Aresia

The Travel Disk

The Travel Disk is a lens-like device of glass, copper wire and other exotic components. It's internal structure resembles that of a warp gadget or quantum FTL engine. Scarlet repaired her copy by using techniques developed from Quasar's warp powers.

The gold rim of the disk is inscribed with words (operating instructions) written in Aresian. To operate, the disk must be placed in a carefully reflected beam of sunlight, which powers it and creates a large disk linking it to the appropriate travel disk on Aresia its self.

After the Hammersmith experiment, several travellers were transported to Aresia without use of the travel disk, apparently by natural Z ray related phenomena. It appears Aresian scientists investigation of this phenomena led to their creation of the Travel Disk.

Aresia Overview

Aresia is a hot, dry world who's environmental conditions are steadily degrading. It's atmosphere is thinning, and water is becoming more and more scarce. Various efforts by the natives have arrested this decline to some degree, but it still the planet seems eventually to be doomed. Still, it is not without hope or beauty. Areas of green plants remain around aquifers and cities, the canal system still allows the preservation of some surface water, and great sky ships still ply the sky.

Politically, Aresia is split into numerous different city states rather than any major nations. These cities are usually set up around a water and food source, and are often very isolated from one another. Warfare is still a feature of Aresian life however as battles over resources, trade routes and water are fairly common. Air piracy and raids by bands of marauders are also a common feature of Aresian military life.

What fauna does remain tends towards the exotic, with dinosaur like creatures, giant birds and strange underground dwelling creatures like giant worms or giant moles.

People of Aresia

There are numerous different peoples on Aresia, usually designated by their colours. Most look outwardly human, but some less so. They do however have several things in common. The foremost being that unless killed by accident or violence, they cease aging when they reach maturity and will never die of old age. Strangely, they also lay eggs, despite having navels and being otherwise human like and mammalian (including suckling their young). Disease has also been all but eliminated due to Aresian medical technology, which is extremely advanced compared to their other methods, capable, for instance of reattaching lost limbs, and conferring their agelessness onto humans.

The people of Aresia also tend to share a strong concern about matters of honour, and a dislike for wearing too much unnecessary clothing due to the planets heat and various traditions. They are also on average somewhat weaker than humans due to Aresia's lighter gravity.

A description of the various peoples of Aresia follows.

Red Aresians

The dominant species of Aresia, Red Aresians are almost identical to humans in terms of external looks, except their skin is red, and their hair tends to be black. the Red Aresians were apparently created when the planets environmental collapse became clear to the Yellow and Green Aresians, and they created them via interbreeding and genetic experiments.

In the present era, the Red Aresians control most city states, which they link together into a lose imperial structure linked by kinship and oaths of allegiance. Various joint projects including pirate hunting and joint scientific endeavours to slow or halt the planet's downfall keep this structure intact, but in practice, most city states go their own way.

Grey Aresians

Apparently an offshoot of the same genetic experiment that created Red Aresians, Grey Aresians are completely non-human in terms of looks, though still humanoid. They have large pointed ears and four arms rather than two. Grey Aresians are extremely adapt at surviving in dry conditions, and many of them live deep in the deserts where other Aresians fear to follow.

From these desert strongholds, often ancient cities or ruins, they raid more civilized parts for water, technology and resources. Grey culture tends to be quite violent, though not quite as violent as is commonly supposed by other Aresian races. In general Greys see themselves as put upon, discriminated against and subject to various crimes for which they intend to make the other races pay. Grey technology is not as advanced as the rest of Aresia, but they tend to be highly skilled at domesticating the strange beasts of their dry realm.

Green Aresians

Green Aresians are one of the original three species of Aresia, and are now increasingly rare. Once making their home within the planets vast forests, Green Aresians now live only in a few heavily protected valleys. They are known to be extremely wise, and possess powerful psionics, but can also be extremely cruel, especially to slaves and captives. "As risky as a Green's Wisdom" is a common phrase among red Aresians.

