATEGY Mukwooru plays up his case that the Comanche are independent and should not rely on outsiders to settle their business—and insists that inviting the Tomorrow Legion to get involved will not help. He plays hard to the more traditionally-minded members bragging of their families’ greatness and the
14 innovations the Comanche have made since the Cataclysm. If things start to get away from him, Mukwooru tries to discredit the Tomorrow Legion by arguing that working with them could bring more CS attention to Numunuu Sookobitu. As the proceedings open Mukwooru takes the first shot: “Great leaders. Each of you rides as a Lord of the Plains. We control our territory and our destiny. We do things our way. Yet, we know our path. Long before the spirits returned people from the east interfered in our ways. We lost our lands, nearly our identity. Now, Taibos press us again. The Coalition brings trouble from all sides. Their settlers squat on our lands, and refugees from their wars of expansion flood our borders. Northern Gun has brought this trouble even closer to home. Letting these new Taibos investigate our affairs only throws more bad weeds on the fires. It will choke us and stink up our tents. Let our tribal police do their work. End this path of outsiders meddling in our affairs. It is time to return to our ways.“ Digging Up Dirt After the meeting, Old Owl offers the team food and lodging at the Wild Stallion Saloon (Region Guide). If they have a mandate from the council, they can begin to investigate in earnest. If not, Old Owl offers his own money and stakes his reputation on helping the investigation. It's harder to work without the council’s support but not impossible. NETWORKING Successful Networking checks introduce local law enforcement, the Northern Gun representative, and Mukwooru’s wife. See below for using Research to find additional clues in the Comanche Chronicle. Additional successes and raises provide further clues and information regarding the situation. WESI TSAATUPI Fort Comanche’s small Tribal Police Force has been investigating the crimes by both magical and mundane means. Using Connections in the criminal, military, or law enforcement fields can get the group a meeting with the local Chief of Police; a Native American woman named Wesi Tsaatupi. She gives a basic rundown of the case and some details of forensic evidence. SOCIAL CONFLICT RESULTS TOKENS RESULT 0 The council is unmoved and does not wish outsiders to get involved in their business. They may change their mind at a later time if new information is presented. Networking and Research into the murders is at –4. 1–3 The council begrudgingly allows the Tomorrow Legion to assist but doesn’t offer much help. Mukwooru in particular works to make sure his followers are uncooperative. Networking and Research attempts are done as Opposed Rolls versus Mukwooru’s Persuasion skill of d10+1 as his warriors talk down the “Taibos” around town. 4–5 Without many options, the local leaders accept help from the Tomorrow Legion. They assign Mupitsukupu to watch the group and monitor their actions. Networking and Research is done at no penalty. 6+ Grateful for a way to end the deadlock and find the culprits, the Council allows the group to act. They even offer a gift to the Legionnaires and provide a similar gift of support to Castle Refuge if the team is successful.
SILAS GREEN SALES REP 15 “We have no solid leads yet. People have been hacked up pretty good. It could be some sort of demon or entity, but it looks like a weapon to me…although we couldn’t find any trace evidence. Most people blame the Taibo. Maybe the construction workers have some feud with each other. Mukwooru is very concerned with their influence. He fears we’ll lose the way of our ancestors by dealing with big corporations from the east. He’s also a respected elder and has a strong alibi for all the murders. Although I guess one of his followers could be involved. The thing is, he wouldn’t like that very much. He believes there’s enough killing of the Numunuu by humans and monsters that we shouldn’t be killing each other.” With a raise, Wesi shares some other notes from the investigation. Wesi shows a city map denoting each crime scene; they’re all centered within five miles of the construction site. The time of death is also always at night. “We have deputies up there, but whatever it is has managed to give them the slip so far. You’re free to go have a look for yourselves. I’ll radio ahead and tell my deputies that you’re coming by.” SILAS GREEN Northern Gun’s local site office is locked up, and they’ve pulled their workers off the job to ensure safety. The work crew is a clan of dwarves contracted by Northern Gun out of Kingsdale. They’re holed up in the same saloon where the group is staying. They’re a rowdy bunch who just want to get back to work. Their crew members have been among the dead, but they don’t really know much more than what’s been said previously, but successful Persuasion gets them to help set up a meeting with Silas Green, the regional sales rep for Northern Gun. He is pretty friendly to the group and plays on the tight relationship between Northern Gun and the Tomorrow Legion at Castle Refuge. “This project is turning into a money pit. I pulled the crews out due to unsafe working conditions, but we’re still paying them. In the meantime, I got a multi-million credit hole in the ground right outside the fort. The tribal administrator told me the land was clear and that he could make business deals, so I don’t know why the locals are getting so bent out of shape. If you ask me, this is a business attack. We’re encroaching into Bandito Arms territory. Those guys are notorious for their underhanded tricks. I mean, everyone knows they’re part of the Black Market. Bunch of crooks. With a raise, Silas actually opens up about the construction process. “We didn’t find anything while digging that would make us want to stop the project. There were some animal bones and other small artifacts but nothing that screamed ‘burial grounds’ or other stuff that makes people spooky all over. We brought in ground-penetrating radar to keep a lookout for other things, but we shut down before it got much use.”
TAMU HISTORIAN 16 TAMU Successful Networking inquiries related to Mukwooru discovers he is a real firebrand. People who know him say his wife serves as a bit of a stabilizing force for his passion, and they suggest meeting with Tamu. She is also a local historian and administrator at Parker College. “Fort Comanche straddles two worlds. There are the ways of the Coalition and companies like Northern Gun, and there are our ways. The ways of ancient and proud people who survived the Cataclysm on their own terms. Mupitsukupu is very worldly. He ventured far in his youth and knows the value of trade and machines. He is less suspicious of Taibos than most Comanche. As our Tribal Administrator, he has brokered a deal to build the new Northern Gun facility here. My husband Mukwooru and many others are fiercely protective of our lands and ways. He fears this deal gives the Coalition a backdoor into our city and abandons the ways of our ancestors who still fight for this land from the afterlife.” She is aghast if anyone suggests her husband is involved in the murders: “Mukwooru would not condone violence against our own people. If someone is doing this to stop the development, then he would disagree with their methods. In this world, where the spirits run free, nothing is what it seems.” On a raise she shares some additional information: “We have an older woman, Mua Wa’ipu, in our band who sees visions in her dreams. She is resting now from the journey here for the chief’s council. If it is helpful, when she awakes, I can ask her if she has seen anything in the spirit world.” RESEARCH Players who have the Research skill can look through local media archives to find additional clues. The local news outlet is called the Comanche Chronicle. The Chronicle is a combination of newspaper, blog, and historical archive for the fort. A Success yields some good background information. The Chronicle seems to be a combination of newspaper and blog. There are terminals inside the lobby showing current headlines, weather, and opinion pieces. Without much trouble, you find articles related to the murders at the NG construction site. Sifting through older items reveals that the Tribal Administrator, Mupitsukupu, negotiated a big deal with Northern Gun to set-up shop in the area. It was hailed as a big move to turn Fort Comanche into a regional trading hub. However, there were opposing voices. One of the loudest voices was Mukwooru, a chief from one of the nomadic bands that pass through the city for trade, with a bit of a firebrand bent. The murders began shortly
17 after crews started digging the massive hole for the building’s foundation. With a raise, the Research uncovers some additional foreshadowing. While seemingly unrelated to the murders, the Chronicle has many reports about increased supernatural activity in the area. Notably, the malevolent Worm Wraiths have been spotted in more significant numbers and acting with even greater aggression than usual. Additional articles describe alien growths overrunning the eastern portion of the region, with many native voices expressing concern for the harm caused to their lands and the local wildlife. Under Construction Investigating the construction site forces the group to come into contact with the Ghost Warriors for the first time. Killing the Warriors causes them to vanish and apparently be gone, but the next night the Ghost Warriors return to attack the heroes. The site is fenced in with a large sign that says “Future site of Northern Gun MidWestern Showroom”. An artist’s rendition of the sleek ultramodern mall has been marked up with unfamiliar symbols. In addition to the fence there is a line of police tape and a lone deputy blocking the entrance to the site. Those knowledgeable in engineering (Repair) can easily tell the hole in the ground is big enough to pour the foundation of the building pictured. Once inside the group can see the areas cordoned off by police tape; each is a place where one of the bodies was found. Excavators and other machinery consistent with a large-scale building project sit idle inside the hole. There’s more police tape around various sites inside the fence. Despite the nice day no one seems to be working at the site. There are obvious tracks from heavy machinery, police vehicles, and just about everything else you’d expect to see at a construction site. Other than the body dump sites nothing appears unusual. If the players investigate at night the Ghost Warriors attack them in the construction site. Otherwise, the attack occurs wherever the group happens to be in the evening. Each time the players defeat the warriors they disappear in a cloud of smoke only to reappear and attack again the next night. Ghost Warriors (2 plus 1 per hero): The spectral killers are Grave Leeches manifesting themselves as ancient Native American warriors, see Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. Disturbing Visions After one or two fruitless battles with the Ghost Warriors the group finds themselves face to face with an angry Mukwooru. He confronts the team about their battles with the spirits (and about speaking to his wife if they found her during their investigations). “I am not in favor of your presence or your investigation but your team is embroiled in our affairs now and might be in a position to end this suffering. In your bungling, you have stumbled upon something unusual. We must visit Mua Wa’ipu. She has been mostly sleeping but when she awoke and heard of these attacks she had much to share from her visions. You must bring her what you have seen and heard.” If the group spoke to his wife, Mukwooru has a few choice words about that as well, basically concluding that despite their meddling she intervened on their behalf. Arriving at an old house the group steps into the living room to find an elderly woman being attended to by a young nurse. Despite her frail appearance the old woman seems to have a lot of energy as she vigorously refuses whatever it is the nurse is offering her.
