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The Pegasos Society


rust

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It began with Napoleon's expedition to Egypt. One of the scholars who accompanied that

famous expedition brought a strange artefact back to France, where it ended up in a cel-

lar room of an estate which was much later bought by a wealthy guy from Scotland. He

discovered the artefact and realized that it had a lot of hieroglyphs on it, and so he deci-

ded to ask a friend at a German university to translate these hieroglyphs. According to

the translation the artefact was a portal to the Duat, the underworld of the ancient Egyp-

tians. They followed the translated instructions, and to their surprise the artefact indeed

created a portal.

However, it was not a portal to any kind of underworld, only to a very strange new world.

Once they had found the way there they decided to explore this world, and in order to do

this they and some of their trustworthy friends founded the Pegasos Society. This society

established an outpost on the world they named Duat, and over the years what had star-

ted as a temporary outpost developed into a permanent settlement, supported and sup-

plied by the Pegasos Society on Earth.

The members of the Pegasos Society kept the existence of their ancient portal, of the new

world Duat beyond the portal and of the settlement there secret. However, exploring Duat

and developing the settlement required advanced knowledge and technology as well as at

least some knowledge of the Mythos, and getting all of this by legal means proved difficult.

Therefore the Pegasos Society soon turned to rather cavalier methods of obtaining what it

considered necessary, including for example espionage and the occasional theft.

Some of those who came in contact with the Pegasos Society considered it as another se-

cret society with questionable aims, others mistook it for a more dangerous Cthulhoid cult.

Investigating the Pegasos Society and finding out what it really was up to and what really

was going on was immensely difficult - a task for true adventuring investigators ...

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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Sounds like the basis for a fun campaign, introducing a ruthless, amoral secret organization which may sometimes oppose and sometimes aid the player-characters, depending on what they're up to. With a history spanning about 200 years, the Society has had plenty of time to recruit members, build infrastructure, gather resources, establish policies, develop traditions, etc. Since it has got an inter-dimensional Jamestown to care for, just how large is the Pegasos Society at this point? How many members on each side of the portal? Is it centered around or near a specific location, or does it have branch offices scattered around the globe? Just how advanced is the group's knowledge and technology? Are we talking merely cutting edge, or crazy Buck Rogers stuff? Since they've got a city to supply and maintain on the other side, how has the Society managed to maintain discipline and secrecy? Obviously, colonists sent to Duat are essentially trapped there and can't squeal, but workers and agents on this side could spill the beans, even accidentally. How does the Society fund its activities?

On the Duat side, what are conditions like in this alternate world? Obviously, it can't be too hostile to terrestrial life or the settlement wouldn't have survived. How big is the colony and how is it run? What local resources does it have and what does it need to bring in from Earth? If the portal were suddenly shut down (for instance, by PC activity), could the colony maintain itself and keep going? How big is Duat and how much of it has been explored so far? Are there any sentient beings there to challenge the colonists for supremacy? What notable flora and fauna exist to make the colonists' lives ... interesting?

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Definitely interesting. Another point to consider is what kind of demographics are there? Is it just society members that are in need of support from the other side? Or are there workers who being lower members of the society rung are there to do grunt work? Once this gets fully fleshed out it definitely will be very interesting and tempting to use in a campaign.

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Since it has got an inter-dimensional Jamestown to care for, just how large is the Pegasos Society at this point? How many members on each side of the portal? Is it centered around or near a specific location, or does it have branch offices scattered around the globe? Just how advanced is the group's knowledge and technology? Are we talking merely cutting edge, or crazy Buck Rogers stuff? Since they've got a city to supply and maintain on the other side, how has the Society managed to maintain discipline and secrecy? Obviously, colonists sent to Duat are essentially trapped there and can't squeal, but workers and agents on this side could spill the beans, even accidentally. How does the Society fund its activities?

The headquarters of the Pegasos Society is at Pegasos Manor near Edinburgh in Scotland,

owned by the Collins family. However, the centre of the society's activities is near Perpig-

nan in southern France, on the estate where the gate is operated and at the nearby facto-

ry of Pegasos SA, a company also owned by the Collins family. While the society has many

contacts all over Europe and in the United States, it does not have branch offices elsewhe-

re.

The Pegasos Society is led by Hector Collins, the son of the late Edward Collins who disco-

vered the gate and the world beyond it. He serves as the chairman of the society's council

and makes all important decisions. The society is financed through the membership dues

and donations of its members, but most of the money comes from the profits of the com-

pany Pegasos SA.

