TEXT: Gen Con 2005
  Fireborn Adventure
  ADVENTURE
  BACKGROUND
  Ages ago, a brood of dragons failed to accomplish a
  task set to them by the fae. Duped by another fae, they
  unwittingly gave up a great treasure, the Soul Box. The
  members of the brood fell to petty infighting, dishonor-
  ing themselves, and eventually coming to blows. Each
  time they have re-incarnated, they come together. But as
  they re-connect with their previous lives, they remember
  their ages-old failure (and falling out), begin arguing,
  and again fail to complete their original task. Sometimes
  they even destroy each other.
  The Soul Box has changed hands many times over
  the eons. The fae within the box can grant the person
  who possesses the Soul Box great power to influence
  other mortals, for good or ill, by making him or her a
  sort of nexus point for karma. The current owner is
  Damian Locke, a powerful member of the Gehenna
  Consortium. He keeps the box in his townhouse in
  Richmond upon Thames.
  Now the great wheel has come around again, and the
  scions are reborn in the modern age. Once again, the
  brood comes together, to share their dreams and remem-
  ber, and maybe this time, finish the job they started so
  long ago!
  Lock, Stock, and Three Smoking Souls is an adven-
  ture for six starting scions, and can be played at con-
  ventions or to kick off a Fireborn campaign (see “Raw
  Recruits”, pg 19 of the Fireborn Gamemaster’s Guide).
  The tone is meant to be somewhat tongue in cheek,
  but the adventure can easily be played as serious as you
  want it to be.
  ADVENTURE
  SUMMARY
  Scene 1: A Copy of A Copy—In which the scions
  discover they are sharing the same dream, and that they
  really need a group hug.
  Scene 2: Not my Fault!—In which the scions expe-
  rience a flashback, remember past failures, and make
  lousy excuses.
  Scene 3: A Bird with a Beef—In which a snotty fae
  messenger tells the scions where to stick it.
  Scene 4: Petty Crimes, Petty Criminals—In which
  the scions rob a house, remember uncomfortable truths,
  and discover the differences between guard dog breeds.
  Scene 5: Who Let The Dogs Out?—In which the
  scions discover the difference between guard dogs and
  skinhead werewolves.
  Scene 6: Compound Interest—In which the scions
  make delivery, tangle with the Brothers of Cernunnos,
  and discover that when you borrow from the karmic
  loan shark, you never really get out from under.
  INTRODUCTION
  This adventure assumes starting characters who are
  just beginning to “wake up” to their memories of their
  previous lives as dragons. Each is tormented by a vivid
  and disturbing dream whenever they fall asleep. The
  scions don’t know this yet, but they are all having the
  same dream, and furthermore, their dreams are “in
  synch,” seeming to always play in a continuous loop
  that picks up in different spots in the “tape” depending
  on when they sleep. This means that if two of the scions
  crash at midnight on Tuesday evening, they both enter
  the dream at the same spot in the story.
  This dream is bad enough for these particular scions
  that they suffer from insomnia. So although they are
  exhausted and walk around in a fugue, they can’t keep
  their eyes closed for more than 30 minutes before the
  nightmare comes again, and they wake up. The most
  common images they can remember from the nightmare
  is found in Player Handout #0A. Give one copy to all
  but one player; the final player receives Player Handout
  #0B. Tell them to read it and keep it secret, then give it
  back to you.
  The trick here is that one of the PCs, chosen by you
  after characters have been selected and given Player
  Handout #0B, is actually a ringer, a Brother of
  Cernunnos who happens to also be a seer (has some
  ability to sense and latch onto the group mind commu-
  nications of others). He or she accompanies the other
  PCs and acts for all intents and purposes like a normal
  scion, but betrays them in the end.
  SCENE 1:
  A COPY OF A COPY
  Read or paraphrase the following aloud.
  It started two months ago. Two months? Maybe.
  You’re not sure. Looking at the calendar just reminds
  LOCK, STOCK, AND
  THREE SMOKING SOULS
  BY MIKE MONTESA
  
  you how long it’s been since you had a good night’s
  sleep. You tried everything—exercise, herbal remedies,
  sleeping pills, maybe even narcotics, but that just
  seemed to make things worse, made the dreams more
  real.
  It wasn’t so bad at first; just weird dreams of
  ancient cities filled with strange people. Then it all
  turned. Every time you closed your eyes the night-
  mares came. No, the NIGHTMARE came, the same one
  again and again and again and . . .
  Yeah, you tried everything. Almost. The community
  center you pass every night on the way home offers
  group counseling on Tuesday nights. Group therapy?
  Spill your guts in front of a bunch of strung out
  strangers (like yourself)? Well, it is free, after all. And
  who knows, it might work. Nothing else has.
  But there is something else compelling you to go. A
  feeling that if you do this you just might find a solution
  to your problem. There is also a strong sense, almost a
  memory, that you have done this all before . . . 
  This scene is intended to give the players an oppor-
  tunity to introduce their scions, do some role-playing
  and character building, and then provide the impetus for
  further events with a flashback that kicks off Scene 2.
  The scene opens with the scions at the community
  center for their group therapy session. You can start with
  everyone already in the room, or have them waiting
  around in the lobby. The room to be used for counseling
  is usually used for arts and crafts for the elderly, and the
  place is stocked with balls of yarn, wood glue, colored
  paper, pinecones, ribbon, and boxes full of odds and
  ends. Oh, and glitter. The whole place smells a bit like
  mothballs.
  The therapy session is led by James Hoggins, a local
  med-school intern. James wants to become a psychia-
  trist, and doing this kind of social work is part of his
  program. He only does it because he has to, and treats
  his “patients” like slow-witted little children. Although
  he really doesn’t care about the people who come to his
  sessions, he puts up a good front. The giveaway is that
  he tends not to really listen to what anyone is saying,
  and just goes through the session checking off items he’s
  supposed to cover on his list:
  1. Get the subjects to introduce themselves. (James
  does this every time, even if everyone in the group is  a
  repeat visitor.)
  2. Get the subjects to describe their problem. 
  3. “Crying time” Get the subjects to cry and release
  their tension.
  4. Feedback.
  5. Group hug. (He’s supposed to always finish the
  session on a positive note with a group hug.)
  The introductions proceed without incident. Play
  James any way you like but try to show what a fake he
  is. There should be a sense of irony in the fact that the
  scions are quite serious about their problem, but James
  doesn’t care.
  When the first scion describes his problem, the oth-
  ers quickly realize they’ve all had the same dream! Let
  the players talk about this all they want (in character).
  They may retell parts of it for each other. Some things
  might be remembered inaccurately (don’t correct them)
  James “mmms” and “ahs” and scribbles on his notepad.
  When they seem to be reaching some sort of crescen-
  do, James steps in again. “All right, all right, everyone
  calm down,” he says, seeming almost oblivious (or at
  least dismissive) of any of the scions insisting they’ve
  had the same dream. “Crying time, people. Crying time.
  Pair off. Pair off!” he says looking at his watch. “Give
  your partner a hug and just let those feelings go. It’s
  okay to cry.” Whether anyone actually cries or not does-
  n’t matter (nor does James care). But as each scion
  embraces the other, each somehow knows they have met
  before. 
  James calls a halt to “crying time” and everyone sits
  down again. The scions look at each other and can feel
  the connection. It’s like an electric charge, and it’s build-
  ing up. 
  James gives feedback on each person individually.
  This is usually in the form of “You need to embrace your
  own pain,” or “There’s a great new medication you
  should try. The side-effects are minimal,” or “I think this
  has to do with your childhood. When’s the last time you
  had a heart-to-heart with your father?” Feel free to make
  his comments as absurd or jargon-filled as you like.
  Finally, with a glance at the clock, James announces
  the close of the session. “OK people, good work today.
  We’ve unloaded a lot together, so let’s say goodbye with
  a group hug. Group hug, people. Come on.” James
  motions for everyone to come together. As they do, the
  scions feel something building, something very power-
  ful. The moment they all come together in physical con-
  tact they experience a flashback. At this point Scene 2
  begins.
  SCENE 2:
  NOT MY FAULT!
  All of the scions in the brood coming together phys-
  ically after such an intense outporing of psychic energy
  provides a touchstone for a major flashback. It starts
  with the nightmare they know so well. Read or para-
  phrase the following aloud.
  You throw up your hands to ward off the flames, but
  when you look again you are standing next to a river
  running through a forest. The colors are vivid but suf-
  fused. Two impossibly beautiful beings, faeries, in
  glowing white robes stand before them, one is male,
  one is female, but it is difficult to tell which is which.
  One holds a beautifully carved wooden box. A golden
  glow shines from within.
  “We entrust the River Daughters, the emissaries
  from Avalon, to you,” says the being, and gives the box
  to one of you.
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  Fireborn Adventure
  2
  
  The other fae continues. “They may travel only by
  moonlight, so begin your journey promptly at dusk and
  only with every member of your brood present. As the
  Daughters are bound to each other, so are you bound to
  your broodmates, and only those with such ties may bear
  the Daughters hence. Each night, when the moon is at
  its apex, allow them to partake of the waters of their
  home,” he (she?) says holding up a flask of crystal clear
  water. A few sprites pick it up out of his (her?) hands and
  give it to one of you.
  Now the first fae speaks again. “On the second night
  of your journey, allow them to refresh themselves in the
  waters of Neamsgathan.” You nod, quickly trying to
  remember where the lake, whose name means Mirror of
  Heaven, is located.
  “You must bear the Daughters all the way to your
  destination and deliver them with your own hands. We
  know that they are safe in your care. Now, go with our
  blessing.” 
  The scene then shifts through several events.
  Throughout the scenes, it is impossible for the scions to
  figure out which of them is which . . . in these dreamlike
  memories, they can’t tell who is the active one and who is
  the “failure.” Let them respond, play it out, come up with
  excuses, and hopefully laugh a bit about it. The ringer will
  pick up the same flashback as one of the others, but will
  only get vague impressions.
  One of you strides up a mountainside, anger and
  impatience threatening to overwhelm you. It is long past
  time for your broodmate to have met you and the rest
  and begun your journey with the Soul Box. Eventually
  you reach the cave in which your broodmate makes his
  home. Something is amiss, however, as a horrendous
  snarl thunders out of the cave, buffeting your wings and
  almost knocking you out of the air! Your broodmate has
  delayed the mission, but from the sounds of it he had no
  choice in the matter. Summoning the might of magic
  and readying your weapons, you streak into the cave to
  save your kin.
  Let two of the PCs choose to be the “participants” in
  this flashback. They should elucidate for the rest of the
  table what they think occurred, perhaps describing the
  ferocious battle with the beast that had taken one of them
  captive or the draining ritual to close the rift that was acci-
  dently opened into another world.
  Shift.
  It is time to give the Daughters of the River the waters
  of their home. He who has been entrusted with the Soul
  Box looks up from building the campfire to find he who
  was entrusted with the crystal flask bearing their sacred
  waters. He starts up in shock as he realizes that his
  broodmate is not yet back from hunting . . . but he left
  hours ago! Tradition dictates that dragons passing
  through this land remain in their human forms out of
  respect for the nature gods . . . could he have been
  attacked or harmed while in that more vulnerable form?
  He who was entrusted with the Soul Box graps his heal-
  ing herbs and a torch and ventures out into the savage
  woods. In a few minutes he has picked up his brood-
  mate’s scent and is on the trail. A few minutes after that
  he encounters the sight that he dreaded: his broodmate,
  lying face down on the ground, the soft pink flesh of his
  arm covered in blood.
  Shift.
  Two figures crouch above a dried-up pond, little more
  than a puddle, with something fallen in the middle. You
  circle above them in the darkness. Then you, the bodi-
  less dream observer, descend, until you realize that the
  figures are dragons, immense reptilian creatures . . . and
  that means that the dried-up pond is actually a lake.
  Lying in the middle of the once pristine body of water is
  a corpse of some horrific winged beast, a vile creature of
  darkness with blood like tar. Blood that even now spills
  into the crystalline water, polluting it forever.  As soon as
  you realize this, two of you also realize that these behe-
  moth creatures are you, that you’re all dragons, or were
  in a previous life. As the realization sets in, you both
  shake your reptiliain heads in dismay.
  After all players have experienced one of the flash-
  backs, it shifts a final time.
