TEXT: RAVAGED EARTH
  RELICS & RUMORS #4
  HELM OF KUNSHU * HOLY GRAIL
  ILLUMINATI MEDALLION
  IMPERIAL SCEPTER OF AUGUSTUS * JUG OF ILLYAP’A
  
  Ravaged eaRth
  Relics & RumoRs #4
  	
  Product	Development		Eric	Avedissian	&	Sean	Preston
  	
  Writing		Dave	Olson	&	Eric	Avedissian
  	
  Art	Direction		Mike	Dukes
  	
  Artwork		Adam	Shaw
  	
  Layout		Joel	Kinstle	with	
  Sean	Preston
  	
  Editing		Lyn	Harm,	Norm	Hensley,	
  Dave	Olson,	&	Jeff	Scifert
  Ravaged	Earth,	Relics	&	Rumors,	all	logos,	trade	dress,	and	all	unique	characters,		
  creatures,	and	locations	are	copyright	2009,	2010	Reality	Blurs.
  Visit	our	website	at	www.realityblurs.com	for	freebies,	downloads,	and	updates.		
  Check	us	out	on	Facebook	and	Twitter	too!
  This	game	references	the	Savage	Worlds	game	system,	available	from		
  Pinnacle	Entertainment	Group	at	www.peginc.com.	Savage	Worlds	and	all	associated		
  logos	and	trademarks	are	copyrights	of	Pinnacle	Entertainment	Group.	Used	with	permission.	
  Pinnacle	makes	no	representation	or	warranty	as	to	the	quality,	viability,	or	suitability	for	
  purpose	of	this	product.	Some	material	from	the	Fantasy	Companion	is	copyright		
  Pinnacle	Entertainment	Group,	Inc.	and	used	with	permission.
  
  Contents
  Helm of Kunshu 
  1
  Holy Grail 
  7
  Illuminati Medallion 
  12
  Imperial Scepter of Augustus 
  17
  Jug of Illyap’a 
  22
  
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  1
  Wars have been fought since mankind first learned 
  to turn sticks into tools, and for as many eons as there 
  have been wars there have been as many different 
  reasons for fighting them. Humanity has fought wars 
  based on territory, perceived birthright, even by religious 
  conviction. In all of history, however, few conflicts have 
  been as bloody as those where the people have risen 
  up against oppression, fighting for what they believed 
  to be right. The bloody Taiping Rebellion was such 
  a conflict, though one of its more notable legacies 
  predates it by many years. The collective consciousness 
  of the oppressed can sometimes take physical form 
  and, when combined with ancient mysticism, create 
  relics that can change the course of history.
  History
  China has always been a nation of many 
  different peoples with many different beliefs. It 
  has traditionally been ruled by the family dynasties 
  and the upper class of nobles that formed the 
  government of the land. One man sought to 
  change the status quo of China. Hong 
  Xiuquan was a charismatic leader who 
  believed he was the brother to Jesus 
  Christ, and he gathered the farmers and 
  disenfranchised workers of the land under 
  his banner. He formed the Taiping Heavenly 
  Kingdom with the intent of forging a 
  Christian China free from foreign influence.
  The Qing Dynasty moved to crush the 
  rebellion, but their efforts seemed only to 
  fan the flames of revolt. The forces of 
  the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom took 
  Nanjing as their capital in 1853, and 
  over the course of the next few years 
  managed to hold their own against 
  the Qing forces to the north. China was 
  engaged in a full-scale civil war.
  Hong Xiuquan withdrew from leadership of the 
  campaigns and appointed several generals to lead the 
  Taiping Heavenly Kingdom forces on the fronts. A 
  strong-willed but soft-spoken former Qing general 
  named Chen Kunshu was appointed Colonel General 
  of the forces. Beloved by his men and a strategic 
  genius, Kunshu led them to many important victories 
  throughout the 1850’s. Though he believed in the 
  idea of a unified China, the general was a devout 
  Buddhist who hid his beliefs from his commanders 
  and soldiers. He kept a helmet bearing the symbol of 
  Nirvana, the Buddhist 
  state of enlightenment, 
  with him at all times 
  as the only outward 
  sign of his faith.
  Helm	of	Kunshu
  
  2
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Kunshu’s strategic brilliance outshone his pacifistic 
  Buddhist beliefs, and the fact that he never killed or 
  engaged in combat himself was thought to be a rumor 
  among the troops. His faith would be the instrument 
  of his downfall later, however.
  The strength of the Taiping Rebellion began to fail 
  in 1860. The strong beliefs of Hong Xiuquan began 
  to divide the Chinese people even further than was 
  traditionally the case, creating rifts as the working 
  middle-class began to resent the policies being 
  forced upon them. Even with this dissidence spreading 
  through the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Chen Kunshu 
  maintained a large loyal army, though some say his 
  men swore allegiance to Kunshu and Buddhism, not to 
  the lofty Christian ideals of the new kingdom.
  Perhaps sensing this misplaced loyalty, the Taiping 
  Heavenly Kingdom leaders deployed Kunshu and his 
  army to the eastern front to combat the Qing forces 
  at that location. The odds were stacked against them, 
  and time after time the more advanced and better 
  fortified Qing army defeated the Taiping Heavenly 
  Kingdom rebels. Kunshu was driven out of Cixi and 
  the Hangzou Bay in 1862, failed to take Shanghai in 
  1863, and suffered a crushing defeat at Changzou in 
  southeastern China.
  The defeats were so great that rumors circulated 
  in Nanjing that Kunshu had betrayed the Taiping 
  Heavenly Kingdom. In 1864, the Colonel General was 
  called back to the capital and subjected to a lengthy 
  interrogation. His Buddhist faith was discovered and 
  blamed for the losses, and Chen Kunshu was executed 
  a week later for treachery. He was beheaded and his 
  severed head – still bearing his helmet – was put up on 
  a pike in the courtyard of the Palace of the Heavenly 
  King.
  Qing forces surrounded Nanjing shortly after the 
  execution, and in June of 1864, Hong Xiuquan died 
  of food poisoning during the city’s siege. Nanjing 
  proceeded to fall to Qing forces and the back of the 
  Taiping Rebellion was broken.
  During the subsequent chaos, much of the Taiping 
  Heavenly Kingdom remnants were swept away. It is said 
  that, upon taking the palace in Nanjing, Zeng Guofan, 
  one of the leaders of the Qing forces, noticed the head 
  of Chen Kunshu upon the pike. A noted Confucian 
  scholar who studied Buddhism, Zeng Guofan had the 
  head brought down so that the proper rites could be 
  performed. What happened to the remains of one 
  of the Taiping Rebellion’s most beloved generals is 
  unknown, but Zeng went on to command Qing forces 
  in putting down future rebellions. After taking Nanjing, 
  he was often seen wearing a new helmet bearing the 
  symbol of Nirvana during subsequent campaigns.
  Zeng Guofan died mysteriously many years later in 
  the former Palace of the Heavenly King in Nanjing. 
  He was survived by many children, but most of his 
  personal effects disappeared in the intervening years. 
  No one knows what happened to the helmet, though 
  it is referenced in several scholarly documents in the 
  intervening years linking it to its most famous bearer, 
  Chen Kunshu.
  Physical Description
  The Helm of Kunshu appears as a very simple black 
  steel helmet, with a floral design around the brow. It is 
  a traditional Chinese helmet, with a slight brow and 
  a single symbol inscribed in the center. The symbol 
  is the Chinese character representing “Nirvana” or 
  enlightenment. A shoulder-length chain mesh protects 
  the wearer’s neck, though the helm does not have a 
  faceplate, as is often featured amongst such protective 
  gear. The interior of the helmet is lined in a comfortable 
  red silk that keeps out the heat.
  Powers
  The Helm of Kunshu is a powerful relic that was 
  crafted by Buddhist monks in a time long past. It was 
  created to grant the wearer an enlightened mind, akin 
  to achieving Nirvana under Buddhist teachings. With 
  the mind empty in the state of Nirvana, the wearer can 
  accomplish amazing feats.
  
  	
  HELM	OF	KUNSHU
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  3
  While worn, the wearer of the Helm of Kunshu can 
  make a Spirit roll to activate the boost trait power, 
  increasing any of a target’s Traits by one die type for 
  a standard success, and two with a raise. The affected 
  Trait can exceed d12. Each step over d12 adds +1 to his 
  Trait total. The effect lasts for three rounds and requires 
  an action to activate. The Helm of Kunshu’s ability 
  cannot be used again until the duration of the current 
  activation ends, so the boost trait ability cannot be 
  used multiple times within the same duration.
  Every time the Helm of Kunshu is used the wearer 
  opens himself up to the emptiness that is Nirvana, 
  which can be an intimidating experience for the 
  uninitiated. At the end of the boost trait’s duration, the 
  wearer must make a successful Knowledge (Buddhism) 
  roll (or Knowledge (Religion) roll at –2; characters with 
  appropriate backgrounds may also make a Common 
  Knowledge roll at the GM’s discretion. With a failure, 
  the wearer is Shaken, his mind reeling from the 
  intimidating presence of sheer emptiness. He cannot 
  attempt to recover from being Shaken for 1d6 rounds. 
  If the character is already Shaken, he does not suffer 
  a wound but still cannot attempt to recover for 1d6 
  rounds.
  Rumor & Speculation
  As the pinnacle of Buddhist beliefs, Nirvana is a 
  state of being sought after by many men and women 
  across the world. However, there are those who would 
  seek to gain the power and understanding that comes 
  with Nirvana without having to go through the entire 
  process. Certain sects within the Imperial Japanese 
  government know of the mind-altering powers that 
  come with Enlightenment, but have sought ways 
  to get there faster. These groups seek the Helm of 
  Kunshu to study and duplicate, creating an army of 
  super Japanese soldiers who harness the power of 
  emptiness. Rumors persist of secret programs within 
  Imperial Japan, the most whispered of which say that 
  the Black Dragon Society is working on perfecting 
  psychic warfare through Buddhist research.
  Ravaged	Tale:	Path	of	the	
  Empty	Mind
  A covert group of men and women calling themselves 
  the Ravaged Earth Society have sought for many years 
  to combat the evils of the world. Recently they came 
  into possession of the fabled Helm of Kunshu, but 
  they believe that the temptation of its power is too 
  overwhelming. They ask a group of heroes to take the 
  relic into the harsh mountains of Tibet and entrust 
  it to a group of Buddhist monks at the Monastery 
  of the Empty Mind. The heroes will have a difficult 
  time, however, as Japanese forces have learned of the 
  transport and will stop at nothing to possess the helm.
  Background
  The Ravaged Earth Society was formed by Nikolai 
  Tesla in 1931 as a way of combating the growing wave 
  of evil on a global scale. He and its members work 
  to thwart the machinations of villains and thugs all 
  across the world, though the missions are not always 
  straightforward. The society works to better mankind 
  and boasts a membership that includes many of the 
  Ravaged, those people with special powers who 
  appeared following the Martian Invasion of 1898.
  Several months ago a member of the society came 
  upon the Helm of Kunshu at an auction in Shanghai. 
  It was procured at great cost, as members of the 
  Kokuryukai, or the Black Dragon Society, also desired 
  it. The relic was then moved quickly around the world, 
  keeping it out of the hands of the Kokuryukai, who 
  would use it for nefarious ends.
  It was decided to secure the helm in a secluded 
  location, the Monastery of the Empty Mind, in Tibet. 
  The Buddhist retreat is shielded from psychic intrusion, 
  and its master can control the monastery’s visibility to 
  the outside world. It was also decided to use a group 
  of non-society members for the task of safeguarding 
  the helm in order to throw off the Kokuryukai.
  Unfortunately, the plan failed. The Black Dragon 
  Society learned of the transfer and sought to intercept 
  the package in the Himalayas. Sugimoto Ozake, a 
  dedicated agent of the Kokuryukai and member of the 
  
