Adventure Edition: Babes in London, Act 3 - Little Girls Found, Scene 2

You can find the links to each of the preceding episodes of the Babes in London adventure sequence 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.

Warning: Due to a lack of playtesters, this section has yet to be tested. GMs may need to adjust opponents to suit the level of your PCs.

PLAYERS SHOULD NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scene 2: Follow-Up (LN7)

It takes an hour or so, but in the end you find them. The dolphin-shirt-wearing dog boy is in the same café as before, and this time he has given the dog something quieter to chew. Strangely enough, you notice that the café’s curtains are drawn shortly after you arrive and the ‘OPEN’ sign flipped to ‘CLOSED’ after you enter. “What is it you had to tell me?” he asks as the shop assistant disappears into the café’s kitchen, closing the door behind them.

We think Anika’s parents have been kidnapped:

LN7 take this seriously and get PCs to describe their reasoning as fully as possible. They don’t know what is special about Anika, but they do know she’s special – and, as such, they don’t want anything upsetting her. Having to explain to her that her parents have disappeared could lead to difficulties in gaining the child’s cooperation that they would rather avoid. On the other hand… When the PCs have completed their explanation, Agent Mark Ambersides, tasks them with finding the girls’ parents as soon as possible and offers a bonus of £500 if they are able to retrieve Anika’s mum and dad alive.

Someone tried to kidnap Leyila’s parents:

This is another piece of news that LN7 did not want to hear – and for much the same reasons that they did not want to hear that Anika’s parents were kidnapped. Again, the agent will extract as full a report as he can from PCs before tasking them with the task of finding out as much as they can about the Setites. He is evasive on what the reward for this would be, telling PCs that it depends on how important his organization considers the information.

Showing Anika’s Book of Law or Leyila’s Book of Songs:

Mark’s eyes light up and he mutters: ‘Are you seeing this?’ to himself. ‘May I?’ he asks, reaching towards the book, ‘I’d just like to look.’

If PCs allow him to look, he takes his time, turning the pages slowly all his attention focused on the book in his hand. PCs have to speak to him twice in order to get his attention. He asks if they would be willing to donate the book to his organization’s library in exchange for access to the other books. (He will buy it if necessary for £1,000 and, in fact, makes the offer of purchase if PCs appear to be even the least bit hesitant.) If PCs agree to either donating or selling the book, they are granted Access to LN7’s Library Assistance.

Showing the disc:

“Well, I never.”

Mark has not encountered the Setites before, either as a recorded cult or in the flesh, so to speak. He draws out all the information he can from the PCs encounters with the Setites and quickly comes to the conclusion that the Setites are another threat to add to LN7’s list.

Looking at the disk, he mutters: “And you say you have no idea who these people are?”

If PCs have not been to the library/museum or whatever, then Mark directs them to either the librarian or the archaeologist at the museum. He also obtains authorization to pay the PCs a £500 bonus for any further information they might find on the group behind the disk.

Setites are behind the kidnapping of the parents:

“Who?”

Neither Mark or LN7 have heard of the Setites, but both are very interested in finding out who this new possible threat might be. Mark gains authorization to offer the PCs a £500 bonus for any information they can glean on this group. There is an air of suppressed urgency behind his request.

Revealing the PCs draconic heritage/incarnation:

“You’re sure?” Mark asks, his lips twitching. “You’re not related to werewolves?”

He is fishing for proof. Faced with the PCs’ indignation, wrath, or proof behind their claim, he restrains his anxiety and excitement and states that the PCs’ heritage places them in a better position for finding the children. He is interested, however, and he is sure his company is interested as well, so, after the children are found and brought to safety he would like to meet with them again and discuss their unusual heritage. It’s possible that the people he represents will be interested in employing people of the PCs’ rare talents.

Someone tried to kidnap the artist David Markovin:

“The fellow that paints the unicorns?”

This interests LN7 very much. They are aware of the supernatural influence behind David’s unicorn paintings, but not of what it might be. They would like more influence on the group behind the kidnap attempt so that they might find out the reason behind the attempt. In the meantime, they put a watch on the artist (an unofficial protection team).

Setites are behind the kidnapping/kidnap attempt on the artist David Markovin:

“I haven’t heard of this group before. What can you tell me about them?”

With LN7 aware of the supernatural influence behind David’s unicorn paintings, Mark wants to find out everything he can about any group that would go to the length of kidnapping the artist. Such a group might prove a threat to LN7 and the populace of London in general. He gains authorization to offer the PCs a £500 bonus to find out more about the Setites.

