What I have so far
Tales of the Gold Monkey d20

A d20 Past Campaign Setting By
James Koti
SYNOPSIS
Set on the fictitious South Sea island of Boragora in 1938, Tales of the Gold Monkey follows the adventures of Jake Cutter, a cargo pilot who flies a Grumman seaplane emblazoned with the name, "Cutter's Goose". What should be routine jobs transporting passengers and/or cargo always end up with Jake battling and defeating assorted bad guys. Helping Jake out are his mechanic/co-pilot, Corky, an absent-minded alcoholic with an almost child-like quality, and Jack, Jake's one-eyed (left), talking (one bark means no, two barks mean yes) terrier with a definite attitude.
Jake lives in a room above the Monkey Bar, owned by Bon Chance Louie, who is also the island's magistrate and medical officer. Louie's partner is Gushie, who can be seen wheeling around the bar, serving drinks and cleaning up. Sarah White is the bar's singer, a job that Jake got for her, but her real occupation is that of agent for the U.S. State department, a fact that only Jake knows. However, she's not the only spy on the island. The Rev. Willie Tenboom, a Dutch priest who enjoys "blessing" his lovely female parishioners, is really a German Army officer.
On the island of Matuka in the Japanese mandate of the Marivella island chain reigns Princess Koji, a beautiful Dragon Lady. Her nefarious activities usually pit her opposite Jake; however, she would rather have him on her side and in her bed. Todo, a proud samurai, is the commander of Koji's army.
THE YEAR: 1938
Japan is at war with China.
General Chennault and his Flying Tigers are fighting for the Chinese.
In the U.S.A. the Depression is still on.
FDR is President.
The population is about 127 million.
Wrong Way Corrigan flew to Ireland.
Howard Hughes flew around the world in under four days.
The Yankees won the World Series in four straight over the Cubs.
California beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Mount Everest is still unclimbed.
Hilter has entered Austria.
It is the last year of relative peace before World War II.
THE LOCATION: THE MARIVELLAS
The Marivellas is a South Pacific volcanic chain consisting of hundreds of mysterious and tropical islands. Within this chain we might find any known species of animal and a few unknown ones. The tribes inhabiting the islands are equally varied, ranging from African pygmies to beautiful Amazons.
(Note: Since the Marivellas are in the South Pacific, the presence of any exotic animal or peoples not indigenous to that part of the world should be justified, such as in the pilot where the Tibetan monkeys were brought to the islands by Chinese monks whose ship was blown off course in a great typhoon a thousand years earlier.)
The islands are split into two territories: the northern half is a Japanese mandate and the southern half, French. The key ports in the French section of the islands are Tagataya and Boragora. Tagataya (the larger of the two) is approximately four hours by plane and 48 by boat from Boragora. The China Clipper stops briefly at Tagataya and overnight at Boragora on its flight from Hawaii to Hong Kong.
THE MAIN ISLANDS - OVERVIEW
We know from the 'bible' that the Marivella chain is situated so that the northern half lies in the Japanese Mandate, whose historical boundaries are known (see map). Further, we know that Boragora is 3251 miles east of Manila ("The Late Sarah White"). We also know that Matuka, Princess Koji's home base, is in the Japanese Mandate, 183 miles from Boragora ("Cooked Goose"). It follows that Boragora, in addition to being 3251 miles east of Manila, is less than 183 miles south of the equator (which was the southern boundary of the Japanese Mandate). Just how much less than 183 miles we can only guess, although we are never given the impression that it lies especially close to the boundary.
The third island that features prominently in the stories is Tagataya. Again, we are told by the 'bible' that Tagataya is about 4 hours' flying time from Boragora. To unpack this reference, we need to consider that, on paper, the Grumman Goose had a maximum speed of 200 m.p.h. (which Jake confirms in "Once a Tiger") and a maximum cruising speed of 190 m.p.h. Using the latter speed, the distance between Tagataya and Boragora would be some 760 miles. However, the range of the Grumman Goose was only about 640 miles, and we are never given any indication that the "Goose" cannot make that trip without refueling. It is therefore assumed, for purposes of the model, that Jake tends to cruise about 150 m.p.h. on that particular trip, and that Tagataya lies about 600 miles from Boragora.
(Note: I am indebted to Professor E. Entwhistle, who has brought to my attention that 600 miles is still getting close to the maximum range of the Goose, but that there is some support for this proposition in "A Shout of Distant Thunder" - when the "Goose"'s tank is down a bit, a flight to Tagataya becomes problematic).
Fortunately, we also have an important clue about the directional relation between the two islands. In "Trunk from the Past", Jake and Corky are returning to Boragora with cargo from Tagataya. With the "Goose" shrouded in clouds, the instruments suddenly malfunction. When the clouds clear, Jake estimates from the stars that they are 100 miles southeast of Boragora. A strong case can therefore be made that Tagataya lies roughly southeast of Boragora. We will see, however, that this conclusion is not free of controversy.
BORAGORA, MATUKA, AND THE ISLAND OF THE MUD PEOPLE
In "Shanghaied", Koji's half-brother kidnaps Corky, and takes him to repair his ship, which is stranded at the (unnamed) island occupied by the Mud People.
We, the viewers, learn that the island of the Mud People lies fairly close to Boragora, because a heavy boat rowed by two men can traverse the distance in a night and part of a day. The most generous conceivable estimate for such a feat would surely be 30 or 40 miles.
(There are some who argue that the rowing time was greater. It depends upon when Jake recovered from his fever. Louie, who is quite familiar with malaria from his days on Devil's Island, expected it to break by morning. Yet, on the morning when Jake embarks on his search, Louie remarks that Corky has been gone a day. We may therefore allow that Jake may have been incapacitated for two nights and a day, and the villains may have rowed further - but still, surely, not more than 50 or 60 miles).
Unfortunately, only Jack actually sees Corky being taken away in the rowboat. By morning, so far as Jake and the rest know, Corky could be "anywhere in the islands." They fly off to Matuka, believing that one of Princess Koji's captains is responsible.
Indeed, things seem to take a turn for the better, because Koji is fairly sure who has kidnapped Corky, and where the perpetrator can be found. She tells Jake to fly "towards the southern end of the Marivellas". This is most unsettling. The Marivellas extend at least 600 miles southeast of Boragora, because that is where we have located Tagataya, with considerable confidence. The island of the Mud People cannot be, at one and the same time, within a day or two's heavy rowing distance from Boragora, and also down around Tagataya, 600 miles away.
It can only be that the Marivella chain is shaped rather like a tadpole, with the tadpole's tail, in this case, drooping down to the southeast where Tagataya lies. Koji is in fact directing Jake, not to the southern end of the tail, but to the southern region of the tadpole's main body. In other words, we must accept that the island of the Mud People is south of Matuka - after all, they do find the island. But it seems we can't accept that it is at the "southern end of the Marivellas" per se.
Since the island of the Mud People and Boragora are not far apart, it follows that Boragora, too, lies roughly south of Matuka.
This, however, is not the end of our problems. On the way to Matuka, the "Goose" is attacked by Zeros, who report that this encounter took place 50 kilometers east of Matuka. What is Jake doing east of Matuka when he should be more or less south? We can only conclude that Jake's course had been a little erratic. After all, he was flying while in the grip of a malarial fever, and didn't have Corky along to navigate.
However, in all fairness to Jake, we should place Boragora, in relation to Matuka, a little east of south. At least this minimizes his error. It then follows that the island of the Mud People is westerly, and no doubt a little south, of Boragora.
Finally, it should be acknowledged that there is one further reference in the series which deals with the relative positions of Matuka and Boragora. It comes to us from "Mourning Becomes Matuka". On Matuka, Jake tells Corky (who is going to be doing the flying) that he should "go north through the mountains so you'll be heading out to sea towards Boragora's south side." No reputable authority, to my knowledge, has been able to make an ounce of sense out of this. Boragora is 183 miles away. Can it really matter that much which direction Corky takes off in? But worse, and far more important, what about the direction? Are we to conclude that the south side of Boragora faces the north side of Matuka - in other words, that Boragora is north of Matuka? Surely not - this would flatly contradict everything else we know, including the 'bible', which clearly states that the French Marivellas are south of the islands in the Japanese Mandate. At this stage in the scholarship, Jake's remark must be ruthlessly set aside.
TAGATAYA, TONAGA, THE TUTSAMI ISLANDS, AND TROU DANS LA MER
In "Black Pearl", a storm forces Jake and Corky to fly zig-zag "legs" on a flight from Tagataya. They spot an outrigger with dead and dying Tutsami natives, who have paddled/drifted from Trou dans la Mer over the course of a day or two. Later, Jake is taken indirectly, by launch and U-boat, from Boragora to Trou dans la Mer, while Corky and Sarah first follow, and then later try to retrace the earlier erratic route from Tagataya.