Yellow Aresians

Inhabiting small enclaves along the poles, Yellow Aresians are perhaps Aresia's most technological advanced civilization. Though they had steadily shrunk in numbers since the drying up of Aresia's oceans, the Yellow's launched a bid for world conquest some one hundred and fifty years ago, which was stopped only at great cost and with help from a hero from a foreign land who it was thought had departed Aresia forever.

Since their loss, the Yellows have retreated back to the poles to husband their remaining resources.

Technology of Aresia

Technology on Aresia is to a native of present day earth or Eden rather contradictory. While the Aresians deploy large anti-gravity vessels up to the size of world war two battleships, ray guns and have medical technology capable of reattaching limbs and curing all disease, they seem to lack computers, communication devices more advanced than radios, traditional aircraft, and numerous other devices seen in the modern day.

It is possible however that this is because much Aresian technology has been lost over the years in the flight from cities which became too dry, or highland areas where the air became too thin to allow habitation.

Most Aresian warfare is conducted with ray beams: blasts of hot green energy which can melt metal and shatter stone, or with swords or halberds. There is no equivalent of the machine gun in general use, and charges to melee range are still regarded as a viable tactic. Most units fight from skyships, being dropped from them and provided with covering fire by their heavy weapons. Troops wear protective armour to defend against both ray beams and melee strikes.

Apart from weapons, medical and skyship technology the most impressive Aresian achievement are atmospheric plants, great devices built into deep wells extending into the ground which steadily renew the atmosphere around them.

Aresian Equipment

Aresians also have access to any unpowered melee weapon in the Aberrant 2.0 list that does not require superhuman strength, such as swords and clubs and halberds.

Weapons

Ray Gun: Accuracy +0, Damage 12L, RoF 1/3, Range 50, Magazine 8, Mass 4, Min Str. 1
Ray Gun (Melee): Accuracy +0, Defense +1, Damage (Strength + 6L) AP:2, Min Str. 2, Max Str. 20

Aresian ray guns are extremely powerful weapons that are nevertheless short-ranged and slow to fire. They tend to be mass-produced, even though assembly lines are uncommon in Aresia, but look more like works of art than the utilitarian, ergonomic boxes of modern infantry weapons. Ray guns are generally designed with bladed stocks that allow them to be used as halberds in close combat, due to their slow rate of fire and short range.

Energy Lance: Accuracy +2, Damage 12L, RoF 1/5, Range 150, Magazine 4, Mass 5, Min Str. 2

The energy lance is a ray gun variant used by hunters and sharpshooters, sacrificing rate of fire, maximum charge, and portability for much longer range. These weapons are always equipped with magnifying sights.

Ray Pistol: Accuracy +0, Damage 12L, RoF 1/4, Range 20, Magazine 4, Mass 2, Min Str. 1
Ray Pistol (Melee): Accuracy +0, Defense +0, Damage (Strength + 3B), Min Strength 1, Max Strength 15

Used by beast-rider cavalry, boarding troops, and as a sidearm by officers, ray pistols are just as powerful as full-size rayguns but have extremely poor range and much smaller magazines, and fire even more slowly than ray guns. Ray pistols are weighted and balanced to work as melee weapons as well, acting as heavy clubs in close combat.

Very Light Blast Cannon: Accuracy +0, Damage 14L [7], Area: 1, RoF 1/5, Range 300, Magazine 60, Mass 50, Min Str. 7

Very light blast cannon are extremely small beam artillery pieces that provide firepower usable against massed ranks of troops. Although their armor penetration characteristics are laughable by 22nd century standards, their firepower is respectable, as they are quite capable of disintegrating lightly armored Aresians.

Light Blast Cannon: Accuracy -2, Damage 18L [9], Area: 1, RoF 1/5, Range 400, Magazine 50, Mass 250, Min Str. 12

Aresian beam artillery, the direct-fire nature of energy beams means they are often mounted on airships rather than being ground-mobile. With poor accuracy, short range, and low refire rate, they are outclassed by 21st and 22nd century weaponry in terms of overall combat effectiveness but pack a significant punch as long as they are used against relatively soft targets. Massed phalanxes of light blast cannons are mounted on warships to defend against boarding skiffs and other light vessels.

