Guy & 9Volt's Sneak Peek: A couple of notable locations
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:57 pm
One of the things we wanted to do with our sourcebook was flesh out (to some extent) a little more of the Splicers world. Not to completely map it out, but merely to add a few more unique locations or features. We both felt the actual "world" of Splicers should remain fairly ambigious, giving the GMs a chance to shape it into whatever they may want. We just wanted to add a little spice to the mix. So, enjoy a sneak peek at some rough drafts.
Monolith Mountain
“A mountain like this would have never formed naturally. Just another thing to thank the Machine for."
The tallest mountain on the planet, Monolith Mountain was likely a result of the Machine’s continent reshaping; the peak juts out at too sharp an angle to be natural. From its base, Monolith dwarfs other known mountains, approaching a peak height of a little over 45,000ft. Even the Machine finds Monolith Mountain inhospitable, and N.E.X.U.S. forces usually give the jagged peaks a wide berth. However, Resistance forces can't really use this to their advantage.
Much of Monolith Mountain is constantly shrouded in snow, ice, and intense thunderstorms. Combined with its extreme height and angle, Monolith has thus far proven to be unassailable, even with the assistance of advanced bio-technology. However, this doesn’t stop some daring individuals and groups from attempting the climb; bones and frozen remains of the foolish are a fairly regular sight. Few climbers make it to the upper slopes, and fewer still return to tell the tale. Those scant few who have returned swear the mountain is alive and tell tales of avalanches and snowstorms beginning without warning and crevices and pits that seem to open and close of their own accord. Even more horrifying are the tales brought back of strange, winged humanoids that stalk and attack climbers and travelers.
The Bastion
“In the final days of the Great Purging, humanity was forced to make a last, desperate stand and the Bastion was created. Guess we all know how it turned out.”
According to the few known historical records, The Bastion was intended to house and protect the greatest military and civilian minds from the forces of N.E.X.U.S. while a winning strategy was designed and implemented. Outfitted with state of the art equipment and enough provisions to last for years, the Bastion was intended to withstand any siege and provide safe haven for mankind’s best and brightest. Beyond this scant information, the Resistance hasn’t been able to find any other information or records regarding the project or its inhabitants.
On the surface, the Bastion appears to be a collection of low, square, buildings resembling large warehouses. The buildings have been heavily damaged, and, at a quick glance, would appear to be devoid of any worth. However, early records indicate that the majority of the Bastion is located underground. Many in the Resistance feel that if explored properly, the Bastion could be a treasure trove of stockpiled weapons, lost technology, and desperately needed supplies. Unfortunately, with the advent of the nanoplague, the actual worth of the items is questionable. However, the lure of the unknown is enough to appeal to many determined treasure hunters and Techno Jackers.
To complicate any scavengers’ plans, N.E.X.U.S. forces have the buildings of the Bastion surrounded and seem to be locked in a long term siege. The areas around the Bastion are pockmarked with impact craters, decimated foliage, spent ammunition casings, and other signs of combat. Much of the land has been nearly flattened from long term firefights. The debris of Machine forces are scattered across the entire area; in some places, piles of destroyed Machine troops reach almost 10ft. high. Numerous unconfirmed accounts report of beings attacking N.E.X.U.S. forces with advanced weapons, military grade vehicles, and even robotic troops. Who this faction is or where they originate from is unknown; thus far, no one has been successful in making contact of any kind and no House claims to have troops in the Bastion. An even greater mystery is, if these forces are human, how are they able to negate the effects of the nanovirus?
At this point, no one knows what secrets could be gained from the Bastion forces. Being focused purely on survival, the Houses have ignored the Bastion until recently. A few of the Houses are now making serious plans and strategies to make contact (and possibly ally with) the forces of the Bastion.
Monolith Mountain
“A mountain like this would have never formed naturally. Just another thing to thank the Machine for."
The tallest mountain on the planet, Monolith Mountain was likely a result of the Machine’s continent reshaping; the peak juts out at too sharp an angle to be natural. From its base, Monolith dwarfs other known mountains, approaching a peak height of a little over 45,000ft. Even the Machine finds Monolith Mountain inhospitable, and N.E.X.U.S. forces usually give the jagged peaks a wide berth. However, Resistance forces can't really use this to their advantage.
Much of Monolith Mountain is constantly shrouded in snow, ice, and intense thunderstorms. Combined with its extreme height and angle, Monolith has thus far proven to be unassailable, even with the assistance of advanced bio-technology. However, this doesn’t stop some daring individuals and groups from attempting the climb; bones and frozen remains of the foolish are a fairly regular sight. Few climbers make it to the upper slopes, and fewer still return to tell the tale. Those scant few who have returned swear the mountain is alive and tell tales of avalanches and snowstorms beginning without warning and crevices and pits that seem to open and close of their own accord. Even more horrifying are the tales brought back of strange, winged humanoids that stalk and attack climbers and travelers.
The Bastion
“In the final days of the Great Purging, humanity was forced to make a last, desperate stand and the Bastion was created. Guess we all know how it turned out.”
According to the few known historical records, The Bastion was intended to house and protect the greatest military and civilian minds from the forces of N.E.X.U.S. while a winning strategy was designed and implemented. Outfitted with state of the art equipment and enough provisions to last for years, the Bastion was intended to withstand any siege and provide safe haven for mankind’s best and brightest. Beyond this scant information, the Resistance hasn’t been able to find any other information or records regarding the project or its inhabitants.
On the surface, the Bastion appears to be a collection of low, square, buildings resembling large warehouses. The buildings have been heavily damaged, and, at a quick glance, would appear to be devoid of any worth. However, early records indicate that the majority of the Bastion is located underground. Many in the Resistance feel that if explored properly, the Bastion could be a treasure trove of stockpiled weapons, lost technology, and desperately needed supplies. Unfortunately, with the advent of the nanoplague, the actual worth of the items is questionable. However, the lure of the unknown is enough to appeal to many determined treasure hunters and Techno Jackers.
To complicate any scavengers’ plans, N.E.X.U.S. forces have the buildings of the Bastion surrounded and seem to be locked in a long term siege. The areas around the Bastion are pockmarked with impact craters, decimated foliage, spent ammunition casings, and other signs of combat. Much of the land has been nearly flattened from long term firefights. The debris of Machine forces are scattered across the entire area; in some places, piles of destroyed Machine troops reach almost 10ft. high. Numerous unconfirmed accounts report of beings attacking N.E.X.U.S. forces with advanced weapons, military grade vehicles, and even robotic troops. Who this faction is or where they originate from is unknown; thus far, no one has been successful in making contact of any kind and no House claims to have troops in the Bastion. An even greater mystery is, if these forces are human, how are they able to negate the effects of the nanovirus?
At this point, no one knows what secrets could be gained from the Bastion forces. Being focused purely on survival, the Houses have ignored the Bastion until recently. A few of the Houses are now making serious plans and strategies to make contact (and possibly ally with) the forces of the Bastion.
Bad Guy, Bad. 
Whoops. To qoute a wiser person than I: