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Written by: Hal MangoldEditing & Layout: Hal Mangold & Matt ForbeckCover Art: Brian Snoddy Logo: Ron Spencer

Interior Art: Ashe Marler, Andy Park,Jacob Rosen & Kevin Sharpe

Maps: Jeff Lahren Cover Design: Hal MangoldSpecial Thanks to: Audrey Anne Sukacz, Barry Doyle, Shane, Michelle & Caden Hensley,

Christy Hopler, Ann Kolinsky, Matt Tice, Dave Seay, Maureen Yates & John Zinser.1 ' I I i I

Chapter One:Fear & Loathing 3

Chapter Two:No Stone Unturned .,„....,..„....,„,.„,.,.....,.„...„ 15

Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.P.O. Box 10908

Blacksburg, VA 24062-0908www.peginc.com or deadlands@aol.com

(800) 214-5645 (orders only)

Dedicated to:Harry & Katherine Mangold,

the world's most patient parents.

Chapter Three:A Piece o' the Rock 23

Chapter Four:Mass Murder 39

Deadlands logo, and the Pinnacle logo are Trademarks ofPinnacle Entertainment Group, inc.

© 1998 Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Printed in Canada.

Visit our website for regular updates.

Deadlands created by Shane Lacy Hensley.

PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, Inc.

Welcome back, friends, to the second part inthe Devils Tower trilogy, Heart o' Darkness, Thematerial in this book is for the Marshal's eyesunly. All you players, get outta here, and justhope that the Marshal is in a pleasant mood.

Marshals should read through this entireadventure before unleashing it upon their poor,unsuspecting posse members. Things get a bitconvoluted in this web of danger, and it's a biteasier if you know where things are going.

You've taken your players down The Road toHell. Prepare to send them into the Heart o'Darkness.

T-f+U^ TT-ffEIf you've run your posse through the events of

The Road to Hell (the first part of the DevilsTower trilogy), then you already know all aboutthe Heart of Darkness' origin and the trouble it'salready caused. For those of you who aren'tfamiliar with The Road to Hell, let's recap whathas gone before.

About a month ago, a legendary diamondknown as the Heart of Darkness was discoveredin the mysterious jungles of South America. Thestone is the subject of several rather horrificSouth American myths and is reputedly anextremely powerful and evil artifact. Of course,everyone knows those are just fairy stories.

The explorer that discovered it brought it tothe City o' Gloom (Salt Lake City to youtinhorns) and sold it to Dr. Darius Hellstromme.The good doctor reportedly wanted to add the150-carat black diamond to his personalcollection of strange and mysterious objects.Actually, Hellstromme had also heard legendsabout the stone's powers and secretly sent it toone of his research laboratories for study.

Who knows if Hellstromme would have beenable to unlock the Heart of Darkness' secrets?But Hellstromme wasn't the only one thatwanted the Heart. A fellow named Stone (youmight recognize him from the Deadlandsrulebook cover, as well as the Deadlands PokerDeck) had heard of the Heart as well, and hemeant to have it. He hired a band ofdesperadoes, led by an old pal of his, MarshalRex Tremendae, to steal the stone and deliver itto him.

The Tremendae gang was successful, andTremendae sent one of their number, Garland"Doc" Snead, to the City of Lost Angels to hand-deliver the package. The Tremendae gang waslater tracked down and dealt with by a group oftroubleshooters working for Dr. Hellstromme(possibly your posse, Marshal), but they were toolate to get the Heart. It was already well on itsway to Stone.

Doc Snead used a mad-science flying gizmocalled a whirligig to hightail his way to LostAngels. When he arrived in the city, he went tothe address Tremendae had given him anddelivered the Heart of Darkness to Stone asplanned.

Snead then adjourned to the saloons of LostAngels' Waterfront district to spend a few daysin his favorite place: inside a bottle. Meanwhile,Stone contemplated the powerful artifact now inhis possession.

This is when things went horribly awry.

Snead, far from Rex Tremendae's stabilizinginfluence, got a room in a cheap flophouse andwent on a three-day whiskey bender.Unfortunately, the dive he'd chosen for hisalcoholic escapade was raided by the GuardianAngels. The Angels randomly target such "sinful"establishments for morality raids, and it was justSnead's luck to get caught in one. He waspacked off to the Church Court with all theother offenders.

Snead had been in Lost Angels before (that'sone reason Tremendae had sent him to deliverthe Heart of Darkness), and he knew all aboutthe Church Court and how most folks in front ofit end up in Rock Island Prison for life (short asit may be).

Determined to avoid such a fate, Snead'salcohol-soaked mind settled on the only way outhe could think of. Snead spilled his guts to theGuardian Angels, telling them all about the Heartof Darkness and Stone.

Snead didn't know that the Angels would findthe information valuable, but as a last ditcheffort to save himself from imprisonment on theRock, it seemed like a good gamble.

Surprisingly, it worked. Before he even knewwhat was happening, Snead found himself beinginterviewed by the Reverend Ezekiah Grimmehimself.

As the terrified Snead recounted his tale, theReverend's mind seized upon a sinister plan.Grimme had heard of the Heart of Darkness andknew something of its power. With it in hispossession, Grimme could tap into the Heart'smalevolent energy to expand his area ofoperations and broaden the influence of the Cultof Lost Angels.

Grimme told Snead he could indeed overlookthe Doc's "moral misstep"-if Snead led Grimmeand his minions to Stone himself. Seeing noother way out, Snead complied.

Grimme knew he had to move fast. Heassembled a group of his most loyal andpowerful Guardian Angels, and they followedSnead to the apartment building that Stone washoled up in.

Grimme had the Angels quietly clear everyoneout of the building except Stone, and Grimmehimself went in to face him down. The Reverendcaught Stone by surprise and, after a pitchedbattle against Stone's fearsome Harrowed powers,subdued him.

Stone and the Heart of Darkness were cartedoff to Rock island without even being broughtbefore the Church Court. Grimme imprisonedStone inside a special cell deep within RockIsland's wall, and he set to work harnessing theHeart of Darkness' powers.

Doc Snead was released. He took the payoffmoney Stone had given him for the Heart andhas been on a drunken binge ever since. Hereturned to the same saloon that he wasarrested in and has been propping up the barthere for two days.

This would probably have been it for Stone,but for one thing. He has an ally, a powerful onewho goes by the name Old Pete. Old Pete has adeep and personal attachment to Stone, and heintends to break him out of the Rock— as soonas certain events come to pass.

One of these events is the arrival of a groupof "heroes" looking for the Heart o' Darkness.Old Pete intends to follow them until they figureout where Stone is, then approach them with aproposition, one that Old Pete knows they won'trefuse.

How is Old Pete so sure about all this? Well,he's been alive a darn long time, and he can readmost people like a newspaper. (See page 6 formore details on Old Pete and his motivations.)

This is where the heroes come in. Howeverthey get involved in the situation, it's up to themto piece together what happened to themysterious Mr. Stone and figure out a way to gettheir hands on the Heart of Darkness. On theway, they'll encounter treachery and death, andget an unwelcome insight into the dark heart ofthe Weird West, and the servants of theReckoners.

With luck, they might just live through it all.

• WPW '

Hopefully you have already run your possethrough the first part of the Devils Tower trilogy,The Road to Hell. If you haven't, we suggest thatyou get a hold of a copy. It's a fine piece of work(if we do say so ourselves), and sending yourposse through it first lends a bit more to theepic feel of the trilogy.

TffEIf your heroes are continuing the trilogy, then

getting them into Heart o' Darkness is easy. Dr.Darius Hellstromme still wants the Heart ofDarkness back. Since the heroes discovered thegem had already left town at the end of TheRoad to Hell, the professor was only willing topay the heroes a token amount of the moneythey were originally offered. However, theremainder awaits them—if they can just get theirhands on the elusive black diamond.

In the hideout of the Tremendae gang, theposse found the address of a Mr. Stone in theCity of Lost Angels, presumably the recipient ofthe Heart. Hanuman, Dr. Hellstromme's closeassistant and the man who hired the posse inthe first place, sends the posse off to LostAngels to recover the stone.

IT Of IT^If you are trying to run Heart o' Darkness as

an independent adventure, you need tomanufacture some reason for the posse to be insearch of the Heart of Darkness. If the heroeshave made a name for themselves as competentand effective "problem solvers," Hellstromme'sagents may contact them about recovering theHeart.

For a motivation totally unrelated toHellstromme, perhaps a shaman's guardian spiritsends him a dream about the gem and Mr. Stone,the strange man in possession of it. Or maybe ahuckster has a strange vision of manitousgathering around the City of Lost Angels.

However you engineer it, the posse arrives inLost Angels just a little too late to get the Heartfrom Stone, as related in The Story Thus Far.Grimme has already captured him and shippedhim off to Rock Island prison, along with theHeart of Darkness. Even now, the good Reverendis preparing for an evil ritual that will greatlystrengthen his power base in the Maze.

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T-f EA brief rundown of the major characters in

our drama would probably be useful to you,Marshal.

Stone's been lurking around in the shadows ofthe Weird West for a while now, so we feel it'sonly fair to give you a little more informationabout him. After all, he's the principle player inthis little drama of ours in more ways than one,actually.

Stone's story begins at the Battle ofGettysburg. Oh, he had a life before then, but noone really knows anything about it, and Stoneisn't exactly a talkative sort of fellow.

Jasper Stone was the first Confederate killedat the Battle of Gettysburg, but he wasn't killedby the bluebellies. A Captain in the unlucky 13th

Alabama Infantry, Stone was such a twisted,ornery, bloodthirsty bastard that his own men"relieved him of command. " As he lay dying, hefelt a strange presence invading his mind-butthe intruder quickly recoiled in horror at thedesolate landscape of the man's mind. Themanitou-for that's what it was-quickly informedits masters of the dark soul it had justencountered.

Stone thought the whisperings in his headwere just hallucinations from loss of blood. Butas the life slowly ebbed from him, the sinistervoices got clearer and clearer, offering him achoice-a way to go on. With his last breath,Jasper Stone accepted the voices' offer.

He awoke inside a barn, buried under thestacked-up corpses of his former comrades. Hedragged himself out and headed south, followingthe voices in his head. Stone was the first to risefrom the grave after the beginning of theReckoning, the first of the new Harrowed. Thevoices whispered to him of his new purpose, hisnew duties, and his new powers. Stone embracedthem.

In the years since Gettysburg, Stone hasbecome the right hand of the Reckoners,following their dictates without hesitation orquestion. Stone may well be the only Harrowedin the Weird West whose manitou is afraid ofhim. His main function is that of a "hero killer."When a person has become enough of a thornin the Reckoner's side that they need to beremoved, Stone is on the job. He doesn't just killpeople, he kills that most distasteful ofemotions (at least to the Reckoners): hope.

.^r-^nt^- ,SA-.

As Heart o' Darkness begins, Stone has beencaptured by Ezekiah Grimme and imprisoned inRock Island Prison. Stone is powerful enoughthat Grimme has had to incarcerate him deepinside his own personal sanctum. (Just becausemany of the evil folks in the Weird West servethe Reckoners doesn't mean they get along.)While Stone is currently unable to escape hisconfinement, he has managed to divine thenature of Grimme's plans for the Heart ofDarkness (see Ezekiah Grimme's profile on page7 for more on that nefarious plot). He actuallyadmires the plan; he just wishes he wasn'tcaught in the middle of it all.

Stone loves his work. He's nearly immortal,has incredible abilities that defy the laws of Godand man, and he's not afraid to use them. Farfrom being a grim servant of death, Stone takesto his masters' tasks with a savage glee, and heloves to taunt his opponents before utterlydestroying them. He also genuinely loves killingfolks, and he has a hard time passing up anopportunity to do so.

His confidence in his abilities and of his darkmasters' support is utterly unshakable. In anyoneelse, such pride might be his downfall, but forStone it's pretty well founded. He's potentially thesingle deadliest man— living, dead, or inbetween— in the Weird West.

As with many of the major players in theWeird West, describing Stone's attributes is a bitproblematic. As a direct servant of theReckoners, he possesses powers far beyondthose of normal Harrowed, let alone normalhumans. It is a freakish set of circumstancesthat has led him to need the aid of meremortals. We might detail him a little more fullyin an upcoming supplement, but Stone has adark future ahead of him, and his death herejust isn't in the cards (as you'll see in a moment).

You can safely assume that Stone has anyHarrowed power that he needs at level 4, and hiscombat skills are absolutely monstrous. If yourheroes are foolish enough to attack Stonedirectly, give 'em Hell. It'll teach them to choosetheir battles a little more carefully.

Stone isn't the only corpse stalking the streetsof Lost Angels. The Reckoners have at least oneother Harrowed on the move in the Great Maze, ashadowy, lurking figure who calls himself OldPete.

Old Pete is one of the most trusted servantsof the Reckoners. They've dispatched him on avital mission, one that could have repercussionsfar beyond just the Weird West.

Old Pete's mission consists of two parts. First,he must free Stone from Rock Island Prison.Stone's imprisonment could delay the Reckoner'sfuture plans significantly. Old Pete also needs toacquire the Heart of Darkness for a ritual to beperformed at Devils Tower.

Pete is mostly a plot device in this adventure,meant to guide and manipulate the heroes untilhe double-crosses them and leaves them fordead. You'll see more of Old Pete and his plansin Fortress o' Fear, the third part of Devils Tower.

As dangerous as Stone is, Old Pete is evenmore so. He's far more subtle and manipulativethan Stone-as your posse may soon find out.

You might ask why, with all this power, OldPete can't just break Stone out of prison himself.Well, he could do that, but he'd much rather getsome patsies to do it for him than risk his hidein Grimme's sanctum. Plus, the irony of a groupof heroes unknowingly helping the forces ofdarkness to victory makes Old Pete's dead heartskip a beat.

We're not going to codify Old Pete in hardnumbers. The posse will be seeing a lot more ofhim in Fortress o' Fear, and we need to makesure he makes it there. Old Pete has access toany Harrowed power he needs at level 5, and he'sgot plenty of experience in how to use them.He's a bad man.

In 1872, the diabolical Susquehanna shamanknown as Raven caused a tremendousearthquake, one large enough to shatter thecoastline of California. In the aftermath of whatis now known as the Great Quake, EzekiahGrimme led a group of valiant survivors to foundthe City of Lost Angels. Grimme and his Churchof Lost Angels have turned a barren patch ofground into a haven for the starving masses ofthe Great Maze. The City of Lost Angels is asocial and economic center for the Great Maze,and Grimme is its ruler. (See The Great Mazeboxed set for more information.)

Well, that's what Grimme wants people tobelieve, anyway. The real Reverend Grimme diedin the Great Quake, but the Reckoners saw to itthat he rose again as a cannibalisticabomination. Along with his inner circle of

fellow cannibals, the Cult of Lost Angels,Grimme is Hell-bent on spreading fear, despair,and death throughout the Weird West.

The posse doesn't actually come into contactwith Ezekiah Grimme until the last chapter ofthis adventure. However, they do get to muckaround inside Grimmc's inner sanctum and seehis evil plans come to fruition. You see, Grimmehas been feeling a bit claustrophobic lately. Heand his followers can only use their black magicpowers safely within the city limits of LostAngels, and Grimme wants room to move.

When he learned of the Heart of Darknessfrom Doc Snead, everything fell into place for theReverend. With the Heart of Darkness and theblood of a couple score innocents, Grimme canperform a ritual to actually expand the area inwhich his Hell-spawned powers appear divine.And that's just what he's going to do.

