We're just starting our Crimson Skies-tinged campaign arc in OCI. As I've done for the other portals and campaigns recently, I drafted a list of information about the setting. I wanted this to be all the background necessary; to break down everything into easy to get chunks and keep me from spending too much time on the world building. Of course originally I'd planned for these lists to be ten items, then twelve, then twenty, and now finally 23. So far the effort to utility ratio feels pretty good. It takes me a few hours, maybe six, to put these things together. It helps frame the game and a good chunk of it hits the table. It's also dense enough that I can always find new things when I'm going over it before a session.
For this portal, I had Sherri contribute nine of the items. That's a new experiment. She'd picked this portal, so she should have the chance to put her stamp on things. That worked well and she drew in some areas that wouldn't have occurred to me. That's sparked some cool idea for future incidents connecting to those. You can see some previous "23 Things" here: Ocean City, Abashan, Masks of the Empire. For other material on the Sky Racers mechanics, see here and here. I've also pulled together a Pinterest reference board for the campaign.
1. The World
Asunder: The world cracked
in the mid-19th Century. Even as local wars shook Europe and colonial
powers cemented their holding, the tide shifted. Looking back today, many can now
identify the hand of the Aurichalc. In scattered places rapid technological developments,
suddenly industrialization, political collapse, cultural shifts, and revolutionary
movements upturned the old order. Aetheric technology appeared in many hands, often
among the powerless but just as often among those simply out of power with the will
to destroy. The Aurichalc had been operating in secret crafting their means to shatter
the established powers and engineer the world they desired. While this period saw
rapid advancements in many areas, the devastating impact these new technologies
had on the environment, political freedom, and cultural traditions cannot be discounted.
2. Break Up
of the Colonial Empires. The efforts of the Aurichalc initially seemed focused on local overthrow
of Colonial Empires of the French, British, American, and others. They succeeded
in shattering many of those structures- putting new powers, industrial technologies,
and weapons into the hands of indigenous peoples. However the Aurichalc proved fickle
allies. While each member of the cabal had their own temperament, they generally
acted to destroy authority. Revolutionaries would overthrow their oppressors, only
to be immediately undercut by agents of the Aurichalc. Warlords who stepped into
the power vacuum would overstep their reach and be cast down just as easily. While
these sunderings settled down over time, they remained a constant fear for generations.
Why the Aurichalc worked to destroy the Chinese Imperial House but kept royal elements
in Korea, the Mamluks among the Ottomans, and other lands remains a mystery.
3. Our Robot
Overlords: The Aurichalc’s
work eventually brought them out into the daylight and they took an open and more
active hand in affairs. More importantly their experiments began to drastically
reshape the world- now less about changes in social power and more about things
like the Living Gas Cloud that swallowed great swathes of Texas, the Cracking of
Austria, and the Night of Black Wings in Japan. And they began to war among themselves,
using man and science in an effort to do…something? What they fought for remains
uncertain. They stole border lands from one another and struck at operations within
various territories, but what did they gain? Some suggested that the Aurichalc had
always been at war; that their earlier interventions had been an agreed upon truce
to build up.
And then at some
point the Aurichalcs left. But rather than freeing the world from their noose, it
only tightened it. Each of the Aurichalc had created some form of replacement, constructs
created in their image. Dr. Sagawthi survived his encounter with the dread Lady
Mahabir in 19XX and returned with his tale of a humanoid robot. Soon visitations
and sightings of the other Aurichalc confirmed this change. How and when these mad
scientists died remains a mystery. Some suggested they’d always been mechanical
and had merely shed their disguises. Others believed that the Aurichalc had been
aliens and had left their machines to secure a conquest. Regardless, the shift to
robot overlords signaled a wider shift in the Aurichalc and the beginning of a battle
against them.
4. Timeline:
The year is 192X. Technology
is a weird mix of retrofuturist visions and desperate jerry rigging. The Aurichalc
dispensed science, know how, and half-truths in many places, leading to revolutions
in development and advancement of the oppressed. But it also led to accidents, to
collapses, to destructive conflicts, and to some grasping beyond their reach. Many
things have a gleaming, art deco look to them (The Rocketeer, Sky Captain), while
others have a grittier, dieselpunk appearance. It depends on how they’ve developed.
Imagine the 1940’s for the general tech level, with certain areas being significantly
higher (like flight) and others being lower (like nuclear science). The old empires
and nations still remain, but scattered, stripped, and skeletal. New countries and
peoples have arisen to dominance.
5. Aetheric
Technology: Over time
technologies developed by Aurichalc leaked out to be adapted by others in the world.
