Somewhen in Time

By Gerry Saracco

Somewhen In Time is an adventure that starts in the contemporary juncture, but has it's roots in both A.D. 69 & 2056.

Backstory

Wang Kungzheng is immortal. He doesn't remember how or when he became immortal, he just knows that he is. He can be hurt, but he can't seem to die. Wang has travelled across China, doing whatever he felt like doing. After witnessing the evils that the servants of the Lotus had inflicted on the people, he decided to become a Bandit chief.

Since then, Wang has been harrassing the servants of the Lotus, taking their spoils and giving them back to the people. During his most recent attack on a Lotus caravan, he discovered that the Lotus was most anxious to be rid of him. Sorcerors were part of this caravan, and they had some assistance from the Underworld. Wang found himself fighting a creature that called itself Ba Lung. Wang was suitably unimpressed, and fought with the beast. The two fought to a standstill, until explosions rocked around them, killing warriors on both sides.

Wang & Ba looked up, and found themselves beset by silver armored beings. These beings were, of course, a SERU team sent back in time to capture Ba Lung. Wang, not wanting to lose the glory of defeating Ba Lung, attacked the silver beings.

He was hit by strange weapons that caused him serious pain, but, being immortal, he didn't die. Eventually, he was knocked unconcious. The SERU team realized that he wasn't a normal human, and decided to take him along with Ba Lung.

While in the Netherworld, Wang awoke, and found himself a prisoner alongside Ba Lung. Seeing that they had a common enemy, the two agreed to a temporary alliance against the silver beings. When the SERU team was ambushed by a group of Jammer Dump Warriors, Wang & Ba made their move. Overpowering their guards, the two fled into the Netherworld. They wandered aimlessly for what seemed an eternity, then found a portal into the contemporary juncture. They ended up in a dark alley in (pick a city). Ba Lung turned on Wang at that point, and he was again knocked unconcious. When he awoke, Ba Lung was gone, loose in this teeming city. Wang knew he had to find Ba Lung before he caused masssive destruction.

Meanwhile, the SERU team survived the attack on them, and returned to 2056. When they reported the escape of the two beings, a search was started. When Ba Lung started to kill people, a Buro agent in the contemporay juncture who recognized the signs made a report. A second SERU team was sent to the contemporary juncture, with orders to capture Ba Lung & Wang Kungzheng at all costs!

Hooks for Characters

Abominations, Cyborgs, Monster Hunters, and other 2056 characters

You turned against the Buro, and whenever you can bloody their nose, you do so. You want to prevent them from capturing Ba Lung, and turning him into an abomination. You also want to stop Ba Lung from killing more people

Karate, Magic, and Maverick Cop

You've been assigned to investigate the murders. Magic Cops realize that some supernatural creature is involved, while Karate & Maverick Cops may believe this is some sick, twisted serial killer on the loose.

Journalists

You want to get the story on this new serial killer. You suspect it's more than it seems, so you want to get the whole story, before a fellow reporter stumbles into danger!

Masked Avenger

Another lunatic is stalking the innocents you have sworn to protect. Justice must be had for the innocent!

Ghost, Sorceror, and Supernatural Creature

You realize that the killings are being done by some sort of supernatural being. You want to stop it before it kills more people, or alternately, you want to capture it to put it under your control.

Everyone Else

Someone close to you was a victim of Ba Lung's. Now you want to exact vengeance.

Scene One: The Murder Scene

The characters will conduct inquiries into the murders, either as a group, or individually. The GM can improvise these as he/she sees fit. The murders fall into a random pattern when it concerns the victims. They come from all walks of life. The only pattern is that they all take place within a 6 block radius on the edge of Chinatown. The end result is that the characters will eventually converge on this area, and scope it out in the hope of catching the killer.

As the characters search the area, they hear a scream. If they converge on the scene of the scream (and alley), they will find a woman laying on the ground with a man hunched over her. The woman is still breathing, and the man has a sword in his hand! The players will more than likely attack, not realizing that this man isn't the killer. If they don't attack, the man will assume a fighting stance, since he has no idea who the characters are.

The man is actually Wang Kungzheng, who has been tracking Ba Lung since they both entered this juncture. As he doesn't know the characters, he will assume that they are serving Ba Lung, and thus an accidental fight should take place…

Cool Stuff in the Alley

There are fire escapes on the two buildings the alley goes between, which can be used for various stunts. There is a large dumpster, as well as some dented garbage cans. Some crates and boxes are in the corner of one end of the alley.

