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| An Oiligan Soldier by An illustrator |
A selection of materials I wrote for Idraluna Archives behemothic Antarctica Adventure Project. I extend deepest thanks to An Illustrator who drew the above illustration of an Oiligan soldier for me. You can find more of their work here (some of it can be pretty saucy). The following hexes and such will be more diffuse on the Antarctic webmap and when published IN PRINT, so please excuse what may feel like any excessive repetition or self-referencing in this post.
Do consider joining the project and writing some hexes, or a region, or two. Navigating your way to the project's discord is your best bet. If not, it's still worth checking out, it has a great weird fantasy vibe. Previously, I submitted the Isle of the Scorpions. This time, I proffer those scant patches and outlying islands that have fallen under the sway of an ill-natured and technologically advanced, foreign empire. What I have done here is perhaps excessive and was honestly a big pain to write. So, was the juice worth the squeeze?
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| Chicago, 1971, my initial inspiration. |
## The Occupied Isle
The warm coastal waters that lap this isle foam thickly, filmed with iridescent black oil. The slicked waves stain black the pink coral beaches. Beyond, the isle's loamy, tan soil is studded by scrub and towering prototaxites. Between these primeval, mauve growths lay half-buried ceramic urns, each large enough to house a family. These are the homes of the island’s natives (pop. 3,671): circular-eyed humans with flat-crowned shaven heads, dolphin-leather loinclothes and faintly teal skin (stats as normal, level 0 humans). Before the arrival of the Oiligans, the native inhabitants hunted dolphins and farmed prototaxites in peaceful, leaderless isolation.
Now, the islanders are an oppressed people. They are forced into semi-plantation labour and their champion Sj-ra (stats as nude 7th level club-wielding fighting-man) has been imprisoned. Looming at the island’s centre stands an angular iron observation facility - a radar relay ringed with concertina wire. From here, the Oiligans (36 soldiers, 9 intelligence officers) led by the hawkish and hubristic Major Algonqwa Stern, surveil the Antarctic continent, preparing for a (perhaps large-scale) invasion within the next 12-36 months (known as ‘War Plan Jale’).
Once every new moon a fume-belching, cargo helicopter delivers 1000 greasy MREs to the observation post and collects that month’s prototaxite harvest. The Oiligan Empire roughly occupies a large extent of what the reader will know to be the North American continent.
Oiligan Empire Observation Post Encounters (1d6)
Walking from the coast to the observation post, Players will encounter at least 3 of the following scenes:
Patrol: a squad of 6 Oiligan soldiers on exercises move tactically through the scrub.
Sniper: a teenage native with a stolen Oiligan rifle (see stats for Oiligan soldier) hides in the scrub taking pot shots at any non-native he can see.
Harvest: a family of oppressed natives are harvesting prototaxites under the bored and lazy watch of a single Oiligan guard who calls the family “flat-heads” and “dolphin-eaters”. The family are clearly nervous and will not speak openly.
Strike: a crowd of 200 natives sit in the sun refusing to work. 15 of them have potsherd tipped spears. They demand that “the she-witch” Major Algonqwa Stern leave the island and Sj-ra be released. A squad of 6 Oiligan soldiers watch with binoculars from a distance.
Boredom: 2d4 Oiligan soldiers are goofing off, playing Sportsball with a crushed ration can while tuning into a music station on a very tinny sounding radio. They are inattentive.
Urn Raid: 4 Oiligan soldiers smash wide an urn’s mouth and begin “searching for contraband.” A native family are hauled out and soon dragged back to the observation post.
### 28-8 Oiligan Empire Observation Post
Beyond oil-slicked pink-sand beaches, towering prototaxites are grown by urn-dwelling islanders (3,671). They live under the occupation of the Oiligan Empire. The Empire takes most of their harvest and has constructed an observation post to spy on the continent of Antarctica. See region description (The Occupied Isle) for more information and encounters.
The Observation Post
This military base is fenced on three sides by razor wire and 3 guard towers (each tower is manned by 1 Oiligan soldier and a bell). The base consists of four black iron boxes (not unlike double-sized shipping containers) surrounding a large radar, helipad, large piles of harvested prototaxites and 20 black plastic coffins (which contain native islanders and are to be dumped at sea). The iron structures contain the following:
1. The Barracks. Beer cans and cigarettes litter the front entrance. The inside is lined with triple-decker bunkbeds, a small armoury is at the back of the container where the soldiers keep their rifles while at rest, on the wall large graffiti lettering reads ‘WE WANT GRENADES’. 6 soldiers rest here during the day, 5d6 bunk here at night. If looted, players find nothing more than typical soldier’s keepsakes and 1000 rounds of Oiligan battle-rifle bullets.
