Table of Contents

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

SCENE 3a — REST STOP IN HOPE (OPTIONAL)

1 | Scene Overview

2 | Read-Aloud Description

Hope arrives before its streets do — a smell of wet grain, smoke, and river salt carried on warm air. The Trade Route straightens out near the Arla, and the jungle pulls back just enough to reveal the settlement: a stubborn sprawl of porches, granaries, and patched container walls planted into mud and optimism.

River mist hangs low. Seed drones buzz somewhere over the fields like tired insects. You pass carts stacked with sacks of grain and bundles of netting, and for the first time in hours the road feels less like wilderness and more like civilization. Or better said: civilization under construction …

Staged Read-Alouds (Progressive Descriptions)

Trigger / Timing Read-Aloud or Narrative Insert
If the PCs arrive with an NKCS caravan The courier carts roll in like a practiced machine. Cart Guides call quiet instructions. Hoos are watered. Harnesses loosen. A manifest clerk at the Hope Region Courier Station ticks names off a board without looking up. This stop is routine — which means it’s safe, but also watched.
If the PCs arrive on foot or with Veyras You’re noticed, but not stared at. In Hope, travelers who walk or ride their own beasts mean the same thing: the road demanded effort, and they paid it. A settler steps off a loose wooden plank into the mud to let you pass. Someone jerks their chin toward the Route Stop and says, almost casually, 'You look like you could use some refreshment.' No questions follow. If you made it here under your own power, you’ve earned a pause
If they arrive with a Mortician’s Cart But as your cart rolls over the loose wooden planks, that optimism falters. The settlement doesn’t go silent but the crowd does thin around you. People glance at the dark wood once, then quickly look away, as if bad luck is contagious. A passing courier mutters, 'Bad road today,' and suddenly everyone finds a reason to look down at the mud instead of at you.
First look at the Route Stop counter Cauldrons hiss. Flatbread stacks in cloth. Payment slots clink with Kourou or with nothing at all, when someone claims credit in a ledger. The Butler Bot serves without judgment. The Combat Drones do the judging.

3 | Scene Intent

Scene Type Player Intents DM Function / Story Link
Rest & Recovery · Social Hub · Narrative Pivot Heal up · stabilize losses · gather rumors · follow weak signals · test trust Provide breathing room after travel pressure while quietly advancing the core investigation. Scene 3a introduces the first concrete material clue linking the incident at the Office for Special Operations to a specific economic actor (fur trade pricing). The Kettler twins serve as a controlled narrative funnel: they are optional, deniable, and mundane on the surface — yet capable of unlocking the identity of the unseen hunter.

4 | Key (N)PCs + Dynamic Cues

Name Role / Affiliation Motivation / Goal Dynamic Cues in Play Wiki-Link
Butler Bot (Route Stop) Automated staff Maintain flow & rules Emotionless efficiency; immediately escalates to drones if weapons drawn Route Stop of Hope / Butler Bots
Medical Bots Automated care Stabilize, not judge Calm, precise, indifferent to politics or guilt Medical Station of Hope / Medical Bots
Chief Physician Exohuman oversight Keep station functional Brief, factual, tired; defers to data Medical Station of Hope
Vicky Ahuja Floodgate owner Keep peace, read people Picks up lies by tone and timing The Floodgate
Hank Basta Netter’s owner Profit, dominance Pushes bets and conflict; smells desperation Old Netter’s Rest
Elias Kettler Traveling Fur Trader (“The Spiritual One”) Sell wholesale pelts; gauge threat levels; avoid law enforcement Soft-spoken, alert, and intensely business-minded. He wears a dark hide beanie and a matching fur coat. Let him speak first to de-escalate tension, masking his caution behind smooth sales talk. The Kettler Twins
Ruben Kettler Traveling Fur Trader (“The Pessimist”) Track operational risks; protect inventory; identify spies Cynical, blunt, and highly suspicious. He stares down at the party with dead-eyed, predatory intensity. His hands remain close to his gear straps unless checked by a show of force. The Kettler Twins
Guarding Trooper Patrol Local Guarding Trooper Station of Hope Maintain order, verify manifests Move in pairs. Guarding Troopers

5 | Triggers, Actions & Consequences

Phase 1a — The Ticking Clock (Wanted PCs Only)

If the PCs have a High Exposure status from Scene 1, Hope is dangerous. They cannot linger.

Trigger / Cue (Player Action) Immediate Reaction Clue / Consequence
🚨 PCs walk the streets of Hope openly (Ticking Clock Starts) A local farmer squints at them, then whispers to a passing Guarding Trooper patrol. The Clock Starts: The PCs have exactly one (1) location visit before the Troopers close in. If they visit the Market and then try to go to the Pub, the gates shut.
🚨 PCs use the Medical Station (Ticking Clock Starts) The Medical Bot scans their biometrics to administer healing. Its optical ring flashes red. The Clock Starts: The PCs have exactly 1d4 rounds (a few tense seconds) to grab their gear and run before the Station's security lockdown engages and Troopers arrive.

