action check transmissions
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Action Check Disclaimers
Action Check is an on-line elec-tronic magazine dedicated tothe Alternity Science FictionRoleplaying Game.
This work is offered free ofcharge to all interested partiesand is not to be sold in anyform. It may be printed if dis-tributed free of charge.
This work supports the Alternityroleplaying line, specifically theAlternity Players Handbook andGamemaster Guide. In additionis supports the Campaign Set-tings Star*Drive, GammaWorld, Dark*Matter, and Tan-gents by Wizards of the Coast,
Inc. Alternity is a registeredtrademark of Wizards of theCoast, Inc.
The staff is not associated withWizards of the Coast, Inc.
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Copyright Wizards ofthe Coast, 2001. All rights
reserved. Reprinted by permission.
T ab l e o f Co n t e n t s
Transmiss ions Advent ure Hooks forStar*Drive and Dark*Matter
[Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick]
Page 3 From Dragon Issue #265
Page 4 From Dragon Issue #266
Page 5 From Dragon Issue #267
Page 6 From Dragon Issue #268
Page 7 From Dragon Issue #269
Page 8 From Dragon Issue #270
Page 9 From Dragon Issue #272
Page 10 From Dragon Issue #273
Action Check On-Line Magazine is published monthly by the New JerseyRole-Playing Game Association Network sanctioned club
âThe Third Floor Fellowshipâ. http://www.thirdfloor.8m.comDragon Magazine Reprints Issue.
http://www.wizards.com/rpgaAction Check Magazine is not a publication of the RPGA Network.
Special Thanks to Johnny Wilson, WotC Group Publisher;Dave Gross of Dragon Magazine and Jim Butler of WotC with-
out whom this wouldnât have been possible.
Special thanks to www.alternity.net, our gracious host.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster HintsThis transmission provides the heroes with the perfect excuse to go on a UFO hunt. Ofcourse, whatâs really behind the sightings is up to the Gamemaster. (Deviousness is encour-
aged.) Some possibilities include the following:⢠U.N. black helicopters spreading chemicals or viruses through the air.⢠Secret military aircraft on routine training maneuvers.⢠Illicit air deliveries of contraband to local airfields.⢠Foreign aircraft operating out of a secret base, either under Lake Michigan or across the Canadian border.⢠Alien spacecraft abducting innocent civilians, delivering emissaries, or shuttling personal between bases.
Gamemaster HintsBakx can have whatever psionic skills you want to give him, at whatever skill ranks seemappropriate. He will be looking for discreet transportation across the Verge to a destination
of your choice. A group of heroes with their own ship or extra cargo space are a likely target.Potential stories or side adventures include:⢠Bakx might approach and attempt to buypassage wherever the heroes areheaded. Maybe he just wants a ride, andthe Concord tracks him to your heroesâship. Maybe he wants to hijack their ship.⢠Bakx might be hunting someone for apast wrong. That someone might be thesame person the PCs need to talk to.⢠The Concord might be playing down thethreat Bakx presents to avoid panic. Bakxcould be homicidally insane, killing everyweren he sees, or worse yet, anyone hethinks looks like a weren!⢠Having someone who can play with per-ceptions can challenge even wary heroes.Perhaps Bakx is near while they read thisnewsfeed, altering their perceptions ofwhat they read. In that case, nearly any-thing could be true.
AUTHORITIES EXPLAIN AWAY SIGHTINGSAUTHORITIES EXPLAIN AWAY SIGHTINGSAUTHORITIES EXPLAIN AWAY SIGHTINGSAUTHORITIES EXPLAIN AWAY SIGHTINGSKenosha, WI [AP] â Local authorities continue to claim that the bright lights seen in the night sky by local residents over the pastfew months come from low-flying planes or helicopters and that residents need not suspect anything out of the ordinary.
âWeâve had some recentchanges in traditional flight pathsat local airports,â explained po-lice spokesperson Tabitha Wick-man. âThis leads to unfamiliarlights, which at night could eas-ily seem unusual or unexplain-able.â
Military officials refused tocomment on the matter, statingthat they âcan neither confirm ordeny the presence of experimen-
tal military aircraftâ in theKenosha area.