Medium Blast Cannon: Accuracy -2, Damage 24L [12], Area: 2, RoF 1/10, Range 800, Magazine 40, Mass 1,000, Min Str. 25

Medium blast cannons are larger and deadlier weapons that have firepower approaching that of 22nd century artillery pieces, although their fire rate and range are notably inferior. However, being shot with one will make you just as dead as being hit by a 90mm mortar. These are used as the main guns of middling-size warships.

Heavy Blast Cannon: Accuracy -2, Damage 30L [15], Area: 3, RoF 1/15, Range 1200, Magazine 30, Mass 4,000, Min Str. 40

Heavy Blast Cannon are common to Aresian medium and heavy warships, capable of destroying weaker city walls or toppling large buildings in single shots. Although extremely slow firing compared to 22nd century weapons, with trained crews only loosing a single shot every 45 seconds (compare to the heavy coilgun, which can manage to empty its entire magazine in less time than that), the weapon has respectable power, a large area of effect, and someone hit by it is still likely to be dead.

Superheavy Blast Cannon: Accuracy -2, Damage 50L [25], Area: 3, RoF 1/20, Range 1600, Magazine 20, Mass 30,000, Min Str. 65

Mounted as the main guns of aerial battleships and city defenses, superheavy blast cannons fire extremely slowly, once per minute, but have a devastating punch. A heavy blast cannon can cripple or destroy a lighter warship in a single shot.

Armor

All Aresian armor is ballistic-resistant and does not suffer the half soak penalty against modern ranged weapons, as Aresian metallurgy is anomalously good for their sophistication level.

Aresian Silk: Soak 0B/2L, Style +1, Penalty -0, Mass 1kg, Destruction 15

The semi-reptillian predators that secrete Aresian silk to create their nests are dangerous when cornered, which makes Aresian silk costly. However, it is valued by nobles who seek protection from the assassination attempts of underlings that is both beautiful and comfortable. Aresian silk shimmers in an unearthly but attractive rainbow of colors, adding +1 to Style rolls when worn.

Reptile-Hide Armor: Soak 2B/3L, Penalty -0, Mass 6kg, Destruction 18

The desert reptiles of Aresia have tough, armored hides and even tougher bone. Common light Aresian armor is made of these cured, tanned hides, and reinforced with bone plates in strategic locations, creating lightweight armor that provides excellent protection.

Skirmish Armor: Soak 4B/4L, Penalty -1, Mass 12 kg, Destruction 21

Skirmishers wear a set of greaves, bracers, and a breastplate over a light reptile-hide jacket and skirt that protects the torso but leaves the arms and legs bare. Using lightweight Aresian alloys in their construction, the armor is lightweight and protective.

Boarding Armor: Soak 6B/6L, Penalty -2, Mass 24kg, Destruction 24

Boarding attacks on warships use this heavy armor, which is too hot for desert use and rarely seen. Boarding armor superficially resembles skirmish armor at first clance. However, it uses significantly thicker plates, has metal plates sewn into the reptile-hide skirt, and provides protection to the upper arms and thighs with additional metal plating.

Levistone Plate: Soak 8B/7L, Style +2, Penalty -0, Mass 35/0kg, Destruction 27

The rarest and most valuable of all armors, Levistone plate uses the antigravity mineral to create a heavy suit of armor that weighs literally nothing. The armor masses 35 kg, but is essentially weightless due to the levistone incorporated in its construction. These armor suits are used near-exclusively by noble-born officers and royalty due to cost, and are invariably works of art with absolutely beautiful engraving that adds +2 to all Style rolls when worn.

Aresian Vessels

Like all warships, Aresian vessels are multi-part machines where each component tracks damage individually and is attacked independently. Like most warships, only weapons with large area of effect or warship/heavy vehicle weapons deal full damage. All other weapons deal at most 1 level of damage per attack. Unlike 22nd century warships, Aresian vessels often have their crew semi-exposed, although vital crew are protected by armor and all vital components are armored.