Revealing what happened when PCs investigated the disc at the library, museum or university:

This interests Mark almost as much as hearing about the Setites as it alerts him to another resource that might not be in LN7’s libraries as well as giving him another person (librarian or archaeologist) on whose skills the group can call. He is authorized to offer further payments for any other information along these lines that they PCs are able to obtain. (£50 for all information with the possibility of bonuses depending on how its value might be perceived by the company at the time it is offered.)

ONCE THE PCS HAVE TOLD ALL THEY’RE GOING TO TELL:

There is a moment of silence and Mark seems to be considering something. Finally, he leans forward and says: “Okay, up until now you’ve been on a kind of probation, but now we need you to find these girls and we need you to find them fast. And since they don’t know who you are – or who we are, there are a couple of things you really ought to know. About a year ago, a group of pedophiles tried a snatch on the pair in that park where you first met them. They failed. Two grown-ups from a particularly nasty background and they were found bailed up in the toilet block, petrified of two little girls. You need to be particularly careful when dealing with the pair; don’t frighten them and don’t make them feel the need to defend themselves. All those weird things that have been happening lately aren’t just rumor; some of them are real – and these two little girls, whether they realize it or not, are a better part of it. We think there are other elements, incredibly nasty elements, of that weirdness after them and we’d like to find them first. We think they can help us, once they’re grown, but we don’t think they’re going to get to grow up if we don’t help them first. And that includes protecting their family. You should also know that we think the girls are part of a group of about five children, but they’re the only two we’ve managed to identify so if you find any more children with them, and they seem to be friends bring them all in. And be careful. Those of us who can see such things have had visions. Something is after these kids and it isn’t friendly.”

IF THE PCS HAVE TOLD MARK THAT THEY ARE REINCARNATED DRAGONS:

He takes a breath and nods as though coming to a decision: “You’re dragons, so you say.” He waves down your protest. “I believe you. And because you are what you are I am authorized to tell you that these girls are dragons too. We can’t tell what brood, but we think there are about five of them and we don’t think they’ve found each other yet. That’s our job – and we may need your help on that one as well; once we get the girls back and safe. As I said, something big is after them and you need to get to them first.”

DISCUSSION:

Mark will assure the PCs that his company has every intention of protecting the children’s families. He won’t reveal anything more of LN7 except that they’re responsible for protecting people from the ‘worst kinds of weirdness that’s happening’. He won’t put the PCs on the pay roll. He will, if asked, tell the PCs of other organizations who know of the ‘weirdness’ and will mention the Gehenna Consortium specifically, warning the PCs of his suspicions that the Consortium only wishes to utilize the weirdness for its own profit and that it doesn’t care for the safety of the community at large, which is the focus of his company. He says that the PCs shouldn’t have any dealings with the Consortium and that if they do have any current dealings, then LN7 will overlook it if the PCs cease these dealings now. If the PCs continue to deal with the Consortium, he warns, them LN7 will no longer be able to hire them.

WHERE TO NEXT?

Once their conversation with Mark is over, PCs have the following options (if they have not already taken them):

• try to find mythological references to red boars. Go to Act 3, Scene 4 – Follow-up (Library Investigation); Act 3, Scene 4b – Follow-up (University Investigation); OR Act 3, Scene 4c – Follow-up (Museum Investigation), whichever is appropriate.
• try to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means – without going to Emblae or the Fae of Haverhill. Go to Act 3, Scene 4 – Follow-up (Library Investigation); Act 3, Scene 4b – Follow-up (University Investigation); OR Act 3, Scene 4c – Follow-up (Museum Investigation), whichever is appropriate.
• go to Emblae (if they have played The Fire Within) to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means – in which case the faery identifies the creatures as the Red Boars of Set and gives them the information listed on pp. 36-37;
• go to the Fae of Haverhill (if they have played The Fire Within) to find out what the symbol on the disc and the Red Boars means in which case PCs receive the information on p. 37
• contact the Gehenna Consortium if they wish to ignore Mark’s warning, go to Act 3, Scene 3 – Follow-up (Gehenna Consortium).

If PCs have completed the above options, or don’t wish to complete them, they may want to visit Tenson’s Place. In which case, go to Act 4, Scene 1 – Anika’s Refuge

Next Week: Babes in London, Act 3 - Little Girls Found, Scene 3 (Gehenna Consortium)