One resident, 53-year-oldRoger Maxwell, insisted that theofficial explanation didnât holdwater. âI was in âNam, and Iknow what a helicopter soundslike,â claimed Maxwell. âI didnâthear no rotor sounds so unlessthey [have] some new Hueys thatdonât [have] rotors, that wasnâtno helicopter.â
Long-time residents note thatthis isnât the first rash of UFOsightings the area has experi-enced. In fact, the Chicago-Milwaukee-Madison area experi-enced several UFO-relatedâscaresâ in the mid and late1970s. Those were generallyexplained away as mistakensightings of weather balloons orsmall planes.
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #265, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
GGGG R I D W I D E N E W S F E E DR I D W I D E N E W S F E E DR I D W I D E N E W S F E E DR I D W I D E N E W S F E E D>>ROGUE TELEPATH ESCAPES CONCORD PRISON<<>>ROGUE TELEPATH ESCAPES CONCORD PRISON<<>>ROGUE TELEPATH ESCAPES CONCORD PRISON<<>>ROGUE TELEPATH ESCAPES CONCORD PRISON<<
Concord authorities report a rogue mindwalker, Tanmay Tanmay Tanmay Tanmay Bakx, hasBakx, hasBakx, hasBakx, hasescaped from prison on Haleescaped from prison on Haleescaped from prison on Haleescaped from prison on Hale. Bakx is a blond human male, 5 feet, 9inches tall, who possesses strong psionic abilities. Common aliases:Common aliases:Common aliases:Common aliases: James Tanner and Mason Baksel James Tanner and Mason Baksel James Tanner and Mason Baksel James Tanner and Mason Baksel. Tanmay has demonstrated ad-vanced telepathic and biokenetic abilities. He is known to be dangeHe is known to be dangeHe is known to be dangeHe is known to be danger-r-r-r-
ousousousous and believed to be heading for Verge space. Concord AdminiConcord AdminiConcord AdminiConcord Adminis-s-s-s-trtrtrtraaaators advise cautiontors advise cautiontors advise cautiontors advise caution if traveling between Old Space and the Vergein the next two weeks. Dr. Bejide Jorgensun, a Concord specialiDr. Bejide Jorgensun, a Concord specialiDr. Bejide Jorgensun, a Concord specialiDr. Bejide Jorgensun, a Concord specialist inst inst inst inMindwalker psychology has this bit of advice:Mindwalker psychology has this bit of advice:Mindwalker psychology has this bit of advice:Mindwalker psychology has this bit of advice: âCitizens should reportto a Concord Administrator if they experience any unusual blackouts,lost time, or suspicious people in their neighborhoods.â Jorgensuncontinued, âTanmay was raised and educated in Hatire Communityspace. In a crowd he can be identified by his disdain of technologyand avoidance of guns or more complex electronics.
MILWAUKEE TRIBUNE ! MONDAY NOVEMBER 1 1999
Local resident Susan Moellercaptured this shot of the incident.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Tulsa Examiner$1.50
SundayEdition
POTEAU, OK. [AP] â The Center for Disease Control declared a state of quarantine on the town of Sorrels late lastnight, citing an outbreak of the Houston virus. The quarantine soon turned into a Waco-style standoff when some ofSorrelâs 750 citizens fired on Army helicopters assisting the CDC.
Though CDC and Army officialshave so far refused to comment,residents of Sorrels have used cellu-lar telephones to contact the mediaand tell their side of the story.
âWe woke up to tanks right on ourdoorsteps,â said Wayne Kilkenny,who operates the local filling station.
âThey said they needed to test us, but they wouldnât say for what. Itâsgot a lot of folks scared.â
The standoff has already claimed
the lives of two young people. Thevictims, identified as John Stur-devan, 17, and Amy Lambert, 18,were apparently attempting to bypassthe roadblocks when they were firedupon by Army helicopters.