MUA WA’IPU PARADOX SHAMAN 18 As you enter, the half-deaf old woman shouts at Mukwooru, “Spirit Talker who are all these Taibos you brought to me? You know I don’t trust them!” Speaking slowly and respectfully he explains your findings to the old woman. She breathes in slowly then appears to fall asleep for a moment before coming back to alertness, “It has begun. I have seen this in my dreams. A great writhing mass, its tendrils spanning many worlds, spreading like a disease across the lands until nothing remains. The warriors are tormented ancestors. Playthings to this creature. It has awoken them and controls them against their will. You must find their remains and expel this evil using salt and fire. Please help them find their final rest.” She presents the heroes with rolled-up animal skin. The hide is obviously quite ancient. Unfurling it reveals a hand-painted map of the area. One that pre-dates the cataclysm by centuries! Thanks to the map it becomes clear the old warriors are buried somewhere at the construction site. Mua Wa’ipu is only able to answer a few more questions before nodding back to sleep. The nurse quickly shoos the group out. MUA WAI'PU PARADOX SHAMAN No one really knows how old Mua Wa’ipu really is. Some speculate she was born before the cataclysm and even before the Europeans came to the Americas. Regardless of her true age she carries the memories of a thousand generations and can recount tales from the earliest days of the people. Although she has no official role in tribal affairs, the Comanche revere Mua and often consult her in important matters. Age has finally caught up to her and she is frail, although her wisdom more than makes up for her frailty. She is a rare form of Native American mystic known as a Paradox Shaman. While many shamans represent the forces of nature, the Paradox Shaman represents the primal forces of the Megaverse™ itself—particularly time and space. In the days before the rifts, they acted as guardians against intruders from other realms protecting the people from dangers no one believed existed. Since the horrors of the Great Cataclysm, their role has only intensified as they seek to balance the most difficult and disruptive forces from overrunning the Earth and devouring their people.
19 Final Rest The burial site has been disturbed and infested with Grave Leeches (see Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual). Attempting to find them means the Grave Leeches put up a fight for their continued existence. Each time a Ghost Warrior is killed during this battle it reappears at its original location on the map at the beginning of the next round and attacks again. The only way to stop the relentless onslaught is to find and burn the Grave Leeches attached to their remains. One or more of the group needs to do a Dramatic Task to find and burn the leeches while the rest of them hold off the psionic projections. If the team needs a little extra help, Mukwooru and Mupitsukupu lend warriors to the battle as allied Extras but the Dramatic Task should be completed by the heroes. If they successfully Persuade, or bribe, Silas Green he lends them the groundpenetrating radar and digging equipment to help make the task easier. With a raise add a pair of Dwarven Extras who can operate the gear and Support the task with Repair or Electronics at d8. THE DRAMATIC TASK This task occurs while the group is being attacked by constantly respawning Ghost Warriors. The players have to decide how many people attempt the task while the rest fight the warriors. Skills used for each round are limited, although any skill can be used in Support. All rolls are at −2. When the corpses are discovered they are covered in large slithering things that look like leeches. Number of Rounds: 3 Success Token Needed: 1 per player per round. Round One: Check Notice or Survival to find the Burial Area. Round Two: Check Athletics or Repair to dig up the graves. Round Three: Check Occult or Academics to properly salt and burn the corpses. Success: Gaining all the required success tokens destroys the leeches and stops the psionic projections from recurring. Any active Ghost Warriors disappear and leave behind nothing but a small pile of ectoplasm. Failure: If the group fails the Ghost Warriors go on a rampage and head into town to engage in a murder spree, killing one innocent person per unearned Token before the group finally finishes the job. Complications: Drawing a Club means something has gone wrong. Failure on a Club means one of the leeches attaches themselves to one of the Wild Cards or Extras creating a psionic copy of them to join the battle (for stats use the rules for the summon ally power’s Mirror Self in Savage Worlds) Ghost Warriors (1 per hero): Psionic projections of the Grave Leeches, the warriors reappear in the next round after Incapacitation, see Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. Conclusion In the aftermath, Mupitsukupu gathers the council to thank the heroes. Silas Green, the Northern Gun representative, is also present. “You have stopped a terrible evil and helped our ancestors to rest. We are grateful.” He pauses a moment before looking at Mukwooru then Silas Green, “This ordeal tells me we must pay more heed to our own ways and must cancel the building project. However, your refugees may pass through our lands on their way to yours.” Silas Green is incensed, stammering about broken deals and lost revenues. In the end this may damage the Legionnaires reputation with Northern Gun in the western region.
TURTLE SHELL ORNAMENT 20 Speaking on behalf of Mua Wa’ipu, Mukwooru also expresses his gratitude, “You have earned the respect of our elders, and thus my respect as well. Mua Wa’ipu asked that I pass on a token of our appreciation.” He produces a shell on a string for each person. Each amulet has a tribal painting of a herd of buffalo on it. He hangs one over your neck and gives a short explanation. “Our band are the Wahkoh, named because we wear shell ornaments. This one shows the buffalo. One buffalo, while large and fearsome, can be contained. But a herd is unstoppable. Hopefully, this item reminds each of you of your bond to one another; that together you are stronger. With these shells, all Comanche warriors will recognize you as friends…still Taibos but not so bad,” Mookwuru finishes, with a wink. This time the team spends the night in Fort Comanche with the opportunity to rest and relax. The evening is punctuated by drumming and dancing to honor their heroics, remember the dead, and commemorate the new relationship with the Tomorrow Legion. After disposing of the Grave Leeches the heroes are free to spend a few days in Fort Comanche cleaning up loose ends. The time gives them the opportunity to learn more about the people and their culture. Meanwhile, psychics continue to be plagued by dreams of a great writhing alien thing spreading its tendrils across the land. Return Visit If the Legionnaires visit Mua Wai'pu after cleansing the burial grounds, rescuing Paruuku, and defeating the Spirit Monster (see The Walk page 56) then Mua Waipu will gift them with a vision of the future: "A dog torn limb from limb. A pale horse reaches the trail's end. A kindly face rots away. Children weep as maggots eat the earth." Mua Wai'pu explains these things may not come to pass, but they are the likely course if the heroes do not intervene —they may ask her up to three questions about the vision before it slips free from her mind. TURTLE SHELL ORNAMENT (MAGIC ITEM) A mud turtle shell painted and strung on a leather cord. Anyone wearing a Turtle Shell Ornament may give her Bennies to any other character who is also wearing one. If the wearers cannot communicate with one another then they cannot share Bennies. Other Comanche also recognize the Turtle shell ornament as a sign of favor and the Reaction Table starts one level higher when interacting with Comanche, regardless of tribe.
21 INTRODUCING COOPER Cooper is a major NPC for this Savage Tale, so it is important for the Game Master to take note of how to present him to the players. There’s a strong chance that Cooper will end up horribly dead (see page 26), and thus it is necessary for the players to get to know Cooper a bit so that his death has some impact. Cooper should be friendly and generally upbeat. He does have one quirk—he’s a bit embarrassed about the way his voice sounds out loud, so he much prefers to communicate telepathically if the heroes don’t mind. Cooper should always be warm, confident, and supportive. You don’t need to go overboard here, just make sure he makes a comment from time to time that matches up with these notes or pitches in whenever there’s a task he can help with. Cooper is also interested in making bonds with one or two of the heroes. The Dog Boy is naturally interested in other psychics or those with magical abilities first. For those people, Cooper likes to ask a few questions about their past—where they grew up, why they decided to join the Tomorrow Legion, and so forth. A CAN OF WORMS The town of Malecito (see Terror on the Dark Frontier Region Guide) is in dire trouble. Worm Wraiths have set up a lair in the old silver mine and they’ve cultivated a massive Worm Behemoth in the town’s grain silo. Muuc’gek’s dark influence and the Worm Behemoth’s psychic powers have created an ally in one of the townsfolk: Javier Darden. As a puppet of the Worm Wraiths, Darden has been working to spread fear through the town—people have been disappearing. Every month, a new victim goes missing from the town, though this is usually a traveler or trader in order to keep suspicions low. These missing people end up on Javier Darden’s dinner table—he and his family have become cannibals to satiate their unnatural hunger. However, a Dog Boy named Cooper has set out to find the Tomorrow Legion and bring them into town to help solve one of the disappearances. Aric Johnson, Cooper’s friend and a visiting Rogue Scholar, is the most recent traveler in Malecito to go missing. The heroes must investigate Aric’s disappearance, which leads them to the old silver mine. There, they battle Worm Wraiths and find Aric’s body. Later on, the Legionnaires discuss what they’ve found with the Mayor, who points them to Old Man Byers, a hermit in town who has had a terrifying vision of Muuc’gek, the true architect of darkness in the frontier. The heroes find Javier at the harvest festival feast, only to discover he has fed human flesh to many of the townsfolk. Javier fires his pistol to create a panic, sending people running off blindly into the night towards the grain silo…and the recently-emerged Worm Behemoth. The heroes must defeat the Worm Behemoth in order to save the town and end the threat of Javier’s vile scheme. Here Comes Trouble When the heroes are out on patrol, they detect the signs of a battle going on nearby— stray energy blasts light up the sky and have blown limbs off of trees for hundreds of yards around. As the Legionnaires investigate (i.e., getting closer to the battle), read aloud or paraphrase the following:
COOPER FREE DOG BOY 22 Laser blasts flash through the air, leaving behind angry afterimages of a raging firefight. You can see a Dog Boy crouching down behind a pile of rocks, snapping shots at what at first looks like a group of cowboys. A second glance, however, shows these men to be no better than bandits. They wear mismatched armor and conceal their faces with bandanas, breather masks, or pockmarked combat helmets. The Dog Boy glances your way and heaves a sigh of relief. “Just when I thought I was a goner… can you help me take care of these guys?” He asks, lining up another shot on his adversaries. The bandits want to capture Cooper and turn him over to the CS, believing there is a bounty on “feral” Dog Boys. Having run into Cooper alone, the bandits felt they had the upper hand. However, they’ll flee if the heroes take down half of their number. Bandits (2 plus 1 per hero): See Savage Foes of North America E Cooper: See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual Read the following: A Dog Boy—his head resembles that of a collie—trots over to you with a wide grin, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. “Thanks for the assist!” He says, his voice oddly-accented by his canine features. “My name’s Cooper. I’ve been looking for you. I have a friend who could really use your help.” The Dog Boy wears armor and carries a rifle, but all the markings have been scrubbed off. He’s got a small notch in one ear but otherwise looks rather clean and healthy. Dark Times in Malecito Cooper tells the heroes he needs their help: “Malecito is a town not far from here, built on an old silver mine. My friend Janet is the librarian there.” Cooper pauses sheepishly. “She’s teaching me how to read.” “…anyway,” he continues, “She recently told me a lot of people been going missing. Mostly visitors, traders…the kinda people won’t usually be missed. Lately, though, my friend Aric Johnson vanished too. He’s a Rogue Scholar who left the Coalition States looking for learning, just like me.” Cooper looks apprehensive. “It might just be nothing, but I don’t believe Aric would leave without saying anything to me. Even worse, nobody in town seems to want to do anything about it, so I promised I’d go find some help. Will you come to Malecito with me and see if we can find Aric?” Cooper can answer questions about Malecito since he visits there often, usually spending his time with the town librarian, Janet, who is teaching him to read. He knows most of the businesses and townsfolk and can accurately describe the layout of the town. Note: Cooper knows nothing about the Worm Wraiths, the cannibalism in the Darden family, or the Worm Behemoth. These developments all happened when the Dog Boy was busy elsewhere.
