Modern AGE - Warflower
Modern AGE - Warflower
Modern AGE - Warflower
Warflower
W
arflower is a Modern AGE adventure designed note the ones they like the best and the ones they’d like to
for 1st to 4th level characters, in which the use in various general situations (combat, investigation,
heroes track down the Warflower, a medieval stealth, etc.), especially when they involve actions their
treatise on alchemy and swordplay. Although it character is skilled at.
was long thought lost, this obscure text wasn’t widely missed,
since its author and subject matter are only interesting to a
few eccentrics and specialists. Nevertheless, unknown forces Adventure Overview
seize it violently. Who are they? Why did they take it? Why
is the Warflower valuable? The answers to these questions, Let’s look at the adventure’s structure.
provided by the story and the Game Master’s choices, shape
the adventure ahead. Act 1 — Violent Bidding
Before we get to the adventure, let’s go over its structure and As the Player Characters attend an auction at Iannucci’s
some notes on preparation. First off, read the entire adven- Auctions, a commotion summons them behind the stage,
ture before you start. It includes at least two distinct paths where they encounter two groups in furious combat: sword
for characters to take, and multiple possible secrets at its fighters from the Society of Perugia and gangsters from the
conclusion. Golden Thorn. Neither identify themselves, and those who
remain after the fight don’t know who stole what they were
Mode Selection trying to take but couldn’t find: a medieval book called the
Warflower. It also becomes apparent to the characters that
Modern AGE’s rules can be implemented with multiple options, someone wants to keep the police out of it.
called modes. Select a mode in which to run the adventure, but
be aware that we recommend Pulpy or Cinematic mode. Gritty Act 2 — Chivalry is Dead
mode may prove too deadly for this adventure. The more The characters follow one or more leads in this act. Tracking
“realistic” the mode, the less combat should be emphasized. the Society of Perugia leads them to a martial arts school
whose leader believes the Warflower will teach hidden secrets
Stunt Selection of the sword. The Golden Thorn reveals itself to be a drug
gang playing at alchemy, whose leader thinks the book
Modern AGE includes a large number of stunts. Any char- contains the secrets of immortality. Researching the book
acter can use virtually any stunt, but we advise players to suggests that, from certain points of view, it could contain
both secrets. Neither group has the Warflower, though not free to make up locations in the city, or if you prefer, relocate
for lack of trying. Beyond the Society, the Thorn, and several the adventure to a real city you’re familiar with.
unremarkable collectors, a now-dead lawyer employed by
TrevTech’s (a major corporation and local employer) CEO Act 1
Amanda Trevayne was supposed to bid on the book. Trev-
ayne is scheduled to throw a party, and the characters can
bypass her security by attending. Trevayne encouraged both Violent Bidding
the Society of Perugia and the Golden Thorn to seize the book,
While this act contains several scene-setting resources, these
creating confusion while her own agents spirited it away, but
exist to help GMs run things smoothly and dive straight into
nobody knows this yet.
the action. Set it up and get to the fighting relatively quickly,
Act 3 — The Carnival is Over before players get distracted by details.
Read or paraphrase the following:
After following the clues, the characters attend Amanda
Trevayne’s party at the TrevTech Building. The characters The bidding room at Iannucci’s Auctions has the usual
use observation and social maneuvering to find their way to features: a room with rows of chairs, a stage where the items up
Trevayne and the Warflower. As they arrive, she’s inspecting it for auction will be presented, and a small table by the entrance
in a lab on the 9th floor. with wine and hors d’oeuvres. The owner, Marco, hired you to
blend in with the bidders, find out who they are, and get a sense
Act 4 — Harvesting the Warflower of their intentions. He’s worried about thieves and eccentrics
The characters penetrate the lab and confront Amanda Trev- targeting one item, which is already on stage, watched by the
ayne. At this point, GMs are presented with three options. room’s lone security guard. This is the Dominus Muscas, or
In the first, Trevayne is a martial artist of near-supernatural “Lord of Flies,” a gold-and-silver-coated scepter topped with a
skill, who wanted the Warflower to unlock the final secret of block of amber containing a large, prehistoric insect. It’s sched-
her path. In the second, she’s an alchemist, ready to produce uled to come up midway through the auction. Bidding starts
the secrets of immortality on an industrial scale—and having in five minutes.
