TEXT: The World of Aden originAlly creATed by ShAne lAcy henSley
   
  Butch Carman, Chief Financial Officer 
  Mike Brodu, Graphic Design & Branding
  For Kyoudai Games
  Shawn Carman, Creative Department
  Rich Wulf, Mechanical Design
  Ryan Carman, Logistics & Development
  Credits
  Written by: Shawn Carman 
  Editing: Shawn Carman
  Interior Artwork: Daniel Moenster,  
  John Donahue
  The Bear’s Den
  In a region of the southern seas far from the Known Lands, 
  known for being even more barren than usual for that part of the 
  world, there is a small oasis of civilization that is open to all ships 
  who cross the area. Situated in a small, crescent-shaped island 
  with a particularly deep lagoon, the Bear’s Den is an all-purpose 
  outpost for travelers, much like might be found in the wilderness 
  in the Known Lands. Lodging for a small number of guests is 
  available, as well as food and drink and basic adventuring and 
  seagoing supplies, not limited to rations, small metal fixtures for 
  use on a ship, and various other items that are extremely difficult 
  to come by.
  Because of the scarcity of materials in the region, the Bear’s 
  Den is considered “neutral ground” by those who frequent the 
  waters in the region. Anyone who causes a disturbance there will 
  be banned, and the value of the goods they offer there is too high 
  to be lost on account of minor disagreements with other captains 
  and their crews. Some have attempted to seize control of the area 
  and its suspected stockpile of goods, but other crews have always 
  come to the Den’s defense. 
  The location of the Bear’s Den is well known to all crews who 
  frequent the southern seas, even those who do not generally travel 
  in its general location. There are few enough safe havens amid the 
  scattered islands that those that do exist are generally well docu-
  mented to everyone with any knowledge of the seas at all. The 
  symbol of the Bear’s Den is a red crescent flag with a black bear 
  footprint on it, and the highest point on the island his home to a 
  tall metal pole that flies a large banner with this symbol. Although 
  it is hard to make out from any significant distance, those who are 
  on the lookout for it can find it easily with a spyglass once they 
  are in the appropriate region
  
  Because of its distance from the mainland, the Bear’s Den 
  does a brisk trade in barter as well as traditional coin. They 
  cannot offer as much for goods as merchants on the mainland, of 
  course, but no one expects them to because their rates are quite 
  close. The Den stocks a surprisingly wide variety of normal 
  adventuring goods at only slightly more than mainland prices. 
  The items that Uros Cern and his partner, the crafter Abayomi, 
  sell look a little rough around the edges, clearly having been 
  crafted there on the island, but are as sturdy as anything found 
  in the finest shops in places like Strangemont or Balaquim.
  Surprisingly, the Bear’s Den also purchases items from 
  travelers. Again, the prices they offer are not as good as the 
  mainland, but there are no other independent merchant outposts 
  that will purchase things outright. Cern, the proprietor, enjoys 
  fishing and is quite good at it, so there is always fresh food 
  available for travelers to purchase. Some days it is fried fish, 
  some days it is stew, some days it might be some game from 
  elsewhere on the island, but there is always something there. 
  Abayomi periodically brews very large quantities of ale, which 
  is also available for purchase at any time. The Den itself has 
  enough room to lodge eight guests, but there are tents available 
  at no charge for other ship crew members who may want to 
  sleep off of the ship while it is moored in the harbor. There are a 
  great many maritime stories that involve a raucous party on the 
  shore of the Bear’s Den. 
  The Secret  
  of the Bear’s Den
  Uros Cern and his partners are nowhere near as altruistic as 
  they would have their customers believe. They do find it a good 
  and decent thing to ensure that sailors in their desolate little 
  corner of the sea have everything that they need to survive, 
  and they are willing to accept either coin or barter, whatever a 
  needy customer might have available, but their motivations are 
  far more mercenary than they appear, and their prices are not a 
  function of necessity, but rather avarice.
  Years ago, Uros was on the run from a party of adventurers 
  who had discovered he had not been taking only his fair share of 
  their spoils. As a result, he found himself alone on the southern 
  seas with a small boat to call his own and very little else. He 
  made a meager living for himself by forging out in the wake 
  of storms and salvaging what he could from larger ships that 
  were destroyed by the elements, or by picking over whatever 
  might be left when a pirate battle took place. It wasn’t anything 
  extravagant, but it did let him survive without having to really 
  work, which was the one thing he hated above all else. In the 
  wake of one such scavenging outing, Uros noted that a particu-
  larly large ship had been dashed on the rock by a storm near a 
  small island. On a lark, he went to see if anyone might be ship-
  wrecked, reasoning that they might be feeling quite generous to 
  their rescuers.