  4
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  secret Japanese PsiOp was assigned the job of securing 
  the helm. The Monastery of the Empty Mind would 
  not reveal itself to him, so he set up an ambush along 
  the last pass before the probable location of the site.
  Flight to Gangtok
  The scenario begins with the heroes aboard a plane 
  flying from Calcutta to Gangtok. The experienced 
  British pilot, Herbert Weller, was paid well by the 
  Ravaged Earth Society to transport the heroes to 
  the edge of the Himalayas. The flight becomes a bit 
  bumpy, but Weller hasn’t betrayed the heroes.
  Read the following to begin:
  The plane hops and jumps in the air like 
  a toy held by a spastic child. Your stomach 
  lurches uncontrollably with each sudden 
  drop, though your pilot — a British man 
  named Herbert Weller — continues to 
  shout over the roar of the plane’s twin 
  engines. You have been hired to transport 
  a box from Calcutta, India, north into the 
  depths of Tibet, the ultimate destination 
  being a Buddhist monastery nestled in one 
  of the peaks of the Himalayas. But first 
  you must make it to Gangtok, a city in the 
  foothills of the massive mountain range — 
  the last bastion of civilization.
  The heroes should either already know each other, 
  or have gotten to know each other in Calcutta when 
  they were hired by a group of private citizens calling 
  themselves the Ravaged Earth Society to transport the 
  box to a place called the Monastery of the Empty 
  Mind in Tibet. Their contact told them that the box 
  contained a Buddhist relic but didn’t elaborate any 
  further, only explaining that it wouldn’t harm them 
  if they left it alone. Payment can be whatever is 
  appropriate for the group, or whatever would get them 
  to undertake such a journey.
  Curious heroes can certainly open the box, inside 
  of which is the fabled Helm of Kunshu (Knowledge or 
  Common Knowledge checks as appropriate to identify 
  it). Wearing the helmet causes a sensation akin to 
  being dropped into an ice-cold lake, after which the 
  mind-boggling power of Nirvana becomes soothing.
  Into the Himalayas
  After landing, Weller drops them off in Gangtok. 
  The city is a large one, with a population of roughly 
  30,000, and it sees much traffic from explorers passing 
  through into the Himalayas. The huge mountain range 
  dominates the view to the north, where the icy peaks 
  soar into the sky.
  Securing hiking and survival gear in Gangtok is 
  not difficult, though it is expensive. The heroes were 
  provided with enough funds ($50.00 each) to purchase 
  what they need. As they move about the busy town, 
  have them make Notice rolls at –2. Those who 
  succeed detect certain native Indians who seem to 
  have more than a passing interest in them. Attempting 
  to confront them gets the heroes nowhere, as they 
  quickly disappear into the crowds once spotted, but 
  it should put the heroes on edge for the coming 
  expedition.
  The next thing the heroes must procure is a guide. 
  Weller meets with the heroes again and directs 
  them to a Sherpa named Jangir who comes highly 
  recommended as a trustworthy guide. The heroes find 
  Jangir, who speaks broken English and knows the area 
  well, in a place on the edge of Gangtok called Sherpa 
  Town. His stats are not provided, though it may be 
  assumed he has the skills necessary to lead the heroes 
  to the monastery and keep the worst of the elements 
  at bay.
  The journey into the Himalayas takes ten days. The 
  first leg involves traveling north through the Nathu La 
  Pass, which takes only four days, while they ascend 
  higher into the mountains the remaining six days. Each 
  day of the second leg of the expedition requires the 
  heroes to make Vigor rolls with a +2 bonus from their 
  equipment. Use the rules for Fatigue and Cold in the 
  Savage Worlds rulebook.
  On the last day the wind picks up, and as the end 
  of the journey nears, the shimmering Monastery of the 
  Empty Mind is revealed at the heroes’ approach.
  
  	
  HELM	OF	KUNSHU
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  5
  White Out Conditions
  Unfortunately, a freak blizzard crops up just as the 
  heroes near the gates to the monastery. The Japanese 
  Kokuryukai agents, led by the PsiOp Sugimoto Ozaki, 
  take this opportunity to strike.
  Jangir shouts that they should make a break for 
  the monastery, and each hero must make a Vigor roll. 
  Failure means the hero gains a level of Fatigue. As they 
  run up to the sheltered mountain monastery, the wind 
  howls around them and Ozaki makes his move. Have 
  everyone make Notice rolls at –4 (due to the blizzard 
  effects) versus the Kokuryukai agents’ group Stealth 
  roll; give the heroes a +2 bonus if they are on alert. 
  Success means the hero is not caught by surprise and 
  is dealt initiative cards for the first round of combat, as 
  the Japanese agents leap out with guns blazing.
  There is one Kokuryukai agent for each hero, plus 
  Sugimoto Ozaki. They position themselves only 10” 
  away from the heroes because of the blizzard, and 
  actions suffer a –4 penalty. Ozaki tries to use his 
  puppet power on the most weak minded (lowest 
  Smarts die type) of the heroes.
  The fighting draws the attention of a passing group 
  of Yeti, however. These are not friendly beasts, and they 
  attack the heroes and Kokuryukai agents aggressively. 
  There is one Yeti for each hero and the Yeti can be 
  used to make it easier or harder for the heroes, as the 
  GM sees fit.
  PsiOp Ozaki does not fight to the death, fleeing 
  into the mountains after his men have been defeated. 
  He could easily become a recurring villain for the 
  campaign.
  Monastery of the Empty Mind
  Assuming the heroes defeat the Kokuryukai and the 
  Yetis, they can enter the Monastery of the Empty 
  Mind. The building is entirely empty except for a gold 
  statue of Buddha at the far end of a large room, in 
  front of which is a plain floor mat. A wizened Tibetan 
  man sits facing the Buddha statue as the heroes enter. 
  He asks why they have come.
  Whatever the answer, the master stands and greets 
  them in the traditional Tibetan way — by sticking his 
  tongue out and pushing his right ear forward. He does 
  not take offense if the heroes laugh!
  It is up to the GM what happens next. Perhaps the 
  Tibetan master knows that the Helm of Kunshu would 
  be better served out in the world and entrusts the 
  heroes with its safe keeping. Or maybe he knows its 
  powers could easily fall into the wrong hands and it 
  would be best if he kept it in his possession, whichever 
  suits the campaign.
  As the heroes leave the monastery and venture back 
  into the mountains, they turn and see the Monastery 
  of the Empty Mind disappear in a strong gust of wind. 
  Their return trip out of the mountains is otherwise 
  uneventful.
  KOKURyUKAI	AGENT
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, 
  Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidation d8, Notice 
  d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d8
  Charisma: –2;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 5;	Toughness: 6 
  (1)
  Hindrances: Loyal (Kokuryukai), Mean
  Edges: Alertness
  Gear: Beretta M1918 (9 mm) SMG (Range: 
  12/24/48, Damage: 2d6, RoF 3, Shots 40, AP 1, 
  Automatic), Beretta 1934 (9 mm) pistol (Range: 
  12/24/48, Damage: 2d6+1, RoF 1, Shots 7, AP 1), 
  heavy survival gear (Armor +1, +2 Survival).
  (WC)	SUGIMOTO	OzAKI,	
  KOKURyUKAI	PSIOP
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d12, Spirit d10, 
  Strength d4, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidation d8, Notice 
  d8, Psionics d12, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Taunt d8
  Charisma: +0;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 5;	Toughness: 6 
  (1)
  
  6
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Hindrances: Loyal (Kokuryukai)
  Edges: Arcane Background (Psionics), Level Headed, 
  Mentalist
  Knack: Psychometry
  Defining	Interests: Acting, Chess, Disguise, 
  Etiquette, Knowledge (Psychology) 
  Powers: blast (psychic scream), puppet 
  (gesticulating like a puppeteer), telekinesis (hand 
  waving)
  Power	Points: 10 
  Languages: Chinese, English, German, Japanese, 
  Korean, Spanish 
  Gear: Beretta 1934 (9 mm) pistol (Damage: 2d6+1, 
  Range: 12/24/48, RoF: 1, Shots: 7, AP 1), heavy 
  survival gear (Armor +1, +2 Survival).
  yETI
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, 
  Strength d12+1, Vigor d10
  Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d8, Guts d6, Notice 
  d8, Stealth d8
  Pace: 6;	Parry: 6;	Toughness: 9 (1)
  Special	Abilities:
  • Armor	+1: Yetis have thick fur.
  • Claws: Str+d4.
  • Immunity	(Cold): Yetis suffer no damage from 
  cold weather or cold-based attacks.
  • Size	+1: Yetis are brawnier than humans and 
  slightly taller.
  
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  7
  Kings, emperors and the Roman Catholic Church 
  have all sought the Holy Grail, the ultimate sacred 
  relic. According to some legends, it has power reserved 
  for the truly deserving and pure of heart, and to such 
  worthy recipients it can regenerate the dying, possibly 
  even affording eternal life to believers. Other 
  tales associate the relic 
  with fanciful myth and 
  medieval chivalry. Yet 
  the Holy Grail, or at 
  least the power it is 
  said to bestow upon 
  those who are worthy, is 
  an object sought by many, 
  even if only in their fantasies. 
  History
  Atlantis, that doomed empire of 
  antiquity, had many treasures before it sank 
  into the sea. Objects, mostly mundane in 
  appearance, yielded spectacular arcane abilities 
  in the right circumstances. A common-looking 
  wooden cup, created by an Atlantean artisan 
  thousands of years prior to Christ, found its 
  way to the Holy Land and became one 
  of the most highly desired relics of the 
  ancient world. 
  During the Last Supper, Jesus 
  Christ used the cup to imbibe wine. 
  After Jesus was charged with heresy, 
  one of his disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, 
  obtained it. When a Roman spear pierced Jesus’ side 
  during the crucifixion, Joseph used the chalice to catch 
  Christ’s blood. When the blood touched the vessel, 
  the Atlantean magic transferred holy powers to those 
  who believed in Jesus’ divinity, and the object became 
  inexorably linked with Christianity.
  Joseph realized the cup had become imbued with 
  holy powers for the righteous and worthy. When he 
  was imprisoned, the relic sustained him, and he carried 
  it with him during his peregrination throughout the 
  Holy Land. 
  During the Crusades, a secret society called the 
  Priory of Sion formed in 1099, led by Grand Masters 
  obsessed with collecting relics and ancient knowledge. 
  To this end, they supported the Poor 
  Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and 
  of the Temple of Solomon, 
  or the Knights Templar for 
  short. When the Knights 
  Templar 
  conquered 
  Jerusalem and established 
  their fortifications at the site 
  of Solomon’s Temple, it was an 
  orchestrated maneuver. The Priory 
  of Sion sent them there to uncover 
  Biblical relics, and what they found buried 
  in the catacombs beneath the mount was a 
  cedar box containing the Holy Grail. 
  Understanding the significance of this discovery, 
  the Priory of Sion, with the aid of the Knights 
  Templar, hid the existence of the relic from the 
  Church and the world. The Knights Templar 
  transported the Holy Grail to France, 
  where another order of religious mystics 
  — the Cathars, a heretical Christian 
  sect — infused itself with the Priory of 
  Sion and became the chief protectors 
  of the Holy Grail. 
  The Cathars believed in two distinct gods: an 
  evil god that ruled the material world and lorded over 
  power and physical reality, and a loving, compassionate, 
  and spiritual god free of physical temptations. The 
  Cathars worshipped the second, loving god, believing 
  it to be a perfect manifestation of the divine. For 
  this heresy, the Catholic Church in Rome persecuted 
  the Cathars in the 12th and 13th centuries, forcing the 
  sect to flee to remote areas such as the mountains of 
  southern France. 
  Holy	Grail
  
