[Trigger Event] Harper’s Court

The Best and the Brightest, The Smartest and the Bravest, The Men and Women of Harper’s Court
– The last lines of the Harper’s Court cadence call

It claims to be the training ground for tomorrow’s leaders, an academy of discipline and learning blind to the social and economic pressures of modern America.

But what is really going in at Harper’s Court? Is it simply yet another facility for the creation of some Dark Lord’s Igors, or is it a bastion of light in these darkest days, inducting a new generation of Minion Hunters? Read on and find out…

Welcome to the second Trigger Event article to appear on darkconspiracytherpg.info. In these editorials we present you new and interesting options for bringing the Dark Conspiracy setting to life, and with it a unique way in which you can kickstarting your own campaign to life. Within, you will discover a sample setting, backdrop, and hints at possible adventures within this tiny fragment of Dark America. All in all, a myriad of ideas ripe for germination at your gaming table!

Background – Eyes Front!

In the years following the economic downturn that has now been dubbed been “The Greater Depression” there were few social services and economic backstops able to survive the Federal Government’s slash and burn approach to fiscal savings. One by one, health, housing and even public works projects were mothballed or closed entirely by the administration, until the only funding that still remained was that earmarked for the military complex. For hundreds of years, the young men (and latterly women) of America, no matter what their background or social status, had been able to sign up to serve their country at home and abroad. In all that time, the need for the defense of the United States was deemed paramount, no matter what the cost or impact…

But even these coffers eventually ran dry. All too soon the doors of the recruitment stations closed, entire regiments were disbanded, and the plight of the once-uniformed soldier was just like  any other unfortunate found on the streets of the bursting metroplexes.

Yet the need for armed forces still remained even if the government could not afford one. And so, like with so many other services and amenities it was the corporations who stepped into the breach and began to train their own soldiers, loaning out the well-armed fighters to the battle on behalf of the government in return for yet more concessions and erosions in civil rights. Now, instead of fighting under a flag of red, white and blue, these warriors fought under corporate banners and in new gaudier uniforms.

This new system wasn’t without success. Across the myriad of bushfire wars that now infested Dark America – and its neighbours – these troops preformed well, as they did when called upon – as had their National Guard predecessors been – to assisting communities in the wake of natural disasters. But for each good deed undertaken by this corporation or that, dozens of other stories arose, telling of crimes against the innocent, of violence acts swept under the carpet by superiors no longer beholden to the public good, and many other unwholesome ‘irregularities’. Eventually what remained of the Federal and State governments stepped in and using what power they had left to muster, began to regulate these corporate armies.

While never completely successful, by the time the new laws were signed and the handshakes made, no more unregulated armed forces remained on American soil. Instead these groups were now called ‘corporate security’ or ‘licenced military operators’ all of whom claimed to follow the conventions and rules recently laid down by international laws. This new phase saw a rise of sanctioned security forces and specialised training camps that brought discipline, respect and tradition back to men and women under arms.

One such facilities is Harper’s Court, a military academy dedicated to “creating a new breed of warriors fit for a modern America”. Run under the auspices of Gibson Financials, an independent subsidiary of Tashicorp, it proudly graduates a few dozen special cadets each year. These graduates are not just soldiers, they are also technicians, business experts and leaders, earmarked to take vital roles across the globe.

The Setting – From Cadet to Graduate, Life at Harper’s Court

Harper’s Court can exist in any metroplex or city in Dark America and looks to accept an intake each year of about fifty students. Expectations are high in the academy and many cadets wash out well before graduation, but those that do pass are well equipped to face the rigours facing the modern world.

The campus is run by Commandant Jules Erving, a retired Navy Commander, whose years at sea have molded him into a no-nonsense leader who expects everyone to give their best – regardless of the innate physical or mental abilities. He is supported by Dr Michael Crowder, the head of the civilian academic staff, who is a military historian specialising in modern war conflicts, and Major Cathleen Temple, a veteran Military Police officer, who is responsible for all ‘uniformed’ staff on site. In day-to-day activities cadets are mostly managed by House Sergeants, themselves recent graduates from the academy, who are in turn lead by experienced ex-Non-Commissioned Officers.

Life as a cadet at Harper’s Court is both regulated and demanding. A student’s day is divided into two main parts: academic work which consists of advanced High-school/Under-Graduate level learning, and a considerable physical regime focused on fitness and mental acuity. Older cadets are introduced to the firearms training and have access to several facilities (and freedoms) younger classes do not. The demands on a student, especially in their first weeks can seem overly intense, but this approach is to ensure that a certain level of discipline is set early and to weed out any undesirable elements in their behaviour. The course curriculum for both theoretical and physical classes emphasises teamwork based activities – especially those with a focus on co-operation and problem solving. These are the tools that grow comradery and spirit among the cadets, while also building the individual’s self-worth and personal initiative.

Harper’s Court itself consists of four buildings formed around a central quad. Each of these buildings has its own distinct purpose, with one for academic learning, one for housing, a third for physical training, and the final reserved for the complex’s administration requirements. Student’s access on site is limited, and it is only on the rare occasion that cadets are allowed to leave the campus after enrollment. That said, once accepted into Harper House, a student can expect the best of everything – facilities, food, technology, etc..

The academy requires no tuition fees for its students, although a ‘return service’ clause is in place ensuring that the graduates contribute to Gibson or other Tashicorp subsidiaries  for a period of no less than 5 years.

Role of the Minion Hunters – Who Goes There!

Below are a few example ways in which the characters can be connected to Harper’s House, with the Referee encouraged to thinking of more.

• Graduate Cadet – The characters are graduates of academy and this provides them with both a strong social connection – and reason to trust one another – as they start their new lives are Minion Hunters. See the Harper’s Court Cadet Career Option below as a mechanical option for supporting this connection.
• Employee – Harper’s Court employs a number of teachers and administration staff, from clerical workers, through to professors and trainers. Often specific experts are brought in on short term contracts to assist in one area of another. Minion Hunters could easily balance their lives at the academy with their ‘other activities’, with the campus also providing access to a range of tools and weapons that they might find invaluable in their adventures.

The Trigger Event – A Bright Light or Dark Beginnings?

Just what is actually happening at Harper’s Court is left for the Referee to decide, but some options include:

• Missing Friend – One of the Minion Hunters friends goes missing while working for Harper’s Court and no-one seems to know what has become of them. During their investigation, the party discover that the academy is indeed a cover for a Darkling operation, training its cadets to infiltrate other corporates and undermining their efforts. The discovery of this fact will  set the powers behind Harper’s Court against the Minion Hunters and may well reveal that a myriad of other similar academies exist all over Dark America!
• Foreboding Events – The characters all play cadets currently attending their last year at Harper’s Court. By accident, or design they stumble across the real purpose of the academy – the question the Referee has to answer is it really a front for training Igors or is Commandant Erving creating a cadre of loyal soldiers ready to fight off the dark incursions threatening the world?
• Rallying Call – Deep beneath the Harper’s Court campus a new Empathic Underground is forming. Well-armed, well-trained and with access to numerous corporate and civilian entities, what organisation could be better prepared to understand the threats that face all of humanity? But the underground needs leaders, and the Minion Hunters bring with them experience the academy needs to capitalise on its position. Of course nothing is ever that simple, do enemies lie within Harper’s Court or the whole campus simply an elaborate trap designed to capture those who resist a Dark One’s coming? Only time will tell!