Adventure Edition: Fireborn - Babes in London: Little Girls Lost - Act One, Scenes 1-2

You can find the Introduction to the Babes in London adventure sequence HERE, the background to Act One HERE, and the Overview for Act One HERE.

To play or run this game you will need the following:

PLAYERS: Fireborn Player's Handbook;
GAME MASTERS: Fireborn Gamemaster's Handbook; Fireborn Player's Handbook;

This is a piece of fan fiction. It is NOT endorsed or acknowledged by Fantasy Flight Games; it is IN NO WAY official; it DOES NOT indicate any form of relationship between myself and Fantasy Flight Games; and I DO NOT CLAIM any of the setting specific material or setting specific concepts as my own.

PLAYERS SHOULD NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACT ONE: CHILDREN IN THE PARK

Preparation:

For Scene 1: Familiarize yourself with the playground and its surrounds.

For Scene 2: For new players it is helpful if the players have nominated something of their dragon’s background by this stage. If they have not, and you don’t want to spoil the surprise, nominate a temporary disguise for the mythic land of Albion (last mythic epoch) that the player can fill out later. Such guises include an Albion warrior, druid, diplomat, bard, seer, or member of such a one’s entourage. The PCs, at this point in the mythic age, have been searching for the Seer of Cathach and found her. They have wended their way through the forest in human guise since it’s easier to move through the thick undergrowth this way—and because the Seer’s representatives requested that they do so. When the scene starts they are not aware of their guise until it is time to roll initiative for the attack. When preparing descriptions for the characters, make sure the have all the basic stats that belong to the dragon and its abilities in human form; a brief description of the character’s equipment would also help.

For Scene 3: Make sure you are familiar with the possible paths the PCs might follow.

SCENE ONE: THE PARK

In their search for the Serpent’s Torc, the PCs have learned that the Seer of Cathach can give them the clues they need with which to discover its whereabouts. The person they consulted regarding the location of the Seer has sent them to this park in the south of London. Read or paraphrase the following when they arrive:

22-90 Latham Road is a park. You can tell it’s a park because there are swings, a graffitied picnic table with bench seats, a climbing frame or jungle gym, and a worn-looking round-a-bout. The grass is longer than it should be and a small public toilet block is the only other feature. Elm trees provide a rim of shade. The park is empty, save for two young girls sitting on the edge of the round-a-bout. Their heads are bent together as they whisper to each other but, occasionally, they glance warily at their surroundings. One of these glances falls on you and suddenly you find yourself under the joint gaze of eyes blue as sapphires and green as an emerald star. The air around you shimmers.

SCENE TWO: DRAGONS ENTWINED

…And the girls are gone. The park is gone. And Latham Road with its kirtle of close-packed houses and its shopping strip consisting of a milk bar and bakery, greengrocer, news agency and butcher shop is also gone.

You’ve come through a forest. That much you can remember. And you came to ask a favor – what it was, you can’t remember. The undergrowth has thinned after impeding your progress for the last three days, and you can see the green-tinged sunshine that signals a clearing ahead.

Give the PCs some time to react here. Try to provide them with the following ‘boxed-text’ information in response to questions, rather than just reading it out.

The elm trees surrounding the clearing are huge, and the round-a-bout has been replaced by a small mound. No children here, though. No – no children. Just two dragons reclining together, their heads raised as their emerald and sapphire eyes regard your surprise with gentle amusement.

“We heard you were coming,” the great-clawed beast dragon says, “but we didn’t know it would take you so long to get here…”

The sun glints off her hide creating colored reflections on the surrounding leaves.

Now is the time to ask the PCs to turn to the descriptions for their Alban human forms. and read it.

GMs may also wish to give players a chance to spot Havram disguised as an elm, but the discovery should coincide with the imp attack.

