GM NOTES: The letter and money was sent by the Vatican, where a letter and gold coins have been kept since 1109. They were deposited by Edmund to be held until this time, and then word was to be sent via the newspaper (Edmund used a lot of divination to set this up).
Nevada is taken from the Spanish word for "snow capped" and Walker lake is in Nevada.
The Walker Lake Indian reservation is the property of the Paiute Indians.
A true witch named Jonah Dane (age 25, patron demon Prince Hiivitis), in league with the Brotherhood of Darkness Inc., has received a sending from his patron to go to the reservation and seek an man who will appear there.
The man he is seeking is Ross Hollyfield, a man on "dimensional exploration." Hollyfield (age 30) is from a parallel world where his father made a fortune in oil sales when his world opened up trade through the I.G.O. (Inter-dimensional Gatekeepers Organization). After getting a degree in anthropology and sociology, Ross joined the I.G.O. and began a career in exploration. Ross is equipped with survival gear, a standard IGO "Explorer" portable dimension gateway device, a backup "Gateway Junior" device and an IGO emergency return beacon implanted in his left shoulder (one use but it will get him home).
Ross' Explorer device is a self-contained dimensional gate generator that can send people to another dimension. The device resembles a large television remote control and is powered by a self-recharging "class C" atomic battery. The battery takes 72 hours to restore its charge for a trip (though it can charge for up to 100 hours). The device has built in atmospheric and barometric readers, I.G.O. GPS, standard I.G.O. world frequency directory and recorder, a compass and a Geiger counter to aid a traveler - as well as an IGO transponder and receiver to download information from IGO transponders (which are placed on all worlds the IGO has made a complete survey of). It also has a tracker function that allows it to duplicate a gate frequency if used in the same spot as a previous gate within 6 hours of the last gate. The "Junior" model he uses for backup has only the compass, an IGO receiver, an IGO recorder and a 72 hour battery. It does have a "tracker" function.
Jonah wishes to relieve Ross of the bridge generator and plans to use it to
comb other worlds for magical artifacts, weaponry, ect. - which he will then
donate to the Brotherhood of Darkness.
Jonah's Stats:
| STR = 13 | INT = 13 | THR = 12 | HPT = 128 |
| CON = 12 | WIS = 11 | DOD = 12 | SNS = 14 |
| DEX = 13 | LCK = 10 | ACC = 15 | MRE = 08 |
| AGL = 17* | CRZ = 11 | STB = 80 | PIE = 19 |
SKILLS & SPELLS OF NOTE:
| Incantations = 16 | Rituals = 16 |
| Magic, Black = 18 | Divination = 12 |
| Wizardy = 18 | Illusion = 17 |
| Unholy = 20 | Curse = 16 |
| Alchemy = 17 | Protection = 14 |
| MCD = 19 | WKM = 3566 (night) 1788 (night) |
When Ross appears Jonah will be waiting to "guide" him by using his suggestion power to get Ross to tell him about the device and how to use it. He will take Ross on a tour of the reservation in a small jeep he "acquired" from a local. The reservation has a thriving fishing and mining industry (silver deposits and several gravel quarries) but maintains a small town atmosphere. The town of Schurz is the main source of business and residential housing (use the small town map in the B13 book).
When agents arrive, Jonah will be reading a small book while standing barefoot on the edge of the water, holding the main Gateway device. Ross will be fishing calmly off one of the many the piers. If the agents are a powerful team, add some thugs on Jonah's side. As soon as the agents attract his attention, Jonah will strike Ross with a lightning bolt and activate the Gateway (this alters the dimensional frequency of everything above ground within 6 feet of the device and shifts them to another dimension). This will transport him and one of the pier struts to another earth.
If/when the agents rescue Ross he will be dying and an emergency beacon in his shoulder will have activated, taking him to an IGO emergency room. Before he is transported, he will tell the agents that Jonah is evil, something about a brotherhood, and that he can be followed with the backup in Ross' pack (sitting on the pier). Unfortunately this will leave the agents without a guide. Let them find in Ross' pack the pocket guide (see below, this came from www.ahtg.com. I used it with some minor changes to keep players from tracking down on the web and to make it more game friendly).
In Ross' pack the agent will find the classification pamphlet, the Voss guide, several pairs of blue jeans and flannel shirts, 4 changes of underwear and socks, a pup tent, sleeping bag, a pouch with 25 5-ounce gold discs, what appears to be 1000 dollars in US currency and 1000 dollars in Confederate money, 10,000 Pesos in 100 peso bills, 1000 dollars in "Texan Stars", 1000 German Riechmarks, 100 bills marked in Russian which denote they are 100 Rubles each as well as 1000 Swiss Francs. In the pack the agents will also find a holographic Identicard with Ross' name, id number #1723542, and a second ID depicting him and declaring him agent #212-EP along with 350 British pounds. There is also a device that looks like a palm pilot filled with notes in Latin on the last 6 worlds Ross visited.
Now the bad part - Jonah shifted to Richmond, C.S.A. (Earth #169): In this Dimension, the CSA won the Civil War but became a heartless, communist-like government. The sky is always brown, and hope is lost. The Union is a sorry excuse for the glory of other Time Lines. Technology has been at a stand still since the late '20's, and the best vehicle these people have is a "car" that goes up to 20 miles an hour. The water is thick and soupy, filled with feces and garbage. If you value your stomach, don't go here.
