TEXT: The World of Aden originAlly creATed by ShAne lAcy henSley
  The Aden Gazette — Issue n°17
   
  Butch Carman, Chief Financial Officer 
  Mike Brodu, Graphic Design & Branding
  For Kyoudai Games
  Shawn Carman, Creative Department
  Rich Wulf, Mechanical Design
  Ryan Carman, Logistics & Development
  Credits
  Written by: Shawn Carman, based on 
  Original Material by Brandon Snyder 
  Editing: Shawn Carman
  Interior Artwork: Jayaraj Paul
  Islands of the Known Lands
  Paradise
  There are rumors and legends spoken in Mekanus, 
  mostly by those who are desperate, hopeful, or inebri-
  ated, of an island somewhere to the west of Urbana 
  that is home to an idyllic village where the Darkfall 
  has not reached. The island’s bounty ensures that those 
  who make their home there want for very little, and 
  the thick, cloying pollution of Mekanus is completely 
  unknown. Some say it is a forgotten hunting preserve 
  established by the royal line of Columbey, long 
  since forgotten. Others say it is home to the 
  descendants of an ancient tribe who struck 
  out onto the seas rather than bend knee to 
  the new nations formed by the Peace of 
  the Rose more than a thousand years ago. 
  The stories change from one person to 
  the next, always impossible, always too 
  good to be true. No one knows the truth.
  Paradise is very real. And it is not at all 
  what people imagine.
  More than a week’s travel west of 
  the coastline of Urbana, on the other 
  side of a dangerous series of reefs that 
  could shred the hull of even the stur-
  diest sailing vessel, there is indeed 
  a large island blessed with abundant 
  resources. A day’s trek inland from 
  the coast through thick jungle there 
  is indeed a village, a settlement that 
  seems quite old and was apparently 
  discovered there long ago, standing 
  
  silently waiting for men to arrive as they first did centuries 
  ago. The people who live in the village, a mixture of races and 
  ancestries, do indeed call their home Paradise, and seem to want 
  for very little.
  Paradise is a prison.
  The real civilization of Paradise is concealed underground, 
  in a vast, pre-existing network of tunnels and caverns that has 
  been dramatically expanded by one of the largest populations 
  of ratmen, a prominent sub-species of ferrans, who arrived on 
  the island dozens of generations ago and promptly took control. 
  The ratmen have tunnels that permit them to access any portion 
  of the island in a fraction of the time that overland travel would 
  require, and have extensively trapped the majority of the island 
  save for a handful of carefully plotted routes through the jungle, 
  most of which are not immediately obvious to the naked eye. 
  Anyone who discovers the island, which is not something that 
  happens more than once every year or so, will have difficulty 
  finding their way inland and surviving. If they manage to do so, 
  they quickly discover that they cannot leave.
  The origins of this strange arrangement are somewhat vague. 
  The people living in the village have little in the way of written 
  records, and as a species, ratmen tend not to care overmuch 
  about history so much as they care about surviving the present. 
  It is generally agreed upon that the ratmen occupied the island 
  first, and regarded the village as little more than a curiosity. 
  Travelers whose ship was blown off course by a storm found 
  the island, explored it somewhat, and departed, the ratmen 
  never having revealed themselves. Unfortunately, the explorers 
  returned later with more ships and began harvesting the island’s 
  resources, which was an unacceptable outcome. The ratmen 
  depended upon the resources for survival, and the conversa-
  tions they overheard indicated that the explorers had no plans 
  to remain there, only to take everything they could. The ratmen 
  knew that they would return, most likely again and again until 
  they had taken everything. This could not be allowed. So they 
  came together to find a solution.
  The ratmen who ruled below Paradise were not bloodthirsty 
  beings. They had existed by themselves for many years without 
  bloodshed, and had no desire to cause any. After many days of 
  debate, they settled upon a plan. When the explorers returned 
  again, the ratmen used distraction and misdirection to guide 
  them to the island’s interior, where they found the village. While 
  the explorers stayed there, the ratmen set countless jungle traps 
  and sank the ships the explorers came in. Then they revealed 
  themselves to the explorers in the village and told them that 
  they could either remain in the village safely and have their 
  needs met through the ratmen’s largesse, or they could attempt 
  to escape the island and most likely perish.
