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--- hauh_1_the_briefing [2026/09/07 11:44] – admin
+++ hauh_1_the_briefing [2026/09/07 12:23] (current) – [6 | DM Notes] admin
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 ==== Initial Read-Aloud — Scene Opening ====
-The twilight glow of New Kourou filters through the vine-covered shutters, painting long, bruised shadows across the Office for Special Operations.
+The twilight glow of New Kourou filters through the vine-covered shutters, painting long, bruised shadows across the Office for Special Operations. You have hauled buckets of rainwater across the floorboards, but the water has only driven yesterday’s violence deeper into the grain. The air still tastes of iron—the stubborn ghost of blood mixed with the dampness of the surrounding jungle.
-You have hauled buckets of rainwater across the floorboards, but the water has only driven yesterday’s violence deeper into the grain. The air still tastes of iron—the stubborn ghost of blood mixed with the dampness of the surrounding jungle.
+Ezrah sits opposite you. She is pale, her fingers tracing the edge of a clean white bandage wrapped tightly around her temple, but her eyes remain focused. She does not offer a greeting. Her gaze lingers upon the dark patch of wood where the old man died, then shifts toward the evidence gathered across her desk. Five bone-handled blades clatter onto the wood.
-Ezrah sits opposite you. She is pale, her fingers tracing the edge of a clean white bandage wrapped tightly around her temple, but her eyes remain focused.
-She does not offer a greeting. Her gaze lingers upon the dark patch of wood where the old man died, then shifts toward the evidence gathered across her desk.
-Five bone-handled blades clatter onto the wood.
  //"Senti hunting knives,"// she says. //"Carved from Odo ribs. The shape and serrated spine are unmistakable. Genuine craftsmanship from the western Asari steppe."//
@@ Line 38: / Line 32: @@
  //"Five bowls of Serbian Soup on one tab at Django’s Diner. Two days before the attack."//
-Finally, she slides a piece of heavy stock paper across the desk. A rust-colored smear of dried blood covers half the page, but the stamp of Hale & Hook remains visible at the top. Beneath it, written in stark black ink, is the exact address of the Office.
+Finally, she slides a piece of heavy stock paper across the desk. A rust-colored smear of dried blood covers half the page, but the stamp of Hale & Hook remains visible at the top. Beneath it, written in stark black ink, is the exact address of the Office. Ezrah presses one bloodless knuckle against the paper.
-Ezrah presses one bloodless knuckle against the paper.
  //"This wasn’t random. It wasn’t emotional. It was prepared."//
@@ Line 53: / Line 45: @@
 | **Trigger / Timing** | **Read-Aloud Cue** |
-| **The PCs ask what support the Office can provide** | Ezrah reaches toward the brass buzzer she normally uses to summon Martin from the workshop, but stops before touching it. Her eyes drift toward the scrubbed bloodstain upon the floorboards. //"Right,"// she mutters. //"Martin is still at the Medical Station."// She presses one hand against the bandage around her temple. //"But his emergency kit is still here. You may need it more than I do."// |
+| **The PCs ask what support the Office can provide and Martin is available** | Ezrah presses the brass buzzer beside her desk. A moment later, movement becomes audible inside the workshop. Martin appears in the doorway, carrying a compact equipment case. //"I heard Morningstar,"// he says, placing it upon the desk. //"That usually means someone is about to need things they cannot buy legally."// |
-| **Ezrah presents Martin’s emergency kit** | Ezrah places three carefully wrapped objects upon the desk. //"None of these will win the fight for you,"// she says. //"They may give you the few seconds you need to survive one."// |
+| **The PCs ask what support the Office can provide and Martin is recovering** | Ezrah reaches toward the brass buzzer she normally uses to summon Martin, but stops before touching it. Her eyes drift toward the scrubbed bloodstain upon the floorboards. //"Right,"// she mutters. //"Martin is still at the Medical Station."// She presses one hand against the bandage around her temple. //"His emergency kit is here, though. You may need it more than we do."// |
+| **Martin’s emergency kit is opened** | The compact case opens to reveal three carefully wrapped objects resting inside fitted compartments. //"None of these will win the fight for you,"// Ezrah says. //"They may give you the few seconds you need to survive one."// |
 | **The PCs have High Exposure** | Ezrah turns toward a reinforced evidence locker built into the wall behind her desk. Several locks release in sequence. //"If your faces are still circulating on the bounty wire, equipment will not be enough,"// she says. //"You need to leave this building as someone else."// |
@@ Line 75: / Line 68: @@