Whacking on Wang Kungzheng

Due to the poor light in the alley, all ranged attacks are at −1 AV unless some artificial illumination is used. Wang will fight if confronted, since he feels he alone should bring down Ba Lung. He will fight until he's knocked “dead”.

Aftermath

Wang should be killed by the characters, at least until he regenerates long enough to recover. The characters will find some kind of slimy substance on the woman, near some sore-like wounds on her body. If looked at closely, the wounds look like the sucker marks of an octopus tentacle! If the slimy substance is taken to a lab, it will reveal that it belongs to something not human. Magic Cops, Sorcerers & Supernatural Creatures will recognize it as slime belonging to some type of supernatural entity.

Scene Two: Shootout at the Hospital

Once the substance has been identified, the characters should realize that there is more than meets the eye in regards to these murders. Discovering that the body of the man they killed is gone from the morgue should just reinforce that. The characters should be nudged into going to the hospital to check on the woman they saved.

Unknown to the players, members of the SERU team dispatched to locate Wang & Ba Lung have also decided to pay the woman a visit, since they know of Ba Lung's corrupting influence. Wang has also gone to the hospital, but plans on avoiding the characters after what they did to him the last time.

The characters should arrive shortly after the victim has turned into a creature herself. In her dazed state, she starts to feed on the hospital staff, and the characters can confront her. Shortly after their arrival, the SERU forces arrive, and chaos ensues…

Cool Stuff in the Hospital

There are about 10 rooms in the wing where the victim is being held. Each room has two beds, a TV, and chairs. There are also curtains seperating some of the patients in individual rooms. At the nurses station, there are chairs, phones, and two computers with monitors. The nurses have various syringes at the station, as well as various medications in both liquid and pill form. Typical medication include painkillers (PCs can use to deaden the pain during combat), sedatives (to calm patients down; can take out mooks on a simple stunt at −2), vitamins, and various others.

Whacking on the Bad Guys

The victim is confused, and worse, hungry. She will try to feed her hunger, and the hospital staff and patients are her food. When confronted by the characters, she will alternate between horror at what she's become, and anger at them for allowing this to happen to her. As the PCs try to calm her down, the SERU team should show up, and force a three way battle between them, the characters, and the victim. Besides Cecil & Amanda, there are 8 mooks in uniforms. The SERU team fights with precision & tactics, causing all sorts of havoc. Innocent patients and hospital staff will somehow get in the way, which should cause players to be cautious when firing. The SERU team will gladly use hostages, and the Victim will too if she is in danger of being killed. If Both Cecil & Amanda are taken out, the SERU mooks will suffer a −1 AV on all attacks for the remainder of the battle.

Aftermath

The PCs should be able to stop the SERU team from getting the Victim, but in the confusion, Wang will help her escape the hospital. It is his intention to have her lead him to Ba Lung, so he can end his terror once and for all.

Scene Three: Ba Lung's Lair

Presumably, the characters will search for the Victim, before she can hurt more people (or worse, infect them, as the characters don't know if she can spread the corruption like Ba Lung can). Eventually, the characters should be able to trace the victim's steps. Her trail leads them into the subway system of the city. Following one of the lines, they descend into the darkness. The line eventually leads to what seems to be an abandoned station, which is undergoing renovations. The station is dimly lit, and loose wires hang from the rafters, some crackling with electricity. An eerie, seemingly supernatural mist pervades the entire station. This is the lair of Ba Lung.

The characters will arrive while Wang Kungzheng and Ba Lung are having a confrontation. The Victim stands off to Ba Lung's left, seemingly in a trance. Wang & Ba circle each other, waiting for the right moment to strike. The characters should involve themselves in this confrontation, and find Wang an unlikely ally against this creature. The Victim will side with Ba Lung, his power over her nearly complete.

Shortly after the start of combat (about 6 shots into the current sequence), another squad from the SERU team will burst onto the scene, and the battle will turn into another three way, as the characters & Wang try to take down Ba Lung, while keeping the SERU team from capturing him or the Victim. The Seru team consists of 8 mooks, Arak (an Abomination) & Jimmy (a Monster Hunter)

Cool Stuff in the Terminal

The loose wires above everyone could be pulled down and be used to electrocute someone. There are some garbage cans that can be thrown, and there are various pieces of equpiment scattered in the station: a welding torch, electric screwdriver, hammers, and even some flares.