2. Radar Terminals. Connected to the radar by thick wires. This structure houses 9 intelligence officers (as 1HD Oiligan Soldiers) at work on crude computer terminals. Combing through the terminals the following items can be accessed:
FILE ‘WAR PLAN JALE’: The hypothetical invasion of Antarctica by Oiligan forces to secure minerals, petroleum and other more fantastical resources. Some military action is expected to occur in 12-36 months. The plan notes no allies but does suggest the Moebians of the Tiger Coast as potential allies. The plan is authored by Major Algonqwa Stern herself.
FILE ‘100K DOORS’: Contains the location of an underfunded Oiligan infiltration post in hex 79-01 guarding a ‘significant dimensional anomaly’.
FILE ‘PROTOTAXITE’: the file reveals the prototaxites are harvested by the Oiligans for a chemical compound they contain. This compound is used by food conglomerates to extend the shelf-life of fried puff snacks. Additionally noted is that the calorific intake of the islanders has reduced by 34%.
FILE 'POLLUTION SOLUTION’: “While pollution is a laughable concept, prototaxite harvests have decreased inversely to oil spills and plastic litter. If this trend continues it is recommended that the island be flattened into a runway for Oiligan jets and the aboriginal populace relocated elsewhere.”
DATABASE ANTARCTICA: Contains cursory information on all the regions of Antarctica.
PROGRAMME ‘OILIGAN NEWS NETWORK’: Breaking news! It seems the battleship Omega was actually blown up by Antarctic inhabitants! Not, as was supposed, the inhabitants of Oiliga’s most recent conquest. In other news, the Plutarco has had to prorogue the Oiligan senate for the 94th time in 10 years after Party One and Party Alpha threw grenades at each other in the chamber.
PROGRAMME ‘SPORTSBALL’: this option tunes the terminal into the 288th Oiligan Sportsball tournament, the biggest one yet! 3 teams of little figures can be seen running round and round a circular pitch holding or chasing a squishy triangular prism. The crowd love it.
FUNCTION ‘CALL REINFORCEMENTS’: Selecting this function will summon 5d20 Oiligan Soldiers to the Island. They will arrive via cargo helicopter in 1d100 hours.
3. The Prison: This structure smells bad. It is locked (key found in the Situation Room safe), loud discordant music can be heard from inside and strobe lighting is visible around the door frame. Within are held:
46 islanders - men and women of all ages.
Sj-ra, the islander's champion.
A giant slug-woman, Lady Oobleck of the Geometer Lords.
Currently, the prisoners all cling to life with 1 HP.
4. The Situation Room: The black and white 13 striped flag of the Oiligan Empire hangs outside of this structure. Major Algonqwa Stern (stats as 3HD Oiligan soldier with high-capacity 8 round battle-rifle) sits in a leather armchair chair, surveying a map of Antarctica and moving round models of tanks, battleships, helicopters and soldiers to perfect every permutation and hypothetical of War Plan Jale. The room also contains:
A shrine to Moloch - a golden, vulture-headed steam-engine statuette (worth 900gp) with 6 packets of votive fried puff snacks beneath it and a single silver Oiligan dollar.
A camouflage-quilt four-poster bed.
A safe (containing $300,000 Oiligan dollars, 10 gold bars valued at 2000GP each and the key to container 3; The Prison).
A cork board displays a list of bounties with strings trailing to their location on the map:
- $85,000 - Intelligence Officer Sergeant Kimoko ‘Sweet Tea’ Moroneurta. She deserted from the observation post ten years ago. (hex 300-322)
- $200,000 - Viscountess Garbiñe Rimireggio-Apricenza od-Tames, the Pontifica of Cats rule the city-state of Tahmes (hex 165-563)
- $250,000 - Armiger: The Flawless Lawgiver (hex 35-288)
- $300,000 - Urghtarn the Taker Who Does Not Ask, 41st Grand Yarl Barbarossa, (hex 333-373)
- $75,000 - Professor Emeritus Multiplicar duBoig (hex 166-569)
- $200,000 - She of Eldritch Sighs, ruler of Ix-Balaqta (hex 41-281)
- $250,000 - The Joyless Sadist of Yerrp, her Divine excellency Jennif Fattiyarkeh, the administrator of Concordia. Found in (hex 334-371)
- The Captain will offer between $50,000-100,000 for the live capture of any other important Antarctic leaders the party can name.
Oiligan dollars can be used to buy items from Oiliga. Ordered items would be delivered to the island by the next cargo helicopter. For pricing $10 is equal to 1GP.
