Quickleaf
Legend
Instant Setting
~THE SETTING~
Prehistory: The Flood & "Atlantis"
Only a small sect of faithful carry the true record of what occured during the Great Flood. While Noah was gathering materials for a great ark, the rulers of the sinful Canaan nation had discovered a gateway to hell in a deep valley. Before these arrogant rulers were able to take advantage of the gateway, God's rains fell, and the oceans rose, washing away the impure cities. The gateway to hell was buried beneath the waves. But, a cunning demon had sent a message through the gateway, it was a false history of a place called Atlantis. The demons are masters of secrets and rumors, and so the message took root amidst the new world. The rumor the demon had crafted spread, and interest in the "lost city of Atlantis" increased.
"The Abyss"
Flash forward to 2012. A team of arctic researchers go deeper into the ocean than ever before and encouner a tremendous trench which they call "The Abyss." A series of amazing finds take place over the next decade - artifacts with a writing vaguely resembling coptic, and clay pots usually associated with Northern Africa (this new language is dubbed "S-157" after the main consanant sound and the number of characters in the alphabet). They believe they are on the verge of discovering the lost city of Atlantis. There is a tense struggle between the researchers and Paragon Industries, an arctic oil drilling outfit. During the conflict, a high-tech oil rig sinks into the ocean, and ten workers and two researchers lose their lives. Reports of the conflict suggest madness from exposure affected the rig's crew.
The Language of Hell
Several months later, a man washes ashore on a French beach wearing the clothes of an oil rig worker. While afflicted with amnesia, the man is identified as Jack Niethammer, the sunken rig's foreman, by his family (though he does not remember them). As Niethammer is put under observation, he begins to evidence psychotic episodes, and speaks gibberish while he sleeps. A psychologist teams up with the foremost researcher on the S-157 language, and together they delve into Niethammer's hellish dreams. Using his sleeping speech, they are able to reconstruct nearly 25% of the S-157 language. A special think tank works in New York City to explore the secrets of this forgotten language. During one interview with Niethammer, the researcher speaks to him in S-157 and fire erupts from Niethammer's ears, nose, mouth, and fingertips long enough to be caught on videotape. While Niethammer is in recovery, this tape is smuggled to the presses and Christian organizations denounce the language all over the world as demonic.
The Speakers
Then, an amazing event occurs... Children are born able to understand the S-157 language. Christian faithful are forced to examine their strong reactions to the videotape as their own children can understand and readily learn this language. These children are called "Speakers" and a group of six of them go to work for the S-157 think tank, unlocking the secrets of the language. It is discovered that certain words in S-157, when linked together in "syntax chains" are accompanied by violent eruptions. The United States government quickly moves in to seize the Codex of these "syntax chains" as its property. A group of Speakers manage to smuggle out most of the S-157 translations via the internet before getting shut down. The Speakers are treated as heroes by some for sharing S-157 with the world, but others treat them as freaks and anti-Christs. One article produced by a fanatic extremist church states: "There are creatures who walk among us disguised as human-kind. These are the demons sent from hell, stealing our own children, and coming in their place. We must take up the cross and sword to fight these invaders..." Such inflammatory calls to action became more and more common, and the Speakers were often forced into hiding.
The Gateway
Then, in 2030, Paragon Industries discovers the gateway to hell, and, thinking they have found an artifact of Atlantis contact those researchers who had since become bitter enemies. The researchers get to work translating the writing around the underwater gateway, using high-tech integrated SCUBA, sonar and GIS technologies. The translation process takes months, and during this time the S-157 characters are compiled in the Digital Atlantis project. These special characters are unique, and are thought to represent a code; calling in a team of cryptographers, the research team discovers the characters are coded to certain deepsea volcanoes (some now extinct). It is theorized the gateway was used by the Atlanteans to connect these sacred sites around the world. Archeologists and oceanographers who put faith in this research, and searching the GPS coordinates given to them, are amazed to discover highly sophisticated twelve foot tall pods - which are quickly dubbed "time capsules by the media." The research team sets to work recovering these pods with the hope of opening the portal. Meanwhile, average annual rainfall seems to be increasing...
~THE PLOT~
The PCs play a team of people sent to prevent the gateway from being opened. Perhaps they are sent by the Vatican church, the US government, or are Speakers who realize the truth. They infiltrate the research station sponsored by Paragon Industries employing high-tech masks which can change the appearance of their face. Their mission is to kidnap a high-ranking Paragon official in order to hold them ransom and force the operation to shut down (if this is not possible, their secondary objective is to assassinate anyone who has been "touched" by the gateway). Halfway through their infiltration the gateway is opened!! A demon emerges along with its slave/bodyguard. Its slave is an angelic prisoner of war, an angel who fell from grace for giving information to the enemy during torture. The demon seeks to manipulate the research team into entering a certain series of characters into the gate that would throw the entire research station back in time before the Great Flood. Once in prehistory, the demon would then attempt to sabotage Noah's Ark. When the US government learns of the gate being opened, an elite force of S-157 trained Seals is sent to clean out the entire research station. Their commander manages to make contact with the PCs covertly; he wants to move in now and kill the demon (and copy critical codes onto a disk for the military, hehe). Only savvy negotiating on the part of the PCs will keep the seal forces from launching an all-out attack. It is up to the PCs to seek an alliance with the angelic slave and the Navy Seals in order to outsmart the demon.
