-Nate
A
Bit of History
Fort Arneson was
built as an outpost on the Great Plains for the United States Army
shortly after the Civil War. It was named for General Anders Arneson,
who earned his reputation during the war against Mexico. For most of
its history it remained little more than a backwater supply depot,
until a major conflict erupted, and was quickly resolved.
That conflict arose
during a treaty conference between the U.S. Army and several Native
American tribes. The fort had been infiltrated by Dr. Mordecai Smith
along with his wife, Angelique, who was secretly a practitioner of
Voodoo. Aided by a band of ghouls and others, they dug tunnels in the
form of a pentagram beneath the fort and then detonated explosives in
them, killing many of the attendees and triggering a major battle.
All of this served as a sacrifice as part of a ritual to open a rift
into the Winding Way, and it succeeded. The battle was quickly
resolved, however, and those who caused it were killed, due to
intervention by a band of American adventurers. In the aftermath of
that incident, the Black Stars moved in to work with the U.S. Army to
lock the facility. Since then they have brought in others, too,
including represents of the Native American tribes, to help study the
rift and the world between worlds into which it opens.
| The
Original Fort and “The Incident”
Refer to the following article and adventure for a layout of the fort's interior and more information about the incident that occurred here.
Frontier
Fort:
https://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2017/12/frontier-fort.html
|
Recent
Additions
The map above
provides a layout for the following locations. They include the train
platform (A), water tower (B), cemetery (C), council house (D),
tribal circles (E), corral (F) and storehouse (G).
Train
Platform
This
structure is raised about three feet off the ground, putting it level
with many of the train cars that roll through the area. There is a
ramp leading up from the ground. Resting on the platform is a small
wooden building, one that holds little more than two tables
surrounded by chairs. A broad roof extends all around it, including a
covered area for those who are waiting for trains outside the
building.
Water
Tower
This
structure has a cylindrical holding tank raised up on stout wooden
legs; a ladder leads up to a narrow platform with a railing around
it. In addition to providing water for refilling steam engines, it is
used to irrigate the flowers and shrubs planted in the adjacent
cemetery.
Cemetery
Not
surprisingly, this area—enclosed by a low stone wall, with a gate
that allows entry—is filled with eat rows of graves, each marked by
a headstone. Included among the names of the deceased are Capt.
Anders Arneson III, Lieutenant Sean Fitzpatrick, Dr. Isaac Shaffer,
Clement Bonsteel, and Small Raven. All but the last one are people
who were killed during the Battle of Fort Arneson.
At
the back of the cemetery there is a small stone obelisk that bears
the following engraving:
In
this place, on 8 January 1887, a band of valiant Americans fought to
prevent a great tragedy.
Council
House
This
building has a broad roof supported by sixteen columns; four doors
provide entrance, and the interior is filled with benches. It is
intended to be a comfortable place in which to hold discussions and
negotiations.
Tribal
Circles
Some
of these Indian tepees are present year-round, while others come and
go with their occupants. There are at least two separate circles, one
for each of two bands, led by Standing Bear and Red Hawk,
respectively.
Corral
To
make more room inside the fort—and because of the truce they have
with the Indians—the soldiers moved their stables outside its
walls. They keep a full score of horses, along with tack and harness
for riding them.
Storehouse
This
building, with walls made of mud brick, holds not supplies for the
fort but rather ones intended for distribution to the nearby native
tribes. For that reason, it holds all manner of foodstuffs, blankets
and clothing, manufactured goods from back east, and even rifles and
ammunition that can be used for hunting.
Inside
the Fort
The
aforementioned document provides an accurate layout of Fort Arneson,
except that the stables which were once located inside the walls have
been replaced with another set of barracks. This means that there are
two full squads of infantry soldiers, along with two squads of
cavalry, each led by a sergeant, and with lieutenants who answer to
Captain Jeffreys.
The
Rift
Dug
into the ground beneath the fort is a series of tunnels that form a
pentagram, the result of magical sabotage that led to the Incident.
In the center of these is a broad, open chamber with a gaping hole in
the ground at its center; that is the entrance that has been torn
open into the Winding Way. The personnel at the fort use this area
for storage, including crates and barrels of supplies—and enough
gunpowder that, if needed, they could try to seal the rift.
Personnel
Detailed here are
the people who are in power at the fort; they represent the United
States Army, the Black Stars, and at least two native bands.
Captain Danforth
Jeffreys (Seasoned)
Captain
Jeffreys was a cavalry lieutenant during the Battle of Fort Arneson;
he took over command after Captain Arneson was killed. Although he
might once have been described as pompous, that experience has taught
him humility—and made it clear just what the stakes are for
successfully fulfilling his duty at the fort. Now he is a very
capable officer, even if he does still think rather highly of his own
abilities.
Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills:
Athletics d4, Battle d4, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d4,
Investigation d4, Knowledge d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Riding d4,
Shooting d4, Stealth d4
Pace:
6”, Parry:
4, Toughness:
5
Edges:
Command, Command Presence, Hold the Line!, Inspire, Tactician
Hindrances:
Pick one Major or two Minor
Gear:
Uniform, Colt Dragoon .44 pistol (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, RoF
1), cavalry saber (Damage d6+d6).
Terrence
Taylor, the Indian Agent (Seasoned)
This
Indian agent has read a lot about Native Americans, and is entrusted
by the government to make annuity payments and arrange treaties.