Jonah is annoyed that this restricted world is restricted for good reason. He is in the town of Screnchburg Junction: a one-horse town that makes money on the gravel quarries nearby. The air is foul and the lake polluted. His Gateway is going to need 3 full days to recharge and what's worse is his magic is weakened here (as will the magic of any mages on board. On the plus side the anti-tech field a mage with a staff has will not be in effect here, different dimension different rules). Bad news for mages they will regain power at half their normal rate while here.
Rules for the gateway devices
The agents will need to locate Jonah (and crew) and reclaim the device he
has stolen. Where it goes from there is up to the GM.
INTER-DIMESIONAL GATEKEEPERS ORGANIZATION POCKET GUIDE TO WORLD CLASSIFICATION:
Introduction: Contrary to what so called "sliders" tell you, interdimensional travel is neither as dangerous nor as difficult
as it used to be. With the advances in interdimensional technology and the addition of new tracking technology, interdimensional
travel is as safe as taking a plane trip, (probably safer since the engineers test it on themselves first).Mind you once you get
to your destination things may not be safe so you need to plan ahead.
Planning first trip: If this is your first interdimensional trip,
it is strongly recommended that you visit a place that has an IGO rep already stationed there. Once you have made several trips,it is
recommended that you try a group, or at least small group tour led by an experienced guide. You can tell how experienced a guide really
is because an experienced guide will not take you to a world he's never been on before (we all know who caused that rule, we wont mention
any names, but his initials are Q.M., you'll know him because he's only been seen on non IGO worlds.) A good guide will have several contacts
on any world that he takes a group to. He will also make sure that you have had your medchecks before letting you come.
Always get your Medcheck before you leave and after you come back. Sometimes whole populations have been wiped out when stupid
people forgot that the people they were visiting did not have immunity to their colds,flus etc. Also a good guide will have a way
of getting you out in an emergency. Never trust a device that works on a timer!
Stuff you need:
Clean underwear (100% cotton ,can be worn or sold) Blue Jeans (can be sold on certain worlds) Extra clothing is good.
Hygiene (low tech manual stuff like disposable razors and shaving cream are good) First Aid kit (paint over the red cross
sign, on Muslim worlds it might be offensive) Sport shakes (they're so tasty, plus the food on the world might be really
nasty) Canteens of water (at least until you determine local water supply is safe) Medcheck- To make sure you are not carrying
any communicable diseases before you go and when you come back. Money-see section on money Language-see section on language
Money: Interdimensionaly the good point is whenever you go somewhere, bring gold or silver.
You might want to make sure the form you bring it in is acceptable in the society you go to. For instance, gold bullion is
illegal to own on a few worlds. If you carry money on you be generous in moderation. Donations to Churches are always good
(unless your in the Union of Socialist States of America). Bookmark any particularly good worlds for saving in gold (if you
can go there on a regular basis you can save your loot there ConFed savings in Libertarian America is always good (What Great
Depression?)). Technology could be quite useful in trade (How much would the Incas have paid for a Smallpox vaccine)
Language: The problem is that most societies you go to you will be vastly foreign to anyone there. Until you are
familiar,if you speak English stay in American timelines post 1800, or British post 1832 Once you've become familiar with
historical customs you can probably get away with British type civs after 1688.If you can speak Latin(always a good language),
you can probably make your way in most Roman Imperial or Alt Catholic-world types. You might be able to pose as a Pilgrim,
(Either direction as long as Christianity has been accepted in the Roman worlds).
Identification: Many areas like people with IDs much more than people w/o id's. Having a passport even from a country
that does not exist in this world is better than not having anything at all. Having a passport from a major country like the US
is good. But strangely enough to most newcomers, the best passport to have is a Swiss passport. The Swiss have been essentially
unchanged since the 16th century,and noone other the Austrians seem to have a problem with them. The Swiss passports are good
everywhere in many worlds which divergence point was later than 1600 except Switzerland. The Swiss government on many worlds will
let you buy a non-residents passport for a hefty fee (its worth it).
Customs: Unless you have your own interdimensionaly untraceable Gridney Dimensional Conduit, (much more rare than people
think), you will have to comeback through IGO customs. Note: do not steal from IGO worlds they do have extradition treaties.
However the concept of a raw deal hasn't been put on the books yet, so do come back with a Mona Lisa from another world,
(IGO or not), with a legit bill of sale for $100, and the customs men will give you a hard look and levy a duty between $10
and $600 and let you go on your way. Although the tax man will probably make you cough up the big bucks when you sell it, (if you do).
IGO Travel Advisories and Ratings
To make your travel between worlds more enjoyable and safer, the IGO's Explorers Division has put together a set of rating and advisory codes to make it easier to identify the kind of world you may be visiting. The IGO does not publish the dimensional frequencies for any world rated Class E or less. To get the dimensional frequency for a class F, you have to apply to the IGO Board of Overseers. There will be a hearing, and you'll have to present your reasons for going to that world, and the IGO's Security & Safety Officer will speak out why you should not. Only 12% of Class F applications are granted.
Class 'A' Ratings
Class A's range from A-1: Luxury worlds, to A-5: Motel 8 worlds. For those of you not native to the USA, think of a motel 8 world as Fawlty Towers without the charm. Earth Prime rates a qualified A-2. It should really be a A-3, but there are enough hotels, spas, retreats, and parks, that it gets an A-2 rating.