The Caverns

This is an area of Mort to torment your squads with. Where the caverns are in your world is entirely up to you... In sue wop they are around the edges of upper down town. BUt they could just as easily be under a Canibal sector or deep in lower down town. If it works better for you split them over a number of locations.. I don't care. But I would be interested to know what you do with it

Section 1 - Spelunking for beginners

"The caverns? Why do you want to know about them? Hey they are just bad news and more bad news.
"Why? Well every couple of months we get a carrien attack. They come up through the sewers or out of some sink hole on the wasteland or one of those tunnels round Blighton. You don't get much warning. There are here then they are gone probably along with a couple of people. There's meant to be a big nest down there some where, but I don't know any one desperate enough to go looking.
"The pigs come out of there as well. They are just one of those constant problems. You see them sniffing around looking for anything easy they can take. They are not to much of a problem to be honest, couple of shots and if they're not cornered they'll leg it. 'Cept this one big bastard. He's been around for as long as I can remember. Dead distinctive, got this deep scar cross one eye. He doesn't come far from the tunnel entrance so he can't be all that dumb. Probably why he has lasted so long. But I've seen him stand is ground for a really good bit of trash. But if your bright you just let him have his way and he'll pick it up and slope off with it. You know a couple of months back there was a suggestion of a symbol for the sector? Didn't go very far, but some one suggested the big pig, and I don't think they were joking.
"And you hear things you know. Bout other stuff. I've never seen anything myself but well you know...
"Like? Like.. We have had some problems with people, kids mostly, vanishing. Some say its something down there . I don't know. Me I think its just the trade. But may be people are not willing to face up to that going on. I have a mate went down into the tunnels near Blighton a few months back, looking for some young kid who went down there as a bet. If you really want to know what is down there, he can tell you more than me." Jack Bolder, Mistran street."

900 years of build, collapse and rebuild has taken its toll on what passes for ground beneath the streets of mort. The abandoned basement's of long forgotten buildings, the ground floors of subsided tower blocks, together with the old sewers have become a warren of tunnels. These have been enlarged and extended by the digging action of the inhabitants of this dark world and the erosion by the constant flow of polluted rain water. Some years ago the collapse of a number of building in the region known as Blighton revealed this network of tunnels and old sewers long forgotten by SLA, and stated a whole new nightmare for the local residents.

The caverns have an important role to play in the mentality of the inhabitants. They are the 'old witch house' or deserted warehouse. They are the source of ghost stories and where the boogie man retreats to against the activities of the Day. Of course this being Mort, many of the stories are all too true.

There are no maps to these places, besides frequent cave ins would make them useless with in months. There is little light, a few places where sink holes provide shafts of light into the gloom from above, however as most of these are considered a potential route into the sector for the things below they are sealed up when ever they are located. Most of the residents believe that the main routs to the surface are in a region know as Blighton, however the collapses between the sewer system and the tunnels means that in fact the horrors of the caverns can break surface almost anywhere in the area.

The residents of the world above are cautions of entering the caverns, and with good reason.
Dangers come in many forms;

Even return from such an expedition does not mean all is safe. Some years a go an area of town was hit by a strange and still unidentified disease, which was blamed on a expedition into the caverns a few weeks before the first symptoms. Progression of the disease was rapid and fatal. Despite the best attempts of the medical staff no cure or relief could be found. When the Medical staff started to show symptoms the supreme sacrifice was made; the hospital where the sufferers were quarentened was sealed off. The entombed building now acts as a memorial to the bravery of the people who agreed to remain alive in side rather than risk spreading the disease.

Despite these dangers people do go down into the caverns.
Events on the surface occasionally promotes search parties of CAF armed adults to clear out pigs who have taken up residence too close to the communities. A resent rumour of a Skin trade hang out prompted a militia of enraged parents to risk the caverns, they found nothing.
Gang initiation may include a demonstration of bravery by sending the potential member to retrieve some proof from the caverns.
Some times one of these initiates brings back a real prize of some valuable trinket revealed by a recent cave in or flood. The gang may send a party into the caverns to locate the source of this goodie and see what else has been uncovered. Word soon gets round and 'gold fever' can take hold with normally sane people risking the dangers of the darkness in hopes of finding something that will change their lives.-
All too often they do.