  Uros’s gambit paid off far more than he could have imag-
  ined. There was only a single survivor, an unconscious man 
  who had washed up on shore with a terrible head wound that 
  would doubtless kill him without attention. Uros realized from 
  the man’s attire that he was in fact a very powerful wizard, 
  and further realized this was an incredible opportunity. To his 
  meager credit, the thought of killing the man while he remained 
  unconscious to take his personal possessions, worth more than 
  Uros would make in six months of scavenging, did not even 
  occur to him. Instead, he spent the next six days on the small 
  island, using everything he knew from his time in the military 
  and what he had learned about herbalism and the local flora to 
  keep the castaway alive and recovering. Just when Uros feared 
  his efforts might have been in vain, the man finally awoke. 
  Jerrus Lefevre was a former citizen of Le’Ciel who had 
  sought adventure in virtually every corner of the Known Lands, 
  but who had unfortunately met his match on the deck of a 
  sailing ship when, in a drunken attempt to quell the fury of the 
  storm, he was struck by lightning before his protective spells 
  had been completed. The strike was truly spectacular, nearly 
  killing Jerrus and ultimately causing the ship’s demise as well, 
  but fate had spared the adventurous spellcaster and stranded 
  him on a distant island. Lefevre was aware that his life was only 
  saved thanks to Uros and, in a somewhat uncharacteristic fit 
   Purchasing Goods  
  at the Bear’s Den
   Purchasing Goods  
  at the Bear’s Den
   Selling Goods  
  at the Bear’s Den
   Selling Goods  
  at the Bear’s Den
  2
  
  of generosity, offered Uros three favors in gratitude for saving 
  his life.
  For once, Cern thought very carefully about his answer 
  before he gave it, asking Lefevre several questions about his 
  capabilities as a spellcaster. His first request was for a sizeable 
  sum of money that he could use to begin a new life wherever 
  he wished, which was well within Lefevre’s means to provide. 
  Moments before asking for his second favor, transport back to 
  the mainland, Uros had an idea. On a whim, he instead asked 
  for two permanent teleportation circles, one on the island and 
  one in Balaquim, allowing him to move back and forth between 
  the two as he wished. Obviously annoyed at such a costly series 
  of requests, Lefevre nevertheless kept his word and provided 
  them, then promptly went on his way, never to be seen by Cern 
  again. 
  The ferran golemoid knew that his newfound fortune would 
  allow him to live the luxurious lifestyle he desired, but also that 
  it would not last indefinitely. For that, he would need additional 
  income, and the teleport circles were the key to how he would 
  achieve that. Having spent several years roaming the southern 
  seas, Uros knew how difficult it was to secure supplies in that 
  area. Unfortunately, he also knew the value of the circle and that 
  there were plenty of individuals who would take it from him if 
  it was not kept secret. So over the next few months, even as he 
  enjoyed his newfound comfort in Balaquim, Uros transported 
  materials through the circles to the island where he found 
  Lefevre, and used them to construct a small, meager outpost. 
  Less than a year after discovering the injured man, Uros was set 
  to open for business. 
  • Uros Cern, Store Owner 
  Veteran Ferran Brute (Polar Bear) Male
  Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d10, 
  Vigor d12
  Skills: Boating d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Knowledge 
  (Mechamagic) d6, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Streetwise d8
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (11); Charisma: -2
  Hindrances: Greedy (Minor), Ugly (Minor)
  Edges: Combat Reflexes, Golemoid
  Gear: Two pistols, Plate Corselet (Integrated)
  Uros Cern is not an evil being. He is, however, remarkably 
  concerned with his own comfort and well-being. His depar-
  ture from Ionara, while clouded in mystery to those who have 
  known him since that time, was for running a black market 
  goods scheme in the barracks where he was stationed. No one 
  was harmed because of his efforts, but the Ionaran govern-
  ment nevertheless was prepared to place him in prison before 
  he slipped out of the country, forewarned by a sympathetic 
  insider. After making his way far enough south to ensure he 
  would not be pursued, Cern fell in with an adventuring group 
  that explored the uninhabited islands of the southern seas and 
  seeking out whatever wealth could be found there. For some 
  time, he was able to control his avarice, but eventually, Cern 
  began concealing items he discovered rather than placing them 
  in the communal pile to be sold and divided among the group. 