  You stand before a large stone menhir near a river. It
  looks like mission accomplished. Then from the river, a
  beautiful fae emerges and says, “I am the Queen of the
  River. Present my Daughters unto me and fulfill your
  oath.” You all look at each other, and realize that each
  of you is quite distinctly empty-handed. One of you
  sheepishly asks the River Queen if she has any sons. The
  majestic faerie allows a puzzled look to cross her face
  and says, “No. Why?”
  The flashback ends.
  SCENE 3: 
  A BIRD WITH A BEEF
  The flashback ends. The scions all stagger back, falling
  into or over their chairs. James Hoggins isn’t quite sure
  what just happened, but it was pretty weird. He doesn’t
  have much more to say except “Goodnight,” and he
  leaves.
  The scions can stay there and try to put it all together,
  or go somewhere else, a pub perhaps, to sort things out.
  Or maybe they want to go home and think things over. Let
  the players talk, in character, about what they think it all
  means. If they start blaming each other for what hap-
  pened, that fits very nicely in with upcoming events!
  Whatever they do, before they split up again, Eolande
  pays them a visit. Eolande is a fae messenger, one of the
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  Fireborn Adventure
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  Noble Sidhe. Eolande doesn’t look all that noble how-
  ever, dressed as she is like a cross between a goth and a
  punk rocker. If the scions decide to just go home after
  the meeting, she’s in the lobby waiting for them. If they
  decide to head for a pub, she approaches them there (and
  they may catch a glimpse of her following them to their
  chosen watering hole).
  Eolande is generally pretty snotty and obnoxious.
  She’s quite beautiful underneath her makeup, but has a
  sharp, piercing, nasally voice, an affectation she picked
  up to annoy other more regal fae. She’s even more uppi-
  ty with the scions because she’s done this many times
  before – met the reborn scions to fill them in on what
  they are supposed to do - and for her, the novelty wore
  off a long time ago.
  Read or paraphrase the following aloud when they
  meet her.
  The woman in front of you looks like she escaped
  from a Siouxsie and the Banshees fan club meet-
  ing—spiky black hair, dark makeup around her eyes,
  black bolero jacket, big lacy purple skirt, and clunky
  leather boots laced up to her knees. But in her eyes you
  see something timeless, and you instantly feel that she
  is far more than what she seems. She’s even attractive,
  in an ethereal sort of way. Then she starts talking and
  you wish she hadn’t.
  “It’s about time you lot sorted yourselves out!” she
  says. “Enjoy your group hug? I’ve been waiting for a
  long time!” (about 50 years in some cases she says, if
  asked, though she doesn’t look a day over 19) 
  “Right, so are you ready?”
  The PCs will probably respond: “Ready for what?”
  To finish what you started you nob! For someone
  who’s had SOOOO many bloody chances to get it right
  and buggered it up SOOOOO many bloody times,
  you’d think you’d feckin’ remember!?”
  Again, time to respond.
  “Remember what? Remember what happened last
  time you sods tried to get this cosmic cock-up sorted
  out, that’s what. Lemme spell it out for you. You all got
  killed. Well, not exactly. You did die though. And it was
  ‘cause o’ each other. Wasn’t the first time, either. Last
  time ‘round, you and you (she points at two of the PCs)
  were crooks, and you got all upset and started shoot-
  ing. Any of you geezers got weapons on you? I hope
  not. Leastways don’t go at it until I leave.”
  By this time the PCs are likely to want to interrupt,
  barrage her with questions, and so on. Use the following
  as talking points to respond to the PCs’ questions.
  PCs: I don’t get it.
  Eolande: Don’t just look at me like you were born
  yesterday, because you weren’t, and neither was I for
  that matter. Right, now I’ve got an appointment and the
  sooner I get this over with the sooner I can leave you to
  your own fates.
  PCs: What do we need to do?
  Eolande: If it isn’t plain as the nose on your face,
  you need to get the Soul Box back and deliver it, to the
  right people this time! Not to Bloody Baron High
  Unseelie Bastard, and no that isn’t his real name.
  PCs: Who’s the Baron you’re talking about?
  Eolande: The bloke that ONE of you sells out to,
  every damn time!!! And know, I don’t know who the
  ringer is. I bet even you saps don’t know, till you turn on
  the others.
  PCs: What’s the Soul Box?
  Eolande: Bah. If you can’t remember I’m not goin’
  into it. Just get it and give it, got it?
  PCs: Why should we get it for you?
  Eolande: You gotta finish what you started. It’s
  karma. You accepted a geas from the Arcadian Court but
  you cocked up. So, you have to keep going round and
  round ‘til you finish it.
  PCs: What the feck are you talking about!?!?!? This
  is nuts.
  Eolande: <Blank stare; she’s dealt with newly awak-
  ened mythic agers too often to have the patience for ‘the
  big talk’ anymore. She’ll just let them cope with the
  absurd impossibility of it all on their own time>
  PCs: Where’s the Soul Box?
  Eolande: The Soul Box is in the possession of a man
  named Damian Locke. Locke is mortal, rich, and some
  kind of occultist. He’s hooked up with some people who
  have a lot of juice, supernatural juice, and he’s headed
  for the top in his organization, the Gehenna Something-
  or-other. Those tits-up secret societies never last long
  enough to remember. Anyways, he’s got it and you need
  to get it. Lives in a big feck-off town house in Richmond
  upon Thames. Here’s the address. Very upscale.
  PCs: What do we do once we get it?
  Eolande: “Get the Soul Box and drop it into the
  Thames from the middle of the Tower Bridge when the
  moon is at its apogee. That means its highest point, you
  wanker. That’s it. Then your karma is yours again. Hell,
  mine too, because once you do this, I’ll never have to
  wait around to give you this message again!
  PCs: We’re not much for breaking and entering. Isn’t
  there something else we can try?
  Eolande: He’s sure not gonna sell it or trade it ! No,
  there’s no other way to break the cycle. And you can’t
  just say ‘Sorry, I’d like to cancel the geas I accepted.’
  That’s what a geas means. It’s Irish for ‘you’re
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  Fireborn Adventure
  4
  
  screwed.’ I don’t care, but it’s your karma that will be
  buggered up til the day you die. Right, here’s Locke’s
  address. Get to it!
  Eolande is in no mood to answer any other questions
  about their past lives, their origins, details on Locke, or
  anything else. If pressed, she says, “It’ll all come back
  to you eventually.” With that she leaves. If the scions try
  to follow her she uses her alternate form power to lose
  herself in the crowd.
