Fortean Times in Telestia
Telestia Setting Overview1920s Fortean Horror and Mystery.
Inspired by parts of literature of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other Sothothic authors, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Robert Ervin Howard, Samuel Butler, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alex Raymond, and others. Weve taken aspects of X-Files, Dresden Files, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Supernatural, Grimm, Friday the 13th Series, Warehouse 13, Gravity Falls, Constantine, Shadow Hunters, and American Gods that we liked, but set in 1920s.
Telestia (an actual word) is what the interplanetary community (which at this time period does not include Hyoomans) refer to as Earth. The common term to refer to earth humans is usually pithecines, sometimes Telestial Pithecines, or derisively as dirt-pithecines.
Va-Nah is what the native inhabitants of the Pellucdiar-type below ground wildlife preserve call Telestias Moon, Luna. It has mostly amphibian and reptilian life, but two human type tribal inhabitants and one non-humanish type quadruped. Most are hunter-gatherers or pastorialists depending on terrain. Total population of about 8 million people in 46 separate underground wildlife preserves. About 90% of the population lives in one of 8 wildlife preserves, known as Rook, Cordillera, Haemus, Caucasus, Jura, Apenninus, Carpatus, and Alpes. Major settlements are about 200 ts miles apart on average, usually the nearest is about 50 miles away. Because of gravity issues, the delicate but numerous Selenites are rarely found outside Va-Nah.
Venus is known as Amtor to the local inhabitants. Venus does not have a breathable atmosphere on the surface. All the Amtorian societies live on isolated artificial floating islands built ages ago by people more advanced than the current Amtorians. At about 50-65 kilometres above the surface of Amtor, it is standard temperature and pressure, about 1 Atmosphere and about 70 degrees F. At standard pressure and temperature, breathable air is a lifting gas on Amtor that way Helium, Hydrogen and hot air is a lifting gas on Telestia. Instead of Islands, the Amtorians reside in immense floating sky cities inside giant balloons filled with breathable oxygen/nitrogen air. The largest such sky city, called Neith. Neith is the name of the moon people used to think orbited Venus, but turns out not to be true.
Mars is known as Barsoom by it inhabitants, is all underground and a few domed above ground cities. The surface is still mostly pristine desert wasteland. Several underground lava domes on Barsoom are 500 meters in diameter, but also lava tubes which are 30 meters wide and scores of kilometers long. All enclosed and climate controlled, it is how they can all run around wearing nothing except jewelry and neither freeze to death or worry about solar radiation or pesky insects. The last remaining native Barsoomians died out sometime around the 1940s from the same diseases which killed off the Sarmak during their attempted invasion of Surrey, England and Grover Mills, New Jersey in 1899.
Vulcan is a 5 kilometer diameter prison asteroid which orbits between Mercury and the Sun at about 0.16 AU, just below the melting point of iron on the surface, it houses 1700 prisoners.
Mongo is an inhabited Ceres Scale Asteroid between the orbit of Barsoom and Telestia, that orbits very oblique to the plane of the ecliptic, so only crosses the vectors astronomers commonly observe the solar system in twice a year for a day or two. Hollowed out cityscapes about 10 kilometers in diameters, and 22 kilometers between them, there are 1000 such zones. 20 of them are cities. 80 rural, 270 pastorial, 260 forested, 80 scrub and brush and swamp, 200 are desert, 100 are arctic wastes. Total population is about 9 million. Ming becomes emperor in 1920, prior to that, Ming's father Krang rules the most powerful state, but he has 8 rivals. Rotating on its axis about once every 2 minutes, it has about 2/3rd Terrestrial Normal Gravity. Krang/Ming of Mongo have a kind of gentlemans agreement with the Mantodeans of Zillikian (AnteChthon) to help keep the Kurii in check. Mongo gets a lot of advanced technology out of the deal. Krangs agents are always on the prowl for new advances in technology in their self-perceived arms race.