At the moment the Pegasos Society has approximately 200 active members on Earth and

another approximately 250 settlers on Duat. Some of its leading operators on Earth were

actually born and raised on Duat and only serve a couple of years on Earth before they re-

turn to their homeworld. Since these Duat born members tend to be most loyal to their

community on Duat, they are usually the ones responsible for the secrecy of the society's

"special" operations.

The society's technology is definitely cutting edge, but it is not futuristic. It is most advan-

ced on the fields necessary to support and expand the settlement Porta on Duat, less so

on other fields of science and technology. However, the Pegasos Society has contacts on

the staff of several research centers and universities, for example the Miskatonic Universi-

ty in Arkham in the USA, and usually can aquire any informations it considers useful in a

rather short time.

I will try to answer the second part of your questions a little later. :)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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Another point to consider is what kind of demographics are there? Is it just society members that are in need of support from the other side? Or are there workers who being lower members of the society rung are there to do grunt work?

All settlers on Duat are members of the Pegasos Society. The settlement originally began as the

society's research outpost, but then some of the researchers decided to stay there for good, and

after the Great War many society members and contacts became disillusioned of the situation and

future of Europe and chose to try a new start on another world "without poison gas and trench

warfare".

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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On the Duat side, what are conditions like in this alternate world? Obviously, it can't be too hostile to terrestrial life or the settlement wouldn't have survived. How big is the colony and how is it run? What local resources does it have and what does it need to bring in from Earth? If the portal were suddenly shut down (for instance, by PC activity), could the colony maintain itself and keep going? How big is Duat and how much of it has been explored so far? Are there any sentient beings there to challenge the colonists for supremacy? What notable flora and fauna exist to make the colonists' lives ... interesting?

It is somewhat understandable that the Egyptians who created the gate mistook Duat for

their religion's underworld. The region at the other end of the gate is a semi desert valley,

north of it is a high mountain chain with several active volcanoes and large lava fields, in

the south is rocky desert. The only native vegetation consists of primitive algae, lichens

and mosses. Otherwise the - small - explored region of Duat is much like Earth, a planet

of a yellow sun, although without a moon, a breathable atmosphere and a gravity which

feels normal.

What looked to the Egyptians like barren underworld turned out to be fertile land for the

settlers, who knew how to use wind power to pump water up from a subterranean aquifer,

who were able to introduce useful plants and animals from the arid regions of Earth, and

who received the necessary supplies through the gate while they were building first their

research outpost and then a permanent settlement.

At the moment the settlement Porta, run by a governor sent by the Pegasos Society from

Earth and an elected local council, would hardly be able to survive on its own. While it

has some agriculture and a number of craftsmen, there are no known sources of metal,

and all technology still has to be imported through the gate.

The size of Duat is currently still unknown. The Pegasos Society's scientists think that it is

slightly smaller than Earth, but this is mostly guesswork. The explored part of Duat is al-

most exactly a circle with a radius of approximately 200 kilometers, half the range of the

one airplane that was transported to Duat. Somewhere south of this explored region seems

to be an ocean, because the few clouds which occasionally bring rain to the valley come

from the south.

While the Duat settlers have not yet encountered any higher animals - and certainly no in-

telligent natives - in their region, it is quite possible that other parts of Duat hold some sur-

prises ...

I tried to upload a map of the explored region of Duat, but for some reason the forum re-

fuses to allow me to upload it. :(

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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this is good stuff, maybe it would be kind of cool to do planets of the mythos some day. possible worlds that CoC characters could find themselves on though a investigation. what if thier are other portals laying around that lead to other worlds? or even an actual vessel of the Mythos races, such as something the serpent people might use.

Other world - of the Cthulhu Mythos " maybe I think there could be a better name? but its a good Ideal and it could have five to eight world in it t hat are as good as what our friend here is cooked up then hey- it would make a great book - any one else ?

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Those members of the Pegasos Society who were born on Duat and operate or study

on Earth could become the society's most interesting roleplaying element, because

their upbringing on Duat and their loyalty to the community there makes them diffe-

rent from most other people the characters are likely to meet - somewhat "alien",

perhaps even sometimes "creepy" because of their different customs, manners and

values.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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I've tried to get rust to submit his campaigns as official supplements and contest entries for years. (Hint. Hint.) ;D

Duat may lack known metals, but it looks as if it has all the resources for a ceramic/glass-based technology. Ceramics are as malleable as plastic, and ceramic composites can be made harder and tougher than steel.