âThey just blew up his truck,â saidanother caller, who refused to be
identified. âI might have turned my-self in before, but now theyâre goingto have to take me out of here in a body bag.â
With the town of Sorrels blackedout by Army engineers, and theroads blocked by tanks and barri-cades, representatives of the Centerfor Disease Control and the U.S.Army have been meeting with the president since early this morning. Aspokesman for the White House has
said that the president is reviewingthe situation, and a statement is ex- pected this afternoon.
Gamemaster HintsThis story begins with an apparent outbreak of the so-called âHouston virusâ in a small townin Oklahoma, and the subsequent response by the Center for Disease Control. The truth is
that the CDC believes that the town has been compromised by sandmen and has asked the army for help.Unfortunately, the townspeople are refusing to give themselves up for âtesting.â This might be because a significantportion of the population have already been converted to sandmen. Alternatively, it might just be that the isolatedcommunity reacted to the quarantine with armed paranoia. The heroes can try to work with the CDC or try to slippast the troops and find our what is really going on in Sorrels.
Gamemaster HintsBesides their prohibitive expense, genocoats really do live up to their press.
Equipped with hoods, oversized genocoats can fit over armor and keep heroes warm and dry in mostcircumstances. The fashion press doesnât mention that the coats have a waste cylinder that must be
replaced weekly, or that the coatsrequire occasional grooming to stayhealthy. Regardless, heroes whodress stylishly will be socially bereftwithout a genocoat for the season.Other complications include:
⢠The genocoat could give offpheromones or scents that attractpredators on some worlds.⢠Heroes who mistreat the coatscould be hounded by ecological pro-testers.⢠Allergies might make a genocoat anuisance or usefulâin certain cir-cumstances.
WWWWinter fashions have arrived, and theinter fashions have arrived, and theinter fashions have arrived, and theinter fashions have arrived, and thewatchword this year is mammalian!watchword this year is mammalian!watchword this year is mammalian!watchword this year is mammalian!
Three top designers, including the vibrant Thuldan designer,Chevron, have unveiled living furred garments callen Geno-coats for the 2502 season to keep you toastyâand stylishâinthe coldest of winter chills.
âThese dazzling white and midnight black longcoats protectyou from the cold by generating their own body heat,â saysChevron. âItâs like having a snuggly pet to help keep you warm.âA liquid protien fed through an implanted tube keeps each
coat alive, shiny, and healthy for years. According to Chevron,the coats stay warm in â50o C temperatures, and they hibernatewhen outside temperatures reach +20o C. Function and beautycan be friends!
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #266, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster HintsThe heroes have received an invitation to a Mutual UFO Network conference in Lexington,Kentucky. The heroes witness one of the speakers, Alva Mayhill, a former analyst for the
Hoffmann Institute who resigned after an alleged alien abduction, being forced into a black sedan by two mendressed in black suits and wearing dark sunglasses.
Was Alva Mayhill abducted by the Men in Black? Or was her kidnapping merely a hoax orchestrated to generatepublicity among the conspiracy-happy convention attendees? As rumors spread about Hoffmann Institute involve-ment, the pressure increases for the heroes to discover who is really responsible for Alvaâs disappearance.
GamemasterHints
The state of the local grid in Aegis is atro-cious. With a little effort, nearly anyonecan slip invasive viruses into the system.In this case, a tâsa hacker has createdPushover as revenge on a mechalus busi-ness partner who cheated him in the saleof their company.
An infected cybernetic hero will not im-
mediately know of his or her condition.Infection becomes apparent when he orshe discovers reconfigured bioart or seesphantom images on cybereyes.
The bioart distortions and sendory gho-sys are consistent over time, showing pic-tures or sounds of the mechalus whocheated his tâsa partner. What will the he-roes do when they see him for real?
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #267, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
VVVV I R U S A L E R T !I R U S A L E R T !I R U S A L E R T !I R U S A L E R T !
A new gridvirus, âPushoverâ has been found in the local Aegisgrid system. The Pushover virus is memory resident; it infectsand destroys cybernetics files in the userâs nanocomputer.