Zillikia (AnteChthon) is counter-earth, also known as Gloria (for some reason) theorized by philosophers since Telestias Bronze Age. Supposedly an Earthlike planet on the exact opposite orbit of Earth so always out of their view, but in this case it is actually a Ceres scale Asteroid, will 100 hollowed out inhabitable zones. Another inhabited Ceres Scale Asteroid, but much less developed than Mongo. Hollowed out city scapes about 10 kilometers in diameters, and 90 kilometers between them, 100 such zones. 2 of them are cities. 8 rural, 20 pastorial, 20 forested, 20 scrub and brush and swamp, 20 are desert, 10 are arctic wastes. Total population just under a million. It does not sound like much but about 1/5th of the United States at the time Tamaris visited. Kept by the Insectoid Mantodeans who have been kidnapping Telestian humans for thousands of years and keeping them there as a kind of game preserve, not allowing them advancement in technology beyond medieval pre-gunpowder levels.
The sworn enemy of the Mantodeans, are the lupine-like Kurii, who have been prevented from invading Earth and Zillikia/AnteChthon/Gloria by the Mantodeans and Krang of Mongo. They are from another solar system entirely, their home planet uninhabitable by their reckless neglect. These hostile refugee's mostly inhabit their giant kilometers diameter ark-ship, named Phaeton, somewhere in the outer asteroid belt. There might be a million Kurii. Phaeton is the name of the planet that was supposedly destroyed by a collision, the asteroid belt is its debris.
Thanator, known to us as the Jupiter's Moon Callisto.
Nemesis, Nibiru, Tyche, Hyperion, Chiron, Themis, Planet 9 and Planet 10 all exist in some fashion. We only got to visit Nibiru, which is a Trantorian Outpost in the Kuiper Belt.
MEANWHILE, BACK ON TELESTIA
The Lost City of Opar exists, it becomes completely abandoned about 50 years after the time of our visit, but signs of serious decline were already evident. Opar was a 'lost city' existing in the Congo River Valley area, inhabited by supposed Atlanteans (from Crete and Minos) who interbred with pre-human hominids, possibly gigantipithicines or Neanderthals (also known as the Zen Masters of the Neander Valley). I read that Opar was totally abandoned by sometime in the mid to late 1930s.
Caspak and Pellucidar exist in some form. Dinosaurs. Caspak is a near Antarctic island wildlife preserve above ground. Pellucidar is a near Arctic island wildlife preserve below ground.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Telestian scientific accomplishments, Frankenstein's Creature, goes by the name Deucalion (and sometimes known as Dane for some reason), was still roaming about.
Most mineral asset management takes place in the asteroid belt and on a few moons in the outer solar system. Other than some radioactive minerals like Uranium, using coerced (by force or fraud) usually by the Reticulans and the Reptiloids, there is not a great deal of extraction activity on the Telestian surface. Helium-3 is extracted covertly on the far side of Luna, on Barsoom, and a few other deep space locales.
The Yugguthians (Migo), Yakshtondians (Flying Polyps), Xotherians (Star Spawn of Cthulhu), Elderians, Yithians (flying polyps), Yekubians (mind swapping giant centipedes), Lloigor (telepathic theropods), The Shan (Insects from Shaggai), the Atlach-Nacha (giant spiders), DevaNagaRaga (Naga's, snakelike bodies), and Garudas (uppity blue bird people with 6 arms from Andromeda), all possess some form of spaceflight. Technically, these are all actual residents of Telestia (Earth), and have been so for tens of thousands (Nagas and Garudas) to tens and hundreds of millions of years in some cases. None of them have substantial numbers.