23 Searching for Aric On arriving in Malecito with Cooper: Cooper leads you down into a lovely river valley where a small town has sprung up on the CS Frontier. In the noon-day light, you can see a clock tower rising towards the east side of the settlement, while a sizable grain silo glimmers in the sun to the south. There’s a large open space in the center, a “town square” where the locals gather and talk and laugh. You can see the town has some electricity from the glowing lights in several windows, and there are noticeable antennas on some of the buildings that suggest Malecito possesses a modicum of technology. As you walk into the settlement and head into the town square, all the people you see seem generally friendly. A pair of men tip their hats to you before they walk into a building labelled “J.D. General Store and Hostel.” Cooper turns to you and cocks his head to one side curiously. “So, where do you think we should start looking for Aric?” At this point, the heroes have a number of places they can look to find out more about where Aric Johnson might have gone. Cooper can suggest the following approaches: Talk to Janet Windham: Cooper’s friend Janet is familiar with Aric’s habits and her position as town librarian might be helpful. Ask Around Town: The heroes could ask the townsfolk about Aric, perhaps one of them noticed something about his behavior that could be a clue. Look at Aric’s Room at the Hostel: Aric was staying at the hostel above the J.D. General Store. Investigating his room might produce a lead. During the search for Aric, the heroes may encounter Mayor Ramirez, Janet Windham, or Javier Darden (see Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual). This is a good opportunity for roleplay as the heroes interact with them. When it comes to Javier, any meeting with him should be very brief—he’s a busy man, and he has no desire to hang around a bunch of adventurers in case one of them might ferret out his secret. SPEAKING TO JANET WINDHAM If the heroes choose to seek out Janet, Cooper happily offers to show them the way. He leads them to a nicely-maintained brick building that has a sign labeled “School and Library.” The main room in this building is stocked with dozens of books and data-discs. A small room off to the side is filled with desks and a blackboard. Seated in a chair under a lamp is a young woman in her twenties with curly brown hair and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. She has a book open in her lap and does not yet appear to have noticed that you have entered. Cooper and Janet are pleased to see one another, and the Dog Boy happily introduces his friend to the heroes. Janet is quite friendly and happy that someone has come to look into Aric’s disappearance. She offers to help in any way she can, and tries her best to answer any of the Legionnaires’ questions. Janet also helpfully points out all the town’s major landmarks (the clock tower, the “can,” the slaughterhouse, etc.). Janet knows the following important details: “Aric was looking into the history of the town, particularly the Darden family. They own some of the farms around town, the slaughterhouse, and the general store.” “Aric told me that he spotted a strange-looking fellow out to the east. He said the guy he saw wore serious armor marked with a “W,” and had a pair of particle beam pistols. That sounds like a real tough hombre, but there’s no one like that in town, so I have no idea who he could have seen. A mercenary, maybe?”
24 ASKING AROUND TOWN If the heroes choose to ask the townsfolk about Aric Johnson, they can either approach individual people (such as Mayor Caleb Ramirez), or use networking (see Networking in Savage Worlds) to learn some interesting facts. In either case, a successful Persuasion or Intimidation roll gets the heroes the following pieces of information: “Aric was asking about the Hunger—it is depressingly common out here on the frontier. He wanted to know how it was affecting people. Fortunately, Malecito’s got enough food set aside for our annual harvest feast.” “Aric was also interested in the harvest festival. Do you think we’ll see him there tonight? You and your friends are also welcome to join us! The fun starts in the town square just after sundown.” THE HOSTEL If the heroes decide to check out Aric Johnson’s room at the town hostel: The J.D. General Store and Hostel is a prominent building directly next to Malecito’s town square. A tiny brass bell tinkles as you open the door, and you can see the interior of the store is packed with tools, seeds, rope, leather tack, and all kinds of other items that would be useful on a farm. A lanky young man with shoulderlength black hair and a scowl stands behind the counter. “What can I do you for?” He asks in an uninterested voice. The man behind the counter is Jonah Darden, the owner and manager of the store and hostel. Jonah happens to be Javier’s cousin, and he’s been taking part in the cannibal dinners at Javier’s manor house for weeks now. If the heroes ask Jonah about Aric Johnson, he can provide the following information: “I didn’t know him real well. He bought a bunch of supplies a few days ago. A lantern, a bedroll, even a gun and some ammunition. Maybe Aric went out in the hills looking for gold. Who knows, he was mighty curious.” If the Legionnaires ask about Aric’s room at the hostel, Jonah refuses to give them the key: “You’re strangers in this town, so I don’t plan on handing out a paying customer’s room key to just anyone. But, if you get one of the townsfolk to vouch for you, I’ll let you in to take a look around.” Janet Windham is willing to vouch for the heroes if they ask. Depending on whether the player characters met with Mayor Ramirez or not—and how that interaction played out—the Mayor might also step up to help them out. Lastly, the heroes could also try to sneak past Jonah and pick the room’s lock (there are three rooms on the upper level, and Aric’s was #2) to get inside. In any case, when the Legionnaires gain entry to Aric’s room: The room is small and consists of a tiny desk wedged into one corner and a long bed against one wall. There’s a mirror and a sink next to the bed. Dirty clothes are piled up next to the bed and the desk is empty except for a dust-covered trail hat. While the heroes are looking around, call for a Notice roll. With a success, they find a map labelled “Darden Silver Mine” buried underneath a pile of old clothes. The map is incomplete and only shows the entrance of the mine—the rest has been torn off. A small arrow was drawn in red ink pointing to the entrance of the mine, and a note next to the arrow reads, “Is this where it started?” Once the heroes have taken note of this particular clue, Cooper reasons that Aric must have gone to the old silver mine outside of town to the east. The Dog Boy offers to show the Legionnaires the way, though by now he’s quite worried about what they may find down there. If the Legionnaires have
25 not engaged with the other two options (speaking with Janet or asking around town), Cooper suggests they do that first just to make sure they have all available information before heading out. The Darden Silver Mine It takes about an hour of walking to reach the mine entrance from the town square. At this time, it is in the early evening, and as the heroes make their way up to the mine, they can see Malecito’s clock tower and the massive grain silo towering over the small town. Up ahead, the mine entrance looks to be boarded up, although several of the wooden planks are missing. A sign overhead reads “Abandoned Mine—Do Not Enter,” and a rusty mine cart lies toppled onto its side not far away. Getting inside is not too difficult— they just have to step over a few boards and bend under a few more. As the heroes enter the mine, read aloud or paraphrase the following: The light from outside is nearly swallowed whole by the mine as you enter the tunnel. Wooden braces hold up the ceiling and you can see a pair of rusting iron tracks on the ground leading deeper underground. Every thirty feet or so you can see a mine cart like the one outside. Piles of mine tailings— crushed rock and detritus from the mining itself—and several empty crates are littered around as well. The Worm Wraiths have four of their spy worms (see Arcana & Mysticism) watching the entrance. Any heroes attempting to sneak in will have to contend with the spy worm’s Notice rolls. The spy worms are well-concealed; roll to Notice them are at −4. If the heroes succeed on a Notice roll to spot the spy worms, read the following: You catch a glimpse of glistening, grey flesh—the wrinkled form of a worm lurking in the darkness. The disgusting thing seems to be watching you and your companions. If the Legionnaires try to attack or make it clear they’ve spotted the spy worms, they immediately squirm away, heading deeper into the mine. THE WORM WRAITH AMBUSH Unless the heroes are able to go further without being detected by the Worm Wraiths, the inhuman creatures are prepared to launch an ambush. As the heroes go deeper into the mine, paraphrase or read aloud the following: Up ahead, you can make out what looks like a body lying sprawled out face down on the ground. Various supplies, including what could be a handgun and a lantern, lie scattered around nearby. Before you have time to investigate, however, dark figures emerge from the tunnels around you. Malevolent, squamous Worm Wraiths wearing trail hats and long coats aim their guns at you and begin to attack! In the lead is a more dangerous-looking Worm Wraith wearing a suit of heavy armor, a crudelymarked “W” prominent upon one shoulder. INSIDE THE MINE Light Sources: The interior of the silver mine is lit only by ambient light from outside and the occasional luminescent moss. The Illumination level is Dark (see Illumination in Savage Worlds). Those without light sources are at a disadvantage. Cover: Old mine carts, piles of tailings, and crates full of rock provide plenty of opportunities for combatants to take cover from incoming fire. The Worm Wraiths are very familiar with the mine and are likely to take cover whenever they can. Generally speaking, all the cover available in the mine is Medium Cover (see Cover in Savage Worlds).
26 WORM WRAITH TACTICS In the first round of the combat there is one Worm Wraith per hero, plus Wrythe, leading the attack. The Worm Wraiths stick to cover and prefer ranged attacks whenever they can. Even worse, Wrythe has prepared for an attack on the mine—he’s packed some old blasting charges into the supports holding up the ceiling of the mine, intending to use them as a surprise attack. He also has a NG303 Rail Gun for the occasion. Surprise Attack: One of the Worm Wraiths holds its action to the very end of the first Round of combat. After everyone else has had a chance to act, this last Worm Wraith uses its action to blast one of the trapped supports, dropping a rain of rocks and wood onto the heroes. The rockfall has an area equal to a Large Blast Template. Affected heroes must check Agility at −2; if they fail, they are both Distracted and Vulnerable for the entirety of the second round. Reinforcements: When approximately half of the Worm Wraiths are down, two more attempt to sneak up on the Legionnaires by climbing across the ceiling in a distinctly boneless approach that sends chills up the spine. Make an Athletics roll for the Worm Wraiths (there are no modifiers since they are using pre-placed grips like the wooden braces or old lighting fixtures): if they pass, they can climb across the ceiling like creatures right out of a horror film. If they fail, they simply drop to the floor unharmed, though this does spoil any chance at Stealth. If the two Worm Wraiths approach the heroes without being detected, they have the Drop on them (see the Drop in Savage Worlds). To the Knife: The Worm Wraiths do not surrender and fight to the death in this battle—they know that they must defeat the Legionnaires if possible so that the Worm Behemoth may feast upon the town at the harvest festival (see below). Any captured Worm Wraiths separate into dozens of worms and flee if possible. E Wrythe: See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual Worm Wraiths (2 plus 1 per hero): See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual; Note that two of them do not appear until the end of Round 2—see Worm Wraith Tactics, above. THE BODY AND RETURN TO TOWN After the battle is over, the heroes can look more closely at the body in the mine. Cooper sadly confirms they are the remains of Aric Johnson, Rogue Scholar. His corpse is particularly gruesome—the Worm Wraiths were feeding on him over the last few days, COOPER’S (LAST) REQUEST The Dog Boy’s request in this scene is very important. If the heroes allow Cooper to go off on his own, that’s the last time they’ll ever see him alive. Javier Darden is watching carefully to see who comes out of the mine and will ambush and murder Cooper if he finds the Dog Boy on his own. Cooper then becomes part of the macabre feast (see page 29). Try not to give away this important plot point! By this stage, it is likely that the players may have invested in Cooper as a friend and ally, so his death could be a significant development. If the Legionnaires accompany Cooper to comfort Janet, then Cooper is likely to survive, and assists the player characters throughout the rest of the adventure.
