The World of Avatar: Ascendants Decades have passed since Avatar Aang, master of all four elements, defeated Fire Lord Ozai and restored harmony to the four nations. In the years after, a new regime has attempted to reinvent the Fire Nation as a peaceful place welcoming of all cultures. This regime, now led by Fire Lord Izumi, has maintained balance throughout the land; however, since Avatar Aang’s death, there have been rumblings of rebellion within the Nation. Without the Avatar, who will keep the the four elements in unity? During this time period between the death of the Aang and the rebirth of the Avatar spirit, separatists are coming from the shadows trying to rekindle the flame of world domination that once was lit under Fire Lord Ozai. Opposing them, a collection of Earth, Water, and Air benders have formed the Grey Lotus, an insurgency group dedicated to destroying the Fire Nation completely. On the brink of civil war, can Fire Lord Izumi keep her Nation safe AND peaceful? What role do you play in all of this, and can you stop it before things get out of hand? Welcome to Avatar: Ascendants.
The story The Fire Nation has been peaceful for many decades, when a terrorist group-Grey Lotus-- begins to attack peaceful events and innocent people. Strongly standing against these attacks is Grand Vizier of Fire Nation, Genji. He has stood at the side of Fire Lord Izumi as her faithful attendant and advisor for many years now, and is one of the most influential figures in the Fire Nation-- whether the people know it or not.
In come our four player characters, all on a voyage to return home to their families, when their ship comes under attack by Grey Lotus Pirates. After stopping the attack, the group discovers something fishy about the pirates that leads them to mistrustthe captain, and a mutiny by the group and a mysterious woman named Milo pushes Captain Wu off the boat on a life raft. Milo guides them to a safehouse run by a rather crass but powerful man by the name of Bo, who is a very powerful figure in the underworld of the town in which they arrive. Theys oon find that Bo has information about their families that they need-- (h and that Captain Wu is also in the town, looking for them. They must get the information using Bo’s help, while evading capture by Wu’s men, and discovering that Fire Lord Izumi herself is involved with their plight. The players manage to escape capture, and find themslves seeking the General of the Fire Natio armies-- Pho. He is performing at a Fire Nation festival, leading up to the Fire Nation summit. The players must gain access to the festival in orsder to track him down. While at the festival, an explosion is set off by Grey Lotus, and the players manage to escape harm. They then sneak into the Fire Nation summit, where they are found eavesdropping and framed by Genji as Grey Lotus leaders. Using this as leverage, he usurps Izumi as the leader of the Fire Nation. Milo returns and saves the players, allowing them to escape Genji with Izumi. They then find that they have a hidden power-- Avatar Resonance-- which they must unlock in the Spirit World. They must go on an adventure into this new realm to discover they are all descendants of Avatars past-- and together, they can use a power called Avatar Resonance. Upon exiting the Spirit World, they reunite with Milo and Izumi-- but soon after, Milo is adbucted by Grey Lotus. They must save her in order to gain access to the Capital City, where Genji is giving a speech. They must find a way to defeat Genji once and for all.
Notes on Gameplay Attacks and Powers Basic Attack: Each character can do a simple bending attack. This attack is fairly weak, but does not cost any power points, so it can be used as many times as the character wishes. What exactly this attack is depends on the bending style being used and the situation. For example, an earth bender’s basic attack could be throwing a medium sized stone at their opponent, or a fire bender’s basic attack could be a punch that shoots a short jet of flame. However, attacks like bending a fire-tornado, or causing an earthquake are not basic attacks. Similarly, any special kind of bending, such as lightning or lava bending, are not usually basic attacks Powers: In addition to a basic attack, characters can also learn and use more powerful special attacks. These attacks are usually stronger or have more interesting effects than the basic attack. However, they cost power points to use, so players must think about and figure out the best time to use these special attacks. The special attacks in the Avatar universe follow most of the rules in the “Magic” section of “Powers” in the Chaosium book. However instead of calling these powers “spells” (as they are called in the book) we call them “special attacks.” Also benders obviously cannot use the traditional magic spells that are in the book (such as “Countermagic” or “Dispel”), so we have our own custom set of bending special attacks to use.
Custom Powers Earth Rock Bomb Range: 100 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 1 Throw a large boulder or piece of earth at the target. Does 1D10 damage. Earth Trap Range: 100 meters Duration: 15 minutes Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Bend the earth around an opponent to trap them, rendering them completely immobile. Can be resisted with a DEX resistance roll. Each round the trapped victim can perform a STR resistance roll to escape. Earth Armor Range: None Duration: 5 minutes Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Cover yourself with rocks, creating an armor. All attacks towards you do -1D4 while you have Earth Armor. Seismic Sense Range: 1000 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 1 Stomp the ground with your bare feet, sensing everything around you that is in contact with the earth that you are stomping. Higher levels will be able to detect more.
Metal Bend Range: 100 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 3 Bend metal to hurt your opponent. Does 1D10 + 4 damage Water Deluge Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 1 Bend a strong deluge of water at your target. Does 2D6 damage and knocks target back 10 meters Water Jet Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Shoot a pressurized jet of water at your target. Does 1D10 damage and knocks target back 5 meters. . Freeze Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Freeze water in front of you, giving yourself a platform to stand on, or causing a wall of ice, or tripping your opponent.
Ice Shards Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Bend ice shards at your target. Does 1D10 damage. Healing Range: Touching Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Use waterbending healing techniques to heal a wound. Heals 2D6 damage. Fire Fire Stream Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 1 Shoot a prolonged stream of fire at your target. Does 1D10 damage. Fire Blast Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Fire a strong blast of fire at your target. Does 1D10 + 5 damage Wall of Flames Range: 50 meters Duration: 5 minutes Power Point Cost Per Level: 3 Create a wall of fire. Does 2D6 damage to any target that goes through it.
Lightning Bend Range: 5 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Bend lightning to hurt your opponent. Does 2D10 damage. Air Strong Wind Range: 50 meters Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 1 Fire a massive gust of wind at your target. Does 2D6 damage and knocks them back 20 meters. Air Vortex Range: 50 Duration: Instantaneous Power Point Cost Per Level: 2 Fire a strong, pressurized jet of air at the target. Does 1D10 + 5 damage and knocks them back 5 meters. Tornado Range: 100 meters Duration: 10 minutes Power Point Cost Per Level: 3 Generate a tornado that sucks in everything near it. Anybody caught in the tornado cannot do any actions while they’re caught in it. They can roll a STR + SIZ resistance every turn to try to escape. Every turn that somebody is caught in the tornado, they take 2D6 + 1 damage.
PLayer Characters
notes on customization Allow players to make any changes the desire to the pre generated characters provided, with the knowledge that the pre generated chaaracters have been provided to ensure optimal experience in playing this adventure. We encourage players to change names, genders, and minor skills-- such changes will not result in a hugely different gaming experience, though we recommend plyers do pay close attention to the skills we have presented, as they may and will play an important part in the story. To this extent, it is highly recommended that each game has a Brawler, an Intellectual, a Mediator, and Craftsman. All four roles and the skills presented will play key parts in the story. Unless the Game Master is prepared to ad-lib these scenes, we suggest players follow tis paradigm. Furthermore, Skills may be added as per allowed by the Game Master. Finally, have fun! Customize these characters as you see fit-- the game will still operate if things aren’t 100% perfect. Best of luck!
Non-player Characters
Milo Wants: Harmony. Redemption. To put an end to the fight. Toolkit: Both technical and spiritual expertise, backed by years of experience and insight. History: Abandoned as a child (8 years) by her parents in the third ring of Ba-Sing-Se, due to poverty. She remembers her father well, but her mother not so much. She remembers her Father was a deeply spiritual Earthbender. In her younger years, she turned her back to Earthbending culture and spirituality, as she rejected the man her Father was for abandoning her—for even having the ability to do so. She resented him for most of her younger years. She lived on the streets of the third ring until she discovered her talent for technology, after which she found work making weaponry. In this job, she found herself very well matched. She was excellent at it. Until she saw the aftermath her creations left. Destroyed homes, wounded people, dead people, children with no family left. This caused her to rethink herself. She began using her skills to aid those in need instead of hurting them. She found solace in kindness, and began to think of it as her mantra. As she continued down this route, she began to desire more and more contact with her earthbending roots, leading her eventually to learn Hung-Ga kung fu, the core martial art behind earthbending. In pursuit of her earthbending roots, she began to tap into the spiritual heart of bending, and pursues all knowledge on attaining spiritual harmony. After this, she met Genji, who at the time was very kind. They formed a sort of Father-Son bond, and Milo came to think of him as a father. She followed him to the fire nation, where she was appointed as spiritual advisor, and where she would eventually give Genji the information he needed to form his rebellion, in the hopes that he might use it for good. Thus, the Grand Vizier’s fire nation uprising is very personal to Milo.
Genji Wants: The revival of the Fire Nation’s power during the time of the Last Airbender. Believes that the Fire Nation, being rooted in strength, boldness, and pure power, is fit to be a ruling nation. He has an unstoppable thirst for power. Toolkit: Diplomatic power-- arguably his strongest weapon. On his own, he is weak, but with the power of the entire Fire Nation at his secret command, he believes he is more powerful than good or evil. Bloodbending-- he can use others as puppets, and manipulate them as he sees fit. Weaknesses: Identity as a waterbender-- if anyone finds out he is not a firebender, his life will be ruined. Thirst for power-- his history of oppression as a waterbender in the fire nation colored his desires, and he cannot resist the power he believes was withheld from him. History: A waterbender born in the Fire Nation. As a waterbender in firebender territory, he was discriminated against and not given the same opportunities as firebenders. In attempting to make his way despite such discrimination, he found Milo, a young orphan who could build him the gear he needed in order to pretend to be a firebender. Using the technology Milo created, he was able to ascend the ranks in the Fire Nation political scene, and eventually become the advisor to Fire Lord. In this, he brought Milo along with him.
Izumi Wants: To quell any potential uprisings. There is unrest in the Fire Nation, and Izumi wants to put a stop to it. Toolkit: As Fire Lord, Izumi holds great power and say in the Fire Nation. She is also a respectable firebender, having gotten instruction from a young age befitting that of a member of the royal family. She is also very suspicious of others by default, and will go to great lengths to trick others just to ensure that she herself is not deceived. Weaknesses: Izumi is pacifistic to a fault. In addition, although she is the Fire Lord, at the same time she is also very carefully watched by a great many people, and must tread carefully or else her actions may reflect badly on the whole of the Fire Nation. History: Izumi was born as a princess to the Fire Nation, under her father, Fire Lord Zuko. After harmony was restored to both the Fire Nation and the world, Zuko retired from his position as Fire Lord to become an ambassador of peace, leaving the position to Izumi. Izumi greatly respects her father’s values, and has taken his warnings and teachings about the once-aggressive history of the Fire Nation very seriously.to heart. This shows in her pacifist nature, but also manifests itself in a powerful paranoid nature that prevents her from easily trusting other people.