Aresian vessels are split into several parts:

• Bridge: The bridge is where the officers go. Damage to the bridge reduces ship coordination, decreasing accuracy and maneuverability. Bridges have wound penalties.
• Rigging: Aresian vessels have delicate-seeming but fairly tough spars that provide additional maneuverability combined with the levistone main drive. At over 50% damage, the vessel cannot maneuver well and finds it impossible to evade enemy fire. If destroyed, the vessel cannot maintain course and will have to be set down for repairs.
• Turrets: Turrets are armored and have guns in them. If a turret takes over 50% damage, all its attacks are at +1 difficulty. If destroyed the turret cannot fire.
• Swivel Guns: Swivel guns are unarmored gun mounts. Swivel guns have Armor 8 (but armor 0 for the user) and 20 HLs.
• Hull: The hull of a vessel. With this destroyed the vessel blows up. If it has taken over 50% damage, the vessel is crippled and moves at half speed.
• Barriers: Unique to Aresian vessels, these energy shields provide protection from a certain number of attacks per turn before overloading, projecting short-lived aegises of impenetrable force to deflect incoming beam-fire. However, they have their weaknesses, as they do not provide protection from solid objects, such as boarders. Skilled crew often run the barriers on standby and activate them only to absorb heavy weapons fire, allowing lighter guns to impact the hull.

Turret Stats

Light Turret: 20 HLs, Armor 8, 1 medium blast cannon

A light turret with a single medium blast cannon, used by smaller ships.

Medium Turret: 40 HLs, Armor 15, 3 medium blast cannon

The most common turret, medium turrets are multipurpose guns that provide artillery support, anti-ship firepower, and close in defense.

Heavy Turret: 40 HLs, Armor 18, 2 heavy blast cannon

Heavy turrets mount double heavy blast cannon and relatively heavy armor.

Battleship Turret: 60 HLs, Armor 21, 3 superheavy blast cannon

A battleship turret possesses a triple superheavy blast cannon mount, allowing a single salvo from the turret to annihilate smaller ships in a single salvo.

Ship Types

Skiff: Used most often by exploration parties and scouts, skiffs are tiny 'warships' with minimal armor and armament. However, they are fast and extremely maneuverable. Skiffs are also quite cheap, with even the most impoverished city-state being able to afford several and by far are the most common vessel used by pirates, adventurers, and mercenaries due to their speed and low cost.

Maneuverability +2, Safe Speed 150 (120 km/h), Max Speed 250 (200 km/h), Crew 20, Mass 400 tons

Hull: 40 HLs, Armor 12

Rigging: 30 HLs, Armor 8

Turrets: 1 Light Turret

Swivel Guns: 6 Very Light Blast Cannon, 2 Light Blast Cannon

Bridge: Armor 4, HLs -0 x 10/-1 x 10/Disabled (-3)

Barriers: 1 shot/turn

Corvette: A light warship primarily used for boarding duties or patrols, corvettes are the most common naval asset.

Maneuverability +0, Safe Speed 125 (100 km/h), Max Speed 200 (160 km/h), Crew 100, Mass 2,000 tons

Hull: 60 HLs, Armor 16

Rigging: 40 HLs, Armor 10

Turrets: 2 Medium turrets, 6 Light turrets

Swivel Guns: 10 Very Light Blast Cannon, 8 Light Blast Cannon

Bridge: Armor 8, HLs -0 x 20/-1 x 20/Disabled (-3)

Barriers: 3 shot/turn

Battleship: The heaviest and best-armored combatants in the Aresian sky fleets, battleships are rare outside of the largest coalitions of city-states and the Yellow empire. Massing 40 times as much as a corvette, with incredibly heavy armor and unbelievably powerful weapons capable of wiping out entire fleets of lesser craft, they are pure warships with no other role. In times of peace, they are generally mothballed, docked in massive cradles, and they are only mobilized in times of war.

