Diary Entry 3/2 Dr. James Wilhelm

Mars continues to both be a wondrous place and one of great turmoil and violence. After our excursion through the Martian desert and our interesting ship ride from Meepsoor to Syrtis Major, I figured things would settle down and I’d enjoy the sites. Sadly this has not been the case.

Upon arriving at Syrtis Major myself, Esmerelda, and Waldmont disembarked our ship and was met by Charles Ottway of the Colonial Office. He gave us a quick debrief about the goings on and upon mentioning the rebellion in Shastapsh, let us know that a new cruiser being built in the yard would deal with that problem. We also saw a ship powered by a steam engine heading towards the shipyard that Ottway looked at with some awe. He told us that the ship was Captain Bernaby’s, a leader among the Red Captains.

We were told the two best places to stay were either the Savoy or the Explorer’s Club located in the city. We opted for Explorer’s club for both monetary and information reasons. After trying to get rid of to no avail all the sand and dirt that had accumulated on my belongings and myself, Waldmont and I headed out to visit the sites. Now I was finally starting to feel like I could do what I do best, use my inventions to investigate and not get into a terrible amount of trouble.

We gave some talks at the Explorer’s club regaling our adventures thus far to our audience that seemed enthralled in our tales. We had finally found peace and went to bed for the first time comfortable and with little fear. Alas, this was but a short respite from the trouble that was right around the corner.

The following day we went to a place called the Sunset Tide for some Bhutan Tea and hoping to gather some information that would help Esmeralda. Of course much to my dismay we overhear some Martians discussing the new cruiser and blowing it up. I cannot understand why these Martians are so resistant towards some culture and civility being brought to their dying planet.

Waldmont and I realized we needed to do something to preserve the new ship, so we headed to the address we overheard, 2244 Old Harbor Road, after failing to find Ottway. We guessed correctly that the conspirators were in a room facing the Shipyard and Waldmont sneaked up to investigate. I eventually joined him and, using my incredible helm, heard the Martians speaking in High Oenotrian, discussing that their “Red Devil” allies were ready to move and that the English would be surprised.

We ended up engaging the 5 traitors to the crown. I’m beginning to think that instead of just being seen as an oddity my incredible inventions are making me a target. I received several wounds, as a result of which I was forced to take a swig of my grandfather’s ole cough medicine. Waldmont chastised me for doing such a thing but I did not see him with several bullet wounds.

We eventually forced the enemy to flee with 1 dying & 1 jumping out the window to his death, capturing one, and 2 escaping. We took our prisoner to the colonial office where we had to conduct the interrogation. Things quickly went sideways as the prisoner got out of his bonds when Waldmont went near them and attacked him. I went to block his escape and he tackled me. While we were grappling on the floor Waldmont came over and ended up killing the prisoner.

He is a big game hunter and well respected among the community but sometimes I wonder whether my compatriot has not spent a little too long out in the wild and among the beasts. His willingness to use lethal force so quickly and effectively does worry me on occasion.

Esmerelda walked in seeing Waldmont with a machete and me on the ground covered in Martian blood screamed and ran away. I hope someday she can realize it wasn’t my fault and we can work together again. Unfortunately we had even bigger problems now. The rumour of death of a local by British hands had spread faster than a fire ever could. We needed to proceed with caution.

A caution my compatriot was a little less willing to follow. He went to The Greenfield Inn to investigate and said he found where the conspirators’ main base of operations was. Apparently, his lack of caution paid off in this instance. Getting in without being noticed would be difficult but fortunately instead of using his blunt force trauma entrance I came up with an ingenious idea of using liftwood and some rope to allow us to enter through the window.

Others might have tried a ladder but I say liftwood is quieter than a creaking ladder, and also far more exhilarating.

Upon reaching the window we entered and much to my horror saw the traitors had built glider bombers. Something needed to be done and once again upon careful inspection using my Helm I was able to sabotage the release mechanisms and we left to find another way to ensure these rapscallions were properly confronted. To our surprise Captain Barnaby was still in port with a skeleton crew and was willing to aid us for Queen and Country.