Sarah and Corky have no idea where Jake is being taken. They give the launch a head start - say, one hour. When they catch sight of the launch, it is 5 nautical miles northwest of Tonaga, on a heading of 75°, travelling at 35 knots (about 42 m.p.h.). So at that point, the launch has probably travelled 35 or 40 miles east and a little north of Boragora and we can situate Tonaga accordingly.
Soon after - say 50 or 60 miles out - Jake remarks that they are still "a couple of hours" from Trou dans la Mer - i.e. about 80 miles at the speed the launch has been travelling. It is then that they switch to the U-boat. The point of switching to the U- boat is to disguise their destination, so it follows that the sub would not pursue the same 75° heading that the launch was on. In fact, it must turn fairly sharply to a more southerly course.
Why south? - because Jake and Corky had spotted the drifting outrigger while flying "legs" from Tagataya to Boragora, i.e., from southeast to northwest. As far as we can tell, the outrigger was paddled, then drifted, for just a day or two, from Trou dans la Mer - a maximum distance of, say, 50 miles. Unless Trou dans la Mer is somewhat south (and not somewhat north) of Boragora, Jake and Corky would never have spotted the outrigger on their flight, even taking into account that they were flying "legs".
However, it is logical to also keep Trou dans la Mer well to the east, because Jake remarks that it is "off the beaten track."
Jake had also made the further complicating remark that they had spotted the outrigger "somewhere between Tagataya and the Tutsami Islands". Probably then, this is a small cluster of islands that lies between Trou dans la Mer and the Tagataya - Boragora flight path. Presumably, the natives were trying to travel the short distance from Trou dans la Mer to their home islands when they became ill and drifted south. (Note that the Tutsamis are either wide-ranging or wide-spread, or both. Some of them also fish on Bukatari and regularly pass the island on the way to Tagataya ("Ape Boy")).
It is largely on the basis of this episode that Professor V. Nordquist argues that Tagataya lies mainly east of Boragora, and perhaps only 100 miles or so to the south. He points out that, at the point where Jake is taken onto the U-boat, Corky tells Sarah that they are "a couple of hours" flying time from Tagataya. He is making that estimate at a point where (see above) the launch has evidently travelled about 50 - 60 miles east and a little north from Boragora. If Tagataya is southeast of Boragora, it is not possible for Tagataya to be 4 hours from Boragora (the 'bible') and "a couple" of hours from a point 50 - 60 miles east and north of Boragora.
Professor Nordquist has argued that Corky, despite his intellectual shortcomings, was an experienced navigator and could not make such a mistake, any more than he would make a mistake about a carburetor or a manifold. However, he argues, if Tagataya is not too far south of Boragora, the pursuit of the launch has in fact brought the Goose closer to Tagataya and, if we allow a little flexibility in interpreting "a couple of hours", Corky's estimate may not be too far off. Of course, if Tagataya is swung towards the northeast in this way, we must, as a consequence, re-position Trou dans la Mer and the Tutsami Islands, as well as the point where Jake and Corky spotted the drifting outrigger.
However, I believe that Professor Nordquist is overlooking the events which occur while the Goose is recreating the earlier flight. When Jake was switched to the U-boat, the launch was at a point which Jake thought was still "a couple of hours" by launch from Trou dans la mer - around 70 - 80 miles. But we seem to learn later in the episode that the U-boat travels only about 9 miles per hour. (The captain needs 40 minutes to travel a safe 6 miles from the explosion). That would mean it would have taken the U-boat about 8 or 9 hours to complete the journey. During that same time, so far as we know, Corky and Sarah fly back to Tagataya and retrace part of the original flight, legs and all. When they reach Trou dans la Mer, the Germans have already set their bomb and left. If Corky's estimate had been correct, the "Goose" would have arrived at Trou dans la Mer while the U-boat was still on its way to the island, with a fair distance still to go. (How all of this is crammed into a single day is an issue that requires further analysis).
In their analysis of this episode, some scholars have tried to make use of the fact that, according to Corky's re-tracing of the flight, the Tutsamis had been spotted after three legs, in the order [port - starboard - port]. However, in my estimation, our current understanding of the geographical fundamentals is so tentative that to invoke such vague details can only confuse the issues.
It should be noted that, in "Black Pearl", we actually get a clear look at a naval chart showing part of the Marivellas, and Trou dans la Mer in particular. On the chart, near the island, we even see a coordinate reference, 11° E (1'E). Such a reference may enable someone with naval navigational skills to place Trou dans la Mer quite precisely. Unfortunately, it is meaningless to the author, unless Trou dans la Mer is an island on a lake in Europe or west-central Africa.