  Many of the explorers attempted to flee the village. Some 
  turned back after the first few were killed. Others were rescued 
  from certain death by the ratmen and returned. Some insisted 
  on forging ahead. Only a few of the latter survived, and of those 
  who did, the ones who lasted long enough to build a raft to 
  escape found themselves facing a watery grave when they inev-
  itably dashed the raft to pieces on the treacherous reefs around 
  Paradise. Initially there were only a handful of survivors, but in 
  twos and threes over the course of hundreds of years, more and 
  more have come to join them until the village became a true 
  settlement, albeit not a voluntary one.
  Since the Darkfall, the mood at Paradise has changed some-
  what. Only a few have found their way to the island since 
  that cataclysmic event, but those newcomers have expressed 
  a profound gratitude to have found a settlement with ample 
  resources that is so well defended, as the ratmen are completely 
  ruthless in eradicating any nocturnals that appear on the island. 
  Unfortunately the change has not been uniformly positive. 
  After Lord Urbane’s attempt to destroy the ratmen population 
  of Mekanus with the alchemical poison arkana, a handful of 
  ratmen refugees found their way to the island as well, and their 
  feelings toward the surface dwellers are markedly more violent 
  than that of their kin.
  Features of the Island
  •	The	 Village – As previously mentioned, the village at the 
  island’s center is ancient, constructed primarily of stone, and 
  its original inhabitants are unknown to anyone who has ever 
  seen it. The original buildings are slightly more widely spaced 
  than is normal for modern settlements, and there have been 
  some additions made to the village by enterprising inhabitants 
  who wished to add more structures. It seems foolish, given 
  that the settlement is large enough that all pre-existing build-
  ings have never been occupied at any one time. Regardless, 
  the ratmen who oversee the island have never been especially 
  concerned with aesthetics, and thus have never objected to 
  alterations made to the village’s layout.
  •	The	 Jungle – The climate on the island is very warm and 
  humid, and has resulted in a great deal of overgrowth by plants 
  in any region that is not frequently cleared away. This suits 
  the island’s populace just fine, for the most part. The jungles 
  are heavily occupied with a large variety of both flora and 
  fauna, including some very dangerous predators as well as a 
  number of small game animals that the villagers depend upon 
  for protein. Very few villagers are ever permitted to hunt, as 
  most of that is done by the ratmen warriors who patrol the 
  region. There are a number of very productive fruit and nut 
  producing trees within the jungle, but an equal number that 
  are highly poisonous, and even more venomous snakes and 
  insects. All in all, it is an extremely dangerous environment, 
  and the fact that the ratmen keep the villagers from entering it 
  probably saves just as many lives as it takes.
  •	The	Caverns	(Hell’s	Switchback) – The true depth and width 
  of the tunnel network and the natural caverns that exist 
  beneath Paradise are known only to the ratmen who make 
  their home there; no one else has ever traveled beneath the 
  island and returned. The vast majority of the materials that 
  the ratmen harvest from newly arrived ships are transported 
  below ground, where it becomes part of their bizarre and 
  eclectic construction. Entire caverns have been filled with 
  their mismatched method of construction, which resembles 
  nothing so much as an urban slum created with all manner of 
  refuse and castoffs from wealthier homes. 
  •	The	 Reefs	 (Shark’s	 Wrath) – Without question the most 
  important aspect of Paradise’s separation from the world 
  beyond its waters are the jagged, twisting reefs that surround 
  it. The reefs are a known navigational hazard to the very few 
  2
  
  water-going individuals who have been in the vicinity of the 
  island before. Of those few who know where the island is, 
  there are among them individuals who are aware that no one 
  who has ever set foot on the island has left. They do not know 
  the truth about Paradise, but instead assume it is home to 
  some horrific threat that has gone undetected by the outside 
  world. 
  •	“The	Graveyard”	(Regret	of	Bone) – The shallow waters imme-
  diately surrounding the island are home to a vast number of 
  scuttled ships, the majority of which have had almost every-
  thing except the hulls and keels stripped from them by the 
  ratmen in order to expand their subterranean holdings. Most 
  of the wreckage is below the water line to ensure that it does 
  not attract unwanted attention from any ships passing near 
  the outer reefs, but at times of particularly low tides portions 
  of them are exposed. If someone had extensive knowledge of 
  shipbuilding, a lot of tools, and an extremely long time, it is 
  possible that a small seafaring vessel could be crafted from 
  these remnants, but those who would make their escape from 
  the island have none of those.
  Denizens	of	the	Island
  The Villagers
  The denizens of the village at Paradise’s center are a mixture 
  of all races, predominantly human but including all manner of 
  others including a variety of ferrans of different species. The 
  introduction of newcomers periodically over the years has led 
  to a strange variant of Western Common with a large number 
  of borrowed words from other languages being spoken in the 
  village, so much so that new arrivals can acclimate quickly 
  to understand everyone. Throughout the history of the island, 
  those who have spent long amounts of time in the village, and 
  even more so their descendants, have become increasingly 
  content with their lot and have not questioned it overmuch. New 
  arrivals have been more resistant and often violently oppose 
  being kept in the village. Such individuals who cannot accli-
  mate over time often come to an ill end, either dead by their 
  own attempts to escape or, reluctantly, killed by the ratmen to 
  prevent them fomenting insurrection.
  In the past decade, the situation has changed significantly. 
  Newcomers to Paradise are surprisingly pleased to find an oasis 
  of respite from the Darkfall, as the ratmen keep the nocturnal 
  presence on the island brutally curtailed. Given that the villagers 
  are allowed to do whatever they wish within the village and its 
  immediate surroundings, the only restrictions being that they 
  must produce certain items that the ratmen require and that they 
  may not leave the island’s interior without consent and an escort 
  from their largely benevolent captors. News of the dire state 
  of the world beyond the island, however, has begun to inflame 
  the interests of younger denizens of the island, those who were 
  raised there their entire lives, and sparked a fire in them to see 
  beyond their borders. 
  The Ratmen
  The ferrans are an incredibly diverse people, created for 
  that precise purpose in order to provide the nation of Aramyst 
  with a varied population for use as slaves. While that did not 
  work out particularly well for the Aramystians, in the centuries 
  since, their adaptability has served the ferrans well and allowed 
  them to thrive in a number of different environments. Perhaps 
  because they are partially rats, a species of creature than can 
  survive almost anywhere, the ratmen are a particularly hardy 
  sub-species that is well known for being difficult to kill. Unfor-
  tunately, this additional strength comes at a cost, as the ratmen 
  also tend to suffer from a significantly more stand-offish nature; 
  they generally do not get along well with other races, and even 
  have difficulty with many other ferran species as well.
  The ratmen of Paradise have developed a strange caste 
  system over the years that has, admittedly, served them very 
  well in their endeavors. Their ranks have been sorted into three 
  broad tribes, each of which fulfills a specific purpose within 
  their society. Each of the tribes has a leader, and those three 
  leaders serve the Great Chief, who oversees the entirety of their 
  people. When the Great Chief dies, a new Great Chief is gener-
  ally selected from among the leaders of the three tribes.
  •	The	Warrior	Tribe – The largest of the ratmen contingents 
  by far, the warriors are responsible for ensuring the secu-
  rity of the tunnels, caverns, and the overland island itself 
  from all potential threats, including newcomers, nocturnals, 
  and potential escapees. They patrol the overland tirelessly, 
  constantly on the lookout for any new threat that may have 
  manifested itself through the Darkfall’s foul presence, as well 
  as making sure that no excursions from the village have been 
  attempted. 
  •	The	Shaman	Tribe – Although intelligent beings with expe-
  rience in modern society, the ratmen tribes of Paradise are 
  nevertheless somewhat primitive with regard to their outlook 
  toward magic. The affinity for magic seems somewhat less 
  prevalent among their ranks than among other races, and even 
  among the other species of ferrans. Those who possess it are 
  inducted into the ranks of the shamans, regardless of their 
  birth. Likewise, those born into the shaman tribe who do not 
  possess an affinity for magic are fostered into one of the other 
  tribes based upon their perceived attributes. 
  •	The	Tinkerer	Tribe – The smallest of the ratmen tribes consists 
  of those who have, either through natural proclivities or 
  extensive study of confiscated materials, come to understand 
  the rudiments of steam power and the various technologies 
  associated with it. Needless to say, they are quite skilled at 
  less complicated arts, such as carpentry and metalworking, 
  and are responsible for ensuring that the jungle’s deadliest 
  traps are maintained, and they strip all valuable resources 
  from newly arrived ships before scuttling them. The tinkerers 
  are also responsible for setting up the processes by which the 
  villagers produce the goods that the ratmen need in order to 
  continue their civilization in the manner to which they are 
  accustomed. 