"There is no way that we would go down into those tunnels. Hell we won't even walk the streets at Blighton, there's no way we're going to walk under them. Get some Ops to do it, that's what they're good for."
Shiver Tom Dunstan

Section 2:Carrien

"What you haven't heard about the Edge Hill stand. Hell its a legend round here. Round 888 there was this big carrien uprising. They came flooding out of them caverns running wild. They all centred of the Edge Hill bar, its a prop hang out in the waste land. Waves on waves of them. Over 200 bodies left by the end. They say Barman Sam re built the whole bar, and still made a profit out of the Carrien head pay.
They've been pretty quiet in that area since then. Guess he sacred them off."
-Boots, Blood Dogs gang member (16)

The carrien community of the caverns are no way as homogeneous as the people on the surface believe. In fact there are a number of almost constantly warring factions. Some of these, usually those found deeper in the caverns express horrible mutations and these seems to be the bases for the divisions.

Every few years a shortage of food and materials in the deeper caverns force the mutants up towards the surface. Being stronger and more violent than the surface dwellers (who survive mostly on scavenging and easy pray -like the pigs and lost humans) thes e attacks push the upper cavern carriens up on to the surface, and cause uprisings similar to the one in SD888. (Actually the result of a flash flood that submerged almost all of the deeper tunnels}, and pushed all of the deeper communities to the surface.

There are three main factions in the deeper Tunnels.

  1. The largest and most successful is lead buy a stupidly huge Carrien standing 4m tall. This individual finds it hard to negotiate the twisting tunnels of his domain, and holds court in a large concrete bunker (once a pumping station for the long abandoned sewer system, with all the pipe work and machinery now ripped out.) He has a number of 'lieutenants' who deal with the day to day organisation of the group and bring before him anything of interest found in the caverns, He takes great delight in killing any enemies or dissenters himself, and it is this bloody exertion that keeps his followers in line
  2. His main danger comes not from another large group, but from a small faction of Carriens numbering no more than 20. The difference this group are using weaponry obtained from scavenging the caverns and in some rare cases trading with Scavs' This small faction are even known to deliberately target armed groups, whilst leaving those without the equipment they crave alone. Constantly on the move to avoid the other groups; they operate by sending out small scouting groups who look for light in the caverns, a sure sign the target has technology. They will then use there knowledge of the systems to set up an ambush for their intended victims, splitting them up first if it is a large or well equipped group.. Every thing they do is stealth knowing too well that noise will attract the attention of the other carriens or companions of the target.
  3. The final significant faction is strange even for Carrien. Rarely seen they express some of the most extreme mutations, with extra limbs and hardened almost armoured skin being common. They are based very deep in the caverns in a large natural formation eroded by the constant flow of water. The circular cave has an natural central dais on which sits their "leaders" an almost symbiotic couple.
    The most vocal of the pair is the female carrien, who spends her time issuing commands to her 'followers'. She has 4 horns, 1 pair like antlers the other like straight and spiral (like antelope).
    The male is a small (3ft) with numerous prehensile tails that it uses in preference to its short arms to feed the female from the offerings their followers make (He does not feed himself, preferring to suckles almost constantly from his partner).
    Particularly favoured individuals (usually ones who bring back items that excites her) are rewarded by being allow to join the male at her breast. The 'milk' she generates is a powerful mutagen. A few days after consuming the milk the individual under-goes a marked but mostly random alteration. The male seems to be immune from these effects.
    Lying around these cave are the trophies of this group. The non edible shiny things that her carrien bring back form their raids into the caverns. Department of Archaeology would love to get into this place.

Section 3: Dr Goodall and his Mutants

"Dr Goodall? Yea I met him a couple of times. Bit weird if you ask me, bounces around a lot asks lots of silly questions. He wanders in here every couple of months to resupply. Where did you say he was working? Down in the Caverns? Shit I though he was wandering around wasteland. Nah you've got it wrong. He's been alive far too long for him to be going down there."
- Chelsy McCray, shop keeper.

