Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Session Eight - The Devil Is In The Details

 
Lord Malakor appeared before the PC's and offered them a way out of their situation with the Dark Martians! He simply wanted them to pick up a bauble from another Yellow Stone park. Nothing too dangerous at all?! Tick tok my party of heroes?! This session picks right up from Sunday November 2's session here. 

The party didn't heistate with the vile villain and agreed. Secretly they would make sure that the bauble wouldn't fall into his evil hands. They'd dealt with 'The Plane Despoiler' before a few times in London. These ended with the party of adventurers almost always beating him. The party exited the narrow ruined alleyways into another reality just as two Martian handling machines came around the corner! 

A Handling-Machine from War of the Worlds: Goliath.

Lord Malakor, "The Planar Despoiler"

Lord Malakor is a pulp-era reality-hopping villain who exploits the delicate boundaries between dimensions. Driven by a desire for power and resources, he doesn't just conquer worlds; he drains them, moving to the next plane of existence once his current domain is barren. He appears as a man of refined taste in 1930s fashion, but with subtly unnatural features—perhaps eyes that shift color uncontrollably, or skin that is always slightly too cold. He is always accompanied by a shimmering, unstable rift in space, a doorway to the terrifying Void where he draws his power.

Description

Malakor is an imposing figure in an immaculate charcoal-gray pinstripe suit and matching fedora, a sharp contrast to his bizarre powers. He carries a cane that appears to be made of solidified void energy. His voice is smooth and charismatic, easily convincing others that his reality-warping experiments are for the greater good—until it is too late.

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Stats for Victorious RPG

Victorious (published by Troll Lord Games) uses a 2d10 roll-under system based on attributes, with an emphasis on narrative control and pulp-style heroics using VPs (Victorious Points).

Attributes (Target Number to Roll Under)

Attribute	Score
Brawn	8
Grace	12
Mind	14
Will	16

Capabilities & Skills

• Punches: 1 (Damage modifier for physical attacks)
• Brains: 2 (Intelligence modifier)
• Saves:
  • Soak: 3 (Reduces physical damage)
  • Dodge: 2
  • Mental: 4 (High resistance to mental effects)

Skills: Malakor is highly skilled in areas that aid his manipulation and planar travel. (Roll 2d10 under the relevant Attribute + Skill Level).

• Occult Lore (Mind + 3): Extensive knowledge of different dimensions, magical artifacts, and planar weaknesses.
• Manipulation (Will + 4): A master manipulator and liar.
• Science/Mad Science (Mind + 2): Knowledge of exotic energy and pseudo-scientific theories used for his dimensional engine.
• Persuasion (Will + 3): Can talk his way into high society or out of immediate danger.

Powers (Uses VPs for effect)

Malakor uses his unique powers sparingly but devastatingly, often forcing heroes to use their own VPs to counter him.

• Void Step (Dimensional Teleportation): Malakor can instantly teleport within line of sight, appearing or disappearing in a crackle of reality-bending energy. He can spend 1 VP to bring one other person or object with him.
• Reality Anchor: As a defense, Malakor can spend 1 VP to force a hero's attack (physical or mental) to "miss" as a localized reality shift occurs, making the hero briefly strike nothingness or forget their action.
• Planar Drain (Signature Attack): Malakor focuses energy through his cane (a Will check). If successful, he drains vitality directly from the target's "home reality anchor."
  • Effect: Deals mental damage (using his Brains modifier + 1 punch die for damage) that bypasses standard Soak. If he spends 1 VP on this attack, the target must also spend 1 VP or be temporarily stunned, their connection to their own reality wavering.
• Summon Minions (The Void Stalkers): Malakor spends 1 VP to pull 1-2 minor henchmen (use Thug stats) or a single, small, reality-warped monstrosity into the current plane through his stable rift.

Role in a Campaign

Lord Malakor is a recurring villain who pops up in major cities around the globe. He is never focused on a single battle; he is focused on his escape plan and his long-term goals.

• The Hook: He appears in 1930s New York City or London, disguised as a wealthy industrialist or mystic. He begins subtly stealing rare artifacts or powerful individuals required to fuel his Dimensional Engine, a massive machine hidden in an abandoned warehouse or deep beneath a subway line.
• The Conflict: Heroes must figure out his true nature, stop his initial nefarious scheme, and chase him through the unstable rift as he jumps to a new reality (or the next chapter of the campaign).
• The Ongoing Threat: Malakor is the kind of villain who always returns, having escaped at the last second, leaving the heroes to deal with the chaotic effects of his reality-warping engine.