Old Pete tricks them into breaking Stone outof prison, then Stone and Old Pete make surethe heroes arrive too late to stop ReverendGrimme's ceremony. Finally, Old Pete and Stonedouble cross them and take the Heart ofDarkness at the end. It really doesn't seem quitefair, does it? Let us assure you, it's all for apurpose.

Unlike some of our previously publishedadventures, Heart o' Darkness is a bit hard for theposse to "win." A lot of the events in thisscenario are out of the heroes' control, and theyare shamelessly lied to and manipulated.

Think of Heart o' Darkness as the EmpireStrikes Back of the Devils Tower trilogy. Theheroes are overmatched and outclassed, andthey're destined to ultimately lose this battlewith the forces of evil. Sometime the bad guysare just too powerful.

But while they can't really stop the events ofHeart o' Darkness from coming to pass, they canreduce the damage these events cause. Theyhave a chance to act like true heroes, save someinnocent lives, and ultimately come out knowinga lot more about their enemy.

Heart o' Darkness is the forge that tempers theheroes for the challenges that lie ahead. They'llneed all their strength to face part three ofDevils Tower, Fortress o' Fear.

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TY OFFor ful l details on the City of Lost Angels, see

The Great Maze boxed set. Here's a quick tour forthose of you without it.

The City of Lost Angels is the biggest city inthe Great Maze. Founded by the ReverendGrimme in the wake of the Great Quake, it isnow a center for shipping in the Maze.

The city fights a constant struggle againsthunger, as food in the area is scarce. But thebeneficent Reverend Grimme helps everyone getby with a generous feast that he holds everySunday, during which he feeds all that attend. Ifthey knew what he was feeding them, theymight not be so grateful.

Well, that's the public face at least. In reality,Grimme is a cannibalistic abomination, and withhis followers in the Cult of Lost Angels, he sowsthe seeds of fear and horror that he hopes mayone day help his masters walk the earth.

The City of Lost Angels is laid out accordingto the Reverend's celestial vision. To trulyachieve the "Kingdom of Heaven" that he talksabout, the city had to be built just so.

There are six circles. The numbering starts atLhe first ring from the plaza surroundingGrimme's immense cathedral.

Spoking out from the circles are 12 avenues inthe eastern side of the city, and six streets in thewestern half. Each of the streets ends in a pierin the Waterfront district. There are six of theseas well.

The Waterfront covers the area between 1stand 6th Streets back as far as the 4th Circle.This businesses in this area are mainly shippingwarehouses, saloons, cheap boarding houses,and houses of ill repute.

The Spanish Quarter sits in the southwestportion of the city, between 10th Avenue and 1stStreet.

The Golden Circle consists of the innermostring of the city. This area is home to thewealthiest and most influential inhabitants ofthe city. It also contains the Cathedral of LostAngels (the Reverend Ezekiah Grimme's church)and the offices of the Guardian Angels.

Then there's Ghost Town, a shantytown thatlies along the Ghost Trail as it enters the city.Only the poorest and most desperate folks maketheir home in Ghost Town.

Rock Island Prison (known simply as "theRock" by locals) is the City of Lost Angels'prison. You'll read more than enough about it ina little while, so let's just leave it at that.

The law in Lost Angels is handled by twoseparate entities: the marshal's office and theGuardian Angels.

The position of town marshal is an electedone, as in most cities. Lost Angels' currentmarshal is Job "Hogleg" Dunston. He's the onlyelected official in the city that doesn't owe hisjob to Ezekiah Grimme. He does his best toenforce the laws in Lost Angels, but it's an uphillbattle.

The more-dangerous law-enforcement arm inLost Angels is the Guardian Angels. They wereformed as a citizens' vigilance committee beforethe marshal's office was started, and they haveunfortunately continued their work to this day.

While they leave the enforcement of thenormal laws to the marshal, the Angelsvigorously enforce the "spiritual laws" of LostAngels. That means they do whatever EzekiahGrimme tells them to do. Regrettably, the Angelsare recognized in the city charter as law officers,so their power is official.

All Guardian Angels are members of theChurch of Lost Angels and follow Grimme'sorders unquestioningly. At the lower levels, theyare just simple fanatics or thugs, but the higher-up members are initiates in the Cult of LostAngels. Anyone they apprehend is brought beforethe Court of Angels, which Grimme alsocontrols. There are only two sentences given inChurch Court: death or incarceration in the RockIsland Prison. Of these, death is by far the mostpreferable.

The City of Lost Angels is not a happy place,and neither are its people. You try keeping yourgood humor in the face of the constant threat ofstarvation.

When describing the city and its inhabitants,be sure to emphasize the subtle aura of despairthat hangs over this place like a shroud. The Cityof Lost Angels is an isolated outpost of"civilization" in the blasted landscape of what'sleft of California. The sun beats down on theplace like the eye of God Himself, food is scarce,and the man in charge is on a mission fromGod-or so he says. Lost Angels is a tough placeto live on the best day.

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1 4+EThe trip from Salt Lake City to Lost Angels

can be as simple or as complicated as you wantto make it, Marshal. Whether they're traveling bywagon, horse, airship, steam wagon, or even onfoot, there are plenty of hazards between thetwo cities to trouble your posse with. You couldinvolve them in one of Grimme's attacks onrailheads, meet the King of the Horizon, or evenpit them against Emperor Norton and the forcesof Kwan Province.

If you want to get right into the meat of theadventure, you can gloss over the trip and justget the heroes to Lost Angels. It's not quite asmuch fun, but it's okay with us. We suggestconsulting both The Great Maze and the City o'Gloom boxed sets for more ideas for overlandencounters.

Regardless of who or what the heroesencounter on their way to Lost Angels, they f indthe city lives up to its grim reputation. Dispiritedpeople slink along the streets seeking shelterfrom the burning rays of the sun, and a bodycould choke to death on all the dust blowingaround here.

Finding a place to stay shouldn't be toodifficult. The city sees a lot of travelers passingthrough, and accommodations are plentiful.

At this point, you might want to allow theadventurers a little free reign. Let them exploreLost Angels for a while. After all, Stone isn'tgoing anywhere.

Or if both you and they are ready you canproceed with the business at hand: finding themysterious Stone and-hopefully-the Heart ofDarkness.

After getting comfortable in their lodgings(not a real likely prospect), the next order ofbusiness for the heroes is probably findingStone. Once they figure out the rather arcanestreet layout of Lost Angels (see The City ofLost Angels on page 8 for details), finding 15Sixth Circle is an easy affair. The address is inthe Waterfront quarter of the city, and it belongsto Hardwick's Boarding House.

-H-/ J?r>*iac,' Bounds- -H-cu^EHardwick's Boarding House isn't the seediest

establishment of its kind in Lost Angels. Thatsays more about how bad things are in the citythan it does about how nice Hardwick's is. Thisthree-story building looks out over ProsperityBay, with a splendid view of Rock Island Prison.Most of the boarding house's guests are eithertransient miners or dock workers. Not muchgoes on there during the day.

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The owner, manager and, sole employee ofHardwick's is Sidney Hardwick himself. Hecharges 25<t a day for a normal room (a crampedaffair with nothing in it but a bed and a gaslamp) or $1 for the whole week. There are 20rooms like this.

The four rooms on the top floor cost a bitmore, 50<f a day. These apartments are actuallyquite roomy, with a bed, dresser, and a smallsitting area. Hardwick calls these his"presidential suites."

Hardwick is an unpleasant, crotchety old manwho doesn't care a fig about what kind ofpeople he rents rooms to, as long as they canpay. The locals say if the Devil himself wanted aroom, Hardwick would rent it to him without asecond thought. He spends most of every daybehind the front desk of the boarding house,staring balefully at his patrons as they go abouttheir daily business.

TO -fl-^Rr^acWhen the posse pays the boarding house a

visit, Hardwick is in an even worse mood thannormal. After all, someone just trashed one ofhis cash-cow big rooms, and he's none toohappy about it. To top it off, the Guardian Angelswarned everyone who witnessed Stone'sapprehension to keep their mouths shut, or theymight be back. This scared the bejeezus out ofHardwick. He is not in the mood for casualconversation, and he rebuffs any requests forinformation with loud claims about "maintainin'the privacy of my customers."

The posse members may want to try to talkor threaten information out of Hardwick, but he'sscared enough of the Angels that they have atough time of it. Hardwick has a guts of 4d6 anda scrutinize of 4d8 for those trying to overawe orbluff information out of him, and anyone tryingit should subtract -2 from her roll. Hardwick isthat scared. Each success gets the heroes one ofthe facts below. Hardwick reveals the informationin the order listed.

The sure way to Hardwick's heart is money.His greed overcomes even his fear of going toRock Island. For every $10 the heroes pony up,Hardwick just flat out tells them one of the factsbelow.

A Mr. Stone was registered here at theboarding house, in Presidential Suite 4.He's no longer here.

S

He was taken away by the GuardianAngels two days ago. No one knowswhat happened to him.

The Guardian Angels showed up andcleared everyone out of the place, justafter sundown.

Reverend Grimme himself, as well astwo high-ranking Angels, went inside toapprehend Mr. Stone. There were a lot ofstrange noises and flashes of light.

A shifty-looking man was with theAngels when they arrived. Hardwick sawthe man visit Mr. Stone before. He arrivedwith a strange machine that looked likepart of an auto-gyro, and a small woodenbox. He left without either.

BEA-TBI TO T-^EFinding the doorway to Stone's room isn't too

hard. Its the one knocked off its hinges.Hardwick has nailed a sheet up over the opendoorway, but beneath it the door hangs open.

The room is a shambles. All of the furniturehas been tossed around the room and is mostlysmashed up. There are burnt patches on thewalls, ceiling, and carpet, and a good portion ofthe plaster on the walls is cracked, like it wassubjected to great heat. The room looks like it'sbeen turned upside down. What were presumablyStone's personal effects are strewn around aswell, torn and smashed.

An Onerous (7) search of Stone's room turnsup the following clues. Give out one clue forevery successful check. The material in italics isfor the Marshal's information. Don't tell that partto the heroes without a darn good reason.

The room has been turned totally upsidedown, but it doesn't look like the type ofdamage that a brawl would cause. Itlooks more like a tornado hit the place.Stone used the Harrowed power hell windin his fight with Grimme. You might give aHarrowed character with the same powera Fair (5) Cognition roll to recognize thepower's results.

There are strange scorch marks all overthe walls and ceiling. They look like thekind of burns that a flamethrower wouldmake, but they're far more localized. Anda flamethrower wouldn't put out enough

consistent heat to crack all that plaster.These effects are a combination of Stone'shell fire and Grimme's bolts o' doom. Theyreally went at it, but Grimme surprisedStone and took him down quick.

A smashed hunk of some good-sizedgizmo lies in the corner of the roomunder some furniture. This is the remainsof Snead's whirligig, the flying gizmo thathe used to get to Lost Angels. Anyonewho saw the devices at the mad scientists'co-op in The Road to Hell automaticallyrecognizes it as such. Other folks shouldmake an Onerous (7) Cognition check tofigure ouL what the twisted hunk ofmachinery must have been. Additionally,any mad scientist spending at least threehours examining the gizmo may lower theconstruction TN by -2 when constructinga similar device.

/The puddles of metal vaguely resemble

pistols, Colt Walkers to be exact. Beforehe realized who he was fighting, Stonesimply went for his guns. Grimme meltedthem with a bolt o' doom.

A small, wooden box has somehowsurvived the maelstrom that sweptthrough the room. The lock on the boxhas been broken open, and the box isfilled with shredded newspaper. It lookslike there was an object packed into thebox, but it's gone now. Glued to the insidelid of the box is a piece of paper withthe boarding house's address scrawled onit. An engraved plate on the box lidcarries the inscription "Dr. GarlandSnead." This is the box that Doc Sneadcarried the Heart of Darkness in while hetraveled. The Heart is in Grimme'spossession right now.

Assuming the posse "make nice with Mr.Hardwick, he personally shows them up thestairs to the room, only charging them $1 a piecefor the "tour." If the heroes start exploringwithout Hardwick's permission, he shows upwhile they're exploring. He tries to extort $5apiece out of them, or he goes to the Angels.

It's all bluster of course. The Guardian Angelsscared Hardwick before this little incident, andhe's even more terrified of them now. Nothingshort of actually assaulting him makes him callon the law. But don't tell the posse that.

The heroes can ask around if they need toconfirm Hardwick's version of the events thattook place. While most folks don't volunteer anyinformation, they're willing to confirm bits.

The visit to the boarding house may leave theadventurers with more questions than answers,but it should be clear the Guardian Angels holdsome of the information they seek. Looks likeit's off to the Golden Circle.

At this point, a prudent posse may want to gothe marshal's office and report Stone'sdisappearance to Marshal Dunston. There are acouple of problems with this.

First of all, you can't just walk in and ask tosee Dunston. He's a busy man with a wholedanged cily to police. The deputy on duty ishappy to take down the adventurers story, andhe says he'll have someone look into it.

Not much may come of this of course. Peopledisappear in Lost Angels every day, and there

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just isn't time to investigate them all, especiallyas understaffed as the marshal's office is. If themarshal does send someone down to Hardwick'sto poke around, everyone denies any of itoccurred anyway. No one wants to be seenratting out the Angels to the marshal. That's asure way to Rock Island if there ever was one.

So, the heroes can go to the law if they wantto. It just doesn't do them much good.

The Guardian Angels' headquarters is locatedin a large wedge-shaped building right acrossfrom the entrance to the Grimme's Cathedral. Inaddition to the Angels' offices and holding cellsfor the "spiritual offenders" they capture, thisbuilding also houses the dreaded Court ofAngels.

The Guardian Angels maintain an office opento the public, both for public-relations purposesand to encourage the citizens of Lost Angels toreport the immorality of others. In fact, rewardsof food and cash are available to those who raton their fellow citizens. Grimme just loves thesuspicion that this breeds. You never know whenan enemy might turn you in-whether you'vecommitted a crime or not!

This office is staffed by a few scrawny Angelsin white robes. They've obviously beenconsigned to this paperwork Hell because theylack the physique for the Angels' more-strenuous enforcement work.

These fellows' reply to just about any questionis a drawled "you'll have ta talk ta Mister Norbert'bout that," with a gesture to a door at the backof the office.

MEET O_EM NORBERTThe Guardian Angel in charge of this mess is

a fat, balding Angel by the name of ClemNorbert. Norbert is a real bureaucrat'sbureaucrat, content to squat behind his desk allday, smoking cheap cigars and carelesslydestroying the lives of innocent citizens.

Going by his robe color (brown), Norbert is theequivalent of a flight leader in the Angels, buthis girth makes any sort of actual street activityunlikely. He's a desk jockey. (See The Great Mazefor more details about the Guardian Angels.)

Norbert is exactly what you'd expect aGuardian Angel leader to be: corrupt, officious,callous, and unhelpful. He obviously has nointerest in telling the heroes anything they wantto know.

Norbert isn't even a very good liar. He deniesknowing anything about either Snead or Stone,but a Fair (5) scrutinize check tells a body he'sfibbing. In addition, an Onerous (7) Cognitioncheck actually spots a file on Norbert's deskwith Snead's name on it!

If this is called to his attention, Norbert looksuncomfortable and quickly shuffles the fileunder a pile of papers.