Gridpilots in or near the Aegis system are strongly advised todiagnose their wetware immediately. Pushover is extremelydangerous to cybernetics and Aleerins. Grid users with cyber-netic organs in or near Aegis are advised to seek a safe jack-inpoint and proceed immediately to Inseer and VoidCorp gridsites
for anti-virus updates. The Pushover virus begins by destroying data related to cy-
bernetic operation. Early warning signs of infection include mus-cle spasms, sensory organ feedback, and reconfigured bioart.Pushover spreads progressively over several days, finally con-stricting cybernetic musclature into a useless state. Pushover isfatal to victims with cardio-pulmonary cybernetic organs.
You are cordially invited to attend
MUFONiaMUFON for the NEW MELLENNIUM
Presented by the Mutual Unidentified Flying Object Network
Lexington Convention Center and ArenaFREE PARKING WITH REGISTRATION
Speakers & Guests Include:
Rev. Leon Oglethorpe Prof. Ian McKinley Maj. Samuel Wylie, USAF
âMessages from the Divineâ âThe Hill Incidentâ âAerial Phenomenaâ
Janet Randall Alva Mayhill Amanur Prompattaya âPsychic Encountersâ âThe Abductee Effectâ âUFOs Abroadâ
Many other guest speakers will be on hand for a variety of panel discussions and seminars.
Advance registration required for workshops due to limited space.
Call MUFON at (970) 555-UFOS to pre-register.All major credit cards accepted.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster HintsThis journal page couldserve a variety of pur-poses. Perhaps the ghoststill haunts this house,and the heroes must in-vestigate. Is the ghost aharbinger of danger, anangry spirit, or merely arestless spectre denied apeaceful afterlife?
The journal page mightbe a hoax perpetrated tocreate a news story for atabloid show. Alterna-tively, the heroes mightneed to contact the writerof the journal (or his next-of-kin) as part of a sepa-rate investigation intohauntings. The purposeselected by the Game-master determines theâhow and whyâ that the journal page falls into theheroesâ hands.
Gamemaster HintsThe heroesâ ship might be in the area to hear Mount Illuminationâs distress
call, or they could be hired to deliver emergency supplies to the settlement. Mount Illumination re-searches alien archaeological sites on Yellow Sky. While storms arenât unheard of, they usually
arenât this strong. Why was thisone so severe?
⢠Archaeologists accidentally acti-vated a dormant weather machinebelonging to the previous inhabi-
tants.⢠Pirates seeded the atmospherewith a storm cocktail designed tocover up their activities.⢠Perhaps the locals are right andan angry god really is unhappywith the desecration of its sacredsites.
Winds measured at 145 kph drove through the Mount Illuminationcolony on Yellow Sky in the Tychus system two weeks ago. Dozens ofdeaths are reported, with more expected as workers clear devas-tated areas. Damage estimates are in the millions of Concord dol-lars.
Yellow Skyâs corrosive atmosphere damaged several outlyingbuildings across the settlement, including several hydroponic farms.Although other Yellow Sky settlements have given assistance, Or-lamu officials have appealed to the Galactic Concord and all nearbyvessels for supplies, including food, water, clothing, and e-suits.
Mount Illumination has had a difficult existence in its 250-year his-tory, continuing to be intensely self-reliant even after the Long Si-lence. Surviving colonists are reported to be dismayed but in goodhealth.
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #268, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
Saturday January 16, 1937
Heappeared again last night just after midnight. I was fixing myself
a late-night snack when I caught a flash of movement out of the cor-ner of my eye. Turning, I saw him, muddy clothes, rifleand all, as if
hehad just stepped out of thetrenches and into my kitchen.
I almost did not drop my sandwich this time. Even when it is not
thefirst time, onesimply does not becomeaccustomed to seeing one of
the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers standing in oneâs kitchen. At least I had
thepresenceof mind to offer him a wedgeof Stilton, though I cannot
say I expected him to accept. After all henever speaks or shows any
signs heunderstands my words.
Despitethat, I almost feel I am beginning to know this young man,
if that is truly thecorrect work to usewhen describing what for all the
world seems to benothing morethan a spectre. He is definitely young;
I cannot imaginehim any older than eighteen at most, despitethe
tired look in his eyes. His gear marks him as a soldier in the Great
War, and I haveidentified his battalion from markings on his jacket.
