TEXT: The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 1
  Background
  This adventure is initiated by a hero’s old girlfriend, 
  Laura Knowles. She is a virologist doing research for 
  an Australian-owned pharmaceutical company called 
  Safe Health Inc. For the last four years she and two 
  other Texas-based researches have been collaborating 
  with a team based at the Australian home ofﬁce on 
  advanced gene-therapy techniques. Both teams recently 
  celebrated a milestone achievement in developing a 
  new blank-slate virus for delivering gene replacement. 
  Although other blank-slate viruses exist, this one is 
  99.34% communicable and completely infects the 
  subject within 5 hours of contact. This makes it ideal 
  for gene therapy. 
  However, she recently became suspicious of 
  the research from the other “team”. After quietly 
  digging for several months, she discovered that the 
  pharmaceutical company is little more than a façade 
  for another, mysterious organization. She learned that 
  the results the other team fed her came from unethical 
  human studies carried out in third world countries. 
  With their recent breakthrough, the other team planed 
  a new “ﬁeld test” of their creation using an inert gene 
  sequence. However, unlike previous tests this one is to 
  be conducted in the United States! 
  Further complicating matters, Laura believed their 
  recent discovery may not be as perfect as they had 
  originally thought. She found evidence that outside 
  of sterile lab environments, when the so-called blank-
  slate virus interacts with other common diseases 
  the result is a new super-virus of potentially deadly 
  proportions.
  Laura created a vial of immunoglobulin (IgG) as 
  a short-term, passive immunity against the virus and 
  copied key documentation supporting her revelation. 
  As a safeguard, she mailed the vial and a short note 
  to her old boyfriend (one of the heroes), who lives 
  in the city to be targeted. She then called her ex and 
  left a voice mail telling him to expect a package. 
  Virus
  GM Notes
  Virus is written in the manner of an adventure starter. We give you all the details and background to kick off the 
  adventure, then let you and your players determine where it goes from there. This adventure is written from the 
  assumption that the heroes know one another and have already experienced a few adventures together in our 
  present-day world. With a little modiﬁcation on the part of the GM, this adventure could be tailored to kick off a 
  new campaign or to occur in a more futuristic setting.
  In Virus, the heroes are given the means to immunize themselves against a coming plague, but the vial’s owners 
  want it back.
  “Howdy” from 12 to Midnight
  In case you are not familiar with us, 12 to Midnight 
  is a Texas-based RPG publisher specializing in 
  modern horror. You might not normally think “Texas” 
  and “horror” go together, but we are pretty sure you 
  will change your mind after spending some time in 
  Pinebox. 
  Pinebox, Texas, that is—a nice little rural community 
  smack-dab in East Texas. There is a university nearby, 
  a pine forest called the Big Thicket, and a mess of 
  beautiful wildﬂowers every spring. Unfortunately, it is 
  also the epicenter of a whole lot of bad mojo. We’re 
  talking dark magic, serial killers, haunted buildings—
  the whole ball of wax.
  If you want to learn more about Pinebox, just visit 
  our Web site at 12tomidnight.com. You can start using 
  the free campaign setting on our site right now, then 
  watch it continue to grow right here in the pages of 
  Modern Dispatch. Of course, Pinebox is our setting, 
  but all the material in these pages can just as easily be 
  dropped into yours.
  If you have any ideas for future issues, 
  or if you want to comment on what you 
  read here, please drop by the forums on 
  our website.
  Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying 
  Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  Author/layout: Preston.dubose�
  editors: Cray.Crouse
  ed.wetterman
  #65
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 2
  d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are 
  trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the 
  United States and other countries and are used 
  with permission. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 
  System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms 
  of the d20 System License version 6.0.  A copy 
  of this License can be found at www.wizards.
  com/d20.
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  the new Modern d20 Yahoo Group. It is sponsored by the same four companies who 
  publish Modern Dispatch, so you can ask questions about what you read in these pages or 
  any of our other products. Swap ideas with your fellow gamers. Get top secret, advance 
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  Click here to join the Modern d20 Yahoo Group!
  Unfortunately for her, Safe Health’s wiretap on her 
  phone alerted them that something was wrong and 
  they now hold her against her will. After letting her sit 
  in fear for a few hours, she was told that if she called 
  the recipient and got the package returned then she 
  would be freed and the trial stopped.
  Introduction
  The adventure begins with a pair of two-day old voice-
  mail messages from a hero’s old ﬂame. Which hero 
  is entirely up to the GM, as are the details of their 
  relationship. We suggest someone from two or three 
  years in the hero’s past. This is the player’s time to 
  shine, so let him (or her) roleplay the situation and 
  help ﬁll in the details. 