Extracts from the on going observations of Mutant human cultures in the tunnels beneath sector 19} by Dr David Goodall. Meny Instant Press system - SD 900

Report 0203900-1
Back with the more successful group again. Generally these are in better condition than most of the mutants I have been studying. They suffer from less disease, this may be due to the increased territory and thus better food supply. However the group shows the same abnormalities that I have observed in all the groups. There is no individual which is overly afflicted. I discovered the reason for this on my last visit when I witnessed the birth of a new member of the community. The new born babe was brought before the matriarch, and it became rapidly clear that it was missing one arm, and its skull was ill proportioned. The child was instantly killed and then thrown to the waiting family who devoured it despite the screams of the mother. At first I was horrified, but I suppose in some strange way they were doing the unfortunate soul a favour. It is unlikely that one so deformed would survive long in this environment. The other children with the group are well looked after, and never left alone. When food is available the children are fed first, the smallest feeding on regurgetated material from the oldest nurse.

The matriarch, I term Mother,is amazingly obese, much more so than one would expect for a community with a limited food supply. I can't help feeling this is some genetic abnormality.

I received the DNA reports back from the lab and they confirm my suspicion that all members of this group are genetically related, with mother being mother, grandmother or great grandmother to them all. I await further analysis but they also seem to be very inbreed. May be this explains the power she has over them. I have witnessed some minor dissent when she is out of sight, yet she seems to know and chastises the offender immediately on her return. How she knows of this remains a mystery. Often I can see no way any one could have communicated the information.

It seems they found my last hide and destroyed it after I left, but I have been able to set up a new one in a forgotten side tunnel. From this vantage point I can get a good view of the cavern they are using as a main home at the moment.
Once again they seem to have set up a central base and are sending out raiding parties to bring back food and equipment. Mother is definitely still in control and holds ever increasing power over the group. The old man seems to have vanished since I was last with this group. There is no sign of him, but considering the way they responded to the dead child it is likely he ended up in the pot with the rest of the evenings meal.

Report 0603900-2

The young girl I've labelled Cone reappeared. A bit of a relief seeing as I had not seen her since my return. She is obviously pregnant again, I'd guess at 8 months. Which means it is probably the result of the mating - rape by One-ear I witnessed last time. She spent the morning lying next to Mother being groomed and petted. Some times it is hard to reconcile this care and tenderness with the brutality I see. May be this one will live a little longer than the last one.

Report 0803900-3

Their food supply seems to be running short again. They have been fighting amongst the family. Mother seems to be unconcerned with this, even when they draw blood. I hope they don't move one too soon. It is hard to keep up observations when they are travelling. Still I should get some warning. Mother is finding it increasingly hard to move round, and Cone can not be far off now.

Report 1003900-4

They got very excited last night. I was woken by Mother shouting. I still can't understand exactly what they are saying, but they were obviously very excited about something. One of them, a male have only seen on odd occasions before, I believe he may be a scout for the family, was making strange noises and gesturing out into the tunnels.

She picked out some of the larger males, and seemed to be telling them something. They then grabbed a few other and all headed off into the tunnels. She got the rest of them to stoke up the ever burning fire.

Report 1103900-5

Well they are not going to be short of food. There was lots of excitement as 4 of the larger members dragged in a pig. Mother congratulated them in her own way. (She hit them less than she did the others.) It promoted a feeding frenzy. I doubt any of the meat got any where near the fire. One of the males pushed Cone out of the way when she came to feed and Mother screamed at him. The effect was amazing. He huddled in the corner for over fifteen minutes, his hand over his head. Cone got a large choice bit of rib and ate it in front of him. I swear she was taunting him. But he didn't make one move against her, even when Mother hobbled off into her small sub cave.

Report 1103900-6

Last night one of the raiding groups, the one lead by the male I have labelled Wagstaff, came back with a small cache of weapons and a fe members light I noted. Some of them were definitely SLA only things, but there were a few others that I couldn't identify. I'll try and get closer and see what they have got. They have some ammo but not much.

Report 1203900-7

Wow. I have no idea where Wagstaff got this stuff from, but given the blood on the handle they didn't give it up without a fight. Ok there are Fen 603's and a MAL AR, fortunately with no Ammo, and two things I have no idea what they are. I left it all there. The last time I moved anything they "brought back to mother" she beat one of her consorts to death.} As savage as these things are I don't want to be responsible for any more fatalities.

