Jackalope Round 2 - The Bronze Men of Arcosa

"Write about the Bronze Men, a species of mysterious, mechanical humanoids. Live in the bronze core of the world, too busy keeping the planet spinning to stop any adventurers from looting their ancient halls." (CatDragon#9540)

Deep beneath the verdant hills and cerulean seas of the surface world, there are caves. Arterial pathways through the bedrock connecting the surface world to dark underworld. Deeper still, penetrated by the lost kingdoms of the dwarves, magma churns, moving the continents on glacial timescales only the longest lived peoples can appreciate. This is the domain of elemental forces of fire and earth, but even they are not the core of things. Beneath this sea of magma is a great bronze egg, spinning at tremendous speed through the viscous muck of the world's guts. At this egg's top and bottom, man-sized portholes offer a means of ingress to a truly colossal work. 

The interior of the egg is fixed on a cyclopean gyroscope, built around the pulsing heart of the planet, the Heart of Arcosa, burning as brightly as a star. Everything is built in relation to this molten ball, encircling its intense gravity. The egg itself is 120 miles tall, and and half as wide. At first inspection, Arcosa is abandoned. Eight-foot tall humanoid statues litter every courtyard, and every street corner; art deco sentinels of a dead city, watching downwards towards the second sun in the center of the metropolis.

Closer to the Heart of Arcosa, where the city becomes unbearably hot and gravity is twice as strong, the statues move unimpeded. They travel closer to the core, or back from it, with their surfaces burnished and steaming. They are oblivious to any interlopers, even if attacked or impeded. They swat at interlopers like one would a horsefly. Some of the bronze men lay in disrepair, unable to continue working due to melted bodies. Precious relics of a long-lost civilization are more common here, protected from thieves by sweltering heat.

Nearest the core, Arcosa steals the moisture and burns the flesh of any living thing that dare treads here unaided. Paper browns and carbonizes after an hour, and open water evaporates in minutes. The light from the Heart of Arcosa beats travelers back from below like an enraged dancer, spinning loudly. The bronze men march down into the light with the vigor of a farmhand. Peering between slats in the floor, the truth of their purpose is illuminated by the sunspots they cast against the Heart of the world.

Four rods, each a mile in length, have been inserted into the near-molten core of the planet, and thousands of these bronze men march in lock-step to push these rods and spin the core. Some machination of the machine they operate turns this force into rotation, and that rotation is captured by pillars spanning from the Heart to the exterior of the shell, spinning it with enough velocity to melt rock. That rock then churns silica butter, and heats the surface world indirectly. The rods lie abandoned in large stretches where no bronze men have taken their obvious places.

Who knows what consequences might be faced when these constructs finally give out for good?

Secret Jackalope 2022 - The Third Man

From ReCollection

I've been paired with shutteredroom#3190, who wants "Mechanics/subsystems for isolation/loneliness, incorporating fantasy/horror/sci-fi inflected Third Man Factor/Syndrome." 

"Who is the third who walks always beside you?  

When I count, there are only you and I together 

But when I look ahead up the white road 

There is always another one walking beside you 

Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded 

I do not know whether a man or a woman 

But who is that on the other side of you?"

-T.S. Elliot, "The Wasteland" 

 

Third man factor is the phenomena of perceiving an additional person present with you in situations of extreme isolation or loneliness. They are always presences of comfort in times of dire need. They act as guides, supporters, and silent friends.

A creature has as much Willpower as they do Hit Dice, or the score of their lowest mental stat, whichever it higher. Willpower can be changed a number of ways but cannot drop below 0 or go above its maximum amount.

• Each day spent isolated in a strange environment decreases Willpower by 1.
• Each day spent without food decreases Willpower by 1.
• Every 2 hours exposed to extreme elements decreases Willpower by 1.
• Each day spent in the dark decreases Willpower by 1. (or light, if a subterranean species.)
• Witnessing a grizzly scene decreases Willpower by 1.
• Becoming subject to Fear or Charm effects decreases Willpower by 1.
• Each time a companion dies, decrease Willpower by 2.
• Sleeping in a bed increases Willpower by 1.
• Speaking with a friendly person each day increases Willpower by 1.
• A fortuitous find of resources or safe location increases Willpower by 1.

When a traveler finds their Willpower on the verge of collapse (or are facing extreme exhaustion), there is a chance that this enigmatic figure of hope appears. The chances are X in 10. Consider each of the following and make X the sum of the answers. If the result rolled is below X, they will receive aid. This check can only be made once per adventure per character.

• +1 if religious
• +1 if the character has an intense love for someone dead
• +2 if close to unconsciousness
• +2 if alone
• +3 if in mortal danger
• -1 for each time you've met the Third Man
• -3 for every ally nearby

Who is this mysterious Third Man? They appear to be different to everyone, if they are even seen. Perhaps a dead loved one, an angel, or supportive stranger. Regardless of the form they take, they help the person they find themselves attached to up until the exact moment they are capable of saving themselves.

Mechanically, this means they provide advantage on saves against fear, 3d6 temporary HP (or similar), guidance towards an exit or safety, and then depart as suddenly as they subconsciously appear. This force cannot directly interfere with the way things transpire in the world, and instead act as a font of inspiration for the isolated. 

For some interesting readings on real-life examples of this phenomena check out this link.