Nearby Sites of Interest
- Castle Immergrün
- Goldwood Springs
- Lake Godluch
- Para-Normal Detention Facility
- The Protectors' Fortress
Castle Immergrün
Castle Immergrün is an impressive subterranean complex of old steam
tunnels, abandoned sewers and half-completed and long forgotten subway
tunnels. No other area of the Duchy was built with the sole focus of
defensibilty. The Market is located within the boundaries of the Castle, as
are the "official" offices of the Duchy. When Max holds a public court, he
does so in the large Courtyard that sits next to the Market. A large chair,
built from the remnants of a large Lazyboy recliner, is brought in and set
upon a makeshift platform so all could see their leader. Hand painted
banners are displayed, bearing the heraldric arms of the Duchy, the Duke
and all the Nobles and Knights present. Many of the Tradesmen of the Duchy
carry their stall's banners from the Market. At other times, the
Courtyard is used as a public gathering place, school room, and cafeteria.
Private courts are held in the Duke's "Throne Room." Max hates that term,
but the others insist on calling it such. Max simply refers to it as his
Study. Here he has a few of the trappings of office displayed for his
personal edification. A smaller version of his banner hangs on one wall,
while most of the wall is covered with a reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry
and a
portrait of a German Landsknecht. A map of the Baronies of Port Alexander
share wall space with the banner. A few book shelves hold his personal
library, collected with care. His old particle board desk is in a corner,
holding the few momentos of his past life. A new, hand crafted oak desk sits
before the book collection. Behind that is a high backed office chair,
salvaged from the dumpsters behind a flagging dot-com. The desk is usually
covered with papers detailing the different aspects of the Duchy. Mounted on
a stand on the desk is the dagger Max had brought back from his adventure
in the distant past.
Goldwood Springs
Some hundred miles west of Port Alexander and some small ways up into the
low mountains, lies the resort town of Goldwood Springs. The town takes
its name from the mineral hot-springs that bubble to the surface in the
area, and they form the basis for the town's tourist economy.
In the late 1800s, the town was a popular destination for those "taking
the cure", and many famous people came to the small town to rest and bathe
in the pool which were advertised as a panacea for everything from consumption
to acne.
These days, a number of modern hotels have been built up around the largest
of the hot-springs, and an exclusive spa around a small cluster with
unusual concentrations of trace minerals. Water from the spa is available
in bottled form, and sells well in Port Alexander.
The town sprawls at the base of Mount McKenndra, one of the highest peaks in
the state, with a summit at 5,700 feet. No roads lead to the top of the
mountain, but a rather strenuous hiking trail does. Very near the summit
is another smallish hot spring, and those few who do make the effort to
climb to the top often relax in the pool for a while before descending.
Not many make the climb, and even fewer make the attempt during winter.
Lake Godluch
For those who find Goldwood Springs too crowded or too expensive, there
is Lake Godluch. Situated in a national forest, the large lake is
accessible on one side by car, and has picnic and camping facilities as
well as boating - powerboats of any kind are forbiddden, though.
The distant side, however, is inaccessable save on foot or by boat, and is
for all practical purposes wilderness.
Once away from the lake, the forest becomes dense, and the mountains
difficult. Every few years, hikers are lost in the backwoods, and
sometimes they are never found.
Para-Normal Detention Facility
The Para-Normal Detention Facility (PNDF) is the premiere
penitentiary and high-security hospital for super-powered
criminals and para-normals.
Despite the resources devoted to the PNDF, breakouts and escapes are
common, since "super-villains" are by their very nature difficult to
quantify and counteract. Still, the PNDF does a better job than any
other institution in the world.
The PNDF is located in the mountains East of Goldwood Springs. It is
hidden away in an inaccessible region, and is not listed on maps. Military
style checkpoints guard the only land access route.
The PNDF is administered by the
International Paranormal Activities Committee
(IPAC -- pronounced "Eye-Pack")
The Eagle's Nest
Originally the headquarters of the famous hero group, the Eagles, the "Nest"
was abandoned after a catastrophe destroyed the groups effectiveness and
most of their membership. Fervor, The White Knight, Iron Maiden and
the Wanderer thwarted the plans of Overlord to take over the base, and
found themselves the de facto masters of the base instead. (A more
detailed version of these events is in Issue
10 and Issue 11.)