27 and his belongings were befouled by the creatures. When the heroes are ready to leave the mine and return to Malecito, read the following: Cooper approaches you, his body language radiating sadness as he glances at the ravaged corpse of his friend. “We should tell the Mayor about what we found here,” he says quietly. “And we’d better hurry— the harvest festival should be starting any minute now.” Cooper pauses for a moment. “If it’s alright with you, I’ll go by myself to tell Janet about Aric. She’s going to need a shoulder to cry on when she finds out what happened. I’ll meet you at the festival after. You get to the mayor as fast as you can.” COMFORTING JANET Note: This scene only occurs if the heroes insist on going with Cooper to meet with Janet after dealing with the silver mine: If the heroes set out with Cooper, read aloud or paraphrase the following: Emerging from the silver mine, you can see that the sun is starting to set—and the sunset over the frontier is quite striking— plenty of purple, red, and yellow hues all blending together as if drawn by a paintbrush over the hills. You can see a significant crowd gathering in the town square for the festival as you walk back into town and head to Janet Windham’s modest home/school/ library. Janet herself is waiting outside. She takes one look at Cooper’s face, then hugs him and begins to weep tears for her dead friend. Janet and Cooper reminisce briefly about how much they liked Aric, then the conversation turns to the harvest festival. Janet insists that they all go together to find the Mayor and tell
WORM BEHEMOTH 28 him about the evil that lurked inside the silver mine. The Harvest Festival As the heroes approach the town square: You can see that the sun is starting to set— and the sunset over the frontier is quite striking—plenty of purple, red, and yellow hues all blending together as if drawn by a paintbrush over the hills. Lights are strung on poles around the town square, and you can see a sizable crowd of townsfolk have gathered there for the harvest festival. As you approach, everyone seems to be wearing their best clothes, and most of the people you see look relaxed and happy. A huge table is laid out with big, steaming bowls of stew and numerous plates of freshly-baked bread. At one end of the square, a small stage has been set up, and you can see a distinguished man with a top hat s t a n d i n g here looking at some papers in his hand—this must be the Mayor, Caleb Ramirez. If any of the heroes want to grab a bite to eat here, they’re told to come back after nightfall—it is traditional to wait until then to begin eating. If they want to hang around the festival, they can; simply skip ahead to The Feast (see page 29). Otherwise, they can approach the Mayor and discuss what happened in the silver mine. Mayor Ramirez is generally respectful to the heroes as long as they are polite. If they discuss the events in the silver mine with him, the Mayor turns pale. He insists that they tell him everything they can about the Worm Wraiths, then says: “Son of a…” The Mayor curses, then heaves a deep sigh. “Worm Wraiths in the mine. It sounds like one of Old Man Byers’ ravings, but we could be in serious trouble if there are any more of them out there.” The Mayor rubs his chin thoughtfully. “If I can ask you for a favor, I’d like you to go talk to our town’s resident hermit about this. We call him “Old Man” Byers, and he’s talked about Worm Wraiths…and worse… so he may know something about this that can help.” If the heroes agree, the Mayor points out Byers’ home on the north side of Malecito. He also makes sure to mention that the Legionnaires are welcome to take part in the harvest feast when they come back. THE HERMIT As the heroes approach Old Man Byers’ house: I n t h e twilight, you can just barely make out the tall shadow of the grain silo to the east. The slaughterhouse lies just to the South, filling your senses with an old but still potent reek of death. A wiry man with a thick mane of white hair and an equally robust snowy beard stands in the open doorway of the house the Mayor directed you towards. He gives a slow nod as you approach. “Evening strangers,”
29 he says in an oddly rich voice. “How can I help you?” OId Man Byers is very familiar with Worm Wraiths and recognizes their threat at once if the heroes describe the monsters to him. Byers is also interested in what happened at the silver mine. Once the heroes have discussed what they found there with Byers: The old man closes his eyes and bows his head. “I wasn’t always a hermit, you know. I used to be an acolyte for the Gray Seers, way out east in Magestar. While I was there, I had a vision. I saw a writhing darkness and heard a whisper on the wind. The whisper was a name: Muuc’gek, lord of the slithering things. Whatever it is, it thrives on death and suffering. And it may have been inciting all manner of horrors on the frontier in order to grow in power. It is possible that this being has had a dark influence in our town for some time now… but it would have to have an ally; someone with power and influence to keep this all hidden. I suspect that these Worm Wraiths are Muuc’gek’s servants… and that means Malecito—and maybe the entire frontier— is in grave danger.” Old Man Byers does his best to answer any more questions, and then suggests the team go and enjoy the harvest festival. He promises to help them look for any more signs of Worm Wraiths in the morning. THE FEAST The harvest festival doesn’t really get started until nightfall, but even as the sun begins to set, people are mingling out in the town square, talking and laughing. The folk of Malecito are turned out in their best clothing, exchanging their wittiest stories and gossip as they drink cider and wait for the Mayor to give his speech. Once nightfall begins, the lights strung up around the town square seem to keep the darkness at bay as the townsfolk congregate around a long table set with a feast. There’s loaves of freshly-baked bread and a large, steaming pot of stew with plenty of servings for everyone. Once the townsfolk have filled their plates, they go to the table and sit down, eating their fill while waiting for the Mayor to give his customary speech. Give the heroes some time to describe what they’re doing at the festival—they may want to dance, or talk to one of the NPCs, or grab some food from the feast. Be sure to have the townsfolk offer them some of the bread and stew—this an important factor in what is about to happen next. MYSTERY MEAT The stew is certainly flavorful, but it is also grotesque. Javier Darden and his cannibalistic family have ensured that human meat is the main course for the harvest festival feast. If Cooper was killed (see Cooper’s Last Request on page 26), the stew also contains the Dog Boy’s flesh. Once you’ve given all the player characters a chance to describe what they’re doing at the festival, read aloud or paraphrase the following: Suddenly, the sound of a fork hitting a glass rings out loudly from one end of the feast table. A pale, portly man with short black hair and a neatly trimmed goatee stands there, holding the fork and glass in his hands with a smirk. He is dressed in very fine clothes and carries himself with confidence. “Ya'll know who I am,” he begins, speaking loudly enough for everyone in the town square to hear clearly. He glances towards the heroes and inclines his head briefly. “Except, perhaps, some of the newcomers. My name is Javier Darden, and my family built this town over seventy years ago.”
30 “We built the clock tower,” he says, “we built the general store,” he waves his fork around towards the buildings as he names them. “We built the slaughterhouse and the mine that put this town on the map.” The townsfolk begin to mutter nervously as Javier puts down his fork and glass. “But my family learned the true secret to success.” He smiles nastily. “The secret of eating human flesh.” He gestures towards the feast. “A secret I’ve shared with all of you, here, tonight. All praise Muuc’gek, who saves us from the Hunger!” If Cooper was killed, add this line as well: Javier points towards the heroes. “Also, your friend, the Dog Boy, is part of tonight’s meal. I hope you enjoyed the taste!” Javier’s announcement leads to gasps, screams, and many of the townsfolk become violently ill. Make sure to give the players a chance to react to this moment—it is likely that this may be one of the most emotional moments of the entire adventure. If the Legionnaires want to respond by immediately launching an attack, that’s fine. If a combat breaks out, treat Javier as having drawn a Joker for his initiative and the next read aloud section takes place during Javier’s first action. Assuming there’s no immediate combat, once everyone has a chance to react: Javier pulls out a pistol from his fine coat and rapidly fires it into the air, laughing wildly. The laser blasts light up the night, and the townsfolk are snapped out of their horrified trance. A fresh round of screams erupts from the crowd and they begun to run in a blind panic towards the farmlands on the east side of town. At the same time, there’s an immense screeching of metal followed by a wet, bubbling roar of inhuman rage and hatred. Something huge sways in the darkness towards the east. Whatever menace lies out there in the night, the people of Malecito are running right towards it. JAVIER, OR THE CAN? Call for a Notice check for any heroes that have nightvision or some other ability to see in the dark. On a success, read the following: You can see a towering shape off to the east. It is an enormous, squamous mass over twenty feet long, arching into the sky like some unwholesome serpent. The surface of the thing squirms—it must be made up of hundreds, if not thousands, of worms amalgamated into its body. It has emerged from the grain silo like an insect from a cocoon—the remnants of the “can” resemble an exploded flower of metal all around the base of the worm. GOING TO THE CAN BEFORE NIGHTFALL If the heroes choose to go take a look at the Can before nightfall, there’s not much to find. The grain silo itself is locked up tight, and the worm behemoth uses its intangibility power to hide beneath the ground during the day. If the heroes manage to get inside the silo and take a look around, they can find some slime deposits (excretions from the worm behemoth’s hide) and a truly repugnant smell—like a combination of rotting fish and chemical sulfur. If the Legionnaires mention these details in conversation with any of the NPCs from this adventure, they will agree that these signs are strange, but have little else to say besides “one more New West mystery” or a variation on “I guess we’ll never know.”