THE "CARGO CULT" ISLAND, PELEAU AND AAPU
In "Once a Tiger", a cargo plane develops engine trouble at 160° 13'E, 0° 53'S, in the "vicinity" of the French Marivellas. Kramer, the co-pilot, bails out there, over open ocean. McGraw, the pilot, crash-lands the plane on an island soon after, where the wreck quickly becomes the object of cargo-cult worship by the island natives. In the model explored in this paper, the coordinate reference lies at the western edge of the Marivellas, about 60 miles south of the equator.
Our heros embark on a search for the downed aircraft.
As it turns out, Jake has three possible strategies to guide the search:
The search could be conducted on the basis of the coordinates reported by the plane just before Kramer bailed out.
Allegedly, the plane was flying on a great circle route from Samoa to New Britain, on a heading of 285° true. Jake could try to recreate the relevant portion of the flight path.
Then, there is what has become known as the blue-faced booby theory. Jake knows that the Peleau reef fishermen who pulled Kramer from the water usually fish about halfway between their island and Aapu. This fishing spot is a 2-day canoe ride from Boragora - about 50 miles. Moreover, the birds improbably known as blue-faced boobys always congregate about 50 miles from land, and Kramer had seen many of them while he was in the water.
In order to make geographic sense of this episode, we must be prepared to accept some help from all of these options.
Jake, however, is more single-minded. He opts for the blue- faced booby theory. And he succeeds - the island where the plane went down is soon discovered - so we are provided with some valid clues about the islands mentioned. There is no indication that the island where the plane finally went down is either Peleau or Aapu, so presumably it is a third island. (We also learn that it lies in international waters). According to the blue-faced booby theory, each of these islands must lie at least 50 miles from where Kramer was picked up (since the blue-faced boobys are always seen 50 miles from land). The natural picture one forms is of a square or diamond, at whose respective corners lie Boragora, Peleau, Aapu, and the cargo-cult island.
However, we have yet to establish whether we are dealing with a region north, south, east or west of Boragora. Here, it seems reasonable to turn to the coordinates reported by Kramer. Initially, we are discouraged from doing so because Jake never seems to take them seriously. First, he tells Sarah that the coordinates only direct them to an area of about 4000 square miles. This is puzzling. Jake would be telling the truth if, in fact, Kramer had only reported the position in degrees. However, since minutes of arc were included in his reading, the search should be narrowed down to about 1 square nautical mile. Then Jake says "they were only guessing". Indeed, this is entirely possible, since they had been flying in a thunderstorm. But we must also keep in mind that, when making these remarks, Jake was trying to discourage Sarah from mounting a search.
If we assume that the coordinates were in fact fairly accurate, we can place the islands more or less west of Boragora, which is what I have done.
As if to add to our confusion, after telling viewers that his search strategy is based on the blue-faced booby theory, Jake tells Kramer that he is using a strategy of trying to recreate the plane's route. This is puzzling, and also brings to the surface a more fundamental question.
This is a plane, we are told, which was on a heading of 285° true, travelling on a great circle route from Samoa to New Britain. Here, we badly need clarification from someone with navigational skills. On a globe, or on any kind of map that I can find, the route from Samoa to New Guinea looks like it would pass over the Solomons, south of the Marivellas, and surely not as far northwest as 160° 13'E, 0° 53'S.
Of course, there are a number of factors to be considered. Allegedly being on a great circle, the plane had been following the circumference of a circle, the center of which would lie at the center of the earth. If you plot this course on a Mercator Projection, the route will be a line which curves gently toward the south pole. On a Lambert Conformal, of course, the great circle would appear as a fairly straight line. On the other hand, if the fliers used a constant heading (285°), this would suggest they were actually following a rhumb line. Such a course would appear as line curved toward the north pole on a Lambert Conformal, or a straight line on a Mercator Projection. Finally, there is the difference between the true and magnetic headings to be taken into account. All of this goes without saying.
However, even with these clear and simple considerations in mind, I can only reach one conclusion. The fliers had been blown badly off course by the storm and had become strangely confused. No one who is located at 160° 13'E, 0° 53'S, and who is travelling with a heading of 285°, is going to reach New Britain anytime soon. Or so it will seem until further research has been done.