Perhaps none has impacted more than the potent, low-cost Aetheric engines and related
technology. While such devices could be turned to many purposes, most strikingly
they allowed for advanced powered flight. In combination with propeller systems,
fast and maneuverable aircraft could be created. In fact Aetheric technology worked
well in transport because in use, the engines must be kept moving. An Aetheric device
operating in a stationary location will eventually begin to warp and poison the
area. Kept moving, they have almost no negative effects.
6. Who were
the Aurichalc? Seven
figures made up the original Aurichalc, though only five robot servitors survive.
While these Mad Scientists had tremendous technical expertise that pushed local
science and industry decades forward, they each eventually came to be known for
a particular field.
- Tabansi Diallo, the Maker of Monsters. Using unknown
genetic techniques he crafted a menagerie of fantastical beasts and let them loose
on the world. They rule the land and air in many places around the globe.
- Darco Bryde, Father
of the “New Races.” His earliest experiments centered on transformation of existing
populations, resulting in groups which echoed old myths and stories. But Dr. Bryde
seemed to tire of that and within a few years had populated his holdings with humanoid
beasts. Some escaped, while others served loyally. Different regions have treated
these uplifted peoples differently, but almost always with deep suspicion. However
they were instrumental in the destruction of Bryde’s robot doppelganger.
- Sara
Oxendine, the Automatic Duchess. Unlike Bryde and Diallo, Oxendine worked
in steel and gears. She created robotic servants of various sizes, though even the
most human of them appeared unnatural. She echoed several of Diallo’s designs, resulting
in packs of clockwork beasts which still haunt the world.
- Jiang Rao, the Alchemist.
Rao remains one of the most mysterious of the Aurichalc. He created several chemical
disasters and let loose the Burn Mist which affects several regions. He learned
to manipulate people with chemicals and some kind of hypnotic devices. These he
used to subvert and assassinate. That seems not to have helped him in his conflict
with the Automatic Duchess who destroyed his mountain HQ in 19XX.
- Kasa Mahabir,
the Shadow Surgeon. Mahabir developed implants and devices she installed in her
agents. While some were obvious and monstrous, many were more subtle. Mahabir was
more bizarrely capricious than most of her compatriots. Several times she kidnapped
terminally ill subjects in order to repair them. Most she returned intact, some
she returned transformed.
- Luis Zegarra, the Black Gardener. Zegarra
worked with turning nature itself to his ends- transforming vast areas into wild
and deadly ranges. His terraforming through alien and invasive plants forced migrations
and created forbidden areas only the most foolhardy or adventurous explore.
- Avedis
Sahakian, the Engineer. Unlike many of her colleagues, Sahakian never created
anything which could operate completely independently. Instead she constructed vast
moving fortresses, massive walking armored suits, and of course the basis for Aetheric
Flight.
7. The Reign
in Spain: Dotted around
the Seville City-State are the “Golden Orchards”. These are small, protected and walled campuses
ostensibly dedicated to scholarship and research and financed by the Goldens
House. Among other possible agendas,
each Orchard is built around an orphanage and some refugee housing. Here, the Seville
City-State extends succor to people displaced by the Aurichalc and their legacies,
including some of those altered permanently and visibly by the Many experience.
The stated reason is that the public is uncomfortable with these outsiders until
they have been shown to be harmless and useful members of society.
The refugees
have historically remained in these Orchards, surrounded by Goldens House
loyals, until they’ve been trained to take up duties and positions arranged within
the greater City-State. There have always been rumors of Goldens using ‘Aurichalc
monsters’ to do their political bidding--and many of those rumors point back to
the Orchards. The Orchards are home to a great deal of secret research--so secret
that it is even hidden away from it’s own board. Increasingly, the unsettling habits of the heir
of Goldens House and the refusal of the Orchards to satisfactorily disclose
projects and purpose have set some board members to agitating for defunding the
Orchards for ‘failing to show proper respect and fiscal decorum’.
8. The Present: It has been three years since the last
appearance of any of the Aurichalc. The raid on Bryde’s island seemed to signal
a change, though prior to that the cabal had become quiet and rarely acted outside
of their core domains. Many think that they’ve simply shifted purpose and programming.
But many others believe that the robots left behind in their place have simply shut
down. Still few wish to travel to the heartlands held by these monsters to test
that theory. But the last seven years have seen significant changes. Several zones
once lost have been reclaimed, technologies have been learned from and adapted,
new techniques for battling fallout from the Aurichalc’s programs have been discovered.
As well populations have stabilized, international contact and trade have become
more stable, and several years of natural weather patterns have led some to hope.