  SCENE 4: 
  PETTY CRIMES AND
  PETTY CRIMINALS
  Damian Locke, CEO of Locke International Trust,
  has a large house in the upscale Richmond upon
  Thames. Locke keeps the Soul Box in his safe in the
  room he uses as his office. However, despite being an
  accomplished sorcerer, he’s never been able to remem-
  ber things like computer passwords or combinations,
  and has the bad habit of writing them down. He keeps a
  little notebook in his desk (which is far easier to break
  into than the safe), with the combination for the safe
  written in it (among other things, like the password for
  an internet porn site—something to do with clowns and
  cross dressing—his Amazon.uk account, and a few
  other fairly innocuous site passwords). When the scions
  attempt to get into his house, Locke is not home. Locke
  doesn’t appear in this adventure.
  The house is located in a maze of quiet cobblestone
  streets, some too narrow to drive a car through. Locke’s
  house, however, is right on the road, although it does
  have a garage entrance. Pulling a B&E job in this neigh-
  borhood is tricky, given the likelihood that one of the
  neighbors may spot them and call the police. The least
  exposed way in would be over the wall that runs along
  side the house down a narrow lane off the main road.
  The house does have electronic security, though it is
  no more severe than any of the other houses in the area
  whose owners have nothing to protect (nothing super-
  natural anyway). The real protection is in the form of
  three magically enhanced dogs (see Appendix) that have
  the run of the house and the grounds outside.
  Getting into Locke’s house isn’t easy, but it isn’t any-
  thing a skilled burglar can’t handle. Of course, the
  scions may be neither skilled nor burglars. There is no
  one in the house. The doors have high-tech keypad locks
  on them, and the windows all have sensors. There are
  motion detectors covering each room and outside area
  (the driveway and garden). Everything is integrated and
  setting off an alarm causes a siren to blare and the house
  lights to flash. The various challenges the PCs will face,
  as well as the results of the PCs’ success or failure in the
  face of each challenge, are listed below. You may pres-
  ent and describe them however you choose.
  The house itself is very stylish, and looks like some-
  thing from the pages of Architectural Digest. It is also a
  source of Taint, given that Locke has cast more than a
  few spells here (Taint Rating 1). If anyone goes down
  into the basement they find the room Locke uses, com-
  plete with a pentagram drawn in inlaid gold on the mar-
  ble floor.
  The scions will not encounter the dogs immediately,
  but they may see signs of them (a dog dish in the kitchen
  or a doggie toy, very well chewed, on the floor). 
  While going thxrough the house, dealing with the
  security systems, the dogs, or just picking things up (and
  perhaps pocketing the silver, which could be a good
  idea), the scions experience a few more flashbacks.
  Space these flashbacks out a bit (they can happen any-
  time after meeting Eolande, but should all have taken
  place before the scions recover the Soul Box from
  Locke’s safe). One scion triggers the flashback, but all
  experience it, so all the players should be party to the
  flashback narration. By the time the PCs are done with
  the scene, they should have experienced flashbacks
  #4A–#4C.
  LOCKE’S SECURITY
  Alarm System (Bypassing): The alarm system can
  be bypassed with an Earth (Senses) 6 test to notice a sec-
  ond-story window that has been left cracked partially
  open; an Air (Knowledge: Street) or Air (Tech:
  Electronics) 2 test will reveal that an open window is
  already an open circuit, so opening it wider to sneak in
  wouldn’t activate the alarm. A Fire [Athletics] 3 test is
  required to climb up to it.
  Alarm System (Deactivating): Only the alarm on
  the front or back door can be deactivated externally.
  This requires a Tech (Electronics) 4 test. If it fails (or if
  the PCs resort to just smashing the box, ripping or cut-
  ting out the wires and circuit boards, etc., the silent
  alarm draws a security response within 15 minutes.
  Doors and Windows: It requires a Tech (Mechanics)
  3 test to pick the locks on the front or back door.
  Otherwise the doorknob and lock and be broken off by
  battering it, or a window can be smashed in. Unless the
  sound from either activity is muffled, they draw a
  manservant in his nightshirt to investigate.
  MANSERVANT
  Stats: Natural being; APL 0; Init 5; Aspects Fire 1,
  Water 3, Air 4, Earth 2; Health 2m; <3 / 3+ / 6+ / 9+ /
  12+ / 15+ / 18+ / 21+; Size/Reach 0 / 2 ft.; Armor 0;
  Karma 6; Stride 20 ft. (Moderate)
  Weapons: Priceless vase 2/L, range 10ft.
  Skills: Craft: Housekeeping 4, Interaction 4,
  Knowledge: Art 3, Knowledge: High Society 4,
  Quickness 3, Stealth 2, Trickery 4.
  Edges: Circumspect 3, Stealthy 2, Survivor 1
  Traits: Human
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  The manservant is quite good at his job, but also
  tends to be quite nosy. He has learned to remain unseen
  and unheard unless asked for, and gets his kicks peeping
  in at Locke’s secret rituals and seeing or hearing things
  he’s not supposed to. In this case, he hears the PCs
  entering and thinks that it might be Locke returning with
  some exotic (and gossip-worthy) new friend.
  Unfortunately for him, it is far from it.
  In this case, he eases forward down the hall toward the
  PCs using his Stealth skill; if he spots them without being
  spotted, he slinks back to his room and calls the security
  agency. If he is spotted, he utters a shrill, feminine
  scream and runs. There is no one else in the household to
  hear him, but if he gets to a phone, the PCs will rapidly
  run out of time. If he is not caught within 3 turns he bars
  himself in, of all places, Locke’s study (A total of 10 suc-
  cesses over successive rounds needed at a Fire [Athletics]
  test to break the door down or shove the bookcase he
  knocked in front of it out of the way). After being in the
  room for 2 turns, the manservant will have called Locke’s
  security team. His terrified babbling, along with the
  motion sensors tripped by entering the study, give the
  agents cause to hurry, arriving in 5 minutes. 