  8
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  After using the Holy Grail in secret rituals within St. 
  Suplace Cathedral in Paris, the Priory of Sion (now 
  comprised of fugitive Cathars) moved the relic to 
  Monasalvat, a castle in the southern French Pyrenees 
  Mountains. The Priory used the neighboring village of 
  Rennes-le-Château as a base of operations.
  When Pope Clement V and King Philip IV of 
  France accused the Knights Templar of heresy and 
  blasphemy in 1305, the Priory of Sion knew the Holy 
  Grail was no longer safe. A handful of the knights 
  escaped the crown’s persecution and spirited the Holy 
  Grail north into Scotland, a nation friendly to them. 
  The Templar order vanished in France with the 
  execution of their leader, Jacques de Molay, in 1314. 
  The Cathars likewise dwindled, and the Priory of Sion 
  was relegated to near extinction, with only a handful 
  remaining to pass their secrets down through the ages. 
  Physical Description
  Resembling a carved wooden chalice, the Holy 
  Grail is rather plain and without ostentatious filigree or 
  adornments. Despite being the cup of a carpenter, the 
  Holy Grail’s inside surface radiates with a curious glow 
  in the hands of those who are worthy of its powers. 
  Powers
  The Holy Grail’s sublime powers are available only 
  to those with the Faith skill. The devout can make a 
  Faith roll when they drink from the Holy Grail, while 
  those without Faith can make a Spirit roll at –2. 
  With a success, those possessing Faith have all 
  wounds over an hour old removed and, as per the 
  greater healing Power — all poison, disease, and 
  Permanent Crippling Injuries are healed. With a raise 
  on the Faith roll, the Holy Grail also adds +2 to 
  the target’s Toughness as long as the target remains 
  devout. Any character with a Faith Skill (d6+) gains +2 
  Toughness while the Holy Grail is in their possession: 
  this benefit is lost should the character violate the 
  precepts of their religion (as per Arcane Background 
  (Miracles) Savage Worlds core rulebook).
  For those making Spirit rolls, with a success all 
  wounds less than an hour old are healed, as are the 
  effects of any poison if used within the first ten minutes 
  of ingestion. 
  The Holy Grail’s powers can be conferred only 
  once per individual — further drinks for the same 
  person produces no effect. 
  Rumors and Speculation
  Claims that Joseph of Arimathea brought the 
  Holy Grail from the Holy Land to Great Britain are 
  widespread. Others believe the legend began with a 
  Celtic mythical object, the Cauldron of Cerridwen, 
  a magical vessel that bestows an abundance of food, 
  fortune, or other desires upon recipients. 
  The Holy Grail was the subject of romantic medieval 
  tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, 
  notably Perceval, the Story of the Grail by Chrètien 
  de Troyes, Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, and 
  the 19th century epic Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas 
  Malory. 
  From these stories arose rumors that the Holy 
  Grail is buried at the site of King Arthur’s grave in 
  Glastonbury Grove, England. Other tales assert the 
  Holy Grail ascended into heaven, or that it remains 
  buried in a cave in Jerusalem with other relics such as 
  the Ark of the Covenant and the True Cross. 
  Still others believe the Holy Grail is not an actual 
  object, but instead an allegorical representation of 
  the unbroken bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary 
  Magdalene, whose descendants allegedly became the 
  Merovingian kings of France. 
  Ravaged	Tale:	An	Acre	of	
  History
  The heroes find themselves embarking on the first 
  steps of a much larger quest, one that could eventually 
  lead to that most elusive of relics, the Holy Grail. 
  However, a young and ambitious Gestapo agent 
  named Hans Dortenmanner and his Nazi goons are 
  already on the trail, and Hitler will stop at nothing to 
  retrieve the cup of Christ to fulfill his twisted ambition 
  of world domination. 
  This scenario takes the heroes into Palestine, where 
  Dortenmanner and his team have been working on 
  
  	
  HOLy	GRAIL
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  9
  unearthing an ancient sanctuary of the Knights Templar. 
  The secrets contained within the sanctuary could lead 
  to future adventures on the quest for the Holy Grail, 
  or it could end up as another dead end in a history 
  of failures that have paved previous journeys searching 
  for the relic. The determination is left up to the GM. 
  Background
  The Holy Grail has passed into legend, the subject 
  of ballads and romantic poems of King Arthur and his 
  Knights of the Round Table. To confound the Roman 
  Catholic Church’s influence, the Priory of Sion began 
  spreading misinformation about the legend, claiming 
  the Holy Grail to be only a reference to the bloodline 
  of Jesus, which continued in the Merovingian dynasty. 
  Such tales were only meant to cover the Priory’s tracks 
  and deflect attention away from them and the Knights 
  Templar. 
  Jerusalem was a major stronghold of the Knights 
  Templar where they stored many relics and documents, 
  but in 1187 Sultan Saladin of Syria drove them from 
  the city. They fled to Acre, where they constructed a 
  fortress within the city. The Knights then dug a tunnel 
  350 meters long that connected the fortress with 
  the south port and was used both as a supply line 
  and escape route. In 1291, when Acre fell to Saladin’s 
  Mameluk invaders, the Knights Templar fled the city 
  through the tunnel. Though the remains of the fortress 
  consist mostly of empty rooms and crumbling walls, 
  the tunnel is intact and undisturbed.
  Professor Hans Dortenmanner, an upcoming and 
  ambitious Gestapo agent with ties to the highest levels 
  of Germanian government, has learned through in-
  depth research that a key piece of information regarding 
  the Holy Grail was taken away from Jerusalem to Acre 
  in 1187. He does not know what to expect, but with 
  Hitler’s drive for spiritual relics, Dortenmanner was able 
  to organize an impressive archeological team to begin 
  digging for the tunnel below Acre. He hopes to usurp 
  Klaus Moebius one day and sees this as his chance to 
  one-up the infamous Nazi professor.
  The speed and efficiency with which Dortenmanner 
  and his team are working caught the attention of 
  the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). They’ve 
  ordered one of their best operatives, an undercover 
  agent named Roderick Cheswick, to gather a small 
  team of able-bodied experts to infiltrate the dig site 
  and uncover the secret buried there before the Nazis 
  get hold of it.
  Luckily, Roderick knows just such a group of heroes.
  On Her Majesty’s Secret Airship
  The heroes receive word from Roderick Cheswick, 
  an eccentric but wealthy British aristocrat who secretly 
  works for the SIS, that the Nazis are conducting an 
  archeological excavation at the old Knights Templar 
  fortress in Acre, Palestine. Rumor has it that they 
  expect to uncover one of the biggest archeological 
  discoveries of the era, and the heroes are asked by 
  Cheswick to infiltrate the fortress and obtain the object 
  of the Nazis’ search. They don’t know for sure what 
  they’re after, but all clues indicate it has something to 
  do with the Holy Grail itself.
  Cheswick travels the world over on behalf of the 
  SIS, keeping tabs on Germania’s archeological interests, 
  and tours in a modified airship emblazoned with the 
  Union Jack and powered by an Aetherium engine. He 
  travels under the guise of an eccentric millionaire with 
  his wife, a socialite he nicknames “Googie.” Cheswick 
  keeps his ears to the ground about things and happily 
  transports the heroes, but he otherwise has no combat 
  skills and won’t risk blowing his cover.
  The Acre Dig Site
  Cheswick drops the heroes off on the outskirts of 
  the Palestinian city of Acre, allowing them to enter the 
  area under whatever guise they choose. Dortenmanner 
  and his team of archeologists have excavated part of 
  a street in the central part of Acre adjacent to a busy 
  marketplace and broken through to the sealed tunnel. 
  There is a large opening in the center of the dirt road, 
  from which native workers haul debris. Nazi soldiers 
  guard the perimeter, permitting only the workers near 
  the gaping pit. 
  The Nazis occupy a hotel across from the site, where 
  Dortenmanner has established his base of operations. 
  His room is filled with books, maps and charts of 
  the area, as well as lore of the Knights Templar. The 
  
