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=== 102 Pen and Paper Adventure | Beta Age | Hunting an Unknown Hunter ===

====== SCENE 1 — THE BRIEFING ======

{{:102_pnp_the_man_without_a_name_illustration_scene_01.png?direct&400|}}

===== 1 | Scene Overview =====

  * **Location:** [[office_for_special_operations|Office for Special Operations]], New Kourou
  * **Type:** Social · Mission Briefing · Investigation · Preparation · Recap
  * **Era:** [[beta_age|Beta Age]]
  * **Tone:** Determination · exhaustion · personal stakes · unfinished violence

**Atmosphere & Sensory Cues:** Perpetual twilight filtering through vine-covered shutters · the faint scent of Ezrah’s herbal tea · old starship metal humming behind the walls · distant activity in the Public Services Ring · the lingering smell of blood despite repeated cleaning

===== 2 | Read-Aloud Descriptions =====

==== 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. 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.

 //"Senti hunting knives,"// she says. //"Carved from Odo ribs. The shape and serrated spine are unmistakable. Genuine craftsmanship from the western Asari steppe."//

She taps the dark crystalline residue crusted along their edges.

 //"Treated with Senti venom. Extracted from the desert Akzna."//

A weathered receipt printed upon cheap grey pulp follows.

 //"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. Ezrah presses one bloodless knuckle against the paper.

 //"This wasn’t random. It wasn’t emotional. It was prepared."//

Her eyes move across your exhausted group.

 //"And everything about it points north. Morningstar."//

{{ :hauh_scene_01_the_briefing_revised.mp3 |}}

==== Staged Read-Alouds — Progressive Descriptions ====

| **Trigger / Timing** | **Read-Aloud Cue** |
| **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."// |
| **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."// |

==== Martin’s Emergency Kit ====

| **Item** | **Use and Mechanic** |
| **Shiver-Thorn Capsule × 1** | Crush as a Reaction to release a sharp herbal cloud within a 1-metre radius. Creatures breathing it must succeed on a CON probe (DC 12) or suffer Disadvantage on their next attack because of watering eyes and throat irritation. Single use. |
| **Spineback Flicker Pod × 1** | Snap as an Action to release three resin-tipped spines in a 15-degree cone with a 2-metre range. Targets must succeed on a DEX probe (DC 12) or suffer 1d4 piercing damage and Disadvantage on their next attack because of the burning resin. Single use. |
| **Rootcoil Snare Vine × 1** | Use as an Action against one creature within 1.5 metres. The target must succeed on a DEX or STR probe of their choice (DC 13) or become **Restrained** and **Prone** for 1d3 rounds, suffering 1 bludgeoning damage per round. The vine releases before causing serious injury and becomes ordinary rope after one use. |

===== 3 | Scene Intent =====

| **Scene Type** | **Player Intents** | **DM Function / Story Link** |
| **Briefing and Investigation** | Examine the evidence · understand the trail toward Morningstar · question Ezrah’s conclusions | Connects the attack upon the Office to Morningstar and establishes the investigation’s initial direction. |
| **Moral and Contractual Framing** | Accept or refuse the mission · clarify the live-capture mandate · negotiate payment and expenses | Establishes that the full contract requires the person responsible to be delivered alive while preserving the players’ freedom to make different choices. |
| **Exposure and Preparation** | Determine the consequences of the previous adventure · select disguises · distribute equipment | Establishes the Exposure Status and preparations used by the Ticking Clock mechanics in New Kourou and later settlements. |

===== 4 | Key (N)PCs and Dynamic Cues =====

| **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 — 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 =====

==== Scene States — Record Before Continuing ====

| **State** | **Possible Results** | **Application** |
| **Mission Decision** | **Accepted** · **Refused** · **Undecided** | The adventure continues toward Scene 2 once the PCs accept or decide to pursue the investigation. |
| **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** | 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. |

