Arcus (Part Two: Dragon Lords of New Freehold)
West of Castle Refuge - - Colorado Area and Great Barrier Mountains (Starts May 20, 2019)
A lot of info is posted here, however the main thing to take away from this post is at the very bottom of this post. This is a Pre-Combat post.
Part One wrote: The CS SF SAMAS are all destroyed by the group. The sky boat of warrior mages is blown to smithereens. The CS in the DHT are tossed out and collectively the Party manages to land the DHT, which is then secured and stolen as a prize (lootz!).
The Lyn-Srial cloud city continues to soar westward and the DHT, although shot to hell, still works and heads west adjacent the city of Arcus.
Sky Knights continue to patrol the air and the last Jazz Vipers airlift attack shuttle zooms around on patrol.
The Legion members are called upon by Commander Haste to assemble in the cities HQ for a debriefing.
Your new ride:
Gathering in the small building of the Arcus Security compound, located on the floating cloud city, the Players are addressed the Lyn-Srial, Sky Knight, Cyber Knight, and Arcus Commander, Reeth Haste:
"We will be flying past the city of New Freehold, located where Denver Colorado once stood. I am concerned that as we pass either the Gargoyles of Gargoyle Springs or the Dragon Lords of Denver, now New Freehold, might either attack or demand tribute. I need you to scout ahead of Arcus and pay a visit to the Dragon Lords. Negotiate a passage fee and secure the promise of safety from the Gargoyles."
Commander Haste tells you what he knows about the Barrier Mountains and Dragon Kings:
Commander Haste continues:History of the Great Barrier Mountains (Not vital to read for story, just background details):
“Sir! Get down!” As the entire room fluxed and shifted the Secret Service Juicer moved to stand before the President of the United States. Even the augmented serviceman couldn't keep up with the ever changing environment and onslaught of creatures pouring into the USAF commanders room. - 2098 December, the end of days, NORAD.
Chaos Earth is the Apocalypse and the definitive end of the Golden Age. Across the globe, billions of people perish in an instant, and many more suffer from the Earth being torn asunder by the return of magic and the Coming of the Rifts. This wave of death is just the first, followed by countless more. The people of the Golden Age witness their world violently devolve from a prosperous age of science and technological advancements, into a demon-infested, war-torn hell. Their entire world is turned upside down in a matter of minutes.
In North America, despite NEMA’s heroism and technology, the emergence of the Blue Zones (Ley Lines) has brought with them otherworldly demons and monsters. Every corner of the globe experiences their own private hell, all similar, but also each geographically unique. Every city, state, and country on Earth has its own particular trials to deal with.
In the initial hours of the Great Cataclysm, the Yellowstone caldera erupts with merciless fury, likely killing the President of the United States, who was sheltering in the Cheyenne Mountain installation located in Colorado. At 9:45 p.m., December 23, day two, magma erupts 20 miles (32 km) into the stratosphere, sulfur fills the air, rock, and lava and ash cascade down across the western United States. The President is never heard from again, and is presumed dead as the shifting Great Barrier Mountains erupt in a massive flux, transforming the Great Divide into something completely foreign and alien in nature.
The entire world feels the effects of this massive volcanic eruption, as well as many others. Global temperatures plummet freezing worldwide. This eruption at Yellowstone covers most of the Western half of the United States of America in a nearly un-survivable ash-fall. The rest of the country is affected as well, though not as severely. The shifting Great Barrier disperses some of the airborne ash through open dimensional portals.
The Mountain States include Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. These vast areas of mid west America are a great barrier separating the East and West. During the Golden Ages Montana, New Mexico and Arizona were also considered part of the region. These three former U.S. States have been explored to some extent, their secrets opened to the people of the East. The former U.S. States of Colorado, west of the Colorado Baronies, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming are still mostly unexplored in the Post Apocalyptic world of Rifts.
The Rocky Mountains are larger and shaped differently than they were before the Coming of the Rifts. The Great Cataclysm and eruption of the Yellowstone Super volcano reshaped much of the region, the Rockies included. There are portions of where the side of a mountain vanished, new peaks and hills appeared, and areas where a mountain is 50-100 feet taller or considerably lower. New mountain valleys, crevices and rivers are part of the Rockies of Rifts Earth. Inhabitants are limited to Native Americans, small bands of adventurers, solitary predators, hermits, hunters, trappers, and those looking to escape civilization or the law.
The Rockies are known as the Great Barrier Wall, although not a true wall, these peaks and valleys have acted like a wall between the east and west. Post Rifts scholars know that some sort of catastrophe of epic proportions happened in a place once known as the Yellowstone National Park. Whatever that disaster was, it reshaped that part of the country, altering the Rockies themselves. Scholars know it probably had something to do with volcanic eruptions and extreme seismic activity, and the return of Ley Lines, Nexus Points and magic to Rifts Earth.
The legend of NORAD persists and is supposedly located in the Rockies somewhere, and according to Pre Rifts books, located in Colorado. Countless expeditions from Lazlo, the Coalition States and others have had no luck locating this mysterious facility.
After the fall of Tolkeen the Dragon Kings left the area. Many simply left Earth. Many relocated to Denver, the mile high city bordering the Great Barrier. New Freehold was build over the ruins of Denver.
Ruins of Denver when Dragon Kings first arrivedThe Dragon Kings are the new power in the area. If Arcus has any hopes of passing through the area it will need to convince the Dragon Kings to not attack it or allow the Gargoyles in the area to attack Arcus.
Denver Colorado, aka. New Freehold today
A large amount of Gargoyles call the ruins of Colorado Springs home.Gargoyle Springs
"I am asking you to jump onboard your newly looted DHT and fly ahead of Arcus, to the City of New Freehold. We will need the Dragon Kings help in stopping the 'goyles of Gargoyle Springs from raiding the city. Please, go see the Kings and ask for their protection. Be careful and on guard for attacking Gargoyles or Brodkil on your way. Negotiate our passage into the Great Barrier Wall. The city of Arcus can front a maximum of 500 thousand gold to the Kings. If you can go lower please do!"
Steps to Success wrote: YOU need to seek an audience with the Dragon Kings & convince the Dragon Kings to provide safe passage to Arcus. (A SWADE Social Conflict will occur).
FIRST, HERE BEGINS YOUR FLIGHT TO NEW FREEHOLD:
While in route to New Freehold you are all aboard (in, around, etc) the newly acquired DHT when the proximity radar alert sounds to alert you of incoming targets. What are you each doing and where are you? Are you in the DHT or zooming around outside with a Jazz Pack? Whoever looks at radar will see incoming flying target approaching the DHT. Once they are in range I will roll out Initiate rolls. It looks like 12 targets incoming. RP until then.
GM NOTE: There are no NPCs with you. Although one may join you later if needed. Please help set up the scene with an introduction post each on where you are and what you are doing on the trip. A full day will pass from the time you leave Arcus to when you are first seeing targets on the radar. Interact and "get to know each other". You are in the region of old Colorado, the Rockies are in the distance and visible.
This is ORP (open Roleplaying) and anyone can join in at any time, regardless of if you were part on Part One or not! Enjoy! - Lars