  3
  
  Persons of Note
  Rhanne, Chieftain of the Warriors
  Ferran Predator  Wild Card
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d10, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Climbing d8+2, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Throwing 
  d6, Tracking d6
  Pace: 6; Toughness: 7 (1); Parry: 7 (1); Charisma: -2
  Edges: Brawny, Low-light Vision*
  Hindrances: Mean
  Gear: Bite (Str+d6), Leather Armor (+1), Broad Sword 
  (Str+d6), Medium Shield, Dagger x3 (Str+d4, 3/6/12)
  The warrior called Rhanne is perhaps the largest ratman in 
  the Paradise warren system, standing a full head taller than a 
  human. The villagers of Paradise are terrified of him, although 
  he has never killed a villager, only disabled them and returned 
  them to the village when necessary. As a young rat, Rhanne 
  read extensively of the few records the shamans have main-
  tained over the years, and was particularly fascinated with a 
  human pirate lord named Rhawn who threatened the island 
  many generations ago. Dreaming of inspiring the same fear in 
  others, the little rat took the name Rhanne and eventually rose 
  to the position of chieftain.
  Slithh, Chieftain of the Shamans
  Ferran Sneak  Wild Card
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Stealth d6, Fighting d6, Faith d8, Knowledge 
  (Necromancy) d8, Notice d6
  Pace: 6; Toughness: 4 (1); Parry: 5 (1); Charisma: 0
   Edges: Arcane Background (Miracles), Low-light Vision*
  Hindrances: Small*, Yellow
  Gear: Heavy Robes (+1), Magical Staff (+10pp, +1 Fighting, 
  Str+d4+1, Parry +1, Reach 1, 2 hands)
  Powers (15pp): Zombie, Healing, Armor, Deflection
  Few outsiders who have encountered the ratman Slithh have 
  any inkling that the unassuming being is the chieftain of the 
  shamans, so unassuming is his appearance. Brown in color, 
  with a slight build and no unusual features to cause others to 
  remember him. Slithh has an obsessive interest in necromancy, 
  the art of raising the dead. He does not draw attention to this, 
  preferring to allow it to remain a secret until such time as his 
  talents are required. Slithh has advanced to the position of chief-
  tain through carefully selected murder over the years, although 
  he has no particular ambition; he simply prefers to be allowed to 
  do as he wishes, and at present there is only a single being who 
  can command him: the Great Chieftain. 
  Whistail, Chieftain of the Tinkerer Tribe
  Ferran Sneak  Wild Card
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Steamcraft d10, Knowledge (Engineering) 
  d8, Knowledge (Physics) d8, Shooting d4, Notice d8, Repair 
  d8
  Pace: 8 (d10); Toughness: 5 (3); Parry: 5 (1); Charisma: +2
  Edges: Arcane Background (Steamwright), Low-light Vision*, 
  Gadgeteer, Charismatic
  Hindrances: Stubborn, Vengeful (Major)
  Gear: Journeyman’s Leather (+3), Small Shield (+1 parry), 
  Short Sword (Str+d6), Pistol, Whistail’s Amulet (see below)
  Powers: (15pp) Armor (Built into her armor), Deflection 
  (built into her shield), Smite (built into her sword), Fear (built 
  into her amulet)
  Magic Gear (Whistail’s Amulet): The gold and bone 
  amulet that hangs around her neck is tied into all of her other 
  inventions. If she ever finds herself in battle, she activates her 
  amulet (as an action) and all of her other gadgets activate as 
  well.
  Ratman Steamwright
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Steamcraft d6, Knowledge (Engineering) d6, Fighting 
  d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Repair d6
  Pace: 6; Toughness: 5 (1); Parry: 5; Charisma: 0
  Edges: Arcane Background (Steamwright), Low-light Vision*
  Hindrances: Curious, Greedy (Major)
  Gear: Leather scrap Armor (+1), Dagger (Str+d4), Repair/
  Engineering kit
  Powers (10pp-Pick from one of the following Powers): 
  Armor, Bolt, Stun. The ratmen have a device that compliments 
  the chosen Power.
