Babes in London: Act Four, Scene 1B (Part 1: Kew Gardens—Conversation)

SCENE 1B: KEW GARDENS

Kew Gardens is huge, but it doesn’t take you long to find the Japanese Collection. Trees with lovely red foliage are scattered around the edges of green open spaces, and interspersed by bushes with dark green foliage and a variety of flowers. Perfume scents the air.

Allow the players to state what their characters are doing. It will take a successful TH4 Air (Senses) test opposed by Leyila’s and Anika’s Mental (Stealth) test (TH4 conditions) to notice that the girls are taking it in turns following them. If successful, read, or paraphrase the following for the character/s that sees them, modifying the description for whichever child they see. (Anika has blue eyes and blonde hair and is taller than Leyila, who has green eyes and dark brown hair):

There! And, again, there! Peering at you from behind the red-leaved branches of the trees that have brought you here, a little face with startling green eyes, watches you. The minute she sees you looking, though, she steps out onto the grass, looking for all the world like she owns the place.

“What are you doing here?” she demands, her small voice full of command.

Give the character who saw the girl time to react first, and then allow the other PCs to join in. If the characters fail to see the child, she follows them until they reach a quiet cell in the garden, and then steps out to greet them. Conversation points are as follows, but note what happens if the Setites are mentioned and be prepared to run Scene 2:

If the PCs tell the girl she has to return to her family:

The child regards you with determined eyes.

Note: If the players ask which child this is, their characters recognise it from the photo they have. Each girl is very protective of the other.

“Not gonna happen,” she says. “We are brood. We stay together.”

The air around her shimmers, and you catch a glimpse of her draconic form, for just the smallest moment. Things might get nasty, if you try and force them to return. Exactly how nasty, the little girl reveals with her next words:

“I’ll scream for help if you make me. And be gone while you’re still trying to convince them to let you out of jail.”

From the look in her eyes, she means it.

“Or we’ll just shred you limb from limb.” That voice is new, but you can’t see its source. “Why don’t you explain why our strongest allies would try to betray us?”

It requires a TH6 Air (Senses) roll to see where Anika is, as she is standing well-back in the cover of the trees, on the top of a slight rise. She is standing on a small rock, which the PCs can’t see, and is hidden by the foliage of a Japanese maple, and a nearby rhododendron, but her face is visible as she peers out at them through a gap in the leaves. Once she has been seen, or shortly after delivering her demand, she comes out into the open, carrying Lewistrom on one hip.

Shortly afterwards, the bushes and trees shiver as something rustles through them towards you, and a slightly older girl steps out. With her long, blonde hair, and sapphire blue eyes, she regards you carefully, and then moves to a nearby bench.

She is carrying a small boy on her hip, but he, too, regards you with a stare that is older than his apparent age.

“Tell us why you’re here,” she says, as Leyila goes to stand beside her, between you and the bench, but a little to one side.

Who is that? (indicating the child)

This is Lewistrom Beam. He is also known as Lewistrom the Smith. He is a third member of our brood. Somewhere, deep in your mind, you remember a Lewistrom the Smith. What you can’t remember is why he is so important to your brood.

You’re parents have gone missing/have been taken/are in danger.  (To Anika).

The child’s face pales, and she exchanges glances with Leyila.

“Do you know who?” Leyila asks, turning back to you, a fierce gleam in her eye.

“Will you help get them back?” Anika wants to know at the same time.

Allow the characters to answer, and interact with, with Anika and Leyila. They have a number of options, here, including convincing the girls to return to their parents, letting Anika know her parents have gone missing, renewing acquaintance with Anika’s Brood, convincing them to return Lewistrom Beam to his parents, offering them the assistance of LN7 or the Gehenna Consortium, or reassuring them of the PCs’ Brood’s alliance and willingness to help.

It requires a successful TH4 Interaction (Mental) test to convince the girls to return home. The following modifiers apply:

-5         The flashback scene has occurred and PCs were successful;

-2         PCs promise to retrieve Anika’s parents from the Setites;

-1         If PC is a Friend of Anika Collins;

-1         If PC is a Friend of Leyila Andrews;

-1         PCs have not tried to capture the children by force;

-1         PCs remind Anika’s brood that their broods were allies in past times;

-1         PCs assure the brood that they wish to remain allies in the present;

-1         PCs assure Anika and Leyila that they will do their best to help them maintain contact

with Lewistrom Beam, especially given the danger posed to the brood;

-1         PCs tell Anika and Leyila about either LN7 or the Gehenna Consortium. Anika knows of

neither of these groups, but, while she’s well aware that organisations are not always

benign, no matter what they say, she is also aware that she and Leyila need ‘grown-up’ help in order to remain together, so she is willing to take a chance;

+3        PCs tried to grab any of the children to force them to return with them to their parents;

If the PCs mention the Setites at all during this conversation, read, or paraphrase, the following:

Setites.

At the mention of their name, the world about you shudders and you find yourselves running, or winging your way, across a rolling landscape of grassland.

Go to Scene 2.

Note: There are other actions they PCs may take. These will form next week’s post.

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.