  When his actions were discovered, he was ousted from the 
  group, leading to his discovery of the wizard Lefevre and his 
  eventual creation of the Bear’s Den as described above.
  The Bear’s Den is a profitable enterprise, and Cern has 
  discovered that he enjoys it. His lifestyle in Balaquim is quite 
  comfortable, and the money that the Den brings in is enough to 
  maintain it. With his greed slaked, Cern’s attitude has become 
  more altruistic than ever before. When travelers he knows well 
  fall on hard times, Cern is happy to extend them an open line 
  of credit or even quietly give them aid without expectation of 
  repayment. These are behaviors that would be completely alien 
  to anyone who knew Cern in Ionara or in the years immediately 
  thereafter. 
  • “Abayomi,” Master Craftsman
  Novice Human Male
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d4, Strength d4, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Knowledge (Craftsmanship) d8, Lockpicking d6, 
  Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Repair d10
  Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 4; Charisma: 0
  Hindrances: Curious, Loyal
  Edges: Gadgeteer, Mr. Fix It
  Gear: Leather apron, crafting tools
  “Abayomi” is the craftsman who makes the majority of goods 
  available at the Bear’s Den, or so most people believe (because 
  they are told so by Cern or by Abayomi himself). While there is 
  a shade of truth to the statement, the majority of it is a grotesque 
  falsehood. To begin with, “Abayomi” is not his real name, and 
  he is not even a he; he is a they.
  Hamadi, Manu, and Sabah are triplets born in a small village 
  in the outskirts of Balaquim. Although Yzeem is a nation with 
  comparatively little hunger or poverty, the triplets had several 
  older siblings and their parents struggled to feed everyone. 
  When they reached adolescence, the triplets decided to ease the 
  burden and made their way to the port city looking for a life of 
  adventure. Obviously, at their age, that was not something that 
  they found easily.
  Despite the odds, however, the triplets managed to survive. 
  They were cunning and lucky, and had a lot of experience 
  making and repairing basic items from around their home and 
  village. By the time they had reached their late teens, the triplets 
  had gotten good enough that various ship crews used them to 
  help resupply, and they had saved enough to buy a dingy little 
  two-room apartment near the docks. It was a meager existence, 
  one half-step above poverty, but the triplets were independent 
  and felt as if they had succeeded in their goal.
  That was roughly the time that they met Uros Cern.
  Cern recognized the ability of the triplets to craft a wide 
  variety of items from secondary materials for minimal cost, a 
  process that resulted in sturdy items that had a very primitive 
  look to them. Their goods were ideal for his burgeoning idea 
  concerning the Bear’s Den, and he approached them with a 
  3
  
  briefly, but there was no real doubt: the triplets were ready to 
  commit to the project.
  Each of the triplets spends every third day on the island, and 
  while they are there, they take on the role of Abayomi. Abayomi 
  brags that he can craft almost anything in three days’ time, and 
  makes a careful list of any non-standard items ordered by the 
  Den’s customers on the day he is there. Then, upon returning 
  to Balaquim, the triplet in question spends the next two days 
  creating anything needed on the list before returning with a 
  fulfilled order on his next island day. 
  deal. Every day, one triplet would come with Cern through the 
  circle to a distant island and help him run a shop for pirates, 
  explorers, and merchants, while the other two would remain 
  home and craft items to be sold in the shop. The items would 
  be sold at a reasonable mark-up from typical prices in Bala-
  quim, and the triplets would earn a small commission on every 
  item they sold. It was perhaps a few pennies less than what they 
  might earn selling their goods in Balaquim, but the location was 
  exotic and exciting, and they would be selling a much larger 
  volume of goods. They talked about it amongst themselves 
  Copyright © Kyoudai Games, LLC 2018
  Savage Thunderscape - The World of Aden, Kyoudai Games and their associated logos are trademarks of Kyoudai Games, LLC.
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system (Savage Worlds core rulebook, Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion, Savage Worlds Horror 
  Companion), 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 project.
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Savage Thunderscape/Savage Worlds - Savage Thunderscape - The Aden Gazette 2 - The Bears Den.pdf