It Begins

(10-Aug-04)

"Tim" : Tim, Nice but Dim (Adrian McKinnon), British Captain, Cavalry, Hussars
"Robin" : Robin Carbuncle (Andrew Earl), British NCO, Cavalry, Hussars (Tim's batman)
"Yoap" : Joop de Zwarte (Steven Krijnen), Belgian Big Game Hunter
"Nate" : Nathaniel Tanqueray Lovenipples (Darryl Sherwood), British Doctor
"Verdud" : Verdad del Hallazgo (Jeff Clendon), Spanish Reporter
"Walter" : Walter Shackleton (Ian Luxton), British Scientist
"Dunlow" : Lord Dunlow (NPC), British Landed Dilettante and Patron
"Chivers" : Chivers Van Nistelrooy (NPC), British Lord Dunlow's batman

It is 1892.

Mars is inhabited. And has been explored by Englishmen. It has canals (exactly as observed by Lowell), which were built by some ancient civilization used to divert the water from the melting polar ice caps for irrigation and life.

Luminiferous aether exists as postulated by Newton et al, and space travel is possible via solar-powered steam engines driving aether turbines (invented by Edison and Zeppelin).

Venus is also inhabited and is the home to dinosaurs.

A fabulous breed tree grows in the highlands of Mars whose wood, "liftwood", has antigravity properties (in atmosphere). This allows floating ships and air craft to be built. Thus flight is now wide spread on both Mars and Earth.

Lord Carnarvon has just unearthed and opened Tutankhamen's tomb (yeah, yeah, thirty years too early, but if you can accept life on Mars and space travel by steam, then what's thirty years?).

Lord Dunlow, dilettante and fop, is rather upset by the social prestige and honours heaped upon Carnarvon, so he wants to make his own similar discovery. Egypt is now gauche and out of fashion, (besides, it has all been explored). He received a Martian map from a mysterious stranger showing the path to an ancient Martian tomb of Soldan IX. So he hired a group of adventurers, the party, to help him get there.

Party amasses on Mars.

Intros all round.

Meet Patron, Lord Dunlow, and his batman Chivers.

Explore Sirtis Major, go shopping in the rough districts.

Tim goes to play polo.

Verdad is shot at by a Martian with a bow. Robin and Yoap kill him. Yoap drags the naked carcass around, before dumping it in a warehouse. This upsets the locals somewhat.

Nate selects and buys thirty gashants (bipedal lizard-like pack animals) for transport into the desert.

Evening Banquet at the British Embassy. Meet some important locals.

There is a riot (probably due to Yoap's insensitivity). Soliders sent in to quell it. Many killed.

On the way home the party decided to go for a night cap to a local watering hole. They sample some Martian wine (c.f. Welsh Claret), as do most other locals in the pub. Many locals die. Some of party sick.