This is the initial handout I gave to my players to introduce them to the game setting.
Down
The Rabbit Hole
Timeline
1851 Queen
Victoria inaugurates the Grand Exhibition of Great Britain, a
celebration of modern science and industry on the grounds of Hyde
Park just outside of the city of London. A gigantic palace of glass
is constructed as the masterpiece of the Grand Exhibition to house
the exhibits. The exhibition runs for 9 months and attracts over six
million visitors from around the world. When it closes the grounds
are used as an exhibition and concert hall
1852 Nikola
Tesla produces his prototype for the electric light bulb just months
after the end of the Great Exhibition. The Crystal Palace commission
decides not to form a special exhibition for Tesla because they feel
his many electrical experiments received enough attention at the
Exhibition. The Order of Avalon offer Nikola Tesla a very generous
commission to pursue his experimental work in private in exchange for
complete control of the light bulb.
1853
Holland & Mayfield demonstrate a device that utilized refracted
light to view events at extreme distances on the Crystal Palace
grounds. There was an accident where a bank of limelights caught fire
and the mechanism exploded. When the fires were put out there
remained a great smoke-black ring hanging in the air and on the other
side was an unknown geography. Hyde park was evacuated and locked.
After brief study of the event horizon the portal is walled off and
secured.
1854
Famed explorer Dr. Livingstone celebrates the beginning of his second
African Coast exploration but rather than venturing to the port his
entire expedition are driven to Hyde Park where they are the first
British citizens to step foot in the land beyond the portal.
1854 Escalating
tensions in the Crimean Peninsula between the Russian Empire and the
Ottoman Empire drew in the British Army and lead to a costly series
of battles that severely tax the good faith of the People of England
and mark the first significant defeat of the British Empire. The role
of journalism in the Crimean War and in the developing rebellion in
India causes a lockdown of any information about the event in the
Crystal Palace being made public.
1857
Immediately in the wake of the Crimean War there began insurrections
throughout Imperial India causing loss of lives but even worse losses
of infrastructure and resources. Propaganda about the rebellion meant
to outrage England only served to embitter them to failed colonial
efforts. The years following the rebellion saw remote regiments
recalled and the end of British Colonial efforts.
1858
The East India Company, facing failure in the West Indies recalls
most of it's India Office operators. Many of the operators
responsible for the Indian Rebellion are transferred to distant
outposts where British military are withdrawing to protect the
interests of The Company. The desperate actions of these men,
isolated and without the support of the crown, begin to spread tales
of supporting anti-Empire forces, poisoning locals and even funding
pirates in order to protect Company interests.
1859
After two expeditions through the portal are dispatched it is
decided conclusively that the portal is a gate to a geographic
location outside of the British Empire, likely in Eastern Russia or
the Americas. The location beyond the portal was unofficially named
the New Imperial Territories, and the a nickname for the portal
suggested by author Lewis Carrol is unofficially adopted, naming the
portal the “Rabbit Hole”. When the second expedition was attacked
by natives with bows and swords the Portal was locked with a huge
vault door. Among the recovered materials from the expedition was a
Zoologist’s sketchbook filled with drawings of fantastical
creatures.
1863
London bank Overend, Gurney and Company collapses amidst a fraud
scandal. There is a financial panic and a run on London banks. The
banks are secretly shored up by the crown but at great cost.
1866
An attack on the encampment in The New Imperial Territories resulted
in the deaths of almost all of the workers and Lord Edmond Siberly,
Baron of Newhampton. The fighting spilled through the vault and
hundreds of monstrous persons spilled into the Crystal Palace
attacking anyone in sight. As the otherworldly forces spilled into
residential streets the slaughter was known as the Paddington Riots,
an event blamed on discontented troublemakers. Police constables
contained the violence by barricading the streets and the Royal
cavalry rode in to cut down the invaders. It was deemed a disaster
and nearly ended England's flirtation with the Rabbit Hole, however
the non-human corpses left behind was clear evidence that the portal
led to a location not of this earth. Queen Victoria dispatched
cavalry and infantry to secure the location. The occupying forces
formed a fortified encampment to defend the other end of the Rabbit
Hole. The camp became known as Fort Alice.