31 ENCOUNTER TIPS There can be a lot of things to keep track of during combat in Rifts® for Savage Worlds. Here are some things to help create a great combat encounter: Don’t forget the Fear roll at −3 when the Giant Worm rises up from the ground. Take advantage of Tentacle Actions and the entangle power to help even the odds. The swarms represent a real danger to those without EBA. Use them to overwhelm the heroes up close and read up on the swarm rules. The heroes now have a choice: to deal with Javier, or to try and save the lives of the townsfolk by engaging the Worm Behemoth that has erupted from the can. The heroes may certainly wish to deal with Javier now, but you should remind them that the townsfolk are in danger. Heroes with nightvision can see quite well, but most of the citizens of Malecito are plunging off blindly into the night, and many of them are headed straight for the monstrous worm thing. If the heroes choose to fight Javier now, that’s fine. It should be a short combat, given that Javier is outnumbered and outgunned. However, some or all of the heroes may choose instead to deal with the Worm Behemoth—run that as a separate combat. E Javier Darden: See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual Visiting the Can The Worm Behemoth has emerged from the grain silo, accompanied by several Worm Wraiths. They are attempting to attack the townsfolk as the heroes arrive, and combat immediately begins. WORM BEHEMOTH TACTICS The Worm Behemoth starts off the battle by using teleport to get as close as possible (ideally, within melee range) of one of the heroes and attack in the same turn as a Multi-Action. On its next action, it tries to use its entangle power on as many heroes as possible (using the Area Effect Modifier). Afterward, it simply tries to kill the heroes in whatever way seems most effective (usually by using its bite and the Frenzy edge). If the heroes seem to be struggling in this fight, the Worm Behemoth and the Worm Wraiths switch their targets to the townsfolk—after all, that’s just more dead bodies for them to feed on afterward. The Worm Wraiths in this combat are not particularly concerned with taking cover, but if the heroes are doing exceptionally well in the fight, they may change their minds. A Worm Wraith might take one of the townsfolk hostage (for maximum effect, the hostage should be Janet Windham) in order to try and escape. E Worm Behemoth: See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual Worm Wraiths (2 plus 1 per hero): See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. Aftermath If Javier was not killed (see Javier or the Can), he escapes, running off into the frontier to find another way to serve Muuc’gek. If Cooper survives the adventure, he thanks the heroes for all their help, and chooses to stay and help Malecito rebuild from the events of the harvest festival. Janet Windham, Old Man Byers, and the Mayor all give the heroes their thanks for everything they’ve done.
32 HERE COME THE CAVALRY While the group is visiting Fort Comanche or elsewhere in the Comanche Preserve, Old Owl, accompanied by some Comanche warriors, brings a beleaguered, exhausted, refugee to them. “We found a group of refugees squatting on our lands. They claim to be associated with the Tomorrow Legion. Since you helped us we would like to give you a chance to move them along peacefully.” The refugee, a civilian named Morgan Rosario, reports that he was part of a refugee column heading from Tolkeen to Castle Refuge. Their group stopped in the town of Junction to trade for supplies when the Simvan attacked. The Simvan carried away many refugees and their Legionnaire escorts. They need help. Hearing news of a Simvan attack makes the Old Owl angry. He encourages the group to go to their people while he arranges a war band to deal with the encroaching Simvan tribe. THE JOURNEY TO JUNCTION It is just over 100 miles from Fort Comanche to Junction, mostly across the open plains. About halfway there the rolling plains seem to change as alien flora overtakes the normal flatlands. Weird creeping vines cover the ground and occasionally twist together in gnarled growths that look like a mockery of trees. The vines tangle around vehicles as they move, slowing down progress significantly (treat as Difficult Ground in Savage Worlds and halve the Wasteland Travel Times listed in the Tomorrow Legion Field Manual). Consult the Dimensional Instability table in the Region Guide for the effects caused by these alien growths. Non-combat Trait rolls also suffer from the region’s Horror Factor of −4. As they creep slowly through the weird alien growth, have every hero make a Notice roll to avoid Surprise; don’t forget about Danger Sense or similar Edges. Those who succeed feel tremors in the ground and are dealt Action Cards as the tendrils twist and writhe together to form a massive worm shape while dozens of smaller worm shapes emerge from the ground and swarm the area. ARMS OF MUUC’GEK Grappler (1): Size 6, see See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. Slithering Swarms (2 plus 1 per hero): LBT, see See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. FLESH OF MUUC’GEK The vines are actually part of the entity known as Muuc’gek as it slowly devours this dimension and incorporates our reality into itself. A successful Survival roll indicates that the vines are an alien form of life, and with a raise they appear to be part of one interconnected organism. Using detect arcana and checking Occult at −2 reveals the infected region is in a sort of dimensional flux, while a raise reveals it’s half between this world and another, similar to Fadetowns. Attempting to communicate with the vegetation with psionics flashes another vision of the writhing creature and requires a Spirit roll to avoid a level of Fatigue from the shock.
33 Junction See Junction in the Terror on the Dark Frontier Region Guide. “As you get closer to Junction you spot a thin line of smoke on the horizon. Zooming in with optics systems shows the small town has been ransacked and some buildings are on fire. People are rushing about trying to minimize the damage.” If they lend a hand, have them describe what they do to help the town and roleplay the results. As things settle down the group is approached by a disheveled Tomorrow Legion lieutenant. He is a junior officer and obviously very rattled. The name tag on his tattered uniform reads “MacDonald”. “Oh man, am I glad to see you guys. Most of our unit went down protecting the refugees. We’ve been lending assistance to the town since the Simvan attack but I don’t have enough people to mount a rescue. Hopefully, they haven’t all been eaten yet.” Tracking the Simvan and their massive riding monsters is a simple task. However, time is of the essence. Have someone take the lead and roll Survival (tracking) to follow the Simvan, with the results influencing the upcoming Dangerous Quick Encounter. Critical Failure: The heroes are spotted by Simvan outriders. Use a Dangerous Quick Encounter to take them out; the upcoming Quick Encounter rolls are made at −4. Failure: ”Simvan move in a single line to disguise their numbers”. The Simvan split up, taking different routes back to confuse pursuers. The diversion gives the main camp time to post guards; the upcoming Dangerous Quick Encounter rolls are −2. Success: The Legionnaires make good time; the upcoming Dangerous Quick Encounter rolls are made at no penalty. Raise: The heroes estimate where the Simvan are heading and get there quickly; the upcoming Dangerous Quick Encounter rolls are made at +2. Simvan Brokhna, the leader of these marauding monster riders, has given herself over to the service of Muuc’gek. She is leading her people across the plains to pillage and capture sentients to sacrifice in a ritual to ENCOUNTER TIPS This battle has a lot of moving parts. Here are a few suggestions for managing them to make a challenging encounter. Friend or Foe? Some Simvan fight for Cheevix, some for Brokhna. Create a little ‘fog of war’ for the heroes by not readily identifying who is who. Swarms can also puppet ‘friendly’ Simvan or Legion soldiers, suddenly turning them against the group. Threaten the Captives. Use the Slithering Swarms to threaten the captured Legionnaires and refugees to force the heroes to divide their attention Big Bore, Big Trouble. Using the knockback and Distracted ability of the Worm Wraith’s BigBore shotguns can literally keep the heroes off balance. Go for Brok-nha. No doubt someone goes directly for Brokhna, or scores a massive hit on her early. This is a good chance to foreshadow the special resistance to non-stone weapons.
34 increase her connection and power. All this riding and pillaging suits the bloodthirsty Simvan riders just fine. Use a Dangerous Quick Encounter to approach their encampment and save the captives using whatever means the players come up with. The Simvan are vigilant psychic warriors and rolls are modified by the results of the Survival (tracking) roll as listed above. If the Encounter's result is a failure, the entire tribe is alerted and the heroes are quickly outnumbered. If combat occurs the heroes must defend the captives until Cheevix can reveal himself. SIMVAN GUARDS Simvan Warriors (2 plus 1 per hero): See Savage Foes of North America. Ostrosauruses (1 per hero): See Savage Foes of North America. CAPTIVES Refugees (2 per hero): Use Civilians from Savage Foes of North America. E Cheevix: Simvan chief who was overthrown by Brokhna. The Simvan rally to Cheevix, leaving an opportunity to take down Brokhna. Cheevix hisses, “Brokhna was our spiritual leader. In a bid for power she made contact with a dark being called Muuc’gek—she says it means lord of the slithering things. It thrives on death and suffering, so Brokhna is inciting bloodshed to strengthen its connection to this world, as well as her. Her mind and body have been overcome by its twisted spirit.” Staff Sergeant Selina Ashland: Leader of the missing Tomorrow Legion forces, as a City Rat from Savage Foes of North America but without weapons or armor. “Thanks for the help, get my people some weapons. We need to get out of here now, if the Comanche are coming blood is going to flow. These groups have no love lost.” Captive Legionnaires (6): As Soldiers from Savage Foes of North America but without weapons or armor. Uprising Once he is free Cheevix rallies the Simvan to him and challenges Brokhna to fight against his champions—the Legionnaires! As the cheer goes up for a fight scouts report that two armies are approaching the encampment: a 1st Apocalyptic Cavalry company and a Comanche war party. Brokhna cackles with glee and attacks to prevent the heroes from negotiating a peaceful solution. The dirt shifts and boils as worms shoot up from the ground twisting and forming into the humanoid shape of Worm Wraiths who move to attack the heroes while swarms of smaller worms emerge and begin to close in on the captives. Her loyal Simvan followers also join the fray. Defeat Brokhna and stop the Showdown! Brokhna, Simvan Servant of Muuc’gek: See Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. Change this to being driven mad by the Anomaly. Simvan Warriors (6, plus 1 per hero): See Savage Foes of North America. CHEEVIX The rightful chief of the Simvan, Cheevix was overthrown by Brokhna and destined for ritual sacrifice with her other victims. Might makes right in Simvan culture and the tribe went along with the change in power. However, many of the Simvan are uneasy with Brokhna’s dark alliance and remain loyal to Cheevix. If he can free himself the loyalists follow him in a rebellion. Use Simvan from Savage Foes of North America.
35 Ostrosauruses (1 per hero): See Savage Foes of North America. Worms Wraiths (3, plus 1 per hero): See Arcana & Mysticism. Slithering Swarms (4, plus 1 per hero): LBT, see Terror on the Dark Frontier Creature Manual. Blood on the Plains With the Comanche and 1st Apocalyptic Cavalry bearing down on them it is apparent that this collision course of violence is exactly what Muuc’gek wants. Death and violence strengthen its connection to this dimension. Defeating Brokhna gives the team and captives a brief moment to ask for a truce and explain what is really going on before things get a whole lot worse. Thankfully the Comanche war leader, Taabe Penateka, recognizes your group and holds off attacking the Simvan encampment, making a sit-down possible. That’s not to say it isn’t tense when everyone gets together on the neutral ground between the three forces. As the 1st Apocalyptic Cavalry approaches you quickly realize they are represented by General Kenneth Sprite himself! Taabe gives a nod, and whispers to you, “The Comanche call him Crying Death; a great warrior, in even greater pain.” Beaten, but still proud, Cheevix bristles at the sight of the General. The 1st Apocalyptic Cavalry has been dispensing a lot of “justice” against the Simvan over the past few months. Given what you have seen of Brokhna, you can’t really blame him. As the two stare each other down you get the feeling Taabe would be happy to just let them both kill each other and call it a day. The General looks at you with a cold, thousand-yard stare, and says two words: “Talk fast.”