 | **Name / Role** | **Motivation / Function** | **Dynamic Cues — How They React in Play** | **Wiki Link** |
 | **Ezrah Scherkenstein** | Founder of the Office for Special Operations · mission provider | Wants to identify the person behind the attack, prevent further killings and bring the responsible party back alive. She speaks with controlled conviction but occasionally winces from her head injury. The reward and travel budget come from her limited personal resources. | [[ezrah_scherkenstein|Ezrah Scherkenstein]] |
-| **Martin — absent Tinkerer** | Source of technical support and emergency equipment | Martin remains at the Medical Station because of injuries sustained during the attack. His absence limits what the Office can provide, but his emergency kit remains available to the PCs. | — |
+| **Martin — conditional Tinkerer** | Provide technical knowledge · prepare limited emergency equipment · help the Office recover | If he escaped the previous adventure without serious injury, Martin is present in the workshop and delivers his emergency kit personally. If he was injured, he remains at the Medical Station and Ezrah provides the kit in his absence. | [[the_tinkerer|Martin "The Tinkerer" Gaugnon]] |
 ===== 5 | Triggers, Clues and Consequences =====
@@ Line 85: / Line 78: @@
 | **Live-Capture Mandate** | **Active** | Delivering the person responsible alive fulfils Ezrah’s mandate and qualifies the PCs for the full agreed reward. |
 | **Exposure Status** | **Low Exposure** · **High Exposure** | Determined by the recorded outcome of [[the_man_without_a_name|The Man Without A Name]]. This status persists until later events change the PCs’ legal situation. |
+| **Martin’s State** | **Available at the Office** · **Recovering at the Medical Station** | Determine Martin’s location from the conclusion of the previous adventure. Do not assume that he was injured. His emergency kit remains available in either case. |
 | **Disguise Preparation** | **None** · **Partial** · **Effective** | Record which PCs adopt disguises, aliases or altered appearances before leaving the Office. |
-| **Cover State** | **Intact** · **Blown** | High Exposure allows recognition, but the Ticking Clock begins only when the PCs’ cover is blown during a settlement scene. |
+| **Cover State** | **Intact** · **Blown** | Track this state only for PCs with High Exposure. Their cover remains Intact until someone identifies them or their actions reveal who they are. A later settlement scene begins its Micro Clock when their cover becomes Blown. |
-| **Travel Budget** | **Not Issued** · **Issued** | Ezrah provides 100 Kourou per PC for immediate travel expenses. |
-| **Martin’s Kit** | **Not Distributed** · **Distributed** | Record which PC carries each single-use item. |
 ==== Phase I — Examining the Morningstar Evidence ====
@@ Line 119: / Line 111: @@
 ==== Phase III — Ezrah’s Archive and Disguises ====
-Use this phase when the PCs have **High Exposure**, request disguises or decide to prepare false identities.
+//Use this phase when the PCs have **High Exposure**, request disguises or decide to prepare false identities. Ezrah has only a small collection of usable materials. The PCs must decide who receives limited items and how they will support one another’s cover.//
-Ezrah has only a small collection of usable materials. The PCs must decide who receives limited items and how they will support one another’s cover.
 | **Disguise Option** | **Origin and Appearance** | **Mechanic and Cost** |
@@ Line 146: / Line 136: @@
 | **The previous outcome was mixed or incompletely recorded** | Choose the status best supported by witnesses, recordings and official knowledge. When uncertain, use **High Exposure** only if the authorities possess a credible identifying description of the group. |
-**Important:** High Exposure does not automatically begin the Ticking Clock. It makes recognition possible. A settlement scene begins its Micro Clock only when the PCs blow their cover or when the current location becomes the **+1 Location** after a Clock was triggered on the streets.
+==== Shared Mechanic — The Ticking Clock in New Kourou ====
+The **Ticking Clock** represents the danger faced by PCs whose identities are already circulating through Guarding Trooper channels or the bounty wire.
+Scene 1 establishes this shared mechanic, but does not normally activate it. The Office for Special Operations is a protected preparation location. The location-specific versions of the mechanic appear in the later public scenes of New Kourou:
+  * [[hauh_2a_courier_station|Scene 2a — Courier Station]]
+  * [[hauh_2b_mandalas_mounts|Scene 2b — Mandala’s Mounts]]
+  * [[hauh_2c_food_market|Scene 2c — Food Market]]
+  * [[hauh_2d_buying_mortician_cart|Scene 2d — Buying a Mortician’s Cart]]
+The Ticking Clock uses three connected concepts:
+  * **High Exposure:** The authorities possess credible descriptions, identities or other information connecting the PCs to the events of the previous adventure. High Exposure makes recognition possible, but it does not begin a countdown automatically.