Like Hardwick, money is the surest way to getClem Norbert's attention. But he's a bit moreexpensive to bribe than a simple boarding houseowner. Norbert has to think about his position.He categorically refuses to let the posse seeSnead's file, but he may tell them where Sneadis-for $250!

Norbert can be bargained down from thisexorbitant fee. A Hard (9) bluff or persuasioncheck lowers the asking price by $50 for everysuccess. Norbert refuses to sell the informationfor anything less than $50.

An enterprising group might figure someother way to look at the file. If the heroes canget Norbert out of his office for a few minutes,they could get a look at it.

Regardless of how they get the fact, Snead isstaying at a cheap hotel in the Trader's Quarter,a dive called Murphy's Flophouse.

Finding Murphy's Flophouse isn't very hard. It'sa dingy building in the Trader's Quarter andmakes Hardwick's seem like a palace.

The pimple-faced teenage kid behind thecounter (his name is Ralph if anyone asks) iseasily bulldogged into admitting that a man ofGarland Snead's description is renting a roomhere. A Fair (5) bluff or overawe should do it. Asecond check gets Snead's room number.

Snead's room is a sparse affair with only acot and a bedside table. The only personaleffects in the room are a small, battered suitcase.(Snead couldn't carry much with him whilepiloting the whirligig.) The suitcase containssome clothing and a Catling pistol, along withammunition.

The room smells like a distillery, and there arefour empty whiskey bottles in various placesaround the room. It's pretty obvious how Sneadhas been spending his time, but there's no signof him now.

^^^^^^"

If asked, the kid at the front desk admits hehasn't seen Doc Snead in about two days. (Thatwas when Doc was picked up by the GuardianAngels.)

Actually, finding Snead isn't that difficult. Aquick survey of the street outside reveals a bar,the Labyrinth Saloon, a block and a half away.With all those whiskey bottles in his room, itshouldn't take a rocket scientist to think tocheck the place out.

T-H-E. L^-BYRIHT-H- A-LOCNThe Labyrinth Saloon is a popular hangout in

the Waterfront district, mostly because it opensat sunup. The dark interior of the place is filledwith people, no matter what the time of day,looking to drown their sorrows (there are a lotof sorrows in Lost Angels).

The locals don't take too kindly to strangersin here—unless they're buying drinks for thehouse, that is. That's just what Garland Sneadhas been doing for close to two days now. He'sspent so much money here that Jack Simms, theowner of the joint, has let him sleep here thelast two nights as well.

Finding Snead is easy, even in the crowdedbar. The bartender is happy to point him out,sitting in a corner, surrounded by his newfriends, and drunk as a lord.

Snead greets the posse with a broad (drunken)smile and invites them to "siddown 'n' havesumthin' ta drink." If the heroes take him up onit, Snead pays for them and affably listens towhat the adventurers have to ask him—until theybring up Stone, that is.

Snead loudly proclaims he doesn't know a Mr.Stone. "Never heard of 1m," he slurs defiantly. Ifhis questioners press the issue, Snead clams up,a look of fear in his eyes.

"I don' wanna talk to these fellas anymore"Snead says to the rough-looking folks sitting athis table. "Whaddya thinka that, friendsh?"

What Snead's "friends" think is pretty obvious.About twice as many bar patrons as heroesstand up, cracking their knuckles and rolling uptheir sleeves. They're not armed, but they're allstinking drunk and looking for a fight. Their newfriend Doc Snead is just handing them anexcuse.

If the posse doesn't leave immediately, aparticularly ugly-looking dock worker throws the

first punch, and the bar goes nuts. The bartendergets down behind the bar and waits out thefracas. He's used to this sort of thing.

Doc Snead makes a break for the door assoon as the brawl begins, reaching it in threecombat rounds if no one stops him. If he getsaway, an unpleasant fate awaits him.

The goons in the bar fight until more thanhalf their number are unconscious orincapacitated. If anyone draws weapons, thegoons concentrate their efforts on that person,attempting to subdue him. These guys just wantto rumble, not end up dead.

If any gunfire takes place, the crowd scatters,and the bartender appears from behind the barwith a double-barrel shotgun. Fist-fights he putsup with, but not bloodshed. Use the stats belowfor him, but give him the shootin': shotgunAptitude at 4d6.

Corporeal: D:3d6, N:2d6, S:3d6, Q:2d6, V:3d6Fightin': brawlin': 3d6, Fightin': club 3d6Mental: C:2d6, K:2d4, M:2d6, Sm:2d6, Sp:3d8Overawe 2d6, ridicule 2d6Gear: Most are unarmed, but Id6 of them carry

blackjacks (treat as a club, STR+ld4 damage).

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Garland "Doc" Snead was the Tremendaegang's techno-wizard. Snead was entrusted withdelivering the Heart of Darkness to Stone in LostAngels. He did this, but then he betrayed Stoneto the Angels to save his own skin.

At this point, Snead is a broken man. Herealizes he can't return to the Tremendae gangafter betraying Stone, and he's afraid of whatmight happen to him if Stone ever gets off theRock.

Snead is so falling-down drunk at this pointhe adds +6 to the Target Number of any task heattempts.

Corporeal: D:3d8, N:4d8, S:2d6, Q:2d8, V:4d6Drivin': steam wagon 4d8, fightin': brawlin' 2d8

piloting: whirligig 5d8, shootin': automatics4d8, speed-load: automatics 3d8

Mental: C:2d8, K:3dlO, M:2d6, Sm:4dl2, Sp:3d8Area knowledge: Deseret 4dlO, guts 3d8, science:

engineering 6dlO, search 4d8, tinkerin' 5dl2Edges: Arcane background: mad scientist, luck

of the Irish, mechanically inclinedHindrances: Curious, hankerin' (whiskey)Gear Galling pistol, set of tools, box of pistol

ammo (all in his hotel room).

' UP-Assuming the heroes manage to catch Snead

before he can escape, questioning him is asimple matter. Doc's been running so close tothe edge for so long now the whole story justpours out of him in a torrent. From the theft ofthe Heart in the City o' Gloom to the delivery ofthe Heart to Stone, to Snead's betrayal andStone's capture, it all comes out in one sobbingmess. Snead's in bad shape.

What Snead doesn't know is where Stone isnow or where the Heart of Darkness is. Heassumes that Grimme has therri both. He alsohas no idea who Stone is or why he wanted theHeart. Stone didn't seem like the type of fellowthat one would ask that sort of thing.

At this point, Snead asks to be taken back tohis flophouse room. "I don' feel so good," hesays. If the characters help him, Snead ispathetically grateful, and he drops off into afi t ful sleep as soon as his head hits his pillow.

Snead is safe for now, but he's doomedultimately. Old Pete won't be denied his revengethat easily.

If Snead does escape during the brawl, heheads back to his flophouse room and lockshimself inside, only to find Old Pete waiting forhim. Pete's been waiting 200 years to get revengeon the man that sent him to Rock Island, andSnead's death isn't a merciful one. He uses theHarrowed power rigor mortis on him at itshighest level.

If the posse returns to the flophouse, theyfind Snead's corpse lying in his bed, everymuscle in his body tensed and his joints lockedsolid with rigor mortis. The look frozen on hisface is one of shocked terror, and anyoneviewing it should make an Onerous (7) gutscheck.

fireR OL x> P^i^While all this brouhaha takes place, our

lurker in the shadows, Old Pete, watches andwaits. And now the moment he's been waitingfor has come.

Old Pete makes contact with the posse at thefirst possible opportunity after the Sneadsituation is resolved. He chooses his time toapproach the heroes carefully. Old Pete knowsthe psychological advantage a dramatic entrancecan give.

Old Pete has adopted a disguise to back upthe tale he's going to spin for the heroes. He'scloaked himself in tattered clothing with asmelly wool cloak thrown over his shoulders.Even though the heat in Lost Angels isincredibly oppressive, Old Pete never seems tonotice.

But his clothing isn't the really distinctive partof his disguise. Old Pete's face is entirely coveredby a wooden mask held together by an ironband across the middle. Slits are cut in themasks for his eyes and mouth, but the rest ofhis face is hidden from view. What look likeburn scars are visible around his features.

T-H£The story Old Pete spins for the heroes is

tragic. He was a burglar-not a noble professionhe admits—with some "special" talents thathelped him in his chosen career. Pete thoughthe'd gotten off easy when he was sent to RockIsland, rather than being executed, but he waswrong.

Once he was shipped out there, he wasimprisoned in the most terrible conditionsimaginable, and tortured as well. It turned outthe Church thought he was an agent of Kang.They tormented him in an effort to get him totalk.

Pete saw things while he was there—horriblethings, unholy things. He knows the heart ofEzekiah Grimme, and of the Church of LostAngels itself, is dark and corrupt.

Finally, with the help of his two cellmates,Pete was able to escape. His cellmates weren't solucky. They were eaten by the sharks on theswim to shore.

That was several years ago. Old Pete claimshe has learned much since then and hasdeveloped a couple of special talents that havehelped him become almost uncatchable as aburglar. He thought he'd never have to return tothe island—until now.

Two days ago, an old, old friend of his wascaptured by the Angels as well, a man namedStone. Stone also has some special talents, andthe Angels used this to have him branded anagent of the Devil. His friend was carted off toRock Island, just as Pete had been, years before.

OLI> P^ETE'Pete has heard about the posse's search from

sources he refuses to name. From the samesources, he's found that the Heart of Darkness isbeing kept on Rock Island, in a chamber rightnext to where Pete's friend is being held. Peteclaims to be so scarred by his experiences thathe can't stomach the thought of actuallyentering the prison himself. Old Pete needs theheroes and offers them $500 each for their help.

T-HE Ha BE-WMI> T-H-EIf the heroes seem skeptical about old Pete's

story, he sighs regretfully and reluctantly offersthem physical evidence of what he experienced.With that, he pulls aside his mask.

Beneath his mask, Old Pete's face is a red ruin.It looks like all of the skin was flayed off of hisskull in strips, leaving a horrid grid-like patternof scar tissue across it. His nose is entirely gone,and branded on his forehead is a five-pointedstar inside a circle, a pentagram.

"See what they did to me," he hisses sadly."They'll do worse to my friend if I don't get himout. If you want your gem, I can get you in there,and it's such a small thing to ask for you torescue my friend."

Pete doesn't really look like this, of course(although his real face isn't much better). He'susing his death mask power to create thedisgusting visage.

ON T-H-EIf the adventurers agree to Pete's plan, he tells

them to meet him on the docks that night atmidnight. "Don't be late," Pete warns. "At nightthe Rock is at its most vulnerable. If daylightcomes, our opportunity may be gone."

The posse finds the docks deserted whenmidnight comes around, but the sound of asteam-engine soon breaks the silence.

Soon a knife boat, basically a sleek boat witha ghost-rock-powered motor on the back, pullsup to the dock. Old Pete is at the helm.

"Hop in," he says. "We have a long night aheadof us."

BOUHYGetting Hardwick's account: 3 points.Finding Garland Snead: 3 points.Winning the bar fight: 3 points.Keeping Snead alive: 4 points.

•4lBpt

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So, the posse is on Old Pete's boat, cruisingtoward an uncertain fate on Rock Island, eh? Allready to take them into the proverbial heart o'darkness, Marshal?

Well, hold on just a second, Before you throwyour players into the fire, there are a few thingswe think you should know.

The Rock is a little different than many placesyou may have sent your heroes, and we justwant to make sure you understand what they'rein for.

Rock Island Prison isn't just your averagemaximum security prison. It's the private refugeand base of operations of Ezekiah Grimme, oneof the most powerful forces of evil in the WeirdWest. There are normally only two ways to leaveRock Island: as a servant of Grimme or in thisweek's soup tureen.

The heroes are lucky. Old Pete has carefullychosen the time to break in. Many of the morepowerful denizens of the Island are away helpingGrimme prepare the ritual that can expand hisarea of operations.

Even so, security here is still quite high, and ifyour heroes are foolish, they can quite easily getthemselves killed.

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In addition to the guards, sharks, walls, andother obvious obstacles, the heroes have toenter Grimme's inner chambers to get whatthey're after. If Grimme was present, he'd snuffthe posse out like so many candle flames. Evenwithout him around, his chambers house acouple of very nasty surprises. Make sure youemphasize to the heroes the fearsome reputationthis place has. Rock Island Prison is no walk inthe park.

Should your heroes decide or be forced tomake a return trip to Rock Island beyond thescope of this adventure, they probably won't findeverything exactly as it was the last time they"visited." Rock Island is a dynamic place, and theinhabitants change quite frequently. Newprisoners arrive, old ones "leave," and cultistscome and go.

Use the description that follows as a guidelinefor future adventures, but feel free to change theinhabitants as much as you like. The generalfunctioning of the prison should remain thesame, but the specifics may change. After al l ,the Cult of Lost Angels does have a highturnover rate. Today's loyal servant of Grimme istomorrow's appetizer.

Above all, Rock Island Prison should never bean easy place to go. As far as the Great Mazegoes, it is the Heart of Darkness.

•<#•;

IKTOOnce the heroes leave the docks of Lost

Angels, Old Pete steers his battered knife boat ma northwest direction, setting a wide arc of acourse, so that the boat approaches the prisonfrom the western side. He also explains his plan.

QLE> F*E-TE' UMOld Pete's plan is almost deceptively simple.

He pulls his boat up to a sewage pipe thatdrains out of the prison, the heroes climb in,quietly get what they need inside the prison, andexit the same way they entered.

The first glaring hole the posse may detect inPete's plan is getting past the patrolling Mazerunners. If anyone says anything, Old Pete justsmiles behind his mask.

"It's all taken care of," he rasps. "There won'tbe any problem getting up to the island. Iguarantee it." This may not be too comforting,but it's all he says on the matter. If pressed, Petesmiles again. "You'll just have to trust me."

Old Pete now entertains questions about theprison. Let the players ask any questions aboutthe interior layout of the prison they like. Sincehe was actually incarcerated on Rock Island(albeit 200 years ago to him), he does know thebasic layout of the place.

Describe the general layout as much as youlike to any inquiring players, but don't map it forthem. Pete's descriptions aren't very preciseeither. He doesn't volunteer information aboutany specific locations or prison inhabitants. OldPete is relying on memories that are over twocenturies old, after all.

One thing Pete does say is that he knowswith absolute crystal clarity that what both theheroes and he need are in Grimme's innersanctum on the lowest level of the prisoncomplex.

"The man you're rescuing is a man of some..."Old Pete pauses, searching for the right words,"...power. Never mind what kind of power. He's anenemy of Grimme, and that will have to satisfyyou. That devil Grimme has no doubt surroundedhim with protections to keep his powers incheck. You should find both him and the objectof your search in the heart of Grimme'schambers." Actually, Pete knows the Heart ofDarkness is no longer on the island, but he's notabout to tell the heroes that.

Pete also explains the most importantproblem that faces the posse. "Only two peoplehave the key to Grimme's inner chambers," says

Pete, "Grimme himself and Carter Blackwell, theprison warden. His chambers are on the topfloor. You'll need to get in there and get the key.If you are extremely discreet, you should be ableto get the key, get what you need and gel out."

T+^E BQA-T T^P*Old Pete pilots the boat expertly in its wide

arc until it is on the western side of the prison.Then he kills the engine and gets out severalsets of oars. "Time to row," he says, locking twosets of oars into oarlocks in the sides of theknifeboat.