36 Resolving this three-way standoff peacefully is not easy. The team needs to pull out all the stops to persuade each leader to back off and avoid large scale bloodshed. This is an open role play challenge where the heroes need to talk their way out of trouble using skill, creativity, and luck. GENERAL KENNETH SPRITE, 1ST APOCALYPTIC CAVALRY General Sprite has been tracking this particularly murderous band of Simvan and is closing in to wipe them out once and for all. He does not wish to stop and reacts even more poorly if the group is made up primarily of D-Bees. Despite his methods, the General does not wish to see innocent humans die. Playing on this motivation causes him to yield, but he won’t be happy about it. Starting Reaction Table: Uncooperative (Unfriendly if the group is mostly D-Bees) Primary Motivation: Justice for crimes committed by the cannibalistic Simvan Secondary Motivation: Protect Humans TAABE PENATEKA COMANCHE PRESERVE Junction is a trading partner for the Comanche and Taabe considers an attack on Junction as an encroachment on what belongs to her people. There is no love lost between Taabe and the Simvan and she is here to ensure her nation is protected from outsiders. She knows about what happened at Fort Comanche and if the heroes connect what is happening here to that event she begrudgingly holds back and takes the story back to Fort Comanche for the chiefs and elders to hear. Starting Reaction Table: Neutral (Cooperative with shell ornaments) Primary Motivation: Protect Comanche territory and people Secondary Motivation: Show prowess in war by defeating the Simvan POTENTIAL OUTCOMES Battle Occurs: If the battle takes place the Simvan are totally destroyed while the other two keep their distance from each other. Muuc’gek gains a tighter foothold in the area and the alien flora begins to sprout up on the field of battle. The Avatar of Muuc’gek gains an additional Wound (see page 51). Battle Avoided: If battle is avoided all sides hear what is happening and withdraw. The heroes earn the gratitude of Cheevix but General Sprite vows there is “unfinished business” between them. Taabe does not like looking weak in front of her enemies and is not as patient with the heroes in the future. CAPTAIN BILL RILEY Curious to a fault, Captain Riley prizes the truth above all else. He is so open-minded that his superiors sometimes question his loyalty to the cause. However, his brilliance cannot be denied and so he is allowed to work unhindered for the most part. Riley is part of an advance team sent to Kansas to experiment on the alien growths to determine if they impacted the Coalition expansion plans and determine a means of exterminating them. Unfortunately, his team got more than they bargained for as Muuc’gek overran their facility and captured the Captain’s research team. Use Rifts Control Study Group Scientist in Empires of Humanity.
37 PLANT FOOD The path through the Borderlands is carpeted with more alien growths (see Borderlands in Region Guide) and the dimensional activity has risen drastically (roll twice on the Dimensional Instability Effect table, see Region Guide). While picking their way through the terrain the heroes spot a man in a tattered Coalition uniform running toward them; he is covered in slithering worms and desperately clawing at them to prevent them from entering his eyes, mouth, or ears. If the heroes approach the swarm splits to try and feed on them as well. Saving the Coalition soldier from being consumed from the inside requires making a Healing or Science roll at −2 while the others Support and fight off the swarms. SWARMS Slithering Swarm (1 per hero): LBT, see Creature Manual. COALITION E Captain Bill Riley: A CS Rifts Control Study Group Scientist, Empires of Humanity. Hard Choices Once the swarms have been subdued, the soldier, Captain Bill Riley, tells a terrifying tale: “Our group has been operating in the area for a while studying these alien growths and their impact on the people, environment, flora, and fauna. The entire science station was just overrun. My team, plus the results of our research, are still trapped inside. We need to get them out. Our entire reality may depend on it!” With a successful Common Knowledge roll the heroes can tell from the remains of his uniform that he is a Captain in the Coalition military and a member of the Rifts Control Study Group—a special branch of the CS Army dedicated to researching rifts, ley lines, monsters, and supernatural anomalies. Capt. Riley is part of the same contingent the heroes encountered when rescuing the human mutants in Cherryvale (see Region Guide). If the Captain died, searching his body uncovers a pocket disc recorder with an audio message similar to the above and rudimentary directions to the research station.
38 Overrun Even with Capt. Riley’s help, getting to the facility is difficult as the alien lands shift, equipment malfunctions, and weather impedes progress. With Riley assisting them one member of the group can make a Survival (navigation) check at −4 for the region’s Horror Factor. With only his audio message and a basic map the check is made at −6; others can provide Support as needed. If the heroes fail the check they make terrible time and don’t arrive until nightfall. Trailblazing through the writhing organisms is slow going but the group eventually comes upon a temporary Coalition research station made up of a number of modular containers with field science labs and lodgings. The entire facility is overrun by alien growths. Swarms of worms and slithering things chitter along the ground and surfaces. At the center of the outpost is a huge hazmat style tent. Outside the tent, a lone CS APC with its hatch torn open is covered in the same alien creepy-crawlies. According to Riley, or his audio recording, the research data is housed inside the hazmat tent while he last saw his men barricaded in the unit’s Mark IX Explorer (see sidebar on page 8). Searching the light APC reveals it is still operational and is littered with dead bodies. However, there are also drag marks indicating at least some people were carried away into the hazmat tent. Smash and Grab Entering the tent—the seals having long been broken—reveals banks of research stations surrounding a large hole in the ground…with the corpses of the RCSG scientists inside covered in creeping crawly things. Eerily, dozens of Worm Wraiths move around the facility. Some wear lab coats and stand at research machinery, but they don’t appear to be doing anything except mimicking what scientists might do. Another gaggle wear ripped and torn new-style Coalition body armor and carry Coalition weapons. When the heroes enter, the Wraiths all simultaneously turn to gaze at them with their eyeless faces, stare for a moment, and then attack. The ground is covered in alien growths that seem to wiggle and squirm at just the wrong moment. Treat the entire facility as Difficult Ground. The scene is disturbing and alien, check for Fear (Nausea) at −2, and add any Illumination penalties for the time of day (see the Survival roll above). To top it all off, every view screen displays a countdown timer—the scientists have rigged the entire facility to self-destruct. Set the timer to 5 rounds if the group made their Survival roll above. If not they only have 3 rounds. If it is still day time, then one scientist per hero may still be alive; have each one check Vigor (per Aftermath & Extras in Savage Worlds) but survivors require further medical attention once clear of the facility. Riley, or his audio file, identify his station and password needed to grab a data dump. A Legionnaire needs to reach his station and make a successful Electronics roll to grab the data. Grab the data, save the scientists, get out fast—all while fighting off a mob of Worm Wraiths. The APC may make for a fast getaway.
39 WORM WRAITHS Worm Wraith Dead Boys (1, plus 2 per hero): Armed with CP-40 Pulse Laser Rifles (4d6 Damage, AP 4, RoF 3, Heavy Pulse) and CA-4 body armor (+8 Armor, +3 Toughness), for a total of Toughness: 21 (8), see Arcana & Mysticism and Empires of Humanity. Worm Wraiths Scientists (1 per hero): Wear lab coats with no weapons or armor, see Arcana & Mysticism. Dark Discoveries Once clear of the facility, treating any surviving scientists requires a Healing check at −2. Analyzing Captain Riley’s data, or reviewing the information with him directly, is frightening. The alien growths are not just plants but part of one single transdimensional organism that is slowly D-shifting the area, adding our world to its own gargantuan makeup. Diagrams and 3D models show a planet-sized writhing mass of tentacles and slithering things similar to what psychic heroes have been seeing in their dreams. If the infestation spreads it could devour the entirety of Rifts Earth, then the entire dimension while invading countless others. According to the report, the thing seems to feed on violence and death. It sounds like Riley and company were studying the great entity Muuc’gek. Any surviving scientists clear the APC and use it to get to CS territory to report in with their findings. As long as the Legionnaires let them go, this gives the heroes +1 to their Persuasion rolls with the Coalition in the Expeditionary Force scene (see page 6). If Riley lives as well, give the heroes the Connections Edge with Captain Riley, Rifts Control Study Group and +2 to their Persuasion rolls in the upcoming scene. TITAN FALL While visiting a settlement the heroes see the following: Against the sunset’s mad orange haze, a pale horse lopes into view. The injured rider’s blood paints its flank red before his death grip slackens and he falls into the dirt. As people rush to his aid, a concerned citizen cries out: “MEDIC!” Heavier than he looks, the locals turn the man over and remove his battered helmet to inspect his wounds, revealing the face of Sir Winslow Thorpe! You can't help but wonder, where is Erin Tarn? The commotion jars the venerable Cyber-Knight awake and he immediately locks eyes with you. Coughing on the cloud of dust kicked up, he rasps, “We were on the 'scenic route' coming back from our visit to TrythSal when a long-range Coalition squad bushwhacked us. I didn’t expect them to strike so deep into Comanche territory. We need to rescue Erin, she uncovered what’s wrong with everything. Please…” He struggles with something in his utility belt and a scanner falls free. A quick glance at the screen shows a blip moving rapidly away. “I planted a tracker on her before we were separated. You can find her with this.” Small Favors A Coalition Vendetta Squad captured Erin Tarn and now gallops across the High Plains for their extraction. If the enemy succeeds, Erin’s public execution will bolster Coalition fervor and a great advocate of all free peoples will be lost. The heroes’ greatest advantage is how lightly the Coalition military equipped the Vendetta Squad. The CS is cagey with their
40 extralegal incursions and the Squad only has open-topped Big Boss ATVs armed with Light Rail Guns for transport, giving the team a larger window than usual to rally support and intercept the Squad. Time is of the essence. The Vendetta Squad has a forceful reception awaiting them on the other side of the Red River, if the Legionnaires don’t catch them there will be a Mass Battle on their hands. Also, the Coalition’s big guns will not hesitate to fire into the wide open plains in an effort to deter pursuit. Hell Bent For Leather The legionnaires have several choices before their pursuit begins: Do they heal Sir Thorpe? Do they rally a posse? Which vehicle do they use? If they heal Thorpe, a quick scan or diagnosis reveals he has several deep tissue injuries and head trauma. Only supernatural healing will bring him back on his feet in time. Note, taking the time to heal Thorpe means the Vendetta Squad starts one card closer to the end of the upcoming Chase, but the Legionnaires have a powerful ally in their pursuit. For Sir Thorpe’s stats, see Creature Manual. If they rally a posse, then the heroes must make a Persuasion or similar roll. Per Networking, offering a reward gives a +2. Success adds 2 extras to the Legionnaires’ posse. On a raise, the Legionnaires’ rally cry extends beyond and a Comanche Patrol will join in. Note, taking the time to gather a posse means the Vendetta Squad starts one card closer to the end of the upcoming Chase. Which vehicle they use matters. All Terrain Vehicles are best. Wheeled vehicles and hovercraft with higher profiles have their own problems—during the Chase, when a Complication is drawn (Clubs), these vehicles may break through the earth’s scrim or suck up detritus through the delicate intake, respectively, causing a level of Vehicle Fatigue. Before the Chase begins, the Legionnaires must locate their quarry among the tallgrass. This is a Quick Encounter using Notice, Survival, Common Knowledge (geography), Riding, Driving, etc. Erin Tarn’s tracker lacks specificity but provides a +1 to Survival and Notice checks to find her. With the Vendetta Squad in their sights, the Chase begins. The "Specter" has Tarn bound and gagged in the back of the center vehicle. VENDETTA SQUAD E Christopher Walker, CS Specter: An ISS Inspector, see Empires of Humanity. E Caitlin Myers, CS Mind Melter: A Mind Melter wearing CA-3 Light EBA; total Toughness 14 (7), see Savage Foes of North America. CS Commandos (2 plus 2 per hero): With Driving d8; one at the wheel of each Big Boss ATV, see Empires of Humanity.