Whacking on the Bad Guys

Once Arak & Jimmy go down, any surviving SERU mooks suffer a −1 AV penalty to all further attacks. Wang will at first seem hostile towards the characters, since he wants to handle Ba Lung himself, but he will join forces with them against the creature and against the SERU team. The Victim will fight alongside Ba Lung, seemingly under his control. If Ba Lung takes at least 10 wound points after his toughness, she will snap out of her trance, and aid the characters against Ba Lung and the SERU team.

Running the Battle

To make combat run smoothly, it might be a good idea to do one of the following: If running this as a three way battle, don't waste time rolling for the GMC's fighting each other. Just decide who does what to who, and keep the die rolls to a minimum. Or, have Ba Lung and the Victim team up with Wang and the players against the SERU team, then turn on them as soon as they are defeated.

Also, as the train station is simply under repair, regular train service passes the station at various intervals. It is possible to knock opponents onto the tracks, and into the path of an oncoming train!

Aftermath

Ba Lung should not be allowed to escape, as he has caused too much terror to innocents. With his destruction, he is banished back to the underworld, to wait until he is called forth once more by the Lotus. The SERU team will have failed again to capture him, and lost more agents in the process. If the Victim survived until after Ba Lung's defeat, she will be an ally for the characters for the time being. Wang will be wary of anyone threatening her with harm; he feels responsible for her transformation, and intends to protect her from any harm.

Interlude: The Trek through the Netherworld

With Ba Lung defeated, Wang intends on getting back to his own time. He knows where the portal is that lead him to this juncture. The Victim, having had her life torn away, plans on going with him, to help him against the people who brought Ba Lung into the world. If the players decide to help him (and they should), they need to prepare for a trip through time (In my game, the players haven't been to the Netherworld yet, so for them it's a first). If the GM wants, they can run some encounters in the Netherworld. Otherwise, just plan a short trip through the Netherworld to a portal in AD 69.

Scene Four: The Battlefield

The players, Wang & The Victim exit a portal into AD 69. (If they knew where they were going, or had help, they arrive at the portal the SERU team took. Otherwise, just have them find it by blind luck) Wang recognizes the countryside, and leads the party to the site of the battle between his outlaw band & the Lotus forces.

They arrive at a scene days old: dead bodies laying about, many picked apart by scavengers. Wang is silent as searches through the dead, picking out the remains of his followers. He kneels down by one body, removing something from it's tattered remains, weeping over his loss. The other bodies have the tattered remains of imperial troops. Wang stands up, looking towards the heavens, and lets loose a cry of pain & rage.

Suddenly, the players find themselves surrounded by the sounds of battle. They see themselves in bodies not their own, and their memories are not only theirs, but those of the bodies they currently inhabit! If you wish to play out the battle, design some characters for the players to inhabit. If not, run it descriptively (which will allow for more emphasis on what is going to happen). The players will now fight in this flashback battle, struggling to survive against the forces of the Lotus.

One by one, the bodies the characters inhabit should be killed off, yet the PC can still see the rest of the battle. As the last PC goes down fighting, he realizes that his body clutches onto some item of signifigance to the dying person. That item is the same one that Wang retrieved before this weird vision took place! As the last PC experiences “death” in the vision, they all snap back to reality. Each PC should have this nagging sense that this battle was futile in some way.

Wang slowly rejoins the group, and his face looks troubled. If questioned, he will state that he feels someone betrayed his gang to the Lotus. The forces that confronted him were too strong for his group to handle, and would have massacred if the SERU team had not arrived to capture Ba Lung. The players sense of futility will be heightened at Wang's words, and at least one PC will have partial visions of someone on the Lotus side that causes intense hatred in the eyes of the body he inhabited….

Wang decides to bury the bodies of his comrades. Regardless of whether the PCs help or not, cut to after the burials. Wang decides to lead the PCs to his lair, to find if it is still inhabited. The group sets out into the night, heading toward the hills.

Scene Five: The Bandit Camp

As the group arrives at Wang's hideout, they will find that the survivors of Wang's bandit gang did flee here. They also have a new leader. Yun Tak-Wah, another Bandit chieftan, has taken over Wang's gang, and refuses to give the band back to Wang. He also accuses Wang of siding with the enemy, citing the Victim as proof that he sold his old gang out. Wang challenges Yun, who refuses to battle a demonspawn. He offers to battle one of the players in hand to hand combat. He picks up his halberd-like weapon, and prepares for battle. If the PCs decide to use guns, the gang (all mooks) will also attack, and Wang will side with the gang against the PCs! He doesn't want his men killed, and would rather fight the PCs than allow his former allies to be slaughtered. If the PC agrees to fight without guns, then the winner can decide who will lead the gang.