He gestures to the strongest looking hero toman the other set of oars, and together they rowthe boat toward the prison. The hero rowingwith Pete may note that Pete is a whole lotstronger than he looks, in fact, on a Hard (9)Cognition check, the person helping Old Peterealizes the masked man is doing most of thework!

Before long, the knifeboat is pulling into thepatrol range of the prison's Maze runners.Strangely, a thick fog starts to roll in around theisland, (this is Pete's chill o' the grave Harrowedpower at work). The fog obscures the boat fromthe Maze runners quite effectively. Old Petenavigates the boat through the heavy mist withno trouble at all.

The sheer rock face of Rock Island's westernside is soon looming close. As the boat nearsthe island, the eerie moans and cries of terrorbegin to be audible on the warm, evening wind.

Pete finally drops anchor next to a rusty pipejutting from the stony shore of the island. Afoul-smelling liquid drips into the water, and theheroes can just barely see shapes moving belowthe surface of the water below.

"Here you are," Pete says pointing to the pipe."That's the way in."

Just as the heroes are ready to enter the pipe,Pete asks them to wait. He digs into acompartment built into the boat and comes upwith a tattered scrap of a Confederate uniform.Any Confederate soldier making an Onerous (7)Cognition check recognizes the patch on it asthat of the 13th Alabama infantry, the first unitat Gettysburg to take casualties. The rankinsignia is that of a private.

"After his horrible ordeal, my friend will besuspicious of even the most obvious offer ofhelp. Show him this before you free him. "

"S'rSlJI SlS^

Old Pete says he'll keep the boat mooredwhere it is until an hour before sunrise. He alsohands the leader of the posse a small, metaltube with a cord hanging from one capped end.

"This is a flare, in case you have to leavethrough a different entrance than this pipe.Trigger it, and I'll get the boat to wherever youfire it from. Try not to have to use it. Swimmersdon't last long in these waters." As if topunctuate his statement, a large fin breaks thesurface of the waler just next to the boat. Allthat remains now is to climb into the pipe andenter the prison. See the description of theSewage Pipe (page 28) for the actual details ofgetting inside.

To the general public in the City of LostAngels, Rock Island Prison is a necessary evil.The admittedly draconian code of law that theChurch enforces is seen as necessary by manyfolks in a frontier settlement like Lost Angels.Grimme preaches an Old Testament sort ofcreed, and it seems only natural that the Justicesystem in Grimme's "Holy City" should follow.

The Church Court's sentences ofimprisonment for life or until the malefactor has"truly repented" are tough. But many havereturned from the Prison, usually to work in theChurch. They speak of Rock Island as a place ofrehabilitation for sinners, and they say that allare freed if they open themselves to redemption.

There are those who don't buy the Churchline, but the critics usually keep their mouthsshut lest they end up on Rock Island themselves.

T-HE T<The truth about what goes on at Rock Island

Prison is more horrible than even the harshestof Grimme's critics imagine.

Rock Island Prison is, in essence, the personalplayground and refuge of the Reverend EzekiahGrimme. On the Rock, Grimme can drop thetiresome facade of righteous man of God (theone he keeps up in town) and let his truenature-that of a sadistic, cannibalistic, unholydemagogue-shine through. Grimme keeps a setof private chambers deep under the prisonproper, in which he can plan new methods ofgathering power and spreading his evil influence.He can also indulge himself in some of hisgruesome hobbies.

, You Vyurr TO BE

Rock Island is also Grimme's prime recruitingground for new members of the Cult of LostAngels. If someone actually commits a crime evilenough to catch Grimme's notice, she may beprime cannibal-cult material.

For those in the cult already, Rock Island is arefuge. Grimme's trusted inner-circle cultistshave luxurious quarters on the island, at theirdisposal whenever they are not busy on cultbusiness. There Grimme's servants can rest,recuperate, and eat human flesh without thenasty social stigma most people attribute tocannibalism.

Rock Island's final function is actually themost crucial. Prisoners sent here are the primarysource of the human flesh Grimme feeds to thepopulace at Sunday services every week. Whilevagrants can be snatched from the streets of theCity, and nobody notices when a Ghost Towneror two vanishes, Rock Island is the Cult of LostAngels' most reliable food source.

OE T-^EPrisoners are brought out to the Rock twice a

week on a specially modified Maze runner.Prisoners' possessions are confiscated upon

arrival on the island, except for their clothes.Grimme doesn't bother to issue uniforms to theprisoners. Most of them aren't going to live longenough to need them anyway. What happensnext depends on who the prisoner is and whathe did to offend Grimme.

Basic criminals of no use to the Cult of LostAngels are housed in Cell Block A. They areusually held there for about two to four weeksof malnutrition and physical abuse, and thensent to the slaughterhouse. There they are killedand cooked up into next week's meal for theteeming masses of Lost Angels.

If Grimme needs information from a prisoneror thinks she can be useful to the cult, she'shoused in Cell Block B. If a prisoner in here iswilling to join Grimme, she's released and sentback to the mainland to join the GuardianAngels or other arm of the cult. Should someonerefuse Grimme's oh-so-generous offer, theslaughterhouse awaits.

If information is needed from a prisoner,Grimme lets his interrogation specialist (read:

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torturer) have his way with them. What's left is,again, turned over to the butchers in theslaughterhouse.

Cell Block C is reserved for prisoners withspecial security needs, like hucksters, shamans,blessed, Harrowed, and the like.

Grimme is far more likely to try to recruitthese people with special talents into the Cult ofLost Angels. The more "special" agents he has,the further he can spread fear, famine, anddespair throughout the Maze. Of course, if theprisoners refuse Grimmc's "invitation," follow theguidelines above for an idea of what happens.

The bottom line is this: On Rock Island, youeither sell your soul or lose your life. It's thatsimple.

I EAR LB/EL. ex T-H-E T^ooc,As one might expect, the Fear Level on Rock

Island is even higher than the normal Level 3that the City of Lost Angels basks in like alizard in the desert sun. Rock Island's Fear Levelis 4 in general, but it rises to 5 in the basementand subbasement levels. This might seem a bithigh, but what did you expect for the strongholdof the Cult of Lost Angels?

Before we get down to the specific layout ofthe prison, a few words about the generalsecurity of Rock Island are in order.

The thing that provides Rock Island Prisonwith a large part of its security is the fact that itis an island in the middle of Prosperity Bay.

Other than the boats that come to the prisonto drop off prisoners, and the Rock's patrollingMaze runners, no boats are allowed near theisland. Any boat that gets too close gets onewarning to move away. The patrol runners haveabsolutely no compunction about sendingoffending boats to the bay floor.

A fleet of five Maze runners takes care of thepatrolling. The boats are based on the mainlandin the City of Last Angels. Rock Island does haveservicing facilities and spare parts in case of anemergency.

Two Maze runners patrol the waters aroundRock Island at all times. Statistics for theseboats can be found in either Smith & Robards orThe Great Maze. The boats are each armed withtwo Catling guns and a powerful search light.The crew consists of five guards on each Mazerunner.

Since coming in by boat seems out of thequestion, swimming might seem to be an option.After all, is isn't that far to shore, right? Well,that is true, but the sharks tend to keep thenumber of aquatically inclined individuals to aminimum.

Sharks are a common sight in the waters ofthe Great Maze, but they are especiallynumerous around the prison. This is mostly dueto all the blood and body parts that flow intothe bay from the prison's sewer system. It's a bitlike a shark buffet around the island. In anygiven part of the water for about 100 yardsaround the prison, there are usually one to threesharks looking for dinner. The scent of blood inthe water keeps them near a frenzy all the time.

If an unlucky hero ends up in the watersaround Rock Island, roll Id6. On 1-3, that's thenumber of sharks in the water nearby. On a rollof 4-5, the unlucky slob has attracted theattention of a blood shark (see the next page). A6 means the character got lucky, but had betterget himself out of the water fast.

Corporeal: D:3d8, N:2d8, S:3dl2+2, Q:4d8, V:3dlOFightin': jaws 5d8Mental: C:2d6, K:ld4, M:2d4, Sm:2d4, Sp:3d6Size: 10Terror: 5Special Abilities:

Armor: 1 (from the water)Jaws: STR+ld8

The drainage from the sewage system of theprison is just chock ful l of goodies that sharksjust love: human organs, blood, and chunks offlesh. A few of the sharks that live around theisland have ingested so much of the taintedrunoff that they've been twisted and changed.

These sharks, called blood sharks by theguards on the island, grow big enough to bite agrown man in half! Gnarled blood-red growthscover their bodies, giving them their name andan extra point of Armor.

Corporeal: D:3d8, N:2d8, S:4dl2, Q:4d8, V:3dlOFightin': jaws: 5d8Mental: C:2d6, K:ld4, M:2d4, Sm:2d4, Sp:3d6Size: 12Terror: 7Special Abilities:

Armor: 2 (1 from the water, 1 from their skin)Jaws: STR+ld8

T-H-E PThe uniformed guards of Rock Island patrol

both the walls and interior of the prison.These men and women, like everyone who

works on the island, are all low-level membersof the Cult of Lost Angels, and indulge in theritual cannibalism that membership requires.They are not privy to the higher mysteries of thecult, but do know all about what ultimatelyhappens to the prisoners on the Rock, and thetruth about the feasts that Grimme holds eachweek in Lost Angels. These people are in thecult for the power it brings them. That, and mostof them are cannibalistic sociopaths.

There are 45 guards stationed on the island.About 15 of those are on duty at any time. All ofthem are available if a general alarm is raised.

There are three guard captains. Clyde runs theday shift (9 A.M.-5 P.M.), Wilma supervises theevening shift (5 P.M.-l A.M.), and Vincent coversthe night shift (1 A.M.-9 A.M.). The posse's visit tothe prison is during the night shift.

•'**•/

Grimme has issued each of the captains abone of the bloody ones. See the guard captains'Profiles for details on how these horrificartifacts work. The bones are to be used only inextreme situations. Breakouts definitely count asextreme situations.

Corporeal: D:2d8, N:2d6, S:2d8, Q:2d8, V:2d6Fightin': brawlin' 3d6, fightin': knife 4d6, shootin':

shotgun 3d6, sneak 3d6, swimmin' 2d6Mental: C:2d6, K:2d6, M:2d8, Sni:2d6, Sp:ld8Bluff 2d6, guts 3d8, overawe 3d8, search 3d6Gear: Armored clothing (light vest, light leg. This

gives the guards 2 points of Armor on theirgizzards, upper and lower guts, and legs),Winchester Lever-Action Shotgun, Bowie knife.

VINCBIT,

Corporeal: D:2d8, N:2d8, S:2d8, Q:2d8, V:2d8Dodge 3d8, Fightin': brawlin' 4d8, fightin' knife

3d8, shootin': automatics 5d8, sneak 3d6,swimmin' 2d6

Mental: C:2d8, K:2d6, M: IdlO, Sm:2d6, Sp:2d8Bluff 3d6, guts 4d8, overawe 3dlO, scrutinize 3d8

search 4d8Gear: Armored clothing (light vest, light leg. This

gives them 2 points of Armor on theirgizzards, upper and lower guts, and legs),Catling pistol, Bowie knife, 1 bone of thebloody ones

Special Abilities:Black Magic: Zombie 1. This is the Cult of

Lost Angels special version of this power.All the bearer need do is take an action tothrow the bone to the ground. Over the nextId6 card segments, the bloody one forms. Itcannot defend itself while forming. Formore details on bloody ones, see The Quick& the Dead or The Great Maze.

Corporeal: D:3d6, N:3dlO, S:3d8, Q:3dlO, V:3d8Dodge 2dlO, fightin': brawlin' 4dlO, sneak 4dlOMental: C:4d8, K:ld4, M:2d8, Sm:2d8, Sp:3d6Overawe 4d8, ridicule 4d8, search 4d8, trackin'

3d8 (by scent)Terror: 9Special Abilities:

Bite: STR+ld6Claws: STR+ld6Undead.

Notes: Bloody ones don't speak, though they doemit a slurpy laugh (hence the high ridicule).

,

Roof

The ExteriorWalls

The ThirdFloor

Lighthouse

Warden'sWarden's 'x Quarters

Office

RockScale: I1

The SecondFloor

Guard'sBarracks

Storage

Dr. Buchner'sLaboratory

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landion"=50'

Cell Block B

The FirstFloor

The Basement

The Subbasement

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Before you go getting the idea that the peoplein charge of Rock Island don't look out for eachother's welfare, a little discussion on patrols andalarms is in order.

In the descriptions that follow, all locationsare assigned a Patrol Rating and an AlarmRating. These useful little numbers help youfigure out several things about any locationinside the prison.

Each area has a Patrol Rating assigned to it.Whenever the posse enters such an area, and forevery full 10 minutes that they stay thereafterward, roll dlO. If the number rolled is overthe Patrol Rating, a guard or guards wandersthrough, just checking up on things. Thedifference between the number rolled and theRating is the number of guards present at thattime. Roll a d6 to see how many minutes theguards stick around.

Some places have a 0 Patrol Rating. Theselocations have guards stationed on them all thetime. There is no need to roll to see if anypatrols come through.

Locations with a 10 Patrol Rating are placesthat the prison guards don't go as a matter ofcourse. This doesn't mean they won't go there toinvestigate something, but they don't make ahabit out of it. Sometimes this is because thereis sincerely nothing to guard in an area. In thecase of the kitchen and the slaughterhouse,those places are just so disgusting that not evenmany cult members want to go there.

A location's second rating, the Alarm Rating,is used to see whether a scuffle or particularlyloud noise in a particular area is heard byanyone nearby.

After a fight takes place, or you judge a herohas made a particularly loud noise, roll a dlO. Ifthe roll is over the Alarm rating 'of the area,someone heard the noise, and arrives to checkin on it in Id6 minutes.

If the area's Patrol Rating is less than 10, theinvestigator is a guard. The guard sticks aroundfor Id6 minutes checking things out, unlesssomething is obviously amiss (for example, if allthe chefs in the kitchen are dead). If there issomething obviously going on, the guard headsout immediately to raise the alarm. SeeIntruders! for the results.

If the location has a 10 Patrol Rating or higher,one of the other denizens of the prison, usuallythe closest, investigates, also in Id6 minutes. Ifshe spots anything odd, she gets a guard whoreturns in Id6 minutes, with the results as above.Gunfire or explosions halve any area's AlarmRating immediately.

If both the Patrol and Alarm Ratings of alocation are above 10, the heroes can make allthe noise they want. Not a soul is going to hearthem.

So, the heroes just couldn't keep theiractivities discreet, could they? Well, making toomuch noise or attracting attention on the Rockhas its consequences. If someone actually raisesthe alarm, a couple of things happen.

First of all, an extremely loud and annoyingsiren sounds. This immediately wakes upeveryone on the island and calls the guards-all45 of them-to duty. The practical effect of thisis that every location's Patrol and Alarm Ratingsdrop in half. It also becomes impossible tosurprise any of the prison personnel in anylocation. When the siren sounds, everyone islooking for trouble.

On the upside, both of the barracks areas andthe warden's quarters empty out during analarm. Everyone has to help while a prisonerheadcount is taken.

Any alarm lasts for an hour if nothing isfound awry. However, for the next 24 hours afteran alarm is triggered, all Patrol and AlarmRatings are reduced by -2. If this reduces aPatrol Rating to 0 or below, then a guard hasbeen stationed at that location. Places that reallyhad a 0 Patrol rating have an extra guard placedthere.

From the outside, the Rock looks almostimpregnable. In fact, it is nearly as secure as it'sreputation would have it be, but a closeinspection reveals at least one very importantcrack in its defenses.