+  * **The Micro Clock:** When PCs with High Exposure blow their cover inside a public location, that scene’s Micro Clock begins. Roll 1d4 rounds unless the location specifies otherwise. During this brief window, the PCs may attempt to prevent an alarm, recover money or equipment, preserve a false identity, hide or escape.
+The Micro Clock is a dramatic countdown rather than a literal measurement of patrol travel time. Guarding Troopers may already be nearby, an observer may activate a silent alarm or existing alerts may already be circulating through the settlement.
+  * **The Location Trap:** **The Location Trap:** When the Micro Clock expires, the current location closes around the PCs. Guarding Troopers arrive, exits may be secured and the PCs must hide, deceive the authorities, surrender or force their way out. Each later New Kourou scene describes its own version of this consequence.
+PCs may blow their cover by:
+  * giving their real names to someone with access to a wanted ledger
+  * removing or compromising a recognizable disguise
+  * contradicting an established alias or cover story
+  * failing a relevant Deception or disguise probe
+  * being recognized by a credible witness
+  * committing a public act that exposes their identities
+The Ticking Clock may also begin on the streets of New Kourou. If the PCs flee into another public location, record that destination as their **+1 Location**. The active alert follows them there, and the relevant scene determines when its Location Trap closes. Entering another building does not automatically end an alert already in progress.
+Low Exposure PCs do not begin the adventure under this pressure. However, later public crimes or reliable identification may increase their Exposure Status through play.
+Disguises do not change High Exposure into Low Exposure. They preserve the PCs’ Cover State and delay recognition. Once the cover is blown, use the trigger table provided by the current New Kourou scene.
 ==== Final Preparation Record ====
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   * **Full Reward:** 1,000 Kourou per PC
   * **Travel Budget:** 100 Kourou per PC
+  * **Martin’s State:** Available at the Office · Recovering at the Medical Station
   * **Exposure Status:** Low Exposure · High Exposure
   * **Disguise Preparation:** None · Partial · Effective
@@ Line 171: / Line 194: @@
   * **Keep Reward and Expenses Separate:** The travel budget is issued immediately. The 1,000-Kourou reward per PC is earned through successful live delivery and paid during the appropriate ending.
   * **Separate Exposure from Cover:** Exposure Status records what the authorities know. Cover represents whether the PCs are currently recognizable. A disguise does not convert High Exposure into Low Exposure.
-  * **Use the Established Ticking Clock:** High Exposure alone does not start the Clock. The Micro Clock begins when the PCs blow their cover in a settlement or when a location becomes the +1 Location after a street exposure.
+  * **Establish the Ticking Clock Here:** Scene 1 introduces High Exposure, the Micro Clock, the Location Trap and the +1 Location rule. Do not use the usual trigger table in this scene. The later New Kourou location scenes determine exactly how cover is blown, which countermeasures are available and what happens when their Micro Clock expires.
   * **The Office Is a Safe Preparation Location:** Do not begin a Micro Clock while the PCs remain inside the OfSO unless their enemies or the authorities have already discovered the building through established play.
   * **Disguises Are Helpful, Not Absolute:** They influence recognition probes and support false identities. They do not defeat real names, biometric checks, close searches or implausible behavior automatically.
   * **Do Not Penalize Personality for Grooming:** Shaving changes how a PC is described. It does not reduce the character’s Charisma score.
+  * **Preserve Martin’s Recorded Condition:** Martin is recovering at the Medical Station only if he was injured during the previous adventure. Otherwise, he is present at the Office and may participate in the briefing. His emergency kit is available in either case.
   * **Martin’s Kit Is Separate from the Disguises:** The three emergency items are limited technical resources. Record who carries them and remove each item after use.
   * **Preserve Player Agency:** Ezrah may argue, warn and set contractual conditions, but she does not dictate what the PCs ultimately decide.
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 ==== DM Audio-Tutorial: How to Approach the Scene ====
-{{ :hauh_dmbriefing_scene1_thebriefing.mp3 |}}
+{{ :dmbriefing_scene1_new2.mp3 |}}
 ===== Related Pages and Further Information =====