  10
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Gestapo agent remains in his room, studying his 
  papers and occasionally glancing from the window 
  to survey the dig. Getting past the Nazi soldiers and 
  gaining access to the excavation requires finesse and a 
  Persuasion roll at –4. If, however, the heroes dress like 
  native workers to slip by the guards, they should make 
  an opposed group roll of the heroes’ Stealth versus the 
  guard’s Notice. 
  Tunnel of the Knights Templar
  The tunnel has smooth brick walls and a dirt floor 
  flooded with a foot of dark, brackish seawater. The 
  heroes need a light source when walking around in the 
  underground tunnel or they’ll stumble in the darkness 
  (Pitch Darkness penalty of –4). Littering the floor of 
  the tunnel extended out to about fifty feet are a dozen 
  bodies, native workers and Nazis, all of whom have 
  fallen victim to the various ingenious traps built by the 
  Knights Templar. Some of the bodies are crushed and a 
  few have been burnt. Dortenmanner has ordered all of 
  the workers and soldiers out of the tunnel until he can 
  ascertain the secret of the traps, so the heroes have a 
  window of opportunity to make it through before the 
  Nazis.
  There are two traps remaining with which the heroes 
  must contend before they reach the end of the tunnel. 
  The first is a compressed air trap, triggered by a stone 
  pressure plate below the water line. The heroes can 
  make Agility rolls at –2 to dive out of the way as a 
  pocket of compressed air blasts a violent spray of 
  debris from the ceiling in a Large Burst Template; those 
  failing suffer 2d6 damage from the rocks.
  The second trap is a series of holes in the wall that 
  release jets of fire. The holes can be detected with a 
  Notice roll at –2, and the trigger plate can be avoided 
  by making Stealth rolls at –2. Otherwise the flames 
  shoot out causing 2d10 damage to anyone within a 
  Large Burst Template centered on the lead hero. There 
  is a chance of catching fire from this trap. 
  Chapel of Joseph of Arimathea
  Once the party has dealt with the traps and 
  progressed several more yards they discover a wooden 
  door with the symbol of the Knights Templar cross 
  on it. The door leads to the Chapel of Joseph 
  of Arimathea, which contains an altar and a mural 
  depicting Joseph with the Holy Grail at the crucifixion. 
  A brittle parchment rests on the altar, covered in dust. 
  The parchment, written in French, is an account of 
  the mission of the Knights Templar to collect relics 
  from the Templar Mount in Jerusalem. It describes 
  how the knights recovered a cup of tremendous power 
  to those of faith — the Holy Grail — and how they 
  subsequently abandoned the city of Acre for France.
  Just as the heroes discover the parchment, 
  Dortenmanner and ten Waffen-SS soldiers burst in 
  and corner them in the chapel. Heroes can easily hide 
  the parchment from the Nazis with a Stealth roll at +2 
  bonus (due to the darkness). The young Nazi agent, 
  incensed that the heroes penetrated the chapel first, 
  claims them as his prisoners and orders a squad of 
  soldiers to take them to the surface (one Waffen-SS 
  for each hero) while he stays behind to inspect the 
  area. The parchment is the only real clue to be gained 
  here, so his search is going to be in vain.
  Risen Knights Templar
  On the trip back to the surface the heroes are 
  presented with an unexpected opportunity for escape 
  – leaving the chapel with the parchment triggers the 
  rise of entombed skeletal Knights Templar from the 
  walls of the tunnel! There are three of these skeletal 
  warriors for each hero, and they fight all of the living 
  beings with equal tenacity. These “saviors” can dispatch 
  the escorting Waffen-SS soldiers, leaving the heroes 
  free to escape after the combat.
  Dortenmanner and his remaining soldiers hear the 
  racket, but arrive too late to stop the heroes from 
  escaping the tunnel.
  What Next?
  Escaping the dig site should prove to be no trouble, 
  but if the heroes have too easy a time, consider 
  throwing a few Waffen-SS soldiers taking potshots 
  at them as they disappear into the surrounding Acre 
  market.
  The heroes should be in possession of the only 
  real clue to be gained from the Chapel of Joseph of 
  
  	
  HOLy	GRAIL
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  11
  Arimethea — the parchment indicating the Holy Grail 
  was taken somewhere to France. Whether this leads 
  them to the actual relic itself or is just another clue on 
  the trail is left up to the GM to decide.
  However it goes, the heroes have made an enemy 
  in Professor Hans Dortenmanner, if he survives. He can 
  serve as a villainous but fairly incompetent thwart for 
  future endeavors.
  Cheswick’s	 Airship: Use the Johnston-
  Reynolds Floating Hotel stats, page 32, Ravaged 
  Earth sourcebook.
  (WC)	HANS	DORTENMANNER,	
  yOUNG	GESTAPO	AGENT
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6, 
  Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d8, Intimidation d8, 
  Knowledge (history) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, 
  Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Taunt d8
  Charisma: +2;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 5;	Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Bravado
  Edges: Attractive, Command, 
  Connections, Dodge
  Knack: Photographic 
  Memory
  Defining	Interests: History 
  of Christianity, Bootlicking, 
  Germania military protocol
  Languages: English, German
  Gear: Gestapo uniform, Mauser Military 
  (10/20/40, 2d6 damage, shots 10), assorted papers 
  and documents regarding the Knights Templar 
  SKELETAL	TEMPLAR	KNIGHT
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, 
  Strength d8, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d6
  Pace: 6;	Parry: 6;	Toughness: 10 (2)
  Special	Abilities
  Bony	Claws: Str+d4.
  Fear	–2: Undead Templar Knights cause Guts 
  checks at –2.
  Fearless: Undead Templar Knights are immune to 
  Fear and Intimidation.
  Undead: +2 Toughness. +2 to recover from being 
  Shaken. Called shots do no extra damage.
  Gear: Chainmail (Armor +2), tabard, sword 
  (Damage: Str+d8).
  WAFFEN	SS	SOLDIER
  Page 131, Ravaged Earth sourcebook.
  
  12
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  One of history’s most notorious and elusive secret 
  societies, the Illuminati, has been blamed for starting 
  the American and French Revolutions, being the force 
  behind reshaping nations into a New World Order 
  and clandestinely plotting to overthrow organized 
  religion. Yet this order was very real and used a magic 
  amulet to control the minds of true believers and gain 
  influence. 
  History
  In 1776, a German 
  canon law professor 
  named Adam 
  Weishaupt founded 
  a secret society 
  called the Order 
  of Perfectibilists 
  that advocated 
  the abolition 
  of organized 
  government and 
  religion and the 
  formation of a 
  New World Order 
  controlled by logic 
  and reason. Weishaupt 
  joined the Freemasons in 
  1777, and it was here that he 
  began recruiting fellow Masons into 
  his secret order, which was renamed the 
  Bavarian Illuminati. 
  The rituals and rites Weishaupt used were patterned 
  after the ones from Freemasonry and were designed 
  to mold his followers into leaders of the secular 
  Illuminati. The group had code names for its members; 
  Weishaupt was code named Spartacus. The Illuminati’s 
  true aim was to infiltrate other religious and political 
  organizations and destroy them from within. In this 
  vacuum, the Illuminati would reveal itself as a catalyst 
  for change and a New World Order based on reason. 
  Details of Weishaupt’s plans were eventually exposed, 
  Illuminati	Medallion
  and he was barred from the Freemasons. In 1784, the 
  King of Bavaria declared all secret societies, including 
  the Illuminati and the Freemasons, illegal. 
  The authorities branded Weishaupt a traitor and he 
  fled to Gotha in eastern Germany, where he lived out 
  the rest of his life in exile. Before it was labeled illegal, 
  the Illuminati designed a symbol for its order: 
  an all-seeing eye in a pyramid and 
  a phoenix rising over the Earth. 
  Weishaupt ordered a gold 
  medallion, embossed with 
  these cryptic symbols, 
  to be used at arcane 
  rituals, but the secret 
  society was declared 
  traitorous before the 
  medallion could be 
  used. 
  Though he was a 
  man of science and 
  rationality, Weishaupt 
  believed in the arcane 
  elemental forces of 
  nature, and by delving 
  into ancient texts, was able 
  to unlock their hidden secrets. 
  In a midnight ceremony, the inner 
  circle of the Bavarian Illuminati met in 
  secret one last time and cast a ritual on the 
  medallion, giving it the ability to control the minds of 
  the weak if the ritual were cast again. 
  Weishaupt sent the medallion to America, 
  accompanied by two loyal Illuminati brethren. They 
  settled into Washington society comfortably, even 
  joining the Freemasons and starting their own secret 
  chapter of the Illuminati. 
  Called the Columbian Illuminati, the group carried 
  on their rituals from a secret crypt in the Foggy 
  Bottom section of the city. In 1786, the Great Seal of 
  the United States made its debut. Nobody knows who 
  
  	
  ILLUMINATI	MEDALLION
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  13
  designed the Great Seal, which suspiciously resembles 
  the Illuminati Medallion and its all-seeing eye atop 
  the pyramid. 
  When the British invaded the city during the War 
  of 1812, the Columbian Illuminati were trapped in their 
  crypt. Realizing this could be the end of the Republic 
  if the British won, they sealed themselves in, and one 
  by one committed ritual suicide. The medallion lay safe 
  in the gloomy darkness of the crypt, silently waiting for 
  an intrepid explorer to unlock its secrets. 
  Physical Description
  The Illuminati Medallion is a golden disc four inches 
  in diameter with an engraving of an all-seeing eye 
  within a pyramid on one side and a phoenix rising 
  from a shattered Earth on the other. The medallion’s 
  rim is ornately etched with an elaborate design. 
  Powers
  When a ritual involving along with swords, incense 
  and a Latin incantation is performed over the Illuminati 
  Medallion, it confers upon the participants the following 
  Powers (using the participants’ Spirit as the arcane skill if 
  they do not have mystical abilities already): telekinesis, 
  barrier, cloud mind, and puppet. The ritual requires 
  at least five participants, and the Powers last for five 
  days, after which the ritual must be conducted again 
  to activate the medallion’s powers.
  Anyone who wears the medallion after the ritual 
  also receives a +1 Charisma. 
  Rumors and Speculation
  Some claim the Illuminati Medallion is hidden in 
  plain sight, perhaps in a crypt at the U.S. Capitol, or 
  at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Other accounts 
  have the medallion in the possession of a prominent 
  United States official, such as the President or Speaker 
  of the House. Still others cling to the delusion that 
  the Illuminati hid their most valuable treasure in a 
  noteworthy public building such as the Library of 
  Congress or the White House. The truth is, because 
  the Illuminati are such a shadowy secret society, the 
  medallion can be anywhere…if it exists at all.
  Ravaged	Tale:	Brethren	of	
  Blood
  The Bavarian Illuminati settled in America during 
  the country’s infancy and sought to manipulate the 
  new country’s leaders. With limited success, they might 
  have done so through an arcane object, the Illuminati 
  Medallion. Now a United States senator wants to 
  have the relic for himself, and begin a New World 
  Order of his own design.
  Background
  Senator Joseph Paine is obsessed with secret 
  societies, including the Illuminati. When the Senate 
  is not in session, he spends long hours in the Library 
  of Congress researching the Illuminati and their early 
  activities in 18th century America. 
  When he discovered that his friend, Zell Fitzwater, 
  had uncovered a family journal with details of the 
  Illuminati Medallion, Paine attempted to acquire that 
  book. Paine tried asking for the book, but Fitzwater 
  rebuffed him. Desperate, Paine hired a friend of 
  Fitzwater’s, Miles Fortasque, to kill Fitzwater and obtain 
  the journal. Paine, realizing his name could be linked 
  to the killing, murdered Fortasque. However, a flustered 
  Paine cannot locate the book, and seeks outside help 
  – the heroes! 
  Paine’s motives in recovering the Illuminati Medallion 
  are far from altruistic. He wants to resurrect the 
  Illuminati and plans to recruit potential candidates for 
  positions in his society’s inner circle. Paine needs the 
  Illuminati Medallion to conduct a powerful ritual that 
  would transfer arcane powers to him and his inner 
  circle. Then, he could run for president and create a 
  one-world government. Paine would achieve this by 
  eliminating any powerful rivals from foreign countries, 
  namely Germany, England, France and Russia. For now, 
  Paine is obsessed with finding the Columbian Illuminati’s 
  secret crypt in Washington, and the powerful amulet, 
  the Illuminati Medallion!
  Washington, D.C.
  In Washington, D.C., the heroes receive a phone call 
  or telegram from United States Senator Joseph Paine 
  to meet him in his office by the U.S. Capitol. 
  