paid an awful price for acquiring it herself. In the third
Iannucci’s Auctions specializes in medieval and Renaissance
scenario, the Warflower’s true secret is an accurate formula for
antiquities. As noted, the Dominus Muscas has already been
Greek Fire, which can be exploited in any number of patent-
able technologies in the energy and defense sectors. laid out on a pedestal in the bidding room. Reputedly owned
by the Counts of Toulouse, the Dominus was associated with
the Cathars and, later, 18th-Century Satanists, and has been
Choose Your Own Finale mentioned in folktales of ghosts and devils. Marco Iannucci
is worried about thieves, religious extremists, and unhinged
As noted, Act 4 presents three options, so the GM can followers of the occult disrupting its sale, which is scheduled
customize the adventure according to the genre they want to take place midway through the auction. Because of the
to use. One variant of the martial arts option is suitable for item’s location out front, Marco doesn’t want the characters
games where psychic powers are possible, while the alchemy going backstage. Other items come from a storage area there,
option may fit games with magical elements. The last option, transported via a Lazy Susan and a cut-out in the wall which
where the Warflower’s secret is a chemical formula, best fits is covered by black curtains.
games where extraordinary phenomena aren’t a factor. The
GM should pick one of these options ahead of time and, if This item isn’t the focus of the adventure, but presents a false
desired, adjust the rest of the adventure to fit. front to be quickly dropped after the action heats up.
It doesn’t have anything to do with the adventure beyond The characters should unlock the location of the Society of
being the reason the PCs are there in the first place—unless Perugia’s training hall.
Unlocking Method
Each Society fighter brought a well-crafted, sharp long sword.
Characters with the Strength (Machining) focus automatically
know these are handmade, and characters with the Intelligence
(History) focus automatically know these swords are careful
reproductions of historical designs—15th-Century Italian, if
anyone succeeds at a TN 12 Intelligence (History) test. Each
sword has a makers’ mark: “IM” for swordsmith Irina Maka-
renko of Moscow, who can be found with an internet search
via a TN 10 Intelligence (Computers) test. By social media
message or email, Makarenko reveals she shipped twenty
of these swords—her largest order ever—to the Society of
Perugia. She provides the address of its training hall.
Second Lead
The Training Hall
Situation
After discovering the Society of Perugia’s training hall, the char-
acters go there to find out more about the fate of the Warflower
and the Society’s role. Read or paraphrase the following:
Second Lead
Shadowhouse
Situation
Thanks to past clues, the characters come upon Shadow-
house, the mobile party where the Golden Thorn sells drugs
to revelers, meets business partners, and conducts its peculiar
rituals. On the evening the characters visit, Shadowhouse is
being held in an office building, in a space formerly occupied
by an elite marketing firm. Read or paraphrase the following
as they approach:
When the characters get to the sixth floor, read or paraphrase Final Lead
the following description:
Special Delivery
The entire sixth floor has had its non-supporting walls
removed, leaving a cavernous space for dancers. Three people Situation
serve drinks and drugs from a bar made of shoved-together
The characters have entered the presence of the Chemist,
office desks. Revelers use various substances openly. The bar
upstairs at Shadowhouse. Read or paraphrase the following:
sits across from a huge, thundering PA system, with two DJs
at work and pulsating lights. A banner between the main The former executive lounge on the seventh floor is well deco-
speakers says “SHADOWHOUSE,” with each O containing rated, with red-shaded lamps and vintage furniture. A rug is
the Golden Thorn’s symbol. Hundreds of partiers dance in curled at the edges, indicating it’s been put down recently.
dense packs when they aren’t resting on broken office furni- Strange symbols, angels, and devils are woven through it,
ture. The noise and strobing lights make people almost impos- and at its heart you see the rose and thorny cross symbol of
sible to hear or see unless they’re right next to you. the Golden Thorn. A muscular man in a white shirt and black
In the middle of the dance floor, an open spiral staircase pants serves drinks to a dozen people seated around the room.
ascends a cutaway in the ceiling to twin frosted glass doors He has a large knife in a belt sheath. In a large, wingback chair,
on the seventh floor, backlit in red. A tall, tough-looking man a woman in a red-and-gold dress drinks a martini, occasionally
and a woman who almost looks like his twin guard these doors, stopping to enter notes in a thick, black, hardcover journal. A
hands never far from their shoulder holsters. You catch one hulking man stands by her side. He’s got the Golden Thorn’s
or two people with dour expressions circulating through the sign tattooed on his forehead. He’s got a gun and a holstered
crowd, obviously here to work, not play. stun baton.
