Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth again, but I had a bad stomach virus over the past week that limited my time around here. Note this post is a work in progress until otherwise noted. Also, after this one, want me to elaborate on Houston, Texas? Looking at what I had printed out on Coreline way back when, it was left blank (as far as I know), so I could tie it in with what I did with Galveston if you wish.
Antarctica: Frost and Ferns
By all definitions of conventional scientific knowledge, Coreline's Antarctica is an anachronism. The outer rim is an unforgiving wasteland of stone and ice, leading up to mountains that by all logic should not be present in the perfectly level "plateau ring" they are in. Stranger still, once one hikes past these frosted sentinels, the roughly 8,000,000 square kilometers past the "frost lands" are a steaming maze of jungles and swamps, seemingly unaffected (and, in turn, not affecting) by the bitter cold just outside the mountain walls. Of course, in a world where kaiju and superheroes exist alongside slapstick cartoon creatures and anime characters, is it really such a surprise that such a thing can exist?
Locales
Research Station Challenger II
The second of its kind (the first being one deployed into the areas of the Outback not completely threatened by either anthropomorphic animals or the Mad Max-verse Fictions, with third and fourth examples planned for Roraima and Alaska respectively), Challenger II is a highly advanced research pod designed to defend scientists against the most inhospitable areas of the post-CLULESS planet. While it more closely resembles the unholy union of a gigantic metal turtle shell and a hovercraft, this pod is outfitted with some of the epitome of current measuring equipment, with sampling drones and probe droids (both crafted from designs "borrowed" from Galveston's New Empire), radiation-resistant mecha, VTOLs of several makes and models, and a top-dollar RadGoo sensor making up only part of its arsenal of tools. The only downside is that the facility can only support a mere 50 on-site staff in its crowded quarters; on the other hand, however, the policy of the Challenger II's parent unit is "why waste lives when we have remote drones?"
Temple of the Great Tendrils
Buried deep in the strange world of Inner Antarctica, there lies a great ziggurat choked in vines and partially swallowed up by the mire of the swamplands. Its enigmatic architecture is littered with symbolism featuring tentacles and oozes, presumably to some eldritch abomination or elder god. One can only hope whatever this temple honors stays buried...
Pit of the Predators
This 18-mile long, 5-mile wide, 300-foot deep gash in the jungle is filled with tar pools, sand, bones of numerous creatures, more sand, crashed mecha...did I mention sand?....and prehistoric predators. Dilophosaur packs stalk the tar pools, using their agility to avoid entrapment as they chase prey to their death, while gigantic rauisuchians (sometimes erroneously referred to as "land-crocs" due to their appearance) stalk the dunes in search of weary travelers. All the while, menacing mock-pteranodons (see "Creatures and Characters") glare from their roosts in the rocky crags, waiting patiently for their turn to feast on the fortunes of the beasts of the Pit.
Creatures and Characters
Cavern Penguin
The pale, blind monstrosities known as cavern penguins ( Anthropornis lovecraftii) roam the crevasses of the mountains of the frost lands in frighteningly prevalent numbers. Their bulky 6-foot frames and razor-edged beaks allow them to throw their weight around quite easily; indeed, even some of the rare dinosaurs foolish enough to venture into the mountains must be wary of an angry flock of cavern penguins, as their ferocity propels them into being one of the apex predators of the icy peaks, edging out even the (now rare) saber-toothed cats of the region. Stats for cavern penguins can be found in Lethal Lexicon, Volume 2 by Octavirate Games as "Penguin, Dire".
Mock-Pteranodon
Mock-pteranodons (Pseudopteranodon absurdis), also known as mock-pteros or "Chinasaurs" due to their resemblance to classic Chinese plastic toy pterosaurs of the pre-CLULESS world, resemble an oversized pteranodon that has been given a long, spade-tipped "demon tail", stretched-out neck, and sharp teeth (anachronistically, as "Pteranodon" means "winged and toothless"). These surprisingly common predators can be found in most of the various "lost worlds", from Inner Antarctica and Roraima to some of the alternate earth planets. They prefer carrion but are all too willing to mutilate weaker creatures that infiltrate their territory.
Mock-Pteranodon: CR 4; Huge Animal; HD 7d8+14; HP 45; Mas 15; Init +0; Spd 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (poor); Defense 14, touch 8, flat-footed 14 (-2 size, +6 natural); BAB +5; Grap +17; Atk +7 melee (2d6+4, bite); Full atk +7 melee (2d6+4, bite) and +2 melee (1d8+2, 2 claws); FS 15 ft. by 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with bite); SQ Low-light vision, scent; AL none; SV Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +3; AP 0; Rep +0; Str 18, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7.
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +6, Survival +3.
Feats: None.
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Huge); 15-21 HD (Gargantuan).
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