When Defender, Ka-Sador, Sting and the
Wanderer formed the Protectors, they renamed it the Fortress
The Fortress is located approximately 6 kilometers out to sea, on the
ocean floor, and is accessible through three primary means.
- A secret panel in the back of the "Quick Response Alarm Company"
(an IPAC front) warehouse gives onto an elevator which leads to a tunnel
and monorail system.
- A hidden underwater entrance in the river nearby leads to a pool
in the tunnel near the monorail head.
- The submarine pen gives direct access to the ocean.
The Fortress consists of five domes and the submarine pen.
The control room houses the central security, computer and communication
equipment. It is equipped with comfortable and ergonomically correct
chairs. The lounge and kitchenette is provided for the convenience of those
on duty in the control room. The detention cells are quite sturdy and capable
of restraining even some superstrong prisoners. The card-key pressing
equipment is here as well.
The top level of the residence dome serves as a lounge, living area and dining
area. One side has a fully equipped kitchen with a long bar/counter area.
There is some furniture about, but room for more or for redecoration. Parts
of the dome are transparent, and lights are attached outside for viewing
the underwater life. A spiral staircase in the center leads down to the
apartment level, and has an open shaft in the center to allow fliers or
jumpers to bypass the stairs.
The Hall of Heroes
Actually more of a Wall of Heroes. Ka-Sador constructed display cases along
the walls of the lounge and transferred personal effects of the fallen
Eagles into them to honour these departed warriors. Each of the
Fallen Heroes cases bears the nameplate from the Hero's apartment.
The trophy cases contain other trophies of interest.
- The Fallen Heroes
- Triplex
- Contained numerous photographs of the hero (or was that heroes?) in
action and the three identical medals which were awarded by the mayor of
Port Alexander were draped over the mounted costume he wore so
valiantly.
- Protector
- The man who led the Eagles. His golden uniform was mounted on the wall,
near it was a letter of thanks from President Carter and his Doctorate
from MIT. Several photos placed around a textbook written by Jeff
Anderson, Protector's real identity, rounded out the collection.
- Howitzer
- The centerpiece here was her breastplate -- all that remained in the dome
containing the amoeba which had nearly destroyed the new heroes in
their battle with Overlord. Her favorite book of history added a
human quality to this stalwart defender, as did the signed copy
of a Zeppelin II test pressing.
- The Trophy Cases
- A Trip in Time
- Upon returning from the past, the heroes deposited some souvenirs
into the trophy cases. The Beggar King brought back a breastplate
and a sword which are now mounted in this case.
- Ka-Sador
- Not a fallen hero, Ka-Sador
departed and returned to space as Captain of Princess M'Krell's guard.
His wing-armour and a bola remained here in this case as mementos.
This level is actually set into the rock of the ocean floor. There are
seperate showers/bathing facilities for men and women and seven apartments.
Each apartment has private restroom facilities and some configurable
walls allowing the tenant to partition the room. Each has some basic
furniture - a bed, table, desk and chair.
When the Protectors took over the Fortress in Issue Eleven or so, they
discovered
that three of the apartments seemed to have been occupied. The other four
were vacant. The occupied apartments were locked and were left
untouched, unsearched and intact until Issue 21 when Ka-Sador transferred
some of the contents to the Hall of Heroes cases in the Lounge.
Each occupied apartment had
been customized slightly as to layout, and had been furnished according
to its owner's taste.
- Apartment #1 was Triplex'es apartment, but
is empty as of Issue 22.
- Apartment #2 is occupied by Defender
on a part-time basis, who moved in between issues 21 and 22.
- Apartment #3 was Protector's apartment, but
is empty as of Issue 22.
- Apartment #4 was occupied by Ka-Sador,
who moved in between Issues 21 and 22, and out in Issue 30.
It is vacant as of Issue 31.
- Apartment #5 is the guest room.
