Go to Part 1

MYSTERIOUS ARTIFACTS

Excalibur and the Lost Blade: The Society has run into the mythic Excalibur blade twice before. Although it is connected to Arthur, Merlin, and Camelot it is not of Atlantean or Lemurian origin, but something else. The Society originally uncovered the blade in 1932, but it was stolen by the Nazi archaeologist Grimoire (see below). It was liberated by British superhero Captain Valor and was encountered by the Society again in 1935, along with its sister sword – the Lost Blade.

The Holy Grail: Although the legend of the search for the Holy Grail is connected with those of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, that connection was made years after the actual events. The Holy Grail itself actually has a fairly active history, before landing in the 20^th century.

Shroud of Turin: The Shroud of Turin is a real artifact related to the death of Christ… but the one found in the Cathedral of Turin is not it. The true shroud has been traced by members of the Society to a Hong Kong branch of the Mystic Triad.

Jewel of Gwahlur: The Jewel of Gwahlur is a large ruby about the size of a clenched fist. It is a Lemurian artifact of great mystical power which has appeared at various times throughout history. It is currently in the possession of the Priests of Na’toth.

Philosopher’s Stone: The alchemical “sciences” were a degenerate Lemurian science which had been warped into impracticality over the millenia. One item of truth, however, was the legendary Philosopher’s Stone – a mystical regent capable of changing one element into another.

The Jade Buddha: The Jade Buddha is a completely ordinary statue of the Buddha made out of jade. Its significance lies in its importance as a symbol of power and prestige among those versed in the mystic arts. The Society has found itself in several situations involving possession of the Jade Buddha.

STRANGE CREATURES

The Leviathan: The Keepers (described below) used their ancient technology to create a legion of aquatic allies in their quest to keep Atlantis safe through the millenia-long sleep they had to endure. Among the aquatic lifeforms they altered were the majestic whales, making them hyper-intelligent watchers of the ocean waves. One of their subjects, however, was effected in an unexpected way – growing to gargantuan proportions and liberating himself from their control. He survives to the modern day. Known by many different names, he is widely known in the mystic community as the Leviathan.

The Hydra: The origins of this draconic creature are unknown, but he has apparently been alive since the earliest days of modern civilization. He acts in large part through his human servants, wielding a massive amount of influence from his dark web.

The Cyclops: After encountering the Hydra for the first time the Society also became aware of the Cyclops – a mortal magician possessed of a single eye, apparently every bit as ancient as the Hydra, and locked in eternal conflict with the dragon. His longevity seems to indicate some ties to Atlantis or Lemuria, but no one is truly sure.

The Celestial Order: The Celestial Order is composed of two massive robotic races created in the days of Atlantis and Lemuria as supermen. Possessed of superhuman intelligence they have long since passed beyond the consciousness of the average mortal man, returning from their plane of higher understanding only occasionally to involve themselves in the affairs of those they consider their lessers. Because they are no longer acting upon the stimuli of this world their motivations and their actions are often completely mysterious. At other times they are completely lucid.

The Molemen: Beneath the surface of the world are the Chasms, an immense network of underground passages created by the Molemen. This deviant off-shoot of the human race, from whom many primeval legends of monsters stem, live their entire lives beneath the surface of the earth.

The Fey Folk: When Simon Morrow discovered these thin-boned creatures in the forests of Germany who seemed to flit between this world and another he was convinced they were the fey folk of legend. Alex Fellows, the genius scientist brought to the Society by Howard Shaw, agrees that they may be the fey folk of legend – but insists that they are nothing more than an extradimensional race. They have since made appearances in the American Midwest.

SECRET SOCIETIES

The Knights of Arthur: The Knights of Arthur date back to the age of Camelot. They guard the secret resting place of Arthur and his knights – prophesied to return when Britain meets with her greatest danger. They act in the interests of protecting that secret and Britain herself.

Egyptian Priests of Na’toth: The Priests of Na’Toth are descendants of the disciples of Na’toth, an Atlantean refugee who settled in ancient Egypt and established a secret cult which supposedly controlled the throne of all the great Egyptian dynasties (although some of their members are said to actually be the disciples of Na’Toth). Or at least, so they claim. The Society, despite the credulity born of seeing many things thought impossible, has several facts in their possession that suggest the priests to be nothing but frauds. Whatever the case they remain extremely powerful – both mystically and politically. To the present day they continue to act behind the scenes of power, manipulating affairs for their own nefarious purposes.

