Adventure Edition - Babes in London: Little Girls Lost, Act Two Scene 3A

You can find the introduction to the Babes in London adventure sequence HERE, the background to Act One HERE, the Overview for Act One HERE., Act One Scenes 1-2 HERE and Act One Scene 3 HERE.

Act Two Preparation and Scene 1 can be found HERE and Act Two Scene 2 can be found HERE.

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

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

GMs, please note that there are two sizable cut-scenes interlinked with Scene 3A. They will be posted over the next fortnight. You should not run Scene 3A until you have these cut-scenes, as they interrupt this scene when they occur.

PLAYERS SHOULD NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCENE THREE A: INVESTIGATING ANIKA’S HOME:

When PCs reach Anika’s home, read or paraphrase the following:

Anika’s family lives in what looks like a small, two-story house with a tiny front lawn. You can see a policeman standing on the steps near the front door. He’s not knocking or trying to get in, but seems to be on guard. A squad car is pulled up out the front, but there’s no one inside it. The policeman’s partner must either be in the house or around the back.

General information:

The policeman is under strict orders not to let anyone in without authorization. No one wants the Press snooping around and giving out information that they’re not ready to release. The man’s partner is currently guarding the back door.

All the windows (on both the upper and lower floors) have been locked, as has the entrance to the coal cellar and the external doors. PCs facing the house can see that there is a narrow pathway down the right-hand side of the house but entrance to the back yard is blocked by a locked gate. A brick wall, six-feet high can be seen on the left-hand side and observant PCs (Air: Senses, TH 4) catch a glimpse of yellow roses just visible on the other side.

PCs have a number of options at this point:

• Approaching either Policeman: Constables Watters (at the front door) and Mason (back door) will not allow the PCs entry unless able to obtain authorization from the detective in charge (DIC).
• If PCs do not have the DIC’s business card or authorization to assist in investigations: the constables will not allow them entry to the house. If PCs have already gained access to Leyila’s house and parents via an organized meeting, they are recognized at the door and given access to the house ‘for a short time only Mr/Miss …’ and ‘Don’t touch anything; no tidying up.’.
• Once they have been approached and denied permission to enter, the constables are particularly vigilant regarding all attempts by the PCs to gain entry to the house (+2 TH to opposed Senses tests for anyone trying to avoid detection). They will call for back up rather than confront intruders on their own, knowing that there is help 4 rounds away at all times. They will also notify the station and their colleagues at Leyila’s house of the approach and a squad car will be sent out to pick the PCs up for questioning – which will keep them at the station until four p.m. that afternoon, if they are caught.
• If the PCs have a business card and have been granted permission to help in investigations: the constables call for authorization, which allows PCs entry to the house. (Forensics has already been and, as long as the PCs don’t disturb the numbered markers or make a mess of the house, they are allowed inside to conduct their investigations.)
• If the PCs have a business card but have not been granted permission, or asked, to help in investigations: the constables call for authorization, which results in one of the PCs having to speak to the detective in charge in order to explain why they are interested. If the PC can convince the detective to either allow them to conduct their own investigation, or aid in police investigations, they will be allowed entry to Anika’s house. This requires an Air (Trickery) or Air (Interaction) test with a base TH of 3. The following modifiers apply:

TH ModifierCircumstance

+1PC was cooperative when contacted by police and is of a private investigator , police or teaching background.
+2PC was cooperative when contacted by police and is of a background that is not policing, private investigation, teaching, criminal, or homeless
+3PC was cooperative when contacted by police and is of a criminal or homeless background
+4PC was uncooperative (regardless of background).

• Attempting to sneak into the house unobserved: To do this, PCs have to make opposed Senses tests in order to reach the house unobserved. If they succeed, they are hidden down one of the two sides of the house. Breaking windows requires another opposed Senses test with a +3 difficulty to the TH (since it is a quiet neighborhood), although climbing to the second floor (where they will still have to break a window to gain entry) from either of these sides does not add to the TH – since it is a quiet neighborhood and most of its residents are out at work. Breaking a window to gain entry to the second floor only attracts a +2 penalty to the TH, but adds a +2 to the Climbing TH in order for the PC to avoid losing his grip and fall.
• Gaining entry to the house by ‘neutralizing’ the police officers on the door: Roll opposed Senses tests to approach either constable undetected, then conduct combat as normal. Alternatively PCs can try to approach the constables openly and take them by surprise. This requires an opposed Trickery test for the PCs to get close enough to attack an unsuspecting officer.

POLICE CONSTABLES WATTERS & MASON

See the ‘Cop’ entry on p. 195 of the Gamemaster’s Handbook.

Once PCs have gained entry to Anika’s house they can begin their investigation of the following rooms:

FIRST FLOOR

ENTRY HALL: This is just beyond the front door. A mirror and bureau of drawers stands opposite the door. A shoe rack sits on the floor on the right-hand side beside an umbrella stand and underneath a coat rack. There are two adult-sized mackintoshes on the coat rack but no child-sized one. Likewise, there is a set of men’s shoes and a set of sensible women’s work shoes on the shoe rack, but no child-sized shoes. Three sets of Wellington boots are also on the rack (two adult- and one child-sized set). There are two doors leading off from the entry hall: one on the left and one on the right. 