The Garudas are related to the Arcturans (who, like the Lloigor and Yekubians are originally from Andromeda (an awful place)), but have been resident on Telestia for nearly 70,000 years. The Garudas long for the simpler times of the Zen Masters of the Neander Valley and not these pesky uppity hyoomons (who they call pithecines)
Other solar system powers with spaceflight as we commonly think about it are Mongo, the Lupine-like Urii, Insectoid (Mantis) Mantodeans, and the Sarmek. Mongo has maybe 9 million people, but it has many many internal issues is almost continually fending off civil war. The Kurii have substantial numbers, but we dont know how many, and are locked into a protracted conflict with the Mantodeans. The Mantodeans are relatively few, but are very advanced compared to the Kurii and Mongo, and mostly uninterested of anything besides their pet projects.
There are also visiting Arcturans, human skin wearing and shapeshifting Alien Reptilian Overlords here to enslave humanity (you know, like Queen Elizabeth), Reticulans (The Grays), and of course the everyones favorite uppity Trantorians and their kin, ken and kith. None of which have substantial numbers.
There are some aquatic humanoid aliens. That is, roughly human shaped, two arms and two legs, fingers, toes, a head with eyes nose mouth and ears housing a brain. Not obviously human, nor specifically reptilian or something like that. They mostly keep to themselves and do not have substantial numbers
Arcturans, are advanced blue skinned lightly feathered humanoids with wings and six arms, are closely related to the Garudas. Not blue skinned humans, there are some anatomical differences, but humanoid shaped mostly. On Amtor, the Garudas' closest relatives are known as the Klangan and Weiroo. The Klangan, like the Vepajan (one of the Amtorian human-like varieties), are subject to slavery raids by the revolutionary Thorans (one of the Amtorian human-like varieties).
Four types of reptilians. Aquatic, big stompy lizard people like Gorn which includes the ones that disguise themselves wearing human skin, and ones like Naga which have snake like tails, and the ones who walk like dinosaurs with weird bird hips. A few reptilian human hybrids, mostly just humans with scales, or slit eyes, maybe claws, a step above cosplay reptiles.
Reticulans are like the Roswell Greys or from Close Encounters.
There are a couple of insectoids who are sentient and technologically advanced besides just the Mantadoans, but also space dwelling Cosmozoans which are giant intelligent space-jellyfish and giant intelligent space-squid types who use Saturn and Jupiter as spawning grounds. The occasional Yaddithian pops up from time to time, tapir-nosed anthropoid insect-like scientists and wizard refugees from another galaxy.
The Barsoominan Sarmek's are those pesky Martian invaders with a weak immune system. Ultimately the diseases they bring back from Earth during their attempted invasion of Surrey, leads to the final extinction of Barsoom who will be extinct as a civilization by the 1940s. The Kaldanes (sometimes called Tunnel Crabs) are an arachnoid species which might be the only intelligent life which is actually truly indigenous to Barsoom. The Kaldanes might be related to the Sarmeks, my mom wanted to obtain samples so she could determine whether they were kin or kith,
The Valusians (Serpent/Lizard People), Thanatarians, Amtorians, and Barsoomians are advanced in many ways, but are not space faring civilizations. They (excluding the Valusians) have relatively large numbers, but are are in decline. I think they might all be virtually extinct by Telestias atom punk era.
Known Adventurers: Adam Adamant; Adam "Caliburn" Sinclair; Barnett "Midnight Man" Pasternak; Capitaine Jean "Rigged Man" Lebris; Chen "Fists of Legend" Zhen; Clark Savage Jr.; Doctor Charles McNider; Hugo "Gladiator" Danner; John Clayton II Viscount Greystoke; Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Monk Mayfair; Kit Christopher "The Phantom" Walker; Lamont "The Shadow" Cranston/Kent Allard; Madeline "The Creeper" Benoir; Master Mao Lung; Nikola Tesla; Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones; Sherlock Holmes; Steve "Balloon Buster" Savage (no relation to Clark)
Nefarious Types: Arnim Zola; Baron Helmut Zemo; Baron Karl Mordo; Baron Wolfgang Strucker; Earl "Black Eagle" Sanderson; Erik The Phantom of the Opera; Hawley Griffin; Jimmy "The Gray Seal" Dale; John "Scalphunter" Greycrow; Johnny Madrid; Lawrence "Ultra-Humanite" Luthor; Marie "Le Tocsin" LaSalle; Prince Alexander Zarkon; Richard "Tinkerer" Mason; Thomas "Spyder" Ludlow-Dalt.