The Knights Templar: The Knights Templar were not, as is typically believed, completely wiped out by the forces of Rome. Many of them escaped and their descendants continue to operate unto the present day – convinced that the Catholic Church is blinding itself from the true worship of God by ignoring the mystic arts. The Templars rigorously hunt down anyone who practices the “craft” without worshipping God, however, believing them to be sacrilegious. They are also obsessed with finding the hidden location of the Holy Grail. In many ways, they are a dark mirror of the Argonaut Society.

The Mystic Triad: One of the family heads of the Triad discovered the mystic world. His followers have become known as the Mystic Triad – combining the double-threat of organized crime and mysticism. Their leader is apparently interested in obtaining as many artifacts of mystic origin as possible in his quest to understand the deeper meanings of the universe. Such a goal has often put the Mystic Triad at odds with the Argonauts.

Keepers & Guardians: The Keepers are a cult society, recruited from the more primitive ranks of humanity, who watch over the sleeping Atlanteans; keeping them safe from outside harm. The Lemurian Guardians do the same for their faction. The two covert organizations have waged a centuries-long war, each seeking to weaken the other before the time of the Awakening.

Thule Society: Key members of Hitler’s inner circle are learned in the mystic arts. As far as the Society has been able to determine, none of them are truly adepts, but as part of their budding war machine they are attempting to gather artifacts of great power. Recently a supervillain archaeologist codenamed Grimoire has joined the Thule Society, becoming the arch-nemesis of the Argonauts.

This material was originally developed in 1999-2000 as a supplement for Gold Rush Games’ San Angelo. This book was supposed to be part of a line of GRG projects that were going to support the eminent release of Pulp Hero. Unfortunately, Pulp Hero got massively delayed and wasn’t actually published until 2005, so the project got killed. I’ve done some minor reworking of the original pitch document here to present a setting that could be easily used with Pulp Hero, the Trinity Continuum’s Adventure, or any number of other pulp adventure RPGs.

One thing I would recommend: The original material was written to be compatible with the extant background elements of the Argonaut Society described in the history of San Angelo. If you were actually going to run this material, I’d recommend ditching the existing roster of Argonaut members and their exploits, rewind the timeline, and set up the PCs as the core of the Society, with their globe-trotting expeditions slowly uncovering the secret history of Atlantis and Lemuria.

The flux radiation caused by the creation of singularities did not result solely in the creation of superhumans. Their ability to wildly effect the laws of nature and make the improbable probable, stretching through time itself, has lead not only to the creation of supers, but the realization of some of the wildest fantasies. In the world of San Angelo not only can men fly and women learn the ways of sorcery, but the pyramids truly possess mystic powers; Atlantis sank beneath the ocean waves millenia ago; dinosaurs and woolly mammoths still roam in forgotten valleys; and enclaves of ancient civilizations exist unto the present day, preserved in isolation. To explore these strange and wondrous places, the improbabilites of flux radiation have also created a group of elite explorers – the Argonaut Society.

The men and women of the Argonaut Society captured the hearts and minds of a generation. They were the best of the best when it came to exploration in the modern era. Their membership boasts an amazing number of World Records and major achievements. They were the first to scale some of the tallest mountains in the world, the first to make contact with ancient tribal societies, the first to uncover the most spectacular archaeological sites ever discovered. These exploits, particularly by their founder Tyler North, imprinted them in the memory of millions.

But there is another side to the Argonaut Society, a side which the wider public remains ignorant of even to the modern day: The exploration of the fantastic; things which dwell only within the pulp literature of the real world. To understand how such things could exist it must be understood that there was an age of prehistory, driven by the pre-effects of flux radiation, in which mankind achieved heights of technology and mysticism which was both superior to our own science and also alien to our way of thought. This Age of Advanced Prehistory (as members of the Society came to refer to it) lasted a millennia and ended with the sinking of Atlantis beneath the waves.  The great civilizations of Egypt and Babylonia, thought by most to be the dawn of western civilization, were actually nothing but the dim remnants of the proud Atlantean and Lemurian civilizations.

The Age of Advanced Prehistory continues to affect mankind down to the present day. The mythic Camelot truly existed, made possible through the wizardry of Merlin – one of the few Atlanteans to survive to the modern day. The Bermuda Triangle is nothing more than an effect of the sunken continent of Atlantis. Magicians trace their heritage back to the Egyptian Priests of Na’toth.

