The Horizon Realm
By Brant Harvey Feb. 1995Nodes of Bellerophon Tower
Lizette Mound: A so-called "faerie mound" located just outside of Lizette, Quebec, this Node is connected with a few local legends of mischievous dwarves. These dwarves, which were only active during the full moon, have not been sighted by any witnesses since the construction of the Tower two years ago. Tass sometimes collects here in the form of small, brightly-colored flowers.
The Umpqua Site: This Node, located in western Oregon, is entirely devoid of the spiritual qualities which usually indicate a Node. It might never have been located if it hadn't become associated with sightings of the Ka Luon. It was here that Munnell, searching for the aliens, acquired the Xenologic. UFO sightings in the vicinity declined after Munnell's encounter but have been on the rise since the Tower was created.
Lichtenstein Tower: Dr. Lichtenstein, believing he had sufficient knowledge of Prime to create a Node, decided to test out this theory in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Although his construction, a fifteen-foot tower of iron struts which glows at night with electrical discharges, does indeed produce Quintessence, it does so erratically. It seems to function best just after being struck by lightning. The Tower displays many other quirks. For instance, it has been attacked twice by flocks of birds and once by a small army of lizards. It is also often surrounded by a shimmering "mirage" which, thankfully, obscures it from any Sleepers wandering the desert. Because of these irregularities and because Lichtenstein himself was nearly killed by a Prime surge during the creation of the Node, no similar experiments are planned for the future.
Petrotta's Workshop: The warehouse district of St. Louis holds this small, inconspicuous Node, which was originally used as a workshop by the alchemically-oriented Son of Ether Reynaldo Petrotta. One of Dr. Petrotta's last works was a homunculus, a miniature man created through alchemy. According to Petrotta's journal, the homunculus experiment was indeed successful, but no trace of it has ever been found. Several Laboratory members have reported that, while nobody is in the workshop, somebody rearranges its contents, but none have yet proved it. The warehouse is currently used to store too many science-fiction novels. The Chantry's Earthly assets are stored here. Namely, a rather battered delivery van and a mint-condition Edsel.
The Horizon Realm
Basic Concept
Bellerophon Tower is built in the middle of the Prometheus Desert, which was originally conceived in the mind of its creator, Dr. Lichtenstein. This desert Horizon Realm is a testing ground for the initial terraforming efforts the cabals want to carry out on Mars. Once they can conquer Terran deserts, they'll be ready to move to Phase Two on Mars itself. Although no one can accuse Lichtenstein of being incompetent, he's not exactly original: the desert has a suspicious resemblance to Arizona. This resemblance disappears at night, when the true nature of the Realm becomes evident. Prometheus' night sky, definitely not that of Earth, shines with the light of two moons and a dazzling sea of alien stars.
Considering its youth (the Realm is very definitely in Spring) it shouldn't be surprising that the desert is still almost entirely undeveloped. However, it may be somewhat shocking to find out that the desert isn't actually fully explored, either. Lichtenstein published a science-fiction novel containing a description of the Realm about five years ago. The Scientist gambled on the idea of an audience thinking about the realm and adding some strength to its existence. After publishing the novel Lichtenstein moved on to other things and gave it no further thought. A group of enthusiastic teenagers latched onto it and created a fan circle that began writing their own stories in the same setting. Their imaginative additions began to leak into the Horizon Realm with unpredictable results. Thus, the Prometheus Desert is a mystery even to its maker.
Environment
The desert is reasonably benign as deserts go, with few violent storms and only hot rather than blistering weather. Further, there are copious water-bearing plants scattered throughout the sands and rocks, so plentiful, obvious, and easy to use that it seems almost as though they were created to help sustain life in the desert (they were — this is part of the Laboratory's terraforming scheme).
The zoology of the Realm is extremely weird. The Scientists brought in standard, southwestern American desert animals, such as lizards, when they first arrived. Now, two years afterwards, this bland ecosystem is clearly no longer present. Instead, everything from brightl- plumed eagle-like birds to illogically immense lizards to manticores have been sighted.
This reveals an as-yet-unproven environmental hazard: mutation. It seems that Lamarckian evolution is in full effect in Prometheus, which would fit well with some of the ideas expressed in the novel. Experimentation has shown that Life Science is easier, particularly that dealing with transformation, and that changes to an organism seem to be expressed in its offspring. It is suspected that this can affect humans as well, but this has not yet been observed among the Laboratory's staff. In light of this odd feature of the Realm, its inhabitants are arguing over whether or not to rename it the Proteus Desert.
Denizens of the Realm
The desert is supposed to be uninhabited. However, explorers have seen a winged man (nicknamed "Icarus") flying in the distance on several different occasions. There have also been two encounters with mysterious lights and unexplained laughter. The Scientists have not yet decided whether this is evidence of the Faerie or of stranger beings. Professor Deveraux is investigating both rumors through the development of a "psychic radar" system capable of homing in on sentient minds.
Sphere Effects
Life Science is indeed easier to perform in Prometheus, and skill checks against transforming effects (Shape Tree, Better Body, Metamorphosis) receive a +4 bonus. Attempts to control randomness through Entropy are just slightly more difficult and effects such as Statistical Delation Through Paradigm Alteration will receive a -2 penalty. This same penalty occurs while trying to predict the future through Time and any failures due to this penalty will result in he prediction of a wildly improbable future. There may be other effects on Science in the Realm, but they have yet to be discovered.
The bonus to Life is -2, and the penalty to specific Entropy and Time effects is +1.