PCC1_Immortal_Cactus
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NOTE: If you hate long stories just skip it.
Written accounts of The Faultless go far back as the oldest surviving texts. No doubt it existed in the Aeon Steppes long before the words used to describe it. While its origin is uncertain, its role in the present is concrete; it's used to instantly transfer coded messages to an identical site on the polar opposite side of the planet. This is how the empire has maintained such close communication with its overseas colonies. Without it, economic collapse would be a certainty. That's not all, though; the Psi-Mage guild occasionally picks up patterns that match no known form of human tongue, suggesting beings from lands unseen may also be utilizing its signal-boosting properties. It's not known what would happen were it to die, but various clues from the fossil record suggest the consequences of this would be severe. Keeping it alive is in everyone's best interests.
Unfortunately, this has proven to be a costly endeavor. The ring of mysterious black vegetation that nourishes the membrane requires water infused with a very specific blend of minerals. Development in upstream regions has resulted in this special water no longer occuring, meaning it must now be synthesized on an industrial scale. The crown was able to locate a scant few orchards and breweries across the land that are capable of producing the de-ionized water needed for this process. Recurring purchases of this resource coupled with war expenses have put a tremendous strain on the treasury, leading officials to seek new ways of financing the upkeep. The Faultless had always brought in droves of people on religious pilgrimages; perhaps this was the source of revenue the site desperately needed.
In Recognition of their notoriety, The Ministry of G-Forces was contracted to manage the space. They were give access to the on-site government facility and a hearty budget of taxpayer dollars. The site would also be protected by the Emperor's finest counter-terror army known to many as The Knights with Shotguns. Under these conditions, The Ministry was expected to use their parkbuilding expertise to make the Aeon Steppes profitable. They got to work sourcing unique and innovative attractions that were sure to grab people's attention and convince them to buy tickets. To bring their inventions to life they sought aid from blacksmiths, architects, technomancers, and even magicians - whatever the project required. Attractions ranged from simplistic, to technological feats found nowhere else.
Most in the Ministry are fans of Cave games, so of course they tapped into the royal library's collection of rare PCBs to populate the arcade. In terms of flat rides, there is a wide assortment of makes and models for people of every preference. They even made sure to include a couple attractions that cater to local raptor culture (due to the ecology of the region it's more economic to keep raptors than horses). The rides that got the most attention, however, were the roller coasters, which all follow a central design theme of forward and backwards movement. Each express this gimmick in a different way:
~Goth Goat (Mayhem Version): MMC (Mountains of Madness Construction). A recreation of one of their custom layouts from a now-defunct park. This updated version features two new inversions, but the most significant change is trains now roll out of the station backwards and do the first half of the circuit that way.
~Kitbash: In-house/misc. contractors. A traditional side friction coaster, except two trains leave the station per dispatch, and they face each other. Guests can choose between a tame forwards ride, or a slightly more intense backwards ride. On slow days operators are known to give riders water guns and bet on which train comes back wetter.
~Sane: Smack Rides. The debut of their new Power Gush model. This launched shuttle coaster sends boats back and forth to build speed, then uses state-of-the-art pneumatic technology to fill a water splash right before touchdown. It is totally original and not a copy of anything.
~Indexing Angel: TAKEOUT Rides. A prototype that was acquired for cheap because no other parks wanted it. The layout is short, but trains take a long time to traverse it. This is thanks to an element the manufacturer calls a "heat sink', which traps trains in a loop of track until they run out of energy and roll back.
~Threshold Guardian: Intamax. Features two powerful launches; one backward, one forward. Track and layout engineers worked directly with the Ministry to create this forceful and extreme coaster that makes use of the iconic natural archway in its circuit.