  Motion Sensors: The PCs can wander the house
  with impunity until they find Locke’s study on the third
  floor. When they enter that room, an Earth (Senses) 4
  test allows the PCs to spot the telltale red L.E.D. lights
  to either side of the door. Any PC entering the room
  must accompany each single action (moving, opening
  the desk drawer, opening the safe, etc.) with an Air
  (Stealth) test opposed by the motion sensor’s Earth
  (Senses) test (they roll 3 dice for this purpose). Like the
  door alarm system, deactivating the sensors requires a
  Tech (Electronics) 4 test. Failing the test or destroying
  the motion sensor by smashing it, ripping out the wires,
  etc., brings the security response in 10 minutes.
  LOCKE’S STUDY
  This room is filled with a combination of elegant
  decore and gaudy occult paraphenalia. The most notice-
  able furniture are a green leather sofa with ashtrays built
  into the armrests, an elephantine oak desk, and behind
  that a curving bookshelf filled with all manner of legal
  and arcane texts. 
  Finding the safe hidden in the bookshelf here is easy,
  requiring an Air (Senses) 1 test. Those who think to
  search the desk find the notebook with the safe combi-
  nation, so long as they make an Air (Senses) 3 test. If the
  scions don’t turn up the safe combination after search-
  ing the room (or if they don’t bother searching), getting
  the safe open is going to be very difficult without a lot
  of effort and a lot of noise. In any case, once the safe is
  open, the scions behold the Soul Box: an elegantly
  wrought container that seems both solid and ethereal at
  the same time, comprised of many overlapping and
  intertwined strings of silvery metal that inexplicably
  transform into some kind of ancient, smoothly carved
  wood, and back to metal. A light emanates from the
  box’s center, despite the fact that it seems completely
  closed in.
  GETTING OUT
  If the PCs manage to get the study without setting off
  any alarms, having the security group called on them, or
  having to break open the safe, they only have to deal
  with the dogs. If they fail at any of the above, they will
  run into the security agents as soon as the dogs have
  been dealt with or escaped from.
  SCENE 5:
  WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
  Three guard dogs (Thunder, Lightning, and Chips)
  have the run of the house and grounds. They have all
  been magically enhanced by Locke. Thunder and
  Lightning are bull mastiffs, and Chips is a corgi (though
  no less fierce). When they attack, they tend to attack the
  same target together, using pack tactics.
  The three guard dogs shouldn’t appear until after the
  scions have the Soul Box, but it’s up to the GM when
  exactly to bring them in. How the scions deal with these
  foul tempered and evil looking beasts is up to them.
  While the scions are in the middle of a finger-pointing
  argument (perhaps after witnessing the last of the flash-
  backs or while acting cocky about having gotten the
  soul box), would be a perfect time for the dogs to show
  up. 
  THUNDER, LIGHTNING, AND CHIPS
  Stats: Enhanced animal; APL 2; Init 6; Aspects Fire
  5(1), Water 3, Air 3(3), Earth 5; Health 5m; <3 / 3+ / 6+
  / 9+ / 12+ / 15+ / 18+ / 21+; Size/Reach –1 / 1 ft.; Armor
  2; Karma 9; Stride 30 ft. (Moderate)
  Weapons: Bite: 9M
  Skills: Athletics 4, Interaction 4, Melee 4, Quickness
  4, Senses 4, Stamina 4
  Edges: Aggressive 1 (Melee), Defender 2, Skill
  Specialty (senses: tracking)
  Powers: Heightened Senses (hearing 1, scent 4),
  Group Mind, Swift (Stride 2)
  The dogs should stalk out of the darkness with per-
  fect confidence, snarling and drool dripping, and pause
  long enough for the PCs to crap themselves, then leap in
  for the kill.
  RENT-A-COPS
  Stats: Natural being; APL 1/2; Init 7; Aspects Fire 3,
  Water 2, Air 2, Earth 3; Health 3m; <2 / 2+ / 4+ / 8+ /
  12+ / 14+ / 16+ / 18+; Size/Reach 0 / 2 ft. or 1 / 5 ft.;
  Armor 10 (Kevlar Vest 10/4/3); Karma 3; Stride 20 ft.
  (Moderate)
  Gen Con 2005
  Fireborn Adventure
  6
  
  Weapons: Fist (2): 3/L, Kick (2): 4/M, Baton 5/M,
  H&K USP Tactical Pistol: 26 ~ range 100 ft. ~ reload
  2/4; Sequences: Entrapping Defense, Street Fighting
  Skills: Athletics 3, Interaction 4, Knowledge: Street
  2, Knowledge: London 3, Melee 4, Quickness 1,
  Ranged 1, Senses 4, Stealth 3, Travel 2
  Edges: Brutal
  Traits: Human
  Likewise, congratulating themselves over evading or
  outfighting the dogs would be an excellent time for the
  security guards to train their flashlights on the PCs and
  yell “Freeze!” Luckily for the PCs the rent-a-cops are
  terrible shots (being too green to think to aim first) and
  have no stamina whatsoever, meaning they’re likely to
  take weariness dice before they get 100 yards after the
  characters. In fact, kind GMs may wish to make them
  take a weariness test before they even encounter the PCs
  in the first place.
  Development: If the scions set off any alarms on
  their way into the house, they still have time to try to
  grab the Soul Box (if they can find the safe and open it).
  The incoming security guards and police are intended to
  pressure the scions to move quickly and make their
  escape. But if the scions want to stick around and actu-
  ally confront and fight these guys, they can (though the
  eventual arrival of police and the scions’ subsequent
  arrest should put them off this idea).
  If the scions abandon their B&E attempt, they can try
  again later, although they shouldn’t wait too long to
  have another go at it. They may come up with other
  schemes to get at the Soul Box, so feel free to develop
  these ideas if you have the time.
  SCENE 5A:
  GOOD OL’ DAYS
  If you feel like you will have extra time, this is a
  good spot to have the PCs delve into their draconic side
  and get a chance to kick some butt (insead of vice-
  versa). You’ll need to go into some level of explanation
  regarding running a dragon, using its abilities such as its
  various powers and its legacies, explaining flight, and so
  on.
  The scene is simple: the PCs are attacked by a troop
  of trolls and their trained pyrehawk hunting birds (see
  next page). Their goal: to claim the Soul Box. There
  should be one troll + pyrehawk pair per PC. If the PCs
  resort to flight instead of ground combat, the Trolls have
  slings that pack the power of siege engines, and they’re
  pretty good at jumping high into the air, too . . .