Maneuverability -3, Safe Speed 100 (80 km/h), Max Speed 150 (120 km/h), Crew 1,800, Mass 80,000 tons

Hull: 240 HLs, Armor 30

Rigging: 120 HLs, Armor 20

Turrets: 3 Battleship turrets, 6 Heavy turrets, 10 Medium turrets

Swivel Guns: 30 Light Blast Cannon

Bridge: Armor 24, HLs -0 x 40/-1 x 40/Disabled (-3)

Barriers: 10 shots/turn

History of Aresia

Aeons ago, Aresia's oceans dried and its atmosphere slowly began to decay. Since then the world has been as it is now, slowly dying, with only the plans of its people arresting its slow decline into waterlessness and oblivion. It has been a place filled with adventure, and still holds much in the way of buried treasure, strange technologies, and exotic life. Aresia has been in essential stasis for as long as anyone can remember, this stasis only punctuated occasionally by explorers from another world or other events. Recently, however, the static nature of Aresian life has been permanently shattered by the invasion of the Colony and the party's own efforts at driving it back. No matter who wins, Aresia will be forever changed, possibly for the better.

The desert sands and age have swallowed much of Aresia's early history, insofar as anything created entirely artificially from the human psyche has a history, with ancient artifacts of great power hiding below the sands guarded by traps and curses, waiting to be unearthed.

Locations of Note

The City of Sulaco
A Grey Aresian city built on the ruins of an ancient Aresian metropolis, the crumbling art-deco towers of Sulaco and its thick shielded walls were a testament to what the ancient civilization was capable of, a monument to Aresian ingenuity and history. For centuries, it has been an impregnable base for Grey Aresian raiders, who have stripped the city largely bare of war technology remnants. Now it is largely silent, save for the scraping chittering of sub-aberrants and the constant shifting of excavation. For the Colony has found something it wants here-but nobody knows what.

The City-State of Ciela
The first city-state the Colony found, the isolated city-state of Ciela was neither rich nor martially inclined, and was quickly overrun by the superior forces of the Colony incursion. However, the Colony quickly found itself incapable of using its standard operational procedures due to the logistical burden of having to transdimensional jump almost everything it needed for the purposes of conversion. Instead of ignoring the population save as raw materials, it now needed them to produce its tools. Now the city-state of Ciela is a slave camp, where the Colony's pet aberrants oversee a sullen and rebellious population of Aresians as they build factories and weapons for the Colony, sometimes becoming the weapons. The weapons native industry can make are simple, centuries out of date, defeatable even with native tools, but effective against other Aresians. The Colony has also used it to create sub-aberrants to restore its depleted forces, transforming (un)lucky natives into footsoldiers for its own forces.

The City-State of Hyre
Ruled by a power-hungry queen and relatively close to Ciela, the beautiful but ruthless and megalomaniac Queen Elryn was offered a chance to ally herself with an alien of inconceivable power, offering her immortality, power, and the rulership of all of Aresia. With her acceptance, the Colony has gifted her a semblance of Nova power and the technical advancements she needed to ensure no rebellion would be possible. She has used her newfound advantages to aid her monstrous ally in a campaign of rape, conquest, and pillaging throughout the nearby city-states.

The Valley of Wisdom
One of the few Green Aresian enclaves that has survived to this present day, the Valley of Wisdom is inside the Colony occupation zone but has as of yet remained unmolested. It is suspected to have made some sort of deal-or perhaps vice versa, allowing it to function semi-independently without being conquered and enslaved.

The Glass Forest
Legends say the Glass Forest was created as a plaything by the gods. Some more skeptical Aresians speculate it was created by some sort of super-weapon that Aresia possessed at its height. Whatever the case, the Glass Forest is a forest of glass sculpture standing on a mesa, silent and beautiful. It has somehow managed to weather erosion for centuries, and is rumored to be a hiding spot for sky pirates.