  Ratman Warrior
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Throwing d6, Stealth d6, Notice d6, 
  Intimidation d6
  Pace: 6; Toughness 5 (1); Parry: 5; Charisma: 0
  Gear: Leather scrap Armor (+1), Spear (3/6/12 Str+d6)
  Special Abilities
  • Low-light Vision
  • Pack Mentality: Ratmen warriors get Gang Up bonuses to 
  their Fighting skill checks for every other ratman within 1” 
  (up to a maximum of +4) regardless if the other ratmen are 
  next to the opponent or not.
  4
  
  Adventuring	Hooks
  • Both Slithh and Rhawn learn of a magical talisman found by 
  the party somewhere on the island. They both believe that 
  the talisman will put them in favor with their people and 
  therefore, the Great Chieftain. The party gets caught in a 
  power struggle between both camps who covet their treasure.
  • If there are any Golemoids or Steamwrights in the party, 
  ratmen steamwrights track down and attack the party at every 
  chance to claim any technology or manite carried by them.
  Expanded Adventures on Paradise
  Rather than simply a short and doubtless chaotic visit, it is 
  possible that the player characters could spend some significant 
  time on the island of Paradise, and in doing so change the status 
  quo there for better or ill.  In all likelihood, based on the island’s 
  layout, it is most likely that if the player characters discover 
  the island at all, they will find their way to the village at its 
  center in relatively short order, as there is little else on the island 
  to draw their attention. Indeed, the only other notable feature 
  of the island as a whole is its noticeable lack of predators and 
  nocturnals; the island may well seem very much like its name-
  sake after the travels and horrors the player characters are likely 
  to have witnessed elsewhere.
    Once the characters discover the village, which the deni-
  zens call Paradise somewhat ironically, the ratlings will become 
  aware of their arrival if they were not already (although it’s 
  highly likely their scouts will see them long before then). Once 
  they are in the village, the ratlings will make themselves known 
  to the characters, and do so in significant numbers, enough so 
  that it should be clear that there is little chance of successfully 
  fighting one’s way out of the situation. The most likely outcome 
  is that the Warrior Tribe will see the characters stripped of their 
  adventuring gear and remanded to custody within the village 
  after interviewing them concerning their intentions and assuring 
  them what will happen if they attempt to leave the island. A 
  second possible, albeit less likely outcome is that the characters 
  will fight their way free and escape into the jungle, where they 
  will be at a marked disadvantage when it comes to avoiding the 
  ratling scouts, but such an outcome is still possible (they are 
  player characters, after all!).
  The likelihood that the player characters possess magical 
  apparatus and most likely an intact ship will be the impetus for 
  significant upheaval amid the ratling tribes. The avarice of Slith 
  will be too much, and he will use the opportunity to attempt 
  to discredit the warrior tribe and their current position as the 
  favorites of the Grand Chieftain, either because there are more 
  people coming to the island than before (if the characters are 
  captured) or because the warriors were unable to detain the 
  characters at all (if they escaped). Slithh, in an uncharacteristic 
  display of charisma and cunning, will entreat the ratling race 
  as a whole to turn away from the policies of the warrior tribe 
  and the Grand Chieftain who so clearly favors them, leading to 
  a conflict between the warriors and the shamans, the first such 
  inter-species conflict ever to occur on Paradise.
  A conflict between the warriors and the shamans would 
  change the landscape of Paradise in a dramatic fashion. The 
  warriors have superior numbers and vastly better knowledge of 
  the island’s geography, but the shamans are more at home in the 
  race’s subterranean home and have significant magic at their 
  command, which the warriors have had very little experience 
  fighting against. Thus, while it might seem that sheer numbers 
  put them at a major disadvantage, the fact that Slithh has been 
  preparing for a moment like this grants the shamans an advan-
  tage going into the conflict. This is, of course, without taking 
  into account the abilities of the average player character, which 
  can and probably will tip the balance in one direction or another.
  Allies
  The possibility that the characters can make allies of the 
  various tribes is a distinct one, particularly if the idea of either 
  combatting either hundreds of ratlings or leaving dozens of 
  villagers to a potentially grisly fate does not appeal to their 
  (presumably) heroic sensibilities.
  •	The	 Warriors – Perhaps more so than any other tribe, the 
  Warriors are deeply invested in the status quo at Paradise. 