But then, if the route was so problematic, why did Jake bring it up with Kramer? Clearly, we must look to Jake's more subtle motive. He needed a lead-in to an important question he wanted to pose to Kramer - "Why wasn't his distress signal heard in Boragora?" We need not be too troubled by this question. The stated flight path may pass too far south of the Marivellas for our comfort, and the actual flight path may have passed God knows where but, in either case, we can imagine it unfolding within radio range from Boragora.
This is an altogether difficult episode that invites further analysis but, before leaving it, we should note in passing that it is the reef near Peleau where the island ferry Shima Maru is washed up after being wrecked in "Visions from the Past").
KOTI-RI, SAINT BOURDEAU, CROIX DE NOIR AND SAINT MICHELLE
All of these islands come to our attention in "The Lady and the Tiger", in which Jake meets a family from an Amish community co- existing rather uneasily with a Japanese army base.
We have two fundamental facts to work from:
Jake had taken off on a supply run which included stops at Tagataya, Saint Bourdeau (plantations), Croix de Noir (leper colony) and Saint Michelle.
Jake ends up on Koti-Ri (which is in the Japanese Mandate, but very close to the boundary with the French), as a result of "cutting across a corner of the Japanese Mandate to save time", when returning to Boragora.
To deal with the second point first, there is only one place where it would make any sense (or even be possible) for Jake to be "cutting across a corner of the Japanese Mandate to save time", and that would be at the southeast of the mandate, where the boundary proceeds northeast from the equator. Even this barely qualifies as a "corner", but there are no other options available. We are forced to conclude that Saint Michelle (which had been the last intended stop) lies northeast of Boragora, hugging the boundary of the Japanese Mandate.
Some mention must be made here of the Revisionist School, which maintains that, if the Marivellas could manifest themselves in 1938, it is just as likely that the Japanese Mandate could have manifested some corners that it didn't have before or after. I cannot share this view since, if we allow the Japanese Mandate to metamorphose in this way, we will have almost no fixed references to work from. We might as well be treating "Tales of the Gold Monkey" as mere fiction.
As for the other islands, Jake had set out on a single run comprising Boragora - Tagataya - Saint Bourdeau - Croix de Noir - Saint Michelle - Boragora. We must therefore conclude that these islands form some sort of logical loop and probably lie well off the main stream of traffic. It is credible, then, to place Saint Bourdeau and Croix de Noir on the east of the Marivellas, between Tagataya on the south, and Saint Michelle on the north.
BAKU AND BUKATARI
Baku is the island on which ancient Tse-sing monks from China had constructed the gold monkey idol (Pilot). Bukatari is the island on which the Ape Boy was found. We know that both of these islands lie on the flight path between Boragora and Tagataya, but we do not know quite where on the flight path.
We do know that Bukatari is close enough to Tagataya to be regularly passed by canoe traffic. On the other hand, it is far enough away to make it possible for a severe storm to rage over Bukatari at the same time as people are enjoying a pleasant day on Tagataya.
Otherwise, the placement of the two islands along the flight path is arbitrary.
TORI HADO AND KENARU
Of these islands' location, we know that they are only a mile apart, with Kenaru being in the French zone and Tori Hado, with its secret bomber base, being in the Japanese Mandate ("Honor thy Brother"). Therefore, we have an excellent fix on their position on the north-south axis, but not on the east-west axis. In east- west terms, their position on the map is arbitrary.
NIUHI, SAINT JOAN AND MARTINA
We learn in "Sultan of Swat" that these three (presumably small) islands lie within an easy outrigger ride of Boragora - probably 10 miles or less. Headings are not given. Problems of scale makes it impractical to show them on the map.
LAGODA, EEL, BOLO, TAMARARI, TONGAREE, PETITE PLAGE
Several more islands of note. Lagoda is the site of a French penal colony ("Escape from Death Island"). On Eel Island, Watusi warriors guard the treasure of King Solomon's Mines, while Bolo is home to a leper colony ("Legends are Forever"). Tamarari is one of several islands inhabited by apes ("Ape Boy"). Tongaree is home to a tribe of cannibals and a Russian missionary ("Lady from a Colder Clime"). Petite Plage is one of 11 islands which Louie plans to stock with food and munitions in case of war ("Visions from the Past").
Except for a mention that Tongaree lies "in the heart of the Marivellas", all we know of the location of these islands is that they lie in the French Marivellas, so their positions on the map are arbitrary and their names are shown in brackets to denote this.
IWA KONA
Iwa Kona is the site of the lost tomb of the pharoah Ka. ("Trunk from the Past"). All we know about its location is that it is situated in the Japanese Mandate . Its position there, on the map, is arbitrary.