Supernatural/Mystics: Abner Cadaver; Agatha Harkness; Alan "Green Lantern" Scott; Balthazar Blade; Boston "Deadman" Brand; Doctor Facilier; Hamilton "Ghost Rider" Slade; Jan "Alchemist" Arrah; Jebediah "The Tall Man" Morningside; John Coffey; La Signora "Madame la Morte" Morta; Lu-Tze; Mama Odie; Master Wong Fei-Hung; Melmouth; Morlun Devourer of Totems; Rory Regan; Yao "Ancient One";
Meddling Emmortals: Adam Destine; Adam Ducalion Frankenstein's Creature; Ahasver "Phantom Stranger" Ewiger; Albert Destine; Anath-Na "Sphinx" Mut; Andromeda; Brother "Mister Whisper" Manfred ; Captain John Carter; Casca "The Eternal Mercenary"; Colonel Jennifer Elizabeth Sparks; Connor McLeod; Count Graf Orlof; Count Vlad "the Impaler" Tepes; Cyrus "Solomon Grundy" Gold; Darkseid; Dolores Muertos; Drue "Deliverance"; En Dwi "Grandmaster" Ghast; Eva "Bride of Frankenstein" Lavenza; Gottfried Astronomer" Galle; Herbert Edgar "High Evolutionary" Wyndham; James Logan "Wolverine" Howlett; Jasmine Destine; Jeanette Báthory; Jeremiah "Confession" Parrish; John "Baron Blood" Falsworth; John "Martian Manhunter" Jones; John Hancock; John Marston; Juan Muertos; Kano "Possessor" Tharn; Kro; Lily "Baroness Blood" Cromwell; Living Mummy; Maht "Obliterator" Pacle; Master Izo; Michael Jon "Booster Gold" Carter; Montgomery "Union Jack" Falsworth; Nathanial "Kang the Conquerer" Richards; Nathanial "Mister Sinister" Essex; Nathanial "Rama Tut" Richards; Newton Destine; Niles "The Chief" Caulder; Ord "Gardener" Zyonyz; Plan "Yellowclaw" Chu; R'as Al Ghul; Raven "Mystique" Darkholme; Richard Wentworth (The Spider); Selene the Black Queen; Selene Underworld; Simon "Zombie" Garth; Talia Al Ghul; Taneleer "Collector" Tivan; Tath "Contemplator" Ki; Thanos; Thomas "Cutter" Creed; Trader; Triton; Tryco "Champion" Slatterus; Tzing "Mandarin" Jao; Ubu; Ulysses Bloodstone; Vandar Ang/Vandal Savage/Tubal-Cain/Kane/Qayin; Varnae; Vidar; Walter Destine; Wilhelmina Murray Harker
Paragons: Algrim "Kurse" Valgoth; Amora "Enchantress"; Aphrodite; Apollo; Ares; Artemis; Athena; Balder the Brave; Brunhilde "Valkyrie"; Circe; Diana "Wonder Woman" Princess; Dionysus; Eir Stegalkin; Fandral the Dashing; Frey; Frigga; Geb; Geirrodur; Gilad Anni-Padda; Gilgamesh; Giuana; Heimdall; Hela; Hephaestus; Hera; Hercules; Hermes; Hermod; Hestia; Hoder; Hogun the Grim; Horus; Idunn; Ikaris; Isis; Karnilla; Kulan Gath; Leir; Liandra the Fallen Angel; Loki Laufeyson; Lorelei; Malekith; Merlin; Modgud; Modred Pendragon; Morgan Le Fay; Nut; Nyola Xocoyotzin; Orion; Osiris; Poseidon; Runner; Seth; Sif; Sigyn; Skurge "Executioner"; Thor; Tyr; Vesta; Volla; Volstagg the Voluminous; Zeus
Besides Sothothics, difficult mystical supernatural types, troublesome extraterrestrials and other aliens, the machinations of nefarious masterminds, and manipulative immortals and paragons, there are also Prometheans (like Frankensteins creature); Nuvumbies (zombies, mummies, ghouls, and other soulless creatures and undead); vampires; garou (werewolves); geists (like ghosts); demons and fae, and other gothic horrors.