1867 Ciara
Sullivan publishes The Dynamikos Sheta-Maat Spellbook: A book of
the powerful hidden truth. England
is consumed with hysteria for a short time pursuing witchcraft cults
believed to be practicing magics from the book.
1868
The effort to quarry rock to build Fort Alice unearthed exotic soft
metals that that aroused great interest in British industrialists.
Irish labor was brought in to extract ore and construct a rail line
that would run through the portal from the heart of London to Fort
Alice. Workers were allowed limited access back through the portal
and needed long term housing for their work so they constructed a
ring of small homes around the fort. This was the birth of the town
of Neverwhere.
1869
Lord Nathaniel North of the
Royal Geographer's society, after a bout of strange behavior told his
fellows that he was “Going for a walk to clear his head” and
never returned. The following year he was sighted in native dress
among the native people in the New Imperial Territories. While Fort
Alice has no other known defectors but the theoretical practice of
going native is jokingly referred to as “Going North” or
“Clearing one's head”. The crown found North's defection less
amusing, threatening life imprisonment to anyone found to be aiding
native populations against the interest of England or her colonies.
The edict had a chilling effect on those who proposed peaceful
contact with the native peoples but thus far nobody has been accused
of violating this Royal Edict.
1872 A rash
of attacks by strange beasts in the city of London drives an
aggrieved Metropolitan Police Force to go on strike, refusing to
uphold their duties until more men are hired and better pensions are
provided. The Order of Avalon steps in to secure the peace and in
their investigations become aware of strange cracks between the
British Empire and an an unknown territory. Their investigation
brings them to Hyde Park and the Rabbit Hole. Queen Victoria
personally requests Investigator Wilhelm Stieber recruit London
Policemen to form a Citizen's Vigilance Society to attend to
uncontrolled crime in the city. After the end of the strike these men
become the founding members of the Secret Field Police Bureau.
1873
The British Vessel RMS Atlantic sinks off the coast of Nova
Scotia. Survivors claim to have seen a sea monster larger than the
vessel capsize it.
1874
The London Spiritualist Confederation proposes the erection of
Egyptian obelisks in strategic locations to stabilize the fractures
seemingly caused by the Rabbit Hole. Queen Victoria secured the
obelisks by threatening King Mohammed Ali with the withdrawl of
English Empire Troops from embattled Egypt unless he complied. The
last of the obelisks, the Needle of Cleopatra, was installed in 1877.
1974 John
Earnst Worrell, an American scientist who had consulted on the Rabbit
Hole announces the invention of his Etheric Generator, an alleged
perpetual-motion generator. The American demonstration is a failure.
1875 The
Order of Avalon commissions renowned mechanical engineer Hiram Maxim
to develop modern arms for the order in exchange for securing a
knighthood for him.
1877 The
Hanging of an Irish workman named Michael McRory in defiance of the
Public Execution Act marks the official recognition that Fort Alice
as a colonial territory and not subject to London Law.
1879
With limited success in the construction of the rail line and
difficulties between the civilian labor and the military command, the
Queen finally permits the East India Trading Company permission to
operate within the New Imperial Territories. Dozens of under-employed
management, fixers and security persons are transferred to the
“Crystal Palace” office. These men are charged by the Queen to
manage business affairs of the new territories rail head.
The
New Riches of the New Imperial Territories
Aether – This
chromatic colored liquid is found on the surface of lakes and ponds
in the New Imperial Territories where it is theorized to condense
from passing clouds. The liquid was hoped to be a fuel source but
evaporated quickly when exposed to flame or heat. However the rising
gas was significantly lighter than air or even hydrogen, allowing it
to create a great deal of lift with minimal energy. Early tests with
Aether have allowed truly massive weights to be lifted with a
reinforced balloon. The Crown has commissioned a pair of very large
heavy airships that are supported with Aether and Fort Alice is
constructing a small airship for use in the New Imperial Territories
but at this time Aether is scarce and there isn't enough available to
practically put any vessel in the air.