==== Phase I — Examining the Morningstar Evidence ====

| **Trigger / Cue** | **Immediate Reaction** | **Clue / Consequence** |
| **The PCs inspect the Senti hunting knives** | The knives are made from carved bone with serrated spines and dark crystalline residue along their edges. | Kweku identifies the material automatically if he examines it. Otherwise, a WIS (Survival), INT (Nature) or relevant background probe (DC 12) identifies the blades as Senti craftsmanship made from Odo ribs and treated with Akzna-derived venom. The attackers possessed restricted materials from the Desert Side. |
| **The PCs examine the venom residue** | The residue has dried into dark crystals within the grooves of the blades. | A relevant medical, survival or toxicology probe (DC 12) confirms that the substance was deliberately applied rather than transferred accidentally. The attack required preparation and access to a specialized supply chain. |
| **The PCs study the Django’s Diner receipt** | The receipt records five bowls of Serbian Soup purchased together two days before the attack. | An INT (Investigation) probe (DC 10) identifies Morningstar as a likely staging point and establishes that the attackers travelled and prepared as a group. |
| **The PCs inspect the Hale & Hook paper** | The stock is heavy and durable. Hale & Hook’s stamp remains visible above the Office’s address. | The paper connects the attack to an organization operating in Morningstar. It does not, by itself, prove that Hale & Hook ordered or knowingly supported the attack. |
| **The PCs examine the handwriting** | Small breaks interrupt the upper loops and bowls of several letters. | Rogan recognizes the pattern automatically if his background applies. Otherwise, an INT (History, Lore or Investigation) probe (DC 14) identifies stencil breaks resembling industrial directional lettering used aboard the Last Frontier. |
| **The PCs question whether the evidence is conclusive** | Ezrah acknowledges that the clues do not yet prove who ordered the attack. | She distinguishes proof from direction: the attackers prepared in or passed through Morningstar, possessed specialized weapons and carried the Office’s exact address. Morningstar is the strongest available lead, not a solved case. |
| **The PCs fail an evidence probe** | Ezrah allows them to continue examining the objects before explaining the most obvious connection. | The investigation does not end because of a failed probe. The PCs still learn that Morningstar is the next destination, but they may miss finer details or supporting evidence. |

==== Phase II — The Mission and Exposure Status ====

| **Trigger / Cue** | **Ezrah’s Reaction** | **Clue / Consequence** |
| **The PCs ask what Ezrah wants them to do** | Ezrah’s eyes settle upon the group. //"Find whoever ordered this. Identify them. Secure them. Bring them back to this Office alive."// | Activate the **Live-Capture Mandate**. The PCs are not magically or mechanically prevented from killing the target, but doing so fails this condition of the contract. |
| **The PCs ask why the target must be captured alive** | //"Because dead people do not testify,"// Ezrah says. //"I want to know who they worked with, how far this reaches and why five people were sent here to erase us."// | Alive delivery provides the Office with testimony, leverage and the possibility of an official case. |
| **The PCs negotiate the contract reward** | Ezrah remains firm. The payment already represents the limit of what she can provide from her personal savings. | **Full Reward:** 1,000 Kourou per PC if the responsible person is delivered alive. Later outcomes may reduce, delay or eliminate the payment. |
| **The PCs request travel expenses** | Ezrah removes high-denomination notes from her desk and divides them according to the number of PCs. | **Travel Budget:** 100 Kourou per PC. For the standard five-character group, this totals 500 Kourou. |
| **The PCs do not ask about travel expenses** | Before concluding the briefing, Ezrah places the same notes upon the desk. //"You still need to reach Morningstar. This is for transport and supplies."// | Issue the Travel Budget regardless of whether the PCs remembered to request it. |
| **The PCs accept the mission** | Ezrah records the agreement and begins discussing routes, equipment and exposure. | Set the Mission Decision to **Accepted**. Continue to preparation and then Scene 2. |
| **The PCs hesitate or request time** | Ezrah does not pressure them into an immediate answer. | Keep the Mission Decision **Undecided**. The PCs may examine the evidence and preparations before deciding. |
| **The PCs refuse the mission** | Ezrah does not attempt to compel them. She gathers the evidence back toward her side of the desk. | Set the Mission Decision to **Refused**. The contract does not begin unless the PCs reconsider or pursue Morningstar for their own reasons. |
| **The PCs ask whether they are wanted** | Ezrah reviews the known alarms, witnesses, shortwave traffic and Guarding Trooper reports from the previous adventure. | Determine the group’s Exposure Status using **Determining Exposure Status** below. |
| **The PCs have Low Exposure** | Ezrah finds no reliable identification connecting the group to the previous operation. | The PCs may move through settlements normally unless later actions increase their exposure. Disguises remain optional. |
| **The PCs have High Exposure** | Ezrah confirms that descriptions, faces or identities connected to the group are circulating through Guarding Trooper channels or the bounty wire. | Recognition becomes possible in public settlements. This does not automatically begin a Ticking Clock while their cover remains intact. |
| **High Exposure PCs refuse disguises** | Ezrah warns them that anyone who recognizes them may trigger an immediate response. She does not physically prevent them from leaving. | Record **Disguise Preparation: None**. Their Exposure Status remains High, and later recognition may blow their cover. |