  Though the ringer/Brother of Cernunnos PC techni-
  cally was not part of these flashbacks, her ability to pig-
  gyback onto others’ group mind links allows her to
  insert a draconic character in the flashback, giving the
  other PCs a false memory of her participation in the bat-
  tle. In other words, she gets to be in the fight scene, too.
  TROLL
  Era: Mythic
  Race: Supernatural being
  APL: 5
  Aspects: Fire 6(5), Water 5(5), Air 1, Earth 3
  Initiative: 7
  Health: 7m; <8 / 8+ / 16+ / 24+ / 32+ / 40+ / 48+ / 56+
  Size/Reach: 2 / 10 ft.
  Armor: 8
  Karma: 15
  Stride: 30 ft. (Slow)
  Weapons: 
  —Fist 6/L
  —Warhammer 15/H
  —Boulder Slinger 12 ~1,000 ft. – reload 2
  Sequences: Overkill
  Agg—F12(5)/W3(5)/A0/E0—Power + Power + Power
  + Power + Weapon Strike: Damage +45 or Paralyze
  Neut—F6(5)/W5(5)/A1/E3—Dash 
  + 
  Jump 
  +
  Warhammer: Additional damage +5, bleed or Daze
  Def—F0(5)/W11(5)/A1/E3—Block sequence
  Skills: Melee 6, Athletics 6, Ranged 4, Senses 4,
  Stamina 4, Will 4, Quickness 3, Trickery 2
  Edges: Action Junkie 2, Brutal 3, Follow-Through 3,
  Freight Train, Resilient 4
  Powers: Ferocity 3, Heightened Senses (scent 1),
  Mythic Leap 5, Skin of Stone 3
  Traits: Giant
  PYREHAWK
  Era: Mythic
  Race: Supernatural being
  APL: 5
  Aspects: Fire 6(6), Water 4, Air 6, Earth 3
  Initiative: 12
  Health: 3m; <4 / 4+ / 8+ / 12+ / 16+ / 20+ / 24+ / 28+
  Size/Reach: 2 / 10 ft.
  Armor: 10
  Taint: 0
  Stride: Fly 60 ft. (Speedy, mnv 4).
  Weapons:
  —Talons: 8/L
  —Beak: 14/M
  —Wing Buffet: 10/H
  Sequences: Archangel
  Agg—F12(6)/W4/A0/E3—Dash [Fly] + Spin + Power
  + Talon: Dismember extremity
  Neut—F6(6)/W4/A6/E3—Dash [Fly] + Talon + Dash
  [Fly]: Damage +15
  Def—F0(6)/W10/A6/E3—Dodge sequence
  Skills: Athletics 6, Melee 6, Quickness 6, Senses 6,
  Stamina 3, Stealth 3, Will 2
  Edges: Aggressive 1 (Melee), Follow-Through 2
  Powers: Child of Fire*, Group Mind 1, Instinct 1,
  Heightened Senses (sight 4)
  Traits: Mindless, tainted, unliving
  Gen Con 2005
  Fireborn Adventure
  7
  
  Gen Con 2005
  Fireborn Adventure
  8
  SCENE 6:
  COMPOUND INTEREST
  Once they have the Soul Box, the only thing left to
  do is carry out Eolande’s instructions: drop the Soul Box
  into the Thames from the middle of the Tower Bridge
  when the moon is at its apogee and drop it in. Easy,
  right?
  Read or paraphrase the following aloud.
  You head for the Tower Bridge, under a bright full
  moon. Something about what you are doing feels right,
  like tension that has built up over so long about to be
  released.
  Once on the bridge, it is a short stroll out to the mid-
  dle. No one passing by is paying any attention to you
  as you reach the center of the bridge. The moon is
  huge in the sky and seems to be watching you. You
  reach the center of the bridge and stop for a moment,
  breathing with a sense of relief at the end of more than
  just the night’s activities. But you also feel something
  more . . . that this isn’t just an end, but also a begin-
  ning.
  Then you realize that one of you isn’t sharing that
  same look at all. As realization dawns <betrayer’s
  name> shrugs, smiles, and shows teeth that look far
  from human . . . but not quite like a dragon’s, either.
  More like a wolf’s. At the same time, you see two
  blokes in fatigues and cut-off T-shirts step out from the
  shadows, cricket bats in hand; at the same time, a bat-
  tered beige van screeches around the corner and bar-
  rels along the bridge toward you!
  These guys are newbie Brothers of Cernunnos. They
  found out about the PCs’ dreams thanks to the ringer
  PC, a seer who lives in the flat beneath one of the PCs.
  They sent the ringer PC on the brood’s trail, and he or
  she tracked them until it looked like a good time to take
  whatever they found. The Brothers have no particular
  info about the Soul Box or its uses, but they think it will
  impress their head honchoes if they snag it.
  The van attempts to ram the scions standing on the
  sidewalk; luckily for them, the Brother of Cernunnos in
  the driver’s seat had a few shots of whiskey to build up
  his courage before going after the scions. He doesn’t hit
  anyone head-on, but each scion must make a Water
  (Quickness) 2 test or be clipped as it careens, flips, and
  rolls past them, taking 10 damage. The remains of the
  van string out along the bridge over several hundred
  feet, allowing for cinematic use of  using various pieces
  of the wreck as cover, terrain obstacles, weapons, etc.
  The Tower Bridge is also a drawbridge, and having the
  bridge start to rise at an inopportune moment, perhaps
  sending everyone rolling or scrambling for a handhold,
  is another option.
  BROTHERS OF CERNUNNOS (2)
  Stats: Supernatural being; APL 3; Init 8; Aspects Fire
  5(3), Water 5(1), Air 2, Earth 3; Health 3m; <5 / 5+ / 10+
  / 15+ / 20+ / 25+ / 30+ / 35+; Size/Reach 0 / 2 ft. or 1 /
  5 ft.; Armor 4; Taint 9; Stride 30 ft. (Speedy) or 40 ft.
