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CHAPTER 3: THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES SOME MORE

OPEN SPACES
Continuing the TMNT® alternate reality adventurewhere the players try to find a new home.
This section differs from the previous sections in that it draws heavily from the Palladium, After the Bomb® supplement for background detail and incidental encounters.

THE PROPOSED HISTORY

THE RECENT PAST - In Brief
President Walken, in 2010, was witness to an act of terrorist sabotage in his hometown of New York, perpetrated by a minority group of animal mutant extremists. President Walkens' already paranoid and shaky grasp on reality was intensified by the cataclysmic destruction of the Manhattan Nuclear Power Station and his being witness to the birth of the Irradiated Phoenix. The subsequent explosion and fallout essentially made the city centre inhospitable to healthy human life for the foreseeable future. In a fit of outrageous insanity President Walken ordered Americas full complement of nuclear missiles to be launched at all of the most likely target countries that would be able to take advantage of this horrific situation. China and the Russian states, not listening to reason from the more stable countries, also launched their entire arsenal in a retaliatory strike.

The resultant fallout and Electro Magnetic Pulse that inevitably spread around the world has destroyed 90% of electronic components and made much of the globe permanently inhospitable for a healthy life. A 'Long Night' followed as the radioactive dust blotted out the sun. A huge percentage of the world population was erased in the initial conflagration with many more succumbing in the following years.

As a side effect of the fallout, many more animals started to display unusual mutations, strangely, an increase in intelligence was the most profound change in the animal kingdom. With this new intelligence and increased numbers the mutant animals have spread to the four corners of the world and carved out large territories for themselves. Collecting in groups, then villages, towns and cities, they strive to overcome the burden of a tired and sickly planet. In competition with the surviving humans, confrontations were frequent and vicious.

THE PROPOSED PRESENT

2113 - THE PRESENT
A lull in the fighting has arrived as the uplifted animals survey the damage. While the humans jealously guard their remaining knowledge and technology the mutant animals are becoming organised and a force to be reckoned with, both technologically and philosophically. Sporadic fighting occurs, as all sights are faced outwards to the vast unclaimed lands and the hidden treasures they may be concealing.

When the party get to New York, Catskill & co have long gone, but they left a message… 'hope you made it to safety, everything locked up down stairs, have confirmation of Zahir e Batin see you there' directions supplied.

Any equipment that the players left in 2010 New York has been carefully locked up in the basement of the A.L.F. safe house in Brooklyn. Because the safe house has been undisturbed the only items that will have noticeably degraded are those items considered to have a shelf life, guns and bullets, vehicles and solid hardware will all be dusty but operational. Brooklyn escaped most of the blast from the Irradiated Phoenix's birth, and while the safe house above ground has suffered, the basement remains intact and secure.

Once the party reach ZeBville they will be put to use as technology hunters. Their frequent searching eventually leads to 'Blackvoid Hawk', the intelligent stealth space ship; 'Blackvoid Hawk' will kidnap the player characters and take them into space.

FIRES IN THE SKY

ENTER THE CITY
The ins and outs
There are only two ways into, and out of N'Yak, both controlled by the Walken Administration gang. The most obvious entrance is the Great Bridge. It has mostly stood the abuses of time and civilisation; it is now an engineering marvel of the post-war society. The Walken Administration keeps guards posted at both ends of the bridge with heavy machinegun nests, charging a toll for anyone entering or leaving the city. As well as the machineguns, mines and obstacles have been strategically placed along the bridge to slow down those who wish to avoid the toll.

The second way out of N'Yak is the Great Tunnel. Once again the Walken Administration has set up guard posts at either end. However, the tunnel is avoided at all costs. Strange, large monsters prowl in the pitch darkness of the tunnel beneath the river and this entrance is not considered an easy alternative to the bridge. The Walken Administration sometimes uses the tunnel for their sport. Giving captives the option of a swift execution or the chance of a reprieve if they can make it through the tunnel. The Walken Administration is not known for its charity, and the lucky individual who makes it through is likely to be gunned down on arriving at the exit point.