Later that night we along with Captain Barnaby and his crew engaged the enemy in a light air confrontation. My sabotage worked perfectly not allowing a single bomb to fall upon the new cruiser and after several well placed shots by Waldmont and my own rifle aided once again by my Helm we had a special light show with bombs bursting in air.

We are not sure whether any of the conspirators made an escape or died upon crash landing. All I do know is Mars is a very interesting place and I assume more trouble will find us soon.

Dr. James Wilhelm

Interlude: More Martian Politics

So here we see the interplanetary scope of the maxim "The enemy of my enemy is my friend", with Irish separatists known as Fenians joining with Martian Ground Cleansers in a plot to destroy the almost-built pride of the British Martian Fleet.

The Fenians were founded in America in 1858, and trace their origins back to the uprsising of 1790. At this time Ireland is still unified under British rule, the Republic will not be founded for another two decades or so, but more tellingly, the Great Famine that ran in Ireland from 1845 until 1849 is still fresh in many memories of those who escaped the disaster and a source of lingering resentment and outright hatred for all things English. In game terms, the Fenians are a small but well-organized thorn in the side of British ambitions on Mars.

The Ground Cleansers are a different matter. Ground Cleanser sympathies can be found wherever Earthmen try and put down roots on Mars. The British of course are somewhat inured to the low-level resentment offered by many after decades of running a terrestrial empire where such feelings are always present in the native populations who have yet to properly assimilate into the far superior British Culture.

That said, the term Ground Cleansers is not just a viewpoint, but also a secret organization, a conspiracy if you will, to which many Martians belong. Rural villages have already proven to be hotbeds of Ground Cleanser activity (See: Episode 5: A Series of Unfortunate Events) so the players must game with a heightened awareness of eavesdropping and overwatch by unfriendly NPC forces.

And let's not forget rivalries between city states. Inter-city rivalry for trade, influence and resources is a powerful political backdrop for anyone traveling widely in the geography (areography?) of Mars. How safe is it for it to be known where one has traveled from when arriving in a new city?

We haven't touched on religion yet, either. The player characters have not been on Mars long enough to encounter a Martian religion in any way but as a piece of the local scenery as they walk about town, but it would be a mistake to believe that there are no rivalries between factions/schisms of whatever the Martians believe in. Of course, the British adventurer has always had a condescending approach to the religious beliefs of "the natives".

And then there is just plain prejudice to factor in. Are Martians less jingoistic or racist than Earthmen, not prone to knee-jerk reactions based on ludicrous factors like skin tone and toe/finger count? Are Martians racially incapable of xenophobia, or will that be a factor in future dealings with the locals for our team?

Isn't all this fun?

Episode 6: Adventures in Syrtis Major

The party was met at Syrtis Major by Mr Ottway, the Colonial Office functionary in charge of such matters, who led them along the bank, pointing out the shipyards, palace and other notable sights, across the bridge and into the British Quarter, and left them at the Explorer's Club with plans to meet for afternoon tea and a "chin-wag".

Wilhelm and Waldmont settled into their Explorer Club digs, and after being obliged to agree to giving an evening talk about their adventures so far, re-joined Ottway for tea in the Lyons Tea House - and very nice it was too. Ottway gave the two adventurers many useful pointers about conducting themselves in Martian Society (which was to say British Society on Mars of course). Ottway at one point became entranced and frothed extravagant praise for one flying vessel and its captain, on Captain Burnaby.

It didn't take the players long to find trouble. The next day they were lounging in a local hostelry, enjoying a fine Bhutan Tea, when they overheard two villainous Canal Martians plotting sabotage of the most mutinous stripe against the shipyard and the new aerial cruiser being built there. Mention was made of "our Red Devil allies" too. Clearly there were terrestrial traitors involved!

It was perhaps unfortunate that this was the point at which the two plotters spotted their eavesdropping observers and made a break for it. Waldmont gave chase but lost them in the crowd. Wilhelm and Waldmont attempted to find Ottway to sound the alarm, but he was busy and could not be disturbed. Clearly, this was a situation in which any true blooded Englishman would take the reins of destiny. Waldmont and Wilhelm were up to the task and not willing to be found wanting!