Most partygoers are simple non-combatants, but the GM may The woman in the red-and-gold dress is the Chemist. Her
add more interesting NPCs to the mix if they wish. The less right-hand man, Oliver, is never far from her. She occasion-
amused people on the stairs and in the crowd are Golden ally circulates among her guests, who are a mix of well-heeled
Thorn gangsters with SA pistols and bullet-resistant cloth occultists and organized crime representatives—all non-
armor (see Chapter 4 of Modern AGE). The chaotic environ- combatants, as she has assured them this is a safe place. The
ment imposes a -2 penalty to Perception-based tests that rely servers are Golden Thorn gangsters who’ve been cleaned
on sight or hearing, and on Accuracy-based tests to shoot up for the meeting and, consequently, are only armed with
opponents at a distance. The thick crowd (and the ways they daggers.
might move in a panic) can impose additional complications,
or even a trampling hazard (see Chapter 8 of Modern AGE for Given enough time, the PCs might see a curious ritual unfold.
hazard levels and damage). A guest steps to the center of the carpet and is draped with a
black cloth, so their face is hidden. The Chemist steps forward
Unlocking Method and, after an exchange of nonsense syllables with the guest,
holds a knife to their throat. “Let me come out of darkness to
The Chemist and other senior members of the Golden Thorn see endless light. My life is forfeit,” says the guest, to which
are on the seventh floor, which used to house the executive the Chemist replies by removing the knife and cloth, saying,
level of the firm which once occupied the building. The charac- “I make you a Zelator of the Eternal Order, to seek the Philos-
ters can get in by reciting the passphrase, “(We are/I am) here opher’s Stone of light, and life everlasting.” The Chemist then
for the rose, not the cross.” Otherwise, they will have to bluff produces a syringe and injects it into the guest’s neck—and
or force their way past the door guards with clever lies and/ the guest collapses, caught by Oliver. The guest will proceed
or Communication tests. The bodyguards and other Thorn to convulse and babble for several minutes, with the Chemist
gangsters begin with a Standoffish attitude. Failed social tests occasionally asking strange questions (“What is the color of
worsen their attitudes by one step each as they grow more and the light?”). Occultists see this as an initiation. Crooks see
more suspicious, until at Very Hostile, they’ll escort the charac- it as an annoying ritual they must deal with to acquire the
ters out at gunpoint. Assume that one gangster per character is Chemist’s drugs. Six steel suitcases hold “samplers” of these,
always available to throw them out. If things get serious, one destined to be sent off with various guests. They are neatly
of the guards uses an alarm app to warn Oliver, who will escort arrayed on a mahogany table.
Violence
Oliver will protect the Chemist first and the drugs second.
He responds to lethal threats with his pistol and hand-
to-hand dangers with his stun baton. He or the server
will use a major action to alert other Golden Thorn thugs
via cell phone. The two working the door enter after one
round. 1d3 additional thugs arrive every 1d3 rounds, with
a maximum number to be determined by the GM. Oliver
will fight to the death if necessary, but the other thugs will
generally flee if shot, and are forced to make TN 11 Will-
power (Morale) tests to remain in combat after witnessing
death or incapacitation, or after losing more than half
their Health. The others in the room are too high and/or
frightened to do anything but flee. The Chemist has keys
to the back offices and corridors leading to passenger and
service elevators on the seventh floor, but only attempts
escape at the last moment, since running away abandons
thousands of dollars in drugs and party revenue. If appre-
hended by force, she tells the characters anything they
want to know.
Bargaining
Threats to contact the police are ineffective because the
Chemist is confident Amanda Trevayne protects them.
However, The Chemist knows Mortensen and, if the PCs
have identified his body, suspects Trevayne has double
crossed her, especially since Trevayne has been conspicu-
ously absent from Shadowhouse gatherings for the past
month. This may prompt an offer to pay the characters in
exchange for stealing the Warflower from Trevayne. Amanda Trevayne was the Chemist’s best disciple. Trev-
ayne used her influence over the city’s government to let
Deception the Golden Thorn operate without police interference.