When players are ready to continue, read or paraphrase the following:

There is a disturbance in the forest and a bird cry of alarm brings tension to the clearing. The beast dragon lifts her head, alert. One minute the golden scales and lithe form of the other dragon is there, the next it has disappeared. Beside you, one of the elms utters a sigh. “Here we go again,” and unsheathes its claws, sprouting a draconic head that glances at you with amber eyes.

“They never give up,” it mutters as it turns and lashes out at a blur of movement exploding from the undergrowth. There is a sickening crunch and an oddly pungent odor fills the air. You cannot see what the clawed elm just hit, and there isn’t time to ask as more shapes emerge from the bushes.

Scorpions! If the Servants of Set have risen once more… but these scorpions are different; they are blue, and they have riders – bloated creatures also blue-skinned, looking like wizened old men save for the talons that serve them as claws. You know who sent these… but the name won’t come to you and the first of the scorpion-riding little creatures is preparing to attack. Its mouth parts in a hideous battle grin, revealing rows of pointed teeth as it launches itself towards you.

Now have the PCs roll initiative. These creatures won’t occur again as they are a link to the next arc. For now, they serve to alert the characters to the minions of Set, who are the main focus of this arc, and they link the characters to their past.

Blue Imps:

Era Mythic Arabia; Race Supernatural being; APL TBA; Init 8; Aspects Fire 5, Water 3, Air 3, Earth 2; Health 7m <3 / 3+ / 6+ / 9+ / 12+ / 15+ / 18+ / 21+; Size/Reach -2/0 ft.; Armor 2; Karma 10; Karmic Range 2; Stride 5 ft. (Fast);

Combat

Claws 6/L; Bite 4/L; Sequences Double Gut, Overhand Stabs, Flying Fork

Agg F10/W1/A1/E1-Power + L Weapon Strike + Power + R Weapon Strike: Dmg +20

Neut F5/W3/A3/E2 – L Weapon Strike + R Weapon Strike: Dmg +5

Abilities

Skills Athletics 5, Melee 5, Quickness 4, Senses 4, Stealth 5, Will 4; Edges Daunting 3, Dervish 4, Follow-Through, Resilient 5, Stealthy; Powers Heir of the Storm 3 Witch’s Countenance 3; Traits Imp

Blue Scorpion Mounts:

Era Mythic; Race Supernatural animal; APL 1; Init 7; Aspects Fire 5, Water 3, Air 2, Earth 2; Health 2m <3 / 3+ / 6+ / 9+ / 12+ / 15+ / 18+ / 21+; Size/Reach -1/1 ft.; Armor 8; Karma 10; Karmic Range 2; Stride 13 ft. (Fast)

Combat

Pincer (2): 6/L; Stinger 8/M; Sequences None

Agg F9/W3/A0/E0 – Grab + Press + Press + Stinger

Neut F5/W3/A2/E2 – L Pincer + R Pincer + Press + Press

Def F0/W8/A2/E2 – Dodge sequence

Abilities

Skills Athletics 4, Melee 5, Quickness 5, Stamina 4, Senses 4, Stealth 5; Edges Aggressive 2 (Melee), Durable, Rapid 3, Survivor 1; Powers Heir of the Storm 1;Traits spined, venomous

Imp & Scorpion Tactics: The imps have taken an aggressive stance and launch themselves from their mounts backs using their Flying Fork attack sequence. The scorpions attack until destroyed. The imps attempt to destroy the characters until only one of them is able to get away. At this point, the last imp activates a magical ring that returns it to its master in distant Arabia.

NPC Dragon Tactics: Assume that there are enough imps and scorpions to keep the NPC dragons busy. The imps and scorpions listed here are for the PCs only.

Ending the Flashback: The flashback ends as soon as the last imp opposing the PCs has been destroyed, or has disappeared to report to his master. Once this happens, read or paraphrase the text in Act I, Scene III.

END OF ACT ONE, SCENE 2

Next week, I will post the Act One, Scene 3  of Little Girls Lost.