New Reality Seeds

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Cleide

The main focus of interest for off parallel explorers is the city of Cleide. The city is a trade center were two trade systems meet. Two Dwarven canals meet deep below an ancient well and a third canal goes on from there. Where on the surface, the ancient well was the point where two trade roads crossed in the desert to form a four way crossroad. This made the area a great break of bulk point and a natural market.

More later...

The desert tribes living near the reviving city have mixed views on the revival.

The local tribes tend to demand tribute from passing caravans and routinely tax oaises and cavasarii. If Cleide is restored to its former power and wealth, it might, as in ancient times, demand and get tribute from the tribes. This is unwelcomed.

If the dwarven canals are reopened, a great deal of desert trade will pass far beneath the desert. This means that the tribes can neither extract tribute nor get paid to be guides. Robbery is also excluded.

Other tribes see different opportunities. Most of the local "cities" have rulers that come from the desert tribes. Generally, the old king weds his favorite daughter to his chosen heir. Said "chosen heir" is generally chosen by a council of tribal elders to run the city for the benefit of the tribal elites. Some kings do try to have their sons for heirs. This generally gets the son assassinated. Although some king's sons have won over the tribal elders.

Several powerful coalitions of desert tribes are offering to rule Cleide. So far the local council has been able to fob the tribes off. And sometimes play them off against each other. But the people of Cleide are rebuilding their defenses.

The local tribes know certain holes in Cleide's defenses. Old forgotten ways to enter the city. These are often the same ways the shadow folk and the fell beasts leave the city to hunt.

PCs risk meeting bitter desert tribal warriors while going about their business in the caves and corridors of Cleide. On the upside, there are large rewards for finding these hidden entrances into the city. As either blocking these up or simply controlling them are major benefits to the town.

Note: If either the shadow folk or the desert tribes realize that you know their secret ways in and out of Cleide, they'll do everything they can to kill you.

[Astromancer]

The Emperor's Star

Bonaparte-9 diverges from Homeline history in 1803 when Robert Fulton meets Napoleon. In our history Fulton offered Napoleon the steamboat and Napoleon dismissed Fulton as a fraud. But on this parallel Fulton had built a working toy model of a steamboat (some people speculate that a francophile member of the Cabal brought the model to Fulton and made him think he built it). Napoleon was enthralled.

In 1807 a floattila of steamboat ( of surprisingly sophisticated design) sailed for Britain with a French army. The port of Exmouth was taken by surprise. In six weeks London was taken.

Now Napoleon's empire was unstable at its base. The financial system was primitive. Because of several scandals in the early 1700s, France's financial system was remarkably primitive in the early 19th century. This financial backwardsness was a major contributor to France's defeats between 1690 and 1815 in our history. So Napoleon's empire started out unstable and added to the instability by being a highly nationalistic Empire rulling in Europe at a time that was ripe for nationalism.

On the other claw. Napoleon could be very progressive on issues like education and public investment in healthcare and science. So when the French empire went violently belly up in 1859 Europe looked technology and socially weird. At least to Homeliners.

Many technologies are early TL6. But technology in general is less integrated into society than in Homeline's 1810s. Railroads exist in America, less developed than in Homeline's history. But there are no railroads in Europe. Though in both Europe and America canal systems are more developed. Literacy is more widespread than in Homeline history. Telegraph systems don't exist in Europe. Sanitary sewers are commonplace in every European city. The beginnings of national healthcare systems are found in Europe and America. Powered flight with Aerostats is beginning and horses and horse drawn stages are still the way to get around Europe.

Basically, steampunk espionage in the ruins of Empire. The Aristocracy, aligned with the Churches are trying to restore the ancient regime (the same alliance as in Homeline history). Radicals, the workers, and the intellectuals, are struggling to create democratic republics and retain the social programs the late empire promoted.

America seems to be heading for a local version of the Civil War. It's hard to tell if the North still has the advantage. But they still have better industry and transport infrastructure. Also, the North has powered Aerostats. This Civil War might have a Union Air Force.

Homeline wants to keep Europe out of the American Civil War. They also want to promote democracy in Europe. Homeline France is heartsick that the local French Empire has fallen. They want to restore at least some of France's glory. Homeline Russia sees a chance for Imperial Russia to take Europe, or at least expand its boundaries in the West to the Carpathian mountains and the Elbe.The Homeline Russians also trying to get the local Russians to grab the Ottoman Empire, Iran, and India, while there is no competition. Centrum wants to build a British empire while there is still a chance. They also want a European invasion of America to support the South and collapse the USA. The Cabal is simply delighted with the long occult boom in this world and how fashionable the occult is with the rich and powerful.

The local year is 1861. The mana level is low with small isolated areas of higher Mana. These areas are normally found in areas with occult or mythic associations or histories. The tech level is weird in many ways. It seems to be a strange blend of TL5, TL5+1, TL6, and rare TL5+2. Weirdly jumbled about.