The characters might pretend to be fellow students of the The Chemist suspects Trevayne betrayed her and took the
occult, organized crime representatives, or well-heeled Warflower for herself, and fears her “wayward disciple” will
drug users (common drug users are relegated to the bar now unleash the police she previously held back. Fearing
downstairs). Oliver vets visitors before they get to talk to exposure, the Chemist is willing to let the PCs go if they steal
the Chemist. To get through him, characters will generally the Warflower for her. Unaware of these events, Trevayne’s
have to succeed at Communications tests opposed by his less-than-competent personal assistant still sent the Chemist
Empathy and penalized by his Standoffish attitude. They tickets to the TrevTech Masquerade Ball. There are as many as
can’t pretend to be the thugs the Chemist originally sent the GM needs to get the PCs there.
because she and Oliver know them by sight. Questions If worst comes to worst and the Chemist flees, the charac-
about the Warflower will seem curious to the Chemist, since ters find the tickets in the journal she drops along the way,
she’s concealed her interest in it from all but her inner circle along with notes (scrawled between weird occult insights and
of aspiring alchemists, but she might accept that someone diagrams) which reveal all the information above.
else is on the trail of its secrets and offer to share them in
exchange for acquiring the book. Clue and Next Lead
No matter the approach, the characters should end up
knowing the Chemist wanted the Warflower for its supposed The characters should come out of this with tickets to the
alchemical knowledge. The book is supposed to contain a TrevTech charity ball and the knowledge that Trevayne, a
recipe for the Philosopher’s Stone, which in the Chemist’s would-be alchemist, probably stole the Warflower for herself.
interpretation of such lore is the secret of immortality. The
seller’s requirement to scan the book prompted the Chemist to
try to steal it, because she doesn’t want to share those secrets
Other Information
and even believes they could be dangerous to the uninitiated. Characters investigating the Warflower’s disappearance may
Her operatives failed, but she wants the book as badly as ever. follow these other leads and information sources.
Researching the Warflower using the fob. His wallet is in the glove box. Medical records
indicating his terminal condition can be found in a box on the
The Warflower is an obscure late medieval text hailing from back seat, along with enough tickets to the TrevTech charity
the 15th Century. Physically, it consists of 144 pages on 36 ball to get the characters in (these were originally meant for
sheets of vellum, bound between two leather-wrapped Mortensen and his family). A TN 9 Intelligence (Research)
wooden boards. While the original Warflower hasn’t been test or knowledge of the law or corporate community in New
seen for centuries, several Renaissance works on alchemy, Coventry reveals his connection to TrevTech.
strategy, and military engineering refer to it as a valuable Among the bidders at the auction, Shane Booth and Anne
source of knowledge. Monet both recognize him by sight due to their corporate
Learning anything else about the Warflower requires a TN law connections, and identify him as the lawyer to TrevTech’s
10 Intelligence (History) or TN 12 Intelligence (Occult or CEO, Amanda Trevayne.
Research) advanced test with intervals of one hour. Consult
the following table for the knowledge characters accumu- TrevTech
late along with points toward the Success Threshold. Reveal
these as the points are accumulated, based on the focus What about TrevTech? Everyone in New Coventry knows
being used. it’s the wealthiest corporation in town, and the only one of
its size to keep its headquarters in the city. Any additional
Alas Poor Mortensen research uncovers the fact that the company was founded by
CEO Amanda Trevayne in 1995. Fresh out of MIT with a PhD
Shawn Mortensen is a lawyer for Mortensen and Guile, a law in Theoretical Chemistry, New Coventry native Trevayne
firm employed by TrevTech. Mortensen’s job was to open the founded her company on several patents covering the design
loading door at Iannucci’s, pass off the Warflower to Amanda and modeling of chemical compounds using computer
Trevayne’s operatives, and kill himself to frame anyone else neural networks. Subsequent patents covered the compounds
going after the book for his death. He had incurable lymphatic invented using this method (most of which are obscure to
cancer and was willing to commit suicide (after taking some laypeople, but hugely profitable) and other neural net-driven
exotic Golden Thorn drugs to reduce his pain and anxiety) in simulation software covering biological processes, pharma-
exchange for a hefty payment to his family. He used a sword ceuticals, high-level physics, and most recently, virtual reality.
identical to those used by the Society of Perugia to help Trevayne makes few public appearances, but media profiles
muddy the waters of any subsequent investigation. indicate she still performs research and development for the
company.