Report 1203900-8

The MAL AR has gone. Must have been late, Mother had it hanging on her throne as a trophy or something and now it is not there. Strange.

Wagstaff was waving one of the 603's round. He and a few of his closest groups then vanished into the tunnels. Bodes ill for some one.

Report 1303900-9

Wagstaff and his friend came back with two more pigs and some large white worm like thing. I have no idea where they got it from. Mother insisted they cooked it before they ate any of it and she got Smallchild to rub some of that mould they supplement their diet with into it. It seemed to go down well. I wish I could understand what they are saying. I am sure I could learn so much about the other things living down here.

They seem to be out of Ammo as they just threw the 603's into the corner when they came back.

I marvel that their apparent knowledge of surface technology. Occasionally I see them making use of some device, only to discards it once the batteries are dead or the Ammo expended. Despite this I have never seen any of them teaching one of the others. A hierarchy appears to be developing between those that understand the equipment, which are rapidly becoming favoured by Mother, and those who do not.

Report 1403900-10

They have gone. I have no idea how. Last night they vanished all of them without disturbing me. Damn. I was making progress. I wonder what scared them off.

They left a few broken things, but nothing of value.

Time to start again.

The land under the streets of mort has its own Communities and lives. Families of Carrien break the surface. But the clan's of mutated humans rarely risk the surface, preferring to use the advantage of home ground and the darkness they are accustomed to.

They are descents of the people who once lived in the collapse tenements and those who retreated into this darkness in hiding, the mutants are barely human now. Long exposure to the pollution of Mort, the lack of light and constant inbreeding has caused a variety of mutations. Miss-shapen limbs and strange skin colouring are ubiquitous, and more serious problems common.
Numbering in the hundreds, the mutants, are split into smaller families throughout the tunnels. Collecting in groups of around twenty, they hunt in their immediate area searching for anything they can eat, whether it's rats, Carrien or unlucky Operatives. Each smaller family, consists of about a dozen older adults (male and female),} will have a place they call home, normally a building that has been buried. Here they will start a fire from a branch from one of the other families, and this will mark the centre of their territory until the fire dies out. As the group gets too large to be sustained, Mother chooses the best to keep closest to her, and sends new families out to find new areas to take over.
She is also believed to know when the smaller families are under attack, sending others out to help them if needed.} This is made possible by the innate tactical and communication abilities of the figure known as Mother; just as inbreeding can create cretins it can also create genius and miracles. This is what is happening in themutants Goodall is observing: Mother is empathic. Cone, her prodigy, is developing similar and possible even more advanced talents.
For the most part Mutants avoid people entering the tunnels if they are in groups, they may attack the solitary traveller, but they are a rarity. Some how Dr Goodall hides amongst them and they ignore him} despite the equipment an d food he carries.
It is possible that if Goodall is of the same genetic stock as the mutants and thus they scent him as being one of them and so ignore him.
Or May be 'Mother' is aware of his observations. May be she has him lined up as the next mate for her beloved Cone in an attempt to bring Clean DNA back into the family..?

Section 4:Dedicated cavern dwellers.

Fuck that was scary. I am never going down there again. Did you see the size of that thing? What the hell was it? I've got no idea I just kept running a shooting. Just get me back to uptown. That's the last green I take in this sector."
- Winsten Human strike operative.} SCL 8.C

Deeper in the caverns are creatures whose most ancient ancestors never saw the sky. Just as the pollution has taken its toll on the humans that descended into the depths so it has effected the pigs, rats and other creatures of the deep.

Down here the biosphere of Mort is still alive, but by no means could it we called well. Dark pools of pollution bubble with the heat of old vents. Strange bacterial and fungal growths float on the surface of these vents; the Archeobacter (dinosaurs of the microbial world) have found a home here, transforming the materials with would kill any other life form into their own bodies.

Unfortunately this does little for the contamination of the air, and the atmosphere at this level will push the enviro-meters well off the scale. Sealed armour with independent air supply is a or a serious and long term decontamination procedure will be required; and even then there is no guarantee against mutation or disease.

However these primitive microbes are the start of the convoluted food cycle of the caverns.