 The party found itself staring across the Yellow Stone vista and all seemed right?! But the air tasted off and there was a slight buzzing in the air. Here and there were wrecked tracked vechicles over grown with weeds. Giant wasps and bees flew around the party! Malakor stood nearby enjoying the party taking in the local sights. 'Breath taking isn't it! The air, the ruins, the mutated animals that want to kill us?! Errm you I should say. I want the locket of my dead wife which is in the ruins below. When you find the cameo then give me a call. Here's a device to do exactly that. Good luck heroes'  

We're using a modified Siege engine rpg system using the Victorious rpg system  & the Belle Epogue rpg from the Red Room  This gives the players a range of PC options. 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Session Eight - Martian Capture

 The PC's were captured by the Martians! The PC's got in over their heads after the  alien Otyugh telepathically called in the Martians! They arrived within 10 minutes because they were looking for the PC's. They had power neutralizing collars for em! 

A Handling-Machine from War of the Worlds: Goliath.

The aliens made life a bit of a Hell after hitting the PC's with stun beams (actually modified heat rays) and overwhelming numbers. This leg of the campaign picks up from October 22's session here on the blog!  The players are going to have to think their way out of this situation after the Resistance turned tail and ran! 

The PC's were handed over to several war machines with baskets after the power damping collars had been applied. They were going to be taken to a human processing facility near the edge of London. The PC's were not happy at all. But they had a plan and it involved Sir Tristan because his enchanted sword!  And the arcanists of the party didn't have any effect on their magic or items by the collars of the Black Martians! 

During a lull the party cut their way free from the Martian cages and fire balled one of the war machines!  They escaped! And they almost got heat rayed by the war machine but managed to escape the war machine with a scroll of fire ball that had been prepared ages ago to deal with the Yellow Stone horrors! 

They heard the honking signal of the last war machine calling others to it! They heard another squeal back from another nearby warmachine! The party needed to generate a way to escape the Martians! They did this  by creating a steam cloud with the fire and water powers of two of the heroes! 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Session Eight - Martian Attack!

The player's PC's were raiding the Justifier's HG below the streets of London. But they are not alone at all! 

 We raided the Justifier's Hall for equipment and weaponry to upgrade the party of adventurers. This session picks right up from the last session. The Justifier's Hall was mostly in ruins but the underground space was mostly intact. Something didn't feel right to the group. 

We looked at the weapons vault and heard shifting rock from deeper down in the vault's tunnels. And that's when the Dark Martian handling machine's pilot vehicles came into view! These pilot vehicles each had a Martian engineer/warrior within. 

A Handling-Machine from War of the Worlds: Goliath.

They started blasting the second they came into view and we engaged them the second they came into view. And our adventurers went fully on the attack taking out the handling machine's pilot vehicles by taking out a large section of walls and ceiling. We didn't want these alien bastards by calling in a three tier Dark Martian set of war machines! We did enough damage with the full group of seven PC's taking out the pilot machines. 

 We don't want to encounter any more of the Dark Martians and a voice from the dark call us deeper into the darkness. That proved both fortunate and bad as we encountered a group of other adventurers including Resistance fighters and other heroes who are operating in the shadows. We were told to 'Hurry' and left the head quarter's ruins and ran into the London sewers! And this is when we came face to face with an alien Otyugh brought to Earth by the Martians! 

And of course it attacks our little party because we stumbled into it's nest! Now it's a fight to not die in the offal of the sewers! The party wasn't expecting one of these alien horrors! The Resistance fighters and other heroes leaned into the encounter and we still had our hands full! The horror blasted out raw sewage toward our party. And we ended deep into the melee! 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Session Seven - Deep In The Red Zone

 We pick right up from last session and find ourselves deep on the road to London but a quite alien one! 

London has been choked out by the Red Weed of HG Well's War of the Worlds novel. And the PC's were none too happy to be here. In this timeline the Dark Martians won and were going about terriforming the Earth. 