- Apartment #6 is occupied by
Lorelei Crosby aka PC who moved in the week of 10-3, year 1.
- Apartment #7 was Howitzer's apartment, but
is empty as of Issue 22.
The utility dome features a surprisingly modern gymnasium, modified for
use by superhumans, and a sickbay which contains many advanced kinds of
surgical and medical equipment, although the medicines are almost all expired.
The reactor room contains a fusion reactor of stunningly innovative design,
which uses seawater as reaction mass. The reactor powers the entire complex,
as well as a small desalinization plant which provides fresh water and
an electrolysis unit to extra oxygen from seawater for use both in
life-support and to power hydrox fuel cells for the vehicles.
The Gardens
-
Stairs lead down to a hydroponic garden below the gym, which is connected
to a seaweed garden which extends further out. The gardens are completely
enclosed, although seawater filters through and across the seaweed garden.
- Issue 20
- Neither garden is growing anything usable. The hydroponics are all
dried out and the seaweed garden has gone wild and now clogged the
filters, so the pool is stagnant and disgusting.
- Issue 22
- By the beginning of this issue, the seaweed garden is mucked out
and chopped back and beginning to thrive. The hydroponics is
almost working again, just a little more work and then planting.
Ka-Sador has done all the work and is showing a surprising
green thumb.
The use of the large empty area is open to speculation. As of Issue 35,
all the remaining equipment from the destroyed labs in the Research
Dome has been moved here.
This area was pretty well destroyed when the Protectors took over. It has
been cleaned up, and, as of Issue 35, the equipment moved into an empty room
in the Utility Dome. The labs were designed to be reconfigurable with movable partitions.
The body armour belonging to Howitzer was returned to her room and later
relocated to the Hall of Heroes.
As of Issue 35, it is being used as a team training facility; still just
an empty space, but large enough to move in and practice tactics.
Sometime in the past, this dome had been ruptured and flooded. It has
been patched and pumped, but most of the vehicles were badly damaged by
their long immersion.
The edges of the dome are filled with vehicle bays,
facing outwards, and the entire dome floor rotates, so that a given vehicle
can be brought to the launch area and shot down and out into the ocean, or
recovered the same way.
Several vehicles have been repaired with the aid of the Round Table's
Squires: a jet, a half-track and a mini-sub.
The half-track has
to been designed for underwater use as well as use on land, and the plane
can function for short periods of time underwater as well.
The sub has no other capabilities.
The famous EagleWing flying sub is not in the vehicle inventory. Its
wreckage was discovered underneath The Floating Island, in
Issue 32.
Vehicles
- EagleJet
- The EagleJet can function for short periods of time underwater; long enough
to surface and get airborne after being launched from the dome or
to land and reenter the dome. It is VTOL and capable of
water landings and takeoffs. Top Speed: 900 mph (roughly Mach 1.25),
Cruising speed: 800 mph (roughly Mach 1.2). Range: 4,000 miles at
cruising speed.
The EagleJet was destroyed and sunk in Issue 32.
- The UN JumpJet
- In exchange for training Merlynne, the Protectors got some concessions,
including transport. In this case, a cute little JumpJet
which is hangared at PA Airport.
- MiniSub
- The minisub seats four and is capable of operating underwater
for extended periods of time. It has a top speed of 25 mph
submerged, 35 mph on the surface. It is equipped with two
sets of gripper claws. There is no airlock, but a hatch
in the bottom opens to allow access to the sea - just don't
turn the sub over with the hatch open. Travel with the hatch
is strongly counter-indicated.
- Amphibious Half-Track
- The half-track has 12 seats and room for ample cargo. It is not
very fast, maxing out at 30 mph on land and 15 mph underwater.
It will, however, function perfectly well underwater with the
rear hatch serving as an airlock. The half-track has no
grippers but does have a single turreted MASER blaster which
functions equally well in water or air. On wide dispersion
it is more likely to stun a person than kill them, and the
narrow focus is suited to mining or boring activities. (WC2,
either 2d6HTC/1d6HTK, or 1d6HTC/2d6HTK, -1 to dividers)
