Wednesday 15 January 2020

The Secret of Cyborg Hill
























On my wanted page on this blog i put a list of past reviews, theory, game scene and other bile. Lots changed since I did some of those and posts mentioning ppl I no longer have any  dealing with, and lots of things have changed at companies I might have been critical of.

So I want to rebuild Module L1 The Secret of Bone Hill as a start off my new Planet Psychon game. I can get my oldschool dnd vibe and my post apoc fix at same time. I will test my evil space god stuff soon too. So players will float to shore without a clue how they got here but memory of being rescued from some disaster.

I might consider Garrotten in there from L2 but it doesnt seem to use lots of L1 as promised. But I might just get Baron killed and monsters invade and wreck the joint and move party onward. Garottem might be village near Kroten Keep the only operating castle on island left.

Did find a typo on map - garden peak is guardian peak in book
Lots of references to how castle is useless until you get L2 not strictly true

History

Known background:

Long ago settlers came here to take advantage of good land and harbour. They were welcomed by the old people (eldren) who taught humans how to fight the evil mutant and goblin hordes of the north. A generation of special knights defended all but when the castle of cyborg hill was destroyed the old folk were mostly gone. the few left don't talk about it but now live among us. Forces of evil are still present and the village is always on guard and in need of adventurers. Most of local adventurers sleep on garden hill eating wild berries roots and bark when not drunk. The Baron is too snooty to employ them.

Real Background: 

The Island was mostly a wasteland of toxic waste with hills and mutant monsters to the north. There is also a strange shunned alien stone ruin that was in the north before any written records. Mutants and undead covered the island tainted by bioweapons of the ancients. The Eldren came back from the stars and established 4 several outposts and purified part of the land. They settled their new friends to serve them, goblinoids.  They were aliens from Tau Ceti V taken by eldren on their trips from the stars and mixed with human DNA. When goblinoids revolted eldren tried to make some orcs which revolted then hired hyena men mercs made by a corporate AI to fight for them which also rebelled.

Finally they captured human to make into warrior cyborgs to defend them. The more boblins were pushed the more other castes appeared as per their own genetics. Hobgoblins then bugbears were born and became plentiful overwhelming the eldren. Then bugbears invaded the Eldren castle. The eldren were all killed by humanoids and most of the cyborgs died and became undead from contamination in the Dead Forest. The surviving cyborgs and other humans slaves settled the purified land and built a fishing village. Some settled other parts of the island and three new colonies held by a Baron formed. Humanoids hated eldren and didnt care about humans who were just eldren goons. Two of these areas, Lodeville and Silverton fell into poverty and ruin and the northern Kroten Keep has fallen to evil and now plots against Restenford. Many strange cults sprang up on island too but most are secret.

The cyborg knights who served the godlike eldren feature in the religion of these people and they appear in artworks little realising the cyborgs were expendable slaves used by immortals. The surviving eldren in town are quiet about the history and the former humans were charmed and forgot the past.

Locations:


Restenford
Human mostly town where most are chaoitic nuetral with most clergy, guards and nobles being more lawful and or good. The Baron is mostly busy but his wife and daughter with guards wander about occasional. Rif raf will not be admitted to castle unless they get jobs or are local heroes.

Druids worship Gaea AI and know some of the true history

Abbey of Paragon (originally Phaulkon) are lawful holy warriors who revere the cyborg knight saints of old and perpetuate myths about the island. One priest has been cursed and has a personality that worships Evil Otto after getting lost in his evil mirror maze on a quest.

Guards have muskets with blades and officers have pistols and swords
-and baron has a las pistol
-felix has a 5mm combat rifle and a pet drone with a 6shot mortar with smoke rounds

Cults in are as I detailed before
-witch cult with cave for peasants they are at war with the alien cult of the rich
-a ufo alien lover cult of posh local elites seeking power (one in baron's family)
-evil undead demon cultist in league with Kroten Keep.