Red Weed from the 2005 War of the Worlds film with Tom Cruise 

This wasn't the first time visiting this timeline and it took 5 weeks of campaign time to escape this branch of time. And during that game the party of adventurers encountered tripods, dealt with Martian blood farms, and saved the resistence's lives countless times. They also encountered several Martian brains and dealt with the Martian collective several times. 

 Immediately, the party were reaching for ray guns, hiding, and sneaking around. The began to make their way toward London and it was evident that they saw several ruined tripods as they went. The PC's came across a Handling Machine assembling more tripods. The adventurers made note of it for later on but had no desire to tangle with such a horror and alerting the Martians to their presence. 

We also saw a Martian power station that had been made from a converted Victorian factory. Knowing full well of the horrors that were inside we had no wish to tangle with the Martians so we moved on. We were looking for the secret  entrance to 'The Justifier's Hall'. Everywhere we went was choked by vine after vine of the Red Weed. But we did manage to find the secret door  to the lair of the Justifiers. 
We found Brenda Banks aka Lady Luck half outta of her mind but Dr. Zoltan our Mesmerist was able to snap her out of her temporary insanity. And she told us about the invasion and she was the last Justifier left on duty. Dr. Zoltan let her talk but put her under for a good night's rest. We've got to contact the rest of the heroes of Britain. 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Session Six

 We began rounding up the two cults that had been operating in Yellow Stone after the incident with the  Rake  last session on October 3.  And we turned over the members to the sherrif's department out of the local two towns. We didn't trust the department after we uncovered documents within the cabin belonging to the head of the cult. 

We were not sorry to see this leg of our campaign end. But we uncovered that the local mayor was actually the head of the cult! And this led us to having our suspicions that the local police were in on the act. We wrapped things up by having the Pinkertons come in on the advice of the Smithsonian's paranormal recovery and evaluation division department. This organization is not favorably looked on by our mages and arcanists. 

We boarded our skyship and began to head back to London on a two day journey. There was some mighty strange weather we hit going over the Atlantic and this lead deep into a strange vortex of lightning, thunder, light, and shadow! Then our party of adventurers found themselves flying just outside of a ruined London! 

Where the Hell and when the heck were we?! 
And that's when we saw the walking Dark Martian Tripods! The streets, the countryside was full of them and the Red Weed! We began to look for a place to set down! There was a normal looking forest just outside of London and we set down there trying as hard as we could not to attract any unwanted Martian  attention!  

We made camp and camouflaged our flyer as soon as possible. We were good with provisions and such. We've got to figure out what's happening to our party! 

For this leg of the campaign I broke out my copy of Wretched Apocalypse second edition, Victorious: Hunter & Hunter Catalog By Mike Stewart & Victorious Rule Britannia. The wasteland is being designed from Wretched Apocalypse while the stats for the Martian Walkers are from the Victorious Hunter & Hunter catalog, details on Britain's heroes and villains comes from Victorious Rule Britannia   

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Part Five

  The party was resting after the last session, we picked up in the Yellowstone hotel & there's the rub. Firecrow's was resting in his room and we had White Claw our martial arts PC guarding his door. 

Yellow claw is one of the many sons of Fu Manchu who walk among Western society. Our party turned in for the night to rest and recharge. Little did we know that we were only beginning of the nastiness. 
We first heard Gemstone scream at three A.M. and two of our heroes bust into her room! The adventurers came face to face with a Rake! 

This thing was sitting on her bed and had manifested from under the bed. And there was an aura of absolute fear and the temperature of the room was very cold. There was a feeling of revulsion and disgust clinging to every corner of the room. 
Sir Christopher our knight whipped out his cross and backed this thing up onto the ceiling. And it spit an acid at our knight and it's attack was blocked by Captain New York's magical shield. 

A wash of trauma and horror washed over the party and it was banished by the spells of Lightmaster! 
This put the rake at a disadvantage and it sought a nearby window. This gave Sir Christopher the opportunity to attack it with a small blessed throwing knife! 

It took two more blessed knives right to the gut and it began dissolving back to the greater Darkness! We checked out every single room and then lodged a blessed candle into every room of our PC's. And then everyone went to sleep! 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Part Four

 After the cult retreated deeply into the Yellowstone wilderness our group of heroes gave chase! Last night's game session had the player's confront the local Yellowstone hero Firecrow who had to save the heroes from three dogmen medicine men/skinwalkers. These things had inflict damage spells ready and laid hands on the heroes causing all kinds of havoc. They were howling and violence to the player's PC's. Rick was playing Firecrow and the character has music based powers. 
He was able to shut down the gate that the villains were using. And the player's PC's mopped up the demons that were guarding the gates. This session picks right up from Sept. 11's session. 

