Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imhotepthewise" data-source="post: 6913322" data-attributes="member: 976">Like ClockworkBalancing ActDemonic CoinZombie MerchantTriple AgentPuzzle BoxBlood-Red StarHorseless Carriage Russia. Moscow. Red Square…Steam rolled across the bricks of Red Square in Moscow. The PCs are here to make contact with a man in a scarlet wool coat and a bearskin hat with a blood-red star medallion on it.  The hat is common, indicating a military man. The scarlet coat is unusual in a country that favors darker, less exciting colors.  They were sent there by an acquaintance in the British diplomatic service to meet this man. They have no prior knowledge of him, other than his physical description. They have no instructions other than to meet with him. It is night, slightly rainy, and the square is surprisingly deserted.  They find Miklos somewhat near the Kremlin wall, leaning on his unopened umbrella. Miklos greets them warmly, embracing them, and makes small talk, as if he has known them forever.  A pair of policemen drift into earshot.  Miklos tells the PCs of a book he recently read, about how a nalfeshnee artificer created puzzle boxes looking like woven bones to trade with other demons. The demon called them “Xatross Khan”, coining the demonic term “twisted bones”. Miklos continues the small talk and casually sizes up the PCs and the nearby policemen. The sound of a steam powered horseless carriage can be heard approaching.  As the carriage come into view, a lone driver can be seen.  The goblin engineer can be seen crawling over the vehicle’s clockwork engine, making adjustments and feeding more coal.  The noise of steam, rattling wood and iron, and tires rolling on bricks fills the night.The vehicle prepares to pass near the party. The policemen leap towards Miklos and grab him in strong hands to bum rush him towards the approaching vehicle.  The policemen’s Russian is obviously not their first language, even non-Russians can tell.  The party notices the policemen are careful to take along his umbrella and hat, which could be easily left behind.  If the party reacts to follow them, they will hear them call Miklos a traitor to England and Her Majesty, in English.  Miklos is not a fighting man, so they ably hustle him into the passenger seat of the carriage unless the PCs intervene.  The “policemen” are British agents, well trained in unarmed fighting.  They quickly render Miklos unconscious.The Brits hope to get away all together. If the policemen have to stay behind to allow the carriage to depart, so be it.  What the hit is primarily for is to get what is carrying in his umbrella and coat pockets.  They will not give Miklos himself up unless they have to.There are other horseless carriages moving through the square that can be used by the PCs, even though their owners may be less than cooperative.  A carriage chase through the streets of Moscow would be exciting.What happens next has a lot to do with what happens in the opening scene.Aftermath.If Miklos is saved, he will have to get out of Moscow. He know his cover is blown. He is carrying plans to a new Russian steam landship in the umbrella, plans to an outdated British submarine sewn into his coat, and xatross khan in his pocket.  He will give them to the PCs and tell them to take them to Buckingham Palace in London.  Showing the xatross khan at the palace will get them escorted quickly to an audience with a grateful royal majesty.  The exit from Moscow will involve avoiding aggressive British AND Russian agents eager to capture Miklos.If a “policeman” is left behind, alive or dead, they will have an address to a safe house on them.  What the PCs can get out of an interrogated agent is up to the DM.  At least, that they are agents, that Miklos is also a British agent, and they consider him a traitor.  The PCs may learn that the policemen expected to find British secrets on him.The Safe HouseThe safe house is in the upper floors of a building under construction. Getting near the building without the British agents seeing them coming is an issue, since one is always watching the construction site below.The unskilled laborers at the safe house construction site are zombies. They are brought daily by their owner who gives them their orders and moves on to other sites to drop off more zombies. Zombies can dig and tote all day without complaint.  It would be easy enough to shamble along with the zombies unnoticed into the construction site.  They could try to slip in with the zombies shuffling along the street to work, hoping their owner does not notice.  They could also try to convince the entrepreneur to go along with their plan to his personal advantage in some way.  The zombie master is very organized but ruthless, not above obtaining new “employees” on the fly.  He is a good man to avoid in most times. He has contracts for labor all over the city, and runs his business with deft clockwork.The British agents are in an open space high up in the building. There are only an array of rickety narrow planks that haphazardly work their way across the building floors and rickety ladders infrequently placed around. Some of the planks and ladders near the hideout have been weakened or piled with debris to give the agents warning if trespassers are approaching.While the PCs are working their way up into the building, they encounter Russian agents looking to free Miklos away from the British.  The Russians are not formidable to the PCs, but are geared up enough to slow them down.  The Russians are enthusiastic about recovering Miklos.The British agents are interrogating Miklos. A fighter he is not, but resistant to interrogation he is.  They are confused by what they find on him. His hat, coat, and opened umbrella lie on the table. Miklos will not tell them why he has the plans for a new Russian steam landship on him.  He also has plans to an outdated British submarine. Another agent intently twists the xantross khan, trying to find out what is inside. Its magnificently tiny workings flow and twist in firm denial of his efforts. The agents are armed appropriately to give the PCs and any surviving Russian agents a good fight.The fight will be spectacular, spilling out on to the building floors under construction, with all the props that allows to be used.  If Miklos is freed during the fight, one of the British agents will try to kill him in earnest, suddenly speaking in better Russian than should be spoken as a second language.  Miklos will defend himself with a poisoned pin protruding from the blood-red star medal on his hat.Aftermath.If only the PCs showed up and rescue him, Miklos will confess he is an agent for the British, but that the British, except the Queen, think he was turned by the Russians. He will show them the plans to the latest Russian steam landship on the inside of the umbrella.  The sub plans are a ruse for the Russians. He will show them how to open the xatross khan, which contains a picture of Miklos in a private audience with Her Majesty. The picture is signed, “To Our Most Loyal Miklos, V.R.”If the Russians show up too, things will be very sticky if they notice the landship plans, or become aware of the contents of the xatross khan.  They will probably be upset that their double agent has turned the tables on them as well.  Even if the first group of Russians is defeated earlier, any escapees will bring more Russian agents.  There are a limited amount of British agents in Moscow, but there are plenty of Russian ones.The PCs and Miklos now have the sticky job of getting out of Russia.  Miklos has few assets to draw on.  He knows whoever catches him, he is unlikely to live.  Both sides assume he knows too much.  He will place his valuables in the PCs hands.  The PCs have their work cut out for them getting out home to England.  Like described above, they will be rewarded for their efforts if they return the items to Her Majesty.  If Miklos survives, he will be long in their debt.Failure at any point can be assuaged with some vodka and black bread. Unless they turn away almost immediately upon Miklos’ kidnapping, the PCs will be marked as characters of interest to the intelligence services.Balancing Act – crossing rickety boardsDemonic Coin – term used by demon for his puzzle boxZombie Merchant – supplies zombie workers for laborTriple Agent – Miklos, English SpyPuzzle Box – the xatross khanBlood-Red Star – on Miklos’ hatHorseless Carriage – steam driven vehicles in Russia</blockquote>

Verification