Pho Wants: He is the General of the Fire Nation, so he wants to protect the nation and defeat of the nation’s enemies Toolkit: A life on the streets has given Pho a lot of craftiness and quick wits. As the best tactician in the Fire Nation and a good leader, Pho is deft at commanding men in battle. An expert fire bender, Pho’s combat skills are amongst the best in the world Weaknesses: Pho is emotionally volatile. He will often act based on his emotion or a gut feeling. This can sometimes make it easy to emotionally manipulate him. His allegiance is to the Fire Nation and its people. He will do almost anything to protect the Fire Nation. History: When Pho was barely 3 years old, his mother died and his father abandoned him. He became a street urchin of Capital City where he had to fend for himself. In order to survive, Pho learned how to rally others to help him. He eventually became a leader in a gang. At 18, he was sent to jail for stealing. There, he met Fire Lord Zuko (Izumi’s father) and he was convinced by Zuko to enlist in the Fire Nation Military. He found that he had a talent for fighting and leading men, and for the first time he felt he had a purpose. Pho rose through the ranks quickly. He is now the General of the Fire Nation. Though he is in charge of the entire military, Pho does not forget the time he spent on the street. As the General, he is passionate about the institution of the Fire Nation, and as a former street urchin, he is passionate about its citizens. He will do whatever it takes to protect the Fire Nation and its people from harm.
Wu Wants: To get his estate returned back to him, so he can return honor to his lineage. Toolkit: As the captain of a ship, he has developed strong endurance, reflexes, and dexterity. Being on the open sea has given him street smarts which he uses to command the respect of others. Having had little education as a result of losing his estate, he has developed a system of bookkeeping to Weaknesses: Because he is desperate to restore his family’s former place among aristocracy, he will trust anyone who can get him to that goal, even if it is a longshot. Additionally, his determination can blind him to his surroundings. He does not lose his temper, but he forgets that other people can. History: Coming from a wealthy family, he was born into a wealthy estate with large tracks of valuable land. His father and grandfather were sent to the military to fight for Fire Lord Ozai in the war, and as a result, he was placed in charge of maintaining the household at a very young age. When he failed to keep up his taxes to the Fire Nation, the military absorbed his estate and converted it into an army training facility. His family disowned him, and he has spent his entire life seeking the return of his estate as redemption for his error. He never fails to keep his books, and he will never stop believing that he can
Bo Wants: Money and influence. Power, but not political power. Toolkit: Underworld contacts / Criminal Network, Immoral decision making, Cunning. Able Fighter WeakWeaknesses: Greed. Greed that is so blinding he ignores personal danger in the quest for wealth. History: Bo’s name elicits both fear and respect from the people of Kito. He is the head of a vast criminal network that controls all of Kito from the shadows as well as asserts influence over other towns and cities. Bo’s hideout is an open secret. Everybody knows where it is but nobody has the means to take it from him. His network of underworld contacts gives him the means to meet any challenge. If he needs explosives he gets them. Weapons are regularly stocked before being moved and sold. Money is no issue to him. He is the Don Corleone of this world. Never one to turn down a job, he has been known to overload and risk the success of some assignments for the chance of getting paid more with another job. This tendency leads him to take contracts that all reasonable people would turn down. He also never really questions who is asking him to do what, he will make it happen no matter what so long as he gets paid.
Factions IZUMI GENJI
GOVERNMENT
SUPPORTS IZUMI’S REGIME
✓
✓
✓
MILO PHO
✓
✓
FIRE NATION RADICAL
SECRET GREY LOTUS
✓
✓
✓
WU BO
✓
INDEPENDENT
✓ ✓ ✓
GOVERNMENT: These individuals hold positions within the government of the Fire Nation. SUPPORTS IZUMI’S REGIME: Most people support the current regime under Izumi and want to maintain peace among the four nations. FIRE NATION RADICAL: Some people resent the new regime, and they long for the days of Fire Nation glory under Lord Ozai. SECRET GREY LOTUS: Grey Lotus appears to be the secret insurgency organization of Earth, Air, and Water benders fighting against the existence of the Fire Nation, even in these times of peace. In reality, it is a puppet organization of contract mercenaries working for Genji in order to create a phantom menace for him to use for fear-mongering. INDEPENDENT: Many individuals see the trouble throughout the Fire Nation, but they refuse to formally take sides within the political unrest.
Relationships
Act I The voyage
Dramatic Beats
Act Summary 1.1 The player characters are on a voyage, having been called back home to Republic City by members of their families after the players receive mysterious letters with nearly identical structure and content. The players are traveling by air, on the airship Sweet May. Though it was once a spacious and elegant ship, years of poor budget and pay have led to all but one of the permanent crew leaving for other work. Now, there is only Captain Wu, a terse man doesn’t dawdle with small talk, but takes his responsibilities as captain very seriously. The other passengers on board are there as temporary crew members, to pay for their passage. This group includes the ship engineer Milo, a lady who comes off as a very spiritual woman. The general mood among the players is upbeat - they are going to reunite with loved ones they have not seen in months or even years. 1.2 (Encounter) A crew of sky pirates in their own airship lurking in the clouds launch an ambush and attempt to board the ship with rope hooks. Captain Wu tries to shake off the pirates, but fails. Seeing this, the players engage the pirates, but some of them get on board, causing some damage to the captain’s airship in the process. In the end, the pirates’ attack is subdued, and they can either be disposed of or kept for questioning. A high enough Perception roll will alert the players to an odd connection between the pirates and the captain. 1.3 Because the captain’s airship is damaged, he must carefully monitor the ship, piloting it manually. Having seen the players’ competence in the fight against the pirates, Captain Wu requests that they search the pirates’ airship for supplies. They take this opportunity to explore the rest of the ship as well, including the pirate leader’s saferoom. Here, they find documents and records, including correspondence between the pirates and an unknown employer “G”, that suggest Wu is involved in this plot. 1.4 Armed with this information, the players approach other passengers on the boat and voice their concerns about the motives of the captain, the motives of the pirates’, and the identity of the unknown employer connecting the two. However, even if the captain is not on their side, they are miles above the earth in a damaged airship, and the captain is the only one familiar with the controls. Milo in particular appears to be very sympathetic to their concerns, and quickly offers to be their ally. She encourages them to confront the captain, believing that their destination
even if the captain is not on their side, they are miles above the earth in a damaged airship, and the captain is the only one familiar with the controls. Milo in particular appears to be very sympathetic to their concerns, and quickly offers to be their ally. She encourages them to confront the captain, believing that their destination will not be safe and that they must act before it is too late. The players then decide to go and confront the captain. 1.5 (Scene) Wu seems genuinely surprised by the evidence that the players bring up, and is very eager to assist the players in explaining the mystery. He reveals that there are important people on board the ship that he is tasked with presenting, and worries that his mission may have been compromised. The players are nearly convinced that Wu is in fact innocent, but then he involuntarily remarks that a very peculiar odor of lotus and gasoline, which they picked up on the pirate ship, smells familiar. Finding this suspicious, the players mutiny against the captain and tie him up. 1.6 Milo then warns them of the dangers awaiting them at the nearest port town, Kito, and offers an alternate, safer route, to a location she claims she has previously arranged for their safety. Unfortunately, their journey home will be delayed. The players trust in Milo, and she instructs them to head towards a location where she says there is a secret cove, and they manage to turn the ship in that direction. However, now that the captain has been subdued, there is no one to handle the ship’s navigation, and in its poor condition it begins to descend very erratically, picking up speed. The player with the highest piloting level manages to guide the ship into the cove, but a poor landing trashes the ship and throws everyone off their feet. Bo appears to help the players out of the wreckage, but in the confusion, the captain disappears.
Encounter: Pirates The Pirate Ship On the outside, the pirate ship seems quite nem. It is sparingly furnished, as boats of this type are typically used for local operations and not long-distance travel. The front of the main level is a control room with consoles lined against the wall. The center room of the level is a large room that doubles as both mess hall and social quartew – there are no signs of rust on the exterior hull. It looks to be an older ship repurposed for the modern age. It is sleeker than the captain’s, designed with speed in mind rather than comfort. It is equipped with hooks and rope, which allow the pirates to both lock onto targets and board thers, and the back room is the pirate leader’s saferoom in the back. There are two sets of stairs on the port and starboard sides of the mess hall, which lead down into the lower level. The lower level doubles as both storage for the pirates’ supplies and a bedroom. There is a stockpile of drums, as well as approximately a month’s supply of nonperishable foodstuffs. The back of the lower level holds a door that leads into the engine room. The front of the lower level is taken up by a small jail cell, equipped to hold 4-5 people. The pirate leader’s saferoom is furnished with a small table with drawers and two chairs, placed in the center of the room atop an ornate carpet. There is a peculiar odor of gasoline and lotus perfume in the air. The walls of the room are lined with many boxes and barrels. To the right there is a mirror. It takes a successful Observation roll to realize that there is a safe in the wall behind the mirror. There are a few letters strewn on the table, which detail correspondence between the pirate leader and a mysterious employer “G”. Underneath the table there is a series of drawers. Looking in these drawers will reveal a pack of Atuan cigars. The safe can be opened with a successful Lockpicking roll. Inside the safe is a broken transceiver. A successful Repair roll will show the player a screen that says “GREY LOTUS”. Attempting to listen with the transceiver will only yield static noise. The pirates come from all walks of life, but generally tend to be runaways from poor, rough backgrounds. The pirate leader has a soft spot for these strays, and grants those he comes across food and shelter in exchange for labor. Those who stay with the pirate crew are trained to be top-class pirates, and become extremely loyal to their leader. However, they vary in skill and experience.
The Captain’s Ship Captain Wu’s ship is an old, decrepit vessel currently being leased by Republic City as a passenger transport. Although slow, it is roomy and accommodating for passengers. The front of the main level contains storage space. The back of the main level holds the kitchen and mess hall, and more storage space. As a long distance transport vessel, there is a gratuitous amount of space set aside for food and supplies. There are stairs leading to the lower level between the doors to the mess hall and kitchen. The lower level consists of multiple sleeping cabin quarters and showers, with the back of the level housing the engine.The front of the ship is a control room with wall-length windows. There are three rows of consoles lining the front end of this room, and there is a commanding seat for the captain in the center of the room. Aside from the captain, there are five other crew members on the ship. They are all working in exchange for passage, and are only temporary. Among the crew is Milo, a very spiritual woman who is working onboard as an engineer. A successful Perception roll against Milo prior to her establishment as a guide will reveal that she is not quite who she claims to be. Speaking to the captain, he will talk about his goal of earning enough money to fix up his rag-tag air ship. A player with high Communication skill can also get him to confide in the player about his dreams of reclaiming his family’s estate, which was seized by the current Fire Nation regime many years ago. Speaking to the other four crew members will grant information about current and upcoming events, such as the Salamander Festival, Fire Nation Summit Meeting, and the rogue actions of Grey Lotus radicalists.
The Ambush The pirate ship appears suddenly from cloud cover, descending from above. A small scout force of 4 pirates bungee jump down, landing on the captain’s ship and tethering it to the pirate ship to prevent them from escaping. The players engage this scout force. There are 6 other pirates which board shortly afterwards, shimmying down the rope tethers. The initial 4 scout force are 1D4+4, and the 6 additional pirates are 1D4+2. Halfway through the battle with this initial force, the pirate leader, first mate, and 5 additional 1D4+4 pirates make their appearance.