  (Speedy)
  Weapons: Fist 3/L, Kick 4/M, Club 5/M; Sequences:
  Barroom Brawling, Ravager
  Skills: Athletics 6, Interaction 1, Knowledge: Street
  4, Knowledge: London 2, Knowledge: Occult 1, Melee
  5, Quickness 5, Ranged 2, Stamina 6, Stealth 3, Trickery
  1, Senses 5, Stealth 5, Travel 2
  Edges: Aggressive 1 (melee), Brawler, Daunting 3,
  Rapid 2
  Powers: Alternate Form (size 1 wolf), Ferocity 2,
  Instinct 3, heightened Senses (hearing 2, scent 3, sight
  2), Metabolic Control 3
  Legacy: Undying Worm
  Traits: Tainted
  Possessions: Cricket bats, rusty, beat up beige van
  (treat as Volkswagen Bus)
  THE RINGER
  The non-scion PC should join in the fight on the side
  of the Brothers, using his or her normal stats.
  CONCLUSION:
  After the goons and the traitor are defeated, read or
  paraphrase the following aloud.
  Time to finish the job! You hold up the Soul Box. It
  is warm and you can sense the fae inside are happy to
  be home. With a smile you toss the box over the side of
  the bridge, and it’s done. But something’s wrong . . .
  shouldn’t there be a splash?
  As the PCs look over, they see the dark shape of a
  garbage barge emerging from underneath the bridge.
  They’ve dropped the Soul Box right on the back edge of
  the barge, which has already cleared the bridge. The box
  sits, quite clearly visible, on top of a mound of trash.
  The adventure ends here, perhaps with the scions
  leaping over the side of the bridge, or perhaps with them
  watching the barge sail away down the Thames and
  cursing their lungs out. The karma wheel goes ‘round
  and ‘round . . . 
  
  Player Handout #0A
  THE DREAM
  “IT’S YOUR FAULT,” says a disembodied voice. The surroundings
  are disorienting, like visual static. There is a sense of being in dif-
  ferent times and different places. “YOU LIED!” says the voice again.
  There are shapes on the ground. Bodies. They have been shot, some
  of them stabbed, others look burned. Suddenly the blackened
  corpses sit upright, their eyes burning with fire, and you realize the
  source of the voice. “YOU CONDEMNED US!” they hiss as one, stand-
  ing up before you. There is an image of an ornately carved box of
  pale wood and silvery metal. Suddenly, the savaged corpses sur-
  round you. You know they speak the truth. It is your fault. You did
  lie. You try to run but can’t. The corpses begin to burn, the flames
  searing your skin. You look into their eyes and you know them;
  they were your brothers and sisters. “YOU MUST PAY!” As they
  open their mouths, the burning, blackened flesh cracks and bleeds.
  Then you are engulfed in a wave of flame.
  Player Handout #0A
  THE DREAM
  “IT’S YOUR FAULT,” says a disembodied voice. The surroundings
  are disorienting, like visual static. There is a sense of being in dif-
  ferent times and different places. “YOU LIED!” says the voice again.
  There are shapes on the ground. Bodies. They have been shot, some
  of them stabbed, others look burned. Suddenly the blackened
  corpses sit upright, their eyes burning with fire, and you realize the
  source of the voice. “YOU CONDEMNED US!” they hiss as one, stand-
  ing up before you. There is an image of an ornately carved box of
  pale wood and silvery metal. Suddenly, the savaged corpses sur-
  round you. You know they speak the truth. It is your fault. You did
  lie. You try to run but can’t. The corpses begin to burn, the flames
  searing your skin. You look into their eyes and you know them;
  they were your brothers and sisters. “YOU MUST PAY!” As they
  open their mouths, the burning, blackened flesh cracks and bleeds.
  Then you are engulfed in a wave of flame.
  Player Handout #0A
  THE DREAM
  “IT’S YOUR FAULT,” says a disembodied voice. The surroundings
  are disorienting, like visual static. There is a sense of being in dif-
  ferent times and different places. “YOU LIED!” says the voice again.
  There are shapes on the ground. Bodies. They have been shot, some
  of them stabbed, others look burned. Suddenly the blackened
  corpses sit upright, their eyes burning with fire, and you realize the
  source of the voice. “YOU CONDEMNED US!” they hiss as one, stand-
  ing up before you. There is an image of an ornately carved box of
  pale wood and silvery metal. Suddenly, the savaged corpses sur-
  round you. You know they speak the truth. It is your fault. You did
  lie. You try to run but can’t. The corpses begin to burn, the flames
  searing your skin. You look into their eyes and you know them;
  they were your brothers and sisters. “YOU MUST PAY!” As they
  open their mouths, the burning, blackened flesh cracks and bleeds.
  Then you are engulfed in a wave of flame.
  Player Handout #0A
  THE DREAM
  “IT’S YOUR FAULT,” says a disembodied voice. The surroundings
  are disorienting, like visual static. There is a sense of being in dif-
  ferent times and different places. “YOU LIED!” says the voice again.
  There are shapes on the ground. Bodies. They have been shot, some
  of them stabbed, others look burned. Suddenly the blackened
  corpses sit upright, their eyes burning with fire, and you realize the
  source of the voice. “YOU CONDEMNED US!” they hiss as one, stand-
  ing up before you. There is an image of an ornately carved box of
  pale wood and silvery metal. Suddenly, the savaged corpses sur-
  round you. You know they speak the truth. It is your fault. You did
  lie. You try to run but can’t. The corpses begin to burn, the flames
  searing your skin. You look into their eyes and you know them;
  they were your brothers and sisters. “YOU MUST PAY!” As they
  open their mouths, the burning, blackened flesh cracks and bleeds.
  Then you are engulfed in a wave of flame.
  Player Handout #0A
  THE DREAM
  “IT’S YOUR FAULT,” says a disembodied voice. The surroundings
  are disorienting, like visual static. There is a sense of being in dif-
  ferent times and different places. “YOU LIED!” says the voice again.
  There are shapes on the ground. Bodies. They have been shot, some
  of them stabbed, others look burned. Suddenly the blackened
  corpses sit upright, their eyes burning with fire, and you realize the
  source of the voice. “YOU CONDEMNED US!” they hiss as one, stand-
  ing up before you. There is an image of an ornately carved box of
  pale wood and silvery metal. Suddenly, the savaged corpses sur-
  round you. You know they speak the truth. It is your fault. You did
  lie. You try to run but can’t. The corpses begin to burn, the flames
  searing your skin. You look into their eyes and you know them;
  they were your brothers and sisters. “YOU MUST PAY!” As they
  open their mouths, the burning, blackened flesh cracks and bleeds.
  Then you are engulfed in a wave of flame.