Peltar the sorcerer collects relics like ancient tech buried in ruins

A spy for Kroten Keep in town too in bait shop

Swamp is a toxic waste area with drums, polluted water, warheads, mutants
-toxic undead and mutants hang out so nobody bothers them, live in filthy shacks
Town guard shoot them on sight, some use them as cheap labour

Luck Temple of Dweomer Forest

The luck temple in Dweomer Forest
-has one armed bandit robots and being a ruined casino
-has terminals to commune or play games with god
-a gambling mad AI god should have been in game already!


Bald Hill
Gang of orc here use muskets and black powder and rob travellers. They live in a cave overlooking the plane wreck near Xerbal mountains but hang around Bald hill to spot travellers.

Garden Hill

Tent city of failed adventurers
-ranger knows several locations
-assasin works for pay doesn't talk much
-broke wizard is a sad drunk
-orc warrior who cant believe the local bumpkins

Trash Gorge

Some have noticed the trash in the gorge gets added to by someone and some good stuff and tin cans end up there even some processed food scraps.

Ark Hill

Haunted and people wary but actually there is a bunker here with some population and machines. Secret sewer entrance through the rubbish dump in the gulley.

Radd Forest

Contaminated and feral mutants live here who hate humans and eldren

Green Knoll

a Forrest crawling with triffids, vegepigmies and mutant plants. Some kind of buried ruin is here according to rumours.

Spring Glade - Pebble Hills - Spring Glade - Tri-Top

Hyenadon and hyena abhumanoids live here brought in as mercenaries centuries ago. Some wear bits of uniforms and company crests for a ancient corporation and they still worship their AI godess Maltor mother of beast folk. They have reduced to mostly stone age tech and whatever they can steal.

Boat Wreck of SS Beluga

A wrecked cruise ship inhabited by fish folk colony and hybrids

Plane Wreck of Flight 742

Passengers are undead and android stewards care for them

Off the Map


Kroten Keep 
in north ruled by a evil Baron who wants to control Island and has been allying himself with goblins and cults. Baron Kroten hopes to recruit Hyena but agent has failed. Even has undead soldiers with musket using skeletons. I might make the village near by Garroten populated by assassin but has nice theatre which should really be a assassin training place. Possibly assassins mostly leave island as i cant believe a few thousand would support a assassin cult. Perhaps they keep area safe with assassination rather than supported by murder for hire. Thinking might have been corrupted. Who'd a thought assassins would go bad. Humans came here and built castle to block humanoids from north.

Knights of Kroten keep ride outside and are bandits over the island returning home when things get rough. More orcs and goblins walk openly here now and some human hybrids exist. 
Robber knights and goblins pretty much run the place. The Baron of Silverton is helpful and a pawn. Lodeville is a principle enemy who fight often. Restenford is spied on as they dont want war with two sides. The Baron keeps the best armoury of ancient weapons on island but will only use in self defence.

Assassin cult - all have commoner ID some possibly performers, keep friend and foe in fear
Dark Chapel - evil Templar clerics serve the Baron, he is high priest, serve demons and deals with goblins.
Fish Cult - operate along rivers spying on other districts using mentalist and illusions, kidnap and traffic drugs and vice. Shipwreck near Restenford is a holy place and many visit town on way.