Whether this shift will lead to peace or an era of increased conflict and competition
remains to be seen.
9. The Race: Months ago, Lord Adelbright Ruthven contacted
several major industrialists, scientific compacts, and gentleperson’s adventuring
clubs. He represented a consortium sponsoring a competition, a race. Each invited
group had connections with one of the new class of aerial dreadnaughts: enormous
sky-liners intended to cross the globe. These ships could be used to transport passengers,
move explorers, and survey the lost lands. All had flight decks and hangers allowing
them to carry small patrols of fighter planes for defense. Each group wagered a
massive an entry fee and had agree to certain terms. The race would be handled in
several leg, taking the ships across the Atlantic from the coast of Spain. The vessels
would then run a series of location heats across North and Central America. The
prize? That remains rumored. Few have spoken, but the terms convinced seven to enter
and expend vast sums. Add to that the chance for publicity and exploration of lands
cut off from the rest of the world.
10. Your Patron:
One of the strongest
industrial collectives to have arisen in recent years has been Goldens House,
headquartered in the Seville City-State (formerly Spain). The original company came
together from a marriage of several trading families in the mid-1800’s. They saw
the writing on the wall and worked to come to terms with locals and workers. This
allowed them to weather the storm of revolution and commercial disasters. Even when
communications broke down in the darkest days, they kept a network of international
family members passing reports and warnings. They’re considered the key player supporting
Seville which has come to control most of the Southern Iberian Peninsula as well
as the northern coast of Morocco and Algeria. Some other industrial powers regard
them with suspicion, whispering that their ideals line up more with the revolutionaries
than established nations, companies, and nobilities. The current heir to Goldens
House is Nur Al-Taneen. Over objections of her board, she will be personally
commanding the maiden flight of the Osprey de Acero.
11. Your Mission:
The Osprey de Acero is
a wonder, a massive flying vessel designed to carry personnel safely, transport
goods, and eventually open up lost areas. The vessel will be armed and equipped
with at least two flights of planes to act as a defense against air pirates, flying
monsters, and other strange occurrences. As well it is one among several competitors,
and the terms of the race are a little open. You and your compatriots have hired
on as members of the “B” team. This means you act as support, backup technicians,
and emergency pilots. Some of you have been hired for talents outside of your piloting
and engineering, some of you have been assigned here because of a clouded past.
12. Take to
the Skies: While ground
transport remains a vital and important mode of transportation, flight has become
crucial to the development and reconnection of regions and peoples. In many areas,
the plane has become as ubiquitous as the automobile did in the early 20th Century.
Larger flying vessels, buildings, and “towns” serve as modern caravans and circuses.
As well, there’s a modern planes and gyrocopters- dashing pilots and daring aviatrixes.
Flying companies and mercenary groups have developed, often in response to sky pirates
and aerial banditry.
13. Changes: As the 19th Century crept to a close,
with the leviathan of the Aurichalc gripping the globe, many thought the worst had
passed. Then, as the last year of the century waned, new plagues exploded. Over
several weeks, in one form or another, it struck widely separated communities, hitting
every region of the world. The plague changed people, altering their physiology.
Most died as their bodies became alien to them. Some caught in the zones underwent
no changes or ill effects. Only the young survived, and even they had a significant
mortality rate. They became different: slight shifts in appearance, slight modifications
to their physiology, new flaws and limitations. It became known as the Changeling
Plague, the Tithing, or the Coming of the Night Children. To some the changes made
these transformed seem like legends or myths come to like: pointy ears, glowing
eyes, bizarre stockiness. The same affected population could result in many different
forms, some like the so-called Selkie, more inhuman than others. Those who survived
the plague often suffered at the hands of their neighbors and countrymen. Populations
were scattered, interred, or murdered. Some joined with the Aurichalc where they
could. Others tried to hide their condition. But the singular outbreak of the plague
was not the end as the changed and unchanged survivors of the plague gave birth
to a new generation of these new humans.
14. Communications:
Planes and vessels use
Aetheric communication technology, like radio but clearer. It has a relatively short
range, but can be run through relay towers with only modest noise gain. Some planes
have larger arrays, and some have these connected to scanners or other scientific
instruments. In particular some recon planes can transmit back the images from their
Aetheric Scatter Positional Sensors (or ASPS).
15. Monsters:
They made monsters, many
of them. And while their numbers have diminished, many still remain. Some had radical
and experimental forms, while others harkened back to old stories. Dragons, in particular,
have proven to be a continual threat to sky security. Pilots in the highest altitudes
have claimed to have encountered stranger beasts, seemingly stolen from the depths
of the ocean. Tales abound of Sky Pirates who have co-opted or domesticated the
most dangerous creatures, but that’s clearly a stratagem to enhance their reputation.