  Ideally, pick a moment near the end of another 
  adventure to reveal the messages. Since both messages 
  are two days old, it makes sense to time things such that 
  the hero was inaccessible or preoccupied during this 
  period. This provides a more seamless transition from 
  one adventure to the next. The voice mail messages 
  are as follows:
  “Hey [hero name]. Long time no hear, huh? Look, 
  I’m in trouble. There’s a package heading your way. 
  Keep it safe. I mean it. Call me.”
  A second message follows.
  “Hey [hero name]. My, uh, my assistant grabbed the 
  wrong address and mailed you something by accident. 
  Just, uh, keep it safe for me, okay? Whatever you do, 
  don’t open it. Just hold onto it and someone will get it 
  from you. Take care, [hero’s name]. … I’m sorry.”
  Home Sweet Home
  When the hero arrives home, he discovers that he 
  has been burglarized. Although he has no way of 
  knowing at this point, his home has been ransacked 
  by individuals working for Safe Health. A few home 
  electronics or other expensive items have been taken 
  to make it seem like a normal robbery. The “burglers” 
  leave no clues to their identities. However, a note on 
  the door indicates that an overnight delivery service is 
  holding a package that requires a signature for pickup. 
  (This is not actually Laura’s package. See Bait & 
  Switch below.)
  Mail Call
  Agents for Safe Health monitor both the hero’s home 
  and the delivery service ofﬁce where the package is 
  being held. The hero must go to the delivery service 
  ofﬁce in person during normal business hours and 
  present a photo ID to pick up the package. If the hero 
  has appropriate identiﬁcation, he is given a square 
  package roughly the size of a basketball. There is no 
  return address on the box. This is not Laura’s package, 
  but something else entirely. Just what is left up to 
  the GM. Perhaps it is a fruitcake from a relative, a 
  replacement part for the hero’s computer, or one of the 
  items found in Modern Dispatch #45: Pinebox Pawn 
  such as the talking toaster.
  A pair of female agents monitor the delivery service 
  ofﬁce at all times. Use two appropriately leveled 
  bounty hunter ordinaries as found in Chapter 8 of the 
  d20 Modern Roleplaying Game. The agents’ only goal 
  is to retrieve the package, not beat up the heroes. As 
  such, as the hero leaves the building an agent attempts 
  a “snatch and grab” if feasible. Allow the hero Spot 
  and Listen checks against the agent’s Hide and Move 
  Silent skills. Grabbing the package from a hero is a 
  grapple. Begin with a touch attack, and if successful 
  then conduct an opposed strength check to wrest away 
  the package. If she succeeds in getting the package, 
  she runs to a car being driven by her partner and peels 
  away. The car drives to the Golan County Regional 
  Health Center. See Hospital below.
  If the attacker is captured or incapacitated, she 
  carries no identiﬁcation and refuses to answer any of 
  the heroes’ questions. Once the ﬁght is lost, she allows 
  herself to be taken to jail without a struggle. At most, 
  she can be charged with assault and attempted robbery. 
  Within 24 hours she is released on bail and spends the 
  remainder of the adventure in a hotel room awaiting 
  further instructions.
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 3
  Bait and Switch
  Regardless of who wins the struggle for the package 
  at the delivery service ofﬁce, the hero must eventually 
  return home. Once there, he is intercepted by a 
  neighbor, who gives him a package she had been 
  holding for safe keeping, since the postal worker 
  was going to just leave on his doorstep. This is the 
  Laura’s package. It is a plain, square, eight inch box. 
  The delivery address is written in Laura’s distinctive 
  handwriting. When the heroes open the box, read or 
  summarize the following:
  The brown cardboard box opens to reveal an inner 
  box made of Styrofoam. This box is composed of two 
  pieces ﬁtting snugly together. Sandwiched safely 
  between the two pieces of padding are a pair of freezer 
  packs, a vial of yellow-tinted liquid, and a syringe. 
  Accompanying the items is a note written on a piece of 
  paper from a Safe Health Corporation notepad.
  Consider creating a player handout of this note in 
  advance to add a touch of realism to the adventure. 
  Otherwise, the note reads as follows.
  [Character name], I’m in BIG trouble. Hopefully 
  by the time you get this I’ve called you and explained 
  everything. I don’t know how far these people will 
  go. I’m sorry to drag you into this, but the testing is 
  happening practically on your doorstep. They’re going 
  to test SH122-4 (my blank slate) at the hospital and 
  the elementary school. They don’t understand that it’s 
  only safe until it combines with another human virus. 
  If I’m right then we’ll have a super-virus pandemic on 
  our hands. This will give you temporary immunity for 
  7 - 10 days. Give yourself .25 mL for every 40 pounds 
  of body weight. Hopefully by the time you get this, I’ve 
  already shut them down. I’ve got evidence but I don’t 
  know who to trust. This is big.
  In a normal gaming scenario, there is enough 
  inoculation serum to provide each hero with one full 
  dose. If you want to ratchet up the tension and create a 
  little more drama, provide only enough serum for 2/3 
  of the heroes.
  Lines of Investigation
  The heroes now have three primary lines of 
  investigation. They can search the elementary school, 
  they can search the hospital, or they can investigate 
  Safe Health and Laura’s current whereabouts.
  W.B. Travis Elementary School
  The day the heroes arrive, the elementary school 
  is holding a health fair. Although it takes much 
  investigation to conﬁrm, the fair is sponsored by Safe 
  Health. The school cafeteria has been transformed into 
  a circus of booths, tables, and visual aids covering the 
  gamut of human health. The exhibitors are a mixture 
  of volunteer health professionals from the community, 
  commercial health care outreach representatives, and 
  state / local health education experts.
  The heroes may gain entry to the school any 
  number of ways. In conjunction with roleplaying, they 
  may employ Diplomacy, Bluff, Hide/Move Silently, 
  Disguise, or even Forgery. Set the DCs following 
  guidelines in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game. 
  Although the school administration is not likely to 
  believe baseless claims of danger, they do allow 
  the heroes to enter if they produce Laura’s letter as 
  evidence. However, the police are also notiﬁed, which 
  the heroes may ﬁnd unwelcome.
  From the time of their entry into the school cafeteria, 
  the heroes have ﬁfteen minutes until the fair begins. 
  One area demonstrates the human ear by displaying 
  the live video of an otoscope, soon to be used on eager 
  volunteers. Another area administers free vaccinations. 
  Yet another area demonstrates lung capacity by having 
  children blow into a device. Many other exhibits dot 
  the cafeteria, but it is the lung capacity exhibit that 
  delivers the viral agent.
  The elementary school was chosen as an ideal site 
  for testing the airborne version of SH122-4. While 
  the heroes may suspect the immunization booth as a 
  likely culprit, the Safe Health team is poised to deliver 
  a puff of aerosolized viral agent to each child who tries 
  their “game”. The device looks similar to a miniature 
  carnival strength test. A bright red ball the size of a 
  ping-pong ball sits in the bottom of a tall, clear plastic 
  tube. Each child takes a deep breath and blows into a 
  mouthpiece attached by hose to the bottom of the tube. 
  The “contest” is to see who can blow the ball up the 
  tube the highest. When each child empties her lungs in 
  an attempt to win, the device puffs a measured dose of 
  virus into breathing tube. As the children gasp for air, 
  they draw the virus deep into their lungs. Observant 
  heroes may Spot (DC 18) a small puff of vapor at the 
  bottom of the tube.
  The Safe Health agents wear “business casual” 
  slacks and polo shirts with no logos or other marks 
  hinting at their afﬁliation to Safe Health. The pair 
  knows that what they are doing is illegal, but they are 
  being very well compensated. Because the pair knows 
  that they are taking a big risk, they appear nervous 
  (Sense Movtive versus the agents’ Bluff) to perceptive 
  heroes who question their afﬁliation.
  Gene Therapy and “Blank Slate”
  Gene therapy is an experimental practice of 
  repairing defective genes responsible for a wide 
  range of human disease. The most common way 
  of replacing defective genes is by introducing a 
  benign virus that has been altered to carry normal, 
  healthy human DNA. Thus, the term “blank slate 
  virus” in this adventure refers to a virus that has 
  been stripped of its adverse effects for the purpose 
  of later being modiﬁed to carry and deliver a 
  healthy genetic payload. 
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 4
  Furthermore, they genuinely believe that they are 
  testing a benign drug. Although Laura has warned her 
  former employers about the virus’ danger, they have 
  chosen to take the risk and have not communicated the 
  danger to their underlings. Even so, both agents have 
  received a dose of the same inoculation Laura sent to 
  her ex-boyfriend. 
  After ﬁfteen minutes to search the area, the bell 
  rings, the cafeteria doors burst open, and crowds of 
  children chatter and push from one area to the next. 