But ... if the region has several active volcanoes and lava beds, why doesn't it have metals? We might expect the surface rocks to be sandstone, but surely the stuff bubbling up from the planet's core contains useful minerals. And most of Earth's solar system consists of iron-bearing rock. What makes Duat different? Also, did Duat have ancient monster-filled jungles and seas that have become petroleum and hydrocarbon beds? Is there coal buried somewhere beneath the sands?

If the Porta inhabitants have to import all fuel in addition to metals, wood and tools they really are in a fix. If water and soil fertility isn't a problem, perhaps they could plant groves of trees to supply lumber in the future (as well as fruit, resins, charcoal and other useful products). At least then they'd have wood to work with. Also, establishing a small and expanding forest near Porta would begin to change the climate, at least locally. It would be cooler, the rare rain clouds would tend to stop and release their contents more often. The leaf and stick detrius would begin to improve the surface topsoil as well, and once the older trees' roots became deep enough for them to survive on their own, young volunteer trees could begin to live in their shade. It would be a slow, gradual, sustainable means of terraforming. Presumably the colonists have already imported Earth insects such as bees to pollinate their crops. Their presence would also ensure tree reproduction as well.

Edited by seneschal
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But ... if the region has several active volcanoes and lava beds, why doesn't it have metals?

Duat certainly has metals, perhaps even near the settlement, but until now none have

been discovered. The search is still going on, and sooner or later the settlers will find a

source they can exploit and will develop the technology to work the metal.

Also, did Duat have ancient monster-filled jungles and seas that have become petroleum and hydrocarbon beds? Is there coal buried somewhere beneath the sands?

This is another question which has not yet been answered, although the society's scien-

tists keep working on it. Their main problem is to get beyond the lava fields and the

desert in order to take a look at other, perhaps less hostile environments of Duat.

If water and soil fertility isn't a problem, perhaps they could plant groves of trees to supply lumber in the future (as well as fruit, resins, charcoal and other useful products).

Indeed. One of the tasks of the Pegasos Society's botanical expeditions was to search

for useful trees which would be able to grow on Duat, and the settlers have started

tests with several species of trees from Earth's arid regions. I hear that eucalyptus

from Australia is doing fine.

Another, more theoretical problem is the position of Duat and its sun Aton and its dis-

tance from Earth. The society's scientists have already created a detailed star chart of

the part of Duat's night sky which is visible from Porta, but until now they did not find

any correlation with the night sky of Earth. It therefore seems that Duat is very, very

far from Earth.

Edited by rust

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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There are a couple of ways how the characters can come into contact with members

of the Pegasos Society, here are just some examples.

A somewhat typical case is the unexplained disappearance of a member of the socie-

ty. He may have told his relatives and friends that he and his wife and children plan-

ned to emigrate to Australia, and later on they might even receive letters written by

him from Australia, but if someone would investigate on the spot in Australia it would

become obvious that the person never arrived there and that the letters were posted

to them by someone else. What really happened is that the person emigrated to Duat

and covered this up with a story about Australia and the help of society members the-

re.

Another example could be the Pegasos Society's search for an alternative to the gate

at Perpignan, because without such an alternative any malfunction of the Perpignan

gate could become a desaster for the settlers at Porta. Informations about magical ga-

tes can be found in Mythos texts, so some operatives of the Pegasos Society will soo-

ner or later visit the places where such texts are traded, like auctions, or stored, like

libraries. And if the Pegasos Society is convinced that a specific text contains useful

information, they may well decide to attempt to buy or if necessary even steal it.

And then there are the various alien technologies of Mythos races, which could prove

useful for the Pegasos Society's operations. While the members of the society will not

ally with Mythos creatures and will not become servants of some Great Old One, any

other opportunity to aquire alien technology could well tempt operatives of the society

into action.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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Other than the secret society aspect, is there any other Mythos connections? Are any of the races of the Mythos present on the planet? Do any of the Elder Gods or Great Old Ones have a presence or influence here?

The Pegasos Society is very interested in the Mythos, for the reasons mentioned in the

post above (gate magic, technology, etc.), but until now there are no other connections

with the Mythos.

Whether the races and powers of the Mythos have a presence or influence on Duat is at

this moment still unknown, but I would definitely not rule it out (or give more details on

a public forum ... ;) ).