Patrol 0, Alarm 8The roof on top of the central prison building

offers the best view of Prosperity Bay on thewhole island, with the possible exception of thetop of the lighthouse. And you can't fit a cannonup in the lighthouse.

*P^ ^PH^ ^

In case of trouble, there are Gatling gunsmounted at each of the four corners of the roof,and two batteries of three 6-pound cannons inthe central area. Powerful spotlights are alsomounted up here. If necessary, Rock Island'sguns can control the entire bay.

The Catlings are covered with heavy, oiledcanvas to keep the moisture from getting tothem, as are the cannons. There just might beenough space for an enterprising intruder tohide under the canvas.

Two guards are stationed here at all times.They sweep the bay with the searchlights aboutevery 10 minutes, just to keep themselvesoccupied.

Patrol 0, Alarm 4If there was ever an assault on Rock Island,

the really heavy firepower would come from thisbroad flagstone plaza on top of the cell blocks.In addition to six steam-Gatlings mounted at thecorners of the walls, three batteries of three 12-pound cannons cover the water all around theisland. These weapons are kept covered just likethe ones on the roof above.

The walls can be reached from either of theBarracks buildings, or the Recreation/Mess area.Over on the eastern side of the walls squats thelighthouse, with Dr. Buchner's lab building as itsbase.

Three guards walk the walls at all hourskeeping a watchful eye on the waterssurrounding the prison.

Patrol 12, Alarm 2One of the few positive functions that Rock

Island Prison actually serves is the housing andoperation of the lighthouse. Many a fog-boundMaze mariner has been heartened by the sightof the Rock Island light. While it in no wayrivals Van Horn's Light (see The Great Maze) interms of distance of visibility, it more thanmakes up for that with its consistency.

The lighthouse itself is automated, needingonly the most minimal of maintenance. In fact,the top of it (and the machinery that keeps thelight going) can only be reached by a narrowladder running up the interior wall of the hollowtower.

The light's creator and caretaker is Dr. StevenBuchner. Buchner is yet another of the scientiststhat escaped imprisonment at the Confederate

research facility at Roswell. Unlike many of hisfellow escapees, Buchner has a decidedly amoralbent. He fled westward after his escape,eventually ending up as Ezekiah Grimme'spersonal "scientific consultant." That's aeuphemism for mad scientist, but don't say thatto Dr. Buchner's face. He's a bit touchy.

Dr. Buchner is responsible for the creation ofnot only the lighthouse, but also the electricallocking system in all of the cell blocks, therefrigeration unit in the meat locker in thebasement level, and the huge ghost-rock-powered generator in the power room. It's atestament to Dr. Buchner's brilliance that he letshis dim-witted technicians take care of thegenerator while he works up in the safety of thelighthouse.

Dr. Buchner has set himself up quite nicely inthe bottom of the lighthouse, where heexperiments with a variety of electricallypowered devices. The large, square room thatserves as his lab is a disorganized mass ofwires, cables, switches, dials, and gauges, allstrewn across a few large workbenches. A smallcot lies in one corner of the room. The lab hasno ceiling and is open to the hollow lighthousetower above. A ladder leads from the lab up intothe tower.

Buchner has a direct line from the powerroom into the lab, so he has access to all thepower he could possibly want. His currentproject is an electrically based torturing systemfor The Interrogation Center (page 35).

Dr. Buchner usually sleeps during the day andworks on his devices at night. He is a ratherundistractible man, and anyone entering his labis ignored unless she bothers the doctor. If he isbothered, Buchner, not a fool, immediatelyshouts for help (that's an Alarm roll, compadre),then grabs an electrically charged prod from historture device and attacks.

Corporeal: D:2d4, N:2d6, S:2d6, Q:2d4, V:2d6Fightin': electrical prod 3d6Mental: C 3d6, K:3dlO, M:2d6, Sm:2d8, Sp:ld4Science: Engineering 5dlO, tinkerin' 5d8Edges: Arcane background: mad scientistHindrances: Clueless, obligation: Grimme 5Gear: Electrical prod (STR+3d6 Wind. The prod

has unlimited charges, as it is plugged directlyinto the island's power plant).

friiif" nnp **"

0, A/arm 6These large, wooden docks on the eastern

side of the island are the normal entry point tothe prison proper. The boat that brings prisonersto the island docks here, as do occasionally theMaze runners that patrol Prosperity Bay. Thedock isn't actually anchored to anything in thewater below it. The thick, wooden planks arenailed to a number of watertight wooden barrelsthat float in the frigid waters of Prosperity Bay.

From the docks themselves, two stone rampslead up to the main doors of the prison and intothe atrium. Arriving inmates are marched upthese ramps and into the dim interior of theprison. Most never see the outside again.

In between these ramps is a storage roomcontaining paint, spare parts for the Mazerunners, coils of rope, and other essentialequipment for keeping the prison's boats up andrunning.

One guard is stationed here at all times, alongwith a spotlight. There is also one steam-Gatlinggun emplaced here, similar to the ones on theroof level.

-H-E =&/yU5£ PIPEPatrol 14, Alarm 14

This sewer pipe is the one chink in RockIsland Prison's almost impregnable armor. For allintents and purposes, it isn't even that much ofa chink, as anyone who wants to enter theprison through it has to get past the patrollingMaze runners if they come by boat, or thesharks and blood sharks if they try swimmingin. Not very good odds.

Grimme hasn't, of course, counted on OldPete.

T-H-EThe sewage pipe itself is a rusted, metal

cylinder about three feet in diameter. A slow-moving stream of thick, brownish-red liquiddribbles from the pipe into the water below.There are always Id4 blood sharks in the waterbelow, feeding on the runoff.

Squeezing into the pipe requires an Onerous(7) Nimbleness check, Hard (9) if the hero has thebig 'un Hindrance. A hero with the scrawnyHindrance only needs to make a Fair (5)Nimbleness check. Botching the roll means thecharacter has slipped and fallen into the waterbelow. Watch out for blood sharks!

Movement through the pipe is slow, one-quarter Pace to be exact. The pipe stretchesabout 20 feet into the prison, ending in TheSewage Chamber (page 36).

T-H-E LJQUE>The liquid flowing out of the pipe is a mixture

of human wastes from the prison latrines, andblood and body parts from the prisoners that aredismembered in the slaughterhouse. The smelloutside the pipe is pretty intense, but insidewhere there is little air flow, the stench is nearlyunbearable. Crawling in it is extremelyunpleasant, to say the least. The stuff stinkssomething awful.

Anyone failing to cover his nose or takesimilar precautions should make a Hard (9) gutscheck when he enters the pipe and has to crawlthrough the stuff. Those failing lose 2d6 Wind asthey add some of their bodily fluids to themuck. A botched check gets a character a lightwound to the guts

While it isn't harmful in and of itself, thismixture of blood and excrement is just fu l l ofhighly infectious germs of all kinds. Any openwounds that come in contact with the foul brewheal much slower. Add +4 to the Target Numberfor healing such a wound.

* " ^HPHPI ^ *

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This is the main floor of the prison,encompassing the majority of the holding cellsfor the inmates. The walls are made of hugeblocks of gray stone quarried out of the nearbycliff sides. What windows there are on this levelare tall and narrow, admitting little light to thebuilding's interior, and they're far too small foranyone to climb through. All the windows arecrisscrossed with iron bars.

What light is here is provided by electric lightsset into the walls of the hallways and rooms at10-foot intervals. Only the prison cellsthemselves are unlit. These lights are powered byelectricity from the power room on thebasement level.

Patrol 8, Alarm 8This is the one room in which Grimme has

actually made an effort to maintain the frontthat Rock Island Prison is about the reformationof the sinful. Grimme foresees the day he mayhave to deal with one of the major powersheading inexorably westward, and he want to beable to put a good face on things should he haveto receive some ambassador or other.

The walls of this chamber are covered withmosaics of biblical scenes of repentance andredemption. Only a minute inspection (and anIncredible (11) Cognition check) reveals that thetiles used for the mosaics are actually dyed andpainted fragments of human bone. Anyonerealizing this must make a Fair (5) guts check.

Two doors on the northern wall of this roomlead into the processing center. Of the four doorson the southern wall, three lead to storagerooms containing various mundane supplies,while one leads into Cell Block A. This door iskept securely locked, but all guards carry a keyto it.

Because of its central location, this area isheavily patrolled, but no guards are stationedhere permanently.

Patrol 0, Alarm 6This large open room serves as the "check-in"

area for "guests" of Rock Island. Here newarrivals are stripped of all their possessionsexcept their clothing. Their names and vitalinformation are recorded, and the prisoners arephotographed. Warden Blackwell keeps records

of all the faces that pass through Rock Island.These records are kept in a set of filing cabinetsin the warden's office.

During the day there are two guards postedhere. At night, there is only one.

Patrol 10, Alarm 8More a prayer nook than anything else, this is

by far the least-used room in the prison. None ofthe of the inhabitants have the slightest bit ofuse for anything holy.

Oddly, the room is actually sanctified It seemsthat during construction of the prison, ameddlesome priest actually consecrated thealtar. While it's an annoyance to Grimme, he justhasn't found time to properly despoil the chapelyet. Neither does he go there.

Patrol 0, Alarm 4These are the cells that house the human

cattle Grimme keeps around to feed to theteeming masses every Sunday. Most of theprisoners are guilty of crimes like assault ortheft, but there are a few hard-core criminals inhere as well. It's inevitable that Grimme'sdraconian justice system actually does catchsome actual human predators in its sweeps.

The cells in Cell Block A are long narrowrooms about 15 feet long and 5 feet wide, withwalls and floors of stone. About every third cellactually has a window in it looking out overProsperity Bay. These windows are crisscrossedwith iron bars however. No glass protects theprisoners from the elements. The livingconditions could be charitably called miserable.

The doors to the cells are all slabs of heavyoak with only a small, barred window in them.The doors to the cells are operated electricallyby an ingenious device invented by Dr. Buchner(see the lighthouse for more detail on him).

A wall in the guard room right off the atriumcontains a panel with buttons coded andnumbered to correspond with the cells. When acell needs to be opened, one guard inserts hiskey in the door of the appropriate cell and turnsit while another presses the button on the panelthat goes to that door. Each door has to beopened individually in this manner. There is nooverride that opens all the cell doors.

Two guards and the jailers are on duty hereduring the day and evening shifts. Only theguards are present during the overnight shift.

^^^^^pwp^^^^^

T-ft-EAt any given time, Cell Block A is usually

about two-thirds full. Prisoners are packed intwo to a cell, even when there are empty cells.They are only fed once a day (if the guardsremember), and even then it's only a thin gruel,barely enough to keep them alive.

Sadistic beatings and other such mistreatmentis an everyday part of prison life here. Grimmewants to wrench the maximum amount of fearand despair out of his prisoners before they endup on the menu, so the guards are encouragedto take a little time to "soften up" anyparticularly vocal or troublesome inmates. It's apopular off-duty activity for them.

The average prisoner remains in the cell blockfor about a month, progressively getting weakerand weaker from the bad food and roughtreatment. When a prisoner is judged too weakto last much longer, she's taken down to theslaughterhouse and added to the cult's larder ofhuman flesh. It might seem counterproductive tostarve the prisoners-after all, healthy folks havemore meat on them. Grimme finds that thedelicious fear the prisoners exude as they starvemore than makes up for the loss.

The inmates themselves are a veritable cross-section of the Lost Angels populace. Some arevagrants and the insane picked up off thestreets, while others are legitimate criminals.Some are just ordinary folks who got caught inthe wrong place at the wrong time. Grimme'sminions aren't very discriminating about whothey capture.

In short, all victims are equal in the eyes—andmouth-of Grimme.

Steve Galla is charged with judging when theCell Block A prisoners are ready for theslaughter. Every morning, he does a completeinventory of all the prisoners, marking downeach one's progressive deterioration.

Galla is a lean fellow with curly, black hairand an unpleasant demeanor. He keeps a totallyclinical bearing toward his duties, seeminglydrawing no pleasure from his work, but feelingno pain about it either.

Corporeal: D:4d8, N:4d8, S:3d8, Q:4d6, V:2dlODodge 4d8, fightin': whip 5d8, shootin': pistol 3d8Mental: C:3d8, K:2d6, M:3d8, Sm:2d6, Sp:2d6Bluff 3d6, overawe 4d8Edges: Rank 3 (Cult of Lost Angels)Hindrances: Mean as a rattler, obligation:Grimme 5Gear: Whip (STR), Colt Navy .36, clipboard.

C£LL BLOCK BPatrol 0, Alarm 4

Cell Block B is a little different than Cell BlockA. The prisoners in here are a little moreimportant than the rabble kept in Block A.

The cells in here are a little larger in generaland are a bit cleaner as well. They are no lesssecure than the cells in Block A. In fact they'remore secure. To start with, all the prisoners inhere are chained to the walls.

The cell doors in here are secured by thesame electrical locking system used in CellBlock A, with one small but vitally importantdifference: Only the jailer and the warden (andGrimme himself) have the keys. The prisoner inhere can be a bit more dangerous if he escapes,so at least the jailer has to authorize any doorbeing opened.

As with Cell Block A, two guards are on dutyhere around the clock, with the jailer workingduring the day and evening shifts.

T-f4-£This block is actually a little bit bigger than it

needs to be. Seldom are more than one quarterof the cells full.

The prisoners kept here are the ones Grimmehas judged to be of some use to him. Sometimesthis is because a prisoner may have informationthat Grimme wants. Other times, Grimme maythink that a prisoner has abilities that could beof useful. Whatever the reason, the inmates hereget a bit better treatment.

As with Cell Block A, the population in herechanges Here are a few potential types ofprisoners that the heroes might find in here:spies for Kang or the King of the Horizon, mid-level members of the Necessity Alliance, or eventhe son of a shipping magnate (see The GreatMaze for more details on these folks.).

Grimme prefers to draw information out ofpeople voluntarily if he can, because most of thetime doing so involves convincing someone tobetray some sort of trust placed in him. Grimmelikes that. The same applies to winning peopleover to the Cult of Lost Angels. Willing servantsare preferable to unwilling ones.

But if the prisoner isn't forthcoming, thevelvet glove comes off, and the poor soul isintroduced to the iron fist of Grimme—specifically Jake Stokes, his interrogator. See theInterrogation Center (page 35) for more onthis unpleasant fellow.

Elizabeth Hardcastle, the jailer for this cellblock, has even helped the interrogator break afew people's wills and remold them into loyalservants of Grimme. It's a delicate process, and itrequires an intimate knowledge of the person'shistory, but it can be done.

So far Hardcastle has brainwashed at leastfive people successfully. They've returned totheir former lives, and no one suspects them asagents of the cannibal cult.

Subjects that Grimme deems worth the effortare given an extremely powerful truth drug(Incredible (11) Spirit check to resist its effects)and interviewed about their life. Hardcastle thenuses this knowledge, combined with a liberaldose of negative reinforcement from Stoke'spain-inducing devices, to her evil ends.

Persons agreeing to join Grimme voluntarilyare slipped the same truth drug in their nextmeal after pledging their loyalty. Those caughtlying about their conversion are sent straight tothe slaughterhouse.

Grimme's patience is not limitless. If hedoesn't get what he wants, be it information or apledge of undying loyalty, the prisoner is eithershipped off to Cell Block A (if she's harmless, orsent directly to the slaughterhouse (if she's not).