Most monsters of flesh and bone do possess a traditional adversary, their robotic
counterparts. Monstrous automatons have been seen battling against horrors of flesh
and bone. The wise, however, make themselves scarce during such encounters.
16. New Maps: Pre-Aurichalc maps and globes are mere
curiosities anymore. Beautiful as they may be, they reserve no more interest than
the lowest souvenirs of the more-glorious human past. Why? Because they lack the
single-most important monitor of borders, populations and legal ownership: beacons.
Every population of significant size, every region possessed of some security, any
community with aspirations to any designation greater than a compound maintains
at least one unique beacon. A good-sized city boasts a network of beacons of differing
signal types, sending out messages that contain hierarchies of identification--nation,
region, city, alliances. As well, these places
maintain monitoring stations of all sorts to track signals coming in, sputtering
out and changing affiliation. Newspapers contain columns of beacon designations
along with the most recent signal & messages--this is how many immigrants and
travellers keep tabs on their home regions, but also how the populace as a whole
tracks the state of nations, of war & peace and prosperity. Some people monitor as a hobby, making their own
stations from kits and keeping records of the signals. (Think ham radios (spoken
& code) or even CB radios (specialized lingo) as a hobby--also some of the signal
types are more like seismography or light signals.)
17. Recruiters:
Since Ruthven’s Challenge,
there has been a scramble for expertise.
Academia has lost luminaries to conveniently timed sabbatical requests. Guides,
monster hunters and quartermasters of any note have been scarce for the hiring. Retirements abound in air navies throughout the
re-civilized nations. There are even rumors
of kidnappings of cartographers and signalmen.
The lucrative offers for race staff have attracted the most brilliant stars
of exploration, and most of these experts are meant for the respective War Rooms
of their employers. More a concept than an
actual room, these experts gather to confer over plans, new intelligence and the
goals at hand to hatch tactics most advantageous to their consortium.
18. Challenges:
While details are scant,
it’s clear that the aerial dreadnaughts and their crews are expected to stage a
number of successful expeditions along the way. The original specifications for
the race provided by Ruthven are not generally known, but the air of excitement
and breadth of experts being collected by the competing consortiums suggest a range
of targets. Rumors are flying about one industrialist instructing his recruiters
to ‘hire for a series of scientific and art scavenger hunts...lists and clues and
confounded puzzles!’.
19. Sky Salons:
As the time has drawn
closer to the advent of the race, it’s become clear that almost all of the sky-liners
are selling tickets and promising luxurious accommodations and entertainments
to those who can pay the price. Bands, musicians,
singers, popular entertainers and even an orchestra or two have apparently been
booked -- and newspapers are full of sketches and articles describing ballrooms,
stages and viewing decks.
20. To What
End? Maps of the expedition
course are expected of course--but inquiries and gathered experts suggest that each
of the consortium may be mapping different priorities. Goldens seems intent on last-known, now-silenced
or irregular beacons; another seems to be chasing down scraps and rumors about mines,
another about orchids. Some suspect that
each of the contenders may have individual non-overlapping win conditions--and
others suggest that these are simply independent opportunities that each
competitor hopes to profit from.
21. Batten
the Hatches: Much of
the preparation of these dreadnaughts has been converting them from vessels intended
to travel established territories to readiness to face a multitude of threats beyond
mundane piracy. Great creativity in gunnery
and deck battlements is evident--but whispers of aetheric shields, nets and beams
abound. Certainly, many remember the wild
days when the skies darkened regularly with monsters, swarms, hostile vessels and
strange probes loosed by the Aurichalc. Experience
suggests that ships will need an array of different protections and offenses
to keep away the threats that are certainly teaming over the foreign wilderness.
22. Monster
Lore: Aerial veterans
of the days when the Aurichalc’s creations roamed know that many of the preparations
are fitting the dreadnaughts and their small-bodied fleets to carry out the modifications
needed to avoid or deter many of those creatures--at a minimum, each craft must
be able to travel for some time at near silence, be able to create a cacophony and,
for the smaller craft, to ‘lure’ with rhythmic metallic noise to draw off the most
dangerous predators from the big open decks of their parent ship.
23. Bringing You the World: Each ship has a aetheric radio room and
each competitor has been allotted two slices of time each day, one during daylight
and the other on the overnight, designated for updating sponsors and their supporters
with news of their progress and to show off their wit and style--a variety hour
of discussion, news and music. The intent
is to create 24 hours of race programming for the duration of the event. Test broadcasts are already immensely popular.