RETURN TO N'YAK
The triumphal return to 'civilisation'
10 miles out from the N'Yak city centre, the destruction begins to become apparent. All of the windows in all of the buildings are smashed. Open fires can be seen flickering in the buildings as the new occupants struggle for shelter and warmth. Roads are littered with a hundred years worth of refuse, burnt out cars are strewn across the roads and sidewalks.

5 miles out and all of the remaining buildings show signs of structural damage concrete blocks join the detritus. Shops have been haphazardly looted; many useless and broken items lie in the gutter. Signs of a ferocious fire can be seen on most buildings. Glass crunches under foot.

2 miles out and the devastation is even more obvious. Whole buildings have collapsed in a random manner. Some buildings have been gutted by fire. Shadows of people can be seen on all of the south facing walls. Buckled metal joists protrude from most structures. The exposed skeletons of huge office blocks are a common sight. At this distance from ground zero, the radiation count starts out at 0.17 rems.

Up to 1 mile from the Irradiated Nest and all of the buildings have been seriously affected by the explosion. Some of the skyscrapers have toppled over and blocked off whole sections of the city. Every thing is charcoal black; the smell of burnt metal, plastic, concrete and meat is easily identifiable. A scent of sulphur drifts on the Northerly wind. The tarmac is rippled or vaporised all together. Very little life exists this close to the Irradiated Phoenix Nest. At ground zero the radiation count is 500 rems (Beta bomb equivalent), this is the spot that the Irradiated Phoenix nests.

SEWER SHUTDOWN
The holes of my hometown
Much of the sewer network is still intact, only approaching the Phoenix Nest does it actually become impassable. Pockets of radiation provide unseen traps for the unwary and cave-ins are a common happening. Even with these dangers the sewers are a popular place to seek refuge from the cutthroat nature of the residents above ground.

THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
Home of the Irradiated Phoenix
A huge crater almost a mile across pinpoints the birthplace of the Irradiated Phoenix. A black cloud perpetually hangs over the entire area as weird vortexes stir the atmosphere. Unpredictable winds blast the landscape, throwing up a sooty cloud that returns to the ground in the frequent black rain. Even the suffocating rain cannot quench the constant fires that break out in this area.

At the centre of this fissure nests the Phoenix, feeding from the high radiation count. The crater is several degrees warmer than the surrounding metropolis. Lava pits and chasms chaotically wind around the whole region. The geography is mutable, tarmac roads wind and seethe like stagnant rivers. The stink of sulphur and destruction hangs heavily in the air. The statue of Liberty survives in mockery of mankind, a half melted parody of its former glory, blindly overseeing the destruction and pollution of the last century, passively condemning the twisted and dissolved landscape.

STOCK UP IN SANCTUARY
A reacquaintance with old goods
Brokein (Brooklyn before the Long Night), and much of N'Yak city, has suffered a great deal since the explosion. Whole districts have been flattened, creating a maze out of the navigable streets. Even in this ruin some buildings have survived with minimal damage. Valuable equipment may be salvaged from the ruins.

ESCAPE FROM N'YAK
Find a friend, phone a friend
The richness of N'Yak provides the players with an excellent opportunity to raid the old tech city for weapons and equipment. Getting out of N'Yak should prove a challenge for the party, with its many traps and obnoxious residents. If they can contact some of the more friendly occupants they will also have an opportunity to learn about the wider implications about the state of the states.

However, it should be noted that the Walken Administration gang controls the only major entrance and exits from N'Yak, the bridge and the tunnel. They do not like mutants of any type and will prove difficult to negotiate with.

THE ROUTE TO SANCTUARY
The lawless wastes
The players can either make straight for Zahir e Batin (once they have learnt its location) or spend some time exploring the land and its new cities. Either way, until the players hook up with some kind of organisation they will mostly be getting random encounters. Refer to the After the Bomb or Road Hogs supplements.