REALMS OF THE FANTASTIC

Atlantis and Lemuria: Atlantis and Lemuria were the hegemonic powers of the Age of Advanced Prehistory (also known as the Atlantean or Lemurian Age). The continent of Atlantis was found in the modern day Atlantic; the continent of Lemuria in the Pacific. They were the greatest civilizations mankind has ever known and the vistas of the world were spread out beneath them. But they were also the greatest of enemies, and their conflict would end their millennia-long hegemonic rise and return the world to primitive darkness. Atlantis and Lemuria both slipped beneath the waves of the sea, reduced to ruin. The majority of their citizenry were placed in some form of suspended animation, although some used their science to adapt to life under water and served as caretakers to the rest. The citizens of Atlantis would be briefly awakened (historically speaking) by the Argonaut Society, allowing for some Atlantean heroes to make an appearance during the Golden Age. Both Atlantis and Lemuria, however, are on the verge of awaking entirely from their 5000 year sleep; prophecies gleaned from their crystalline time-viewers have posted the date of their rise to 2012.

The Lost Valley: On the continent of Antarctica there exists a lost valley of creatures whose time upon this world was supposed to have ended millions of years ago. It is certainly possible that members of the Argonaut Society successfully reached this place before Tyler North’s fateful (and final) mission.  As for North’s true fate following his disappearance, the Society has never been able to determine it. The icy entrance they originally used to gain access to the Valley collapsed, and no other entrance has been found.

Forgotten Civilizations: The Argonaut Society has discovered enclaves of several ancient societies, often found among inhospitable mountain valleys or the depths of primeval jungles, but also sometimes within stable time pockets established by Lemurian dimensional scientists for as-yet-undetermined purposes. These prominently include Mayan, Incan, and Tibetan socities (including the one destroyed by a volcano in 1928).

The Ruins of Camelot: The legends are true. Arthur, son of Uther, did arise to the throne of Camelot with the help of the mysterious wizard Merlin. Merlin was a son of Atlantis who survived its destruction and Camelot was his attempt to bring that wonder back to the world. Morgan Le Fey, on the other hand, was a daughter of Lemuria and attempted to seize that dream from Merlin and Arthur – resulting in the destruction of it all. As a result of their final mystic battle the ruins of Camelot slipped partially out of this reality. Now it reappears, from time to time and in various locations.

The Bermuda Triangle: The Triangle is the result of forgotten Atlantean technology. The Argonaut Society attempted to understand the phenomenon better after they lost one of their own to it. Although they regained their missing member, they were unsuccessful in powering down the machinery behind the Triangle.

Egyptian Pyramids: Pyramids were one of the architectural trademarks of the Atlanteans and Lemurians, and their influence can still be seen in some of the great stoneworks around the world. Egypt, in particular, was a place many of the Atlanteans fled to (just as the Mayan and Incan civilizations were born from the refugee movements of the Lemurians). The Egyptian Pyramids are centers of power and the Great Pyramid (which wasn’t built by Cheops at all, but was a remnant of Atlantis itself) contains many hidden passages in which ancient secrets are kept.

Stone Circles: The stone circles of England – the most famous one, of course, being Stonehenge – were actually built by the Druidic traditions and have some important connection to stellar motion. The Druidic traditions were a confused ideological mix of primitive superstition and Atlantean technology and mysticism. Although the Society has had several interesting run-ins with the circles they’ve never been successful at completely understanding their secrets.

Center of the Earth: While exploring the Tibetan steppes explorer Tyler North came across local legends of a forgotten tribe which lived beneath the surface of the mountains. Although North knew that many such legends are nothing more than rural superstition, he also knew (from personal experience, no less) that they often had a grain of truth. He returned later that year with a group of dedicated society members. Passing through a maze of caveworks which seemed to descend ever deeper into the subterranean world, North and his band of explorers eventually emerged into what appeared to be the hollowed out center of the globe in the middle of which floated a small sun – a world at the Center of the Earth.

Amazed by this seeming contradiction of modern science North spent over a month exploring the strange and amazing cultures found there. Eventually he discovered that he was not truly within the Center of the Earth, but the center of some other planetoid which was somehow linked to our Earth through various subterranean passages. All of this was powered by the great tree Ygg, which served as some form of mystical conduit between our worlds. North was planning a future exploration to this place to learn more, but after his disappearance the plans were postponed. World War II permanently set them to one side.

Far Side of the Moon and Mars. Although the details remain unclear, the Atlanteans and Lemurians did seem to possess some form of travel between the stars. They formed habitable zones on both the far side of the moon and the Martian surface.

TOMORROW: Mysterious Artifacts, Strange Creatures, and Secret Societies!