CELL BLOQC B <7yui_e?As mentioned before, Ms. Hardcastle's job is a

bit different than that of her colleague's in CellBlock A. She questions the prisoners, probestheir psyches, and looks for exploitableweaknesses and ways to manipulate her inmatesto get what Grimme wants from them. She's alsoresponsible for the prisoners that end up in CellBlock C (page 33).

Hardcastle is fascinated by the human mind(and not just in a culinary way like the othercult members), and she loves the challenge ofbreaking and remaking someone's personality.She's especially excited about Dr. Buchner's newelectrical torture device and the potentialapplications it has in her work.

Hardcastle is a very pretty, blond woman ofabout 30. She dresses in conservative graydresses that do nothing to hide her good looks.She seems nice and wholesome, like a schoolmarm really, and this has led many a person tounderestimate her, but her heart is totallycorrupt and black. Despite her delicate looks,she fights like a wildcat when her back's to thewall.

Corporeal: D:2dlO, N:3d8, S:3d6, Q:3d6, V:3d8Dodge 2d8, fightin': knife 5dlO, shootin': pistol 4d8Mental: C:3d8, K:3dlO, M:3d6, Sm:4d8, Sp:2d6Academia: occult 2dlO, bluff 3d8, overawe 4d6,

medicine 2dlO, science: psychology 5dlOEdges: Purty, rank 3 (Cult of Lost Angels)Hindrances: Curious, obligation: Grimme 5Gear: Bowie knife, Colt Army .44.

Patrol 8, Alarm 6These kitchens provide for all of the normal

food needs of the residents of Rock Island. Eventhe members of Grimme's cannibal cult don't eathuman flesh all the time. And the prisoners dooccasionally get fed.

Two large stoves dominate this room, alongwith a large oven. Tables in the center provideenough space for all the food preparation. All thecooking implements are stowed in built-incabinets.

.--6-

During the day, the kitchen is staffed by threefull-time cooks. At night, it's empty and dark.See the Civilian Quarters below for stats forthe cooks and other normal denizens of theisland.

This level contains the quarters for the prisonguards and the support staff. The thick stonewalls look like they could shrug off almost anyattack.

All of the locations on this level are adjacentto the walls. Any Alarm that is raised bringsassistance from there as well as any otherconnected rooms.

Patrol 4, Alarm 6The guards may pack shotguns for day-to-day

prison problems, but Grimme has provided themwith plenty of heavier ordnance, just in case. "Incase of what, is the question that might springto mind."

The door to this room is locked, and only theguard captains and the warden have the key. Thelock is well designed, requiring an Incredible (11)lockpickin' check to pop it open. Of course, thedoor to the armory is clearly visible from therecreation/mess area.

In addition to several thousand rounds ofammunition for all the Galling guns emplacedaround the prison walls, the armory also houses10 Smith & Robards Gatling rifles, 10 RemingtonModel 1871 Rifles, 10 extra Winchester LeverAction shotguns, 20 Colt Frontiers, andammunition for all of the above. Twenty sabersand 20 Bowie knives round out this deadly littlestorehouse.

Patrol 4, Alarm 2Each door along this long hallway leads to a

room in which four guards bunk. During thenight shift, there are ldlO+12 guards in heresleeping. During the day and evening shift thisnumber drops to about seven. This is a goodplace to be very quiet.

Patrol 4, Alarm 4These are the chambers of the non-guard

members of the Rock Island staff. A few ofthese chambers are empty, as their intended

occupants prefer to sleep where they work.Unless otherwise noted, all non-guards haverooms here.

During the day shift, this place is mostlydeserted, with exception of the staff of theslaughterhouse, meat locker and other kitchens.They do their work at night and sleep during theday. At night ld6+4 workers sleep here.

Corporeal: D:2d6, N:3d6, S:2d6, Q:2d6, V:3d6Fightin': brawlin': 3d6, shootin': rifle 3d6Mental: C-.2d6, K:2d4, M:2d6, Sm:2d6, Sp:2d4A Professional Aptitude in whatever tasks theyare responsible for at level 3Gear: Equipment appropriate to their job.

Patrol 3, Alarm 4This large open area is filled with a few long

tables with chairs, and a couch or two.Bookcases along the walls hold an extensivecollection of parlor games and quite a fewbooks. Most of these are dime novels, but thereare a few minor scholarly works.

During the day or evening shift, Id6 guardsand ld4 civilians while away their free time inhere, playing games, reading, or eating. On thenight shift, the place is usually empty.

This top level of the prison houses thequarters of Warden Blackwell, as well as hisoffices. The view from up here is almost as goodas the one from the roof.

Speaking of the roof, the accessway to it islocated up here at the top of the stairs. A ladderleads up to a hatch in the ceiling that opensonto the top of the prison.

Patrol 4, Alarm 6From this office, the warden of Rock Island

Prison runs the day-to-day business of the place.The room is dominated by a large desk, with asmaller writing table to one side, used by thewarden's clerk. The south wall is dominated by arow of filing cabinets containing completerecords of all the prison's inmates, current andpast.

A paper like the Tombstone Epitaph would bemighty interested in even a few of these filesand would probably pay handsomely for them.How much, we leave to your discretion, Marshal.

PatroV 70, /I/arm 6Warden Blackwell's chambers are luxuriously

appointed, as befits one of Grimme's most-trusted servants. The L-shaped main room isfilled with fine furniture, including a large divan,and a large dining table and a set of chairs. Awriting desk sits along one wall.

A door leads to Blackwell's bedroom, whichcontains a large four-poster bed, bedside table,and a huge mahogany wardrobe. The wardrobecontains a large selection of fine clothing— all ofit impeccably tailored-and a loaded Winchesterlever-action shotgun. At night, the bedroom alsocontains Warden Blackwell himself. The wardenis a light sleeper, and any noise in his outerchamber might wake him.

Roll a Cognition check for a sleepingBlackwell every two minutes the heroes aremucking about in his living room. If the heroesare actively trying to be quiet, the Target Numberfor him to awaken is Incredible (11), but thisdrops to Onerous (7) if anyone makes any loudnoises. If he wakes up, Blackwell gets hisshotgun from the wardrobe and attacks whoeverhas dared to break into his chambers!

An enterprising thief can pick up around $300worth of valuable trinkets and bric-a-brac fromaround the room, but the real prize here is in thewriting desk. The lock on the desk can bepicked with an Onerous (7) lockpickin' check, orit can be forced open with a Fair (5) Strengthcheck. Forcing the lock automatically wakes upBlackwell, as the desk opens with a loudcracking noise. A quick search of the deskreveals a locked metal box. The lock is rathercomplicated, requiring a Hard (9) lockpickin'check to open. Inside are $1,000 in various piecesof jewelry, and a large ornate iron key. This isthe key to the door in the Lost Angels Shrine(page 37) that leads to Grimme's chambers.

Carter Blackwell has risen through the ranksof the Cult of Lost Angels by serving Grimmewithout question, and he's been rewarded withthe command of Rock Island Prison.

Blackwell is a small man, known for hisfastidiousness about his looks. This obsessionwith his appearance and his small size have ledmany to underestimate the diminutive man, totheir detriment. He's actually a cold, calculatingkiller.

Blackwell stands only 5'2" tall, with black hairand a small, neatly trimmed mustache.

Corporeal: D:4dlO, N:4d8, S:3d6, Q:2d8, V:4d8Dodge 4d8, fightin' brawlin' 5d8, shootin':

shotgun 5dlOMental: C:3d8, K:3d8, M:4dlO, Sm:2d8, Sp:3d6Academia: occult 4d8, bluff 3d8, overawe 3dlOEdges: Keen, rank 5 (Cult of Lost Angels)Hindrances: Obligation: Grimme 5, vengefulSpecial Abilities:

Black Magic: Zombie 1Gear: 3 bones of the bloody ones, Winchester

Lever-Action shotgun.

C dPatrol 6, Alarm 8

The third of Rock Island's cell blocks is muchsmaller than the first two, housing only fivesmall cells. These cells are currently empty.

One might wonder what is so special aboutthese cells that they deserve their own cellblock. The answer is simple. Grimme hasenchanted these chambers to be "manitouproof," cut off completely from the HuntingGrounds. He imprisons the rare huckster,shaman, or Harrowed he captures in here.

The practical result of this is simple. Nopowers work while a cowpoke is inside one ofthese cells. That includes a huckster's hex, ashaman's favor, or even black magic. On theupside, a Harrowed placed inside immediatelyregains full Dominion, but only as long as she'sin the cell.

Grimme never actually enters these cellshimself. After all he draws his powers from theHunting Grounds as well.

T44-E Pfc^ER T^QOMPatrol 10

This room houses the high-powered ghost-rock generator that provides Rock Island with allof its electricity.

The generator itself is built into the northwall, with only about half of it actuallyprotruding into the room. The generator drawsin seawater from outside to provide steam toproduce power. A tangle of pipes leads up intothe ceiling. These house the cables that carryelectricity all over the prison.

The access hatch to the sewage chamber onthe subbasement level is in the southeast cornerof the power room.

This room is hot-hot and damp. Dr. Buchner'sgenerator has a few kinks in it, one of which isa leak or two deep inside of it. While thisdoesn't actually cause any problems with thegenerator's operation, it does keep the powerroom filled with steam most of the time. Anyvision-based tasks attempted in this room are ata -2 penalty. Sneak rolls are at +2, however.

The generator is tended to by Dr. Buchner'senthusiastic but barely competent flunkies,George and Hubert Simpkins. These brothersfancy themselves mad scientists and have set upa makeshift workshop in the clear space next tothe generator. When they aren't tending thegenerator, the two spend their time working ontheir "creation," an eight-foot-tall framework ofpipes with various gauges, wires, and knobsattached to it. Their creation doesn't actually doanything yet, except make a lot of noise, butGeorge and Hubert are quite proud of it.

Dr. Buchner puts up with George and Hubertbecause they do know how to take care of thegenerator, and he can't find anyone else willingto work in the sweaty Hellhole of the powerroom.

George is short and fat with short, greasyblack hair, while Hubert is thin and gangly. Hekeeps his head shaved. The two argue constantlyand loudly about their various "scientifictheories." Neither are particularly bright, buttheir physical capabilities have always servedthem well, and they can swing a pipe wrenchwith the best of them.

Corporeal: D:2d6, N:3d8, S:2d6, Q:3d8, V:2d8Fightin': club 5d8, sneak 3d8Mental: C:2d6, K:2d8, M:2d6, Sm2d6, Sp:ld6Science: engineering 2d8Gear: Pipe wrenches (STR+2d6)

T-H-F- L /AJc5-H-7ER-H-OU5=£Patrol 10, Alarm 4

This room plays host to the nasty business ofbutchering up the bodies of prisoners so theycan be properly cooked. Rather than going intogruesome detail, let's just say a human broughtdown here gets the same tender, loving care thata cow gets when it's slaughtered.

Several human bodies hang from their feetover three metal tables used for butchering, theireyes staring blankly. The room is arrayed with awide variety of cutting implements, fromscalpels and carving knives to bone saws. Achart on the wall shows the various "cuts" ofthe human body (brisket, ham, etc.). AnIncredible (11) guts check is in order. This room isusually deserted during the day. A door in theback leads into the meat locker.

T-H-EThe fellows that work in this place are just a

step above savages, but they are good at whatthey do.

Tom, William, and Bert divide the world upinto two types of people: those they know andthose who look good to eat. Even then, the linebetween the groups gets a little blurrysometimes. With that in mind, if they don'tknow the heroes, they'd make an excellent

addition to the menu.

Corporeal: D:2d6, N:3d8, S:2d6, Q:3d8, V:2d8Fightin': meat cleaver/bone saw 3d8, sneak 3d8Mental: C:2d6, K:2d6, M:2d6, Sm:2d6, Sp:ld6Professional: butcher 3d6Gear: Meat cleaver (STR+2d4) or bone saw

(STR+ld6).

Patrol 12, Alarm 8Once the butchers in the slaughterhouse have

gone to all the trouble of carefully slaughteringthe prisoners handed over to them, the last thingthey want is for all that meat to go bad.

Two doors lead into the meat locker, one fromthe slaughterhouse and one from the otherkitchen.

The first thing one notices upon entering theroom is that it's cold. Tens of hams, chops,steaks, and even a few full carcasses hang fromhooks mounted in the ceiling. The sight is all themore disgusting when the viewer realizes this ishuman meat, dressed and hung up like sides ofbeef. An Incredible (11) guts check is in order forall heroes viewing this grisly larder. Reduce thisto Hard (9) if the heroes have already been ineither the other kitchen or the slaughterhouse.(People get jaded so quickly.)

The attendant, Phil, spends each nightchecking the carcasses. During the day, thisroom is empty (at least of living folks). If theheroes are able to slip past the attendants in theslaughterhouse or the other kitchen, Phil issimply going about his business. Otherwise, he'slurking in a dark corner, meat cleaver at theready.

P'-WL, T-H-E I^EA-T LOCKERCorporeal: D:2d6, N:3d8, S:2d6, Q:3d8, V:2d8Fightin': meat cleaver 3d8, sneak 3d8Mental: G2d6, K:2d6, M:2d6, Sm:2d6, Sp:ld6Professional: butcher 3d6Gear: Rusty meat cleaver (STR+2d4)

T-RE Or-H-ER KfTOH-EN^Patrol 10, Alarm 4

Once all those people are butchered up anddressed properly, they have to be cooked. Youcan't expect people to eat raw human flesh now,can you?

Here a staff of three cooks turns thedisgusting products of the Rock Islandslaughterhouse into the barely palatable foodGrimme distributes to the hungry masses everySunday.

Two huge stoves lie along the north wall ofthis room, and two large tables in the center ofthe room are the main preparation area. Avariety of pots, pans, and cooking utensils, allfilthy, hang on hooks on the walls and from arack suspended from the ceiling above thepreparation tables.

The cooks are anything but fastidious, and thewalls and floor of this room are stained a dull,red-brown color by all the gore that getsspattered around here. The cooks just tosswhatever parts they don't want onto the floor,and once in a very great while, they just pushthe whole mess down the waste grate in thesouthwest corner of the kitchen.

Aside from requiring anyone entering to makea Hard (9) guts check, this mess also makes forsome treacherous footing.

Anyone trying to move around the room atmore than half Pace should make a Fair (5)Nimbleness check. A failed roll means the poorslob has slipped and fallen in the entrails andoffal on the floor. This causes no damage, butanother Hard (9) guts check is in order. The heroalso loses her action getting back to her feet.The cooks are used to moving around in thefetid mess and can ignore this penalty.

PETER,T-H-E

These three cannibal cultists are responsiblefor turning out the meat pies, blood puddings,and such that Grimme gives out every Sunday.All three are terribly overweight, as they aregiven to snacking while they cook.

PROFILECorporeal: D:3d6, N:3d6, S:3d8, Q:3d6, V:2d8Fightin': kitchen implement 5d6, sneak 3d6Mental: C:2d6, K:2d4, M:ld6, Sm:ld6, Sp:ld4professional: cooking people 5d4Gear: Rolling pins and iron ladles (STR+ld6).

Patrol 10, Alarm 4This euphemistically named room is geared to

a totally different type of persuasion than thatpracticed in cell block B on the first floor. A farmore direct kind.

This dank chamber is right out of the DarkAges. A rack dominates the center of the room,and other torture implements are scatteredabout: a head-crusher, thumbscrews, a selectionof bamboo slivers, a small forge filled with hotcoals, along with a selection of pokers, and soon.

