Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Tales of the League Universe VIII: The Eschaton Plot Part 2 - The Devil's Graveyard

 The Second Stage on the Eschaton Plot! For the full series, start at Part I and go from there:

The Eschaton Plot Part 2

The Devil’s Graveyard Stage 2, The Bleed: Dr. Holst (alias Quark), once freed, can get his ship working and escape in to the Bleed. He knows of the Devil’s Graveyard and explains that it can be reached from the mortal world via the Bermuda Triangle, actually. He explains that the Island is more an accumulation of everything that has ever fallen in to one of many “holes” in the Bleed throughout many universes. Why Long wanted to go there….he doesn’t know (he’s never worked with Legend before).

On arrival, in a graveyard of ancient ships and planes of multiple dimensions all cast in to a maelstrom of debris in zero gee, including a vast starship, with enough atmosphere bleeding in from multiple universes to be comfortable. Here the group will find Legend. He came to the Island to find out who tried to kidnap him; turns out, they attempted to nab him as well but he has a “Dimensional Anchor” in the form of his Spear….if he wills it, he cannot be moved, destabilized or phased. The creatures who disappeared revealed a sliver of the dimension they came from, though….the Devil’s Graveyard.

Legend has been hunting down the creatures ever since. He’s located their operations center, on a vast derelict starship which belonged to an unknown alien civilization in another universe called The Stain. With the PCs, he thinks they can break in and see if the missing Agents of Steel are within.

The aliens within are not aliens it all, it will turn out. The suits they wear are indeed gear of the lost alien civilization of the starship trapped on the Island, but in fact the ones wearing the armor are anything but. The “creatures” are actually agents of Eschaton, a top secret terrorist organization funded by the mad scientist called Saurian, a brutal humanoid reptilian specializing in transgenic modification. His desire is to facilitate an end to the peace talks with the UN envoys and the Centauri Flotilla which seeks permission to enter Terran Space. He is working with the Wraiths, devious assassins and shapeshifters opposed to the Star League who want a war to erupt between Centauri and Earth.

Saurian is not on the base but he could appear in a hologram to gloat. His agents are all genetically modified super soldiers with reptilian traits; the suits are stolen technology from the ship providing advanced armor and weapons. In the station, in a vast “holding cell” of what appears to be thick green glass, are the missing Agents of Steel, each transposed into the Green Space dimension by a device that Saurian’s troops have used to capture the team. The device itself is not on the ship…it lies in Saurian’s hands.

The plan is to get the ship working, use the device to bring it out of The Island space, and then have his men masquerade as Agents of Steel working with the UN to assault the Centarioids. The adventurers arriving will put this plan in to action faster, forcing Saurian to order his men to initiate the plan now to avoid a loss.

Agents of Saurian (5)

Like Elite Soldiers, but with 4 points of alien armor and weaponry. Includes a Level 8 polymorphic shifting tech which allows them to masquerade as the Agents of Steel, granted to them by the Wraiths.

The Lost Starship

A level 8 war cruiser from a different universe and filled with alien technology. If it were pulled from the Bleed it could make a fine base of operations!

The Phase Gun

A Level 8 device which can harness the power of the Bleed to phase targets from one dimension to another. A level 8 Intellect test will reveal how to reverse the gun’s effect to free the Agents of Steel from the Green World. 

There is one wraith on board: Agent Contessa Villaine of Eschaton is a dedicated servant to the cause of Eschaton. She will execute any traitors and seek to further the goals of the organization at any cost. She is secretly a Wraith.

The Final Plot: The Centauri Flotilla, Kuiper Belt

There are a number of ways to get here. If the group somehow goes to investigate the flotilla and never finds the Devil’s Graveyard, then they might arrive in time for the mysterious alien ship claiming to be sent by the UN to attack the Centauri diplomatic vessel.

The likeliest path is that the PCs get here on the ship, while it is transitioning into normal space to complete its mission. They may or may not have seized control, but the vessel itself is armed with a singularity cannon designed to fire weaponized black holes in to the flotilla and cause untold damage, all while broadcasting messages from Earth of war.

The best scenario would be to intervene before the ship ever has a chance, and at best show up to bolster the peaceful negotiations. Either way, should the PC succeed then the UN will commend these unknowns who arrived in an unexpected time of need. 

NEXT: The Wraiths!

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