  They are, in large part, its architects and guardians, while 
  the other tribes merely aid in its maintenance. The Warriors 
  bear no ill will against the prisoners of Paradise, and in fact 
  regard the villagers’ safety as their responsibility, but neither 
  will they easily permit any change that will potentially upset 
  everything they have built here, which they genuinely regard 
  as being as close to paradise as is possible for their kind to 
  achieve. As such, it is unlikely that the warriors will easily 
  choose to ally with the player characters. However, if the 
  characters prove to be capable and at least reasonably honor-
  able, and the alternative is to face the destruction of their way 
  of life by the overly ambitious shamans, then it is possible. 
  Once secured, their alliance is steadfast unless betrayed. As 
  the largest of the tribes, the warriors likely make the best 
  allies and an agreement between them and the average party 
  of adventurers is likely to ensure their victory.
  5
  
  •	The	Shamans – The Shamans are least likely to accept an alli-
  ance with the player characters, and in all honesty they are the 
  tribe most characters would least likely seek out an alliance 
  with in the first place. The shamans have very much become a 
  cult of personality under the control of their chieftain, Slithh, 
  and even those who have questions about his plans very much 
  keep them to themselves as a matter of pure survival. If, by 
  some chance, the player characters demonstrate a marked 
  disinterest in the well-being of the prisoners in Paradise, then 
  Slithh may consider them as potential allies, albeit only in 
  the briefest sense and only so long as it remains convenient. 
  Anyone demonstrating knowledge of necromancy or similar 
  dark magics may intrigue the chieftain enough to prompt such 
  an arrangement.
  •	The	Tinkerers – The Tinkerers are very much the wild card 
  when it comes to the three tribes of ratlings on Paradise. They 
  have the least amount of contact with the surface-dwellers 
  and have no particular interest in either keeping or freeing 
  prisoners. Selfish though it may seem, they merely wish to 
  maintain their present activities, which is the development of 
  new and different technology for their people. They are not a 
  warlike group, and would be perfectly content to exist peace-
  fully alongside humans instead of keeping them prisoner… 
  again, if it allowed them to maintain their current status quo. 
  Characters with any form of steam-powered technology, 
  notably golemoids, mechamages, or thunder scouts, would 
  be well received by them and make their friendship easier to 
  obtain.
  Enemies
  Obviously, the characters will make enemies of some tribes 
  whether they ally with another tribe or not. Some tribes are in 
  a position to be more dangerous enemies than others, but none 
  are likely to spare the characters their wrath when their plans 
  have been upset.
  •	The	Warriors – As the architects of Paradise’s social struc-
  ture, the warriors are extremely unlikely to befriend any 
  who threaten it. The only possible way to avoid them as 
  enemies is for the adventurers to seem as a lesser evil when 
  compared to the betrayal of the shamans. In general, however, 
  the warriors will present an intractable foe, as they are both 
  the most numerous of the tribes as well as the most imme-
  diate and martial threat. Given a choice, the warriors would 
  merely imprison the adventurers in Paradise and continue 
  their normal way of life. Barring that, they would prefer to 
  kill them and keep the villagers safe, as they regard them as 
  their personal responsibility. The betrayal of the shamans is 
  something so beyond their contemplation that the warriors 
  genuinely do not know how to respond to it and they will 
  eagerly believe the adventurers are the source of their woes 
  even when all clear signs point to the shamans instead. 
  •	The	Shamans – Other than the extremely unlikely possibility 
  of the player characters choosing the philosophy of Slithh 
  as something they can get on board with, the shamans will 
  end up their enemies, and they are dedicated enemies indeed. 
  They will at every available opportunity make the characters 
  the scapegoats of their own machinations and misdirect the 
  other tribes against the humans before they finally reveal their 
  plan to assume complete control of Paradise, its denizens, and 
  its resources. Even the most junior member of their tribe is 
  proficient in basic magical theory and can cast spells that will 
  prove highly problematic under combat situations. Regard-
  less of their initial inclination toward the characters, like the 
  warriors, it does not prevent them from planning to dispatch 
  the adventurers when it becomes convenient to do so. They, 
  like the warriors, regard the adventurers’ departure from the 
  island as heralding the end of their way of life, and find this 
  completely unacceptable.
  •	The	Tinkerers – Making enemies of the tinkerers is relatively 
  difficult to do, as they are not keenly invested in the conflict 
  at all and will remain largely outside of it as much as possible. 