41 E Wicked, Coalition Psi-Stalker: With a pair of Vibro-Blade Vambraces (Str+2d4 MD, AP 8, Parry +1) and a belt of High Explosive Grenades he's keen on using (3d10 MD, AP4, MBT), see Savage Foes of North America. CS Dog Boy Soldiers (2): See Savage Foes of North America. Big Boss ATV (1 per 4 squad members): With a Light Rail Gun, see The Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide. Deal nine cards. The Vendetta Squad starts on the third card. If the players lost time doing other actions besides giving chase (as above), then the Vendetta Squad starts 1 or 2 cards further along. The Coalition Specter has the following special action available to them: Fire Support: The Specter calls in indirect artillery fire from the massing CS Division. He checks Survival as an action. If successful, High Explosive artillery shells rain down dealing 4d10 MD, AP 8, MBT attacking one card. The victims can Evade with a maneuvering check but all in the vehicle suffer the effects as listed (see Evade under Chases in Savage Worlds). Depending on the heroes’ actions at the beginning of the adventures these things might happen: If Thorpe is healed, he will plough through the Vendetta Squad's formation to get to Erin, leaping from his bionic warhorse onto the center Big Boss, then back again once he has her. Shooting at the CS Specter is difficult (−4) because Tarn blocks a portion of their body; she is an Innocent Bystander. The Legionnaires may shoot Tarn’s restraints with a successful Called Shot at −6. If successful, she gets free from the Specter with minimal trouble since they’re distracted with the pursuers and calling in Fire Support. If the Legionnaires rallied with a raise, then a patrol of 6 Comanche Renegades on hover bikes intercept the fleeing Vendetta Squad on card 8. RESOLUTION Regardless of whether the Legionnaires free Tarn or not, the Squad keeps fleeing for the Red River. They had other objectives they already completed. Bringing Tarn face to face with Coalition justice was a target of opportunity unrelated to the larger mission. If the Legionnaires rescue Tarn and break off their pursuit of the Vendetta Squad, then the Specter calls in an area bombardment out of spite. Artillery rains down for 10 –15 minutes and the plains burn. The heroes are free to retreat and regroup, or fight the fire as a Dramatic Task. If the Vendetta Squad’s vehicle is disabled or they can’t flee, but the Legionnaires haven’t liberated Tarn, then the Specter threatens to kill Erin on the spot. Proceed to Mexican Standoff, below. If the Legionnaires continue pursuing the Squad even though they successfully rescued Tarn, then they meet the Coalition’s welcoming committee. Proceed to Rivers Run Red, below. Mexican Standoff Assuming the heroes haven’t liberated Tarn but caught up to the Squad, the surviving Squad members form a defensive ring around the Specter, who parleys for the Squad’s freedom in exchange for the release of Erin Tarn. This is a Social Conflict but the Legionnaires may give a signal to each other to gun down the Vendetta Squad with an opposed Stealth vs. Notice check. If successful, then the Legionnaires benefit from The Drop as the combat begins. As soon as talks start to break down, Tarn acts as if she drew a Joker and breaks through the Squad’s defensive cordon just as
42 combat begins. Thorpe will act as a human shield to protect her. Rivers Run Red The CS has nearly half an armored company on the Lone Star side of the Red River to deter Comanche reprisals. A Spider Skull Walker, 4 IAR Hellraisers, and 4 Mark V APCs (full of infantry) pour fire across the river as the Vendetta Squad crosses the bridge. If the Legionnaires continue pressing their luck, this becomes a two round Dangerous Quick Encounter rolled at −4. If the heroes want to destroy the bridge connecting the banks, summon water elementals, or something more creative, then they make their escape without further pursuit. Otherwise, as they peel away, the CS armored platoon launches a blitz into Comanche territory—it becomes a short Chase (6 cards) as the Legionnaires escape with Erin Tarn. SLEEPING SPIRITS After rescuing Erin Tarn the scholar reveals some startling news about Muuc’gek that she learned while visiting the Sky Knights of Tryth-Sal: "The Lyn-Srial Cloudweavers tell me the ancient evil being, Muuc’gek, is the same force acting out west in Wormrot. The longsuspected home of the Worm Wraiths finally spread its contagion out east to the Frontier. It seems we have only a matter of time before the infection encompasses the whole world. The Sky Knights believe there is a way to stem the tide, but we will need the support of the Comanche." Erin Tarn and Sir Thorpe insist on returning to Fort Comanche to compare notes with Mukwooru, Old Owl, and Mua Wa’ipu.
43 They think they have found a way to force Muuc’gek back into its own dimension and heal the affected lands. To do so requires a four-day vision quest to create a healing horn. The horn can sever Muuc’gek’s connection to this world and send waves of cleansing magic across the land. Unfortunately, the horn must be used at the entity’s twisted place of power in the Borderlands. Some rare materials are required to create the artifact and the group is sent to get what is needed. They must descend underground to find the Native American section of the former Boot Hill Museum in old Dodge City, now known as The Labyrinth, to recover relics kept there. There Be Dragons Reaching New Dodge City (see Terror on the Dark Frontier Region Guide) requires a journey of about 150 miles across relatively open flatlands. A Common Knowledge roll reveals information and some rumors about the city. Upon arrival it doesn’t take long to figure out that descending into the Labyrinth without proper equipment or directions is a sure route to a quick death. The heroes need to ask around to try and find a rough map of where they need to go and the appropriate equipment for their underground venture. MINER NETWORKING Money talks in New Dodge City; bribes of 1,000 credits or more add +4 to Networking (see Savage Worlds) rolls instead of the usual +2. However, throwing money around also attracts attention from the more unsavory crowd who look for an opportunity to try and rob or extort the heroes. A successful Persuasion roll sends the heroes to a local merchant named Dorothy Price who supposedly has the best maps in town. She can probably help them out for the right price. Using Intimidation gets the heroes the information they need but forces a little retribution later. Failure means they can’t find a quality vendor and their map is flawed or incomplete, inflicting a −2 penalty to Survival (navigation) rolls while in the Labyrinth. In addition to map information, everyone in town also warns the heroes about the “great cave beast” that likes to feed on rookie prospectors. Dorothy has a small stall in the market area where she sells maps and other trinkets. Her maps come from a big box of “Dodge City Visitors Guides” that she found in an old government building. She gladly gives one to the group, along with some climbing gear, in exchange for a modern laser rifle or similar item. Trying to barter with her won’t do much good on the price, but a raise on a Persuasion roll convinces her to mark up the map with notes about the current state of affairs (treat her as an Extra with d6 Spirit) adding +2 to Survival (navigation) in the Labyrinth. If the heroes share their destination with her she’ll suck in her teeth and tell them that region is part of the monster territory—no one who has delved deep into that part of the Labyrinth has ever returned. BARFIGHT! New Dodge City is a rough and tumble place. The Black Market is establishing itself here and sees the heroes as potential targets or rivals. If the heroes spread their money around, or use Intimidation to get information, a gang of robbers corners them in the local saloon. The robbers are pretty emboldened and not interested in talking. The heroes may either talk or punch their way out of the situation.
44 That Escalated Quickly Not long after their search ends an alarm goes up as a band of Wild Psi-Stalkers rides into town on horses. They go from merchant to merchant and hovel to hovel taking what they need. Magic users and psychics scurry to get out of their way before they become an easy meal for the psychic vampires. If the heroes are talking to Dorothy when they arrive, they’ll threaten her directly. The Psi-Stalkers are riding horses and have a large tattoo of a rearing bronco that covers one side of their faces. A Common Knowledge check at −2 reveals they are members of the Stalking Horse Tribe (see Region Guide). Their leader identifies himself as Dusty Rider and is spoiling for a fight, especially if the group has powerful arcane users or supernatural creatures in their midst. Fighting the Psi-Stalkers results in a messy fight to the death with any Innocent Bystanders caught in the crossfire. Eventually, word gets back to the Stalking Horse tribe about the “Massacre of New Dodge City” and makes trouble for the heroes on the Expedition Force scene (see page 48). Negotiating is difficult at first as Dusty antagonizes the group at every opportunity. Ultimately he gives them a choice: freely give up their PPE/ISP or give the stalkers something else to eat. In the end, he and members of the Stalking Horse Tribe will accompany them underground. If the heroes haven’t heard about the cave monster by now, this would be a good time for Dorothy, or another Extra, to throw out something to that effect, “There’s a monster in the cave. I reckon that’ll feed y’all pretty good. Or eat ya. Either way yer business won’t affect us no more.” Dungeon Crawl Finding the museum, the Psi-Stalkers aren't very helpful navigating underground, which requires a Survival roll at −2. This modifier is adjusted by the quality of the map (if any) discovered earlier. After navigating the twists and turns of the great underground ruin and approaching the museum, you notice that the Labyrinth begins to change. The ruins become a massive tunnel with tumored organic walls. The floor trembles as something very big moves through the ground beneath your feet. Suddenly, you realize this is not a floor at all—you’ve ventured inside of a gigantic living creature! Grasping tentacles emerge from the darkness, probing to grab you and pull you deeper while behind you the tunnel entrance, which you now realize is a gaping maw, begins to slowly close. Run! Start a Chase (see Savage Worlds). Have everyone make an Athletics roll to escape DUSTY RIDER As a former Coalition Psi-Stalker, Dusty had to fight his way to the top of the food chain. He came to the Stalking Horse Tribe after serving a long tenure in CS Lone Star leading Dog Packs against supernatural threats and vampires. He is a skilled warrior and rider, but more importantly a smart leader. Under Rider’s leadership, the Stalking Horse Tribe has made significant advances in their tactics, allowing them to feed often and terrorize their enemies the Simvan. Dusty maintains contacts in the Coalition and has been able to arrange for weapons and other support in the past, usually in exchange for taking out a threat or two under the radar. Dusty is a PsiStalker Wilderness Scout, see Savage Foes of North America.
