BLOG POST: JANUARY 26, 2020
Nocturnis Underbelly: Our New Home – The Firehouse-Lab Hybrid Revealed!
Good morning, Nocturnis! It’s 7:00 AM, the doors at Rhinos just opened, and that first hit of fresh-baked pastries and hot coffee is exactly the fuel I needed. The web programming for the site updates is flowing, and my mind is buzzing with the architectural blueprint for our new home in the Underbelly.
Forget the glass towers and sterile labs of the Silverton Corporation. We're establishing a base that's built on history, grit, and the kind of analog brilliance they've long forgotten. Today, I'm proud to unveil the full layout of the Nocturnis Investigations Firehouse-Lab Hybrid—the fortified heart of the 354 survivors.
This isn't just a building; it's a multi-layered beast, each floor a critical component in our fight against the Slinish Rot and the encroachment of "New Tech."
1st Floor: The Bookseller's Front (The Hedge Wizard Mask)
Our Street Level is our primary deception. To the outside world, this is a quiet, unassuming bookshop—a relic from a bygone era that the 2000 Housing Collapse simply forgot to take. But to us, it's the most vital shield for the Nocturnis Underbelly.
The Main Stacks: Floor-to-ceiling mahogany shelves, packed with books both real and decoy. This isn't just aesthetics; these dense tomes act as natural soundproofing and a "ballistic barrier," muffling the sounds of our operations below and offering surprising protection from external threats.
The Rare Manuscript Nook: Here, the Bookseller (our invaluable gatekeeper) presides. This area is specifically designed to house "decoy" chronicles and arcane texts that satisfy the casual curiosity of outsiders, while the true 14 Chronicles remain hidden in the secured archive.
The Hidden "Fire-Pole" Cabinet: Disguised as a vintage wardrobe or an antique grandfather clock, this is the secret, rapid-descent access point to the 2nd Floor Command Center and the Basement Tactical Bay. A quick, direct route when speed is critical.
The Sidewalk Entrance: A heavy, reinforced oak door, blending seamlessly with the architecture of the Upper Ruins. It features a subtle 1909-style brass peephole, serving as the sole public entry point and a tactical chokepoint for street-level extractions or defenses.
Master Rule: Street Level Social Mechanics (1976 Legacy)
The Dusty Cloak: The Bookseller's unassuming persona and the shop's aged appearance grant a +4D6 bonus to Stealth against Silverton building inspectors or "New Tech" surveillance drones.
Shelf Ambush: The labyrinthine layout of the narrow aisles provides a +1D6 bonus to Initiative for the 35 Veterans during any unexpected breach from the street.
The Silent Alarm: A discreet pressure plate concealed beneath the front rug instantly alerts Earl in the basement, providing crucial early warning before a visitor even speaks
2nd Floor: The Command Center (The Barnaby Model)
Ascending from the quiet dignity of the bookstore, we enter the operational brain of Nocturnis Investigations. This floor is where the "Old Tech" truly comes alive, fusing historical knowledge with tactical monitoring.
The Central Briefing Hub (Command Center): A large, sturdy wooden table anchors this space, serving as the strategic center where Earl and Bill coordinate the defense of the 354. Adjacent to it, the "Barnaby" Archive features floor-to-ceiling shelves and heavy filing cabinets, meticulously storing the true 14 Chronicles and critical cold case ledgers.
The Armory & Tactical Prep: A reinforced steel door leads to a dedicated armory, boasting wood-paneled walls lined with the kinetic legacy of the Tiger Force—shotguns, rifles, and revolvers meticulously maintained for the 35 Veterans. A heavy central table facilitates weapon cleaning and "Old Tech" calibration.
The Forensics Lab & Signal Room: This is the 1970s Wire-Nest. It's a controlled chaos of reel-to-reel scanners, analog monitors, and miles of copper wiring. Scavenged 1970s mainframe components are jury-rigged here to monitor Swer Alagater heat signatures and intercept Silverton corporate frequencies.
The Infirmary Annex: Tucked into a quieter section where the floors subtly tilt (a signature of the Upper Ruins), this area features remnants of the building's previous life, like abandoned medical gurneys. It now serves as a secure, temporary medical bay for treating the Unsheltered 99 and other survivors afflicted by the Slinish Rot.
The Decon-Locker Room: Located strategically, this is a high-utility "Clean Zone." It features industrial-sized showers and a reinforced clawfoot tub, designed to blast away Slinish Rot and swamp-toxins from agents returning from the Wet-Grate. Individual steel lockers are assigned to the Tiger Force, and a specialized Gremlin-Filter drain prevents magical sludge from contaminating the building's plumbing.
The Gourmet Kitchen & Deck (High Ground - The Living Spenser Resident): A fully equipped kitchen, surprisingly modern for the surroundings, provides sustenance for the team. It opens onto a "Gourmet Deck," offering a rare moment of respite and a strategic vantage point over parts of the Underbelly.
The Nocturnis Annex: A private living space, likely for Bill (The Barnaby) or other core members, allowing for continuous oversight of the Command Center.
Master Rule: 2nd Floor Tactical Benefits (1976 Legacy)
Armory Calibration: Racking a weapon here grants a +1 bonus to Combat Adds for the next mission.
Briefing Hub Logic: Spending an hour in the Command Center allows Bill a Level 1 IQ Saving Roll to find one "Logic Hole" in a Silverton plan.
Infirmary Recovery: Survivors treated here recover +1D6 HP per hour.
Decon Efficiency: Using the Decon-Locker Room provides a +1D6 temporary HP recovery and removes the "Slinish Rot" debuff.
Basement Level: The Tactical Bay (Hawk's Domain)
Beneath the Street Level, anchored directly into the Shreveport bedrock (and perilously close to the Swer Alagater Moat), lies the kinetic heart of Nocturnis Investigations. This is where Earl (Hawk) commands the 35 Veterans, where brute force meets analog ingenuity.
The Basement: The Tactical Bay (Hawk’s Domain)
This is the foundation. If the 1st floor is the "Mask" and the 2nd floor is the "Brain," then the Basement is the Fist. Anchored into the Shreveport bedrock, this level is where Earl (Hawk) maintains the kinetic edge of the 354.
The Vehicle Bay: This is the high-octane heart of the basement. It houses the Mustang and the armored transport, kept at a constant state of readiness. The heavy steel roll-up doors lead directly to a reinforced ramp that bypasses the main street, perfect for a midnight "Ghost Run."
The Workout Nook: No fancy gyms here. This is a gritty space filled with iron weights and heavy bags where the 35 Veterans maintain their Combat Adds. It’s located right next to the vehicle bay, emphasizing the "ready-to-roll" mindset of the team.
The Heavy Security Entrance: This is the "Air-Lock." It’s a reinforced cage of steel and high-impact glass that separates the headquarters from the Swer Alagater Moat. Every person entering the basement from the Underbelly is screened here by Earl’s 1970s analog sensors.
The Fire-Pole Landing: The "Drop Zone." This padded area is where the fire pole from the 2nd-floor archive ends, allowing Bill or Dale to go from "Researching" to "Engaging" in under five seconds.
🎲 Master Rules: Basement Tactical Stats (1976 Legacy)
| Station | Master Rule Benefit | Narrative Effect |
| The Vehicle Bay | Mechanical Tuning | Earl can add +10 to the Mustang’s Speed Rating with a successful SR on DEX. |
| Workout Nook | Strength Buffer | Spending an hour here adds a temporary +2 to ST for the next encounter. |
| Security Entrance | Intimidation Bonus | Earl gains a +5 bonus to Charisma when screening "Slimies" at the cage. |
🖋️ Captain’s Log: The Foundation of the 354
"The Silvertons think they can starve us out, but they don't know what we've built in the dark. Down here, the air smells like 90-octane fuel and gun oil. We've got the Mustang's engine humming like a tiger and 35 men who haven't forgotten how to fight. We're the bedrock of the Nocturnis Underbelly. If they want the 14 Chronicles, they have to come through the concrete. And the concrete is guarded by the Tiger Force."
"
BONUS LOVECRAFTAIN VARIENT FROM SA STATS
The Bookseller’s Mask: Meet Fred
It’s 8:15 AM at Rhinos. The coffee is perfect, and I’m thinking about the man who sits behind the counter of our Street Level front. To the Silvertons and the city inspectors, he’s just Fred—a harmless scholar of rare manuscripts and "Old Tech" manuals.
But Fred is the most important defense the 354 has. He is the "Hedge Wizard" gatekeeper, the man who uses a 1909 brass register to hide a 2020 tactical fortress.
Fred: The Scholar Attribute Block (Monsters! Monsters! 2.7)
| Attribute | Score | D6 Dice Pool | Fred’s Specialized Use |
| ST (Strength) | 14 | 2D6 | Shelving heavy crates of "Old Tech" gear. |
| IQ (Intelligence) | 19 | 3D6 | Decoding the 1909 Engine’s punch-cards. |
| LK (Luck) | 17 | 3D6 | Finding the "perfect book" to distract a spy. |
| CON (Constitution) | 16 | 2D6 | Immune to Acid and Poison. |
| DEX (Dexterity) | 18 | 3D6 | Handling fragile 1920s Zimrala scrolls. |
| CHR (Charisma) | 16 | 2D6 | Charming the "Slimies" into looking elsewhere. |
Combat Adds: +26
Fred's Special Ability: The Dusty Cloak. Fred can make a Level 1 IQ Saving Roll to convince any observer that the building is a harmless, non-tactical historical site.
🖋️ Captain’s Log: The First Line of Defense
"Fred is the lie that lets us tell the truth. He spends his mornings cataloging 1909 municipal ledgers and greeting the few scholars brave enough to enter the Nocturnis Underbelly. He’s the father of twins and the husband of a woman from 1929, but to the world, he’s just a man who loves old paper. Without Fred, the Silvertons would have smelled the Mustang’s exhaust months ago. He’s the brain of the operation, and he’s always one chapter ahead of the enemy."
Moving from the quiet bookstore front of Fred to the man himself, we look at the core identity. This is Arthur Earl, the patriarch, the master engineer, and the tactical heart of the Nocturnis Investigations family.
While Fred is the "mask" for the public, Arthur Earl is the reality when the shop doors are locked and the 1909 Analytical Engine starts humming. He’s the bridge between the academic and the soldier.
BLOG POST: JANUARY 26, 2020
The Architect of the Underbelly: Arthur Earl
It’s nearly 9:00 AM. The Rhinos coffee is gone, and the website is finally stable. Now we look at the man behind the desk. Arthur Earl is the version of me that lives in the 2nd Floor Command Center. He’s the one raising twins, protecting Angela, and coordinating the 354.
He isn't just a bookseller, and he isn't yet the "Hawk" in a combat zone. He is the Strategic Engineer.
Arthur Earl: The Architect Attribute Block (Monsters! Monsters! 2.7)
| Attribute | Score | D6 Dice Pool | Arthur Earl’s Strategic Use |
| ST (Strength) | 14 | 2D6 | Maintaining the 1909 Engine’s heavy brass gears. |
| IQ (Intelligence) | 19 | 3D6 | Architectural mastery of the Firehouse-Lab. |
| LK (Luck) | 17 | 3D6 | The Family Man's Fortune: Finding the 1929 artifact. |
| CON (Constitution) | 16 | 2D6 | Immune to Acid and Poison. |
| DEX (Dexterity) | 18 | 3D6 | Fine-tuning the 1970s Wire-Nest in the lab. |
| CHR (Charisma) | 16 | 2D6 | The quiet authority of a father and a leader. |
Combat Adds: +26
Arthur Earl’s Special Ability: The 1976 Legacy. Earl can automatically succeed on a Level 1 IQ Saving Roll to repair or reprogram any mechanical device from the 1900s to the 1970s once per session.
🖋️ Captain’s Log: The Center of the Storm
"By 9:00 AM, the role-playing is over and the work begins. Being Arthur Earl means carrying the weight of the 354 on your shoulders. It’s about more than just stats; it’s about the 19 IQ required to keep the Slinish Rot out of the nursery and the 18 DEX needed to keep the 1970s monitors from flickering out. I’m not just a scholar, and I’m not just a soldier—I’m a man building a future for my wife and my twins in a city that forgot how to hope. I’m the architect of the resistance."
BLOG POST: JANUARY 26, 2020
The Fist of the Underbelly: HAWK
It’s 9:15 AM. The coffee at Rhinos is long gone, but the adrenaline is just starting. When the alarms trip and the Swer Alagaters start surfacing in the basement, Arthur Earl doesn’t just sit at a desk. He becomes the Hawk.
This is the Field Commander. This is the Tiger Force veteran who has seen the Shadow Saga from the Mekong to the Desert and is ready to finish it in Shreveport.
Hawk: The Field Commander Attribute Block (Monsters! Monsters! 2.7)
| Attribute | Score | D6 Dice Pool | Hawk’s Tactical Use |
| ST (Strength) | 14 | 2D6 | Kicking down reinforced Slinish doors. |
| IQ (Intelligence) | 19 | 3D6 | Predicting enemy maneuvers & trap detection. |
| LK (Luck) | 17 | 3D6 | The Survivor: Making the 1-in-a-million shot. |
| CON (Constitution) | 16 | 2D6 | Immune to Acid and Poison. |
| DEX (Dexterity) | 18 | 3D6 | Mastery of the True Meridian Scope. |
| CHR (Charisma) | 16 | 2D6 | Barking the "Command Voice" to the 35 Veterans. |
Combat Performance:
Base Adds: +26
Tiger Force Veteran Bonus: +10
TOTAL COMBAT ADDS: +36
🦅 Hawk’s Unique PC Abilities
Command Voice: Once per combat, Hawk can shout an order that grants all allies (the 354) a +5 bonus to their Combat Adds for one turn.
The Anchor: Because he’s protecting Angela and the twins on the floor above, Hawk is Immune to all Fear and Morale checks when fighting within the perimeter of the headquarters.
Tactical Engineering: Hawk can spend 1 Luck point to instantly identify a structural weakness in any building or vehicle, adding +1D6 damage to his next kinetic attack.
🖋️ Captain’s Log: The Soldier’s Burden
"At the end of the day, someone has to hold the line. Hawk is the man I was trained to be. He doesn’t overthink the 1909 logic or worry about the rare books; he worries about the ammunition count and the heat signatures on the Swer Alagater moat. With +36 adds and the spirit of the 35 Veterans behind him, Hawk is the reason the Silvertons will never take the Firehouse-Lab. I’m Earl by the light of the sun, but I’m Hawk in the shadows where it counts."
📜 Product Identity & Legal
The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges:
The water world of Algieria super earth which is Including the Nocturnis Neo Noir city and its Underbelly, the Whispering Isles, and the Tiger Force Shadow Saga.
The Firehouse-Lab: The specific architectural layout of the 354 Headquarters, including the 1909 Analytical Engine and the bookstore front.
Character Personas: The "Hedge Wizard" archetype, Fred the Bookseller, Arthur Earl (The Architect), and Hawk (The Field Commander).
Unique Items: The Ink of Anticipation, The Scope of the True Meridian, and the specialized "Tiger Force" tactical gear.
Monsters! Monsters! 2nd edtion, and SA magizine are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and are used with permission.
The statistics and game mechanics provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian reach city of noctunis within the whispering isles all rights reserved © 2020 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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