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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This campaign will require a couple of non-standard skills, like for example Engineering,

Geography and Survival. Therefore I have decided to reduce the overall number of stan-

dard skills by introducing some new more general skills which each replace a number of

the standard skills: Athletics covers Climb, Jump, Swim and Throw, Perception covers Li-

sten and Spot Hidden, and Stealth covers Hide and Sneak. This way the total number of

skills on the setting's skill list remains approximately the same as in other settings, and

the players do not have to distribute their characters' skill points among more than the

usual number of skills.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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It occurs to me that human activities often have unintended consequences. If the Porta settlers have been attempting agriculture for approximately 200 years, it is inevitable that some of their crops and livestock -- and even Earth germs, spores, etc., accidentally transported -- would have "escaped" and had a chance to go wild in the new environment. Now, the region near the Duat colony is scarce in ready sources of food and water for Earth organisms. On the other hand, there's hardly any competition for what resources there are, and there are no known diseases or predators to harm escapees. So, what if any Earth plants and animals have been able to "go native" near the colony? Who needs alien monsters when renegade hogs or cattle are determined to help themselves to the colony's hard-earned food and water supplies?

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So, what if any Earth plants and animals have been able to "go native" near the colony? Who needs alien monsters when renegade hogs or cattle are determined to help themselves to the colony's hard-earned food and water supplies?

Thank you for an interesting idea, I will put it on my list. ;t)

The most likely suspects for this kind of trouble would be goats, because of their ability

to survive well in arid regions, their intelligence and their agility. And wild goats would

make some game for hunting ... B-)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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An interesting organization needs some kind of internal conflict. In the case of

the Pegasos Society it is a rift between the society's members on Earth and the

settlers on Duat. While the members from Earth tend to see the society as a

research organization, the settlers think more of the future of their community.

This split has been increased by the "Prophecy of Nathan Kohn", a letter writ-

ten by an eminent French occultist and contact of the Pegasos Society to one

of its members, where Kohn claimed that the gate between Earth and Duat

will close in 1940. Many of the settlers on Duat are afraid that Kohn is right,

and pressure the Pegasos Society to prepare for such an event, for example

by building stockpiles of raw materials on Duat, by moving the society's im-

portant assets like its technical library to Duat, and so on. The society's lea-

dership on Earth is convinced that Kohn got it wrong, and is therefore unwil-

ling to react to alarmism by spending a huge amount of money on what they

consider unnecessary preparations.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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The gate will close in 1940, eh? Since you'd mentioned "advanced" technology and exploring by airplane, I'd assumed the campaign was set in the 21st Century. If all this is happening in the 1920s, it is entirely possible that Nathan Kohn's prophecy will come true when the German army invades France in May 1940. Society members might be willing to destroy the gate themselves to prevent it from falling into the enemy's hands.

In the meantime, since Pegasos agents operating on Earth are primarily Duat born, they might defy the leadership and begin to smuggle technical books and papers into the colony using all the espionage techniques that will become common twenty years hence. Sneaking in raw materials and tools would be tougher, but they could at least begin to assemble their own library of useful information on the Porta side of the gate. All on the quiet, of course. "The Governor must never know of this." Colonists would also redouble their efforts at exploration and mapping in a desperate search for foodstuffs, fuel sources and minerals. If the Earthmen aren't going to back them up, they've got to help themselves. The rift and its accompanying resentment might eventually lead to a rebellion of some sort.

One thing that's been bothering me is the motivation of the Pegasos Society in sinking all this effort and treasure into exploring and developing a "useless" world. It's all very well for a group of wealthy eccentrics in the early 1800s to spend their fortunes on science for science's sake, out of sheer curiosity. By the 1920s, however, a different generation of leaders has taken charge, folks who have to figure out new sources of funding for the venture and who will naturally begin to expect some sort of return on their investment. The settlers have a motive for continuing the project, of course. Their homes and families are at stake. The secretive, elitist Society members on Earth, however, are a different matter. What do they hope to get out of maintaining the gate? The neat-o factor has had plenty of time to wear off, and all they've found so far is rock, sand, and desert soil that responds well to irrigation.

The Duat-born would likely delve even deeper into the occult than the Society's founders, seeking some means of creating their own alternative gate. Their urgent quest for forbidden knowledge would inevitably bring them into conflict with player-character adventurers.