Several sets of manacles are set at intervalsalong the walls, and the floor underneath eachof them is stained red-brown.

On this particular evening, the interrogator,Jake Stokes, is in the center of the room asusual, polishing and oiling his torture equipment.

Ste •O—~

Heroes so captured stop taking the crushingdamage, but instead take IdlO Wind perround as they inhale the foul muck of thesewer. The captured cowpoke can escape ifshe beats Ed in a contest of Strength with araise, or the tentacles holding her let go. Aserious wound causes a tentacle to recoil,while a maiming one severs it. If four ormore of the tentacles are seriously injured,Ed stops fighting and pulls itself down intothe mud.

Patrol 10, Alarm 6This series of rooms is used by the members

of Grimme's inner circle when they are visitingRock Island. The rooms are luxuriouslyappointed, to say the least. The finest furnitureand the most expensive rugs and decorationsensure Grimme's most loyal servants live inluxury appropriate to their station.

There are usually about four or five innercircle cultists here at any given time. The posseis lucky this time, however. Grimme has enlistedmost of his servants to help him with the ritualfor unleashing the power of the Heart ofDarkness. Only one cult member is in residenceon this particular night.

If you have run your heroes through Pass theSalt, the adventure from The Great Maze boxedset, they may be surprised to find themselvesfacing a familiar foe: Caroline DeCarlo, afounding member of the Cult of Lost Angels.

In the event of an alarm being raised on thesubbasement level, DeCarlo is most likely toinvestigate. She doesn't bother to get any of theprison guards; she regards them as insignificantand incompetent. If the heroes do draw herattention, she deals with them herself.

If you've read Pass the Salt, then you knowCaroline's story. For those of you who haven't(shame on you!), Caroline DeCarlo is an originalmember of the Cult of Lost Angels, and one ofGrimme's most trusted servants. She was killedin Pass the Salt, but death has never reallystopped a determined servant of Grimme.

Since the events in Pass the Salt, DeCarlo hasbeen hiding out here on Rock Island, gettingused to the fact that she is now, well, stone-cold dead She's mastered a few Harrowed powerswith Grimme's help, and she's a much moreformidable opponent than she used to be. Youmight say death becomes her.

DeCarlo appears just as beautiful as she didin life, even though she's actually colder than amackerel. Once most people have forgottenabout her, Grimme expects her to be a veryuseful agent.

Corporeal: D:2d6, N:2d6, S:2d4, Q:3d6, V:2d6Dodge 3d6, fightin': knife 5d6, shootin': pistol 6d6,

sneak 2d6, quick draw 4d6Mental: C:2d6, K:2d6, M:3dlO, Sm:3d6, Sp:4d6Area knowledge: Shan Fan 4d6, bluff 2d6, guts

4d6, persuasion 4dlO, scrutinize 4d6, search2d6, streetwise 2d6

Edges: Nerves o' steel, purtyHindrances: Hankerin': human flesh 1,

obligation: Grimme 5Gear: Double-action Colt Peacemaker, Bowie

knife.Special Abilities:

Harrowed.Harrowed Powers: Arcane protection 3,

unholy reflexes 3.

T-H-E OOXCIL d-Hy^MBER'Patrol 10, Alarm 6

When Grimme convenes a meeting of theinner circle of the Cult of Lost Angels, this isthe chamber in which they meet. The room isdominated by an ornate, wooden meeting tablesurrounded by similarly carved chairs.

Several mosaics are inlaid in the walls here,similar to the ones in the Atrium (page 29), andthese are also done with painted pieces ofhuman bone. These are much more horrific,showing strange, emaciated giants picking uppeople and devouring them whole, a man sohungry he has begun to consume himself, etc.Viewing these terrible wall decorations requiresan Onerous (7) guts check.

Patrol 10, Alarm 6When Grimme and his minions need to

perform minor cult rituals, this is where theycome to do it. The stone altar in this chamber isstained a dark, red-brown with the blood ofmany sacrifices. The walls are draped withheavy, black cloth, and the only light comesfrom a single lantern hanging from the ceiling.

On the eastern wall, behind the black cloth, isthe locked door to Grimme's inner chambers.The door is made of solid iron with strangeglyphs and runes engraved into its surface.

This door is more than just locked-it's sealed.Picking the lock requires three Incredible (11)lockpickin' checks in a row. The door isreinforced as well. For the purposes of resistingdamage, it has an Armor of 5. Any magicdirected at it also has +10 added to its TargetNumber.

On the other hand, if the posse has acquiredthe key from Warden Blackwell's office, the doorswings open easily on well-oiled hinges.

Patrol 10, Alarm 6The largest, single chamber on the

subbasement level, this octagonal chamber isalso one of the most disturbing. Its center isdominated by Grimme's Black Throne, a carved,black-lacquered chair on a raised dais.

The room surrounding the throne is filledwith human bones— lots of human bones. Theyare all polished to a bright whiteness, as if theyhad been sitting in the desert for years.

Outside of the area immediately surroundingthe throne and the paths to the exits from theroom, the bones are piled from about three feethigh toward the center to eight feet by the walls.

Anyone making a Fair (5) Cognition checkhears a slight rattling and shifting within thepiles of bones. This is the bone fiend (seebelow). The fiend doesn't mess with any groupof intruders who don't touch Grimme's BlackThrone.

Doors lead out of this room to Grimme'slaboratory, the art gallery, and the councilchamber.

Unfortunately, close examination also incursthe wrath of a bone fiend that Grimme hasmade a deal with. The fiend attacks immediatelyafter anyone touches the throne. Its clatteringmakes surprise impossible, however. Startcombat as normal.

For full details on the bone fiend, see Rascals,Varmints & Critters. This particular fiend lacks abite attack, since it is made up entirely ofhuman bones.

Corporeal: D:2dlO, N:4dlO, S:4d8, Q:3dl2, V:2d8Fightin': brawlin' 4dlOMental: C:3dlO, K:2d8, M:3d8, Sm:2d8, Sp:4dl2Size: 2 to 9Terror: 9Special Abilities:

Bone Explosion: If the bone fiend isdesperate or has a large surplus of bones,it might choose to use this attack, hurlingits body's component bones outward withthe same effect as a stick of dynamite, butcausing only 2d20 damage. It takes two fullrounds for it to take shape again.

Claws: STR+ld4Invulnerability: As long as there are bones

to be had, the bone fiend's body can't bekilled, only temporarily disrupted. A seriouswound (or greater) shatters a body location.Missing pieces can be replaced easily thenext round, so long as intact-or relativelyintact— bones remain nearby. It takes oneaction for the bone fiend to replace any andall bones lost. The only way to actuallydestroy the bone fiend is to destroy itsblack skull. This skull is Size 1 in reality,but it's toughness makes it a Size 6 fordamage purposes. Its black skull is locatedunder the Black Throne.

Multiple Limbs: The bone fiend can animateenough bones to give itself up to six legsand as many as four arms, withaccompanying attacks.

Undead.

•XL,'" pPW **"

^Variable Size: While the bone fiend usually

assumes the size and general shape of aperson, it can increase to Size 9, (about 10feet tall), or shrink down to about the sizeof a jackalope. A change in size requires anaction.

Patrol 10, Alarm 8This smaller chamber off the throne room

houses some of the products of Grimme'stwisted artistic sense. It seems the goodReverend fancies himself a sculptor. Hismedium? Why, human bones, of course!

The walls of the chamber are covered with anabstract mosaic of bones in bizarre geometricpatterns. Skulls, femurs, even vertebrae arearranged and cemented to the walls.

Standing on pedestals throughout the roomare more three-dimensional works. All of thesculptures are abstract, twisted shapes, rangingin size from a foot high up to one 10-footsculpture that almost scrapes the ceiling of thechamber. The most disturbing thing about thewhole room is that there is a certain beauty inwhat Grimme has created here. In any case,anyone viewing the chamber should make aOnerous (7) guts check.

Patrol 10, Alarm 10This room is where Grimme performs his

obscene arcane experiments. A set of shelves onthe west wall holds a variety of glass jarscontaining various organs, both animal andhuman. Glass beakers also hold a wide varietyof strangely colored fluids and ichors. None ofthem are labeled.

Lying on a large table is what appears to bethe neatly dissected body of an emaciatedhuman male. A variety of surgical tools arearrayed around the corpse. The body has beenslit open from stem to stern, and all of theinternal organs have been removed and placedaround the body.

Four doors on the south wall lead into a setof four jail cells. All but cell #4 are empty.

The dissected corpse is that of a faminite.Reverend Grimme has been trying to divine theirorigins for quite a few months without muchsuccess. Recently, his servants captured one ofthe creatures just south of the city. Grimme hadit brought to Rock Island for study. (See TheGreat Maze for more details on faminites.)

Stacked neatly next to the corpse areextensive sketches and notes on the anatomy ofthe faminite. The Pinkertons or Texas Rangerswould pay a pretty penny for the notes.

Stone is chained up here, held in place byGrimme's enchantments. Even Grimme hasn'tbeen able to take away all of Stone's powers,just restrain him. Even so, he still retains enoughof his powers to look human (alive, that is).

Hopefully the heroes still have the patch OldPete gave them. Stone actually looks shockedwhen the heroes show it to him, as well as ifthey address him as Jasper.

Stone pretends to be far more exhausted thanhe actually is. He does not speak, answeringquestions only with nods and head shakes.Stone is sizing up the heroes to figure out whothey are and why they are rescuing him.

Stone does know the Heart of Darkness is nolonger here. Reverend Grimme has it now.

Stone is "able" to walk, and he accompaniesthe heroes along whatever path they decide totake out of the prison. He doesn't engage incombat unless the characters are reallyoutnumbered or outclassed. Use Stone to bailthe heroes out if they get in too far over theirheads. Otherwise, he's quiet and observant,feigning injury when needed to avoid questions.

CRETINS- QjTIf the heroes exit the prison the way they

came in, after fighting their way past the sewermonster, they find Old Pete waiting for them.

If things don't go so well, they may have tomake their exit from the prison another way-like out onto the docks or even over the wallinto the bay. Assuming the heroes still have theflare, Old Pete and the boat pull into view tworounds after it is set off.

If the heroes fail to get Stone, Pete is nowhereto be found outside the Rock. He and his boatare gone. After a while, Old Pete enters theprison and rescues Stone himself. He catches upwith the posse later, assuming they make it toshore. When he does, he enlists their help instopping Grimme (too late, of course).

Go on to Chapter Four: Mass Murder.

Getting the warden's key: 2 points.Killing the bone fiend: 3 points.Getting Stone off Rock Island: 5 points.

Assuming the heroes manage to get off theisland without getting killed, they should findthemselves back on Old Pete's boat again,speeding their way back to Lost Angels. Theman they've rescued from imprisonment passesout as soon as they get on the boat. Old Petespends a few moments just staring at the man,then goes back to piloting the boat. He takes arather roundabout way back to the City of LostAngels. "To throw off any pursuit," he says.

As some point, Old Pete digs around in thesmall hold of the knifeboat and pulls out a smallleather satchel. He tosses this to the heroes, "forservice rendered," he says. The satchel contains$500 in Union gold coins. Strangely (if anyonethinks to look) the coins are marked as beingminted in 1878. Kind of odd.

The first rays of the sun are just creeping overthe horizon when the boat finally slips up nextto the docks of the city.

Stone awakens with a grunt, his eyesflickering open, disoriented for a moment. Thenhe speaks. "Grimme has the gem," he rasps. "He'sgonna do something with it—something big—andhe's gonna do it today."

Just then the morning silence is broken by theeerie tolling of a church bell. It's coming fromthe Cathedral of Lost Angels. Grimme's callingfolks to early services.

"In fact, I'd say he was goin' to do it now.We've got to stop him, by any means necessary."

Time to go to church.

-KISS

There's a lot more going on here then meetsthe eye. Both Stone and Old Pete want to gettheir hands on the Heart of Darkness, but bothof them also know what Grimme's plan is andwant it to succeed. Stone knows about Grimme'splan because he overheard it while imprisonedby Grimme. Old Pete has found out throughother resources of his.

In any case, neither of them holds theslightest illusion about actually stoppingGrimme, nor do they want the adventurers to getthere in time to stop the ceremony. At this point,they know it's too late to actually stop things, soit's time to get moving. Keep in mind Stone stilldoesn't know who Old Pete is, and he thinks he'susing this stranger as well.

'T No PI_A^If the heroes seem reluctant to accompany the

Iwo on what must seem a suicidal mission (afterwhat they've seen on Rock Island), Stone feignsgreat concern about "all those poor people"Grimme's ceremony is going to hurt. He urgesthe posse and Old Pete to accompany him to theCathedral to stop whatever is going to happen,and he declares he'll go by himself if he has to."I can stop him," Stone says. "Why do you thinkhe had me locked up?"

Old Pete immediately agrees to help, andhopefully the heroes do likewise. If they still

seem reluctant, have Stone remind them that thething they are looking for is likely there as well—unless they want Grimme carting it back out toRock Island again, that is. As a last resort, OldPete offered the heroes another $1,000 in gold ifthey'll assist him again.

Once a course of action is decided upon, OldPete digs four double-action Colt Peacemakersand a box of ammunition out of the hold of hisboat. He hands two of the guns to Stone andkeeps two for himself. He smiles behind hiswooden mask.

"It's payback time," he says gravely.

ME TO

TIME/Old Pete leads the posse through streets of

Lost Angels toward the massive hulk of theCathedral of Lost Angels. He sets a brisk pace.

As the heroes and their two companions headtoward the cathedral, they notice the streets ofLost Angels are almost deserted. It seems mostfolks have headed to the cathedral for ReverendGrimme's morning services, hoping for anotherfree meal.

With a Fair (5) Cognition roll, they noticestrange, black clouds forming in the sky abovethe city. As the heroes get closer to the center ofthe city, the clouds grow larger and heavier,casting a shadow over the city streets. The airfeels thick and charged with electricity.

The already sparsely populated streets of LostAngels empty out as people run for cover.Lighting flashes inside the hovering clouds, andthe careful observer can see what seems to bestrange forms moving and writhing within them.

As the heroes enter the plaza surrounding theCathedral of Lost Angels, the chants of thechurch attendees become audible: long periodsof chanted prayers punctuated by one screamingvoice, barely audible outside the thick, stonewalls of the cathedral.

Just as the heroes' feet land on the bottomsteps of the massive stone church, the firstdrops of rain begin to fall— and they burn! Therain is acidic, doing Id6 damage per round ofexposure. The acid rain ignores armor. Prudentcharacters head for the church doors. Old Peteand Stone lead the way.

The front doors of the cathedral lead into anatrium area, where a set of red velvet curtainsare all that separate the posse from its enemy.Pete and Stone stop to give their weapons a lastcheck.

Quite a sight greets the eyes of any hero whopeers through the curtains. The first thing thatcatches the heroes' attention is Grimme himself,a tiny figure at the far end of the hall, poundinghis pulpit and preaching fire and brimstone tothe assembled multitude.

Snippets of his speech float to the heroes'ears, something about "the coming storm,""standing firm against the damned," and "thevery gates of Perdition being cast open." Itdoesn't make much sense, but it doesn't soundgood either.

About 2,000 people line the pews in front ofGrimme. They all stand as if mesmerized,hanging on his every word.