The Sol star system is a mess, but . mostly harmless.
None of the characters knows all of this. If they are lucky, the characters have a small inkling or clue to some small fraction of this. The objective is to learn about the truth of the world and universe and to see how it changes the character from the process the knowing.
While Fortean Times is survival horror, we like to have pulp-like adventurous characters, we love ourselves some true-grit two-fisted blazing 45s action. Please note, the genre is still survival horror, the characters are going to be outmatched, outnumbered, and overpowered. The victory conditions is to survive unnatural (fortean) macabre horror against overwhelming odds, hopefully with your life, limbs, and mental stability and those of your colleagues mostly intact. We draw inspiration from such popular movies as Big Trouble in Little China, Fists of Legend, The Mummy (the Brendan Frasier ones, not the Tom Cruise one), Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Shadow, The Rocketeer, The Phantom, Sky Captain World of Tomorrow, The Spirit, Tarzan, Doc Savage, Tarzan (oh so many), The Aviator, The Great Gatsby, Last Man Standing, Shadow of the Vampire, Passage to India, Anastasia, Murder on the Orient Express, Hansel & Gretel Appalachian, and the Untouchables. We draw literary inspiration from pulp heroes like Barnett "Midnight Man" Pasternak; Capitaine Jean "Rigged Man" Lebris; Chen "Fists of Legend" Zhen; Clark Savage Jr.; Doctor Charles McNider; Hugo "Gladiator" Danner; John Clayton II Viscount Greystoke; Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Monk Mayfair; Kit Christopher "The Phantom" Walker; Lamont "The Shadow" Cranston/Kent Allard; Madeline "The Creeper" Benoir; Master Mao Lung; Nikola Tesla; Oliver David Douglas "Daddy Warbucks" Warburton, Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones; Sherlock Holmes; Steve "Balloon Buster" Savage (no relation to Clark); and to a lesser extent by Arnim Zola; Baron Helmut Zemo; Baron Karl Mordo; Baron Wolfgang Strucker; Earl "Black Eagle" Sanderson; Erik The Phantom of the Opera; Hawley Griffin; Jimmy "The Gray Seal" Dale; John "Scalphunter" Greycrow; Johnny Madrid; Lawrence "Ultra-Humanite" Luthor; Marie "Le Tocsin" LaSalle; Prince Alexander Zarkon; Richard "Tinkerer" Mason; Thomas "Spyder" Ludlow-Dalt.
Disclaimers:
This is a skill based system, not a class based system. You will have to think thru what the character is like and what skills said character will need to realize the players vision for the character. You will need to think like a writer in character creation, then think like an actor in portraying said character. You will also be required to be your own stunt coordinator.
Setting is a sandbox, a lot of story elements out there waiting for the characters to run into them and intersect with the stories, not a linear story script. Out of character information will not be spoonfed, the characters will not be led them by the nose. If the players decide to be smart-ass trolls and purposely bungle a scene (usually because they think they are too cool), it will just fall flat. The showrunners are not going to let it succeed despite willfully ignorant trollery and gross incompetence, just so the story is not derailed. Character incompetence simply becomes part of the antagnonists story instead of the protagonists. You can just convince yourself that it was just a dead end or a red herring, and if youre lucky you can pick up some other story thread the next time maybe.