PETIT BIJOU
With a precision that is rare in the series, we are told that Petit Bijou is a small, deserted island that lies about 20 miles south of Boragora ("Cooked Goose").
OTHER REFERENCES
There are certain matters raised in the episodes which are not, strictly-speaking, geographical in nature, but which spring from the same root - our need to solidify our sense of place. I deal with two such matters here.
The "Queen Victoria" Incident
When the ocean liner "Queen Victoria" is disabled in southern waters ("God Save the Queen"), Jack and Jake debate whether they are closer to the Solomon Islands or to Tuvalu (the Ellice Islands). We can therefore reasonably place this incident in the waters south of Tagataya at a point more or less equidistant between the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, although it is probably wise to side with Jack and place it slightly closer to Tuvalu.
Architectural Anomalies
Many have been troubled by the astonishing resemblance between certain street scenes in Manila ("The Late Sarah White") on the one hand, and Tagataya ("Ape Boy"), on the other. In fact, to the untrained eye, they appear identical. Similarly, in "Ape Boy", we learn that Princess Koji has an estate on Tagataya which is disturbingly similar to her home estate on Matuka, right down to the scarlet bridge in her garden. Although it pains me to say it, there are some scholars who have actually used such anomalies to cast doubt on the historical veracity of the Tales.
In fact, I believe there is a perfectly plausible hypothesis to account for this curious apparent duplication. To develop the hypothesis, we need only turn to the relationship between Tagataya and Boragora.
Tagataya, we learn in the 'bible', is larger than Boragora. It is also the seat of the Colonial Governor to whom Louie and the other French Magistrates in the islands are accountable ("Last Chance Louie"). Most of the supplies for the French islands seem to come in through Tagataya - Jake is forever carrying in goods from the larger island.
And yet, virtually all of the stories that were thought worth recording revolve around the residents of Boragora. Boragora seems clearly to have been, in some important sense, the real nerve center of the islands. The 'bible' tells us that even the famed Clipper touched down only briefly on Tagataya each trip, while staying overnight in Boragora.
So here we have Tagataya, nominally the most important island in the Marivellas, yet much of the time languishing in the shadow of scruffy, up-start Boragora. This must surely have been the cause of constant irritation and envy on the part of the high officials and leading merchants of Tagataya. (We perhaps see this reflected, for instance, in the undisguised hostility which the Magistrate on Tagataya shows towards Louie in "Last Chance Louie"). It would hardly be surprising if they reacted in the way such people often do - they became pretentious, desperately aspiring to make Tagataya's main center another 'jewel of the east'. In their misguided effort to accomplish this, they set out to copy architectural settings from the great cities of the region. Thus, we see street scenes seemingly transplanted, lock, stock, and barrel, from Manila. Indeed, if my hypothesis is correct, there were probably similar settings copied from Saigon and Hong Kong and perhaps others as well.
As for Princess Koji, we know that she considered all European pretensions absurd, and this one would certainly have been no exception. However, we also know that it was in her own best interest to cultivate profitable relations with all the seats of power and wealth throughout the region. Therefore, it should not surprise us if she was both contented and amused to go along with this charade, by building a Tagataya version of her own estate.

THE MONKEY BAR
This two-story structure, famous for its wood-carved monkeys climbing all over the front and back bar, has the only accommodations in Boragora, several rooms on the second floor with doors to both an exterior colonnade and a balcony in the bar. When the China Clipper lands each Wednesday (it flies East one week and West the other), the Monkey Bar is filled with passengers from the flight, the people ranging from Europeans to Orientals...from business travelers to wealthy tourists, and, of course, mysterious strangers. When the Clipper isn't in port, the Monkey Bar is jammed with locals: natives, sailors, expatriates from all corners of the globe.
Electricity for the Monkey Bar and a few other buildings is supplied by a gasoline generator at the rear of the structure. There are no telephones...the only communication with the outside world is via shortwave radio or mail.
Meals are served both in the bar and on the exterior porch overlooking the Boragora waterfront.
THE DOCK

The Goose is tied up at the end of the dock where Jake and Corky have an open shed to store goods and make oft-needed repairs on the plane. The dock is customarily crowded with cargo and locals. Further around the lagoon is another landing, where the Clipper docks.
CAST
JAKE CUTTER

The hero of our story was born in 1901, the bastard son of a famous aviation pioneer who now owns a large aircraft corporation in San Diego. His mother, deceased, was a famous Broadway actress; a turn-of-the-century Vanessa Redgrave type who didn't worry about public convention.