  14
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Paine is a charming, white-haired man with spectacles 
  and a folksy, down-home manner. He welcomes the 
  heroes into his office and notes that he has read about 
  their prior exploits in the newspapers. Admiring their 
  heroism, sense of adventure and knack for solving 
  mysteries, Paine says he’d like to hire them for a job. He 
  explains the task would be to find out who murdered 
  his dear friend, Zell Fitzwater, a local historian. Paine 
  says the police haven’t caught the killer and the case is 
  two months old. He says he fears the trail is growing 
  cold and wants the killer found. He fears his friend was 
  killed because Fitzwater was in possession of a rare 
  book, which is now missing. 
  Paine says he suspects his friend may have been a 
  member of a secret group called the Illuminati and 
  proceeds to relate the society’s background to the 
  heroes. 
  Paine explains that the accounts of the Columbian 
  Illuminati were dismissed as a fanciful tale and forgotten, 
  until a few months ago. Fitzwater was cleaning his 
  grandfather’s attic and discovered a journal written 
  by Karl Mueller, a Bavarian architect who came to 
  the United States after the Revolutionary War and 
  died in 1849. According to this journal, Mueller was a 
  member of the Bavarian Illuminati and provided details 
  of the secret crypt and the fabled Illuminati Medallion. 
  Unfortunately, before Fitzwater could translate the rest 
  of the journal, he was murdered, and the journal went 
  missing. 
  Paine says he wants the heroes to discover the 
  identity of the killer and retrieve the journal. Such a 
  book should be destroyed before anyone else dies. 
  Paine suggests contacting Detective Brad Grayson 
  at the Washington Police Department for more 
  information. He provides them with a signed letter of 
  introduction. 
  Police
  Grayson is investigating the Fitzwater murder and 
  admits he is stumped by the case. If the heroes say 
  they’re working for Senator Paine, Grayson is skeptical 
  and won’t budge. If they show Grayson the letter of 
  introduction, Grayson is cooperative and shows them 
  the case files. 
  According to the files, Fitzwater had few friends. 
  Interviews with some of them seem straightforward 
  and routine, but with a successful Investigation roll 
  one recurring name is noted: Miles Fortasque. He’s 
  mentioned by nearly all of Fitzwater’s contacts, but he 
  was not interviewed himself, a fact that was overlooked 
  by the police. If the heroes search for Fortasque’s 
  address, they trace it to a tiny apartment in Foggy 
  Bottom.
  Fortasque
  Fortasque’s apartment is abandoned. The front door 
  is unlocked and a foul odor permeates the place. 
  Upon further investigation, the living room appears as 
  if a violent struggle took place: overturned furniture, 
  broken lamps and blood splatters on the walls bespeak 
  violence. A roll-top desk in the corner has been rifled 
  through, its drawers overturned and papers scattered 
  on the floor. 
  Fortasque’s battered corpse is found lying face down 
  on the floor underneath a broken table. He’s clutching 
  a piece of paper splattered with blood. Any hero who 
  investigates further sees the word “Traitors” written in 
  blood on the note. 
  Heroes making a successful Notice roll while 
  searching the other rooms of the house find a leather-
  bound journal in a secret hiding place in an upstairs 
  closet. The journal, written in German, is by Karl 
  Mueller. Tucked in the pages of the journal is an 
  envelope containing a letter written by Fitzwater:
  “To Whomever Reads this Letter,
  I am Zell Fitzwater and I am about to be 
  killed for this journal. I know one of my 
  closest friends covets this journal for the 
  secrets it contains. I believe this man will 
  use my steadfast ally, Mr. Miles Fortasque, 
  against me. But Fortasque is only being 
  manipulated to acquire this journal and 
  will be expendable in the end. Whosoever 
  finds this journal, please do not give it to 
  anybody. Translate it and find the secret 
  Illuminati crypt and the sacred medallion 
  before the dark forces who ordered my 
  
  	
  ILLUMINATI	MEDALLION
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  15
  execution come for you! It is not safe! I 
  hear the car door slamming in the street 
  outside. I see the man coming up the 
  stairs. It’s Fortasque! I shall try and talk 
  him out of whatever sinister task he’s been 
  programmed to do. In the meantime, I 
  will keep this letter with the journal in the 
  hope that he doesn’t find it.”
  Sniper
  As the heroes make their way from the apartment, a 
  shot rings out. Randomly determine which of the heroes 
  is hit by the sniper fire, taking 2d6 damage. Heroes 
  making a successful Notice roll see the silhouette of a 
  gunman on a rooftop, who then retreats into darkness. 
  The sniper was sent by Paine to kill the heroes and 
  vanishes seemingly without a trace. This should make 
  the heroes a little paranoid. 
  Hall of Illuminatus
  Deciphering the journal requires a Defining Interest 
  in the German language or the Linguist Edge (with 
  a raise on the Smarts roll). The journal chronicles 
  the early Illuminati’s secret meetings and rituals. 
  According to the journal, the group held meetings 
  in an underground crypt in Washington, D.C. The 
  crypt was named the Hall of Illuminatus. The location 
  matches the description of where a modern subway 
  entrance exists. 
  The secret crypt is in the old access tunnels, which 
  were blocked off when the subway was constructed. 
  Traipsing through them, the heroes have a Pitch 
  Darkness penalty of –4 and should bring their own 
  light source.
  A successful Notice roll during the exploration of the 
  subway tunnels reveals a curious side passage blocked 
  off by an iron gate. These are access tunnels which 
  were used when building the subway. One access 
  tunnel has noticeably different brickwork that appears 
  older, as if a passage was sealed. Breaking through the 
  bricks reveals a corridor of red brick flooded with a 
  foot of black, rancid water. 
  Tumbled rocky debris blocks one end of the corridor, 
  and at its midway point is a grey-bricked doorway and 
  arch. Carved in the middle of the bricked-up passage 
  is a pyramid with an all-seeing eye in its center. 
  The bricked-up door has a Toughness of 10. On 
  the other side of it is a chamber adorned with frescoes 
  depicting kings and priests being roasted alive in the 
  fires of damnation, while the council of elders looks on. 
  At the front of the room, an all-seeing eye and pyramid 
  statue is present and looks upon a congregation of 
  empty wooden benches. A wooden lectern stands at 
  the front of the chamber, behind which is a skeleton 
  in judges’ robes. A successful Notice roll reveals the 
  skeleton has a bullet hole in its cranium. At the back 
  of the room rests another skeleton with a bullet hole to 
  its head and nearby a rusty pistol (circa 1800). 
  A wooden and metal door engraved with strange 
  symbols leads east from the chamber. The door is 
  booby-trapped and it requires a successful Notice roll 
  at –2 to notice this fact. Anyone who enters the inner 
  sanctum through the door triggers the trap. Concealed 
  metal springs release when the door handle is pressed, 
  sending a weighted guillotine blade tumbling down 
  from a recessed niche in the ceiling! The person 
  holding the door handle may make a successful Agility 
  roll at –2 to avoid the blade. The blade does 2d10 
  damage to the hands and arms of the person holding 
  the door handle. A successful Lockpicking roll disarms 
  the trap.
  Inner Sanctum
  This octagonal room houses carved pillars decorated 
  with leering gargoyles facing a stone pedestal at the 
  center of the room. An ornately carved wooden box 
  rests on the pedestal, inside of which is the fabled 
  Illuminati Medallion! 
  Immediately after the heroes enter the room 
  after either disarming or activating the trap, several 
  cloaked and masked figures appear from behind them, 
  brandishing pistols. One of the figures removes his 
  mask to reveal – Senator Joseph Paine! 
  “How fortuitous you accepted my little quest. 
  I never would have found the secret entrance 
  without you,” Paine says. He moves toward the 
  pedestal, opens the box and grasps the medallion firmly 
  in his hand and stares at it longingly. “The Illuminati 
  
  16
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Medallion’s arcane powers shall be mine tonight! 
  I shall bind its powers to the inner circle through 
  ritual, giving me ultimate power to control the 
  minds of men! If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the 
  Capitol to cast my vote for the future!” 
  Paine orders his men to kill the heroes, and makes 
  a hasty retreat through the inner sanctum’s doorway. 
  There is one gunman per hero, plus three additional 
  ones, all armed with Beretta 1934 (9mm) automatic 
  pistols (Damage: 2d6+1, Range: 12/24/48, RoF: 1, Shots: 
  7, AP 1).
  Center Of Power
  Once he snags the Illuminati Medallion, Paine holds 
  a midnight ritual in the rotunda of the United States 
  Capitol, the epicenter of power. Paine bribes the 
  Capitol guards to go off duty that night, and posts his 
  own sentries to deal with any intruders. 
  The ritual involves Paine and five other members 
  dressed in black robes. A pot of incense is on the 
  ground and lit candles flicker eerily. Paine, wearing the 
  medallion around his neck, recites an incantation in 
  Latin. The five other members produce rapier swords 
  and join together, arranging the blades in a pentacle 
  shape, and then the shape of a pyramid. Paine then 
  evokes the powers of the ancient Illuminators and a 
  blinding light fills the room as the medallion around 
  his neck glows. At this stage, the ritual is complete, 
  and Paine and his fellow Illuminati adepts receive the 
  Illuminati Medallion’s arcane powers. 
  Getting the Illuminati Medallion from Paine prior 
  to completion of the ritual should be the heroes’ first 
  priority. Without the medallion, Paine won’t receive the 
  arcane powers he craves. 
  If at any stage the ritual is interrupted, Paine orders 
  his men to attack while he makes his escape. 
  Aftermath 
  If Paine is killed or the ritual otherwise stopped, the 
  remaining Illuminati stooges flee, and the heroes have 
  halted the spread of an evil power. If Paine is killed, the 
  heroes have a lot of explaining to do: he is a United 
  States Senator, after all. 
  If Paine succeeds, his Illuminati lackeys attack by 
  using their telekinesis Power to hurl large statues from 
  Statuary Hall at the heroes (2d6 damage). Paine also 
  attacks the heroes and tries to persuade them to turn 
  on each other using the puppet Power. 
  If Paine defeats the heroes, he then successfully 
  manipulates the minds of the Senate and secures the 
  nomination for President of the United States. He is 
  elected in November as President and forces Germany, 
  England, France and Russia into war. 
  GUNMEN
  Use the Hired Goon stats from page 129 of the 
  Ravaged Earth rulebook. 
  (WC)	SENATOR	JOSEPH	PAINE
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, 
  Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Intimidation d8, 
  Investigation d8, Knowledge (Government) d8, 
  Knowledge (Occult) d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d10, 
  Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8, Taunt d8
  Charisma: +2;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 5;	Toughness: 5
  Hindrances: Bravado, Obsession (to become 
  President) 
  Edges: Cat’s Pajamas, Dodge, Rich
  Knack: Photographic Memory
  Defining	Interests: The Illuminati, U.S. 
  Government, City Knowledge (Washington, D.C.), 
  American History
  Languages: English, Latin
  Gear: Colt Service .45 (Damage: 2d6+1, Range: 
  12/24/48, RoF: 1, Shots: 7, AP 2), suit, spectacles, 
  Senate identification card. 
  ILLUMINATI	ADEPT
  Use the Hired Goon stats from page 129 of the 
  Ravaged Earth rulebook. They are considered 
  unarmed, but may grab one of the rapiers (Damage: 
  Str+d4, Parry +1) used in the ritual to use against the 
  heroes in addition to possibly having access to the 
  telekinesis Power.
  