First port of call was the shipyard, there to warn the powers-that-be of the danger. However, the manager of the shipyard housing the new British aerial ship was quite dismissive and found tales of Martian perfidy to be risible. He grudgingly gave Wilhelm and Waldmont the run of the facility - with suitable safety warnings - but would not lift a finger to increase what he claimed were already adequate defenses.

After touring the shipyard, Wilhelm and Waldmont made their way to the address they had overheard one of the dastardly Martians mention, and found it to be the supposedly unused fourth floor of an ancient Martian tenement, a square building with a central courtyard and a spiral ramp giving access to the living quarters.

Waldmont used his almost legendary powers of stealth to approach the open window of the fourth floor apartment, discovering it to be full of Martian scum, plotting for all they were worth over some sort of large chart or map. They were speaking loudly enough for the master linguist to hear their plan to attack the shipyards with the aid of their "Red Devil" allies.

Realizing that the general Martian traffic on the street and in the courtyard offered no risk of being denounced Wilhelm decided to join Waldmont at the window. Indeed, the Martian pedestrians seemed to be ignoring him despite his eccentric headgear.

Once at the window it was clear action was required, and the two Earthmen leaped into action, bursting into the room and firing their weapons. They were met by return fire from black powder flintlock pistols, with one of the plotters breaking away to the window where he first destroyed the large drawing in a flash of fire, downed some sort of liquid from a small vial and then defenestrated himself.

The firefight was short and brutal, with wounds taken and give on both sides. By the end of it all but one Martian was either dead or fled. Wilhelm in particular suffered grievous wounds but was able to deploy his wondrous healing machine before he passed out.

It was perhaps the shock of the fierceness of the combat that distracted the intrepid pair and made them omit the precaution of securing the dead plotter who had leaped from the window, but this, they reflected later, had been an error in judgment. Who knows what the Martian had in his pockets?

They conducted their prisoner to the nearest police station, whereupon they began interrogating him. Unfortunately there was another lapse in judgement and Waldmont freed the prisoner, who - with nothing to lose - attacked so savagely that Waldmont was forced to defend himself with a machete, killing the Martian plotter.

Unfortunately, only the aftermath of this was witnessed by anyone, and the story soon raced like wildfire through not only the Martian community but also through polite British Society on Mars, with the result that both Wilhelm and Waldmont found themselves ostracised. It was a very poor show on many levels, but some useful information amongst the insults was recovered from the Martian before the violence had ended all communication for good.

Deciding that they now had nothing to lose themselves, Waldmont and Wilhelm attempted a recce of the Inn in which the aforementioned Red Devil Allies - none other than a cadre of disaffected Irishmen belonging to the Fenian conspiracy - were ensconced and plotting their own villainy!

Wilhelm came up with the idea of using a tethered liftwood bundle as an improvised miniature airship to allow Waldmont and him access to the inn's upper floor where the Fenians had set up a perimeter and presumably had something cooking.

This plan was wildly successful, and Waldmont and Wilhelm were able to effect entry at a time when no Fenians were in attendance. They discovered that the entire floor had been converted into a workshop, and that there were a number of liftwood-fitted one-man gliders were being built and fitted out to carry two 100 lb incendiary bombs apiece!

Wilhelm used his specialized knowledge and skills to sabotage the gliders' bomb release mechanisms, such that the gliders would appear normal but would be unable to shed their payload on command.

Then, enlisting the help of the Red Captain Burnaby, famous privateer and adventurer, they ambushed the Fenians as they flew over the shipyard, detonating the bombs with expert marksmanship. The sight of this spectacular aerial battle helped the tale of the heroic Englishmen, who had cleverly presented themselves as brutal thugs so as to throw off suspicion of the terrorists responsible for a most deadly plan but had actually bravely helped Captain Burnaby execute his brilliant plan to destroy the threat.

So on the one hand, less glory than they perhaps deserved, but on the other a complete rehabilitation of their tattered reputation and a very narrow escape from devastating scandal and social ruin.