NOTE: These details are important because they indicate that the parents were forcibly taken, and add to the clues that Anika left of her own accord. The door to the left leads to the lounge room and the door on the right leads to the dining room.

LOUNGE ROOM: This room can be entered through a door from the entry hall, through another door opposite the front of the house, or via the large window overlooking the front lawn. There is a picture of a mountain lake on the wall on the right and a bookcase stands beside it. The two-seater couch has been turned on its side and cushions have spilled onto the floor. Books have fallen out of the bookcase, and the coffee table is upside down in the middle of the room. A bag of knitting has been kicked over and balls of wool lie scattered over the floor. Part of the knitting pattern is poking out from under the couch and a half-completed scarf in a soft multi-shaded pink has been flung against the window. 

NOTE: There is nothing to find in this room but evidence of the struggle involved in the capture of Anika’s father who was watching a late night soccer match when the Servants of Set struck.

DINING ROOM: There are two entrances to this room. One leads in from the entry hall and is flanked by two large, narrow vases filled with irises. The other entrance is in the back left-hand corner of the room. It stands open and you can see the kitchen beyond it. A large front window overlooks the front lawn and drive way. Gauze curtains hang in front of it. The street outside is quiet. The table has been laid in preparation for breakfast but nothing has been disturbed. There is no teapot sitting on the heat mat and the cups are still turned upside down on their saucers. A vase containing irises stands on a white lace doily in the center of the table. A large buffet of dark-colored wood stands opposite the door leading to the entry hall. There is a stair case leading upwards in an alcove beside the kitchen door.

NOTE: There is nothing of interest in this room. Exploring the buffet or anywhere else in the room reveals no clues.

KITCHEN: There are two entrances to this room. One door leads to the dining room and through it you can see a table set for breakfast. The other door is closed but does not appear to lead to the back garden which can be seen through the gauze curtained window above the kitchen sink. Several small pots of herbs stand on the window sill above the sink. All the herbs appear to be healthy, if well-pruned. The kitchen holds what seems to be the usual array of cupboards and shelves, as well as an expanse of clean bench space. There is also a fridge and upright freezer in one corner. 

NOTE: There is no evidence of a struggle in the kitchen. Nothing has been removed or broken. All the herbs on the window ledge are culinary and not poisonous or illegal – Air (Knowledge: Plants) or Air (Craft: Cooking) test TH3).

LAUNDRY: A washing machine, dryer, clothes basket and linen cupboard almost fill this tiny space. There is an ironing board folded away next to the linen cupboard. There are two doors leading from this space. One leads into an immaculate kitchen and the other to the back garden. There is also a large sink over a small cupboard just below a window looking out into the back garden. Through the window you can see a neat lawn in the center of which is a clothes line. 

NOTE: There are cleaning chemicals in the cupboard under the sink and linen in the linen cupboard. There is also an iron and ironing aid on one of the linen cupboard shelves. The only clue in this room can be found in the dirty clothes in the linen basket where a set of Anika’s jeans and one of her shirts can be found. The label from a nursery plant is to be found in one pocket of her jeans, and crumpled leaves in the other. The label contains a logo but not the name for the ‘Half-Time Nursery & Landscaping Services’. The name will have to be found by looking up the phone book. The label also has the name ‘Camellia sassanqua’ written on it and a picture of dark green leaves and a white flower. It is a decorative plant with sweetly scented flowers. (Air: Knowledge: Horticulture, or Air: Craft: Gardening/Landscaping TH3). The leaf is from a Japanese maple – a relatively rare plant for gardening and quite expensive (Air: Knowledge: Horticulture, or Air: Craft: Gardening/Landscaping TH4).

BACK GARDEN: This consists of an expanse of grass surrounded by six-foot wooden fences. Narrow garden beds containing roses and some other kind of flower flank the fences on either side of the yard. There are two larger garden beds on the back right-hand side of the yard and what seems to be a tool shed at the back left-hand side. An empty clothes-line stands in the middle of the yard. 

NOTES: The other kinds of flowers in the garden are camellias, daisies, and marigolds – Air: Knowledge: Horticulture or Air: Craft: Gardening/Landscaping TH3. Nothing is concealed in any of the garden beds. No clothes are on the line. The shed contains a lawn mower, a half-empty fuel can, a whipper-snipper, leaf blower and a variety of other garden tools.) The camellias are not sassanquas (TH:3).

SECOND FLOOR

PARENT’S ROOM: This room is a mess. The bed clothes are flung back and one of the bedside tables has been knocked over. A lamp and a pair of reading glasses lie on the floor near the bedroom window. Both are shattered. The curtains on the window are drawn. The mirror on the dressing table at the end of the bed is cracked and a perfume bottle has been overturned. A jewelry box stands, apparently untouched, in the center of the dresser. One you have just walked through. The other doors to the wardrobe are closed. 