### 29-8 Dumped Coffins
24 black plastic coffins float in the surf. Each contains a dead native of hex 28-8.
### 26-12 Crashed Helicopter
The water is coated with oil. A ruined, rusting Oiligan cargo helicopter lays just above the waves, wrecked on a bleached coral reef. It seeps black oil and fumes rise from it despite obviously having crashed several years ago. If searched it holds 8d100 still edible MREs.
### 28-10 The Dolphin Hunt
A flotilla of 12 canoes (each made from a hollowed out prototaxite) carries 36 harpoon and net wielding fishermen (natives of hex 28.8). They patiently hunt a school of dolphins. If the party appear friendly they will beg for aid and explain the details of their home and the predations of the Oiligan Empire on their people. (see region ‘The Occupied Isle’).
### 27-8 Dead Dolphins…
This patch of ocean is slick black with oil and littered with floating dead dolphins. A megalodon (stats as 15HD shark with 1d20 damage bite) has been driven mad by the oil and attacks any within the hex.
## The Isle of 100,000 Doors
### 79-0 - The Isle of 100,000 Doors
From the horizon this isle appears as a grey, mountainous, scaled cone. On closer examination, the windswept island is made of concrete and the ‘scales’ that coat it are oval-shaped doors of weathered aluminium. Each door is labeled with two numbers separated with a hyphen. At the pinnacle of the island, beneath the black and white 13 striped flag of the Oiligan Empire, is a door numbered 222~318. The numbers then spiral around the isle until reaching door 0~0, which is lapped by the tide. Each numbered door corresponds to an Antarctic hex and when opened, leads to an unobserved location in that hex. The doors are one-way only.
Door 79-0 opens to itself and functions not unlike a mirror, with people and objects attempting to pass through it colliding with themselves.
The Actinic Sorrow of Dawnless Days, a transparent, sleep-walking dragon circumambulates the Isle ready to remorselessly feast on any who wake her (stats as a 20HD Dragon, Transparent). She wakes on noises louder than a raised voice and is drawn incrementally closer by any sound louder than a heavy footstep.
### 78-0 Oiligan Spy Raft
A small floating raft-base made of lashed-together plastic oil drums and corrugated steel, buoys in a shimmering field of oil-filmed ocean. 6 grey-pink and pine-green camouflage patterned canoes are tied to the base’s edge and similarly camouflaged figures can be seen moving between the raft's crude corrugated metal structures.
Aboard are 12 Oiligan espionage-troopers (stats as Oiligan Soldier's but with 16 Charisma and integrally suppressed battle rifles - the quietened fire of which does not wake The Actinic Sorrow of Dawnless Days, the transparent dragon) and 24 regular Oiligan soldiers. The soldiers, led by the optimistic Captain Maximum, are guarding the island and assessing its value as a staging ground for the invasion of Antarctica (see War Plan Jale as explained in ‘The Occupied Isle’ and hex 28-8). If they spot anyone on the Isle they will canoe across to capture, interrogate and perhaps press-gang them into imperial service.
Despite their cheery leader, the soldiers are sea-soaked, miserable and in need of rations and a proper rest. Recently two soldiers were washed overboard and carried away far to the south-east (hexes 80-3 and 85-14). Before that about half of the soldiers deserted through one of the magic doors (to hex 286-383).
The raft base also contains:
A high-powered radio
A powerful telescope
A pinball machine
A store of 230 high-fructose MREs
### 80-3 Adrift Oiligan
An Oiligan soldier named Sergeant Deals clings to a plastic barrel. He was washed away from his spy raft at hex 78-0. He promises “many dollars” if they return him there.
### 85-14 Oiligan Fishin’
Private Premium, a solitary and semi-nude Oiligan soldier stands waist deep in the tide attempting to shoot fish with her battle-rifle. She was washed away from her spy raft at hex 78-0. All she has to say is that she “I’m a might hungry” and “Moloch saves”.
### 286-383 Deserter Sportsball
24 Oiligan soldiers play Sportsball in three teams of 8. They run round a circular, ersatz pitch jostling over a squishy triangular prism; the eponymous sportsball. Their rifles are laid on the earth beside some wooly rhinoceros hide tents and chunky meat strips curing over smoky, lichen fires.
The soldiers deserted from their army via a magic door in hex 00-79. They seem content to be out of the military system but hunger for food beyond wooly rhino flesh. They barely explored beyond this hex but know of the Wooly Rhino Lair in hex 287-380. The garrulous Private Ayatollah is their spokesperson.
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| Soldier of Tomorrow, 1959 |
Regions active: The Occupied Isle, The Isle of 100,000 Doors, North America and elsewhere across the globe.