Outpost Hotel
A 1930s-era Aeon base, long since abandoned to the desert sands, that was originally established to establish permanent diplomatic relations and perhaps an alliance with the Aresian peoples. The base itself contained a veritable arsenal of strange scientific and technological artifacts, along with a fair share of books of every stripe, at one time. Even though time has taken its toll on its contents, many of them are probably still intact, preserved by the dry desert sands. The outpost itself had as many as two hundred explorers and adventurers at its height when it was established as an impromptu embassy and center of knowledge, but the increase in storms that forced the abandonment of the nearby city-state also forced its abandonment.

Irkut
The capitol of the Yellow Aresian empire, Irkut is a polar city with a population exceeding half a million, a center for rediscovery of lost ancient technology, commerce inside the Yellow empire, and industry, with factories running day and night. Its most majestic buildings are its grand city walls, dozens of meters tall and built of a beautiful golden metal, and the majestic golden spires of the palace building which curve towards the heavens. During the daytime, bazaars are set up across the streets hawking anything the heart desires, with various establishments catering to every vice, taste, or desire.

Phlogiston Wells
The highly energetic gel that powers much Aresian technology is stored in limitless amounts and cycled through the arcane processes of Aresia. Aresian civilization has been dependent on Phlogiston for its entire known history, as the gel can be refined and reduced into various forms of energy storage including crystalline nodules used in ray guns, a liquid fuel that finds itself used in gas lamps, and other forms of fuel or ammunition. These wells are commonly found near city-states which use it to power everything they own.

Levistone Mines
Like phlogiston, levistone is used to create the antigravity machinery of the Aresian civilization. An antigravity device and reactionless drive all in one, the gemstones are cut and polished into various shapes depending on whether they are intended to be used as engine or flotation device. Levistone is relatively common across Aresia, allowing for massive sky fleets of metal-armored warships to be supported by even city-states.

The Nimea Wreck
An ancient airship far larger than even the largest battleships to have roamed Aresia's skies, the Nimea wreck was an unknown for the longest time. Occasionally, some visited it, hoping to find some secrets of the history of Aresia buried in it. Few returned, but they inevitably came back with whispers, with an understanding of what was going on that was beyond them. Many were considered mad, but their ramblings undoubtedly unlocked more of Aresia's secrets. The wreck itself is embedded in a mountain, slowly waiting for something to pass, something interesting to happen. Those who had come back have talked about 'warriors shaped as animals, invulnerable to our finest ray-cannons and blast-guns, capable of cutting through even levistone plate with their weapons as easily as a finely honed blade might cut through cloth'.

The Colony on Aresia

The Colony's forces are spread thin, searching for something nobody yet knows across all of Aresia, slowly conquering it. It controls perhaps 5 to 8 percent of Aresia's red population and a handful of Greens as a beachhead, and has been very recently driven out of Yellow territory, leaving part of one of its projects to pierce the protections surrounding Aresia and allow its armies to enter in force with it. However, its forces are still formidable even after the failed attack on Irkut and its being driven from the poles, with at least a one prime threat, more than a dozen proper aberrants and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sub-aberrants, plus 22nd century wargear. Estimates say the Colony has been here for approximately two months, but its progress has been slow at best.

If Aresia united, it would stand a fair chance of holding them off. As it is, the Colony can play city-state off of city-state, offering god-like power, technology, resources, and conquest to turn Aresians against each other. As Psy-Ops, its native-born sub-Aberrants are rarely unattractive, idealized women (and more rarely men) who ooze beauty and power. Only when injured is this facade shattered, as their internals are invariably horribly deformed, with obscene-looking organs, eyes and mouths where there shouldn't be any, barbed tendrils tearing their way out of wounds, and other horrors lurking just under the skin.

Its native levy forces are largely equipped with limited but increasing amounts of late WWII to Korean War equivalent technology, mass producing phlogiston-based grenades and bombs, vintage tanks and prop planes, and other machines of war with imported sciences and engineering but native materials, supplemented with captured native equipment. As it lacks the ability to use mass sub-aberrant units, it has been building dedicated sub-aberrants as commisars to ensure their loyalty. Its native technological advantage is not insurmountable by Aresian natives but is fairly significant.

