DARK CONTINENT: INNER STATION

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
From here, the characters enter a war-zone. Colonial forces here are thin and under constant attack. No subtly here, just a long, running battle. The DM should make sure to give the characters access to plenty of means of healing or this may be over quick.


CHARACTER GOALS
Survival, pure and simple. They are going to have to fight their way to the next stage.


INTERDICTION
The trip to Inner Station should take about a week. A day out from Central Station, the group’s riverboat will start to come under attack by natives. It begins with simple potshots from the riverbank by unseen assailants. Then a stealth attack at night by assassins in canoes. When the boat stops for some supplies (the Captain wants to look for some mangoes) at what turns out to be an abandoned village, they will take a full on attack from both banks, boarding parties in canoes, and one of the 13.

A day out from the station, the group is supposed to meet their next contact, the captain of a small military galley. They will see the smoke before they get there. The galley is moored next to a native riverboat, which is in flames. Both ships are recent derelicts with both crews dead. There is no sign of the attackers. There are plenty of supplies and healing potions aboard the galley for raiding. Two canoes with natives appear, coming from up river. These are “friendlies” and take no hostile action. Their story is that they are fleeing a coming battle at the station. They think they’ve seen a dragon in the area.


HIT THE BEACH
Inner Station is a walled port town located on a small lake near a large set of falls. The town is under full-scale assault when the group arrives. The ship Captain is a brave man, but not stupid. He attempts to turn around at this point and go back down river.

This may be something of a turning point in the adventure. The Captain cannot be bribed or talked into going in, and the crew will follow his lead. Mind control or magic used on the Captain will be met with suspicion by the crew. If the group uses force, the crew will only fight as long as the Captain is able to fight, and then they will desert. The characters by themselves should be able to steer the ship in to port from where they are, if needed. There are no lifeboats or canoes aboard. Swimming, especially with armor and gear, will be highly impractical. If the group can fly or teleport, good for them.

If the party decides to go back up river and debark further away from the battle, the town falls. The party will run into native patrols that are looking for survivors on the way back. When they arrive, the town is overrun with natives. The only colonists there are bodies being flung into a mass grave. There is no one to save. The group should run into some survivors in the jungle, who will be trying to get to the forts at the Last Bridge.

“Hitting the beach” for an attack will be a hectic affair.

First, the ship is going to take fire arrows and magical fire (a wand of fireballs) from a small watchtower overlooking a shoal in front of the harbor. If the characters attempt to fly or swim in, they may take direct fire from the tower. The riverboat may take mortal damage and crash into reef, but the characters can jump off from there. The small group of natives holding the tower will be distracted by another boat trying to leave port, and the group will be able to get the drop on them.

The layout of the town can be clearly seen from the watchtower. There are warehouses near the docks, some of which are on fire. There is another tower in the middle of town. What looks like a large inn and a large temple are just up the road from the tower. There are a couple of large mansions directly to the east of the docks. On a small bluff overlooking the town is a keep, which is smoldering from the inside.

There are many civilians huddled in ships at the docks. They cannot leave without being destroyed by the watchtower. If the tower has been taken, they’ll still be afraid to leave, unless they are told it is safe. They are determinedly holding back an attack from several natives and a member of the 13. If the demon is driven off, the natives will surrender immediately. They are afraid of their allies, Orcs and the undead.

The warehouses have been overrun by Orcs. (In this case, I’m referring to men devolved into near apes, or apes evolved into near men. Take your pick.) They are leaderless at the moment and are looting and pillaging. Their chief is in the area having an impromptu feast. This group can be routed easily with a stiff fight.

The Sheriff’s Tower in the middle of town appears to be unoccupied. The sheriff and his deputies are dead inside. There are a couple of native assassins inside in hiding, waiting for an unguarded moment to strike. There are healing potions and other items that can be raided in the lockers.

The estates are under attack by a member of the 13 and several low-level undead creatures (including some dead colonials: soldiers, civilians, and the Eldorado Exploration Company). The private guards there are holding them back. The group can conceivably catch the attackers off guard. If the demon is driven off, the undead will collapse. Here, the group can pick up a few allies in the form of the private guards.

Banana Bar and Inn has a large number of Orc and undead bodies laying about its grounds. The patrons and staff, combined with some stout construction, have successfully repelled several attacks. A few allies may be gained here in the form of mercenaries.

The large chapel just up the road is under heavy attack, as most of the surviving soldiers from the keep have holed up here, along with most of the civilians. A member of the 13 and a mixed group of natives, Orcs, and undead are attacking. The natives will all flee the moment battle turns. The Orcs, undead, and even the demon (the commander of the attack) will all fight to the death. A few soldiers from inside may be able to come out and help.