While Jake was educated by his father at Cornell from 1920-24, he has never been officially recognized by him, something which Jake desperately wants.
Jake is still in love with a beautiful East Coast socialite whose parents stopped the wedding when they discovered Jake's parentage. He keeps in his desk an oil-skinned packet containing love letters and photographs from his sweetheart. Should there be a fire, the first thing that Jake would reach for would be this oil-skinned packet.
Jake's flying career began in the Army Air Corps, where he flew the mail in the Alleghenies. Following his discharge in 1931, he barnstormed and flew cargo until he landed a co-pilot position on the China Clipper in '33, where he met Corky. Jake did a short stint in '37 with the Flying Tigers under Chennault. He's credited with five Japanese aircraft and two probables. He was badly wounded and sent back to Hawaii to recover. On the way, he and Corky heard of a Grumman Goose that had crashed while being ferried to Australia from Hawaii. They found it, claimed salvage, and repaired it. Theoretically, when they get enough money, they'll return to the mainland of the U.S., but it's not really money that's keeping Jake away -- it's not being able to marry his girl and not being legitimized by his father. He finds that Sarah is very much under his skin, but out of respect to his "fiancee," keeps his relationship with Sarah clean. Just barely sometimes. He misses the States badly, but it's something he keeps to himself, Jack, or Corky.
Jake is a very frustrated baseball fan -- Washington Senators. He'd been a good pitcher at Cornell, was signed by the Senators' organization and played a year or two of Double A ball for the Duluth Dukes, before his arm froze up on him and he had to quit. He'd give anything to get the baseball scores, which are next to impossible to trace in Boragora. There is nothing that Jake wouldn't do for Corky, Jack, or Sarah. Jake is an old-fashioned hero...in a fight if the other guy's down, Jake lets him get up. If a girl's in trouble, Jake's there to help. Although he never goes looking for trouble, in fact he tries to avoid it, he is quite capable of handling himself. He can be vulnerable, and has a good sense of humor.
Fast/Ace Pilot/Adventurer
Somehow work in baseball (knowledge, maybe), vehicle expert, high pilot skill
JACK

Jack is a one-eyed eight-year old scarred fox terrier who fears nothing on the face of the earth...but he's not stupid, either.
Jack will never forgive Jake for losing his glass eye in that poker game on Tagataya. Jake would like nothing better than to recover Jack's eye; which will never happen. That eye will drift through the Marivellas as a talisman that grows more valuable and legendary as it moves from sailor to witch doctor to heiress to who knows who.
Jack must be treated as a co-star who Jake interacts with as he would to anyone else.
While Jack would look the other way if Jake was in a bar fight, the tough little dog would come to Jake's rescue and vice versa if it was truly a life-threatening situation.
Think of Jack as an eighty-year old man who's seen enough of the world and ridiculous things people insist on doing to pretty much know what's coming next. He doesn't hesitate to give his opinion...one bark for "no," two for "yes."
Int 3 or higher
CORKY

Corky is the kind of friend everyone should have, a guy who would unhesitatingly lay down his life for yours. Corky is a pretty good mechanic sober and a helluva piano player drunk.
He used to be a chief mechanic for Pan Pacific Airways, which flies the China Clipper, until one of the Clippers went down, presumably due to mechanical failure, and was never found. On board that flight was Corky's sister and her baby. Corky has never forgiven himself. He felt responsible and hit the bottle until Jake pulled him out of a Shanghai gutter and took him on as his mechanic. Jake realizes that every time Corky gets the Goose flying again, it moves him a little further from the bottle.
While Jake would like to immediately dry Corky out, he knows it won't happen until Corky's ready for it. In the meantime, Jake made the rule that Corky can never work on the Goose while drinking, and in his off time he can only drink beer.
Corky's alcohol-soaked brain has a difficult time remembering things. He always has something important to tell Jake and never gets it out until a split second too late.
On the plus side, Corky has the common sense wisdom of a child and sometimes it's hard to tell who's taking care of whom; is Jake watching out for Corky or is Corky watching out for Jake?
Corky speaks fluent Spanish and was raised in Peru by his American father and Spanish mother.