ZEBVILLE MY NEW HOME
ZeBville and their problems
Situated in North Dakota, along the Missouri. ZeBville (Zahir e Batin as it was known before the 'Long Night') is a mutant republic of philosophers and anarchists struggling to survive after the nuclear holocaust. They need the old technologies to give them an edge over the bandits, human supremacists and other post nuke civilizations. Their own experimentations are slow and there are gaps in their knowledge that need to be filled.

Made up of a comprehensive and gregarious range of mutant animals since before the Long Night, ZeBville is open to both animal and human settlers alike. All new comers are invited to stay and add to the population, with only two stipulations, they must serve for 6 months in the irregular militia. On completion of the 6 month service they must then find a useful occupation. About 50% of the able adults choose to join the regular militia; the remainder find some other use for themselves (such as farming, manufacture, or the sciences). Apart from the rather lax military hierarchy, everyone is considered to be an equal.

Swelled by the pre-war A.L.F. ZeBville has a competent, if somewhat low-tech, and over eager, army, which deters bandits from raiding the main settlement directly. However, because of its supposed prosperity, many of the outlying villages and farms come under harassment from bandits and other road hogs on a frequent basis.

Military Forces All military personnel receive a regular payment based on length of service. Many of the soldiers take payment in equipment to supplement the issued armour and weaponry.

ZeBville Irregulars: approximately 5,000 poorly trained and barely equipped part-time soldiers. The Irregulars have access to bolt action rifles and occasionally some armour, they are usually supervised by a trusted Militia Chief who tries to keep them alive long enough to become useful members of society.

Scouts: a loosely organised group of 1,000 scouts. Their main duties are to keep an eye on the travellers through the ZeBville areas, to search out new technology, and to contact other settlements and organisations. They tend to be well equipped and well trained but they rarely show any discipline.

ZeBville Militia: 12,000 full-time soldiers who make it their duty to protect the capital and outlying settlements from bandit attacks or incursions of other undesirables. They have access to regular firearms (mostly old rifles), grenades and armour (mostly flak jackets), jeeps and trucks, their prized armoured personnel carrier and their rebuilt Sherman Tank. It should be noted that the best mechanics in ZeBville all serve in the Militia.

ZeBville Elite: 500 full-time soldiers picked from the best of the militia and the scouts. They receive advanced combat training and usually get the best weapons and armour (submachine guns and full combat armour) when they need it. Primarily created to act as personal guards to the great thinker of ZeBville, they are also used for covert operations and terrorist attacks on enemy states. Fiercely independent and the most disciplined of the ZeBville soldiers they have somehow become well known for making a habit of being killed in hopeless kamikazee attacks or for laying their life down for the sake of the state.

Local antagonists

Geographical problems

Crumbled Cities

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE
Turns, twists and a tunnel
Reports of a mixed vehicle convoy are reported driving other road users off the highway. The ZeBville council would like the players to look into this new problem; there are possible technological gains from such a large collection of working vehicles.

A FINAL SOLUTION
Living in fear of open space
The players find 'Blackvoid Hawk' and it takes them somewhere it considers 'safe'.

A CONTINUATION...
The players will realise pretty soon that the Blackvoid Hawk has an agenda and a destination of its own. Whether they can sway it to their own requirements is up to the individual. Personally, I have aimed the whole campaign at getting the players into this situation and I don't intend on letting them get out of it very easily, or at all if I can help it. The next time I pick up this scenario I will be looking at the possibility of a long-term space campaign…

THE MORAL:
All the way through this campaign my players have made a habit of stealing vehicles, right from the beginning when Felicity escaped from BIOX with a stolen jeep. So I took advantage of that whenever possible. All of the major plot hooks are potentially stolen vehicles! And my players haven't disappointed me. So, what is the moral… buggered if I know! Something about not stealing cars…

A RADIATION WASTELAND
Radiation Sickness - SR14 vs. toxins each HOUR/new REM encounter Radiation Sickness is a destructive result of the body being exposed to excessive radioactive elements.