Guardian Angels are arrayed all around theroom, standing to the left and right of everyentrance and guarding the pulpit. They too seemcaught up in the spell of Grimme's sermon.

A character making a Hard (9) search checkcan see a small, crystalline object lying on thepodium in front of Grimme. It's the Heart ofDarkness, the object of the heroes' search, andit's glowing!

As the adventurers prepare to enter the mainchamber, Old Pete leans his head in close tothem and says, "This could get ugly. If we getseparated, meet up at the Sorensen & Co.warehouse. It's in the north part of theWaterfront district. I've set up a hideout there.Good luck."

And with that final word, he and Stone throwthe curtain open and lead the way into the mainhall.

Just as the posse begins to walk down thelong aisle leading to the front of the cathedral,Grimme's voice reaches a fever pitch, and it ringsout impossibly loud in the hall. "For the forces ofHell are arrayed against us, my brethren. Godsave and protect we poor sinners! Amen!"

The assembled crowd speaks as one, echoingthe words of their holy leader. "Amen!" theyresound, and there is silence afterward as thelast syllable of the word dies.

All of a sudden, the stained glass rosettewindow above and behind Grimme shattersinward as a massive form slams through it andlands on the ground behind Grimme, its wingsspread wide. It is a vision right out of the Bookof Revelation.

The demon— for what else could it possiblybe?-Stands about 15 feet tall at the shoulder,with a 20-foot wingspan. Its skin is a deep, redcolor, and its massive hands end in sharp, blackclaws. Horns sprout from each side of its head,and the demon's mouth is a mass of razor-sharpteeth. The cloven hooves of its feet strike sparksoff the stone floor of the church as it lands.

"Foolish servant of a dead god," the thingroars in a deep, booming voice, "your petty faithcannot save your flock from the wrath of Hell!"

Grimme whirls to face the thing, a strangewarm glow beginning to surround his body. Alook of determined rage flashes on his face."You dare violate the sanctity of the Cathedral ofLost Angels, foul despoiler? I am the avengingfist of the Lord! Begone!"

The demon laughs uproariously, a sound thatshakes the very foundations of the Cathedral.Grinning wildly, the creature breathes out abillowing cloud of thick, black smoke that fillsthe entire end of the church where the twostand. The smoke dissipates as quickly as it

appeared, revealing a horrible assemblage ofabout a hundred twisted beings. They gibber andsnarl as they look at the transfixed crowd. Theylook hungry, and the crowd is one big buffet.

"My servants will keep yours occupied, punymortal. Stop me if you can." With that thesmaller demons surge forward into the crowd.

All Hell breaks loose.

-B- !N T-H-EWhat happens next is exactly as Grimme

planned it. Grimme rushes the huge demon, andthe two begin a titanic wrestling match. A blackaura appears around the demon's body, and itwars with the glow surrounding Grimme.

The crowd panics as the demons wade in andbegin slaughtering the innocent parishioners.There's a mad rush for the doors, and many folksare trampled as they attempt to claw their wayout of the pews. The heroes are caught in themiddle of it all.

Demons are slaughtering folks all around theposse at this point. Old Pete and Stone wadeinto the crowd, guns blazing. A large demonlurches and claws its way towards the heroes,accompanied by a horde of its smaller brethren.

It's time to fight.

The demons Grimme has summoned come infour sizes: tiny, small, large and oh-my-God.Fortunately, there is only one oh-my-God sizedsucker, and Grimme is "dealing" with that one.The tiny ones crawl all over everything and flitthrough the air. They're repulsive, but more anannoyance than anything else. The other twosizes are a bit more problematic.

The demons come in a bewildering variety ofshapes and colors. Some are emaciated and thin,while others are bloated and fat. Their colorsrange from the bright red of their leader tosickly shades of green, yellow, and even purple.

The small ones scuttle about, savaging anypoor souls they can get their brimstone-encrusted hands on. The larger ones rip intowhole groups of screaming innocents, somespitting acid or fire, and one even breathing outclouds of stinging insects.

The heroes have to face one of the largerones and about 10 of the smaller demons. Thereare actually many more ravaging their waythrough the cathedral hall, but with 2,000panicked people in the way, that's about all theposse can get to.

»:?&: -'; -"-XT;. 'Mu - «s' $j ^:.-c: ? m?S®S3S'j.-:' •;•••

^^mg^^

Corporeal: D:3d6, N:4d8, S:5dlO, Q:3d8, V:4dlOFightin': brawlin' 5d8Mental: C:3d6, K:ld4, M:4d8, Sm:ld6, Sp-.2d6Size: 12Terror: 9Special Abilities:

Claw: SIRBite: STR+ld8Fiery Breath: Every other round, the demon

can spit flame from its mouth (like aflamethrower that does 3dlO damage).

Corporeal: D:2d6, N:4d6, S:4d6, Q:3d6, V:4d6Fightin'; brawlin' 4d6Mental: C:ld6, K:ld4, M:4d6, Sm:ld6, Sp:ld6Size: 4Terror: 7Special Abilities:

Claw: SIRBite: STR+1d6Venom: A venomous bite reduces the victim's

Nimbleness by -1 die type for the next fiveminutes. Multiple bites are cumulative.

,,*

The demons all fight to the death. The combatlasts until all the demons the posse faces aredead, or 10 rounds, whichever comes first.

Escaping from the church during the fightnearly impossible. Anyone who wants to make adash for one of the exits needs to make anIncredible (11) Nimbleness check to move throughthe crowd, and even then he can only move atone quarter of his Pace. A failed check gets thecharacter no progress and 2d6 trampling damagefrom the onrushing people.

During the fight, anyone who looks can seeStone blazing away in another part of the crowd,but Old Pete disappears after the first round ofcombat. This is when he snags the Heart ofDarkness and retreats to the rendezvous point toset up an ambush.

All through the fracas, Grimme continues tostruggle with his opponent, until finally, with amighty cry of pain, the demon recoils fromGrimme's burning touch. "He is too strong!" the

4ft%±z

Hellspawn cries. "He is truly the instrument ofthe Lord! We must flee, my brothers!"

With that, it leaps into the air, the wind fromits wings whipping through the hall. The demonrises quickly, fleeing out the smashed windowthrough which it entered. The remaining demonsinside all utter one unified screech and dissolveinto puddles of black muck. The clouds outsidedisperse like the breath of God Himself hasblown them away, and the sun shines again onLost Angels.

Grimme turns to the crowd, the glow stillsurrounding his body. "My children, we arevictorious!"

UP T+f-fr.

The aftermath of this struggle is prettyhorrible, just the sort of thing Grimme washoping for. Hundreds lie dead or dying on thefloor of the cathedral. The plaza outside thecathedral is filled with thousands of folk, eitherrushing to see what happened or fleeing thechurch interior. The air is filled with the cries ofthe wounded and the terrified prayers of thosewho witnessed the assault.

More importantly for Grimme, the ritualworked. The range of his "holy mandate" hasbeen greatly expanded to a 75-mile radiusaround the City of Lost Angels. What effect thismay have on the local power balance remains tobe seen.

Grimme immediately begins to organize thecleanup of the cathedral and medical care forthe survivors. He's gotten what he wanted, andhe looks like a savior for doing it. He's as happyas can be.

Stone emerges from the crowd pretty muchunscathed (naturally), but Old Pete is nowhere tobe found. Stone suggests the posse might wantto get out of the church. "We failed," he says,"and I don't particularly want to go back to thatisland, if you don't mind." Stone reminds theposse of the rendezvous location and heads offto it himself.

If anyone looks around, the Heart of Darknessis nowhere to be found.

The Sorenson & Co. warehouse is easy to find.It's exactly where Old Pete said it was, on thenorth end of the Waterfront district. The onlydoors to the warehouse are located on its front:a huge set of cargo doors with a smallerpersonnel access door to the right.

The interior of the warehouse is full of large,wooden crates, most ful l of mundane items likecrockery, furniture, and the like.

The group finds Old Pete in a cleared-out areaabout 20 feet across, at the very back of thewarehouse. Old Pete is sitting at a small table,the Heart of Darkness lying in front of him.

"I think this is what you are looking for," rerasps, turning in his seat.

T-fl-E r^OUBLi I^DUBLE-O?O^^Before anyone can answer, Stone pushes past

the heroes, drawing both of his pistols."I'll take that," he says, pistols trained on the

posse and Old Pete. As he grins, his featuresshift, and his human face melts away, displayinghis true, Harrowed face beneath!

"Well folks, I think it's time I said good-bye toy'all— but first..." His eyes turn to Old Pete, stillseated. "Who the Hell are you, and how do youknow so much about me?" Stone barks angrily.

"That's a complex question, but I'll try to keepit simple for you," the masked man says. OldPete stands, removing his mask as he does so."Actually, I'm you." His face, a carbon copy ofStone's, emerges into the light. Old Pete isStone's twin, from the top of his decaying headdown to the last piece of rotted flesh! "I'm you,you're me, and the two of us have many thingsto talk about." Old Pete picks up the Heart ofDarkness and gestures to the back wall of thewarehouse. "Shall we? The future awaits."

The surprise is obvious on Stone's face, buthis expression quickly turns to one of amusedcuriosity. He's definitely distracted, but before theheroes can make use of the moment, the cratesbehind them burst open, and out lumber 10walkin' dead who've been waiting for Old Pete'ssignal. They're armed with Colt Walkers and abad attitude and they come out with gunsblazing.

Corporeal: D:2d8, N:2d8, S:2dlO, Q:3dlO, V:2d8Climbin' 2d8, dodge 3d8 fannin' 3d8, fightin':

brawlin' 4d8 shootin': pistol, rifle, or shotgun4d8, sneak 3d8, swimmin' 2d8

Mental: C:2dlO, K:ld6, M:ld6, Sm:ld6, Sp:ld4Overawe 5d6, ridicule Id6, search 3dlOSize: 6Terror: 7Special Abilities:

Bite: STRUndead

Gear: Colt Walkers and plenty of ammo.

SSgj^

»*Sf

T+HEAs the first action on the first round of the

ensuing combat, both Stone and Old Pete usetheir ghost power to walk straight through theback wall of the warehouse. They take the Heartof Darkness with them, leaving the posse to facethe walkin' dead.

Should some enterprising huckster orHarrowed decide to follow through the back walland manage to do so on the same round, theyare cold-cocked by a prepared Old Pete.Everything goes black for that character. Shewakes up after the combat, out back of thewarehouse and nursing a nasty headache.

T-H-E OHROH- P*OLJCE/If the heroes were really badly beaten up by

the demons at the cathedral, Old Pete's walkin'dead may be cleaning their clocks at this point.If their bacon needs saving, who should showup but the Guardian Angels!

Grimme tracks the posse down througharcane means and sends two flights (that's 10Angels) to the warehouse, hoping to catch upwith Stone and Old Pete.

If your heroes are handling the walkin' deadwell by themselves, the Angels arrive just as thecombat is winding down.

The Angels aren't here to arrest or harass theposse. Everyone saw their valiant actions againstthe demons at the cathedral, after all. TheAngels greet them as heroes!

TYFIC~A-LCorporeal: D:2d6, N:2d8, S:2d8, Q:2d6, V:2d6Fightin': brawlin' 3d8, shootin': pistol, rifle &

shotgun 2d6, sneak 2d8Mental: C:2d8, K:ld6, M:ld8, Sm:2d6, Sp:2d6Guts 3d6, faith 4d6, overawe 2d8, search 2d8,

streetwise 3d6Edges: Law man 1Hindrances: Self-righteousGear: Winchester 76s and plenty of ammo

Killing the small demons: 1 point per demon.Killing the large demon: 5 points.Killing Old Pete's walkin' dead: 3 points.

T-H-ECleanup continues for the remainder of the

day at the Cathedral of Lost Angels. TheGuardian Angels and members of the Church areeverywhere, tending to the injured and surveyingthe damage. The heroes may want to pitch inwith the cleanup, or they might just slink backto their lodgings to lick their wounds. Whereverthey go in the city, they're recognized for theirvalor at the fight in the Cathedral.

Regardless of how the heroes spend theremainder of the day, they receive a visitor thenext morning, a very special visitor with a direwarning about Stone and Old Pete's plans.

What's that? You want to know more? Well,you'll just have to pick up part three of theDevils Tower trilogy, Fortress o' Fear, for thatcompadre.

T-H-EThere always the possibility that your heroes

have had enough at this point. They just may nothave the sand to pursue the Heart of Darknessany longer. If this is the case (as unlikely as wehope that is), they shouldn't end up emptyhanded. Old Pete's gold spends as well asanyone's, and they also have something evenmore valuable in the Weird West: knowledge.They've seen the dark heart of the Great Mazeand lived to tell about it.

., ; .,,,

«S s*:;:

. s

^^^0m^^m^^^

AttackFist 3d6/3d6Blackjack 3d6/3d6+1d4Defense:Brawlin' 3

' -"ft '• -1"-'-' ---- " • - : ' • < • : , , : Til..'1 .'• ;'.' . ',•.•''''""•, ' *-"..l,>'.. I"'

Attack:Jaws 5d8/3dl2+2+ld8Defense:

Attack:Jaws 5d8/4dl2+ld8Defense:

Attack:Fist 4d8/2d8Bowie knife 3d8/2d8+ld6Catling pistol 5d8/3d6Defense:Brawlin' 4Dodge 3d8Special Abilities:Black Magic: Zombie 1 (see page

23 for details).

TYPICAL.Attack:Fist 3d6/2d8Bowie knife 4d6/2d8+ld6Shotgun 3d6/2d6+4d6Defense:Brawlin 3

Attack:Bite 4dlO/3d8+ld6Claws 4dlO/3d8+ld6Defense:Dodge 2dlOBrawlin' 4Terror: 9Special Abilities:Terror: 9Undcad

Attack:Whip 5d8/3d8Pistol 3d8/2d6Defense:Dodge 4d8

i EAttack:Bowie knife 5dlO/3d6+ld6Pistol 4d8/3d6Mental:Dodge 2d8

Attack:Fist 3d6/2d6Defense:Brawlin 3

Attack:Wrench 5d8/2d6+2d6Defense

Corporeal:Meat cleaver 3d8/2d6+2d4Bone saw 3d8/2d6+ld6Defense:

Attack:Kitchen implement 5d6/3d8+ld6Defense:

Attack:Bite 4d8/2dlOPistol 4d8/3s6Mental:Brawlin 4Dodge 3d8Special Abilities:Terror: 7Undead

^^^W^wWP^^

TM

At least that's what they say aboutflesh of a kind you've never tastedbefore (and we sincerely hope yourheroes haven't). Of course, there areplenty of folks in the City of LostAngels who have been reduced to suchhorrors. You'd better pray for yourheroes, because that's exactly wherethey're headed.

Once in LA, the heroes are chargedwith trying something no one in theirright mind would attempt. The jewelthey're looking for—the fabled Heart ofDarkness itself—is apparently on RockIsland, the impenetrable fortress prisonsitting in the heart of shark-infestedProsperity Bay. It's up to them to make adesperate attempt to actually break mtothe prison, and there are more than justa few greenbacks on the line.

Heart o' Darkness is the second in theworld-rocking Devils Tower trilogy ofadventures. Even if the heroes managedto get this far, they can't afford to failnow because—whether they know it ornot—the fate of the city and everyone init hangs in the balance.

PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, Inc.

Deadlands, Weird West, the Dcadlands logo, and the Pinnacle starburstare all Trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.

© 1998 Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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ISBN 1-889546-25-9

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