(Yes this is like one of my first contributions to this thread. But it has bonus features and extras that make it worthwhile)

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The Emperor's Star

Bonaparte-9 diverges from Homeline history in 1803 when Robert Fulton meets Napoleon. In our history Fulton offered Napoleon the steamboat and Napoleon dismissed Fulton as a fraud. But on this parallel Fulton had built a working toy model of a steamboat (some people speculate that a francophile member of the Cabal brought the model to Fulton and made him think he built it). Napoleon was enthralled.

In 1807 a floattila of steamboat ( of surprisingly sophisticated design) sailed for Britain with a French army. The port of Exmouth was taken by surprise. In six weeks London was taken.

OK, so the Cabal are actively helping Napoleon at that point, then?

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

OK, so the Cabal are actively helping Napoleon at that point, then?

Not the Cabal, a Frenchman or francophile helped Napoleon. The oddly advanced ships would suggest he put plenty of effort into helping Napoleon. These ships had propellers instead of paddlewheels and were at least as well armored and advanced as the Merrimack. But far less sophisticated than the Monitor.

The Cabal might know something, or they might not. Although the influence/aid seems to cut off quickly in 1808. Maybe an Anglophile Cabalist got him.

[Astromancer]

Divided Middle

Although Sir Lancelot Tremenhir was and odd eccentric figure in Victorian England (a competitive field) in Northern India he stood out even more. His mad obsession to build a railroad from Northern India through Burma to western China bankrupted him and his family. Still, decades after his death the Tremenhir railroad turned the tide in the Chinese theater in WWII.

A railroad built by a mad Cornish Baronet has radically altered history on this Q6 low Mana world. In most worlds Sir Lancelot's grandfather gambled the family fortune away and his father died of fever in the Australian gold fields trying to get a new fortune. In this parallel the grandfather broke his neck in a hunting accident and although his father died young the Baronet was brought up rich.

Having a railroad to western China meant that the Chinese Nationalists held their army together throughout the war. Southern China was free and stable by 1944. Mao, backed by Russia was still a threat. The Chinese civil war ended in 1950 when Russia threatened to use nukes. Now the Yangtze river is the border between Communist North China and Democratic South China.

For a long time the two Chinas seemed like warped reflections of each other. But Southern China democratized in the 1990s as well as had an economic boom. Meanwhile Northern China switched form the austerity of the Cultural Revolution to the slogan "to be rich is glorious!"

Basically, two vast wealthy Chinas side by side. Linked by millennia of history, separated by bitter power struggles. It's a cold war in a far Eastern setting. Southern China is a world power. An equal partner with the USA. Northern China is in the same pickle our world's China is in with a onrushing demographic disaster (caused by the one child policy) and a collapsing export market.

As Northern China becomes more desperate the spy wars heat up.

[David Johnston2]

Tunguska-1: The Tunguska object was a dinosaur-killer asteroid. Most surface life was obliterated by a sudden increase in heat followed by a plummet into a new ice age. The current year is 1952 and there is no sign of surviving human life.

Tunguska-2: The Tunguska object was a crashed parachronic craft. This presents two problems. The first is that enough of the craft survived to be studied by Russian scientists, although in 1912 they don't have the knowledge to make sense of it. The second is somewhere out there there's an unknown reality building parachronic spaceships.

Tunguska-3: The Tunguska blast wasn't an object. Instead, it was the product of Tesla's "peace ray" bouncing off the ionosphere. The current year is 1938 and the Executive Council of the League of Nations is threatening to use the Tesla Ray if Hitler doesn't back down.

Tunguska-4. Precisely what happened at Tunguska is uncertain. However, the mana level within a hundred miles of the site is now High and much of northern China, Japan and Eastern Russia is Normal Mana. The current year is 1936 and the Sino-Japanese War is weird.

[Astromancer]

Rogers-3

The "Rogers" designation refers to Buck Rogers, but Flash Gordon would also fit. These seem to be worlds where either the Weird Science phenomenon works, or there was some kind of high tech alchemy (pretty much the same thing).

Rogers-3 is a TL6+1^ low Mana world in the mid 1930s. Space flight was achieved at the end of the 1920s by a Captain Volmar. The Volmar anti-gravity drive not only allowed space flight but transluminal flight. Einstein nearly had a fit. But then he examined the data and explained things about Volmar's discovery that hadn't even occurred to Volmar.

Basically, two-fisted Space Opera. Indiana Jones meets Northwest Smith and instead of killing each other they seek out the ancient mysteries of forgotten alien worlds. On the down side there are pigs in space, and they are practicing imperialism with a vengeance.

As humanity has only been in space a short time everything is new and exotic. It's also very dangerous. The depression has driven large groups of Earth people to try being pioneers on a vast new frontier.

The local area of space seems to have gone through a mysterious collapse about five millennia ago. The ruins of high-tech ancient civilizations, that thrived when Babylon was still a village, have been found. Their mysteries are being sought.

[Astromancer]

Ottoman -9

Ottoman-9 is a Q5 Low Mana parallel presently experiencing the local year 1850. The reason this parallel is referred to by the designation "Ottoman" is that in the early 18th century the Ottoman Empire had a reforming Sultan. The reason why this Sultan came to power is obscure but it seems to have involved a close friendship with a black eunuch. Given the brutal way black boys were made eunuchs in period it's hardly odd that his survival was a low order of probability.