During and after the Battle of Fort Arneson he has even studied under
Standing Bear, participating in some of the ceremonies. Given the
importance of what lies under the fort, he takes his job as
intermediary between the natives and the settlers very seriously.
Attributes:
Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills:
Academics d6, Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d6, Notice d8,
Persuasion d8, Research d8, Stealth d4, Tribal Medicine d4
Pace:
6”, Parry:
2, Toughness:
5
Edges:
Connections, Linguist
Hindrances:
Cautious
Gear:
Fancy clothing, writing materials, Bowie knife (Damage d4+d6).
Red Hawk (Heroic)
For years this hunter and warrior led his people in resisting
incursions by settlers, especially the buffalo hunters, railroad
builders and ranchers who would follow them. That all changed when he
and his people were manipulated into attacking Fort Arneson; he lost
many warriors during that battle, and only later learned that it was
part of an occult plot. For that reason he has sworn to help anyone
who fights to prevent similar tragedies from occurring ever again.
Attributes:
Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills:
Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Persuasion
d4, Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6
Pace:
6”, Parry:
5, Toughness:
5
Edges:
Alertness, Command, Command Presence, Fervor, First Strike, Inspire,
No Mercy, Quick
Hindrances:
Outsider
Gear:
Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1), knife (Damage d6+d4).
Standing Bear
(Heroic)
For
most of his life Standing Bear has had an affinity for living
things—and those that have passed. He is able to communicate with
animals, and even to look beyond the physical world and into the
spiritual one. He had even visited the Winding Way before “The
Incident,” as the White Men refer to it, tore open a rift into that
realm. Thus he knows how important it is to keep Fort Arneson and its
secrets safe, even if that requires cooperating with the settlers who
have altered his people's way of life forever.
Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills:
Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d4, Healing d4, Knowledge
(local) d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Stealth d4, Survival d4, Tribal
Medicine d10
Pace:
6”, Parry:
6, Toughness:
5
Edges:
Arcane Background (Shamanism), Command, Improved Rapid Recharge,
Inspire, New Power x4, Power Points x2, Rapid Recharge
Hindrances:
Outsider
Powers:
Armor, banish, beast friend, boost/lower Trait, deflection, dispel,
healing, spirit walk; Power
Points:
20
Gear:
Trappings, staff (Damage d6+d4, Parry +1, Reach 1, requires 2 hands).
Judge William S.
Whitaker (Veteran)
In
addition to proving himself as a United States Marshal in service to
that special branch known as the Black Stars, William S. Whitaker has
learned some of the secrets of Voodoo—just like his grandma once
practiced, secretly, while she lived as a slave. This gives him an
edge as he goes about his job, both acting as a magistrate in this
frontier territory as well as conducing special investigations into
occult matters when they are needed.
Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills:
Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d8, Investigation d8,
Knowledge d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Riding d6, Shooting d6,
Stealth d4, Streetwise d6
Pace:
6”, Parry:
5, Toughness:
5
Edges:
Alertness, Arcane Background (Voodoo), Brave, Combat Reflexes, Combat
Sense, Connections, Dodge, New Power
Hindrances:
Code of Honor
Powers:
Boost/lower Trait, detect/conceal arcana, divination; Power
Points:
10
Gear:
Suit, pocket watch, gun belt, Stetson hat, badge, folding knife
(Damage Str + d4, -2 to be noticed), Colt Peacemaker (Range 12/24/48,
Damage 2d6+1, RoF 1).
| Ordinary
People
To find stats for typical soldiers, officers and Native people, refer to the following documents. |
Plot
Elements
Detailed below are
just a few of the ways in which the PCs could become entangled in
adventures and campaigns settled around Fort Arneson.
- Characters who entered the Winding Way by other means—such as via the entrance beneath the New Globe Theatre in London—would thus come up from below Fort Arneson, and therefor have some explaining to do.
- In a similar vein, the heroes could be present when something monstrous emerges from the rift; after fighting with it, they might be recruited to go back into the Winding Way to find and deal with whatever caused its emergence.
- Although the full story of The Incident is a closely guarded secret, necromancy is a potent form of magic, and thus grave robbery provides enemies of the Black Stars with a means of learning what happened.
- What few people know is that Clement Bonesteel, one of the deceased who fought in the Battle of Fort Arneson and is now buried in the cemetery outside it, was romantically involved with the sister of Captain Jeffreys, Cora, who lives back east. While she knows that her beau was killed in a battle involving Indians, she is determined to learn the full truth—and she could unwittingly become the pawn in a plot by the Cabal or some other nefarious group.
- Those who really wanted to undermine the personnel of Fort Arneson could do so by pitting the various parties there against each other—the old “divide and conquer” strategy. Given the bad history between the U.S. Army and various native tribes, that proposition might not be as difficult as it seems.
- There is also the mystery of a Gatling gun with the name Clementine engraved on it. This, in fact, belonged to a band of raiders who were active on the Missouri-Kansas border during the lead-up to the Civil War. At least a few of those bloodthirsty souls returned from the dead as a ghoul; who is to say that there aren't more, who wouldn't take kindly to Bluecoats wielding their beloved equalizer?
Appendix:
The Inscription on the Obelisk
In
this place,
on
8 January 1887,
a
band of valiant Americans
fought
to prevent
a
great tragedy.
|
Well, I have to say I love the name of this Fort! :)
ReplyDeleteThe idea came because, in my mind's eye, the fort's commander looked like pro wrestler Arn Anderson; I switched around the name, and so it just made sense to name it after Dave Arneson.
ReplyDelete