Differences

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--- scene_4a_1_the_price_of_timber [2026/07/12 06:12] – [5 | Triggers, Clues & Consequences] admin
+++ scene_4a_1_the_price_of_timber [2026/07/12 07:20] (current) – [Morningstar Hub Overview — Playable Locations & Opportunities] admin
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ===== Special Scene Rule — Location-Flexible Conversation =====
-This scene is not tied to a fixed venue. After leaving [[hauh_morningstar_djangos_diner|Django’s Diner]], ask the players where they intend to take Sagan.They may choose any suitable location from the Morningstar Hub or the wider [[morningstar|Morningstar]] location list.
+This scene is not tied to a fixed venue. After leaving [[hauh_morningstar_djangos_diner|Django’s Diner]], ask the players where they intend to take Sagan. They may choose any suitable location from the Morningstar Hub or the wider [[morningstar|Morningstar]] location list.
 Possible choices include:
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 | **2** | J.W. worked exclusively through hired Hands, notes, vouchers, and changing instructions |
 | **3** | Sagan delivered processed timber to a guarded compound north of Morningstar |
-| **4** | He knows the route system, the approximate distance, and the way markers used by J.W.’s Hands |
+| **4** | He remembers the approximate route to the compound well enough to believe he can find it again. |
 | **5** | Sagan agrees to guide the PCs to the compound when they are ready |
@@ Line 186: / Line 186: @@
 | 🛰️ **The PCs ask about Sagan’s life aboard the Last Frontier or why Rogan knew him** | Read the staged description **“Sagan begins speaking about his life aboard the Last Frontier.”** | The PCs learn that Sagan struggled with reading and writing aboard the ship, although he could understand and perform complex practical work once somebody showed him how. |
 | 🌍 **The PCs ask how Sagan’s life changed after the crash** | Read the staged description **“Sagan describes finding his place after the crash.”** | The collapse of the technological infrastructure created a society in which Sagan’s practical intelligence and physical skills suddenly became valuable. This establishes why his later company meant so much to him. |
-| 🏭 **The PCs ask how Belmont Timber & Haulage began** | Read the staged description **“Sagan begins describing Belmont Timber & Haulage.”** | Sagan explains that the company began with one freight wagon, an unreliable Labor Bot, and eventually his first pair of Hoos. |
+| 🏭 **The PCs ask how Belmont Timber & Haulage began** | Read the staged description **“Sagan begins describing Belmont Timber & Haulage.”** | Sagan explains that the company began with one freight wagon, an unreliable [[manual_labor_bots|Labor Bot]], and eventually his first pair of [[hoos|Hoos]]. |
-| 📈 **The PCs ask how successful the company became** | Read the staged description **“Sagan remembers what the company became.”** | The PCs learn that Sagan eventually operated three freight wagons and two cutting crews, with contracts extending from Morningstar to Hope. The company was respected because Sagan paid reliably and kept his promises. |
+| 📈 **The PCs ask how successful the company became** | Read the staged description **“Sagan remembers what the company became.”** | The PCs learn that Sagan eventually operated three freight wagons and two cutting crews. The company was respected because Sagan paid reliably and kept his promises. |
-| 💰 **The PCs ask how J.W. paid him** | J.W.’s Hands initially paid in valid Kourou and later shifted to allocation vouchers carrying the Hale & Hook logo. The vouchers promised goods, services, food, lodging, or credit instead of direct currency. | Confirms that J.W. used Hale & Hook’s commercial infrastructure while keeping his own identity away from ordinary transactions. This does not prove that Garrick Hale knew how the vouchers were being used. |
+| 💰 **The PCs ask how J.W. paid him** | J.W.’s Hands initially paid in valid [[kourou|Kourou]] and later shifted to allocation vouchers carrying the [[hale_and_hook_outfitters|Hale & Hook]] logo. The vouchers promised goods, services, food, lodging, or credit instead of direct currency. | Confirms that J.W. financed his operations through Hale & Hook–backed allocation vouchers rather than direct cash payments, allowing him to keep his own business at arm's length while binding contractors to an escalating cycle of dependency. |
 | 📉 **The PCs ask how J.W.’s contracts destroyed the company** | Read the staged description **“Sagan explains how J.W. destroyed his company.”** | Reveals the dependency cycle: every new order was presented as the only way to cover the previous one. Eventually the vouchers stopped working, Sagan lost his crews, and the wagons were sold one by one. |
 | 👷 **The PCs ask what happened to Sagan’s workers** | Sagan explains that he dismissed the crews when he could no longer pay them. Some found work at Fogwood. Others left Morningstar. At least one blamed Sagan personally for the unpaid wages. | Deepens Sagan’s shame and demonstrates that J.W.’s exploitation harmed far more people than Sagan alone. |
@@ Line 233: / Line 233: @@
   * **The scene is about listening, not extracting:** Sagan should not feel like a container of clues. His information comes from lived experience, shame, and memory. Allow pauses and let the players decide how hard they push.
-  * **Pouring rain defines the scene:** Whether the conversation takes place in Saw’s End, a wagon, a shed, or beneath an awning, the rain should remain present. It isolates the conversation from the rest of Morningstar and reinforces the sense that Sagan has nowhere dry left to go.
   * **Saw’s End is recommended, not mandatory:** The drink Sagan wanted gives the players a natural reason to take him there. However, the choice belongs to them. Do not redirect them if they select another credible location.
   * **The Forgotten Connection has consequences:** If Rogan exposed his identity at Django’s Diner, that choice may follow the group into this scene. At Saw’s End, Hammacher can recognize him and interrupt the conversation. The character-specific advantage therefore carries a meaningful cost.
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 ==== DM Tutorial: How to Approach the Scene ====
-{{ :dm_briefing_hauh_scene_4a_plus_1_price_of_timber.mp3 |}}
+{{ :hauh_dmbriefing_scene4a_1_thepriceoftimber.mp3 |}}
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 | **[[hale_and_hook_outfitters|Hale & Hook Outfitters]]** | Investigation · Trade | Verify the voucher · ask about J.W.’s supply chain · purchase equipment | Polite · Guarded · Transactional | → [[hauh_morningstar_hale_and_hook|Scene 4e]] |
 | **[[local_guarding_troopers_station_of_morningstar|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Morningstar]]** | Risk · Records · Pressure | Find an arrested Sagan · face active warrants · access procedural records | Bureaucratic · Dangerous | → [[hauh_morningstar_guarding_troopers|Scene 4f]] |
-| **Conversation with [[sagan_belmont|Sagan Belmont]]** | Character Investigation · Trust · Backstory | Learn the price of J.W.’s timber operation · discover the compound · recruit Sagan as guide | Unlocked · Location-flexible · Emotional | → [[Scene 4a+1 — The Price of Timber|Scene 4a+1 — The Price of Timber]] |
   * **Note:** Scene 4a+1 is an additional unlocked scene and may take place at any suitable Morningstar location. If the chosen location has its own risks or active mechanics, such as Hammacher at Saw’s End or biometric scans at the Medical Station, those mechanics remain active during the conversation.