45 the maw. With a success the heroes start on Card 2, a raise on Card 3, while the gigantic creature starts on Card 1. Have the Legionnaires make the Fear check at −4 when the heroes see the Labyrinth Beast bearing down on them. On Card 4: As you run for safety a portion of the ceiling collapses allowing a single shaft of sunshine to penetrate the gloom. The creature hisses with immense pain as the light hits it and burns a smoking hole in its body. Dusty Rider whoops with glee and shouts, “Lead it outside!” The footchase becomes an ascent as the heroes scale the crumbling shaft. The makeshift tunnel deteriorates futher as the Beast pursues. Getting safely to the last card leads the beast out of the labyrinth and into the bright light of day allowing the heroes to finish it off with a Dangerous Quick Encounter. Their efforts and the sun at high noon cause the beast to smoke and boil before melting dead on the outskirts of New Dodge City. Heroes or Psi-Stalkers devoured during the Chase are trapped inside the worm being slowly digested (ingenious heroes may find ways to Distract or hurt the worm from the inside to still be part of the Chase). If the remaining heroes can get the beast outside, and defeat it, the trapped party members are saved as the creature melts before digesting them—although they are covered in disgusting goo and should roll Technical Difficulties for any exposed gear or armor. The Psi-Stalkers dance with glee as they gorge on the massive wave of PPE released by the creature’s death. LABYRINTH BEAST A humongous, mindless, worm-like creature that burrows through dirt with ease. It is over 100 feet long and has numerous massive tentacles that extend from its mouth to pull in prey for a meal. Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d12+12, Vigor d12+2 Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d6 Pace: 20; Parry: 6; Toughness: 57 (30) Edges: Brute Special Abilities: Armor: A thick, fleshy, hide provides +30 natural MDC armor and +6 Toughness. Burrow (20"): Can burrow into the ground and reappear anywhere within 20" on the following action. Fear (−4): The monster causes Fear checks at −4. Fearless: Unaffected by Fear and Intimidation. Hardy: These monsters are never hurt by a second Shaken result. Slam: Can slam its massive bulk down on foes. Lay three Medium Blast Templates adjacent to one another and in a straight line to represent the portion of the creature’s body used to crush. Everything within must beat the worm in an opposed Athletics versus Agility roll or take its Str as Mega Damage. Ignore Scale modifiers when making a slam attack. Segmented Body: Has no vital organs and Called Shots have no effect. Size 12 (Gargantuan): 100’ of writhing, twisting, viscous flesh, with 3 additional Wounds. Swallow: Anything Size 7 or smaller that fails to escape the creature’s tentacles is swallowed whole! The worm secretes digestive fluids that slowly break down the meal doing 4d6 Mega Damage every round spent inside the worm. Internal tentacles keep the prey Bound. Breaking free allows the target to take normal actions but suffer Illumination penalties from complete darkness. Tentacles: Groping tentacles emerge from the giant worm’s mouth grabbing for prey to draw into its massive digestive system! The creature has 4 tentacle actions (see Tentacles in Savage Worlds). Tentacles are
46 a grappling attack with a Reach of 3 (or a Range of one Chase cards). Bound or Entangled heroes are pulled toward the creature and must escape before being devoured. Unstoppable: After making any rolls to Soak, Unstoppable targets can never suffer more than one Wound from a single attack. Weakness (Belly of the Beast): Attacks from inside the beast ignore its Armor. Weakness (Sunlight): Sunlight does +8 Mega Damage and ignores the Unstoppable ability. Devour: If a hero cannot escape Entanglement before being pulled to the same card as the Labyrinth Beast they are swallowed whole. Night at the Museum With the guardian subdued the heroes must delve into the museum to recover the Native American artifacts. There are also other valuables and treasures available for those who are willing to take the risk. Run a Relic Salvage Operation from Empires of Humanity to delve into the museum to recover the ceremonial headdress and other pre-Rifts artifacts. In addition to any treasures from the salvage operation the heroes recover the ancient ceremonial headdress required for the creation ritual in Fort Comanche and an ancient stone knife. Get Out of Dodge Coming up from the caves with their treasures in tow makes the heroes local legends. Unfortunately, they have little time to enjoy the accolades as they need to get the relics back to Fort Comanche. If the heroes fought in the Barfight! (see page 43) earlier, a Black Market Expeditor and his crew of Enforcers are waiting for the heroes to exact revenge and steal their finds. This can be resolved as combat, a Chase, or a Dangerous Quick Encounter in order to get away fast. The Great Dance Returning to Fort Comanche, the group finds Mukwooru and Mua Wa’ipu have been fasting and are ready to proceed with the creation ritual, which centers around remembering the stories of the people: joy, sadness, triumph, and loss. As the players watch or participate in the rite alongside Old Owl, they are reminded of their own past— deal them a card for a Dramatic Interlude related to their back story. You are invited to a small hill a few miles from Fort Comanche. Two intersecting ley lines cast everything in a soft blue glow. Mua Wa’ipu sits in a circle of Comanche dancers, looking surprisingly vigorous. Up on the hill Mukwooru dons the headdress you recovered from the Labyrinth and begins to beat a slow rhythm on the drum. The dancers shift and move to the beat while the Mua Wa’ipu chants in Comanche. Even without knowing the language you can tell she is recounting an ancient story, something from long before the Golden Age. The chanting and dancing rises to a crescendo and the ley lines flare with power. Mua Wa’ipu holds the sacred buffalo horn SALVAGE OPERATION Size (Large Museum): −2 Previous Operations (none): +1 Squish-Squash: −2, to anyone swallowed by the worm as the goop messes with their dexterity. Help: +2, from grateful prospectors who lend a hand in thanks for opening up a new area of the ruin.
ARTIFIACTS 47 cup of healing high over her head and ley line tendrils flare, engulfing her in mystic energy. As the drumming slows, the ley lines subside and she looks at you, her eyes still shimmering with mystic energy. “Use this to cleanse where blood has been spilled.” DEEP HEALING If one or more of the Legionnaires narrates particularly well consider allowing the ritual to heal them of a Minor Hindrance or imbue them with a point of Conviction, in addition to granting a Benny. HORN OF HEALING HEAD DRESS An ornate ceremonial piece made of golden eagle feathers complimented by red hawk and kestrel feathers along the sides. It's in pristine condition despite the many years since the Cataclysm. Detect arcana shows it is enchanted. It grants the wearer the Improved First Strike Edge. STONE KNIFE A simple flint blade set in a buffalo jawbone handle. The worn display panel indicates the prehistoric blade was believed to be used by ancient monster hunters to slay creatures immune to traditional weapons, dismissing this as an obvious myth. Detect arcana shows the knife is enchanted. It grants +2 Fighting, does Mega Damage against supernatural creatures (but not modern armor), and is imbued with the Take ‘Em Down Edge. A ceremonial cup made of a polished buffalo horn and adorned with beads. When filled with water and blessed by a shaman, drinking from the cup can heal and purify anything— including the land (healing, with all power modifiers available; requires Power Points). Pouring it out on the source of Muuc’gek’s power heals the dimensional tear and restores the lands to their natural state. Using it for such powerful medicine expends all the magic in the cup forever.
48 EXPEDITIONARY FORCE After the ritual news comes that a Coalition Expeditionary Force has been sent from Missouri to pacify the supernatural threats in the region, threatening a number of small communities who look to Fort Comanche and the Tomorrow Legion for help. This plays right into Muuc’gek’s designs; the bigger the death toll the more powerful he becomes. The heroes must gather unlikely allies from the Comanche, Simvan, and PsiStalker tribes to repel the invasion without it turning into a bloodbath on either side. The heroes must act as go-betweens to avoid a massive conflict. The first order of business is to present the danger of a conflict to each group and convince them to join peace talks at a neutral location in the town of Junction. The heroes require a spokesperson for each interaction while other members can provide Support. A successful Persuasion roll, modified by the table below, is needed to get agreement to meet. This scene is largely open role play and creativity should be rewarded. Peace Talks The alien menace is enough to get everyone to the table but these bitter rivals need more convincing. It is going to require some give and take. Use the Social Conflict rules to simulate this multifaceted negotiation involving the assembled representatives from each faction. Hindrances should definitely be factored into these tense interactions. SOCIAL CONFLICT RESULTS TOKENS RESULT 0 Bloody Conflict: Fighting breaks out and the team needs to act before Muuc’gek becomes too powerful. The Avatar of Muuc’gek gains +1 Wound and reduce the number of sacrifices needed to become a Greater Demon from 5 to 3. Failure to defeat Muuc’gek triggers the Alternate Ending on page 53. 1–3 Simmering Suspicions: The Coalition does not take hostile action but continues to press into eastern Kansas. Comanche War bands are organized to intercept them. Failure in defeating Muuc’gek triggers the Alternate Ending on page 53. 4–5 Uneasy Truce: All sides hold for seven days giving time to solve the problem. 6+ The Greater Good: Everyone recognizes that the situation is a danger to all. Hostile Forces pull back. If Muuc’gek gained an additional Wound earlier in the adventure remove it and increase the number of necessary sacrifices to six. NAME GROUP REACTION TABLE PERSUASION MODIFIERS Mupitsukupu Comanche Friendly Paruuku Survived +1 Saved the Simvan −1 Solved Murders +2 Cheevix (if alive) Simvan Cooperative Saved his people +1 Dusty Rider Psi-Stalkers Uncooperative Avoided a Fight +1 Friendly to the CS −1 Killed the Labyrinth Creature +1 Maj. Angela Cabot Coalition Hostile Captain Riley survived +1 Additional scientists rescued +1