Cool Stuff in the Bandit Lair

If the PC has no weapon to speak of, there are some items they can use in the bandit's lair: wicker chairs at the main dining table, and the table itself. There are also large porcelin jugs of wine, which can be smashed over someone's head (though breaking a full one won't endear the PC to the bandit mooks much). There are also wooden bowels for the bandit's rice, and wooden chopsticks (if thrown, they do base damage of 5, if used to stab, they do Str + 1)

Running the Battle

As long as one PC fights Yun, and does so fairly, the mooks will not interfere. This fight is basically to help Wang retake leadership of his gang, and any outright attacks on his men (such as using guns, etc) will force Wang to turn on the players, as he considers these men to be under his protection as much as he considers the Victim to be. This situation is a good opportunity for the Gm to stress the cultural differences between Wang & The PCs. If they consider blasting away at the gang, have Wang warn them that this would force him to side with the bandits against him. Let them argue somewhat (if you can), then allow a PC with a cooler head to prevail. The thought of having to fight Yun, Wang, The Victim & the mooks, especially if they are not from AD 69, would make them the bad guys in a sense.

Aftermath

Yun should be defeated. If he lives (i.e., the PC didn't kill him), he will agree to serve as Wang's lieutenant in the gang. The mooks will all cheer Wang's return from The Underworld (they belive the SERU team to be silver devils), and proceed to get rip-roaring drunk with Wang & the PCs. After a few rounds, the mooks will even lighten up around The Victim, as Wang points out she was forced into this position by the villainous Ba Lung. If the Victim took down Ba Lung, the mooks will be more respectful at her destruction of the demon.

Wang will stay sober throughout the celebration, his eyes brooding over the survivors of his men. He speaks to Yun in hushed whispers, and Yun's face takes on a look of concern. Eventually, the two of them will retire to Wang's private quarters, where they can speak in private…

Scene Six: Raid on the Lotus!

The next day, while everyone is recovering from the celebration, Wang takes the players aside. He spent most of the night in discussion with Yun, and is now up to date on what has transpired since the battle against the Lotus. The gang took heavy losses, but after merging with Yun's gang, have recovered most of their strength. With Wang back, their morale is back, and with the aid of the PCs and the Victim, Wang feels he can deal a deadly blow to the Lotus. If the PCs agree to help him, he plans on attacking a Lotus caravan and taking the taxes they have reaped from the people of the province. They will then take a portion for themselves (his men believe in Wang's cause, but still need to eat!), and give the rest back to the people. The players, with their strange weapons and appearance should help turn the tide in Wang's favor. The player's should agree, and a plan is made.

Two days later, the PCs are set up with Wang and his men to ambush the Lotus caravan. It winds down the road, reaching the point where Wang wants to spring his trap. The caravan reaches an obstacle in their path and stops to clear it. Wang's men cut them off from behind, and Wang signals the attack. Leading his men, Wang leaps down on the Lotus forces, and prepares to attack. As he leads the charge, he stops short, as do his men. Standing alongside the ranks of the Lotus forces is none other than Yip Loo, one of Wang's original lieutenants! The PC who had those fractured visions will have a sudden flashback to the previous battle, and recall that the man whose body he had inhabited during the vision was killed by Yip! Wang will confront his former ally, demanding to know why he betrayed him, at which point Yip Loo will defiantly state that as he could never expect to become leader of the gang someday, he found a new master who could give him the power he craved. He smiles malevolently, and proclaims that Wang and all his men will will destroyed this day. At that point, the battle begins in earnest!

Running the Battle

This scene is basically a large scale battle. Instead of wasting precious time on the entire battle, focus on the players, and occasionally describe to them bits and pieces of the battle that rages around them. Don't even bother rolling dice for Wang, Yun or The Victim; I will have suggestions for some of them later. For the PCs, there should be some opposition, just to keep them busy, so a few named characters are described to give them a fight. Pick and choose which ones you want to fight the players, and have the rest face the named GMC's in descriptive combat. Stats for some Lotus mooks (dressed as imperial troops) are there just to throw in once in awhile.

Cool Stuff

As this is basically a road with hills on either side, there really isn't much cool stuff around. However, as the caravan consists of wagons, the PCs should have fun conducting a running fight with some of the above named GMCs through the caravan. Leaping over/under wagons, fighting in the back of one, etc.