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Phase 1b — Location Visits & Recovery

The PCs may choose where to spend their layover. The DM should design these interactions and set the scene using the linked wiki articles for the respective locations. Select the corresponding outcome.

PC Action / Cue Immediate Reaction / What Happens Consequences / Mechanics
🍲 Eat/Rest at the Route Stop Stew is ladled hot, flatbread torn. Butler Bots keep the line moving. A narrow stair leads to creaking bunks. Meal: Removes 1 level of exhaustion. Bunks: Costs 7 Kourou/hr. 1 hour = Short Rest.
🍻 Socialize at The Floodgate A functional hub for farmers and fishers. Earth Pop plays softly. Safe rumor gathering. +1 to CHA checks for local information.
🥊 Gamble at Old Netter’s Rest Heavy drinking, thick smoke, and an illegal brawl-ring. Hank watches from the bar. Twenty-One: Opposed Sleight of Hand/Deception vs. table's Insight to win Kourou. Fight Betting: DC 13 Insight to pick the winner (doubles a 10-50K stake). Crit fail = Hank notices them.
🩹 Seek Healing at Medical Station of Hope Built from repurposed starship containers. Clean, cold, smells of machine oil. Standard Healing: Emergency Trauma Stabilization (50 K), Nano-Therapy Boost (80 K).

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Phase 2 — The Kettler Twins (Floating Encounter)

This encounter triggers automatically the moment the PCs sit down in a taproom. It handles the discovery of the physical paper trail linking the hit squad to the fur trade.

Dialogue Rule for the Dungeon Master

The twins are deeply distrustful of anyone digging into their business, especially characters disguised as Covenant monks. They answer player questions with increasing suspiciousness. They will tolerate 2 to 3 questions maximum before completely shutting down the conversation. They reveal as little information as possible. Depending on the party's line of questioning and successful CHA (Persuasion or Intimidation) checks, they will only ever reveal the following three pieces of context:

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Trigger / Player Action Immediate NPC / Environmental Reaction Consequences & Skill Mechanics
🪑 The PCs sit down at a taproom table As the characters slide onto the wooden bench to rest, a player's foot accidentally brushes against something soft, thick, and heavy hidden underneath the framework. The Setup: The players are directed to investigate the space beneath their boots. Bypassing or ignoring the contact delays the clue discovery until they prepare to leave. Character Specific Modifier: If Lexa Rourke is in the active party roster, she is automatically the one who touches and discovers the bundle.
A PC pulls the hidden bundle out from under the bench The bundle reveals a high-end vest made from the iridescent, distinctive hide of a Veyra. The Visual Cue: Characters with a background in tracking, survival, or frontier trade instantly recognize the immense market value of raw Veyra fur in this sector.
👁️ PCs examine the tag pinned to the collar The tag is a small piece of grid paper reading: “VEYRA, 450 Kourou.” Automatic Success (Hana Lee's Analysis) or a DC 12 INT (Investigation) check: The player notices the letter 'R' in the word VEYRA has a precise 1mm stencil break where the loop fails to connect to the vertical stem. This matches the exact handwriting of the assassination orders from Ezrah's office.
👥 The Twins approach the booth out of the shadows The Kettler twins confront the party while they are holding the tag. They note that this was actually their table and that they were just steping away after “having a conversation” with someone who needed a motivational speech. Then their eyes lock onto the vest: “Do we have a buyer? Or did you just try to steal our pelt?” The Disguise Check: The party must use a DC 13 CHA (Deception or Performance) check to maintain their peaceful, monastic Covenant personas to explain why they are holding the contraband.
💬 The PCs question the twins or probe into their operation The twins narrow their eyes, their posture turning aggressive. They execute the Dialogue Rule (see above), matching the party's inquiries with sharp, transactional counters. The Interrogation: Each question requires a DC 14 CHA (Persuasion or Intimidation) check to extract one of the three core lore points. A single failure or exceeding 3 questions causes their professional mask to freeze over.
🚶‍♂️ The PCs conclude the conversation or let the twins walk away The twins offer a mock salute, turn in unison, and disappear through the exit doors into the foggy twilight. The Deduction Transition: The encounter concludes. Any lingering or resting party members gather back at the booth to consolidate their findings: The anonymous client is hiding nearby in the Atrana Mountains, funding his elite hitmen directly through fur trafficking via Hale and Hook.

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6 | DM Notes

DM Tutorial: How to approach the scene