NOTES: This was where Anika’s mother was captured. She was sleeping when the Servants struck. There is a small array of jewelry in the box and nothing seems to be missing.

ANIKA’S ROOM: This room is also a mess. It is a child’s room – probably a little girl’s room, judging by the pictures of unicorns, fairies and dragons stuck on almost every available surface. The bed has been turned on its side, and the wardrobe doors opened. The curtains that once covered the window have been swept to the floor. In one corner is a small desk with a drawer on one side. The chair that once stood in front of the desk has been flung back almost a meter and lies on its back in the center of the room. There is a large picture of a unicorn standing beside a stern-looking woman in almost see-through robes above where the head of the bed should be. It is hanging slightly crooked.

NOTES: PCs making an Earth: Senses TH4 test realize that all the areas that have been disturbed would have provided a hiding place for a young child and that there does not appear to have been a struggle. This is a clue that Anika was not here when her parents were taken, but let PCs make their own deductions. PCs who investigate the picture and who make a Knowledge: Art test learn the following:

TH3: This picture is slightly familiar. You think the artist can be found in the North London art scene;

TH4: This picture is a copy of the original work which hangs in a gallery in Islington. Some art critics say that the work is a banal interpretation of an age-old theme but there are rumors that the unicorn and the woman within the picture move. The artist was one David Markovin who has a studio in Cambden.

 PCs investigating the overturned bed must make an Air: Senses TH4 test to find the Setite identity disc dropped in the sheets. Once the disc is noticed, read or paraphrase, the following:

There’s something familiar about the symbol outlined on the disc. You’re not sure what it is, but the sight of it has drawn your companions’ attention. As you reach for it, light slides across the surface of the disc and for a moment you are blinded. When you can see again you find yourselves in a completely different room and, possibly, a completely different land. 

GO TO SCENE 3C: FRIENDS OF KREDAK.

PCs investigating the desk notice (Air: Senses TH3 test) that the drawer is locked. There is no test to notice this if they try to open the drawer – it’s locked! The drawer, if opened, contains Anika’s Book of Law. If PCs do not open the drawer then use the following description when they investigate the desk:

On the desk itself are several books, and a space where one really thick book, or a few thinner books might have fit. There is no dust in the space. 

This is where Anika’s Book of Law sat. She could not fit it into her bag and hid it in the drawer, intending to sneak back and collect it. Any PC picking up this book for a closer look sees the title: The Book of Law and triggers the flashback in Scene 3B. When the book is handled read or paraphrase the following:

This is no book for a seven-year old, yet it appears to open at your touch, drawing your eyes to the neat, carefully formed script. It reads: LAW 101: Sabotage leading to the foreseeable chance of death for another is murder and the saboteur shall be tried as a murderer. The penalty for all murderers shall fit the crime. As your eyes fall on the word ‘crime’ the book is no longer in your hands and you are no longer in Anika’s room.

GO TO SCENE 3B: HOUNDS OF THE LAW

GUEST ROOM: This room is immaculately tidy. There are two double beds, neatly made, two night stands, each of which has a lamp and a box of tissues standing on it. A double wardrobe standing against the inner wall and a sewing table tucked away in one corner. The curtains are drawn. 

NOTES: There is nothing but coathangers in the double wardrobe and nothing at all in the drawers of each of the two nightstands. One lamp has a blown bulb and neither of the tissue boxes has been opened. The sewing table has a half finished skirt (child-sized) sitting next to the sewing machine but contains items to do with sewing and nothing else. There are no clues in this room.

BATHROOM: Vanity, mirror-fronted cupboard, toothbrushes, toothpaste, rubbish bin, bath mat, slightly damp towels hanging over racks, soap, shower over a bathtub – this room is obviously a bathroom.

 NOTES: There are two adult toothbrushes but no child toothbrush (Air: Senses TH3 to notice) but all of the towels are wet. One of the face flannels is missing (Air: Senses TH3). These are the only clues in this room and they indicate that Anika’s disappearance is separate to that of her parents since hers is the only toothbrush missing. Let PCs draw their own conclusions about this. There are no bath toys (and never were but, again, let PCs draw their own conclusions).

TOILET: It’s obvious what this room is. Toilet, toilet brush in its own stand, spare paper at the back near the wall, curved rug to keep your feet warm while you wait. Nothing appears to have been disturbed here. 

NOTE: There are no clues in this room.

HALLWAY: There is a long, low cabinet lining one wall. The telephone sits atop it underneath a picture of a white horse carved into a hill. There is also a picture of a forest-framed stream and waterfall but nothing else. Nothing appears to have been disturbed here and the china in the cabinet is all in one piece. There are five doors leading off from this corridor and a set of steps leading down to the rest of the house.  

NOTES: There are no clues in this room.

END OF ACT TWO SCENE THREE A

Next week, I will post Act Two Scene 3B, the first of two cut-scenes interlinked with this scene.