Statistics == KAITO, age 46, Pirate Leader and Firebender == STR 19 CON 17 SIZ 16 INT 15 POW 21 DEX 12 APP 17 EDU 15 HP 18 Damage Bonus: +1D6 Weapons: Fists 80%, damage 2D4 + 1 Kicks 60%, damage 2D4 Powers: Energy Projection (Firebending) Energy Control (Firebending) Skills: Brawl 90% Climb 90% Dodge 70% Grapple 50% Jump 75% Martial Arts 70% Stealth 70% Ride 70% == CHANG, age 39, Pirate First Mate and Metalbender == STR 15 CON 20 SIZ 14 INT 18 POW 17 DEX 18 APP 13 EDU 13 HP 16 Damage Bonus: +1D4 Weapons: Metal Plates 80%, damage 2D4 + 1 Powers: Telekinesis (Metalbending) Armor (Metalbending) Skills: Brawl 70% Climb 90% Dodge 50% Grapple 90% Jump 55% Martial Arts 70% Stealth 30% Ride 70% == WU, age 31, Ship Captain and Martial Artist == STR 15 CON 20 SIZ 14 INT 14 POW 16 DEX 20 APP 16 EDU 19 HP 19 Damage Bonus: +1D6 Weapons: Tonfa 80%, damage 3D4 + 1 Hands 50%, damage 2D4 Powers: High Pain Tolerance - If major wound is inflicted on Wu he can roll a Constitution roll to negate it. Useable once per battle. Skills: Command 65% Strategy 40% Spot 75% Track 70% Pilot 95% Martial Arts 85% Grapple 80% Brawl 70 %
== Pirate Minions (Experienced) == 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 STR 15 14 11 15 11 12 17 10 11 CON 09 09 09 11 12 11 08 13 12 SIZ 18 13 14 15 16 11 12 11 15 INT 08 11 15 14 12 14 09 16 10 POW 10 14 17 14 15 18 18 17 16 DEX 11 09 18 17 13 17 18 12 17 APP 09 18 18 13 11 13 16 09 10 EDU 12 16 15 12 09 12 14 16 12 HP 13 16 09 13 17 18 14 16 10 Damage Bonus: +1D4+4 Weapons: Scimitars 70%, damage 2D4 + 1 Fists 60%, damage 1D4 Skills: Brawl 70% Climb 90% Dodge 70% Grapple 70% Jump 95% Martial Arts 70% Stealth 60% Ride 70% == Pirate Minions (Inexperienced) == 1 2 3 4 STR 7 7 10 7 CON 12 12 8 11 SIZ 7 6 7 5 INT 10 8 8 5 POW 6 7 6 6 DEX 6 6 9 8 APP 11 9 9 5 EDU 9 12 12 9 HP 8 7 6 5 Damage Bonus: +0 Weapons: Short swords 50%, damage 2D4 + 1 Skills: Brawl 50% Climb 55% Dodge 40% Grapple 60% Jump 65% Martial Arts 45% Stealth 60% Ride 70%
== MILO, age 29, Ship Engineer and Spiritualist == STR 9 CON 18 SIZ 9 INT 18 POW 11 DEX 18 APP 10 EDU 9 HP 15 Damage Bonus: +1D4 Weapons: Electric Bracers 80%, damage 2D4 + 1 Hands 50%, damage 2D4 Powers: Unarmed Combat (Hung-Ga kung fu) Divination (Spirit World Connection) Skills: Command 80% Insight 90% Persuade 75% Sense 55% Fast Talk 55% Bargain 60% Martial Arts 70 % All Technical Skills 80%
Map
Scene: Captain Wu ACT I - CAPTAIN WU and TALI (PC) INTERIOR, SHIP CONTROL ROOM, THE HIGH SKIES - MORNING CAPTAIN WU is sitting in the commanding seat of the control room onboard the ship, and his hands are moving purposely over the console. He is a stocky man of above-average height, and is clothed in standard Fire Nation military attire - breastplate, shoulder pads, and other armor accessories dashed in red hues. Despite the ship being in rough condition, he is handling the situation with a calmness and determination. There is a knock at the door, and TALI walks in. WU (glancing towards the door) Finally, you’re back. What have you got for me? TALI We found a map. Sighing, WU turns to face TALI. WU A map? Miss, I’ve traveled this region for years. I know it like the back of my hand. And right now, we’re two miles in the air in a two-ton hunk of metal and cloth, and all of our systems are critical. I need backup generators, tools, supplies. Not a map that tells me what I already know. TALI This letter contains a map with an exact time and airspace marked down. These pirates knew we were coming. WU leans against a console, pinching the bridge of his nose and groaning. WU I should have known. I’ve been traveling these routes for too long. I was bound to have attracted professionals sooner or later. I should have been more careful.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
2.
TALI I don’t know about that. TALI hands a few papers to WU. TALI We looked at the ships’ logs. These aren’t local pirates at all. They came from the Earth Kingdom, and they’ve only been in the area for the past few days. WU Really? How strange. Why are Earth Kingdom pirates here? TALI That’s exactly what I was wondering. WU And if they’re not local, how did they know where to find us? TALI It’s unlikely that they picked this airspace at random. They must have gotten tipped off. WU’s face darkens. He stands up and starts pacing, muttering to himself. TALI What’s wrong? WU I can’t say. Why not?
TALI
WU It’s confidential information. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. TALI Well, without us you and your ship would have been at the mercy of those pirates. WU looks uneasy.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
3.
WU Alright. I’m only telling you this because you’ve done me a favor. But this is strictly between you and me. TALI My lips are sealed. WU There are some very important people on this ship, and I’ve been tasked with protecting them. They will be attending the Smokemander Festival and the Fire Nation Summit meeting in a few days’ time, so their safety and security is of the utmost importance. TALI So this is top secret? WU Yes. If what you say is true, and these pirates have only been in the area for a few days, there’s no way the pirates could have known I was going to be here. Nobody even knows this flight was even scheduled. Nobody except-TALI Nobody except who? WU The Fire Nation Council. TALI So then...it’s an inside job. There’s a mole in the council. WU There very well may be. I’ll have to make a call. TALI But to who? If even the Fire Nation Council is involved, then there’s no telling who can be trusted. WU Not to worry. I have contacts I can ask for help. But I have to make (MORE) (CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
4.
WU (cont’d) this call now. Can you man the stations for a minute? Sure.
TALI
WU I’ll be right back. WU brushes past TALI, and pauses. WU That scent...are you wearing perfume? TALI Me? No, I would never. WU wrinkles his nose. WU It smells...familiar. Is that...lotus? And there’s something else. Gasoline? Hmm... His eyebrows furrow for a moment, but then he clears his throat and walks briskly out of the room. TALI watches him leave.
Act II the heist
Dramatic Beats
Act II Summary 1 The following morning Bo explains that he has business to do and needs them out of the warehouse for the day. Bo is double dipping and figures that they will be safe enough in Kito because it’s a literal backwater. Bo leads the group to town and gives them some petty cash. Tells them to keep themselves busy till he comes that afternoon to pick them up. Then Bo exits. 2. The group starts to browse the market seeing goods on sale to commemorate the salamander festival and news boards advertising the coinciding national summit. They learn from a shop owner that Bo is organized crime. They all pay him protection money and it’s known that he traffics in illegal and dangerous goods. There’s also a rumor that he has a massive criminal network throughout many different cities but as the humble shop owner has never left Kito he can’t say if it’s true or not. 3. Wu enters the town with some unsavory looking muscle. They start to nail up wanted posters with the PCs info on it. Wu speaks to the town crier and it is announced that a group of Pirates may be hiding in Kito. They stole a ship from Captain Wu and it is the duty of the citizens of Kito to help locate these dangerous criminals. 4. The shop owner looks at them with shock and apprehension. He scurries away towards the town crier and the PCs know the jig is up. They start to run and Wu begins to chase. They run back to the warehouse with Wu and muscle on their heels. 5. The PCs get to the warehouse but Bo is not immediately visible. They turn and see themselves outnumbered. Wu steps forward and tells them that they are going to come with him whether they like it or not. He assures them his muscle will see to that. Just then Bo walks in and asks what is going on. Wu tries to dismiss him but Bo asserts some knowledge of (possible previous utilization of ) the muscle. Offers them double the pay to escort Wu back to town with no trouble. They oblige.
6. Back in the warehouse the PC sees a bunch of men finishing the process of bringing crates of fireworks into the warehouse. Each crate has a lotus stamped on the side and the men are clad all in grey with lotus symbols on their garb. After dropping the last crate they leave. Bo says he had a feeling they would be more trouble than what they were worth. Finally asks them their names. He introduces the list from a fragnet and tells them where to get the rest of it (embassy). 2.8 The PCs and Bo go about neutralizing the guards at the embassy. They must do so in a way where their absence is not obvious nor will it arouse suspicion, 7. PCs and Bo make their way into the embassy, They start to work on the safe but hear people entering the building. They go and hide in the attic and jam the door up so nobody can follow them. through the floorboards they see a bunch of men come in and start to gather documents. Then enters Izumi and Milo. 8. Izumi orders all the men to take whatever they can carry and burn what they cannot. The embassy is being shut down. Her and Milo have a candid conversation where Milo is criticized for not delivering the 4 “criminals” as she promised. The men can’t open the safe and Izumi tells them to leave it and she will send a specialist to open it later. 9. Izumi and Milo leave with guards. PCs and Bo come down and Bo opens the safe with a small controlled explosion. Inside is the remainder of the list. They see the same seal on the paper as was on the guards they neutralized. Bo says the guards were sent to Kito a while back by General Pho of the fire nation. He also points out the flyers around town for the festival which advertise him as a guest of honor. 10. Bo smuggles the group out of Kito in a covered wagon with the grey lotus fireworks. They are stopped by Wu in a roadblock but Bo shows them the order from Genji (PCs don’t see that) and Wu waves them through so Genji can get his fireworks.
Encounter: The Roadblock Kito
There is one dirt road in and out of Kito. It leads away from the coast and into the heartland of the nation, where the salamander festival is being celebrated. The road is flanked by lush cultivated land that farmers tend to supply the food for Kito’s residents. However about two miles from the town stands a dark and thick forest where travelers can’t walk 5 paces without running into an ancient oak or venerable yew. Its passage is difficult for individuals, ill advised for groups, and impossible for any wheeled transport. It is for this reason that the road shoots through the wood straight as an arrow, a clear path through an otherwise impassable obstacle. At the junction where the road meets the forest, Captain Wu stands vigil with men and downed trees blocking the road. It would take the party a successful Strategy roll to allow them to pass by the roadblock without confrontation. To do this they would realize that while Bo with the cart is the only one that needs to stay on the road. They could pass through the forest for some distance before returning to the road out of site of Wu’s blockade. In order to do this successfully the party must complete a successful Track or Navigate roll so they don’t get lost in the thick wood.
The Fight If nobody can perform a Strategy roll then the party must directly confront the roadblock. Attacking Wu and his men outright is always an option. However so is Stealth. With a successful Stealth roll a player can hide the rest of the party in Bo’s cart amongst the fireworks. Bo can then smuggle them across the border. It is at the discretion of the GM as to if the smuggling attempt is successful. If he feels the players are in need of a fight / some action he can make it so that the cart is searched regardless and the players are found. If the GM thinks the players are tired of fighting he can have the cart waved through under pretense of fulfilling Genji’s orders.
Wu, age 31, Captain and Martial Artist
STR 15 CON 20 SIZ 14 INT 14 DEX 20 APP 16 EDU 19 HP 19 Damage Bonus: +1D6
POW 16
Weapons: Tonfa 80%, damage 3D4 + 1 Hands 50%, damage 2D4 Powers: High Pain Tolerance - If major wound is inflicted on Wu he can roll a constitution roll to negate it. Useable once per battle. Skills: Command 65% Strategy 40% Spot 75% Track 70% Pilot 95% Martial Arts 85% Grapple 80% Brawl 70 %
Hired Thugs 1 2 STR 15 CON 09 SIZ 18 INT 08 POW 10 DEX 11 APP 09 EDU 12 HP 14
3 14 09 13 11 14 09 18 16 11
4 11 09 14 15 17 18 18 15 12
5 15 11 15 14 14 17 13 12 13
6 11 12 16 12 15 13 11 09 14
7 12 11 11 14 18 17 13 12 11
8 17 08 12 09 18 18 16 14 11
9 10 13 11 16 17 12 09 16 12
10 11 12 15 10 16 17 10 12 14
11 11 14 10 7 14 8 10 13 12
12 10 11 9 10 9 14 17 6 10
Weapons: Clubs, knives, quarterstaffs, 2x4s with nails through one end.
11 10 14 14 14 11 16 13 12
Map of Consulate
Scene: The Chase ACT 2 CHASE SCENE THE SCENE PANS IN ON A LUSH FORREST. TREES ARE SPARSELY SITUATED BUT PROVIDE A COVERING CANOPY HIGH ABOVE. THICK VEGETATION CARPETS THE FORREST FLOOR. SUDDENLY FOUR PEOPLE ARE SEEN RUSHING ALONG A DEER PATH WEAVING IN AND OUT OF OBSTACLES. A GROUP OF 10 ARE IN PURSUIT. PC1 Where the hell are we going?! I can’t make heads or tales of this wood. PC2 We’re heading back to Bo’s warehouse. Maybe he can help us PC1 And how do you know that?! PC4 Yea! How do we even know we’re going in the right direction? We could be lost! PC3 We have no choice. We can’t go back and right now Bo is all we have. (to PC2) Are you sure this is the right way? PC2 Positive. I’ve hunted in woods like this all my life. I won’t get us lost. (Shouts coming from behind them, seems to be gaining) PC1 If they catch us I hope they kill you first! The group runs for another tense few minutes through the woods before emerging into the familiar clearing of Bo’s warehouse. However Bo is not obviously present. PC2 Bo!BO! BOOOOO! BO PLEASE COME HELP! PC1 The doors are locked, we can’t get in!
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
2.
PC4 He’s not here you idiot. You’ve doomed us all! PC3 That gets us no where! Stop arguing and brace yourselves for a fight. At that moment Wu and his hired muscle appear out of the forest. With more men they start to pin them inside a semicircle abutting the side of the building. WU Ha! So you thought you could get away huh? It’s not enough to steal my airship you have to run me through the whole damn forest! No matter, you’re done for now. Seize them lads! And hurt them as much as you want, but if any of them dies you’ll join them. Just then Bo sticks his head out of the second story window of the warehouse. BO Oi! What’s all this racket about?! Who are you? WU Never mind who we are this isn’t you’re business, stay out of it. BO You bet your ass it’s my business! A bunch of thugs showing up at my building and threatening my guests? Well I just can’t have that now can I? WU These four aren’t your "guests" they’re my prisoners! BO And is this the police force you’ve gathered to take them in? Too bad for you I know them. (Points at a few of the muscle) Zhou and Tien you’ve worked with me before. You know I always pay my (MORE) (CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
3.
BO (cont’d) debts. These four here are part of an important job. Can’t have you boys taking them. (Points to Wu) Take this trespasser back to Kito and I’ll double whatever he’s paying you. Same goes for all you men here. The men look around at each other. Satisfied that Bo can come through on his promise they surround Wu and Tien pins his arm behind his back. WU What are you doing?! Get your hands off me! Filthy Treacherous Scum!I’ll see that none of you are alive to enjoy that money! Wu is dragged away back to the woods and his protestations gradually fade. Bo then turns to the group. BO Come inside, and you better have a damn good explanation as to why you’re being chased.
Act III
The festival
Dramatic Beats
Act III Summary 1. After discovering that their families were captured by General Pho and his soldiers, the players travel to the Smokemander Festival in Kang-Shu. They know Pho will be at the festival, because it celebrates the annual Fire Nation summit of all the most important figures in the region. Once they get to the festival, they must find a way to get inside the heavily guarded fairgrounds… 2. Sneaking into the fairgrounds through the sewers, the players bump into some of Captain Wu’s men. He is at the festival, and he’s hunting them down. They players emerge from the sewers inside the fairgrounds ready to find General Pho and ready to get some answers about their families’ whereabouts. Exploring the festival, interviewing various entertainers and carnival workers, the players gather clues to General Pho’s location while simultaneously avoiding the guards. They are wanted individuals. Posters are scattered around the fairgrounds for their arrest, and Grand Vizier Genji gives a powerful speech framing their actions in Kito as attacks by members of Grey Lotus. 3. Finally, the players track General Pho down to a tent behind the main stage of the fairgrounds. He is preparing for a big ceremonial dance to display the Fire Nation army’s might. Surrounding the General and subduing him, the players interrogate him about the list with their families’ names on it. After much resistance, he reveals that their families are being held at the Fire Lord’s palace. As the players are about to leave the festival with this knowledge, the tent gets surrounded by dozens of the Fire Lord’s elite guards and Grand Vizier Genji… 4. He offers for the players to betray Grey Lotus, and he refuses to listen when they claim they are not members of the insurgency organization. Just then, a huge explosion is set off in the festival, shaking the ground and destroying all the tents. People flee for their lives from the raging fires of the destruction, and the players use the chaos to escape from the Grand Vizier’s clutches. As they fight their way out of the festival, they stumble upon Captain Wu dying, trapped beneath a collapsed structure. He shouts for the players to save him, claiming he can help them. Should the players trust the man who has been tracking them down? 5. If the players choose to save him, he reveals that he delivered the players’ original family letters.
He informs them that he was handed the letters by the palace scribe. With this information at hand, the players head to the palace to find their families, sneaking into the belly of the beast. It is the day of the big summit. All of the major politicians and military powers are present. As the players explore the palace they discover clues toward their families’ fate. They find their possessions in the armory, copies of their letters in the scribe’s office, and a map marking four Avatar gravesites in Genji’s office. The only place left to look is in the room of the summit meeting. 6. The players sneak into the summit meeting where they spy on the meeting in progress. Milo, General Pho, Fire Lord Izumi, and other diplomats are all in attendance. Grand Vizier Genji is recounting the recent Grey Lotus attacks on the Fire Nation in Kito, Kang-Shu, and elsewhere. Fire Lord Izumi, wanting to avoid a war with these apparent separatists, refuses to enact stricter measures on foreigners passing through Fire Nation territories. As the players listen to this debate, they are caught and their spying revealed. 7. Genji outs the players as members of Grey Lotus. He claims that Izumi’s reluctance to act is allowing the Grey Lotus even more power throughout the region as indicated by the players’ successful infiltration of the Palace. Grand Vizier Genji convinces the council that Izumi is unfit to lead, and may even be working with Grey Lotus. The council votes Izumi out of power and into custody, giving Genji temporary control over the Fire Nation. 8. Milo provides a distraction while the players rescue Izumi and flee the summit meeting with the Fire Lord herself. In their haste out of the building, Izumi reveals that she knows where their families are being held. She takes the players to a dungeon located on the bottom level of the palace. When they reach their families, the players find only mere corpses of the people they loved. The walls are covered in markings, and there is no hope of bringing them back to life. How will the players get answers about why they were summoned now? Who will tell them the truth about who they are?
Encounter: The Festival THE SMOKEMANDER FESTIVAL
In the old Fire Nation mythology, it was said that an encounter with a Smokemander signified good luck and fortune. The giant smoking amphibian would rise out of the ashes of a fire to bless all who witnessed it. During a time of great famine and turmoil, the Fire Lord brought together a summit of every political figure in the region. As the summit ended, a massive fire began spreading through the city. Those present believed this was surely a sign of misfortune, but when the fire seemed too large to contain, it mysteriously extinguished. As the ash billowed from the tragedy, a great Smokemander appeared over the city and flew out into the sky. The district of the city was rebuilt, and the famine quickly ended. Each year since that famous sighting, in conjunction with the annual Fire Lord’s council summit, a wonderful festival is held in hopes of welcoming the return of the Smokemander and another year of luck. The Smokemander Festival takes place every year in the heart of the cultural district of Kang-Shu, in the town square where the original Smokemander fire once raged. Citizens from the FirNation and beyond travel many leagues to come into the city for the week long festivities, although only a select few are able to enter the actual festival. Tickets are very difficult to obtain. The city is decorated with beautiful lanterns, sparklers, and celebratory parades with massive Smokemander puppets, but the main event comes on the final evening of the festival. On the last night, when all of the diplomats and celebrities are in attendance, Kang-Shu hosts the Fire Nation’s largest fireworks display of the year. Huge explosions and loud bangs fill the sky with massive billowing clouds of smoke as a means of inviting the Smokemander’s return. The show can be seen for miles.
THE CULTURAL DISTRICT The arts and cultural district of Kang-Shu is a bustling area of the city full of restaurants, artists, theaters, and musicians. The center of the district is built around the large open square block where the famous Smokemander fire once levelled buildings, but for the week of the festival, this town square is sectioned off by tall stone walls.During the festival, the streets are full of families exploring the entertainment. These tourists are typically less well-off compared to the citizens able to afford tickets to enter the fairgrounds. Along the sidewalks, street merchants set up small shops to sell their paintings and Smokemander charms. Guards patrol the streets to ensure the festival is kept secure – many important figures are in attendance after all. And because of the crowds, pickpockets and bands of children can
be seen trying to swindle tourists out of a quickcoin. The festivities pick up in the evening when all the parades pass up and down the streets. These parades circle the walls of the festival rounds displaying fantastic fire effects courtesy of the city’s fire bending community. It’s an amazing sight to behold. ENTRANCE TO THE FESTIVAL The main gates of the festival are located to the southwest corner of the town square, and it is where all of the attendees gain entrance. There is a security booth with dozens of guards who check tickets as people attempt to enter the festival. All weaponry is held at this security booth for pick-up upon exiting at the end of the night. The top of the fiery gated entrance displays a painting recreating images of the original Smokemander fire, reminding all who enter of the traditional myth.A large ticketing tent is set up a little ways awayfrom the entrance. Here, guests who reserved tickets months in advance can pick up their tickets with the proper identification papers.These tickets are very exclusive.To convince any of these guards or ticketers to betray their duties would require a very strong Communication skill check. SECURITY BLOCKADE Around the back end of the festival grounds, one street is completely blockaded by city guards on both sides. This street holds the service and VIP entrances to the festival. Food vendors with large carts of pastries and other supplies pass through with special VIP badges. This year, the guards are on high alert as there have been rumors that individuals may be trying to sneak their way in.The VIP entrance down this street is where all of the diplomats and most important Fire Nation officials get into the festival. Although not visible from the street, this entrance takes important guests directly to the special luxury tents behind the main stage inside the festival grounds. This entrance is flanked by elite guards of the Fire Lord herself. They know the exact list of VIP celebrities and politicians by memory. It would require a strong Stealth or Hide skill check to get passed them. THE PARK Adjacent to the southeast corner of the festival, there is an overgrown park with statues and ruins of the old city before the fire. In this clearing, tall trees have grown around statues dedicated to Fire Lords of the past. With a Spot skill check, players may see that Fire Lord Ozai’s statue has graffiti on it of a Grey Lotus Despite the crowds in town for the festival, the park is mostly empty. It is not well lit, so most of the celebrations are contained to the streets nearby. A group of young street urchins in dirty torn clothing sit around one of the statues counting the money they’ve robbed from the tourists in town. If the players engage them, they may discover that the kids were paid to do the graffiti on Fire Lord Ozai’s memorial. They could be convinced to do favors for the players such as distracting guards with the
they’ve robbed from the tourists in town. If the players engage them, they may discover that the kids were paid to do the graffiti on Fire Lord Ozai’s memorial. They could be convinced to do favors for the players such as distracting guards with the right motivation. THE SEWERS Beneath the cultural district runs a major sewer line transporting water across the city. It is well kept, and the water is clean. On each side of this particular section of the channel, there are metal bars gating in any debris that may fall in the water.Upon entering the sewers, players may hear voices echoing down the tunnel with a successful listen roll. Some of Captain Wu’s men are standing on a service platform searching for the group to bring back to their employer. If they see the players, they will attempt to capture them.On the back of the service platform, the players can discover a pipe crank that connects to the main sewage line. If the players decide to turn it, the gates of the main flow close, and the channel quickly drains. To turn it correctly requires a Technical Skill check.
INSIDE THE FESTIVAL Walking through the Smokemander Festival is a wondrous sensory spectacle. The tents are lined with traditional Fire Nation lanterns and streamers. The air smells of roasted meats and sweet buns fresh out of the oven. Around every corner, one may hear traditional Fire Nation myths sung to the harmonies of Erhu violins. Every tent is either a carnival game or an artist selling their work to the wealthy able to afford tickets to the celebrations.Towards the back of the fairgrounds, there is a large stage where announcements and performances are held. In front of it there is a clearing where citizens of the Fire Nation may gather to watch the events unfold. Tonight is the last night of the festival, the evening when
the fireworks are to be set off. In this clearing, citizens of the Fire Nation dance around in anticipation of the main event.Up and down the aisles, guards and soldiers patrol for any suspicious individuals. Although foreigners are not explicitly banned from attendance, they are much more likely to interrogate someone who appears to be from another elemental nation. They have been instructed to keep a high alert for the player characters who have been plastered all over the festival through a campaign of wanted posters. Furthermore, Captain Wu and his men are scouring the festival for the players as well. The fairgrounds are a crowded hotbed of danger and suspicion. THE WANTED POSTER
CARNIVAL BOOTHS THE FIREWORKS STAND A jolly older man has set up a shop with crates of fireworks ready for purchase, but they are all on sale despite the high demand. He is handing out sparklers to the children who run by. A successful Appraise roll reveals that the fireworks are of a very high quality and grossly underpriced. When presented with this information, the salesman may reveal that the fireworks are on sale because he is extremely overstocked this year. He explains that normally the event planners purchase their supply from him for the big show, but this year they must have found another sup-
THE CHOPSTICK GAME A curt young woman runs a game in which the player must stick a chopstick into a pile of sand to try to hook a ring hidden in the pile onto the utensil. If successful, they win one of the cloth Smokemander dolls she has hanging on the wall behind her. With a Fine Manipulation roll, a player can win the game. If the player wins the game, the woman will be impressed and is much more likely to reveal what she knows. When she was collecting her prizes from the delivery entrance, she saw some very important military looking individuals talking behind the stage, but she doesn’t know what General Pho looks like. THE MINSTREL’S BOOTH A singer stands on top of a small box while his sister plays the violin to accompany him. They wear bright colored robes with outlandish ornamentation to draw attention to themselves. The brother is not a very good singer, but he pushes his way through a poem about Avatar Aang. If their song is interrupted, they are much less likely to provide information to the players, but if they get a few coins in their tip basket, the siblings may be more inclined to answer any questions. The arrogant brother may mistakenly tell the players that General Pho was seen commanding members of the Fire Lord guard outside in the blockade, but this is incorrect. The shy violinist is much less likely to talk, but if given enough of a push, she reveals that she was invited to play for a secret martial arts dancing display starring high ranking military officials that is supposed to take place right before the fireworks. THE JUGGLER’S COMEDY TENT A woman stands balancing on a tight rope strung across two barrels of water. She juggles four small stones painted red, blue, green, and gold representing the four nations. As she passes these stones back and forth between her and a small tiger-monkey, she tells political jokes at the expense of Fire Lord Izumi. “Want to know why Izumi doesn’t think Grey Lotus is a threat? When Genji first told her about them, she thought ‘Grey Lotus’ was a new tea he was suggesting. She still believes burning her tongue is the biggest threat Grey Lotus could deliver.” When engaged, the juggler is very likely to recognize the players from the wanted posters. If she does, she will report them to the authorities after they leave. The only piece of information she may offer the players is that all the stage performers wait in a special green tent behind the stage.
OTHER PIECES OF INFORMATION In addition to those above, other entertainers and salesmen may be created. They may know any combination of the following pieces of information for the players to discover: - General Pho was seen passing through the blockade outside the fairgrounds. - Someone heard that General Pho was wearing ceremonial performance robes. - The owner of a food stand reveals that a special order was made to be hand delivered to a tent behind the stage. THE ANNOUNCEMENT At some point before the players find General Pho’s tent, Grand Vizier Genji will walk onto the grand center stage of the festival. He is wearing a formal, but simple outfit that illustrates his stature without drawing attention to himself. He delivers this speech: “Citizens of the Fire Nation, this week of festivities is intended to be a celebration. Is everyone reveling in the festivities? I hope our display this year is truly magnificent, for we need the luck of the great Smokemander more than ever. Tomorrow, the great leaders of this Nation will gather at the royal palace to determine what course of action to take with the threat of Grey Lotus. Some difficult decisions will be made, but challenging times sometimes call for radical measures.Last week, Grey Lotus extremists infiltrated the town of Kito and performed numerous acts of terrorism in the name of revenge for our nation’s past mistakes. They burned the docks, stole from our embassy, and worst of all killed ten innocent citizens in that small port town. [Tonight, these fugitives have been spotted at the Smokemander Festival. Please, do not be alarmed. Our soldiers are on high alert and seeking them out, but we need your help.] These are dark times, and we must band together as a Fire Nation to protect ourselves from these foreigners with ill-intent. I ask you, the people, to do only one thing. If you come into contact with these renegades, please report them to the proper authorities. We can only stop a threat if we acknowledge it is there. Enjoy the rest of the festival, and stay safe.” Once the Grand Vizier has made this speech, all entertainers and shop-owners the players speak to will be more suspicious of them and more likely to report them to the authorities. If the players have already caused trouble and been identified by guards at the festival, the section in brackets may be added or omitted to reflect this. THE STAGE AND BACKSTAGE The main performance stage at the back of the festival grounds is an open wooden platform backed by a large red curtain hanging from
wooden supports. The stage is filled with dancers performing ceremonial rituals praising the Fire Nation’s glory. Behind the stage, there are several small tents and canopies set up to help the performers and technicians prepare the various acts. There are actors in large traditional warrior outfits passing through warming up for performances, technicians tugging on ropes to get stage illusions working, and festival planners hurrying around with lists commanding stagehands what to do. The fireworks display is set up in a sectioned off area behind the stage as well. Guards circle the technicians tinkering on the fireworks. GENERAL PHO’S TENT Behind the stage, several special tents have been set up for the most important politicians in attendance. General Pho has a tent all his own to prepare for his big ceremonial display of military might that is scheduled to occur immediately before the fireworks. This tent is guarded by four of Izumi’s special guards.There are two means for entering the tent, the main entrance, and a small secret flap in the back of the tent to allow Pho to enter and exit discreetly. This may be discovered by a Spot roll when examining the area. If the players are able to approach the tent quietly, they are able to overhear the conversation in the scene attached to this part of the adventure. To eavesdrop requires a Listen roll. Once inside the tent, the players find GeneralPho preparing for his ceremony, and he is alone. The room has a couch, a vanity mirror with drawers, and a table with various breads and hors d’oeuvres. They players may choose to interrogate Pho or fight him to investigate the room. There is a locked drawer in the vanity that contains a letter addressed to the General revealing that “the family members have been successfully delivered to the Fire Lord’s palace”. The key to this drawer is located in the General’s front pocket. The players may also choose to extract the information from the General himself. He will only be convinced to reveal their location at the palace using an emotional plea.After the players discover that the family members are being held at the palace, Grand Vizier Genji arrives in the tent. They are surrounded by dozens of the Fire Lord’s elite guard. Genji invites the players to betray Grey Lotus, and he will not believe any attempts to convince him that the players are not members of the group. Just as tensions reach their peak… THE EXPLOSION A huge explosion rattles the entire festival. The ground shakes with a loud boom. General Pho, Grand Vizier Genji, and most of the guards are knocked to the ground. The players are temporarily disabled, and when they awake from the they see that the entire festival has gone up in flames. They are all at half health. Tents are knocked down. People are
chaos, they see that the entire festivalhas gone up in flames. They are all at half health. Tents are knocked down. People are running every direction in a panic. It is impossible to find where any of the diplomats have gone. They have escaped.Fleeing the burning festival grounds, players must make successful Dodge rolls to avoid falling debris from the buildings and Climb rolls to get over the rubble. With a Sense roll, the players may realize that the explosion came from the location of the fireworks. Even as they try to escape the grounds, they get accosted by several guards along the way. On their way out, they pass by many innocent civilians trapped under collapsed support beams and structures. People can be heard screaming in every direction. A woman runs passed looking for her son.As they players reach the edge of the festival grounds, they pass by... CAPTAIN WU’S DILEMMA Captain Wu, hurt severely, and trapped underneath a fallen stone statue of the Smokemander. He calls out to the players to save his life. He explains that he only wanted to capture them to earn the return of his estate. He barters that if they save his life, in return, he will help them with whatever they need. All he wants is his estate returned to his family line. They only player that is able to lift the massive stone statue is the Earth bender. The choice is ultimately up to this player. If the party does not have an Earth bender, it is impossible to save him.If the players choose not to save him, he dies at this point in the adventure. If they choose to save him, once the players reach safety, he will reveal that he was the individual originally tasked to deliver the letters they received from their family members. More importantly, he explains that he received the letters from the Fire Lord’s palace, but he never saw the actual writers. They were all handed to him directly from the palace scribe. STATISTICS CAPTAIN WU STR 15 CON 20 SIZ 14 INT 14 POW 16 DEX 20 APP 16 EDU 19 HP 19 Damage Bonus: +1D6 Weapons:Tonfa 80%, damage 3D4 + 1 Hands 50%, damage 2D4 Powers: High Pain Tolerance
CAPTAIN WU’S HIRED MEN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 STR 13 14 12 16 9 13 18 CON 10 10 09 10 12 11 07 SIZ 17 13 14 14 17 12 11 INT 10 09 13 12 13 15 10 POW 11 13 16 15 16 15 14 DEX 11 10 18 16 13 18 18 APP 09 17 16 16 10 12 18 EDU 10 18 13 11 08 10 14 HP 15 12 13 10 15 12 10 Weapons: Knives, quarterstaffs, ropes. SECURITY BOOTH GUARDS 1 2 3 4 5 6 STR 11 12 07 15 10 09 CON 12 13 09 08 11 11 SIZ 15 14 14 18 15 12 INT 12 10 18 11 12 12 POW 09 12 15 14 13 16 DEX 11 13 18 17 12 18 APP 10 15 17 15 11 10 EDU 13 14 14 12 10 17 HP 14 13 15 11 12 13 Weapons: Kanabo (long clubs), daggers ORDINARY FESTIVAL GUARDS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 STR 14 12 10 16 12 13 15 11 11 11 10 12 CON 10 10 08 12 14 10 08 10 10 12 12 11 SIZ 17 14 13 16 19 09 13 14 13 10 10 12 INT 09 09 18 15 07 15 09 12 12 09 12 11 POW 11 15 16 15 10 18 16 15 14 09 15 10 DEX 12 10 17 14 12 17 13 13 18 09 07 11 APP 08 16 17 10 12 11 16 10 08 12 08 16 EDU 13 17 18 11 09 12 12 12 10 13 08 13 HP 13 12 11 13 14 12 15 11 14 14 12 12 *add one point to every statistic for guards with special tasking such as working the blockade Weapons: Kanabo (long clubs), chained sledgehammer, daggers, quartersta
FIRE LORD’S SPECIAL DUTY GUARDS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 STR 15 15 11 16 13 13 14 CON 12 12 10 12 15 11 10 SIZ 18 15 14 16 19 12 14 INT 11 10 18 15 08 15 09 POW 12 16 18 15 11 18 17 DEX 10 12 18 14 13 17 13 APP 10 14 17 10 14 11 17 EDU 14 15 18 11 10 13 14 HP 14 13 10 13 14 14 15 Weapons: Double-edge swords, spears
8 12 11 15 12 16 13 10 13 12
GENERAL PHO STR 12 CON 13 SIZ 14 INT 15 POW 19 DEX 13 APP 07 EDU 12 HP 15 Damage Bonus: +1D6 + 2 Weapons:Dadao (broadsword) 80%, damage 3D4 + 1 Powers: Fireball, Flamethrower, Firebend, Fire Wave
Scene: The deal The players are outside the General’s tent at the festival. The perimeter of the tent is guarded. If they choose to go around the back of the tent, they can spy through a hole in the tent, and there they see... INT. GENERAL’S TENT - EVENING A broad man in bold ceremonial robes stands in the center of the tent passing through various poses with his sword. GENERAL PHO swings his blade, almost like a dance. He accidentally makes a mistake and drops the sword. GENERAL PHO That’s not good enough! He slams his fists on a table covered in empty bottles and an hors d’oeuvres arrangement. There is a knock on the front of the tent. Come in.
GENERAL PHO (CONT’D)
In enters CAPTAIN WU. He walks cautiously in ill-fitting festival attire holding his hat in front of his chest respectfully. CAPTAIN WU General Pho. Captain Wu bows. CAPTAIN WU (CONT’D) You requested my presence. How can I be of service? GENERAL PHO Hand me my sword. Captain Wu bends over to pick up the sword. As he does, the General kicks him to the ground. GENERAL PHO (CONT’D) How dare you shame me by attending this festival after the mistakes you have made. Should I be commending you for the troubles you’ve caused me with Genji? Captain Wu gets off the ground, kneeling. CAPTAIN WU No, General.
2.
GENERAL PHO Then explain your presence immediately before I have my men escort you out of my sight. CAPTAIN WU I am here to make good on the deal we struck before my return to the Nation. General Pho picks up his blade. GENERAL PHO The one you have already failed? Consider your redemption impossible. CAPTAIN WU That is not true. GENERAL PHO What did you say? CAPTAIN WU They are here. The five members of Grey Lotus are here at the festival. I have tracked them for the past few weeks with my crew. They were last scene in Kito heading in this direction. I can bring them to you. GENERAL PHO I have no time for tricks, Captain. I must continue preparing for the ceremony, one which you were not invited to attend. This is my last time asking you. Leave my presence by your own means before I create the means for you. CAPTAIN WU I have no where to go, General. You and your men took my estate from me, and my ship has been destroyed. If you are so concerned with the safety of the Fire Nation, perhaps you should stop abusing the very citizens you claim to protect. General Pho grabs Captain Wu by his shirt and throws him onto the table. The bottles shatter.
3.
GENERAL PHO How dare you speak to me that way? I should kill you. CAPTAIN WU But you won’t, because that would be a very big embarrassment. Wouldn’t it? General Pho releases Captain Wu. He grabs a bottle off the ground and tries to get the last drop of drink inside. GENERAL PHO I have a very specific task, and I am going to get it done. They will name celebrations after the way I saved the Fire Nation. CAPTAIN WU So calm yourself, and let me help. GENERAL PHO What makes you confident that this will end differently than the delivery to Maoshu? CAPTAIN WU They don’t know about it this time. General Pho looks into a mirror to adjust his garb. GENERAL PHO If you do this, quietly, then you will be rewarded. How soon?
CAPTAIN WU
GENERAL PHO Their delivery to me will mean the end of this campaign, and the end of the Grey Lotus will mean the return of your estate. CAPTAIN WU Then it will be done. Captain Wu bows to General Pho. GENERAL PHO And Captain... CAPTAIN WU Yes, General.
4.
GENERAL PHO If you fail, I will kill you. General Pho places the blade of his sword on the back of Wu’s neck. GENERAL PHO (CONT’D) Enjoy the festival. Pho places the blade back in its sheath. Captain Wu departs. BLACKOUT.
ACt IV The Spirit World
Dramatic Beats
Act Summary 1. It is obvious that their family members have been dead for days. They suspect that Izumi has betrayed them, but upon questioning, she seems genuinely shocked. She tells them that she knew Genji had been doing something with their family members, trying to unlock their spiritual power-- she didn’t know that he had gone this far.The party is confused, angry. Spiritual power? Why them? And how are they involved?Izumi admits that she wrote the letters that told them to come back home. Milo told her the party members’ families had potential spiritual power, and that Genji was trying to use it. Izumi had her own plan to harness the power. Izumi doesn’t know what the power is, or how to unlock it, but Milo said that the key was in the Spirit Library.The party must go to this Library. They will learn more about why their families were so important and stop Genji. They inspect the map of burial sites they found earlier and discover that they are portals to the Spirit World. 2. The party travels to all of the burial sites. Each of these places is the grave of a past Avatar, one of each element. At each tomb, one party member solves a small puzzle or rolls for Insight. In either case, the puzzle of each tomb can only be solved by the party member who bends the element of that tomb (e.g., Avatar Roku’s shrine is a fire temple, so only the fire bender can solve that puzzle). After solving the puzzle, the party will receive a corresponding elemental stone.They go to all four of these of the burial sites. At the fourth burial site, the shrine of Avatar Roku, they open a portal to the Spirit world. 3. They enter the Spirit World-- gently rolling green hills with flowers, giant clovers the size of trees. In the distance they see a small group of people. Walking over they discover these people are the spirits of their family, as well as Bo. Their family members explain how they died. They were recruited by Milo for an “important job” in the Fire Nation Army, but were worked to death by Genji trying to unlock their power. Bo tells them that he caused the explosion at the Smokemander festival, and died doing so, hired by Genji. In their stories, both family and Bo say that Genji has a way of manipulating people to do his bidding. They ask the spirits if they’ve seen the Library. One family member says it’s through the volcano, another says it’s through the jungle. They choose to go through the jungle. The party can also choose to go to the volcanic area, with similar results. 4. The party realizes they’ve wandered into a dangerous place. Through a successful Awareness roll, party members find that each of them is glowing with a light aura. On a critical success roll, they find the auras are brighter the closer they gather.The party realizes they’re lost and start to fight. After this, a giant
dark spirit attacks. It is sucking the light from the area. They finds that standing closer together, their attacks are stronger. With this insight, they defeat the spirit. The jungle transforms into a lush tropical rainforest; a path opens. 5. The path leads them to the Library, hanging upside-down. There are steps leading up to an archway. The stairs and the archway are huge. They enter into a rectangular chamber. The room has no ceiling. Instead, two bridges bisect the room. Above, the party can see identical bridges extending forever upwards. Dozens of hallways branch from the chamber. A large owl swoops in and lands in front of them, impeding them. He introduces himself as the guardian of the Library questions the party’s presence. They tell him, and he replies that he doesn’t lend his knowledge to aid human war. The party convinces him that they are trying to stop what would otherwise be full on war. He agrees to help them and points them in the direction of what they seek. 6. They explore the library and reach the Avatar room. All four walls are inscribed with a symbol representing an element. There is a stone cube on a pedestal in the middle of the room. The Intellectual can read the symbols. He tells the Brawler in the party that he must punch a panel on the wall as hard as he can. Then, the spirits of past Avatars appear. They ask the party what their intent is. The party explains-- the past Avatars are hesitant. The Mediator convinces them to help. They fade and the stone cube opens: 4 plain steel bracers. The Craftsman finds the bracers missing the 4 stones from earlier and fits them into the bracers. They put them on. The past Avatars return to say that they all are Avatar descendants-- there is no current Avatar; they must use Avatar Resonance to help! 7 . With new power, they return to the real world. Izumi and Milo are waiting for them. They confront Milo-- why didn’t she tell them about Avatar Resonance? Why was she working for Genji? Milo explains that she was an orphan. She learned how to fend for herself and build things. Genji had her to do personal work for him. He had her make tech so he could pretend to firebend. She also made other weapons for him. Eventually she renounced her weapon-building and went on a spiritual journey, which is when she discovered Avatar Resonance. She told Genji about it; Genji gathered the family members. The way Genji was treating them was wrong: she stopped working for him. She chose to help Izumi achieve Avatar Resonance, so Izumi wrote the letters. They don’t trust Milo. While contemplating what to do, they’re ambushed. 8. Milo is grabbed and is dragged away. They try to save Milo but are blocked. They attempt Avatar Resonance, but it fails. The party is only able to save themselves, and Milo is taken. The enemies disappear They are left standing in the clearing.
Encounter: Wan shi TOng Several thousand years ago, Wan Shi Tong built the library with the intention of preserving all the world’s knowledge. Over time, it has amassed a vast collection of texts, both new and also very ancient, all gathered by the library’s Knowledge Seekers. The Library used to be mostly buried in the Si Wong Desert. When Avatar Aang and his friends visited the Library to find information on how to defeat the Fire Nation, Wan Shi Tong was enraged that people would use his knowledge for violence, so he moved the Library to the Spirit World. It now resides in a jungle in the Spirit World, suspended in the air, upside down, by vines.
Library Layout and Description Exterior:
The Spirit Library is an enormous ornate building. It resembles a cathedral with a giant imposing entrance in the front. Vines wrap around the minarets and hang down into the jungle. The Library has small domes on each of the four corners of its roof, and a in the middle a large dome with a small tower coming out of the top. There are openings into the library from either (A) the minaret on top of the big dome in the middle,
(B) the front entrance, or (C) one of the minarets on top of the domes on the four corners. Note to GM: The Spirit Library is suspended upside down, and the party will have to climb vines/trees. However, this is the Spirit World, where strange things happen, and once inside the Library, gravity will be “flipped�, as in the players will feel as if the Library is in fact right side up. This does mean that if the party enters through the central dome, if they do not climb down by using a rope or something, they will free fall about 40 feet intersection of the two bridges inside. Drawing of the front view of the Library:
Interior:
The interior of the Library is also ornate and ancient. Ancient symbols and drawings are inscribed above archways. Stone pillars support the ceiling. The jungle has made its mark, and vines and even trees seem to be growing through the building. The Library has a central rectangular chamber (D) with no floor that seems to extend downward forever. There are two perpendicular bridges that split the room in four, and these same bridges seem to appear at every level as the room extends downwards. The front entrance leads into this central room, and the intersection of the most up-
per bridges is directly under the center of the large central dome. The central chamber has entrances into dozens of hallways that all lead to endless bookshelves and rooms filled with knowledge. The corner domes and minarets also lead directly into those archives.