Lame passive characters who bungle story arcs is how most antagonists have survived up until the present. They get to be part of the problem, hence Cthulhu rules. That and the implied conclusion (at least by the antagonists) that the antagonists are superior to the protagonists in every measurable way except maybe some arbitrary moral sense. In addition is the Lovecraftian Irony, turns out you do not have a special covenant with some cosmically powerful deity who will intercede on the behalf of the faithful, but they do. There is no implied triumph of humanity, only the dark path of nihilism.
Sothothic Irony is the realization of our own smallness, insignificance and vulnerability in the cosmic scheme of things. From the inside, we think of ourselves as the very locus of significance, from the outside, we are quite insignificant.
Religions over the ages have made a comfortable living trying to convince the masses that they are more significant than they seem. Buy this string, kill this chicken, say this chant, submit to my will, and the gods will maybe consent to your request if youre worthy or some such. Cash only please, no checks or credit.
Sothothic fear come from being confronted with the fundamental misunderstanding of our importance in the universe.
There is no special relationship with an Abrahamic divine creator which will grant us exception, there is no moral balance to the universe that assures the triumph of humanitarian ideals.
Sothothery reveals a lack of control, belief in control is an illusion. The illusion that humani and its allies are the dominant species and there is no problem their minds and bodies cant master. This is a carefully constructed lie perpetrated by the traditional (particularly Abrahamic) religions, maintainable only by our own collective ignorance supported by society at large.
When the societys promises of stability is proved false, crime and anarchy follows. In much the same way, when the veil is lifted on the illusions about control and significance, terror and madness follows. Sometimes I think this is the universe Nietzsche was warning us about, the triumph of nihilism.
The universe does not make sense on its own, only to the extent which you force the universe to make sense. In some perverse way of thinking, characters are trying to make the universe make sense when they are burning down buildings and demolitioning ancient caverns.
There is no guarantee of a happy ended or even an understanding of the resolution. The genre is Fortean Survival Horror Mystery, which means if the players want to know something, they will have to figure it out in character. They cant be passive wallflowers and then complain that they are not mind readers; the Showrunner is under no obligation to grant any prescient powers.
Respect that your fellow players want to have fun and to immerse into the game and their characters. Do not diminish their fun because of some pedantic notion that the game, scenario, story, or character is not cool enough for you. Play with the intent to have fun and with the implied social contract that you are not to prevent others from doing so.
Sandbox means that there does not have a specific prescribed storyline, the showrunner has set up sections of the world and the characters are free to find (or make) adventure where they will. It's about freedom of player choice.
Sandbox means a "story of what happened" may emerge from a sandbox session but not a preconception of story, or what the showrunner wants to happen. Event timelines and things like that can serve that purpose without being railroads.
Railroading is the antonym of sandbox, the extreme constraint of choice. Some perceived constraint of choice is always there in any simulated world in that there are always choices that are impossible to physically perform or clearly undesirable, but where you cross the line to railroad is when these things are obviously being imposed.
We prefer the Sandbox gaming approach, because it produces a sense of game world reality that enables the player to focus on immersing in their character and the game world. It can be problematic because players can feel like they are spinning their wheels and wasting limited leisure time without more guidance, and because sometimes a preplanned story cam have more "big, interesting" things happen in it plot-wise than a sandbox.
Players get frustrated and ask for more direct guidance from me on what they should do. Too bad, ask someone in character. Often players want the illusion of sandbox and unlimited choice, but with the GM pulling strings behind the scenes to keep them headed towards interesting things and spoonfeeding them out of character information.
The term sandbox feels too stagnant, we prefer to think of it as a world in motion. The characters have within the setting which provides a framework in which the characters can make their choices which will hopefully result in them intersecting with storylines of interest. Part of the 'worlds in motion' concept is an implied timelne of things that happen and will happen if the protagonists dont alter the actions already set in motion.
Inexperienced players may need more prodding to keep some focus and direction, many are unused to taking initiative and passively wait for the showrunner to just drop the story into their lap.