His identity remains a mystery to me. However, there weresimply too
many young men likehim who died in Beaumont Hamel and other
hell-holes.
Still, I haveto wonder how many moreSunday nights shall be
marked with his appearance, as well as how long my sanity can last
under such circumstances.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster HintsThis photo was picked up by theHoffmann Institute off a wire ser-vice as part of a report of âanimalattacksâ in the Mt. Rainier NationalForest in Washington State. Ac-cording to the piece, three separatecampsites have been attacked inthe past month. No injuries are re-ported. In each case, the campershad a good scare but didnât actuallysee the animals responsible.
A wild sasquatch is responsiblefor the attacks, but his motives areanything but murderous. Thatsasquatchâs mate is pregnant andclose to delivery, and he seeks toprevent anyone from venturing tooclose to their cave lair. Investiga-tors might run into other interestedparties (such as a team hired bythe Center for Xenological Studies)and ultimately encounter thesasquatch themselves. A hero withMedical Science or Knowledge âfirst aid might aid in the delivery!
GamemasterHints
A planet with large, mobile, carnivorous plantsis an adventure unto itself. Use the âPrimateâstatistics in the Alternity Gamemaster Guide (substitute âbiteâ for all other attacks), or lookinside the Alternity Alien Compendium II ac-cessory for commensurate creatures. Potentialstory elements include:⢠Feeding the evidence to a carnivorous plantwould be the perfect way to cover-up a mur-der.
⢠Most people believe Shamondendra to beroughly as intelligent as dogs. Some could besmarter.⢠Political dissidents might use the symbolismof the celebration to launch another coup.⢠Brave or foolhardy heroes might enjoy a rec-reational fling in a Shamondendra running,protein tosses for distance, or other physicallychallenging âfunâ activities, without any extradanger or subplots.
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #269, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
GGGGet Away to the Shamondendra Days Festival for Onlyet Away to the Shamondendra Days Festival for Onlyet Away to the Shamondendra Days Festival for Onlyet Away to the Shamondendra Days Festival for Only$1,099!$1,099!$1,099!$1,099!
Tired of the day-to-day grind? Itâs time for a vacation! Cometo beautiful Simonâs Leap in the Annahoy system for thesesquicentennial Shamondendra Days Festival.
Named for the mobile, carnivorous Shamondendronplant indigenous to Simonâs Leap, the yearly festival cele-brates the Simoniansâ independence, attained in 2353,when the native rebellion struck against the occupying re-
gime in concert with the plantâs 30-year bloom cycle. Thedecisive timing of the strike resulted in most of the govern-ment forces being devoured. Soon after, the planet re-turned to native rule.
The two-week long celebration is open to everyone. Fes-tivities include parades, daily Shamondendra runnings,balcony feedings, and a full-scale recreation of the victory150 years ago.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster Hints A memo meant forsomeone else in the
Hoffmann Institute findsits way to the heroes byaccident. The implica-tions are that the Insti-tute suspects an agent-perhaps one of the he-roes-of stealing classi-fied documents. The in-stitute is prepared totake drastic action, in-cluding eliminating theâmoleâsâ entire team.
Of course, this allmight just be a loyaltytest on the part of theHoffmann Institute, andthere really is no spy.The heroes can get tothe truth only if they con-front the memoâs authorand gain her trust. Butdoing so might compro-mise her investigationand let a spy go free.
Gamemaster HintsExternals are hard to secondguess, but it doesnât take a xenso-ciology degree to know they donâtwant well-armed targets. A smallExternal strikeforce has been dis-patched to disrupt Austrin-Ontistrade routes to the Verge. This isa good opportunity to have heroesinteract with a small group of Ex-ternals. They could be traveling to
the same destination as an Aus-trin freighter when the Externalsattack.Of course, attacking Austrinships â even cargo ships â is adangerous proposition. But aclever Gamemaster can dropclues from the strikeforce leadingto the larger External threat.