Mortensen has black hair, green eyes, and pale skin which has
been rendered truly ashen by death. He wears coveralls over a The company isn’t particularly good or bad compared to
two-thousand-dollar bespoke suit. His coverall pockets contain other large tech outfits, with the only notable scandal being
a Golden Thorn drug baggie of the type left in Iannucci’s office. reports of CTO Martin Schreck drinking heavily, disrobing,
He was smart enough to leave his wallet in his car to frustrate ranting, and having to be restrained by his own bodyguard
investigators, but not smart enough to discard his car keys during a flight to Bangalore last year. This information may
and fob. His BMW is parked nearby and chirps in response to come in handy if the characters meet Schreck in Act 3.
The Carnival platform, past the pool), each of them has a pair of security
guards dressed as Venetian mercenaries. Their shoulder-
Option 1
Option 3 Adversaries
Greek Fire & Other NPCs
The following NPCs figure in this adventure. In addition, use
This is the option of choice if you wish to run this as a straightfor- characters from Chapter 9 of Modern AGE where required.
ward espionage game. Trevayne may be interested in medieval Security guards as listed on pages 138-139 of the Modern AGE
swordplay and mysticism, but her real interest in the Warflower Basic Rulebook come up repeatedly.
is chemical. It contains the genuine formula for Greek Fire, as
used by the Byzantine Empire. Long thought lost, Greek Fire Marco Iannucci
was believed to be a napalm-like substance the empire’s mili-
Marco is a non-combatant: a shrewd businessman who
tary used in naval engagements. It would continue to burn even
traded in a History PhD for life as an antiquities dealer. Marco
after being drenched with water. Amanda Trevayne believed
has friends and contacts all over the world and is fluent in
Greek Fire was more than a simple incendiary weapon, and she
multiple languages (as many as the GM finds convenient).
was right. The true Greek Fire is a ballotechnic substance; when
He’s a strapping 44-year-old man with dirty blond hair, who
subjected to pressure it produces heat, and it has an energy
would be well-dressed if he weren’t constantly rolling up
density close to that produced by a lithium-oxygen chemical cell.
his sleeves and loosening his tie to get a better look at the
Trevayne can use the formula to produce several revolutionary
valuables he trades. Marco has an encyclopedic knowledge
energy-sector and military technologies, but if it’s discovered to
of European history, but tends to be absent-minded and only
have come from an ancient book, it won’t be patentable. While
calls upon his knowledge when prompted. Iannucci is a bit
she plans to keep the book if she can, she would rather destroy
of a cheapskate with anyone he considers to be less impor-
it than let it be copied. Unfortunately, she can’t help but brag
tant than himself—but he does respect the PCs enough to pay
about the discovery—and ups her bribe offer to include perma-
them well.
nent positions as “consultants.” If the characters refuse, this is
a secret Trevayne is willing to kill for, though she can’t rely on Marco has a sister, Maria, an art historian who works for
anyone but herself and her two guards to carry it out. In such a Iannucci’s part time. The following statistics fit her as well.
case, she might avoid calling for backup.
Numerous samples of reddish-black liquid in sealed test Marco Iannucci
tubes stand throughout the lab. If the Stunt Die scores 1 on a Accuracy 0, Communication 4 (Bargaining, Persuasion),
failed ranged attack or a test tube is subjected to sudden force, Constitution 2, Dexterity 0, Fighting 0,
it explodes, inflicting 3d6 damage in a five-foot radius in the Intelligence 4 (Art, Business, History, Research),
form of a fiery shockwave. Perception 3 (Empathy), Strength 1, Willpower 0
Weapon Attack Roll Damage* Favored Stunts: Adrenaline Rush (1-3 SP), Vicious Blow
(2 SP)
Long Sword +7 2d6+5
Equipment: Pocket Pistol, Cell Phone, Drug Packets
Grappling Grip +7 1d3+5
SMG 0 2d6 Threat: Minor