  They are interested in maintaining the status quo, and toward 
  that end the shamans’ rebellion is troublesome, but the idea 
  of taking up arms against the magically powerful tribe is one 
  that is anathema to the otherwise very cautious and cunning 
  tinkerers. If the characters do somehow manage to truly earn 
  the ire of the tinkerers, the tribe will unleash their greatest 
  secret to see them stopped: a small number of patchwork, 
  rebuilt golems with a number of mounted weapons that they 
  have been trying to program to hunt prey in the jungle. 
  Paradise after the War
  The adventurers may remain on Paradise until matters are 
  resolved, or they may depart before its conclusion of that oppor-
  tunity presents itself. Regardless, their presence will likely 
  have had a significant impact on the outcome. In the event that 
  the adventurers choose to remain on Paradise (which seems 
  unlikely) or return at a later date (more likely), there are various 
  ways that the island may have changed depending upon which 
  faction may have ascended to a position of dominance on the 
  island. In each case, the tone may vary significantly depending 
  upon what manner of tone the campaign favors.
  If the warrior tribe is victorious, the shamans will be largely 
  expunged from the island, with only a handful being judged 
  worthy to remain in service to the Great Chieftain. The others 
  who survive, the most powerful and devious of the lot, will 
  either flee the island to the small satellite islands off the shore 
  or into the deepest recesses of the tunnels beneath Paradise. 
  Without the magical support to which they are accustomed, 
  the warriors will come to depend much more heavily upon the 
  tinkerers, allowing that tribe to rise to a position of significant 
  influence throughout the island. A more positive outcome of this 
  might cause the warriors to see the humans of Paradise as more 
  capable than they previously believed, and eventually accept 
  them as equals. This creates a more diverse and capable society 
  that is actually closer to its namesake. On the other hand, the 
  war could cause the warriors to become colder and less trusting, 
  holding even the tinkerers at arms’ length as they more ruth-
  lessly oppress the people of Paradise, violently culling anyone 
  who behaves as though they have even the vaguest notion of 
  escape or freedom.
  A victory by the shamans will dramatically change things in 
  Paradise, and not for the better. Indeed, there is very little way 
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  for Slithh to serve as Grand Chieftain and the people of Paradise 
  not to suffer as a result. The best possible scenario that might 
  come from such an outcome is that the warriors will become 
  a largely brainwashed and dominated group that carries out 
  the will of the shamans, all under the direct control of Slithh’s 
  monomaniacal will. The denizens of the village become little 
  better than slaves, with most of their privileges and freedoms 
  removed, and any transgressions resulting in their execution 
  and subsequent use as experimentation for the shamans’ new 
  necromantic pursuits. A darker possibility is that Slithh will 
  see all the villagers executed to continue their labor as undead, 
  and may well repeat this process with the large majority of the 
  warriors as a result. The tinkerers maintain their autonomy 
  because their talents would be lost in resurrection, but are very 
  much second class citizens and will gradually come to actively 
  desire to overthrow the shamans at any cost, potentially sowing 
  the seeds for a second conflict in Paradise.
  Essentially, there is very little chance for the tinkerer tribe 
  to ascend to a position of rulership over Paradise without some 
  manner of direct intervention on the part of the characters. The 
  group as a whole, much less their chieftain, has very little in 
  the way of ambition with regards to their society, preferring 
  instead the exploration of technology and knowledge without 
  the distraction of politics, logistics, or administration. Still, if 
  Whistail should become the new Grand Chieftain, it will signal 
  significant if gradual change is in store for Paradise and its deni-
  zens. The tinkerers have little interest in keeping the villagers as 
  slaves, and those few among them who are capable of producing 
  items that the tinkerers need for their work are more likely to 
  be treated as equals than as vassals, essentially growing to be 
  a valued part of the tribe as time goes on. With the tinkerers 
  in charge, it is possible that the island could become a sort of 
  fascist technocracy, but that would require some significant 
  change in the psychology of Whistail and her tribe, again likely 
  as a result of some direct action taken by the adventurers.
  Copyright © Kyoudai Games, LLC 2018
  Savage Thunderscape - The World of Aden, Kyoudai Games and their associated logos are trademarks of Kyoudai Games, LLC.
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system (Savage Worlds core rulebook, Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion,  
  Savage Worlds Horror Companion), available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com.
  Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission.  
  Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this project.
  7
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Savage Thunderscape/Savage Worlds - Savage Thunderscape - The Aden Gazette #17 - Paradise.pdf