T TT The following is a paid advertisement by Austrin Partners Ltd.he following is a paid advertisement by Austrin Partners Ltd.he following is a paid advertisement by Austrin Partners Ltd.he following is a paid advertisement by Austrin Partners Ltd.Austrin-Ontis Unlimited is providing for Vergersâ self-defense needs.
âWe are very pleased by the Vergeâs interest in self-defense,â saidAustrin spokesperson, Gelaina deLoughton. âMoney spent onpreparation is money well spent.â
âPeople with guns are safer people. While the Concord is doing itsbest to help, sometimes a starfall is too far away. Thatâs when youneed personal munitions.
âIn an area of space where uncertainty is commonplace and Ex-ternal attacks are on the rise, experts recommend keeping a de-pendable light source, a two-week supply of uncontaminated food,and a loaded gun ready in the case of emergency.
âWe at Austrin-Ontis are proud to be a major supplier of ordnancefor so many prepared Vergers,â said deLoughton, âand want to re-mind everyone that an armed family is an unharmed family.â
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #270, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
âImproving the Human Conditionâ
The Hoffman Institute
New York ⢠Chicago ⢠Flagstaff ⢠Washington D.C. ⢠Barcelona ⢠Cairo ⢠Edo ⢠Jakarta
READ&DESTROY
C:Amnow convinced information has been leaked to Fed.
Docoment inventory missing cl assi fied documents. Fedinvestigation too close to material for coincidence.
Recommend action before enti re teamis compromised. Re-route, fol low, or delete? Loss of enti re teaml ikely.
Please advise.O
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster HintsIf someone wanted to poison a desertplanetâs water system, that personwould poison the atmosphere. Reasonsfor large-scale poisoning include extor-tion from hostile business interests, bio-logical warfare released by Externals, or just a natural part of the planetâs lifecy-cle.
Heroes can get involved as part of thecleanup efforts or perhaps as watersmugglers. On a desert planet, water isscarce when there isnât a quarantine.Certain individuals might be willing topay well for uncontaminated water dur-ing the government-imposed draught.
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #272, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
WWWWARNING /// WARNING /// WARNINGARNING /// WARNING /// WARNINGARNING /// WARNING /// WARNINGARNING /// WARNING /// WARNING
A water quarantine is in effect in theMantebron system, according to an offi-cial release from the High Gulch gov-ernmental systems. Colonial GovernorGiles Sandovar reports in the releasethat bacteria counts in High Gulch at-
mosphere condensers have risen 600% in the last two weeks.Sandovar reassured off-planet family and friends that resi-
dents appear healthy and unharmed, but he declared aplanet-wide state of emergency. No water is to be introducedto or exported from the ecosystem until further studies arecompleted. Off-planet visitors are required to recycle theirown water and wastes until preliminary studies conclude inten days.
Gamemaster HintsThe police have discov-ered what might be a cultof demon worshipers.(See âFinal Churchâ inChapter 6: The Illuminatiin the Dark*Matter cam-paign setting for more in-formation.) Theyâve con-tacted the Hoffmann Insti-tute instead of the FBI,since one of the finger-prints found at the sceneis that of an FBI agent.
In fact, the agent wasone of several planted inthe FBI to assist in cover-ing up cult activities. Hewas participating in a se-cret ritual when the de-mon they summoned gotaway from them, forcingthem all to flee.
Can the heroes trackdown the FBI agent? Willhe talk? And where is thedemon now?
Seattle Police DepartmentPrecinct 33
Seattle, WA 98102
Crime Scene Report
Case Number:67-6-6131
Offense:homicide
Victim:Martin Kelso DOB:7/13/80
Victim:Evelyn Gephardt DOB:9/04/81
Location:University R&R, 316 Calderon Road, Billiard room
Time:approximately 0100-0300 hours
Means: apparently ritual torture/mutilation
Weapons: apparently curved knife or sickle (not found)
Details:Reporting officer arrived at University R&R, 316 Calderon Road at 0310 hours, in re-
sponse to a report of a possible homicide. Witnesses reported seeing several unclothed and bloody men and women exit University R&R and drive away in a gray van.
