Babes in London: Act Three, Scene 3D (Part 1: Final Battle Flashback—Set Up)

SCENE 3 – INVESTIGATING THE DISC

SCENE 3D – FINAL BATTLE

The ceremony is near. You know it. Tension thrums through the air. Tonight, all will be won or lost. Tonight, the Setites will try to call their lord back. Tonight, you must all stand together, or you will all perish, and the world might just perish with you.

Give the PCs a chance to ask a few short questions.

Where are we?

You are walking down what appears to be a hall leading to the chamber where the ceremony is to be held. It is wide enough to allow a single dragon to pass unhindered, or for six men to walk abreast of each other. The walls are unadorned, save for stone sconces set at regular intervals. The floor consists of sandstone blocks. You are not alone, but moving down the hall with a half dozen Setites, all heading towards where you expect the ceremony will take place.

Where are we going?

You are going to what you expect to be a large, round chamber, into which Set will be summoned. According the Seer’s vision, there is a large throne standing in the centre of the chamber. The corridor you are walking down is the main entrance, but there are two doorways at the end of the chamber that the Seer said were too well-warded for even her powers to breach without warning the Setites their meeting place had been discovered.

How are we dressed?

You are in your usual forms for travelling unseen amongst humans, although those of you in human form are dressed in long, dark robes which conceal your human weaponry, and appearance. You are not sure whether or not you will be asked to lower your cowls, but, at that point, you know you will be discovered and the battle will begin.

Is anyone else going to be helping us?

The Seer’s brood has promised to try and enlist the aid of at least one other brood, but has not sent word to confirm if you will be fighting alone, or fighting with friends.

If the PCs are ‘Friends of Kredak’ add: And Kredak will try to bring his brood. They are not friends of the Setites, as you well know.

Once you have satisfied as many of the PCs question as you are able, read, or paraphrase, the following:

There are about twenty Setites in the room when you arrive, and the set-up for the ceremony is both everything you expected and much, much worse. The chamber is, indeed, large and round, but the throne is set at the rear of the chamber, and that is when you start to wonder just how the seer could get it so very, very wrong, because, the centre of the chamber is where the step-like ledges leading from the door reach the lowest level, which is a large, circular space in the centre of which stands a large, ornately carved altar. And the altar isn’t empty, but holds a dragon trapped in human form—which is something you didn’t know the Setites could do: trap a dragon, and, worse, trap a dragon in an alternate form. The knowledge is like cold smoke seeping into your souls.

Allow the PCs to react. They can choose to start the battle now, or they can wait until the ceremony starts. The following information is available, should they ask:

How many cultists/Setites are in the room?

There are around 20 in the room.

Can I see anyone who appears more important the rest?

Not really. Everyone you see is dressed the same, and none of them appear to be approaching either the altar or the throne. If PCs choose to wait until someone they can identify as looking important, they are able to ask other questions about the room. If they have nothing more to ask, or once the locking bars have been put into place in the section titled What do I notice about the chamber?, go to The Ceremony Begins.

How big is the room?

The room is approximately 50 feet in diameter.

What do I notice about the chamber?

It is round. Its walls have buttresses spaced ten feet apart, which rise like great concrete ribs into a domed ceiling. Myriads of tiles pattern the walls, depicting scenes of Set’s victories, and his fall to taint. Strangely enough, you can see pictures of other dragons, both in the pictures of Set’s early life, and also in his descent into madness. The last few panels, however, look incomplete. One shows a group of Setites about to enter a shrouded wood, and the wood takes up the last three panels, with no more depictions of Set. Apart from the tiled murals on every wall, there are two  other doors leading into the chamber. The room is arranged like an amphitheatre, with broad ledges forming ‘steps’ down to the round open space at the bottom. This space starts at the half-way point in the chamber, and extends to the back, where a large throne made of a smoky-grey stone stands. In the centre of the open space in front of the throne stands a large altar made of the same grey stone, and on that altar lies a woman with long, red hair, whom your dragon selves recognise as another dragon trapped in human form. At this point, the doors around the chamber are closed and locking bars are lowered into place on each one. At this point go to The Ceremony Begins.

How are the Setites dressed?

As far as you can tell, the Setites are dressed exactly the same way you are, in robes concealing their everyday clothes. If they have nothing more to ask, or once the locking bars have been put into place in the section titled What do I notice about the chamber?, go to The Ceremony Begins.

What weapons are the Setites carrying?

You cannot see any weapons in clear view, but, judging from the bulges beneath the robes, some of the cultists are armed. It is difficult to say how long it will take them to get to their weapons once any fighting starts. That would depend on if they planned ahead well enough to have access points designed into their robes. If they have nothing more to ask, or once the locking bars have been put into place in the section titled What do I notice about the chamber?, go to The Ceremony Begins.

Do I recognise the dragon on the altar? or Can I tell what kind of dragon she is?

No, you are new to this area, and have not had time to become acquainted with the local brood. At this point, you could not even be sure she is a member of the local brood, or if she is a traveller like yourself—and, although you are sure she’s a dragon, you can’t see enough to be sure what kind of dragon she is.

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.