Wacking of the Lotus Thugs

Once all the named Lotus GMCs are taken out, the mooks will all sufer an additional −1 av to all future attacks. If intimidated, they will simply break and run.

Running the Battle

While the PCs are engaged in their own battles, it might be fun to describe some of the sights of battle around them. The occasional bandit mook in struggle with an imperial soldier, or Wang, Yun or the Victim against another named GMC.

An idea that springs to mind is having The Ogre or Yip Loo attack the Victim, and beat her down. As she vainly tries to ward him off, Wang goes beserk, and attacks them from behind. He is merciless in his attack, taking off the Ogre or Yip's head with one sweep of his saber. If Yip is her attacker, he explodes in this giant fireball, and mooks around him fly into their air, their bodies buring. Wang is knocked down, his armor tatterd by the blast. He then cradles The Victim in his arms, his face betraying his concern. To all present, it should be obvious that Wang's feelings are much more than that of a protector.

Aftermath

The PCs and their allies should prove victorious over the Lotus forces, driving off the survivors. They take the caravan back to Wangs's hideout, and his gang takes their share. Later that evening, peasants arrive, and Wang gives them the rest of the treasure to redistribute to the people of the province. The peasants humbly give their thanks, and bless the gang for their kindness. The gang then proceeds to once more get drunk!

Scene Seven: A Fond Farewell

A few days after the battle, Wang approaches the PCs, and suggests that they should return to their own time. “While your presence adds to our might, the Lotus may also know of the portals, and thus could threaten your time. Therefore, you should return, and protect your land from the depridations of these foul Eunuchs”.

Wang and his men escort the PCs to the portal. Before they leave, the Victim tells them she has decided to stay in AD 69, and aid Wang. “I don't belong in that time anymore. It's not like I can go back to my job looking like this!” Wang again thanks the PCs for their help, and pledges them his eternal friendship. He tells them that if they ever need his help, he will gladly traverse the Netherworld to aid them. The bandits all raise their weapons in a rowdy cheer, and the PCs enter the portal, starting their journey home. They bid AD 69 a fond farewell, at least until the sequel :)

Author's Comments: Some Ideas

If you want to have the PCs stay longer than suggested in Scene Six, here are some basic ideas for adventure hooks in AD 69. Please note that some of these ideas will occur in the sequel I plan on writing in the near future, so if you're willing to wait for it, then I suggest using suggestion #1, and parts “B” & “D” of suggestion #3, as I have all ready discarded those ideas for the sequel :)

1. The SERU team the PCs fought in their own time had one last unit. Two more named GMCs, and some more mooks attack them in the past, trying to capture The Victim and Wang.
2. Black Flag (see Blood of the Valiant) and her servants want Wang's gang to join them. Wang refuses, and Black Flag tries to force the issue. This allows the PCs to run afoul of the Guiding Hand without even realizing it!
3. How did Wang become immortal? He always skirts the issue, claiming he doesn't remember. Some suggestions:
   • He made a pact with some demonic entity, and that being is VERY pissed that he is using his abilities for good. Worse yet: His Father made a pact, and is now a spirit in the service of the Underworld. When the demon his father made the pact with gets angry at Wang, he sends the Ghost of his own father to confront him!
   • He is actually a Lotus servant who doesn't remember. He is supposed to join with Black Flag, then at a critical moment, the Lotus will reactivate him, and he will betray her forces, and attempt to kill/capture her.
   • His immortality is tied to his attunement to a Feng Shui site near his bandit enclave. He fears the Lotus will de-attune him, and he will die. Thus, he opposes them for more selfish reasons, and aids the common folk as a cover (kind of like the old comic book character Doctor Zero)
   • Wang is actually an Exiled God who has had his memory erased. Due to this loss of memory, his skills/attributes are less than what they should be. If he were to regain his memory, he'd be an even more formidable opponent to the Lotus in this region!
4. How did the players experience that flashback at the site of the first battlefield? If you use “C” from idea 3, it could be explained as follows: When Wang let out his cry of pain & rage, his attunement to the local site created a flashback for him. The players were swept up into this flashback.
5. Who did Yip Loo swear his allegiance to? While the Lotus seems a likely choice, his actions implied that he was more of an ally than a servant of the Lotus. If using “A” from idea 3, Yip could have sworn allegiance to the demonic being who made Wang immortal. Even better, Wang's father could be the agent who turned Yip Loo against him!

All content copyright ©1997-2004 by David Eber, unless stated otherwise. (Read the legal fine print.)

Last modified: