Encounter #29 Warriors of Krell

[ArmySGT.]

Name: Warriors of Krell
Geographical Location: 7
H&M Average:4
H&M Range 2-10
Number found : 4-24
Tech Level: B
Power / Resources : Electricity, steam, solar / mining, farming.
Weapons: Shotguns, Modern weapons, heavy vehicles.
Special Attributes: Knowledge of the Morrow Project and have some Project equipment, want more.

Description: Stopped once from building an extensive, repressive empire by the Project, the dictator Krell caused the capture or destruction of several Morrow bases. He captured one intact and had himself frozen. He arises every few decades to incite his followers to further expansion. The same followers guard his bunker while he "sleeps".

[ArmySGT.]

What is supposed to be one of the most major threats to the Morrow Project and has one of the least back stories.

Through out the boards there is some very complicated and very detailed back story for Krell himself. Vice President, A Cabinet Member, Army General, Air Force General, A corporate nobody, a Soviet mole in the Pentagon, a Soviet Mole in the CIA.

If you can find the time there was a lot of discussion of "Who is Krell?" in the Nostromo email lists.

Anyway, all the Modules and one off scenarios always portray the WoK as dumb as rocks neo-barbs.

This perturbs me. After all their base tech is B......... They have used in the past nuclear weapons and bio warfare.

This can be explained that the Warriors of Krell is a Caste system. The bottom rungs, the cannon fodder are ignorant useless brutes that kill who they are told to kill. However this doesn't mean that there is an upper Caste that understands and builds the steam, are the overlords of the farms, and maintains the power and the lights. Even another higher Caste closer to Krell who direct, and train this Makers for Krell caste, who can use and repair pre War high tech including Cryotubes.

[mmartin798]

Some of the recent discussions about Prime Base had me re-reading the module again. In it there is a brief paragraph that yields some information that I had overlooked before. It reads, "Such pieces of the Krell organization as were still active after the War were on the lookout for Project personnel and activity." From this paragraph we learn:

1) Krell was a pre-War organization with knowledge of the Project
2) The Krell organization was actively searching for the Project after the War and likely before.

These facts fly into the face of the neo-barb, opportunistic group with a Tech Level B mindset. This might put the Krell into the class of privately funded, military contractor version of the Snake Eaters.

[stormlion1]

From the 4th Edition we get this.

NAME: WARRIORS OF KRELL
TYPE: Military
LOCATION
FOUND:
7
TRAITS: Volatile: 50% Extrovert: 40%
Compassion: 30% Discipline:
70% Curious: 50%
ENCOUNTER
SIZE:
4D6
TECH LEVEL: C-E
POWER/
RESOURCES:
Electricity, steam, solar/mining,
farming
WEAPONS: Modern weapons, heavy vehicles
SPECIAL
ATTRIBUTES:
Knowledge of the Morrow
Project and have some Project
equipment, want more.
TRADE: Nothing, Krell’s warriors take
what they need.
SKILLS: Brawl, Persuade, Construction,
Firearms, Gunnery, Melee
Weapon, Sensor Operations,
Survival, Artillery.
DESCRIPTION:
These formidable fanatical fi ghters are ruled
by Krell, a mysterious man from the past whose
ambition to create a repressive dictatorial regime
was thwarted once by the Project. He struck back,
destroying several Morrow facilities and capturing
one base intact. From this “Base Zero” Krell arises
from cryo-sleep every few decades to incite his
followers to expand his empire. While he sleeps, the
empire grows. Krell’s minions have learned well
from their master. Their brutality is legendary.

And a later section gives us this in the section about why the war didn't happen in 1989.

The future also became rougher than it had been
before. The armies of Krell had grown stronger, and
Bruce was to come face to face with their leader. It was
clear that Krell was also from the twentieth century,
perhaps a Project recruit, or a Frozen Chosen.
Bruce returned, resolute that the Project should succeed.
He swore never to interfere with the timeline
again, the cost had been too great, but he also had to
know who this Krell man was.

[ArmySGT.]

I think my favorite biography for Krell was on the old MP mailing list "Nostromo"...... Unfortunately, I did not make a copy.

I was something like Krell is a former Warsaw Pact operative who was a mole conducting industrial espionage in the Defense industry. Through this he came upon the Cryosleep projects and other advanced technology.

Oberst Karol of the NPA Border troops holds a PhD in Psychology and an MA in ancient history (europe). Oberst Karols career respectable time as a political officer in battalion and below; additionally as Aid de Camp for Generalmajor Mayer of the NPA border guards.

[nuke11]

I ran across this on the internet a number of years ago and I kind of like this as a cover for Krell; not a person, but an organization.

http://www.krellinst.org/ and http://scientistsbookshelf.org/

Vague enough to peek your interest, but shows nothing of what they really do. Kind of a rival idea to Morrow in some aspects.

[mmartin798]

I guess my biggest problem with the canon version of the Krell is the simple problem of Krell being kept alive. We often discuss how dire the world is. Kill or be killed. Every man watching out for himself and his immediate family. That just does not sit will with Krell saying to his lieutenant, "Francis, I'm gonna take a nap for 10 years or so. Keep things running and remember to wake me up." Nothing stops the lieutenant from gaining personal power and saying, "Joe, go break the box and then I can tell everyone we must continue the work under my leadership." We then have the Warriors of Francis.

The only way this works in my mind is for Krell to recruit some people himself with the appearance that he has mystic power. Some recruits may be highly religious and with him when he is frozen. Let's call one of them Juan. Now Juan is there with Krell when Francis and Joe are there talking. Knowing that they mean to kill Krell while he is in deep meditation (i.e. frozen), prevents that from happening by killing them. Krell wakes, sees Juan over the bodies as he tells them they were planning to kill Krell and Juan could not sit idle and let a prophet be killed. Krell then has a guard unit, an elite priesthood as it were, that is fiercely loyal to guard him while he is in communion with the deity.

That sort of narrative just seems better to assure he is not killed by someone as he sleeps. It also means they are not just stupid gun wielding thugs. Just look at current terror groups with western education to use in their fight. It also fits the narrative for the insurgency at Pahute Place prior to the fall of Prime Base very well. They did not come in guns blazing, but as counter-organizing insurgents.

[ArmySGT.]

After watching "Mad Max - Fury Road"

I kind of want to go on a tangent and model the WoK after Immortan Joe and the Warboys.

Tech Level B then makes sense, in that that Tech level is strictly controlledby the top lieutenants under the Warlord. The average rabble is dumbed down and the secrets of making or maintaining garb in babble and superstition.

The cult of personality makes more sense, i.e. "why doesn't some else kill Krell and take over"... because his minions love him more than they fear him. Krell makes them feel valuable, and a part of something colossal, epic, and monumental.

So I think I will be writing in some pseudo religious dogma and swipe some Ragnarok / Valhalla and some Bushido mixed with a three tier brotherhood thing. Drugs, rituals, totems, clans...... Job..... give them purpose. Fail your purpose and die by your Brothers hand lore.

Make up some machine cult that offers incense and burnt tar as offerings to the prophets Tesla and Ford..... Some such thing.

[ArmySGT.]

Radio Krell!

Come Brothers! Gather into the drum circle. The crops are in the ground, the task masters will herd the vermin slaves....... Ice has lost its grip and the Campaign starts again. Unto Glory, Warriors. Krell knows his best, and makes them Princes among heroes!


*Tribal Dance techno music rises in volume*

Using functional radio stations scattered about Krell territories powered by alcohol fueled generators.... These typically play in four hour blocks twice a day. Canned speeches, stories of past and present Warriors great deeds, and intense fight inspiring and drum heavy music.