Even if the Kohn prophecy never existed, it is inevitable that there would be a gradual falling out between the settlers and the Pegasos Society on Earth. The original colonists were Society members with close friends and relatives running the gate. Their children and grandchildren, however, are less likely to have those ties and may begin to resent their dependance upon and governance by strangers on another planet. I would be willing to bet the colony population figures and exploration data posted earlier in the thread are only what the Society knows. Colonists ultimately will begin to build illegal homesteads and communities away from Porta, wherever they can find water. Sure, they're dead if the well fails or the first crop doesn't come in. But settlers in Oklahoma and Nebraska faced the same perils. And so far, they don't have to worry about unfriendly natives, predatory animals, or pests (other than what they may have accidentally brought with them). Once these outposts are established, explorations won't have to begin from Porta; they'll start wherever the settlers are. That "known lands" radius around the original colony is no longer a neat circle, although the bosses in Scotland won't know it. And settlers in remote areas are less willing (and perhaps unable) to report births, deaths, and discoveries to the Governor's office. Once the colonial population reaches a certain size and degree of self-sufficiency, the Duatians are out of the Society's control, although neither of them may realize it for some time.

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The gate will close in 1940, eh? Since you'd mentioned "advanced" technology and exploring by airplane, I'd assumed the campaign was set in the 21st Century.

Sorry, I just realized that I had failed to mention that this setting is using the background

of Classic Cthulhu in the 1920s. The airplane is an Avro 504 biplane, and the advanced

technology is advanced compared to the average level of technology of the 1920s. :o

If all this is happening in the 1920s, it is entirely possible that Nathan Kohn's prophecy will come true when the German army invades France in May 1940. Society members might be willing to destroy the gate themselves to prevent it from falling into the enemy's hands.

Yes, indeed. I thought that the players would certainly be aware of the setting's future back-

ground events, and so I considered it useful to make the most important part of it - WWII -

in-setting foreboding to keep player knowledge and character knowledge closer together.

The secretive, elitist Society members on Earth, however, are a different matter. What do they hope to get out of maintaining the gate? The neat-o factor has had plenty of time to wear off, and all they've found so far is rock, sand, and desert soil that responds well to irrigation.

All of the important material assets of the society, like the manor in Scotland, the estate in

France and the company Pegasos SA, are owned and controlled by one person, Hector Collins,

so many of the other members of the society are not really aware how much effort is spent to

keep the settlement on Duat running. As an example, not many members of the society have

access to the information that much of the "input" of the company Pegasos SA is not used for

its production, but is directly sent to Porta to supply the settlement.

Besides, for many members of the society the Pegasos Society is basically an information net-

work that provides them with cutting edge information about new developments in science and

technology, and they are willing to pay for these informations and do not care that much that

the informations were originally aquired to support the settlement on Duat.

Finally, most of the society's important positions which directly have to do with the settlement

on Duat are now held by people who emigrated to Duat or who were born there, and since they

therefore control a lot of the informations handed out to the other members, they are able to

keep much of what is going on more or less secret.

You are certainly right about the often covered activities of the Duat settlers within the society.

A more direct conflict between the two factions within the Pegasos Society is unlikely as long as

Hector Collins remains in control of the organization and supports the settlers, but he is now an

old man, and the society has no clear rules for the leadership in the time after his death - the

content of his will remains unknown. Perhaps the Duat faction will inherit the core of the socie-

ty's assets and take over the society, perhaps the Earth faction will do so and decide to cut the

costs ...

Edit.:

Since you mentioned fuel, this is actually not a major problem for the settlers, because they pro-

duce alcohol from grain as a part of the settlement's agriculture, and small and efficient engines

running on alcohol as fuel are one of the technological fields where the Pegasos Society is at the

cutting edge of technology - and, thanks to Pegasos SA's sales of such engines, even makes a ni-

ce little profit.

Edited by rust

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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"Besides, for many members of the society the Pegasos Society is basically an information net-

work that provides them with cutting edge information about new developments in science and

technology, and they are willing to pay for these informations and do not care that much that

the informations were originally aquired to support the settlement on Duat."

You're scaring me, rust. Now I think I'll have to cancel my subscription to National Geographic. =O

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You're scaring me, rust. Now I think I'll have to cancel my subscription to National Geographic. =O

Well, I think it is not general knowledge that the standard textbooks about the

plants of the Atacama desert, about agriculture in arid regions or about the my-

thology of the earliest Egyptian dynasties were written by members of the Pega-

sos Society. B-)

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

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An interesting organization also needs other organizations as friends and enemies.

I have to admit that I was too lazy to design these organizations, and therefore

borrowed them from published material.

