The Lost World Attributes
Level: 3
Laws: Magic
Playable Races: Human, Ape-person
Foci: Carries A Quiver, Is Licensed to Carry, Leads, Lives In The Wilderness, Looks For Trouble
Skills:
Connection to the Strange: No direct connection
Connection to Earth: Various Gates.
Age and Size: Juvenile Recursion
Spark: 5%
Trait: Fast, Tough
The Lost World results from the accretion of myths and fiction throughout the ages that describe lost lands divergent from modern history. Whether they have been sheltered from or destroyed by the catastrophes that our world has experienced, these worlds contain long forgotten flora and fauna long since extinct on Earth, and species of hominids that have branched off of the human evolutionary tree millions of years ago. The Lost World is a 500 square mile tropical plateau bordered by sheer cliffs that fall into an endless sea of clouds.
Pterodactlys circle overhead visible through the jungle canopy as primitive humans and ape-people fight bitter wars over territory and resources. Both have primitive technology that allows them to construct simple shelters, clothes and weapons. However, the leaders and shamans of the human tribes sometimes wield magic that allows them to harness the wild untamed power of the forest, and the spirits that occupy it. A brave few have also managed to tame the more intelligent of the terrible lizards, using them as mounts and pack animals.
Victorian England-era explorers traverse the forests and observe the culture of the local inhabitants, sometimes using their superior technology to take sides in the brutal human-ape wars. Deeper still in the jungle lurk the mysterious Saurians. Human and ape alike both know to stay away from their regions of the jungle in which the shrieks and caws of the jungle seem preternaturally quiet.
PCs entering The Lost World are explorers, primitive humans or ape-men. Explorers have garb and technology corresponding 1900’s – 1920’s, this includes safari hats, machetes, rifles, canteens, binoculars, TNT, etc… Explorers try to stay out of local politics, but are frequently harassed, kidnapped and even sacrificed by the ape-people, which triggers their retaliation. Additionally, in times of dire need, the human tribes will come to them begging assistance and bringing gifts of food and shiny stones that the explorers inexplicably treasure so highly. There are 5 tribes of primitive humans that live throughout the Lost World. Some are cave dwellers, and live by the giant lake in the center of the recursion, others are jungle dwellers and live among the trees or in simple structures. They may wield spears, bows, and clubs as weapons. Each tribe will have a handful of magic users, these rare individuals often have the spark and do their best to preserve the wellbeing of their kin. Ape-people may easily be seen as the villians by a visitor, but in fact they act off of the same motivations as the humans: food and resources. The ape-people have learned to use clubs and to throw stones, but intellectually are less advances than humans. They are slower runners due to more banded legs, however they are agile in the treetops and gain an asset in any jungle based combat. The ape-people have also learned to manipulate the mystical magical energy that permeates the jungles to aid in their survival.
Roaming across The Lost World are dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, among the more common of those encountered include:
Pterydactyls (Level 3, with a level 4 swoop attack)
Iguanodons (Level 6)
Stegosaurs (Level 8)
Allosaurs (Level 7)
Plethiosaurs, similar to the loch ness monster (Level 5)
Ichthyosaurs, three-eyed lizard sharks (Level 4)
Arcteryx, half-lizard, half-birds (Level 2)
Glyptodons, giant armodillos (Level 2)
Toxodon, giant, tusked guinea pigs (Level 2)
Phorusrhacos, 12-foot flightless birds with razor sharp beaks (Level 4)
Giant snakes (Level 4)
Poisonous black moths (poison is level 5)
Humans and ape-people (Level 2)
Sources: The Lost World (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), The Land that Time Forgot, The Savange Lands (Marvel), The Myths of Atlantis, Mu, and Lemuria.