Its a Mads Mads World

A shifter named Mads has been able to create a stable portal to another world; an uninhabited world of rolling green pastures and unlimited potential. It is a near magicless world free from the strife of Rifts Earth. No Coalition, no demons or predators of any kind, no warfare or conflict. An untapped landscape ripe for settling.
She is charging a fee for anyone to use the portal to settle in the new world. She is charging exorbitant rates; but as she says, credits won't do them any good in their new home.

Themes

The mystery of the disappearances should lead the characters to wonder what could be lurking in the other world. The GM would do well to perpetuate this mystery with bumps in the night should the party go across.

Structure

Conflict

The portal on the new world side is a large hoop, four meters across. The hoop itself is about a meter round and has a smooth round cross-section consisting of bolted aluminum panels. The inner-workings of the portal are behind those panels.
The inner workings of the portal hoop consists of corpses. The portal is powered by people, by settlers who have been abducted by the mercenary squad for that purpose.
Mads and Yoth are the conspirators and will do whatever it takes to preserve their secret and their VERY profitable enterprise.

Adding fuel to the fire (pardon the pun) is the conflict between Yoth and Neese. The burster's headstrong and irrepressible desire for action, supported by the Crazy's desire for murder, the rookie's silent acquiescence and the borg's inhumanity give him an upper hand in any dealings with Yoth. (like how Billy the Kid challenged the authority of Dick Brewer in the Lincoln County War. You can watch the movie Young Guns" for reference) They are prone to throw caution to the wind and will ultimately be the reason the party discovers that they are the real threat to the settlers.

Climax

There will come a time when the portal is made dormant for maintenance. When this happens, Yoth will open the access panels and remove a skeleton from the portal which turns nearly to dust immediately. He puts the remaining pieces of the skeleton into a bin, then places a bound settler, still alive, in the same place where the skeleton was. He replaces the access panel, the portal surges back to full power, and operations continue as if nothing happened.

Falling Action

Even after the true nature of the portal is made known, the people supporting Mads and Yoth and the sacrifices will make the following argument:
The conflict, threats, suffering, oppression and general risk to life here on Rift's Earth make the odds of success in the new world better even after the odds of being selected for sacrifice to the portal. They will try to make a case to keep it operating, protecting the shifters.

Components

Hooks

The party hears of a promised new world that seems to be too good to be true. Upon investigation, or merely overhearing them, the party will hear the stories of Hidda and Brock; two people who have not heard from their loved ones in the new world.

They both are willing to pool their credits to allow the party passage through the portal to investigate.

Moral Quandaries

The new world really is a virgin paradise. Anyone traveling there will be able to create a fresh start free from all threats and persecution.
On the other hand, the portal is powered through the sacrifice of others. Those sacrifices come from the people who have made the journey. People who are completely ignorant of that fact.
In addition, while a significant number of sacrifices are required to keep the portal operating (a turnover of about 1/week), the odds that any individual settler would become a sacrifice become lower the more settlers come across. The settlers deem the odds acceptable, considering the miserable lives they are leaving behind. Try to tell them they're wrong!

Red Herrings

If confronted by Hidda's and Brock's stories, Mads will claim ignorance and says she is not responsible for their well being in the new world. She assures them there are no predators in the new world to account for their demise. Maybe they ate poisonous plants? Maybe they just don't want to communicate. How sure are you that you were wanted?
She points to her mercenary squad on the other side of the portal as a security force who's job is to keep the peace and ensure no surprise threats come up.
All of this should raise the spectre of a predator or something hostile in the new world. This red herring should keep the PCs off the scent of the true threat to the settlers.

Relations

Allies

Hidda - a young teenager, the niece of a young couple who went to settle in the new world. The couple was supposed to come back to get her, but she has been waiting for a week and they have not returned.
Brock - A shop owner who sent his wife and children into the new world with a magical notebook that lets then send notes to each other. She has not written in three days and he is concerned.

Neutrals/Bystanders

Many of the potential settlers will be alarmed to find the truth behind the portal. Any who haven't made up their minds will be disgusted and flee. It is possible that they could be convinced to fight the shifter if the party appeals to their sense of justice.

Competitors

A lot of settlers don't want to hear anything that could dampen their hopes about the potential of the new world. They've already made up their minds and try to willfully maintain their ignorance of anything other than news they want to hear.
Most will rationalize their subscription to the opinion that as long as they aren't the victims, everything is still okay.
To this end, they will be upset that anyone, even the party, would dash their hopes and dreams. Some will even be willing to form a mob to confront them.

Adversaries

Mads - A veteran Shifter with he ability to maintain a persistent stable portal to another world.
A mercenary squad:

• Neese - Male human Burster. While not the leader of the squad in name, he is the leader of the squad in action. His eagerness and temper can not be controlled by the leader, Yoth.
• Yoth - Male Shifter. Mads's partner. Supposedly the leader of the mercenary squad, but unable to control them fully because of the charismatic Neese.
• Full Conversion 'Borg.
• Crazy who has an itch over her whole body that can only be scratched if she kills someone or something.
• Pedro - a partial conversion headhunter. Young and inexperienced but eager to prove himself. He's not happy with their mission, but views it as a part of the job he just has to get accustomed to. It is possible the party could convince him to go against his contract for the right reasons.

Backdrops

Locations

This is on the western edges of the The Federation of Magic, within several days travel from coalition territory.

Threats

A team of mercenaries in the new world.

Past Events

About a hundred settlers have taken advantage of the deal so far. In order to maintain her profit, Mads will not let anyone through the portal to reconnoiter for fear that they would just never come back once they were across.
But to satisfy potential customers, she has set up a robotic drone that they can fly through to provide all the assurance they need that it is a safe and habitable place. It is.

If the portal remains open after the party goes its own way, it will only remain open for a few months more. Eventually elements on the new world side will rebel against the regular sacrificial price they must pay so that others can come through. It was really only a matter of time.
The portal will be destroyed on the new world side and the connection to the planet will be lost for all time, its dimensional coordinates lost forever.

(interesting note: this planet is the same planet that will eventually give rise to the Mechanoids, but that is another story for another place and time.)