Orichalcum – A
yellowish-orange soft metal was found when quarrying stone for Fort
Alice. Workers originally thought they had found gold and many
secreted the material away. Orichalcum didn't melt like gold, it
changed color to a brassy liquid and if smelted at high enough
temperatures it cooled to a greenish-silver. The forged Orichalcum
was quite hard due to it's crystalline structure. While it's more
brittle than forged steel it's considerably harder. Armor made with
Orichalcum has double the DR.
Hard Water –
Hard water was found at a depth of 11 feet in a lake-bed to the
Northeast of Fort Alice. The liquid is translucent just as water but
explorers swimming in the lake noted sediment that would not sink
below the Hard Water line, the water below this depth seemed more
stiff and proved to be twice the weight of water. Hard Water's real
treasure arrive from two different properties. When it is boiled at
slightly less than water's boiling temp it expands to three times the
volume of normal steam. Hard water also condenses back to it's liquid
form just under it's boiling point. Making it ideal for small steam
engines where a small amount of fuel can drive a huge amount of force
and the steam can be condensed back into a liquid and retained.
Organizations
allowed through the Rabbit Hole
Lords and Ladies
of the Empire
While Fort Alice isn't a holiday spot it isn't a very well kept
secret among the urban nobility of London. The House of Lords are all
briefed on the New Imperial Territories and many have visited Fort
Alice to inspect it's character. Once gossip spread about this
strange gateway to a wild paradise it didn't take long for young
Lords and Ladies interested in elite opportunities in a British
colony just 40 minutes from the London Theater district began to
petition the queen with ideas of how they could serve their empire.
Lords and Ladies and their family aren't common in Neverwhere but
their finery and their stiff demeanor makes them very visible among
the frontiersmen. Most nobles are looking for an opportunity to make
their mark, others enjoy the escape from oppressive Victorian
etiquette.
Royal Armed
Regiments
The 50 men and
horse of the 3rd Hussar Regiment was dispatched to respond
to contact with violent forces in the New Imperial Territories and
suffered substantial losses. In 12 years of service over half of the
men have died in service and been replaced through infantry
conscription. The current Cavalry is the 1st Reformed
Cavalry, a smaller armored cavalry regiment with tactics adapted to
fighting forces in the New Imperial Territories. The 74th
Line Infantry Regiment was deployed with a compliment of Engineers to
secure the rail head on the other side of the Rabbit Hole. They were
engaged as they have been for 10 years fortifying and defending the
rail head, but often they accompany expeditions into the wilderness.
Infantrymen begin
the game with a service uniform, an Enfield caplock service rifle and
a cleaning kit, a pith helmet, and an ammunition bandolier.
Cavalrymen begin the game with a service uniform, warhorse, saddle
and tack, a colt Army 44 and cleaning kit, a cavalry saber, and
Cavalier Armor and Helmet.
The Order of
Avalon
The Order is a
knightly order who's history is intertwined with the rise of the
British Empire. It's knights are sworn to protect the crown but do
not answer directly to the Queen or Prime Minster. The Order has both
a unique grasp of occultism and mysticism and access to highly
advanced technology. The Order has always had 32 knights, each
anointed by the Lord Council, a triumvirate of British nobles that
serve as the guiding hand of the order. If a knight is killed in
service or retired they are surpassed by a one of the order's squires
who adopt the name of the knight who's place they fill.
The Order has
been given great latitude by the crown to investigate strange
occurrences in London, recently it has been decided that this gives
them latitude to ride through the Rabbit Hole. Like all knights of
the Empire the order is not beholden to police or common law. For the
most part they must obey the same laws. They may search a commoner's
residence without writ and may kill a commoner with relative
impunity, but they face serious punishments for transgressions
against Nobles.
Avalon Squires
and knights begin the game with Knight's Dress armor, a Borchardt
C-78
Autoloading Pistol,
Avalon Service Saber,
Electric Voice Transducer
and a vial of the Black
Water.
The Secret Field
Police Bureau
Despite the
Crown's best efforts to keep the public away from the Rabbit Hole
site spies and journalists continued to gain access to Hyde Park and
the metropolitan police themselves were believed to be distributing
information. In response to the need for secrecy in and around the
Rabbit hole, Queen Vicotria commissioned the Secret Field Police
under the direction of Wilhelm Stieber. The SFP are highly trained
investigators and interrogators working both overtly and covertly to
keep the site secure. In the New Imperial Territories the Secret
Field Police Bureau are the uniformed police force, keeping the peace
at Fort Alice and for all intents and purposes the only law West of
the Rabbit Hole.