Tough/Techie
Wis 12+, Speak/Read/Write Spanish
SARAH STICKNEY WHITE

Sarah is an American spy, which only Jake knows. Her father was a world-renowned archaeologist and a U.S. intelligence agent. He was on a dangerous espionage mission in Egypt when he was killed under suspicious circumstances. Sarah thought his mission led to the Marivellas. To pursue the case she became an American agent. She likes to put on a tough front, but underneath Sarah's a very soft lady and in some ways naive. Sarah is in love with Jake and furious with herself for it. She knows Jake has somebody back home that he's still in love with so that nothing will probably ever happen between them. Besides, war is coming and Sarah has a job to do.
Her best friend in the islands is Corky, who accompanies her on the piano. Sarah is probably a virgin, a graduate of Vassar and a border-line singer.
Dedicated/Charismatic/Infiltrator
Perform: Singer, Educated
BON CHANCE LOUIE

Louie is the Magistrate de Justice for the French Mandate in the Marivellas.
Prior to Louie, the last two government officials the French sent into the islands returned with their pockets picked and in fear of losing their lives. So the French sent in a thief to rule the thieves.
Louie is a rogue, but a lovable one...he might kill you, but he'd never embarrass you. He has a habit of rubbing his neck where a guillotine scar is supposed to be, something we will never know for certain, for Louie will never remove that neckerchief. He also is constantly revealing astonishing facts about his past...climbing Everest with Hillary, helping to build the Maginot Line...but only in passing and never with much detail.
Bon Chance Louie is aware of everything that occurs on his islands and, if for example, a beautiful woman from the Clipper had her jewels stolen, Louie would be sure to see they were recovered. The lady, however, would probably pay a price...but not in cash.
Charismatic/ Negotiator
THE REVEREND WILLIE TENBOOM

Willie is the son of a long line of Prussian generals and the Prussians were not too fond of Adolf. He was expelled from military school when he was caught under the covers with the Commandant's wife. His reward -- this mission of acting as a Dutch minister to become the German spy in the Marivellas. But, far from being the banishment his family intended, it suits Willie perfectly because it usually keeps him out of danger.
Willie might reluctantly lay down his life for his Fatherland, but never for Hitler. He has no use for the SS or the Gestapo. He is strictly a Wehrmacht (army) officer.
Willie loves the ladies, especially the native girls, and is always trying to give them his "blessing," something that the rest of our cast is very aware of, although Willie doesn't know it. They also probably suspect he might be a German spy, but he's so likeable they don't mind. If ordered by Berlin to kill one of the others on the island, Willie would find some way to avoid doing it. After all, they really are his friends.
It's hard to tell if Willie's religious oratory is due to his posing as a minister or was a natural speech pattern, which is why he chose to use a minister as his cover. In any case, he tends to preach a lot.
Willie will die in Stalingrad in 1944.
Charismatic
PRINCESS KOJI AND TODO

The stunning daughter of an Irish sea captain and a Japanese princess who was cast out by her family, Princess Koji holds rigid command over a vast fleet of trading ships which ply routes from Tokyo to Australia. Her island headquarters is in the Japanese Mandate on the island of Matuka, where she lives in an opulent estate.
She's like a chameleon, using whichever half of her bloodline that is most advantageous at the moment...But, always, she is the reptile...a villain to the tenth power...the mailed fist in the silk glove.
The most obvious manifestation of her personality is her penchant for any creature with too many teeth, too many claws or too much poison to be considered a household pet. She always seems to have something with her...piranha...cobra...cheetah...you'd rather she didn't.
Princess Koji is hot for Jake's body and perhaps his Goose, something which Jake might be induced to go along with. We'll see.
Princess Koji's 19th Century army is commanded by Todo, a Samurai-type warrior of great bravery and puffery who hates everything Occidental including the Irish half of Princess Koji. However, should anything happen to her, he would commit seppuku. He is as gullible as Princess Koji is jaded...a quality she likes in him.
THE GOOSE

The Grumman G-21A is a remarkable aircraft that takes our heroes from one end of the Marivellas to another on their adventures. Due to the isolated location of the islands, parts are hard to come by and it's only Corky's improvisations that keep the Goose flying.
Jake Cutter Chronology
Born 1903
Attended
Cornell 1920 - 1924 4 years Ages 17 through 21
Played Double
A Baseball 1924 - 1926 2 years Ages 21 through 23
Army Air
Corps 1926 - 1931 5 years Ages 23 through 28
Barnstorming 1931 - 1933 2 years Ages 28 through 30
Clipper Co-pilot 1933 - 1937 4 years Ages 30 through 34
Flew in China
for Tigers 1937 Age 34
Present 1938 Age 35
The artwork and such didn't show up, but these are my notes thus far.