Two of the cultists have abilities that were granted by the demons that were summoned. The park serves as a demonic prison for some prehistoric horror that's been imprisoned for eons. The two nameless cultists who were granted powers tried to escape only to be captured by Sir Christopher The Brave the resident knight from some other Authurian timeline. 

Sir Christopher held the two cultists while Lightmaster blasted Brian Howland. Howland is the head of the cult and infused deeply with demonic power. 

This represented the last of the demonic cult, and we turned all of the cultists as well as Brian Howland over to the authorities. The cult was imprisoned and arrested as they posed a clear and present danger to the local towns. Our party of adventurers regrouped at the Yellowstone hotel. And we ended here. 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Part III

 Our adventurers made it deep into Yellowstone's woods and that's when the PC's ran straight into the cultists who were gathered around the sacrificial altar that lay in the middle of the woods. The PC's were knocked around by two dogmen who were standing guard!  This session picks right up from the last one. 
We're using the Victorious rpg & we're hip deep into 1872 Yellowstone! 

The party ran straight into these things and they were massive! They were similar to wolfmen but seemed bigger. They saw Brian Holland the teen who was first infected by the dark energies of the spell book. The party of adventurer's weather hero killed one of these dogmen with a lightning bolt full force! 
We're using an updated version of Belle Époque & some of it's resources. This is when the party saw three zombies & the party's contraponist threw a grenade into their midst. The zombies blew a part into lots and lots of smaller demonic creatures. 

The adventurer's priest/cleric blasted the demonic imps with holy spells. And they degenerated into white fish like horrors. 
The cult's head Brian Holland howled in demonic fury. There was a strange demonic aura around the cult's head. In his hand was a demonic eye and with it he blasted Light Master our light based hero. 
He got too close too the cult's head and got zapped! The rest of our party of adventurers closed in and with fire, lightning, and flame put down the other monsters the cult was using. And managed to save Light Master! The cult retreated deeply into the Yellowstone wilderness! 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque Part II

 So this weekend I picked up an old Victorious The Steampunk Role Playing Game of Supermankind By Mike Stewart from this campaign.   This campaign goes back to March 2023 and on Friday my notes fell out of an old folder. 

So after a brief recap the PC's settled into the newly renovated & rebuilt hotel overlooking the Yellow Stone state park they began to investigate the disappearances and murders that had been happening in the state park. The year is 1871 & things are hopping at the park! Occult energies are off the chart according to the party's arcanist Dr. Mollery.

The party immediately runs into Dwight Dalley one of two teenagers who found an old spell book in the woods and opened a gateway to the netherworld. The party is immediately attacked by two large infernal trolls covered in warts and sores. The second teen has become infected with the baleful energies of the underworld and a priest for the dark forces that are trapped in Yellow Stone. The party is given the spell book minus two pages. The second teen Brian Holland is now the vessel for some dark force and not in his right mind. He is on the verge of starting a cult.. as the party found out in two night's game. It was he who summoned the infernal trolls. The party used fire and lightning based attacks to destroy and burn the trolls followed dissolving the remains in acid! 

The party found out out that Brian Holland had also found two ancient scrolls that were secreted within a hollowed out tree within the park. 
The dark forces weren't taking any chances with the party as a set of possessed wolves appeared at night right outside of the hotel and stalked down the halls. They were not harmed a sleep bomb created by our Contraptionist put them out. Deep in the woods we followed them back to their den near a sacrificial altar. That's when we were surrounded by cultists

We're using an updated version of  Belle Époque & some of it's resources. Especially some of the demonic creatures. 

Manifestation of the Yellow Stone Horror - A Mini Campaign Idea Using The Victorious Rpg & Wreched Eqoque

 The year is 1872 & Yellow Stone National Park has just literally been declared a national park for the United States. This wonder of the natural world has been declared a national resource. Something however isn't right. This isn't our world you see. Yellowstone in our world is one word but on this Earth it's two. 