Grazing on this are deformed fish, picking at the floating mats from below.

A small mouse like creature that balances on the fungal strands, trying to pull just enough from its floating raft to to feed without disturbing the buoyancy and plunging itself into the poisonous liquid below.

There is a variant of pig that has developed poisonous quills, Using the long sharp structures as a convenient place to put all the toxins it absorbs from its diet. Leaving its flesh clean and tender, and providing a potent defence at the same time.

Blind white worms, up to 4m long, move thorough the fluids. They grab anything that moves in their liquid domain and drag it down into the water; drowning it before swallowing it whole.

Arachnids have taken over whole sections of the caverns. Using the uneven floor they are able to set their traps, waiting for the tremors from above to tell it food is on the way. Springing from below they inject venom into the victim before dragging the paralysed creature (or unfortunate op) into its domain to digest it in comfort.

In the deepest part of the Cavern is the Pool. A large subterranean lake in to which all the waters of the surrounding sectors drain. Here is the greatest pollution, and yet even here things still move.

The largest and most threatening inhabitant is a small community of squid like creatures. Growing bodies up to 10m long, and this tentacles which it can throw twice that length they cruise the dark water, feeding off the bodies of things washed down here, and when such prey is rare, each other. They have been known to drag even greater carrien from the narrow walks ways at the edge of the pool. Any splash attracts their attention and so soon a large group will collect around the hapless victim, fighting over the prey and pulling it to pieces.

The caverns biosphere is veracious. The dead do not lie long.
That which is not pulled apart by scavenging creatures, is soon covered in a slimy green fungus which seems to cover every surface of these deeper realms; making any sudden movement extremely dangerous.

Moving over this slime are small colonies of insects; they pick up pieces of the slime carrying them off to their own tunnels and formations. The lines of small workers are protected by larger guard insects with formidable claws and the ability to shoot a highly corrosive acid at anything showing undue attention to the slime patch or the mound.
These mounds are a particular favourite of the spiny pigs, who dig them up to get at the insects grubs. The slime soon invades the remains of the shattered mound and so the cycle starts again.

Section 5:}BPN's arising

A Meny researcher by the Name of Dr Goodall recently send to DNA for analysis 2 of the samples contained sequences that may be of interest to scientists at Karma, but there was not enough sample to work with.
The BPN is to locate Dr Goodall, find out where he got the samples from and obtain more.
In fact the samples are from Cone and Mother and Goodall is some where in the Caverns.
The squad have to locate Goodall some where in the Caverns (or hang around until he reappears form one of his infrequent resupplying trips. They then have to find 'the big group' and some how get blood samples from the two most protected members of that group, both of whom are more than capable of summoning help even if silenced.
On the plus side the Mutants do not have much in the way of ammo, but they are on their own territory.
This should probably be a black, but Karma are feeling cheep and calling it a yellow

Department of Archaeology have heard that there are some "interesting" things down in the caverns, and would kind of like a closer look. (Don't ask how they know)
The Squad will be accompanied by an expert form their department and their task is to keep him alive and assist him to bring back anything interesting he want to examine in more detail and safety.
It's kind of a mucky green :) You could be generous and make it a black if your squad is willing to take such things.
The expert, Dr Simon Brent, wants to go as deep as he can because he is convinced that the floods would wash the 'really neat stuff' down there. He has no self defence (or even self preservation) skills - other than detect, but he is not looking for signs of danger. However he does know his Archaeology and will point out that anything they bring back that leads to a commercial product will be a bit more money in the pocket of the squad.(Of course they have to do the paper work). Remember The armed Carrien group are attracted by artificial light, and the flood water path will lead the squad into the mutant Carrien's main hide out.

BPN concepts:

Green
Report on Life in the caverns and bring back samples.
Really dark grey
The caverns are rumoured to be being used by subversive organisations such as skin trade, dark night and (Join the cult of the month club to fill this space now). Investigate area for evidence of subversive organisation and deal with as appropriate. Bonus for evidence of any subversion dealt with.
Red
Carrien uprising expected after heavy rain fall area. Combat ready squads required to provide heavy weapon suppression and protection of SLA property in vulnerable areas (And you can bet the down town housing is not a vulnerable area)

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