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  17
  History has seen 
  many rulers, kings, and 
  emperors, from the 
  wise to the unjust and 
  everything in between. 
  Arguably the greatest nation 
  in recorded history was the 
  Roman Empire, which at its height 
  stretched across the known world from 
  Europe into Africa. The man who began 
  forging Rome from a localized Republic 
  into an empire was its first emperor, Gaius 
  Julius Caesar Augustus. His rule marked 
  the beginning of the Pax Romana, Roman 
  Peace, and his symbol was a bronze scepter 
  imbued with his power.
  History
  Rome stood as a beacon of civilization from 
  the early days of its kingdom in 753 B.C. to the 
  height of its empire in A.D. 476. Governmental 
  structure initially developed from a Roman Kingdom 
  to a Republic in 509 B.C. after the disposal of the 
  last king, and in this form it continued for hundreds 
  of years. But it was treachery and rebellion, initiated 
  with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. 
  that toppled the Republic and plunged the factious 
  elements into civil war.
  One man, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar himself, 
  rose up in 31 B.C. to quell the civil war and restore 
  order. He was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, and 
  with the help of a group of politicians he took control 
  of the factious government. Within four years he had 
  complete control over Rome and its vast, sweeping 
  expanses, standing at the head of a newly formed 
  Roman Empire. Taking the mantle of Emperor and 
  changing his name to Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, 
  he set about bringing peace to the empire.
  Under the rule of Emperor Augustus, Rome entered 
  an unparalleled age of peace and prosperity. He held 
  control over the Roman Legions, ensuring that his will 
  would not be undone by bickering senators, and set 
  into motion numerous plans and endeavors that would 
  mark him as one of the greatest Roman leaders. He 
  developed the roads of the empire and enacted an 
  official courier system; he established a standing army 
  and navy, as well as official fire brigades and police 
  forces within the city of Rome; and finally he rebuilt 
  much of the city’s former glories. As a sign of his 
  influence, the fabulous bronze scepter bearing a stylized 
  eagle at its tip often carried by Emperor Augustus 
  became an enduring symbol for Roman strength in the 
  years to come.
  Augustus also formed the Praetorian Guard as a 
  standing armed force to protect the Emperor at all times. 
  At the time, the Praetorian Guard was considered the 
  best of the best, an elite force dedicated to serving the 
  Emperor. In later years they would idolize Augustus as 
  the premier Roman Emperor and took the symbol of 
  his bronze scepter as a secret mark used to protect 
  important documents and locations.
  Unfortunately, Augustus was only a man, and 
  death took him in A.D. 14 while he visited the 
  site of his father’s demise in Italy. The famous 
  Emperor’s last words, spoken to his adopted 
  son and heir to the empire, Tiberius, were 
  “Did you like the performance?”
  The man who brought an empire out of 
  a crumbling Republic was cremated after 
  a massive funeral procession through 
  Rome. His effects, including the scepter 
  that had become the symbol of Rome, 
  were interred within a magnificent 
  mausoleum. Tiberius was quoted as 
  saying “The Imperial Scepter of 
  Augustus, symbol of unity, shall 
  await the return of a truly worthy 
  and great Rome.” An ivory 
  scepter, the Sceptrum Augusti, 
  Imperial	Scepter	of	Augustus
  
  18
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  was carried by Tiberius and all future Emperors in 
  homage to Augustus and the bronze original.
  For hundreds of years Rome enjoyed relative peace, 
  as Emperor Augustus’ mausoleum was visited by many 
  people, and the scepter inside remained untouched. 
  In the waning years of the Roman Empire, however, 
  the empire suffered from brutal attacks, including the 
  sacking of Rome itself in A.D. 410 by raiding northern 
  Goths. King Alaric I destroyed the mausoleum and 
  looted its treasures, including the bronze scepter that 
  lay within.
  Alaric moved swiftly from the city of Rome south to 
  Calabria, intent upon crossing the Mediterranean and 
  conquering Africa. He never made it, dying of fever in 
  A.D. 412 in the fields of southern Italy. It was decided 
  that Alaric be buried beneath a nearby river, and so 
  the Goths temporarily diverted the Busento River and 
  interred their king along with all of his earthly treasures 
  beneath it. The river was then returned to its original 
  course and the resting place of Alaric, along with 
  the famed Imperial Scepter of Augustus, remained 
  undiscovered.
  Physical Description
  The body of the Imperial Scepter of Augustus is a 
  four foot long, thick shaft coated in bright bronze that 
  never loses its luster. Atop the relic is a golden eagle, 
  its wings outstretched and head craned towards the 
  heavens. Poets and playwrights say that the Imperial 
  Scepter of Augustus glowed with a fierce intensity 
  when Augustus was emotional, though this has often 
  been attributed to over imaginative prose more than 
  anything else.
  Powers
  A character wielding the Imperial Scepter of Augustus 
  can command loyalty from the most stubborn of 
  allies. While the scepter is being held in sight, the 
  wielder gains a +6 to Charisma as the relic imparts 
  the ancient wisdom of the first and greatest Roman 
  Emperor. By holding the scepter aloft and succeeding 
  at a Persuasion roll, the wielder can also create a 
  palpable aura of fealty. Treat this as a use of the fear 
  power with the following exceptions: the range is “self” 
  and the following adjustments are made to the Fear 
  Effects table found in the Savage Worlds rulebook: 
  treat Minor Phobia as Panicked, Major Phobia as the 
  Loyal Hindrance, and The Mark of Fear as The Mark 
  of Loyalty (with otherwise similar effects).
  The wielder also gains the effects of the Command 
  and Inspire Leadership Edges without having to meet 
  the requirements for as long as the Imperial Scepter 
  is held.
  Rumors & Speculation
  The Praetorian Guard, formed by Augustus during 
  the early years of his reign, worshipped the Emperor 
  as a deity. In the later years of the Roman Empire, 
  the Praetorian Guard became synonymous with 
  treachery and deceit, seemingly working against Rome 
  to assassinate its Emperors. It is rumored that this was 
  because none could live up to the standards set forth 
  by Augustus, the “god-king of Rome,” and in A.D. 312 
  the Praetorian Guard was officially disbanded. Or so 
  it was thought. A secret society, the Praetoriae Divi 
  Augusti, or “Protectors of Divine Augustus”, formed 
  out of the dispersed remnants, worshipping the famed 
  Emperor in scattered sects. It is still active today. To 
  what lengths they would go to restore the divinity of 
  Augustus and his mighty Imperial Scepter is unknown, 
  but time has likely twisted their original purpose into 
  something dark and sinister.
  In Calabria, the southern Italian province where Alaric 
  I was buried beneath the Busento River, it is possible 
  that the powerful Ndrangheta (Honored Society) 
  crime syndicate has recovered the fabled treasure of the 
  Goth King. If so, they possess the Emperor’s renowned 
  scepter, though perhaps they don’t realize what power 
  it bestows. The Ndrangheta rival the nearby Sicilian-
  based Cosa Nostra mafia in terms of influence, though 
  they are much less obvious in their methods. They 
  also have a very strong foothold in eastern Australia, 
  controlling much of the illegal activity in and around 
  Sydney.
  
  	
  GUNGNIR,	ODIN'S	SPEAR
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  19
  Ravaged	Tale:	The	Honor	of	
  Botany	Bay
  While on the trail of Irish snitch Mickey O’Flynn 
  in the seedier side of Sydney, Australia, the heroes get 
  involved with insane Italian Praetorian mobsters and 
  the mythical, elephant-stealing Roc. All in a day’s work 
  for a group of Ravaged heroes!
  Background
  The Praetoriae Divi Augusti believe very firmly in 
  the divinity of Augustus, and have worshipped him in 
  a cult status for hundreds of years. Not every member 
  of the organization is entirely stable, however, and 
  faiths can be shaken, especially in the troubling times 
  following the Martian Invasion of 1898.
  Gavius is a devout member of the Protectors of 
  Divine Augustus, but in the wake of the Martian 
  invasion he found himself able to perform superhuman 
  deeds. He attributes these abilities to blessings from 
  the Emperor, and they drove him deep into madness. 
  Seeking the wisdom and counsel of Emperor Augustus, 
  Gavius latched onto the myth of the Imperial Scepter, 
  seeing it as a symbol for uniting himself with the 
  divine. 
  The Praetorian launched an aggressive investigation, 
  uncovering the truth that the Ndrangheta had gained 
  possession of the scepter in the years since Alaric’s 
  death. Gavius tracked the relic to the Sydney harbor, 
  Botany Bay, but there hit a dead end.
  Interrupting Mickey O’Flynn
  The scenario begins with the heroes seeking Irish 
  mobster Mickey O’Flynn. Perhaps he has some 
  information needed by the heroes, or maybe he 
  wronged one of them somehow (which is not too 
  farfetched for a conniving Irish gangster). No matter 
  where they picked up the trail originally, it has led the 
  heroes to Sydney, Australia, where they have been 
  beating the pavement looking for the mobster. Their 
  search proves fruitful, and the scene begins just as the 
  heroes are about to burst into O’Flynn’s hiding hole. 
  Someone beat them to it, however, and the current 
  occupants are Gavius, a troubled member of the 
  Praetoriae Divi Augusti, and his hired thugs. They 
  are in the process of searching for the Imperial Scepter 
  and they don’t take kindly to the interruption.
  Read the following to begin:
  It’s taken several weeks but you think 
  you’ve got it nailed down this time. From 
  New York City to the trashiest dive in 
  Sydney, Australia, you’ve been hunting 
  down Mickey O’Flynn. A snitch and rotten 
  gangster, Mickey’s got a list of friends a 
  mile long and he’s been pulling every favor 
  he had to stay one step ahead of you. But 
  here in a seedy dock apartment in Sydney, 
  you’ve finally tracked him down. The only 
  question is whether to knock or just break 
  down the door?
  For dramatic effect, it is best if the heroes don’t 
  hear anything from behind the door; the sounds of 
  the nearby Sydney docks mask any noises from inside. 
  Knocking gets no response, so one of the party must 
  break down the door (requires a successful Strength 
  roll). If the heroes do not tarry and are successful 
  on the first attempt, upon entering the room Mickey 
  O’Flynn is found tied to a chair and beaten bloody. 
  Standing over him is a muscular European man dressed 
  in a heavy tabard and wearing a traditional galea 
  (bronze Roman helmet with red plumes). Surrounding 
  him is a group of Australian thugs, one for each hero.
  The heroes easily have the “Drop” on Gavius and 
  his men. Regardless, Gavius waits to see if they rush to 
  Mickey’s aid, and if they show any compassion at all, 
  he orders his men to attack the newcomers. Gavius is 
  quite insane and believes firmly in the divine power of 
  Augustus, whom he credits with his incredible strength 
  as a Ravaged one. He has both his armor and boost 
  trait powers active when the heroes enter the room.
  Gavius enters the fray if his men are obviously 
  losing, and he fights until he has taken two wounds, 
  after which he leaps out the window into the busy 
  Sydney alley.
  