  Player Handout #0B
  THE DREAM
  When the strange things began to happen in London, you were
  terrified . . . but then you slowly became curious. Eager. You start-
  ed doing things you normally wouldn’t have, getting into fights,
  having one-night stands. Eventually they found you, if due to noth-
  ing else because you were thrashing their gang members. The
  Brothers of Cernunnos. Fancy name for a simple thing: were-
  wolves. And it turns out you’re one of ‘em.
  If that wasn’t enough, some other latent powers (you think you
  got ‘em from your grandmother, who always claimed to be able to
  talk to angels) have come up. You can share peoples’ dreams, and
  you don’t know the bloke in the flat above yours, but his are
  doozies! And even weirder, he seems to share them with other peo-
  ple . . . you can sense them on the edges of the dream. Your pack
  leader told you to stake them out. He says he doesn’t know what
  they are, and they probaly don’t know either, but he gets the feel-
  ing they’re important. Your mission: to pretend to be one of them
  until further orders. Learn what you can about them, and if they end
  up having or finding some treasure, some important item that the
  pack can use to make an impression on the elder Brothers, so much
  the better.
  
  Player Handout #4A
  As you wait for one of your companions to get you into the fortress-like house, you stare off into the night sky. The stars look famil-
  iar, so familiar you could almost lose yourself in them. The way the trees close around you and reveal only a part of the night sky seems
  familiar, as well, and then your mind makes the connection: it looks just like a cave. A cave you were in, once . . . 
  And then you’re back in that cave, and so is one of your companions, only he’s . . . . different. It’s dark, and you can’t quite make him
  out as he storms through the cave toward you, but he seems . . . large, and alien. More animal than human. You hear a deep, unearthly
  roar issue forth from farther back in the cave, a sound that makes your spine tingle with fear . . . and as your companion reaches you, you
  tense, waiting for whatever is issuing forth that horrible noise to strike.
  Except the horrible noise is you. Snoring. Because you overslept. You delayed the departure of the ancient, all-important mission, not
  because you were captured by a horrible beast or because you were trapped by a magical ward, but because you overslept. You suddenly
  jump back to the present day, to reality, only to see your companions looking at you with a mixture of shock and disgust. You get the feel-
  ing that the embarassing scene you just beheld was shared by everyone else.
  Player Handout #4B
  As your groups moves stealthily through the house, your foot catches on the corner of a rug. You feel yourself falling, almost in slow
  motion, and your arms rocket out to the side to find something, anything, to catch yourself with. They find something solid, hard, and
  with a handle . . . and the priceless vase you grab follows you to the floor shattering beneath your weight and embedding its ceramic shards
  in your forearm. The pain and surprise stagger you . . .
  And you remember another time, another place. Unused to taking human form, you stroll upon a rocky forest floor. You could have
  left the flask back at the campsite, but the fae creature entrusted it to you, and in your hands it would be safest. Smiling to yourself at the
  strange feeling of wind on fragile flesh, of legs that bend the wrong way and propel without wings, you pick up speed and begin to jock,
  joyfully springing from rock to root to patch of moss. One such leap is aborted, however, as you misjudge the shape of one of your strange
  new human foot, and it catches on a root. You feel yourself falling and , calmly extend your wings to catch yourself and soar up into the
  sky.
  Err. Except you don’t have wings in this form. The realization strikes you at about the same time that your body strikes the ground,
  and you feel the crystal flask in your hand shatter into dozens of slivers. As the strange red blood begins to flow from your hand and fore-
  arm, mixing with the pure waters the fey in their box will even now be thirsting for, you see one of your broodmates striding toward you
  through the forest. She stops and kneels down to tend to the blood, only to cry out in anger and shock when she sees the shattered crys-
  tal in your hand.
  Which is pretty much the same sound made by the companion who had knelt to help you up from the carpet; and it’s that sound that
  makes you realize: as ridiculous as your escapades in that previous life must have seemed to your earlier self, they felt even more
  embarassing now that everyone in the group knew about them too.
  Player Handout #4C
  While looking around the house, see a door at the end of a hallway, stately and imposing. A feeling in your gut tells you that, even if
  the Soul Box isn’t in there, something very valuable is. You can feel it, as sure as you’ve felt anything in your life. You lead the rest of
  your companions forward, ignoring the other rooms, and warily push open the door . . .
  Which opens into a broom closet precariously stacked with boxes, electronics, and antiques. With the release of pressure from the door,
  the amalgamation of objects comes crashing down upon you, making a good bit of noise and battering your in the process. A combina-
  tion of disgust and defensiveness rises up in your gut, and you can sense disappointment and surprise in your companions. It’s not a new
  feeling. All of you flash back to a time and place long ago. Upon the shores of the great Lake of the Mirror, you behold the moon in the
  lake’s pristine surface. Then you see something on the lake’s edge . . . a large stone door, built into the mountainside to look natural.
  Perhaps it hides magic, or treasure! Ignoring your companions’ cautioning, you sink your claws into the stone, removing it. Peering into
  the cave revealed within, see nothing but darkness . . . and then the darkness moves. A strange beast boils out of the cave toward you, a
  living darkness with tentacles, wings, and countless eyes, all gazing with an alien hatred. The fight lasts only seconds, though it seems
  like an eternity. You are quickly being smothered, when your lashing draconic tail buries itself in the dark creature’s form and finds some-
  thing solid, a center, a heart. With a ferocious jerk and a mighty roar, you whip your tail outwards, battering your foe against the stone
  and feeling it go limp. A cry of triumph escapes your maw as your fling the foe away from you in disgust, heaving it over the trees and
  out into the valley. You stumble away from the opening and back to where your companions wait at the edge of the lake, that beautiful
  pristine mirror of light and water . . . which you realize, approaching your broodmates and their withering glare, is where the monster’s
  body landed when you flung it away. The beast’s oozing black shape rests almost exactly in the lake’s center, it’s tar-like blood spilling
  forth from its burst and battered corpse, spreading with inevitable tendrils through the once-beautiful lake.
  As you look up from the mess you made opening the closet door, you realize it’s not that dissimilar from the mess you made opening
  that door into the uknown, so long ago in the mythic age. You shrug, raise your eyebrows, and offer a look of apology that transcends race
  and time. The sighs of disgust from your companions are likewise timeless.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Fireborn/Fireborn Lock, Stock and Three Smoking Souls.pdf