Radiation sickness may occur during a single large explosive discharge or through repeated contact with smaller radioactive elements. Radiation increases the tendency to bleed and reduces the bodies defence against infection. Exposure to Radiation can cause genetic mutations. Radiation effects are cumulative.

There is no treatment for Radiation Sickness, although it is possible for people to survive lethal doses of radiation with professional medical care. It is possible to find protection from excessive doses of radiation, usually by employing some kind of shield or environmental suit containing lead. It is possible to detect harmful radiation by using a Geiger Counter, or similar device.

Primary Symptoms - can manifest within minutes and can last for weeks - nausea, pain, and loss of appetite, headaches, weakness and vomiting (P.E. reduced by 1-6) .

Secondary Symptoms - usually manifest within the first two weeks - diarrhoea, haemorrhaging from the nose, mouth and ears, loss of teeth, and patches of hair loss. (P.E. reduced by 2-12, Hit Points reduced by 1-6 Permanently).

Tertiary Symptoms - can manifest within months or years - damage to gonads and lymphoid tissues, cancer, leukaemia and damage to the brain. (P.E. reduced by 3-18, P.P. reduced by 1-10, I.Q. reduced by 1-6, Hit Points reduced by 2-12 Permanently) .

While the Primary symptoms may become apparent almost immediately, the Secondary and Tertiary symptoms can take some time to manifest. Therefore, when determining the duration till effect, for Primary symptoms roll 1-10 minutes, Secondary Symptoms roll 2-12 days, Tertiary Symptoms 1-6 months.

300 rem is the most exposure that humans can withstand for short periods of time.
700 rem is considered to be a lethal dose.
1000 rem will kill in a very short time. There is no treatment for this level.
Virtually all nuclear detonations will leave 1000 rem at ground zero.

There are three forms of energy released during a radioactive explosion, alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Alpha and beta radiation have low penetration power and are usually absorbed in the air. Gamma radiation is more lethal and remains a constant threat for longer.

OF RAD, REM, AND Q
RAD is used to measure the amount of radiation. Usually based on the distance from ground zero, or the amount of radioactive particle distribution (greater distribution = lower RAD count).

REM measures the equivalent dosage and its effectiveness on human biology.

Q is the biological efficiency of each form of radiation as a multiplier applied to RAD to get a final REM count.

Radiation levels decrease due to distance from, or dispersal of, the original source of radiation.

INITIAL RADIATION LEVELS (unit = RAD)

Alpha and Beta radiation are more likely to be found in fallout, such as black rain, or radioactive winds, while Gamma radiation is more likely to be found at the ground zero of a nuclear explosion.

For example, Alpha radiation is encountered 1,000m from the impact zone in a cloud of black rain. At this distance from Ground Zero Alpha radiation has a 4.0 RAD count, because Alpha radiation has a Q of just 0.1 anybody encountering the Black rain will receive a 0.4 REM count added to their total REM count every hour they stay in the black rain. With this low level REM count the character can afford to stay in the radioactive rain for quite a few hours before any symptoms of Radiation Sickness begin to show.

If this person stumbles on to a Beta radiation hotspot just 500m from an impact zone the REM count will go up by 87.5, to a total REM count of 87.9, this is enough to produce Primary Radiation Sickness effects, but still within the government approved 'safety limit'.

If this person then blunders through the Ground Zero and encounters the Gamma Radiation there, his REM count rockets to 1087.5, a lethal dose of radiation with severe Radiation Sickness effects showing up almost instantly.

N'YAK RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

A random encounter can be inserted between all of the major plot hooks, if the party seems as though they can cope with it. Two or three random encounters may be put back to back if the party is travelling a long way.