SFP Agents have
the power to act covertly in interest of the crown. They can kill
with relative impunity provided there is evidence of criminal
activity. Any violation of the law undertaken by an SFP agent is
reviewed by the command of Scotland Yard but for agents working in
the New Imperial Territories that review may take some time.
Secret Field
Police begin the game with a service badge, a Webly M.P. revolver and
cleaning kit, and two pairs of iron manacles.
The East India
Company
The company has been brought into “mind the store” in Fort Alice.
They are functionally the bank and store and run the rail line
through the Rabbit Hole. And in the future they expect they will
manage the rail line into the New Imperial Territories. The Crystal
Palace office represents the future of the company. It's best and
brightest manage the Crown's business interests in Fort Alice, but
this also means that the men that were the most effective at getting
results and the most seasoned mercenaries of the company.
Company men have unusual power in the New Imperial Territories as few
are eager to earn the wrath of The Company. Often Company Men are
released from jail with no trial or fanfare after a sealed letter is
received from the other side of The Rabbit Hole. The East India
Company also doesn't have to resort to smuggling or favors to get
goods through the portal as they control the rail line.
The Royal
Geography Society
Members of the Royal
Geography Society were recruited under the auspice of the Great
Amazon Expedition. Naturalists, Cartographers and Linguists were all
brought to the Rabbit Hole, at first to identify the location of the
other side of the portal, and then to explore and map the New
Imperial Territories. Many have been lost in the efforts to explore
the other side of the Rabbit Hole, some presumed dead, others gone
native in the strange new land. The Royal Geography Society are the
most knowledgeable of The Territories, having traveled furthest from
the rail head. Many of them speak the local languages and are
educated in the local tradition and custom.
Despite the air of
adventure in being a Society member tasked by the Queen herself to
tame the wilds of the New Imperial Territories, there is a lot of
downtime between expeditions where Royal Geographer's read, or make
copies of maps or do what they can to stay out of trouble. Members of
the society are generally very secretive about their discoveries
until they are published but something about the nature of the work
and politics in the New Imperial Territories has made them almost
paranoid, often withholding information from one another.
The London
Spiritualist Confederation
A small group of
reputable spiritualists under the direction of Lady Edwina Everitt.
The London Spiritualist Confederation was convened at the request of
the Queen to shed light on the otherworldly nature of the New
Imperial Territories. Thus far they've had little success in
understanding the strange nature of the portal or the forces at work
in the other world but they have determined that the New Imperial
Territories have a different spiritual typography. The Confederation
operates without any authority in the New Territories conducting
experiments and doing research into the magical nature of the world.
Consultants to
the Crown
As the world began
to hear rumor of advanced materials being made into new technologies
by England scientists and inventors swarmed the kingdom, each hoping
to get some clue as to how these marvels of the age work. Those that
managed to steal enough secrets finally put some of the pieces
together and were drawn to the mystery of the missing Crystal Palace.
Those that were better at espionage than science were given dank
cells in London Tower. Those with a clever mind were invited by the
queen herself to work in the New Imperial Territories.
Most of these
foreigners live and work in dorms in Hyde Park where they are
effectively prisoners themselves but an indispensible few do field
work on the other side of the Rabbit Hole. Foreign Consultants are
afforded a great deal of respect but they are powerless politically
and often have to struggle to have their voice of reason heard.
Ordinary
impoverished labor
Once England
invested in the New Imperial Territories and work had to be done she
began bringing workers into the New Imperial Territories that would
be willing to to do the toiling and sweating no Gentleman or Lady
could reasonably do. Starting around 1874 The East India Company
started recruiting skilled labor from desperate avenues, poor houses,
prison-release and done-in rural towns. Most of the labor was Irish
or Scott but some from as far away as India and Africa. Working labor
are still citizens of The Crown but have limited access to England
and threatened with imprisonment for discussing the nature of the
work they do on the other side of the Rabbit Hole.