Lodeville 

In north east is a run down shambles where cultists have become increasingly open. Were some mines but morlocks sealed them as humans too degenerate for them to work with or eat. Baron Lodeville hopes to join Baron Kroten. He is a brute with a private militia who bully the town. Local mob and Baron loves witch hunting even though the witches are only thing holding place together. Many women are witches and have close community. Many women want to leave and do. Lots of men worship evil dwarfs in hill and their worm master. Other men worship  People are often short and ugly and distantly morlock slaves with some masters blood. Some have subterranean mutations.  
Local men are jerks, picking fights, getting drunk, rioting, and helping cults. What are you looking at is heard every hundred yards if visiting village and verbal abuse more often... At night cult of the dark voice glean over human mines scraps for minerals masters want but fear the worm cult. Cults have gang fights. They act as rival thieves guilds too. Local baron supports local church of Paragon, and believes scourging his evil sub human people is for the best so they go to heaven. Baron personally beheads cult criminals as the Paladin of the North. Even his family fear him and he killed a bastard son for dabbling in a cult. Lodeville was settled by humans seeking mines for iron to keep elves and demons away. They found degenerate slaves of the morlocks and rescued them and drove morlocks into certain mines. As prospectors and fur trappers explored mountain they heard alien voices and were recruited agents. Burrowing six foot venomous worms are common here use snake stats. 


Burrowers Brotherhood - worship a great beast worm god thing, cult came from morlock slaves, evil demigod worm burrows the hill helping miners for sacrifice. They interact with morlocks in the mine and bring them victims and sacrifices. Cult have tunnels everywhere
Dark Voice Thralls - help the whisperers in the darkness who talk in alien voices to prophets in the mountain forests at night. The cult do the voices bidding seeking materials and gleaning minerals humans dig up but don't value. These are void fungi, a space fearing race of alien winged fungus with brain like head and bug lobster pincers and shrimp like limbs but squishy and slimy. They also surgically modify good followers granting powers and inconveniences (surgical mutation table). They fear the great worm
Starblood Coven - witch cult of sorceresses who try to protect community from the worm and the dark voice. Local Baron loves witch hunting so they act in secret. They prefer to help in secret but might save someone anyway. They have a secret cave grotto members only. Most leaders and members are women. Only share certain information or deal with women in groups. Give strangers notes of warning.

Silverton 

in west has fallen to ruin and mutant raid, many locals exhibiting sickness. Baron is bloated decadent and greedy and fears adventurers want to take over, He is swathed in luxury and hedonistic vice using thugs to run the town. Officially he uses local chapel but worships a corpulent plague demon. Several cults here too one the Baron controls. Lots of mutants in area and they are common and accepted here. Doppelgangers are here too in secret.

Dark Chapel - evil templar clerics serve the Baron of Kroten, he is high priest, serve demons
Maalek the Plague Lord - spares worshippers but makes them carriers, promises immortality and and undying life of greed and gorging while body rots and mutates. Local mutants are members too carrying necro mutations, bio mutations, devil mutations
Devil Cult - members sell souls so other evils don't get your soul, devils look after it and give you purpose and possibly devilish mutations.

Ruins of Cyborg Hill and Dead Forest 

Dead Forrest contaminated, save or become undead on death if camp here or eat or drink. Undead Forrest animals, skeletons, zombies, cyborg wights, green glowing screaming ghouls. By day bugbears are found.

Workshop in castle tower include lab gear, space suit, and a control console altar and other scrap of the ancients. 


Locations to add
A small ruined city of the old ones....
Perhaps goblins live in a crashed eldren colony ship and hope to launch it
-in hiding from other goblinoids on island gone feral
A morlock hidden lair with eldren eloi might be good as always
Some bunker ruins possibly several
Passages under island used for maintenance
Hyena Drop Ship partially buried
Mirror murder maze of evil otto full of killer robots


Further Notes
A major attack of humanoids and robber knights of Kroten will be good

Next I might re use beaver island setting i used for gamma world and maybe Pittsburgh

I Notice Len Lakofka has no toilets in module of course
No surprise as he got grumpy in a thread about topic
Nobody wants toilet in a dungeon!

Psychonian Skins

Most humans are various skin colours and children here can be any colour
-Barrons family are all purple skinned with silver hair, all barrons on island are kin
Eldren are green skinned with gold metalic hair
Morlock dwarves are blue skinned with white hair
Gnomes are emerald green skinned with aqua hair
-they want a atomic battery to restart light house

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