On the other hand, the Colony's proper forces are nearly impossible to defeat via native forces due to gross individual superiority and tactics based on superior mobility, but are vulnerable to attrition and difficult to replace, especially if the Colony seeks to achieve any long-term projects such as creating a large bridge between Aresia and the universe at large.

The Colony's Goals

The Colony may be attacking Aresia for many reasons. Some possibilities are listed below. Some, all, or none of them may be true.

• Personal vengeance against the party
• Seeking to transfer itself into a pocket universe, making it nearly unassailable
• Some ancient artifact created in the Hammersmith incident
• Seek Hammersmith data

Dramatis Personae

Yellow Aresians

Empress Cyclippe I: Former military leader of the Yellow Aresians. After capturing two foreigners with fantastic powers, was attacked by the paranoid empress and was encouraged to lead a revolution against her rule. Thanks to his two Angels – one a being of crystal who crushed entire forces on her own, the other a shapeshifter of unparraleled charm. A wise and resolute leader, blessed by the divines.

Ryona: Former Queen of the Yellow Aresians, a paranoid woman who feared her own commander. Was taken down by the wronged soldier and her two divine assistants, and executed. In truth, however, she persists on, rejuvinated to youth and wiped to remember her life as a simple servant, her features permanently altered to disguise herself.

Vizier Anjo: Advisor to the Empress, Anjo deals with espionage and political matters in Yellow Aresia. Under the former Queen, he was little more than a palace Stewart, but was elevated by Cyclippe due to his efforts in restoring order after the occupation. Assisted in restoring He is somewhat wary of the two divines, unsure of their motivations in installing Cyclippe, and in their strange, living technology.

Admiral Jagi: The new head of the military, Jagi is a taciturn, rational woman dedicated to her job. Appointed to the airship fleet by Empress Cyclippe, she pushes ahead to strengthen the Yellow Aresian fleet. She also has expressed a desire to colonize beyond the poles, attempting to retake Red lands with new technology.

General Byron: The infantry commander for the Yellow Aresian Empire, Byron is a passionate man who was heavily inspired by the rebellion. Driven to guard the borders of his land, he has instigated many projects to increase the miliatary, including aiding the construction of several facilities for the divines, designed to grant their alien technology to the Aresian cause. An avid enthusiast of new technology and xenology, he travels frequently, hoping someday to walk in the Red Aresian kingdoms.

Red Aresians

King Sormun the Careful: Ruler of the small city-state of Sormunia, this despot is known for his careful consideration and dislike of rapid expansion. His nation is largely stable, with steady food and a slowly growing population. However, conflict with neighboring city state has pressured him to mobilize military forces, in order to protect his lands.

Yaria: A dashing adventurer, Yaria is know for exploring the dead reaches of the planet, hoping to find remnants of lost civilizations. With her personal airship and loyal crew, she yearns to explore the horizon, and has occasionally angered the Yellow Fleet, but has always escaped. She wants someday to follow Queen Scarlet and the Divines of the Yellow Aresians to their world, and witness its strange wonders.

Dorsin: General of King Sormun's armies, Dorsin has seen little combat in his life. He is worried about the coming wars, and doubts his own ability to fight. He has kept these doubts secret, from his men and his king – he hopes only that he will be valiant if he fails.

John Ironwood: Original Diary Fragment 1

July 12th 1923
I've decided to keep a diary of my travels in this strange place, so as to have a record of my adventurers if I should ever manage to return home. I'm not sure how I got here, I was deep in the woods when this happened, but here I am now.

I was out hunting, deep in the Illinois Wilderness when I observed a strange like, and after that fell into some kind of a dream. It was a strangely relaxing sleep, but when I awoke from it I was elsewhere. Or rather, I was here, in the Temple of Apolnia (or so the priests told me.) This, they tell me, is Aresia, I think it might be mars. The natives skin is certainly red enough.