The PC's literally are awakened out of bed as sensitives, occultists, psionicists, etc. all have strange nightmares across the country about some foul entity that crosses over into our world. 

Everyone dreams of a headless bride that walks along the edge of the grounds of the Great Falls. This is followed a couple of days later by the disappearance of several couples and vistors to the park. 
Yellow Stone National Park is known to many as the site of many paranatural occurances. 

The dreams intensify as guests and locals have encounters with horrid imp like demonic things. And manifestations of ghosts, undead, etc. all bringing in occultists like moths to the flame. 

The United States government grows more concerned as the deaths mount & the park begins to lose money. And then odd weather begins to occur with regularity. Streaks of black lightning, ball lightning encounters, and more deaths happen. The US government puts out the call for agents of unsual aspect. And PC's chosen to answer. This is a mid level campaign. With the local native American tribal leaders having thier own concerns as well. The tourist dollars are not flowing into
thier coffers either and so it has become thier tribal elders concern as well. There are urban legends wihin certain occult circles that this national parks are being used to contain great supernatural evil.  And this evil is trying to break out! 

What's really going on here?! The Yellow Stone National Park is part of a network of deep under Earth networks that channel occult & supernatural power. Certain dark forces from the Beyond have been taking full advantage of this to intrude into this world. 

Manifest Destiny from Troll Lords is going to be one of the key resources for this mini campaign. As well as Victorious itself. And this campaign is going to be relying on investigation as well as combat.

The Red Room's Wreched Eqoque rpg is another overlapping resource. The creatures & ideas here are key to dealing with the Dark Forces that are plaguing Yellow Stone National Park. And the idea for this campaign isn't from some Penny Dreadful instead it's the classic teen horror film 'The Gate'. 
Some teens have opened a gateway within the National Park and things are getting out of hand. Can the 'heroes' get things under control?

Review & Commentary 'Victorious Manifest Destiny' By Mike Stewart For The Victorious Rpg From Troll Lord Games

"A supplement for the Victorious RPG. From sea to shining sea, the American republic stands paramount despite unhealed wounds of the Civil War, the battles with the remaining Indian tribes, and Segregation that still mars the nation. This book details the United States of the 1880s and 1890s, giving details both historical and fantastical for heroes and heroines who fight for justice in the Great Republic." 

Manifest Destiny By Mike Stewart is a world gazettier book that covers North America & Great Britian of the alternative Victorian era of the Victorious Rpg. They say that world & adventure books set out the guildelines for that campaign setting by laying down the history, background, and more within. And this is where Manifest Destiny excels. Manifest Destiny clocks in at forty six pages and it dives into the United States & Britian with alternative history gusto. 
We get all of the underlined details especially when it comes to the history and background of the United States as the setting of Victorious rpg's alternative Earth. An alternative Earth where heroes of 21 century have ported in & are adapting quite nicely to the Victorian era. 

This isn't to say that these supers are adapting without rough patches or culture clash. Quite the opposite in point of fact where the supers are both the bane & boon of the Victorian New York City. Mike Stewart knows both his supers & his Victorian New York details in both broad strokes & small details citing everything from living conditions, street gangs, crime, and other adventure elements that make a campaign work. Manifest Destiny pulls the reader in & lays everything out in spades for the DM. 

The historic Western United States is covered in equally broad strokes with special attention being paid to the various Native American Indanian tribes covered.  Their history, culture, etc. is covered in quite nicely laid out details. But the various Native American nations are given their current standing in the world of Victorious. And this has been done in a way that makes the Native American tribes a viable adventure option. 

Manifest Destiny serves as both guide book for Victorious while in the second half bringing home Gotham Invictus: New York City as viable campaign setting for a game. Again it does this with the Old West and there's the inclusion of Victorious rpg  NPC's for each of these adventure locations & regions. Again it's Mike Stewart's attention to details which seems to make Manifest Destiny as a supplement that reads like Stewart's home game campaign notes. And this is meant in a good way, as Manifest Destiny takes up the world of Victorious & deals in the PC's. Manifest Destiny is a supplement that's meant to be used, to draw the player's PC's into the world of an alternative Victorian era. A world where Supers are real & their existence has consquences for the world at large. Manifest Destiny is a solid book for the 

 'Victorious Manifest Destiny' By Mike Stewart For The Victorious Rpg From Troll Lord Games Is Available Right Over Here.