R/O entered business (temporarily closed by Excise) and discovered bodies of college stu-dents. Bodies had been attached to billiard tables with leather straps and ritually tortured anddesecrated. Internal organs had been removed and placed in jars. R/O found occult symbolsdrawn in blood on floor, along with candles and unidentified powder. Cleaning supplies werefound nearby, along with thirteen suits of street clothing. No identification was found, exceptfor those belonging to victims.
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TRANSMISSIONS Copyright Wizards of the Coast, 2001. Allrights reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Gamemaster Hints
The Journal entry was written by 22-year-old Andrew âSandyâ Irvine who, along with notedclimber George Mallory, was part of a Britishascent of Mt. Everest in 1924-29 years beforethe historic climb of Sir Edmund Hillary andTenzing Norgay. When they disappeared onJune 8 only a few hundred meters below thesummit, they were assumed to have died in theascent. Malloryâs preserved body was found inMay of 1999, lending credence to this opinion.However, Irvineâs body, along with the camerathey took with them that day, has never beenfound.
Did Irvine also perish on Everest, or did heencounter something unusual near the summit? A Grey station-ship is hidden in the area, and
both the yeti and the Kha-glor monks have beenknown to wander throughout the Himalayas.Perhaps he was rescued from death by one ofthese beings. And who knows what picturesmight still be preserved within the Kodak Vest-pocket Model B camera he carried?For more on this mystery, check out the follow-ing websites:www.mountainzone.comwww.everestnews.com/jochen5.htmwww.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/lost/mystery/
This Article first appeared in Dragon Magazine #273, by Andy Collins, JD Wiker and Jeff âZippyâ Quick.
Mallory is already gone, and I do not believe I shall
survive this night. I should never have let him talk me
into the ascent. When Somervell and Norton bothfailed, we should have realized that âSagarmathaâ
didnât want her summit reached. I had thought the
Sherpas merely superstitious after the deaths of
Shamsherpun and Manbahadur earlier in the climb,
but I should have heeded their warnings.
I have begun hallucinating. I see figures in the
darkness, standing just beyond my vision. I call out to
them, thinking that Odell and the others have come
to rescue me, but they never answer. I would fear in-
sanity, though I believe it academic, since I wonât livelong enough to be examined by any doctor. Perhaps
the photos I have taken with Odellâs camera will one
day be recovered by those who have come after us.
The last of my oxygen will soon be gone. After
that, I imagine death will feel much like a welcome
slumber, though in this case it will be the Grim
Reaper, and not Morpheus, who comes to greet me.
Monster or mugger?
By Paulette Findlay
Along with the Pacific Northwest and Scotlandâs Loch Ness, Cas-tle Creek might have its own âmystery monster.â Not only does itappear to be real, but itâs also a little short on cash.
Police discovered local resident Justin Fernbach in a stream be-
hind Whitleyâs Tavern, the apparent victim of a robbery. But the bruised and bloody Fernbach claims that he had been attacked bya âmonsterâ â one that mauled him before running away with hiswallet.
âIt looked like a man, but bigger,â Fernbach told reporters. âitgrabbed me when I was getting into my truck and threw me all theway to the creekâ â a distance of almost 50 feet, say police, whowhile not corroborating Fernbachâs statement, arenât denying iteither.
Gamemaster HintsThis adventure hook introducesthe heroes to a new kind of life-form: the throwback. A throwbackis a human of a variety not seenfor centuries, but somehow borntoday (perhaps as a mutation, ordue to a long, hidden line of paral-lel human development). Thethrowback is an alien to the cul-ture of modern man, respondingonly to its own needs for food andshelter.
The throwback that attackedJustin Fernbach did so because it
felt threatened. After throwing himinto the ditch behind the tavern, itpummeled him until other humansappeared, then fled into a nearbywoods. There, it lurks safely hid-denâthough a nearby land devel-opment is scheduled to destroythe woods. When the bulldozersarrive, the throwback will attackthe drivers to defend its home.The heroes must stop it, or thedevelopment project, before thathappens.
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