==== Phase III — Ezrah’s Archive and Disguises ====

//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.//

| **Disguise Option** | **Origin and Appearance** | **Mechanic and Cost** |
| **Capes of the Penitent — two available** | Confiscated from two criminals who posed as pastors of the Covenant of the New Dawn. The heavy capes conceal the wearer’s clothing, hair and much of the face. The cowls are lined with dull iron needles intended to enforce a rigid posture. | While properly worn, the cape grants Advantage on probes made to avoid visual recognition. It does not protect against real names, biometric examination or contradictory behavior. The wearer suffers a −1 penalty to Initiative and Disadvantage on DEX (Stealth or Acrobatics) probes because of the restrictive weight and painful lining. |
| **Complete Shave and Altered Grooming** | Ezrah provides a sharp blade, rough soap, water and basic materials for changing hair, facial hair and other recognizable details. | Grants Advantage on the first probe made to avoid recognition based upon an older physical description. It does not change the PC’s Charisma score and does not defeat records, real names or close inspection automatically. |
| **Prepared Alias and Cover Story** | Ezrah helps the group choose names, occupations and a plausible reason for travelling toward Morningstar. | An alias may preserve the Cover State when a settlement asks for names or business. A contradiction, use of a real name or failed CHA (Deception) probe may blow the cover. |
| **Combined Disguise** | A PC combines altered grooming, clothing and a prepared identity. | Particularly thorough preparation may lower the DC of the first recognition-related probe by 2 at the DM’s discretion. No disguise guarantees immunity from discovery. |

| **Trigger / Cue** | **Immediate Reaction** | **Clue / Consequence** |
| **The PCs distribute the Capes of the Penitent** | Ezrah warns them about the needles and the behavior expected from members of the Covenant. | Record which two PCs carry or wear the capes. Wearing one without adopting an appropriate posture or manner may create suspicion. |
| **A PC changes their hair or facial appearance** | The transformation alters the description that witnesses or bounty notices may contain. | Record the altered appearance. No Charisma penalty applies. |
| **The PCs prepare aliases together** | Ezrah challenges inconsistencies in their occupations, destination and relationship to one another. | A coherent cover story begins with the Cover State **Intact**. Record each alias before leaving the Office. |
| **The PCs rely only upon clothing without preparing behavior or names** | Their appearance changes, but their answers may still expose them. | Record **Disguise Preparation: Partial**. The disguise may help against casual visual recognition but not questioning or registration. |
| **The PCs complete a coherent disguise plan** | Clothing, appearance, aliases and behavior support one another. | Record **Disguise Preparation: Effective** and begin settlement play with the Cover State **Intact**. |
| **A High Exposure PC uses a real name, removes a disguise or contradicts the cover story in public** | A witness may compare the PC with a bounty notice, wanted ledger or Guarding Trooper description. | Resolve the relevant scene’s recognition mechanic. On confirmed recognition, set the Cover State to **Blown** and begin that scene’s Micro Clock. |

==== Determining Exposure Status ====

Determine Exposure Status from the recorded conclusion of [[the_man_without_a_name|The Man Without A Name]]. Do not use a new probe to overwrite events that already occurred.

| **Recorded Outcome** | **Exposure Status** |
| **The PCs triggered major alarms, initiated a public firefight, were clearly witnessed extracting the Nameless Man or failed to evade the responding authorities** | **High Exposure** |
| **The PCs completed the extraction without reliable identification and successfully evaded the responding patrols** | **Low Exposure** |
| **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. |

==== 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 ====

Before proceeding to Scene 2, record:

  * **Mission Decision:** Accepted · Refused · Undecided
  * **Live-Capture Mandate:** Active if the mission was accepted
  * **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
  * **Cover State:** Intact unless it is later blown
  * **Aliases and Cover Story**
  * **Capes of the Penitent:** Record their carriers
  * **Martin’s Emergency Kit:** Record the carrier of each item

===== 6 | DM Notes =====

  * **This Scene Is the Pivot:** Use Ezrah’s briefing to reconnect the previous adventure with the new investigation. The violence at the Office should feel recent and personal.
  * **Let the PCs Examine the Evidence:** The conclusion points toward Morningstar, but successful probes reveal why. Failed probes should conceal finer details rather than stop the adventure.
  * **Morningstar Is a Lead, Not Proof:** Ezrah believes the attack was prepared there, but she does not yet know who ordered it. Preserve room for investigation and doubt.
  * **The Live-Capture Mandate Is Contractual:** Ezrah demands a living prisoner because she wants testimony and accountability. The players may choose otherwise, but the official resolution and payment will reflect that choice.
  * **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.
  * **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.
  * **Record the Final Preparation:** Later scenes depend upon the Exposure Status, disguises, aliases, travel budget and issued equipment established here.

==== DM Audio-Tutorial: How to Approach the Scene ====

{{ :dmbriefing_scene1_new2.mp3 |}}

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * ↑↑ **Start:** [[hunting_an_unknown_hunter|Adventure Hub of Hunting An Unknown Hunter]]
  * ★ **Overview:** [[all_scenes_of_hunting_an_unknown_hunter|All Scenes of Hunting An Unknown Hunter]]
  * ☞ **Resolution:** [[hauh_case_resolution|Case Resolution and Discoverable Backstory]]
  * → **Next Scene:** [[hauh_2_travel_preparations|Scene 2 — Travel Preparations]]