Cheers! And thanks for the contest!
~THE SETTING~
Prehistory: The Flood & "Atlantis"
Only a small sect of faithful carry the true record of what occured during the Great Flood. While Noah was gathering materials for a great ark, the rulers of the sinful Canaan nation had discovered a gateway to hell in a deep valley. Before these arrogant rulers were able to take advantage of the gateway, God's rains fell, and the oceans rose, washing away the impure cities. The gateway to hell was buried beneath the waves. But, a cunning demon had sent a message through the gateway, it was a false history of a place called Atlantis. The demons are masters of secrets and rumors, and so the message took root amidst the new world. The rumor the demon had crafted spread, and interest in the "lost city of Atlantis" increased.
"The Abyss"
Flash forward to 2012. A team of arctic researchers go deeper into the ocean than ever before and encouner a tremendous trench which they call "The Abyss." A series of amazing finds take place over the next decade - artifacts with a writing vaguely resembling coptic, and clay pots usually associated with Northern Africa (this new language is dubbed "S-157" after the main consanant sound and the number of characters in the alphabet). They believe they are on the verge of discovering the lost city of Atlantis. There is a tense struggle between the researchers and Paragon Industries, an arctic oil drilling outfit. During the conflict, a high-tech oil rig sinks into the ocean, and ten workers and two researchers lose their lives. Reports of the conflict suggest madness from exposure affected the rig's crew.
The Language of Hell
Several months later, a man washes ashore on a French beach wearing the clothes of an oil rig worker. While afflicted with amnesia, the man is identified as Jack Niethammer, the sunken rig's foreman, by his family (though he does not remember them). As Niethammer is put under observation, he begins to evidence psychotic episodes, and speaks gibberish while he sleeps. A psychologist teams up with the foremost researcher on the S-157 language, and together they delve into Niethammer's hellish dreams. Using his sleeping speech, they are able to reconstruct nearly 25% of the S-157 language. A special think tank works in New York City to explore the secrets of this forgotten language. During one interview with Niethammer, the researcher speaks to him in S-157 and fire erupts from Niethammer's ears, nose, mouth, and fingertips long enough to be caught on videotape. While Niethammer is in recovery, this tape is smuggled to the presses and Christian organizations denounce the language all over the world as demonic.
The Speakers
Then, an amazing event occurs... Children are born able to understand the S-157 language. Christian faithful are forced to examine their strong reactions to the videotape as their own children can understand and readily learn this language. These children are called "Speakers" and a group of six of them go to work for the S-157 think tank, unlocking the secrets of the language. It is discovered that certain words in S-157, when linked together in "syntax chains" are accompanied by violent eruptions. The United States government quickly moves in to seize the Codex of these "syntax chains" as its property. A group of Speakers manage to smuggle out most of the S-157 translations via the internet before getting shut down. The Speakers are treated as heroes by some for sharing S-157 with the world, but others treat them as freaks and anti-Christs. One article produced by a fanatic extremist church states: "There are creatures who walk among us disguised as human-kind. These are the demons sent from hell, stealing our own children, and coming in their place. We must take up the cross and sword to fight these invaders..." Such inflammatory calls to action became more and more common, and the Speakers were often forced into hiding.
The Gateway
Then, in 2030, Paragon Industries discovers the gateway to hell, and, thinking they have found an artifact of Atlantis contact those researchers who had since become bitter enemies. The researchers get to work translating the writing around the underwater gateway, using high-tech integrated SCUBA, sonar and GIS technologies. The translation process takes months, and during this time the S-157 characters are compiled in the Digital Atlantis project. These special characters are unique, and are thought to represent a code; calling in a team of cryptographers, the research team discovers the characters are coded to certain deepsea volcanoes (some now extinct). It is theorized the gateway was used by the Atlanteans to connect these sacred sites around the world. Archeologists and oceanographers who put faith in this research, and searching the GPS coordinates given to them, are amazed to discover highly sophisticated twelve foot tall pods - which are quickly dubbed "time capsules by the media." The research team sets to work recovering these pods with the hope of opening the portal. Meanwhile, average annual rainfall seems to be increasing...
~THE PLOT~
The PCs play a team of people sent to prevent the gateway from being opened. Perhaps they are sent by the Vatican church, the US government, or are Speakers who realize the truth. They infiltrate the research station sponsored by Paragon Industries employing high-tech masks which can change the appearance of their face. Their mission is to kidnap a high-ranking Paragon official in order to hold them ransom and force the operation to shut down (if this is not possible, their secondary objective is to assassinate anyone who has been "touched" by the gateway). Halfway through their infiltration the gateway is opened!! A demon emerges along with its slave/bodyguard. Its slave is an angelic prisoner of war, an angel who fell from grace for giving information to the enemy during torture. The demon seeks to manipulate the research team into entering a certain series of characters into the gate that would throw the entire research station back in time before the Great Flood. Once in prehistory, the demon would then attempt to sabotage Noah's Ark. When the US government learns of the gate being opened, an elite force of S-157 trained Seals is sent to clean out the entire research station. Their commander manages to make contact with the PCs covertly; he wants to move in now and kill the demon (and copy critical codes onto a disk for the military, hehe). Only savvy negotiating on the part of the PCs will keep the seal forces from launching an all-out attack. It is up to the PCs to seek an alliance with the angelic slave and the Navy Seals in order to outsmart the demon.
Cheers! And thanks for the contest!
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