WESTBOROUGH

Updated 27/2/98 - Harbury Manor

The Town

Westborough is a fictional town in Wiltshire 4 miles north of Warminster 18 miles east of Stonehenge. It is set in rolling green hills and is adjacent to an ancient hill fort complete with a chalk sculpture of a White Horse. The River Biss runs north to south through the town and is 50m wide.

The Town is divided into several distinct districts.

The Forest - a low income "council" housing Estate, and location of Viper base 5539

The Spa - a  high income housing area built around the now defunct health spa, The Doctor's House and Westborough Community Hospital are located here.

Bowerhill - mixed light industry and middle income housing built on a WW2 airfield

The Town - "Downtown" as americans call it, the main shopping area, such as it is. Includes the Town Hall, Football Ground, Spells R US, King's Arms public house  

The City -  The oldest part of Westborough separated from the main town by the River Avon and only accessible by the Challeymeade Bridge(concrete) and the Quaintly named Ballswater Bridge*(stone). Griffon Environmental and George Warden Technology College are located here.

*Ballswater Bridge is a Genuine name, all 2171 bridges in wiltshire have names, the County Bridge Engineers are traditionally allowed to name any bridge they design - my personal favourite is "Dead Chicken Footbridge" (Engineer D.P.Weston) - I know this because I work there

Westborough would be an average small town if it were not for two things, firstly Westborough sits at an active Ley Line nexus, a magnet for extradimensional and supernatural weirdness and secondly the activities of Griffon Environmental which has contaminated the entire area with mutagens. Westborough currently has the highest mutation rate in the UK

The Police

Policing in the UK is run at the County level with little or no national policing. Westborough falls under the jurisdiction of the Wiltshire Constabulary, which is based in the town of Devizes (2d6 minutes away from Westborough).

Police stations can be found in the 12 major towns with "office hours only" stations in a further 10 small towns.

Police in the UK are almost never armed, a three man weapons team is held at HQ in case of an emergency. It should be noted that in the real world the weapons team has only bean called out once in the last 15 years and that was a false alarm.

The Wiltshire Constabulary have one regular thorn in its side - on the summer solstice various disaffected groups of "Travellers", Druids and Anarchists attempt to reach Stonehenge. This came to a head in the late 80's with the Battle of the Beanfields, and has been less of a problem since. Today the main effect of the solstace is to divert almost 50% of police resources including the Helicopter and Black Moriahs for the two weeks leading up to the solstace.

The Constabulary has access to one Helicopter which it shares with the Avon and Somerset Police and has two Black Moriah Mechs based in Devizes It can call on a further 1d6 Black Moriahs 2d6x10 minutes away by borrowing BMs from adjacent police forces. If BMs are called in from other areas this leaves those areas without cover.

• Black Moriah - Riot Control Mech

British local government is a three tiered system of councils each with overlapping areas of responsibility each set of councillors regards the other two as "the Enemy".

The County Council controls Education, Social Services, Environment(roads,bridges,new build), and finally the Department of "Animal health and Gypsies" (a genuine department).

The District Council controls Leisure Centres, "Council Housing" (low rent Govt. owned housing projects), waste collection.

Parish Councils don't control anything and are just a talking shop, biggest issue - complaining to the other councils that a farmer has blocked a footpath with barbed wire.

Westborough elects one Member of Parliament (MP), one Euro MP, two district councillors(1 per parish), two county councillors (1 per Parish) and 10 parish councillors(5 per parish).

"Westborough Town" Parish (or Ward) - This parish consists of The City, The Forest, and The Town. This Parish Votes Liberal Democrat with the Conservative party second and New Labour (the current government) not fielding a candidate. This is the richer of the two parishes and owns The Town Hall.

"Westburough Without" Parish - Westborough Without is defined as that part of Westborough not within the parish of Westborough (this is based on real naming conventions). WWP consists of Bowerhill, The Spa and the farm land surrounding the town. This Parish votes solidly Liberal Democrat with the Liberal party second. Last time around The Monster Raving Loony Party* candidate caused a stir by getting 203 votes.