The Sultan managed to reform the court bureaucracy and introduce the Printing Press. His successors achieved even more. Now in 1850 the Ottoman state is on the brink of industrialization. Solar power (first demonstrated on Homeline in the late 18th century) is used to pump Nile water to irrigate cotton fields. Railroads connect Istanbul to both Basra and Mecca. If trends continue the Ottoman Empire will industrialize before Germany or Russia.

Vast numbers of Homeline Muslims are studying this world in order to see if they can apply practical lessons to their own lands. At the same time the lands of West Asia and Northeastern Africa have long fascinated the West. And these lands are safer to access on Ottoman-9 than Homeline. But the problem for Homeline is the Cabal.

Many Homeline romantics are visiting these lands and playing native for a few years. This gives the Cabal a brilliant chance to switch out a Homeline citizen for one of their cats paws. Given the typical behavior of these romantics was never typical the issues involved in fitting in back home are vastly reduced. These nonmagical deep cover agents aren't as handicapped by Homeline's lack of magic as the Canal's normal agents. Add in that magic is known to work on Ottoman-9 and promises of initiation into ancient occult mysteries is credible, and you have a vast potential back door security problem.

Basically, it's an espionage game set in a very Arabian Nights Victorian Ottoman Empire. Unobtrusively tracking down Homeline eccentric romantics, who are often new agers actively seeking magic and mystical initiation, isn't easy to begin with. Doing so without imperiling the " Secret " doubly hard. Throw in both Cabalists and local mystics and grifters, and the issue becomes incredibly complicated.

[Astromancer]

Ming-7

Ming-7 is a Q6 low Mana parallel, with rare areas of higher Mana, now experiencing the year 1799.

The divergence came late in the 17th century. The Manchu takeover of Ming China simply never happened. From what Homeline researchers can ascertain the Manchus were having a civil war when their chance came so they missed it. Similarly, the Dominicans never came to China, their allies at the Papal court seem to have sought other goals. So the "Rites Controversy," which got both the Dominicans and the Jesuits kicked out of China, never happened.

Thus Christianity is a force at the Imperial Court. While it's unlikely a Christian Emperor will come to the throne soon, elite Chinese views of the West have changed. Powerful figures at Court and in the highest levels of the imperial bureaucracy now actually look at the West, if not with respect, then with a more open mind.

The result is that China is growing concerned about Western power and wealth. The simple fact that the Westerners can sail all the world's oceans and China has trouble navigating Asian waters is troubling by itself.

The recent Revolution in France and the sudden rise of Napoleon, and his reported interest in conquering India and China are disquieting. The Emperor has announced that the West must be studied. Any strengths the West has China lacks China must gain

Most Chinese people see the necessity of this program. Most Chinese, but not all. Many feel the foreigners must be expelled and the Ming's, who have lost the Mandate of Heaven, must be deposed.

Basically, blend Wuxia with a Chinese take on the politics of the French Revolution. Rework both Sir Percy Blakely and Robin Hood in Wuxia terms.

Homeline approves of China starting to modernize early. It makes Centrum influence on this parallel much harder. Meanwhile, Homeline, by focusing on Centrum, is ignoring the Canal's growing connections with local magicians in this parallel's China.

[Astromancer]

Stalin-2

Stalin-2 is a Q6 low mana world where a personal choice of Stalin's has altered the world. Basically, Stalin has had the U.S.S.R. join the Axis. Hitler has delayed his invasion of Russia until Britain is defeated. Homeline telepaths have confirmed that Hitler still plans to invade Russia and Stalin still intends to strike first. However, for now, Russia is playing a role like Spain played in Homeline's WWII. They supply the Germans with raw materials and do not join the fighting.

Stalin has however been busy in other areas. Iran has been occupied and so has Iraq. In spite of Russian boasting, India isn't a target yet. Iran isn't easy to hold and the invasion route would have lousy supply lines. Similarly, invading the rest of Southwest Asia is just as out of the question.

Meanwhile, the Germans and Italians have control over the Mediterranean. But this doesn't give them the logistical ability to take Africa south of the Sahara. The Boers have an uprising to support the Germans, but Britain nips it in the bud.

America was attacked at Pearl Harbor, and when they declared war on Japan, Germany declared war on America. Although America is giving full support to Britain. A beat Germany first program isn't on the cards because of a lack of chances to attack German troops. So the main focus is on Japan for now. But at the same time Britain and America are building up troops in Kenya and West Africa.

Meanwhile, there seems to have been out time interference in the States. The transistor has been invented early. Walkie Talkies are being mass produced for the US military and multiple types of artificial rubber have been introduced. It's proving remarkably hard to trace the perpetrators of these acts.

Basically, it's an espionage campaign set in an alternate WWII. Continental Europe is a deadly place to operate. But finding out if out time aid is going to Hitler or Stalin is vital. Meanwhile, back in the USA, tracing the out timers is still going to be hard. The out timers seem to manipulate their targets from a distance. Possibly by magical or psionic means.