The group learns that nearly all the town leaders have been killed. The group will functionally be in charge with the survivors looking to them for directions. The keep, they will learn, was hit by a dragon. It is still there.

There is a short path up the bluff to the keep. It seems very quiet. The keep itself is deserted, except for one large red dragon lying in the courtyard. He has obviously been badly wounded. The group might be able to surprise him, but more likely, he will detect a lot movement in the area. The dragon, Hellion, will want to parley. He was goaded into this attack by Kurtz and is truly ruing the arrangement. Hellion simply wishes to leave in peace at this point. An attack by the party, or if they let their guard down too much, and Hellion will try to use his breath weapon. Unfortunately, he has already exhausted that for the day and what comes out is a wave of acidic puke. It doesn’t cause damage, but its reek will likely sicken everyone in the keep. The dragon will attempt to fly off and escape.

When the battle is over, the characters will be thrust into the role of town leadership. The townspeople will be frightened and wanting instructions and reassurance. The DM should make things as uncomfortable as possible for the players until a flotilla of reinforcements arrives from Central Station the next day.

The reinforcements are lead by a borderline insane, gung ho Commander. He will be convinced that the characters are reinforcements from Kurtz, regardless of anything the characters say. At this point, the players may not know what to do. Not a problem. The Commander will draft them on the spot to join him for a mission to relieve the forts at the falls up river.


THE LAST BRIDGE
A day away by portage path from the lake is the narrowest, shallowest part of the river, which is next to the falls. There is a nearly ruined bridge and two small forts on either side of it. The fort on the characters’ side of the river is still being held. The other fort has been overrun by Orcs and undead and is constantly attacking them.

The Commander and his troops arrive with the characters in tow. The players will likely be looking for some means of escape from this chicken outfit. Unfortunately, they are surrounded by a large military escort. Play up that the Commander is nuts.

The troops being relieved are completely shell-shocked from constant attacks. The Commander’s first task, as he sees it, is to re-take the fort on the other side of the river. He’ll order a two-pronged frontal assault over the bridge and fording the river at its lowest point. The troops already at the keep will strongly advise against it, but he’ll only chastise them for not doing it themselves.

If the characters ask around among the local troops, they know that Kurtz is somewhere in the Interior. The only way to get there is to get up the falls and hook up with a friendly native tribe. However, one of the 13 and a large group of Orcs and undead are headquartered at an old ruined temple at the top of the falls. Going too deep into the jungle to flank the falls is certain death. There is a portage path up the side of the falls on the other side of the river. It’s suicide to try it. There is also a secret tunnel behind the falls that leads up to the temple. It’s guarded by something dangerous. Of course, there’s another option, which we’ll discuss shortly.

The Commander asks for volunteers to join him on a recon at night to scope out the other fort before the attack tomorrow. If the players are smart, they’ll recognize this as a great opportunity to escape.

The players can choose whatever means they want to get across the river, but the Commander and his personal guards will be with them the whole way. The front gate of the small keep has been smashed open. The inner bailey is partly submerged from a flash flood of the river during the initial attack upon it. Everything is ominously quiet within. The keep itself is actually nearly deserted, but for a few undead guards. There may be some unspoiled rations and other supplies in the rooms. The Commander will want to start moving troops over at once and attack temple on the falls tomorrow. Then there is a series of high-pitched shrieks outside.

If you own a copy of Ride of Valkrieyes, this is where to start the music. Taking off from the top of the falls, a squadron of Goblins riding giant bats attack the other fort. (Goblins in this case are small, evolved chimp-like men.) They begin firebombing the area and then dive crapping it for good measure. A force of Orcs come howling down the stone steps of the portage path beside the falls. They charge across the low part of the river and begin a frontal attack on the fort.

The Commander is flabbergasted. He and his men begin running for their fort. He tells the characters to hold the keep in a rearguard action to ensure his safety. At this point, the characters are on their own. The flooded keep is actually fairly safe from attack. How the battle goes is irrelevant to their mission. They may choose to wait it out, join the battle, or perhaps try the secret path behind the waterfall. (DM’s choice as to the monster guarding it.) A few of the giant bats will lose their riders and decide to rest on one of the flooded keep’s towers. From there, they could possibly be caught and ridden. Just a thought.


THE FALLS
There is an old temple grounds on the shore at the top of the falls. It was built long ago and has been partially flooded by changes in the river. There is one large stone building situated at one end that was something of a monastery. The area is nearly deserted. Inside the building is the demon commander, one of the 13, along with several large undead guards. He has been waiting for the characters to come to him, and he will fight here to the death.

After the battle, a large number of natives surround the area. They make no hostile moves. Their leader asks if the characters are here to kill Kurtz. If the group says, “Yes,” the chief answers, “We will help you to find him.”