*The Monster Raving Loony Party is a genuine UK political party that actually got a candidate elected to East Devon District Council! He disappointed his supporters however by Voting with the Conservative group. - I LOVE DEMOCRACY!

Reports that the MRLP is the political wing of C.L.O.W.N. are unproven at this time

Westborough Rovers FC

• The Team
• Ray of the Rovers - a low powered hero
• Winston the Mascot

The Team - Westborough Rovers Football Club

Firstly let me just say to you Americans out there that "Football" is the game you somewhat eroniusly refer to as Soccer. "American Football" does not exist in any meaningful way over here (for which we are grateful).

Football in the UK is organised as a pyramid of leagues and conferences. The Premier League at the top followed by the divisions of the Football League, then the regional(amateur) conferences. The Quality of Stadia can be very poor at the lower end, with standing only and pieces of corrugated iron as a roof.

Westborough Rovers FC are an amateur team playing in the Great Mills Conference against other local towns in South West of England. Rovers are well supported by the Townsfolk and moral is high after the signing of Ex-International player Ray Reese. Rovers other claim to fame is their team mascot. Team colours are golden yellow shirt with black trim at collar and wrist, black shorts and banded socks in black and gold. The Team is sponsored by Chandry Electrical and the CE Battery Boy logo covers the front of the shirt.

Ray of the Rovers - A low powered hero

• George Warden Technology College
• Harbury Manor - The Doctor's House
• The King's Arms Public House
• St Michaels and All Saints Church
• Spells R US magic shop and second hand emporium
• Griffon Environmental
• VIPER BASE 5539

"The College is what used to be called a secondary school catering for 12 to 17 year olds. New government initiatives have made it financially expedient to be called a college and to focus on teaching sciences.

The college caters for approximately 1500 students and has a good academic record, a record that has improved markedly over the last 6 months. This is generally attributed to the influence of the new Headmaster.

The college consists of 50 purpose built classrooms, 4 assembly halls, a Gym, an outdoor swimming pool (character building trust me!), lecture theatre and 30 mobile classrooms*.

The "Mobile" is a feature of british schools, In 1970 there was a "temporary" shortage of classrooms, the solution was to convert builders site huts into classrooms. A mobile is delivered on two Articulated 16 wheelers the two halves are bolted together and a small (very small) gas fire is added. once constructed a mobile is 13m x 7m with four exits (one at each corner) and is made of 7kd 15sdp (5 body) wood.

GM Version: The reason that results are improving at the school really is The Headmaster. This sinister individual has decided that what the world needs is discipline and HE is the one to provide it. The children and teachers have all been mind controlled to OBEY the Headmaster to one degree or another, anyone who becomes suspicious is invited to the Headmaster's office for a chat. Those students fully controlled by the Headmaster are given the rank of Prefect and keep watch for any Undisciplined (therefore uncontrolled) student.

There are only two individuals at the college not affected by the Headmaster's mind control - a new music teacher Miss Aldrend (see Ace below) and Dominic "The Centaur" Jones who has been planted at the School by Skeleteam of Project Pegasus with Ironside assigned as "case officer"

• The Master aka The Headmaster 
• Sally "Ace" Aldrend - ex Time Traveller
• Dominic "The Centaur" Jones

Doctor?.....Doctor who? you ask,  - THE Doctor,

The Doctor travels a lot, in fact he hasn't been seen in over ten years. Neighbours will insist the property is occupied, after all someone has to control that silly remote controlled robot that guards the place and does the gardening and fetches the paper (pays for it too!).

GM version: The time traveller known only as The Doctor ran into a particularly nasty alien entity while visiting The Harbury Manor in 1889, the family that owned the house were dead and there was the distinct possibility that the entity would attack again if the house was reoccupied. In order to prevent further carnage The Doctor purchased The House and left a K9 robot to see off any intruders.