  20
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Mickey Spills the Beans
  Assuming the insane Praetorian and his thugs 
  are dealt with by the heroes, Mickey thanks them 
  profusely and asks to be untied. He freely tells them 
  that the crazy guy called himself Gavius and said he 
  was “on a mission from Divine Augustus.” heroes can 
  make Knowledge (History) or appropriate Common 
  Knowledge checks to connect Gavius, his outfit, and 
  his comments to the ancient Praetorian Guard of 
  Rome. The Praetorian Guard was formed by Emperor 
  Augustus during the early years of the Roman Empire, 
  and it protected the Roman Emperor for over three 
  centuries.
  Mickey says that Gavius was looking for a special 
  package shipped to Sydney by some Italians located 
  outside of the country. Mickey told the insane 
  Praetorian the only thing he knew – the Italians ran a 
  ship called The Honor in and out of Botany Bay on 
  a regular basis, so the shipment would probably be 
  located there.
  Hands in the Air!
  Just as the Irish mobster is about to further explain 
  to the heroes the information that he had and they 
  were looking for in the first place, the door to the 
  room is flung open and in rush a multitude of Italian 
  gangsters! They are members of the Ndrangheta, who 
  control most of the illegal activities in Sydney. They’ve 
  had their eye on Mickey since he arrived in Australia 
  and know the reason for Gavius’ search.
  The leader of the gangsters is the Uomini D’onore 
  (Man of Honor) “Grinning” Scarpelli. He has a force 
  of men at his command that can make Swiss cheese 
  of the party, and he orders the heroes and Mickey to 
  come quietly. Scarpelli takes their obvious weapons 
  and leads his captives to the docks where The Honor 
  is moored.
  Aboard The Honor
  Whether they want to or not, the heroes find 
  themselves captive aboard The Honor. They are tied, 
  gagged, and thrown in makeshift jail cells below deck 
  while the crew prepares to leave. A mobster stops in 
  and drops off a plate of food several hours later.
  Eventually, after what seems like an eternity but is 
  really only six hours or so, Scarpelli brings the heroes 
  out to the top deck. It is late morning and The Honor 
  is sailing north from Sydney along the Australian coast.
  The heroes are marched up and ordered to stand 
  in a line. Next to them stands Gavius, bruised and 
  bloodied and also shackled. Scarpelli asks everyone 
  what they were doing on his docks.
  As the interrogation begins, Gavius asks if the 
  Imperial Scepter of Augustus is aboard. Scarpelli laughs 
  and confirms it is, at which point the Praetorian rips 
  open his shackles and pulls a whistle from his pocket, 
  blowing it in one swift motion. Panic ensues on the 
  deck, and the heroes have their chance to get their 
  gear (located in a nearby crate) and escape as bullets 
  fly. Gavius spreads his arms, and after two rounds of 
  absorbing bullet impacts with his armor power, his 
  summoned creature arrives, blotting out the sun. A 
  legendary Roc circles over The Honor.
  Between a Roc and a Hard Place
  What follows is a complete free-for-all, and the 
  heroes are in quite a pickle. Once the Roc arrives, 
  Gavius immediately heads below deck while it circles, 
  snatching up Italian mobsters (and potentially the 
  heroes, if they do not get below deck quickly!) in its 
  talons and dropping them into the ocean. While not 
  evil, the Roc is a great predator and views The Honor 
  as being full of food. Mobsters shoot at the Roc, the 
  heroes, and Gavius; there are two dozen Italians in 
  total onboard the ship, not including Scarpelli. The 
  Praetorian seeks the Imperial Scepter of Augustus and 
  is willing to sacrifice everyone to retrieve it. Once he 
  has it, though, he doesn’t really know what to do; awe 
  fills him to the point where he is considered Shaken.
  Aftermath
  The scenario ending depends upon the actions of 
  the heroes. Gavius is insane, and if left unchecked 
  the Roc kills everyone aboard The Honor and then 
  smashes the boat to pieces. This sends Gavius and 
  the Imperial Scepter of Augustus to the bottom of 
  the ocean near the Australian coastline, though the 
  Praetorian survives.
  
  	
  GUNGNIR,	ODIN'S	SPEAR
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  21
  If the heroes somehow retrieve the scepter, they 
  can attempt to use it to command the mobsters to 
  surrender and Gavius to call off, or if need be, to battle 
  the Roc. This option may be their best bet to survive 
  the encounter. What they do with the Imperial Scepter 
  of Augustus afterward is up to them, but certainly 
  they have come to the attention of both 
  a powerful mob family and an ancient 
  order of Roman cultists.
  (WC)	GAVIUS,	INSANE	
  PRAETORIAN
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, 
  Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d8, Intimidation d8, 
  Knowledge (Roman History) d8, Notice d6, Taunt 
  d8, Throwing d10
  Charisma: +2;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 7;	
  Toughness: 8 (1), 11 (4) with armor
  Hindrances: Loyal (Augustus), Overconfident, 
  Quirk (constantly praises Augustus)
  Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), 
  Charismatic, Fists of Steel, Innate Power (Armor), 
  Innate Power (Boost Trait), New Power, Superior 
  Attribute (Strength)
  Knack: Johnny-on-the-Spot
  Defining	Interests: Knowledge (Military 
  History), Knowledge (Military Tactics), 
  Weaponsmithing
  Powers: armor, boost trait
  Power	Points: 5 (sacrificed 10 for the Innate 
  Powers to make them raises when activated, 5 for 
  Superior Attribute)
  Languages: Chinese, English, German, Japanese, 
  Korean, Spanish
  Gear: Fist of the Praetorian Guard (Damage: Str, 
  AP 2, unarmed), leather vest (Armor +1), galea 
  helmet (50% chance of AP 2 on attacks to the 
  head), whistle (summons a Roc if used properly).
  GAVIUS’	HIRED	GOONS/ITALIAN	
  MOBSTERS
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, 
  Strength d8, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, 
  Shooting d6
  Charisma: 0;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 7/6;	
  Toughness: 6
  Hindrances: Overconfident
  Edges: Block (Gavius’ Hired Goons), Rock 
  and Roll (Italian Mobsters)
  Gear: Brass knuckles (Damage: Str+d4), Thompson 
  M1928 (0.45) (Damage: 2d6+1, Range: 12/24/48, 
  RoF: 3, Shots: 50, AP 1, Auto Italian Mobsters).
  ROC
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6, 
  Strength d12+8, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d6, Notice d12+4, Stealth 
  d8
  Pace: 6;	Parry: 7;	Toughness: 17 (2)
  Special	Abilities:
  • Armor	+2: Thick hide.
  • Flying: Pace 18”, Climb 9”.
  • Huge: The Roc is massive and attackers add +2 
  to their attack rolls when attacking it due to its 
  large size.
  • Lift: The Roc has incredible lift and can pick up 
  creatures or objects of Size +6 or smaller. It takes 
  the Roc a full round to properly grasp a creature, 
  which is a Grappling attack. With a raise the Roc 
  lifts the character into the air and ascends at its 
  Climb rate.
  • Size	+10: The Roc has a 200 foot wingspan and 
  a 50 foot long body.
  • Slow: Rocs move at a normal Pace 6 on the 
  ground, but can’t run.
  • Talons: Str+d6, AP 4, can damage objects or 
  vehicles with Heavy Armor.
  
  22
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  All across the world tribes and nations have 
  superstitions and legends surrounding events that they 
  don’t fully understand. This has been true since the 
  dawn of humanity and likely will continue far into 
  the future. In South America, the ancient Inca Empire 
  interpreted many unexplainable phenomena through 
  legends, though at least a part of their mythology was 
  based on truth.
  History
  The pantheon of Incan 
  gods is vast because as 
  the empire conquered and 
  expanded, the local citizens 
  were not forced into a particular 
  religious philosophy, but instead 
  were allowed to maintain 
  their own deities. This led 
  to a great diversity in 
  worshiping practices 
  throughout the 
  land, though 
  the chief 
  worship of 
  many of the 
  gods was 
  localized 
  to small 
  areas. 
  Jug	of	Illyap’a
  Many of the deities worshipped by the Incans 
  on a pragmatic level held sway over the elements of 
  the natural world. For instance, their chief god was 
  Inti, who represented the sun and to whom all the 
  emperors supposedly traced the origins of their lineage. 
  In the Collasuyu province of the empire, veneration of 
  Ilyap’a, a weather god who controlled thunder, lightning, 
  and the precious rain, was common. Ilyap’a became a 
  popular deity and his worship spread throughout the 
  empire. Legends held that the god carried the stars of 
  the night sky in a jug from which he created rain.
  This myth, while fanciful, is based in truth. In the 
  years before the formation of the Inca Empire, when 
  the indigenous people of western South America were 
  scattered and without unity, a strange man came to 
  visit a village on the shores of Lake Titicaca. He was 
  tall, with alabaster skin that glowed in the sunlight, and 
  he carried a clay jug decorated with strange symbols. 
  A terrible drought had befallen the Collasuyu area, 
  and the man claimed to be able bring the rain 
  and end the sickness of the land. In return 
  he asked for only one thing: the loyalty of 
  black dogs.
  It was a strange request and one that 
  the people had difficulty in providing, 
  but they eventually managed to 
  herd all the black dogs in the area 
  and brought them to the shining 
  man. He then pointed his jug to 
  the heavens, and after only a few 
  minutes clouds gathered followed by 
  the flash of lightning and the crack of 
  thunder and blessed rain fell upon the 
  land once again. The man took his pack 
  of black dogs and disappeared.
  
  	
  JUG	OF	ILLyAP’A
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  23
  The people of Collasuyu called the man Ilyap’a, which 
  translates to “thunder and lightning,” and worshipped 
  him as a god. The story of the shining man became 
  a legend passed down through generations; although 
  the truth of what happened was lost, the Incan people 
  never forgot to pay homage to Ilyap’a.
  Physical Description
  The Jug of Ilyap’a is a ceramic pot roughly two feet 
  high and a foot wide. Images of running black dogs 
  decorate the top and bottom, while in the center is a 
  repeated depictin of clouds with flashing lightning and 
  pouring rain. An Incan phrase decorates the lip which 
  translates to read “when the black dog chases the 
  thunder, look to the sky for the rain.”
  Powers
  The Jug of Ilyap’a allows its owner to utilize the 
  storm control power with greater effect. The power as 
  detailed below is the standard version. If the possessor 
  of the Jug of Ilyap’a makes a successful Spirit roll the 
  power can be used as listed below, except its duration 
  is increased to 1d8 hours (or 2d10 hours with a raise) 
  and lightning bolts can be summoned once every five 
  minutes instead of ten as normal.
  Each time the jug is used the possessor must make 
  a Guts roll at –2 as the supernatural powers contained 
  within the relic are unleashed. Failure requires the 
  GM to roll on the Fear Table at +2; any result of a 
  Major Phobia means the possessor cannot use the 
  Jug of Ilyap’a again, as it becomes the subject of that 
  Hindrance.
  Storm	Control
  Rank: Veteran
  Power	Points: 6
  Range: Personal
  Duration: Special
  Trappings: Eyes flashing, dramatic wording, 
  magical jug
  This power allows the caster to summon 
  storms or to cancel those already in effect. It 
  can only be used outside, and with a successful 
  arcane skill roll a new storm is created or an 
  existing one is negated in 1d10 rounds. In 
  areas where rainstorms do not normally occur 
  (such as a desert or the Dust Bowl) the caster 
  suffers a –4 penalty to the arcane skill roll. 
  The storm affects the area surrounding the 
  caster in a 10-mile radius, or 20-miles with a 
  raise on the arcane skill roll. The resulting rain 
  reduces visibility to 24” and all actions suffer 
  a –1 penalty within its radius because of the 
  rainy conditions and loud thunder.
  The caster can also summon bolts of 
  lightning out of the storm clouds once every 
  ten minutes. These strikes require an arcane 
  skill roll at –2 and, if targeted at a creature, 
  appropriate ranged attack roll modifiers apply 
  (such as size modifiers or Edges like Dodge). 
  If successful, the lightning strike deals 2d10 
  damage and is considered a Heavy Weapon.
  Summoning a storm costs 6 Power Points 
  and a summoned storm lasts for 1d4 hours 
  (2d6 hours with a raise).
  Rumors & Speculation
  The storm generation power of the Jug of Ilyap’a 
  can help in any number of ways throughout the world, 
  but nowhere is it needed more than in the devastated 
  Dust Bowl of the American Midwest. A sinister force, 
  called simply “Pestilence” by the Native Americans, has 
  taken over the region, wasting the land with drought. 
  Not much is known about Pestilence, but the Jug 
  of Ilyap’a can prove a powerful tool in defeating this 
  age-old nemesis. Of course, such a move will not go 
  unnoticed, and Pestilence is a force powerful beyond 
  reckoning, so a group pursuing such a course must 
  exercise caution.
  