(Cross section of bridges extending downwards forever) If the party ever crosses the central chamber, Wan Shi Tong swoops in and confronts them. Wan Shi Tong, Spirit of Knowledge
“I am Wan Shi Tong, he who knows one thousand things.” Wan Shi Tong is a Spirit of Knowledge and the guardian of the Library. He is a large owl (About 6 meters tall, 15 meter wingspan). Because of past events (Avatar Aang and friends using the library for violence), he will not let any humans use his library. The party can either fight Wan Shi Tong, try to hide from him in the library, or convince him of their cause. Convincing Wan Shi Tong will not be easy even for somebody skilled in Persuade or Fast Talk, but he has a soft side for people that are able to offer him new knowledge that he does not know yet. On a successful Research roll, a player should know of Wan Shi Tong, know of the Spirit Library’s history, and on a particularly good roll could know what piece of knowledge to offer Wan Shi Tong to let them use the library in peace.
Knowledge Seeker
Wan Shi Tong’s Knowledge Seekers gather knowledge for Wan Shi Tong. They are a large reason for why the Library contains so many books and scrolls. They are fox-wolf-dog type animals with piercing sky blue eyes. Their main purpose is to go out into the world and bring Wan Shi Tong back knowlege. They also serve as librarians, and on a successful Insight roll, players will know that they can ask the Knowledge Seekers what to find what they are looking for. If the party chooses to peruse the volumes in the library, there are various tomes and scrolls that they can find in the stacks (E). Some tomes that the party can find will teach certain new skills or ability, some of which can be very useful/powerful. The presence of these books is not obvious, and the player will have to succeed on hard Research rolls to find one of these tomes. The following tomes can teach a party member a new bending technique: -Metal Bending for Dummies (by Toff Beifong) -The Art of Lightning Bending -The Lava Bender -Healing Techniques using Water Bending -Flight: Freeing Yourself From Your Material Bonds The main purpose that the party came to the Spirit Library was to find out more about this power that they want to unlock. They will find the secret to this power in the Resonance Room (F). It is in the corner of the stacks area. They may find it themselves, by rolling well on Insight/Research rolls, or by asking Wan Si Tong or one of the Knowledge Seekers to direct them.
Resonance Room
The Resonance Room is a square room. Each of the four walls is a color of a different element (red for fire, beige for air, blue for water, green for earth), and each wall is inscribed with a large symbol that representing that element. The walls are also inscribed with the faces of past avatars and glyphs in an unrecognizable language. There is a stone cube (G), about a meter on each side, on a pedestal in the middle of the room. A white pad (H) juts out of the cube. There is a certain spiritual energy to the room. The party must now solve a puzzle that requires the skills of all four of the party members. First, the Intellectual in the group is be able to, after a successful Research roll, read the symbols on the wall. The symbols say that in order to unlock this power they must open the box in the middle, and the only way to do that is to put great force behind the white pad that sticks out of the box. The Brawler can put enough force into the pad if he succeeds on a good Throw roll. After doing this, the box does not react, but the spirits of past Avatars appear. Avatar Roku, Avatar Wan Avatar Aang‌ they are all there. They ask the party why they are there, and why they deserve this power. They do not want to help the party. The Mediator in the party, after a successful Persuade roll, can convince the spirits to help them. The spirits then fade, and the stone cube opens, revealing 4 plain steel bracers with grooves. The Craftsman in the party, after a successful Repair roll, can identify that the bracers are missing the 4 stones that they collected earlier from the different shrines, and can fit them into the bracers. After doing this, the bracers glow white together. The party members slip on their corresponding bracers and now the party members are all glowing. The spirits of the past Avatars come back and tell the party that each of them are
a descendant of a past Avatar, and that now that the world is imbalanced and there is no current Avatar that is able to restore balance, the four of them must use the power of Avatar Resonance to restore balance!
Stats: Wan Shi Tong, Great Owl Spirit of Knowledge STR 18 CON 14 SIZ 23 INT 22 DEX 14 APP 14 EDU 25 HP 30 Damage Bonus: +2D6
POW 16
Weapons: Beak 75%, damage 2D8 Wings 90%, damage 1D8+2 Powers: Keen Eye - As an owl, Wu Shi Tong can detect the slightest movements, even from far away. Gust - Wan Shi Tong uses his large wings to cause a powerful gust of wind that causes 1D6 damage and can knock an opponent 20 meters back Skills: Research 99% Insight 80% Strategy 85% Fly 95% Knowledge Seeker STR 14 CON 14 SIZ 9 DEX 20 APP 20 EDU 20 Damage Bonus: None
Persuade 75% Sense 75% Spot 90% All Languages 100%
INT 17 HP 20
POW 16
Weapons: Bite 2D6 Powers: Anatomical Knowledge - Always hits opponent in weakest point Skills: Research 90% Insight 75% Stealth 80% Sense 75% Strategy 85% Dodge 80% Spot 90% Track 80%
Scene: Confrontatation EXT. AVATAR SHRINE - LATE AFTERNOON Milo and Izumi sit in a clearing right outside of an ornate shrine. They’ve been waiting for a while. The party emerges from the temple. Milo and Izumi stand up. MILO You’ve made it back! I wasn’t sure if you’d make it all the way through. PC (Player Character) goes to embrace Milo, but then stops. PC Why didn’t you tell us? MILO Why didn’t I tell you what? PC About-(pointing at bracer) about this. About Avatar Resonance. About us being descendants of Avatars. MILO Because it’s not important. Or at least, the details aren’t. The important thing is that you managed to unlock the power that we’ve been seeking. You did, right? (pointing at bracer) I assume that’s what those things are. PC You "assume"? You "assume"? What do you mean "not important"? You told Izumi that we had to go through the Spirit World to find this "not important" Library because you just "assumed" we would unlock our power there? You’re all spiritual! You know the Spirit World is dangerous. We almost died! Are you trying to kill us? MILO No, of course not. Look, honestly, I didn’t fully know what you’d find at the library, but it was our only hope. And I still don’t fully
3. MILO to buy weapons. That was when Genji found me. He took me off the streets. He gave me food and a place to sleep. And in exchange I made things for him. I made him a discrete wrist-mounted flamethrower that he could use to pretend to be a fire-bender. And I made him weapons. Lots of weapons. Milo is staring past the party. She’s staring thousands of yards into her memories. MILO (CONT’D) But then I saw the destruction. Houses burning, people dying. Because of my weapons. So I stopped making weapons. Genji was not happy, but I couldn’t do it any longer. I used my skills to help people instead of hurting them. I went on a spiritual journey, and that was when I learned about this power that’s inherent in your family lines. I knew that the only way to bring true balance to the world was through this power. So I told Genji, and we assembled a team of descendants... your family members. But he did it all wrong! He worked them and pushed them to their physical limits, hoping for some kind of reaction, but... I don’t know much about this power, but I know it’s not about that. It’s about bonds between the team members. It’s about trust. Anyways, when I saw what Genji was doing to your families, I abandoned him and went to Izumi. I told her about Genji’s most recent activities and convinced her that we needed to form our own team, and this time do it the right way. And so here we are. Pause as the party digests all of this. MILO (CONT’D) But now you’re telling me that you don’t even know if you unlocked the power?
3. MILO to buy weapons. That was when Genji found me. He took me off the streets. He gave me food and a place to sleep. And in exchange I made things for him. I made him a discrete wrist-mounted flamethrower that he could use to pretend to be a fire-bender. And I made him weapons. Lots of weapons. Milo is staring past the party. She’s staring thousands of yards into her memories. MILO (CONT’D) But then I saw the destruction. Houses burning, people dying. Because of my weapons. So I stopped making weapons. Genji was not happy, but I couldn’t do it any longer. I used my skills to help people instead of hurting them. I went on a spiritual journey, and that was when I learned about this power that’s inherent in your family lines. I knew that the only way to bring true balance to the world was through this power. So I told Genji, and we assembled a team of descendants... your family members. But he did it all wrong! He worked them and pushed them to their physical limits, hoping for some kind of reaction, but... I don’t know much about this power, but I know it’s not about that. It’s about bonds between the team members. It’s about trust. Anyways, when I saw what Genji was doing to your families, I abandoned him and went to Izumi. I told her about Genji’s most recent activities and convinced her that we needed to form our own team, and this time do it the right way. And so here we are. Pause as the party digests all of this. MILO (CONT’D) But now you’re telling me that you don’t even know if you unlocked the power?
4.
PC No, I-- I think we did MILO Didn’t the past Avatars tell you what to do? What are those bracers for? PC I don’t know! We just got these. It was confusing. There were Avatar spirits and lights... Milo is frowning and thinking. PC (CONT’D) I’m sure that when the time comes, the power will come to us. That’s how the Avatar State works, right? MILO Yes. It will make sense when the time comes. I’m sure it will. Okay, well let’s get a move on. We have to stop Genji. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I’m know-Just then, and ambush happens and the ambushers grab Milo! Battle time!
ACT V The end
Dramatic Beats
Act Summary 1. Izumi tells the pc’s that they should rest recoup before going after Milo, and that they should head for the Capital City, Hiishi, which is nearby. In addition to resting, Izumi believes there is a strong likelihood that Genji will be in Hiishi as well. Upon reaching the gates of the city, they find that non-firebenders and suspected Grey Lotus members are being exiled from the city. 2. Since the pc’s are not all firebenders, they cannot enter the city. They were (in act 4) informed of Milo’s relationship to Genji, and the fact that she helped him pretend to be a firebender in order to rise through the ranks in the fire nation govt. Essentially—they need Milo’s abilities to allow them to pretend to be firebenders as well. 3. By asking the folks outside of the southern gate about a forest, they will get info on the forest and its inhabitants—supposedly the grey lotus has a base of operations in the forest, and folks have been warned not to enter. Thus, they know where to go. 4. They go to the forest to save milo. Instead of finding the hideout of Grey Lotus, they just find General Pho, hold Milo Captive. The pc’s interrogate Pho— is he part of Grey Lotus? Pho, very confused and distressed, tells them that they are Grey Lotus! The pc’s tell him that Grey Lotus abducted Milo, so Pho must be Grey Lotus! Pho tells them that no, Genji’s men abducted Milo! Attempting to avoid confronting the topic any further, Pho attacks the pcs. In this battle, they gain the first level of Avatar Resonance—two of them can switch bending powers at once. Upon defeating Pho, they unbind Milo, and she tells them about what she learned while held by Pho—Grey Lotus is not real, and is a fake terrorist organization created by Genji himself in order to take the blame for his own actions! 5. Now, with Milo’s tech expertise, the three non-firebenders get rigged up to pretend to be firebenders. By disguising themselves, they can pass through the gates into the capital city. Once they are in the capital city, it is a matter of info-gathering in order to find out where Genji is and where he will be—they find that he will be giving a speech about the new fire nation regime that evening. The information they get should lead them to follow him after the speech. They will follow him out of the city and into the woods, to where pho was keeping Milo. Once he gets there
and finds no one, he is confused and begins looking for Pho and trying to find him, and finds him dead without Izumi. At which point his pent up desire to kill Izumi himself manifests in absolute rage—he’s held himself up this far, and all of a sudden his plans are going awry. 6. It’s then that he will notice the pcs and milo, and defensively bloodbends milo—this is a surprise to the pcs, and also to milo, though it was hinted to in the scene where he usurps Izumi (he bloodbent the council to vote for him). He is essentially using milo as a meat shield, but he is able to use some of her more basic skills (like simple electricity glove moves, physical attacks, gun stuff). This means bloodbent milo isn’t a huge threat. It doesn’t matter whether the players try to kill milo or not—if they don’t attack milo, Genji kills her because he realizes it will do damage to the player’s emotional state, and also their power as a whole. If they are attacking her, he is distressed by this, but because of his pride, decides to kill her himself. Either way, she dies. It is during the fight with bloodbent milo that they reach the second tier of avatar resonance. After Milo dies and they begin to fight Genji himself, they get to the third (and final) tier of avatar resonance (meaning the can all switch powers willy-nilly). With this power and also powerup chaining, the pcs defeat Genji. 7. Following the fight with Genji, Izumi comes, as well as guards showing up due to the sound of the commotion. Izumi is glad for the death of Genji, but mourns Milo, who was, in the end, the only person she was able to truly trust. Izumi denounces Genji, Pho, and realizes that the grey lotus was a sham. She talks of Genji’s cunning and his insatiable thirst for power and an old age. She tells the players of her trust for milo, and her sadness at hear death, but thanks the players for protecting her country, and the world. She gives them the opportunity to be appointed to her council, replacing Milo, Genji, Pho, and Wu. With this, they have received a reward for their efforts, as well as finding closure in the troubles of the fire nation which they became entangled with.