• K9 - Mk6 robot 
• Harbury House

The King's Arms is a traditional english pub - The sort of place the locals go for a drink and a game of darts. The sort of place where all conversation stops when a stranger walks in the door. The Kings Arms is not what it seems.

The Kings Arms has a secret - the Lounge Bar contains a hidden entrance into the "Hall of Worlds" a hyperspacial construct that allows access to such diverse worlds as "Midkemia", "Manticore" "Kelewan", "Bajor","Northwind", "Arrakis" and "Corescant". Disguised persons from these realms often mingle with the other patrons at the bar. There are strict rules about not fighting in the King's Arms, that doesn't mean that a fight hasn't been taken outside from time to time. And of course there was all that trouble when the Cardassian Vole was let out of it's cage as a "prank" by some drunken Northwind Highlanders.....

The King's Arms has been owned since ancient times by the Stuart family who also act as guardians of the Hall of Worlds, defending Earth from the Hall's less savoury inhabitants. The Current Owner/Guardian is Alan Stuart sometimes known as VENOM. Alan has a cash flow problem (see character sheet) and is currently bending the Guardian rules selling alien technology to The Department. The King's Arms has one other resident of note, Fido the Cardassian Vole. Alan picked up Fido during one of his adventures in the Hall of Worlds and keeps him caged and on display in the Lounge bar. Fido is a creature without any redeeming features and an unhealthy sexual interest in the local Rat population. Alan has a blind spot where Fido is concerned and will never believe the worst of his pet.

• Fido - The Cardassian Vole
• VENOM - The Guardian of the Hall of worlds

Like many of England's churches St Michaels has fallen into disrepair as congregations dwindled the remaining christians consolidated at St Stephens Church (off map). Unknown to anyone one of Ysbaddadan Javelins is buried in the crypt (see Ancient Artifacts). The forces of DEMON know that there is something hidden in Westborough and have LOST several agents(see Spells R US)searching the area, a more thorough investigation is just a matter of time.

The silence of the night is disturbed by a groaning, wheezing sound, an empty store front twists and distorts a pulsing blue light fills it's windows followed by an echoing thump as something immensely heavy lands. A small crumpled old man steps outside inspects the now redesigned shop front nods satisfied with his handiwork and hangs an open for business sign outside Spells R US - a shop that everyone in town suddenly "knows" has always been there.

Spells R US sells magical artifacts, the real thing no fakes. The Magician runs the shop solely for his own warped amusement, selling highly dangerous trinkets to the unwary. His favourite bargains are those that result in the physical transformation of the victim into either an animal or a sex obsessed member of the opposite gender(or both). The Four DEMON agents that tried to threaten The Magician are now strippers at Westborough's Night Club.

The SRU Magician

Note Spells R US is also a series of humorous short stories on the net (not written by me) WARNING  the material is sexually explicit and involves a lot of spontaneous breast growth.  

Number 43b Sangstre Avenue, a typical terraced "council" house, a rusting Ford Escort propped on bricks where the front garden used to be. VB5539 represents the low end of Viper investment, it has a total of ten standard agents, one vehicle specialist, one Gecko Roadcruiser (disguised as an MG Midget sportscar) and a Sand Snake Tunneling Machine.

The Fat Controller has great plans for his franchise, he picked up the Sand Snake at a knock down rate from VB5002(Milton Keynes) and is using it to excavate an extensive series of tunnels under Westborough. Long term plans aside the Viper hierarchy will soon be demanding their cut. Rumour on the street says that the Fat Controller is planning "Something Big".

The Fat Controller

Locals will tell you that Sangstre Avenue is nicknamed "gangster avenue" (streetwise - easy) 

Inhabitants

• Ray of The Rovers - Soccer Superhero
• Winston the Mascot - The Westborough FC team mascot
• Dominic the Centaur - A Pegasus Associate
• ACE - an Ex-Time Traveller and School Teacher
• K9-Mk6 - The Doctor's pet dog

Villains

• The Headmaster - a mentalist intent on ruling the world
• The Fat Controller - A Viper Base Commander
• The Spells R US Magician
• Fido - The Cardassian Vole

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