Description: Culturally deranged, the Oiligan Empire spreads its greedy, polluting influence across the globe like a deadly petroleum spill. Desiring resources to power its industrial and territorial growth, Oiliga has set a small portion of its cyclopean gaze on Antarctica. For now, small outposts of soldiers, rifle-wielding masked goons, lurk and surveil the continent.
Current fashion trends dictate most Oiligan men sport a handlebar moustache and women, mullets.
Their national game is named Sportsball (despite being played with a squishy triangular prism).
Their flag consists of thirteen horizontal black and white stripes.
Their ‘food’ is terrible.
Ruler & Leaders: The Plutarco. Beneath him skitters a sprawling bureaucracy of generals, senators, intelligence agencies and corporate interests who constantly feud, scheme and, on occasion, fight for influence. In the Antarctica theatre of operations, the highest ranking officer is Major Algonqwa Stern (hex 28-8).
Size: The Oiligans control large swathes of the North American continent, exert influence over neighbouring polities and across the globe.
Resources: While only a small force is stationed in Antarctica, the Oiligans possess an army of over 2 million personnel complete with battleships, helicopters and armoured fighting vehicles. They have very little magical ability or knowledge after at least twelve great historic witch-hunts. The empire is technologically advanced and possesses the combustion engine, aircraft, radio and crude computer systems along with advanced knowledge of chemistry.
Attitude toward adventurers: Those serious members of the Oiligan leadership see adventurers as useful assets, to be handled and rewarded with technology, weapons and huge amounts of dollars in exchange for deniable operations across the continent. Conversely, the average Oiligan grunt is an ignorant and chauvinistic fellow and knows little of the wider world. They are as likely to party with the player characters as bully or shoot them.
Ethos/philosophy/faith: Oiligian ideology is that of a Victorian robber baron blended with 1980s consumerism and corporate worship. Despite this they consider themselves an anti-imperial empire. They worship Moloch, a golden, vulture-headed god with the body of an upright steam-engine. They have a reverential fear of Grey Aliens.
Goals & quests: In Antarctica, the Oiligans prize the continent's mineral wealth and natural resources. The empire’s proposed invasion of Antarctica is codenamed War Plan Jale. Ultimately the Empire seeks global hegemony.
Common names:
d20 Oiligan Names:
Haudeno
Moloch
Sam
Moab
Porfirio
Liberty
Axle
Hulk
Dollar
Buzzsaw
Native
J.P
Humpday
Dividend
Powhatten
Dude
Big
Boss
Tonnage
Logo
Relations with other factions: Generally dismissive of all Antarctican factions and cultures, the Empire shows a cultural affinity for the Moebians. They strongly dislike the Geometer Lords - a rival international power and look down on the empire of the Baroleshians.
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| My own mark I illustration of an Oiligan soldier. |
Oiligan Soldier:
HD: 2+2
AC: 8 (flak jacket), 6 vs ranged
MV: as a soldier moving tactically
Attacks: as battle rifle (see below) or fighting knife d4
Special: an Oiligan Soldier’s head-to-toe camouflage fatigues (grey-pink with pine green stripes) grant them a +1 to surprise the PCs in combat.
Description:
The faceless soldiers of Oiliga are uniformed in full-body camouflage fatigues and move with a rigid, highly trained precision, creeping through cover with their battle rifles at the ready. While uncanny, beneath their pink and green striped camouflage masks, bandoliers and bullet proof vests they are regular humans (usually sporting handlebar moustaches). Likewise, their precise training quickly breaks down when bored or annoyed. When on a task they remain tactical and robotic, when at ease they are prone to goofing off, sometimes in dangerous or provocative ways. They are not native to Antarctica and speak with strong accents.
In combat, the trained Oiligan soldiers will fire and load single shots per round. If angered they fire off all four shots. When looted, their leather bandolier contains d20 bullets and $1000 Oiligan dollars. Their preferred battlecries are ‘For Us! Moloch and the Oiligan way!’ or ‘Remember the Omega!’.
All Oiligans have a reverential fear of Grey Aliens and suffer -2 to attack rolls against them as well as to morale rolls when in the presence of a Grey.
See region ‘The Occupied Isle’ and the Oiligan Empire faction overview for more information.
Oiligan Battle Rifle:
This stubby, plasticised rifle deals 1d10 damage and ignores AC for the purpose of ranged attacks. It has a capacity of 4 rounds. Multiple additional shots can be fired in a single attack for +1 damage each. Its flatnosed bullets are inaccurate rendering the rifle's maximum range equal to that of a longbow.