Encounter: After the speech The Capital City of the Fire Nation is a heavily guarded stronghold. The walls of the city are tall, and there are guards at most every entrance. Fire Nation guards patrol the outer walls, and watch from high towers. There is little to no chance a group could sneak in without help. Currently, only Firebenders are allowed into the city. ENTRANCES There are Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern gates into the city. The main and most popular entrance is the Southern entrance, both because of its impressive architecture and because of its easy access to southern towns, including Kito. The northern entrance is the least used, as it opens into a great forest through which travelers usually don’t dare travel. Getting through the forest will prove extremely difficult, both because of the nature of the forest itself (easy to get lost), and because it is now supposedly home to the Grey Lotus. Trying to enter the city through other means (not through an established entrance) will alert all guards and put the whole city on edge. Sneaking around becomes exceedingly difficult. At this time, the western, eastern, and northern gates are closed to the public, due to the Grey Lotus insurgency. GETTING IN The players must save Milo in order to progress into the city, as she has the technological know-how in order to help the players pretend to be real firebenders. In order to do this, they must figure out where she is being held. Their only clue is that she was taken by Grey Lotus. Folks who have been exiled from the town have created a camp outside of the southern gate. Speaking to these people about Grey Lotus and asking about their recent activities will reveal that they are believed to have a hideout in the forest to the north—this is where the players must go in order to find Milo. THE FOREST The forest is big, dark, and difficult to navigate—in fact, to the players, it is a maze. Upon a successful track roll, they will be able to follow Grey Lotus’ trail to their hideout—they must intermittently make track rolls in order to navigate the maze. When they reach the hideout, it isn’t very impressive—it is just a simple wooden shack with a simple lock on the door. They must break this lock and gain entry to
the shack, where they will find Milo tied up and gagged, watched over by General Pho. General Pho’s demeanor is one of shock and anger upon seeing the player characters. They may either directly attack him, or interrogate him about Grey Lotus and his involvement with them. To this interrogation, Pho is confused and angered—to his knowledge, the players are Grey Lotus, and he believes that Genji’s men abducted Milo. He is waiting for Genji’s arrival later that night, after his speech—Genji wanted to kill Izumi, but will find Pho with Milo instead. After enough questioning and conversation on this topic, Pho will be sufficiently worked up and will attack the players of his own accord. During this battle, the players will experience their first real instance of Avatar Resonance. This first level of Avatar Resonance, as a battle mechanic, allows two player characters to switch powers for a turn. The players must first unlock this power during the battle. What has been happening to the players since they exited the spirit world is a battle-specific alteration. During battle, one players hit or miss will either negatively or positively effect the player’s attack who comes after them. This creates a chaining effect, with the most powerful chain coming from four consecutive strikes. While this has been happening for a while now, it is during the battle with Pho that the GM should prompt the players to make a perception roll—through this roll, they discover their first level of Avatar Resonance. Defeating Pho allows Milo to be freed—she will then inform the players what she has discovered about Grey Lotus while being held by Pho and from the player’s conversation with him: that they don’t truly exist, and that they are just a ploy by Genji to mask his own terrorist actions. Milo can now fit the players with devices to allow them to be perceived as firebenders—they can now gain entry to the city. IN THE CITY Hiishi is home to many fire nation natives, as well as fire nation government officials. The town square is the location of the stage on the Grand Vizier will be giving a speech, announcing the new regime—with a spin to make it sound less threatening. The guard’s quarters are a very dangerous area for delinquents, but weapons can be stolen from the armory if players can sneak past the guards. There is a bar in town, where players can mingle with the city dwellers and gain information, or perhaps just snag a drink. The Royal Residence, behind the town square stage, is where Fire Nation Royalty stays while in the city. Genji will not be there—but the players may attempt to sneak in. In addition, information can be gathered at the food stand or at the fancy restaurant.
SPEECH Genji’s speech is powerful and frightening. He speaks of the rebirth of the Fire Nation as it was under Fire Lord Ozai—powerful, unstoppable. World rulers. He speaks of how decades of peace have made the Nation weak, of how allowing non-firebenders to live in their midst has brought filth and discord. He speaks of how the Grey Lotus, led by a band of dissenters—one water, earth, fire, and airbender—will be the destruction of their great nation if they are not taken care of. He speaks of Izumi, and how she was unfit to rule, and has now been cast away—she will probably soon be had by Grey Lotus. Make him convincing, manipulative. After the speech, the players must follow Genji. After a successful sneak roll, they are able to follow him as he leaves the stage. The goal of tailing him is to catch him when he is not in public—the players should have discovered, by exploring the city and talking to residents, that starting a major fight in the city would be disastrous—if they do not remember, the GM should remind them of what Pho said—that Genji would be coming to kill Izumi later that evening. So, they must follow Genj into the forest, and attack him when he is confused and upset that Pho is dead and Izumi nowhere to be found. They should have to roll for sneak every once in a while while tailing Genji, in order to ensure their secrecy. If they get a poor roll, have them improvise how they hide when Genji looks around—preferably, don’t let them start the battle until Genji has reached the shed and been met with dismay—this will properly color him as responsible for Grey Lotus. BATTLE The battle with Genji has two phases. His first move will be to bloodbend Milo—this is the first time the players are sure that Genji is both a waterbender and a bloodbender, though both facts have been hinted to throughout the game. He is able to both use Milo as a shield, and use her as a puppet to attack the players. During this battle with Milo, the player unlock the second level of Avatar Resonance, allowing three party members to switch powers for a turn. This should be unlocked in the same manner as the first level of Avatar Resonance—with a perception roll during battle. After enough turns, it should be clear whether the part has decided to kill Milo or try to save her. In either case, at this point, Genji decides that he would rather kill her himself—he does so, in an intense show of his heartlessness, and Milo’s trusting nature. After this scene, the players must face Genji head on. He is both a strong waterbender—strong enough to bloodbend, and to do so without being found out—and also equipped with flamethrowers concealed under his clothing, and even in his mouth. With these adeptly crafted flamethrowers, he is the equivalent of an extremely prac-
very strong firebender. As such, he can essentially bend two elements as if he were a master. During this battle, the players should reach the third level of Avatar Resonance—allow them to decide on a perception roll themselves, so that they might feel that they figured it out on their own. Once they unlock this power, they have reached their full potential—they can all switch powers at will, but can still only bend one element at a time. With this final powerup (give them general stat boosts as well, up to GM), they can defeat Genji. STATS Genji STR 17 CON 20 SIZ 11 INT 25 POW 20 DEX 18 APP 13 EDU 19 HP 30 Weapons: Damascus Greatsword 50%, Damage 1D6 Flask of Petrol, add 3 flame damage to Greatsword dmg Powers: Engulf, Fireball, Flame Geyser, Water Geyser, Firebend(general), Bloodbend, Typhoon, Ice-Over, Ice Stake Puppet-Milo STR 9 CON 18 SIZ 9 INT 18 DEX 18 APP 10 EDU 9 HP 25 Damage Bonus: +1D4 Weapons: Electric Bracers 80%, damage 2D4 + 1 Hands 50%, damage 2D4 Powers: Unarmed Combat (Hung-Ga kung fu) Divination (Spirit World Connection)
POW 11
General Pho STR 15 CON 15 SIZ 14 INT 15 POW 19 DEX 13 APP 07 EDU 12 HP 20 Damage Bonus: +1D6 + 2 Weapons: Dadao (broadsword) 80%, damage 3D4 + 1 Powers: Fireball, Flamethrower, Firebend, Fire Wave
Scene: Reunion The dust settles after Milo jumps in to block the blow from the Grand Vizier. The party watches on from behind Milo. The Grand Vizier hold his sword at his hip. Genji walks up to Milo, puts his boot down on her chest. Her breathing becomes ragged. You...
MILO
Milo is bleeding. Her words are short, sputtered. GENJI Milo. I haven•t seen you in, well, how long has it been? ...
MILO
GENJI I imagine its been about six months, hasn•t it? It was winter last time I saw you. We had tea, yes? Genji removes his boot from Milo•s chest, Milo gasps for air. MILO You•re-- you•re disgusting. GENJI I think I•m dressed quite well. It is, after allShut up!
MILO
Milo attempts to get up. Her arms buckle with her weight. GENJI You can•t even move. What are you expecting to happen here? Clearly, you•ve lost. MILO This wasn•t supposed to be a game! No one was-- no one was supposed to lose. GENJI You•d think that•d be nice, right? If we could do this so that no one lost.
2.
MILO Filthy liar. Monster. GENJI On the contrary, I•m just a man. MILO And I•m just a woman. It doesn•t mean anything. GENJI But are you not more of a monster than me? Milo is finally able to prop herself up, and stand. MILO Not on my life. GENJI But it•s there, isnt it? That snarl. You have it in you. MILO I would never... GENJI You say that, as you•ve strung along this band of fools? MILO If I•d known the man you really are, in the name of every spirit, every god, I woudln•t have told you. GENJI I thought tou knew me better than anyone else in this little world. Shame, pity really. Suppose I was wrong. MILO I knew the man who was like a father to me! I knew the man who-the man who protected me when no one else would... GENJI Oh do go on Milo, this is quite flattering.
3.
MILO I knew the man who saved me from myself. I know Genji. Not... Oh?
GENJI
MILO Not this €Grand
Vi z i e r
E
GENJI They are one and the same, love. MILO Then do it! Kill me! Genji couldn•t kill me, Genji... Mm?
GENJI
MILO Genji loved me... Milo looks down at the ground, stricken. Her eyes go wide as she looks up at the Grand Vizier, taking him in. Trying to reconcile his past with his future. GENJI Then Genji is dead. The Grand Vizier picks up his sword, and engulfs it with flame. He walks up to Milo, and places the tip beneath her chin, picking up her head. They make eye contact. Milo is holding back tears. MILO I won•t beg. GENJI No one asked you to, dear. Milo closes her eyes gently as the Grand Vizier pulls his sword away, to then thrust it through Milo•s chest. Milo sputters blood, falls over as the players watch. The Grand Vizier makes a snarling smile at the PC•s. END SCENE.
full dramatic beats