  24
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  Ravaged	Tale:	The	Altar	of	
  Thunder
  Throughout the world, people want to believe in the 
  strength and power of good. They see terrible things 
  occur and wish there was something they could do to 
  alleviate the catastrophes. But most simply don’t have 
  at their disposal the necessary means to affect these 
  situations, which is why the world needs the Ravaged. 
  Nowhere is this more true than the scoured Midwest 
  of America, currently being consumed by a terrible 
  drought and ferocious dust storms. A psychic hobo 
  believes he has found the solution to the drought, but 
  the price for his vigilance proved costly, and now he 
  needs assistance from a group of heroes to complete 
  his quest.
  Background
  Benjamin Granger was born in a small town in Iowa, 
  the youngest of four boys on the Granger farm. From 
  birth he was fascinated with trains, watching them pass 
  on their way east or west, and he promised himself 
  to one day ride those rails. He worked on the family 
  farm for many years, listening with keen interest to the 
  events of the world around him.
  Then the drought came, ravaging the Midwest with 
  tornados and dust storms the likes of which hadn’t 
  been seen before. Crops withered and families from 
  Minnesota to Texas suffered. Granger’s small farming 
  community was engulfed by a particularly fierce dust 
  storm by which his family was killed and his friends 
  driven away. He then vowed to end the drought and 
  rescue the land from devastation, but finding himself 
  homeless and penniless, all he could do was hop the 
  next train and head east.
  Along the way Granger met Captain Calhoun, 
  another homeless man, who taught him the ways of 
  the Circle of Light and Wonder, that mystical band 
  of hobos who have elevated their lives in service to 
  others. Granger was a quick study, and Calhoun’s 
  teachings resonated deeply within him. He dedicated 
  his life to helping his fellow men and women, though 
  he never forgot the terrible drought that destroyed his 
  family and home.
  Several months ago, Granger began to receive strange 
  visions of a once-again lush and fertile Midwest, with 
  rain falling from the sky and crops returning to life. The 
  visions drove him south, where he wandered through 
  Mexico and continued following the Pacific coastline 
  through South America, helping others where he 
  could. The way was difficult, and during his excursion 
  he contracted a wasting disease. But still he continued 
  south, finally arriving in the Peruvian city of Cusco 
  where the disease took the use of his legs, and his 
  visions left him to die in a strange and foreign place.
  Frantically he scrambled to transcribe the last goal 
  of his revelation, as he knew he would not be able 
  to complete it himself. He did not wish to see his 
  life’s goal go unaccomplished, so he dug deep into his 
  psyche and cast out a message, a psychic call, to a 
  group of the Ravaged, requesting that they complete 
  his vision.
  Heeding the Call
  The heroes are the Ravaged to whom Granger 
  sent his psychic call. The scenario begins with the 
  characters’ arrival in Cusco after a week of intense 
  dreams that left them with the distinct vision of the 
  Peruvian city and a dying hobo.
  The visions began a week ago, first as dreams of 
  an American Midwest turned lush and fertile again, 
  though for the last six years the area has been wracked 
  by dust storms and drought, creating the Dust Bowl. 
  Soon they invaded your waking hours, becoming 
  true visions urging you south. Driven by a strange 
  compunction, you have traveled to the place indicated 
  in your dreams – the Peruvian city of Cusco, situated 
  along the Andes Mountains. Chartering a plane took 
  no time, and now you stand in the city square of 
  Cusco, its people bustling about on errands of their 
  own, oblivious to the need driving you to this location.
  The heroes have been drawn to Cusco by Granger’s 
  psychic call, even after the hobo died of his wasting 
  disease. The vision, growing steadily fainter as time 
  passes, led the heroes to the town square of Cusco. 
  Now they must succeed with Spirit rolls (which may 
  be attempted once per minute) to pinpoint the source 
  of the call.
  
  	
  JUG	OF	ILLyAP’A
  RAVAGED	EARTH
  	
  25
  With a success, the heroes travel down a dark alley 
  branching off from the square, arriving only a few 
  minutes later at a grisly sight. A Caucasian man dressed 
  in rags lies dead, huddled against a pile of garbage, his 
  arms and legs the victims of some strange wasting 
  disease that ate away at his very muscles. The heroes 
  recognize him as being important to the visions. In the 
  hobo’s right hand is a piece of paper, upon which is 
  scrawled the name “Ilyap’a” with a crude drawing of a 
  black dog.
  Characters with Knowledge (Mythology) or 
  Knowledge (Religion) can make checks to identify 
  Ilyap’a as the Incan god of thunder and lightning who 
  kept the Milky Way in a jug that brought weather. 
  Black dogs are associated with him.
  Just as the heroes examine the paper they hear a 
  bark from nearby. A black dog stands at the end of the 
  alley, his head tilted in a friendly manner. If the heroes 
  approach, he darts away, but turns quickly, as if waiting 
  to be followed.
  Sacsayhuaman Ruins
  Following the black dog takes the heroes out of 
  Cusco and up the side of the valley to strange ruins 
  known locally as Sacsayhuaman. The stones have 
  stood for hundreds of years and are believed to have 
  been a defensive structure, though the mystery of its 
  construction and true purpose has remained elusive. 
  Sacsayhuaman is comprised of three tiers of stone walls 
  set into the side of the valley, with stairs between each 
  level.
  The black dog barks happily and darts into a cave 
  entrance hidden behind a stone wall of the second tier. 
  As the heroes follow, a band of Cusco thugs stride out, 
  brandishing knives. The leader, a tough named Mateo, 
  demands the party’s valuables. There is one thug for 
  each hero plus Mateo and they act aggressively toward 
  the group. This is really just a random mugging, so the 
  heroes can deal with it however they please. Use the 
  Cusco Thug statistics for Mateo and his gang.
  Caverns of Ilyap’a
  Assuming Mateo and his thugs are dealt with 
  successfully, the heroes continue to follow the black 
  dog. He leads them deep into the caverns beneath 
  Sacsayhuaman, the tunnels twisting and turning in a 
  confusing maze. After about ten minutes of progress, 
  the dog finally stops, panting happily and pointing his 
  head at what appears to be a dead end.
  A successful Notice roll at –2 allows a hero to locate 
  a stone that when depressed into the wall activates a 
  trapdoor in the floor, dropping anyone standing within 
  4” of the wall into an open chute (Agility roll at –2 
  to grasp the edge of the hole to avoid falling into the 
  chute)! A character that succeeds on the Agility roll 
  can then make a Strength roll to pull out of the chute. 
  However, just when the hero thinks he may be in the 
  clear, but prior to successfully exiting the chute, the 
  black dog bites the hero’s hands, forcing him to release 
  his grip and plummet downwards.
  Prove Yourself Worthy
  Sliding down the stone chute is a wild ride that ends 
  abruptly with an exit into a large stone chamber; the 
  ride is rough and causes a Fatigue level unless each 
  hero makes a successful Agility roll at –2. After all the 
  heroes have exited the chute, a stone block falls to fit 
  over the chute exit with a loud thud. The room the 
  heroes find themselves inside is a 10” cube and upon 
  the ceiling is an inscription in Incan that translates 
  as “only the worthy can stand before the Altar of 
  Thunder.”
  Upon the heroes’ arrival, water begins to pour in 
  from hidden crevasses in the floor! The room fills with 
  water quickly and is fully submerged in five rounds, but 
  that isn’t the only concern. A water elemental servant 
  of Ilyap’a emerges from the rising water immediately 
  after the heroes enter the room and attacks the heroes, 
  who now have to deal with both the elemental and 
  the water problem. If the heroes search for a means 
  to stop the water, a successful Notice roll at –2 for 
  the first round, –3 for the second round, and –4 for 
  the third and each subsequent round allows a hero to 
  
  26
  RELICS	&	RUMORS	#4
  	
  RAVAGED	EARTH	
  find the hidden valve. It takes an unmodified Strength 
  roll the next round to activate the valve. The water 
  elemental fights to the death.
  After activating the valve, a door opens on the north 
  wall of the room, spilling a torrent of water that has 
  filled the room into a stone hallway.
  Receiving the Blessing of Thunder
  At the end of the hallway is a wide chamber, lit by 
  a statue of a ten foot tall glowing man made of crystal. 
  Behind the statue is a raised dais upon which sits an 
  altar made of obsidian, decorated with Incan symbols 
  of lightning and thunder. A reverent feeling fills the 
  stale air of the chamber.
  As the heroes approach the altar, the crystalline 
  statue comes to life, but it does not seek to harm 
  them. It announces in a booming voice:
  “You have proven yourselves worthy of 
  the Altar of Thunder. Approach and place 
  your hands on the altar to receive the 
  Blessing of Thunder. Only by receiving the 
  Blessing of Thunder can you be worthy of 
  receiving the Jug of Ilyap’a.”
  Any hero who touches the altar is bathed in a 
  blue and purple light and transported back to the 
  surface of Sacsayhuaman. All wounds they have 
  suffered are healed, and the hero can now use 
  a variation of the blast power (2d6 damage; 
  trapping is a crack of thunder generated in 
  a Medium Burst Template centered on the 
  hero; anyone affected must make a Vigor 
  roll or be knocked prone in addition 
  to the damage). Activating this power 
  requires a Spirit roll and causes a Fatigue 
  level to the hero after use which recovers 
  normally.
  The heroes have now been blessed by 
  the power of Ilyap’a. What they choose to 
  do with this blessing is up to them, but the 
  black dog waits patiently nearby, panting happily.
  CUSCO	THUGS
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, 
  Strength d6, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6
  Charisma: –2;	Pace: 6;	Parry: 5;	Toughness: 6
  Hindrances: Mean
  Edges: —
  Gear: Knife (Damage: Str+d4).
  WATER	ELEMENTAL
  See the Savage Worlds rulebook for statistics.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Ravaged Earth/Savage Worlds - Ravaged Earth - Relics & Rumors #4.pdf