I don't have too long to write this, because soon an airship is due to take me to a nearby city, Loem, where I'm to be presented to the King.

Fragment 2

August 1st 1923
I seem to be a magnate for trouble. First the air pirate raid, now a coup in Loem. Currently I'm locked in the dungeons, writing this to try to work out the problem of how to get out and rescue Princess Lorenai. The thought of what those bastards might be doing to her boils my blood.

I think I've fallen in love, but there's no time to think about that now. I don't think the Aresians quite get how strong I am. I'm going to call over a guard over and see if I can't wrestle him, sword or not. It's not the smartest plan but it will be quick as hell.

Oh well, here goes nothing.

Fragment 3

August 9th 1924 (5th Day of the Siege)

I'm writing this just before we go over the top in case anything happens to me. I fought in the great war, so I know how bad it can get when you go over, but this is more important than any squabble between European imperialists, this is about freedom. Either we win here or the False Emperor will take over the whole of Aresia, and then god alone knows what he'll do.

For me though it's more personal, he's got Lorenia, and I have to get her back.

Fragment 3

September 1st 1924
It's been a long road, but now here I am, the false emperor is dead and Lorenai is at my side. I don't know if I'll ever be able to bear to leave this place, even with the travel disks they're building now, but if I do, I'll have a hell of a story to tell... if anyone ever believes me.

In a few years I might travel home. In a few years.

Case File 43-22-81 (2049)

Operational Order DJB772
Grey Bravo Six. At 0:400 Zulu, Grey Bravo Call sign will be lifted to the area of Point Soap. You will immediately move to set up a defence in depth along Phase Line Price and prepare for the appearance of aberrant forces.

Detailed intelligence follows. Enemy units consist of elements of the New Model Army, a former 'Elite' Team operated by the Forth Weapons Group. Intelligence suggests they will shortly launch a strike against London, though their exact objective is unclear. We do however have their landing zone.

The New Model army includes both Aberrants and subaberrants, equipped with advanced 'Titanium Angel 8' series battlesuits. You will be issued additional heavy weapons including the new Gungnir ATGMs to deal with this threat.

Investigation Report AB717JXTVN911
Subject: New Model Army
Priority: Crimson

While the British Army ambush of the New Model army appears to have been extremely successful, it also appears there was at least two survivors. The pair headed into London after ditching their battle suits and entered the house of Sir Alfred Franks, a noted former explorer.

Despite Frank's advanced age he appears to have been able to kill one of the two aberrants with some kind of energy weapon (evidence AB717-21) before the second overcame him and killed him with a single blow which caved in his skull (autopsy report AB717-K).

It is unknown where the remaining aberrant went however, as it was not in the house, and none of the local security cameras detected it outside. It is possible that the aberrant remains at large within London.

Hope-Sacrifice-Unity

To: NDB@MOD.gov.uk

From: JohnIronwood@Trinity.net

No Subject

Nick. I know where that aberrant went, and we need to put a team together and stop them. I'll need at least 20 of your best. SAS or SBS, no posers or anyone who can't take strangeness. Once you've got them, give me a time and a place and I'll explain everything.

It's been a long time since I felt this nostalgic.

John

Sanctum Statistics

Sanctum

Stats

Size 3: Large Citadel

Inhabitants 7: Red Aresians

Defences 4: stout walls and doors, traps, ray cannons

Accessibility 3: a remountable control console

Red Aresians Template (possible)

Enhancement 4 (48 XP)

Environmental Adaptation (Desert) (6)

Physical Structure Enhancement: Stamina X2 (8)

Physical Structure Enhancement: Strength (4)

Energy Shunts (6)

Blood Hyperoxygenation (2)

Enhanced Antibodies (2)

Filter Lungs/Liver (2)

Regenerator (4)

Long Lived (Ageless) (4) 38

Broadened Diet (2)

Redundant Organs X2 (4)

Rangefinder (4)