The Pegasos Society sometimes cooperates with the Janus Society, basically an

organization of investigators of phenomena which the normal science cannot ex-

plain, organized somewhat like the Freemasons and with branches in most civi-

lized states and some of their colonies. It was published in German as a supple-

ment for the German edition of Call of Cthulhu, and with ca. 200 pages this de-

scription of the Janus Society is rather detailed.

This supplement also describes a link between the Janus Society and the Miska-

tonic University, which has been described in detail in a Chaosium supplement

for Call of Cthulhu, and I decided to use this link for the relations between the

Pegasos Society and the Miskatonic University, too.

The Janus Society and the Miskatonic University are enough "friendlies" for my

Pegasos Society, and they also provide good connections with the Mythos.

I had more problems with the "hostiles", mainly because I wanted to avoid the

usual stereotype of evil proto-Nazis (Ahnenerbe, Thule, etc.) that is so common

in games covering the 1920s.

However, in the end I fell to another stereotype, the evil cthulhoid cult, and de-

cided to use the Order of the Silver Twilight of Shadows of Yog-Sothoth fame as

the main opponent of the Pegasos Society, because both organizations compete

in the search for Mythos knowledge and useful Mythos artefacts.

And then there are the intelligence services of a couple of states which have be-

come aware of strange activities of the Pegasos Society - there have been too

many implausible incidents, too many society members with false identities and

forged papers (Duat passports are not accepted ...) and too many unexplained

purchases of unusual substances and equipment which attracted the spooks'

attention.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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Well, the arid world of Duat is only one of many options, the Pegasos Society's magical

gate could just as well lead elsewhere.

An example could be Ultima Thule, a cold region with a long coastline with rich fishing

grounds, a small hilly coastal plain of land suited mainly for herding sheep, high moun-

tains and inland glaciers - think of Greenland. This would also change the society's sci-

entific and technological fields of interest, it could lead to other allies and enemies (he-

re the proto-Nazi Thule Gesellschaft would fit in perfectly), and the lists of skills and of

professions would have to be modified, too.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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Well, the arid world of Duat is only one of many options, the Pegasos Society's magical

gate could just as well lead elsewhere.

An example could be Ultima Thule, a cold region with a long coastline with rich fishing

grounds, a small hilly coastal plain of land suited mainly for herding sheep, high moun-

tains and inland glaciers - think of Greenland. This would also change the society's sci-

entific and technological fields of interest, it could lead to other allies and enemies (he-

re the proto-Nazi Thule Gesellschaft would fit in perfectly), and the lists of skills and of

professions would have to be modified, too.

Instead of infinite locations, let's say the gate leads to a small number (3-5) of harsh but habitable environments -- desert Duat, chilly Thule, and one to three others. Make 'em as exotic as you want. Here's the kicker: each time a group of explorers passes through from Earth, they can't be sure which location they'll arrive at. Duat colonists might get back to Porta as expected, or they might not. Since the number of options is limited, the Pegasos Society will have had an opportunity to do at least preliminary scouting and setup at each site. There will be at least rude shelter, some tools and provisions cached, wherever they arrive. Also, each of these "worlds" is actually the same location on the same distant planet, but at different epochs in its history. So archeologists (or even ordinary workmen digging for water near Porta) might unearth the remains of the Society's encampment on one of those "other worlds." A player-character colonist or explorer might discover his own home, tools, documents ... thousands or millions of years later.

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Instead of infinite locations, let's say the gate leads to a small number (3-5) of harsh but habitable environments -- desert Duat, chilly Thule, and one to three others. [...]

I thought of something pretty much like what you proposed, but my problem with it is that

I am too lazy to develop more than one or two worlds in detail for a single setting. :o

Since Duat is more or less complete by now, I am currently working on Thule, which requi-

res a bit more research to make it plausible, although I have already done low-technology

arctic settings before. For example, there are questions like which useful plants could be in-

troduced to Thule (hardy trees from Patagonia, the world's southernmost trees ?), where to

find the right kind of livestock for the settlement on Thule (sheep and ponies from the Shet-

lands, perhaps reindeer from Norway ?), what type of fishing boat could be used ("Kochi"

from northern Russia ?), what the ground vehicles (halftracks with skis instead of the front

wheels ?) and the aircraft (if any) could look like, and so on. I am somewhat obsessed with

realistic details, and "getting it right" becomes not much different from the research the Pe-

gasos Society would have to do within the setting ...

So, I think that Duat and/or Thule will remain the only world(s) accessible through the Pega-

sos Society's magical gate, adding another world or two would be too much fun for my taste.

"Mind like parachute, function only when open."

(Charlie Chan)

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