  If the heroes uncover the deception, the Safe Health 
  agents prefer escape over combat. Should a ﬁght break 
  out (especially if gunshots ring out), the cafeteria is 
  quickly consumed in chaos. Do not be afraid to escalate 
  the situation just as it would in real life—screaming 
  children ﬂeeing from all points of the school; security, 
  police, and SWAT teams surrounding the campus; TV 
  camera crews covering the action as it unfolds. For 
  the Safe Health agents’ statistics, use appropriately-
  leveled Fast/Dedicated Ordinaries from Chapter 8 of 
  the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game.
  Hospital
  At the Golan County Regional Health Center, Safe 
  Health agents prepare to inject SH122-4 into dozens 
  of people who think they are getting a ﬂu shot. This 
  pair of agents is setting up a table in one corner of 
  the hospital cafeteria. They are masquerading as state 
  health ofﬁcials here to offer low-cost shots to the poor 
  and elderly. A dozen such people loiter in the cafeteria, 
  waiting for the immunizations to begin. When the 
  heroes arrive, one agent is unfurling a table-cloth and 
  setting up a sign. The other agent is in the parking lot 
  unloading padded boxes of SH122-4 from a rental 
  vehicle onto a rolling cart. It takes roughly eight 
  minutes to return from the parking lot to the cafeteria.
  Like the agents at the elementary school, these 
  agents know that they are conducting illegal human 
  testing but have been paid handsomely to take the risk. 
  If closely questioned, perceptive heroes may notice 
  (Sense Motive versus the agents’ Bluff) that the agents 
  seem nervous.
  The boxes brought in by the second agent are 
  well padded with Styrofoam and contain pre-ﬁlled, 
  disposable syringes of the inoculum. Should the heroes 
  get a close look at the syringes, this liquid is a different 
  color than the one given to them by Laura. Naturally, 
  this is because SH122-4 is a different substance than 
  the immunoglobulin. To clinch matters, the heroes 
  may Spot (DC 18) a label reading SH122-4 on two of 
  the boxes.
  After returning with the supplies from their 
  vehicle, the Safe Health agents can be ready to start 
  administering shots within 10 minutes.
  Heroes who secure a sample of SH122-4 (at least 
  one syringe-worth) and get it in the hands of health 
  care professionals (such as the Center for Disease 
  Control) make great strides in softening the long-term 
  impact of the super-ﬂu. See Resolution below.
  Without proof, hospital administrators are unlikely to 
  believe the heroes’ claims of tainted “ﬂu shots”. A call 
  to state health ofﬁcials conﬁrming that no agents are 
  present at the hospital may help shift an administrator 
  from Unfriendly to Friendly. The heroes could also 
  steal or destroy the boxes of syringes, thus preventing 
  their use. Like their colleagues at the elementary 
  school, these Safe Health agents prefer ﬂeeing capture 
  over lingering around for combat. Should a ﬁght 
  ensue, a police ofﬁcer rushes to the area from another 
  part of the hospital. Other authorities arrive within 
  four minutes. Treat the Safe Health agents as Fast/
  Dedicated Ordinaries as found in Chapter 8 of the d20 
  Modern Roleplaying Game.
  Laura and Safe Health
  After the Safe Health agents’ failure to retrieve Laura’s 
  package, they try a different tact. Laura is being 
  held prisoner for just such an instance. The timing 
  of this encounter is left up to the GM to implement 
  at a dramatically appropriate moment. Ideally, the 
  following scenario occurs while the heroes are on site 
  at the elementary school or the hospital just before 
  confronting the villains. Alternately, it could be 
  employed if it looks like the heroes’ investigation is 
  hitting a dead end.
  At an appropriate moment, the hero who formerly 
  dated Laura receives a phone call on his cell phone. 
  Due to the individuality of roleplaying, it is unlikely 
  that the following read-aloud text can be used precisely 
  as written without pause. Be familiar with the content 
  and roleplay. For added fun, go into another room and 
  call the player on a phone near the game table. For 
  even more fun, recruit a female accomplice to play the 
  part of Laura.
  [Hero name?] Is that you? Oh God, please don’t let 
  them kill me! Do whatever they say. Give them back 
  the vial. They promise they won’t hurt me if you give 
  them what they want. Please--
  The woman’s voice is abruptly cut off and replaced 
  by the cold, iron voice of a middle-aged male.
  [Hero name], I am tired of this inconvenience. You 
  have something that belongs to us. Return the vial 
  and do not interfere with our little experiment. In 
  exchange, I will return Laura to you alive. She will 
  not be…further… harmed. If you don’t give me what I 
  want, I have no reason to keep Laura alive. In fact, I 
  might take out my frustration on her.
  Go to Terminal C of the Houston Intercontinental 
  Airport with the vial. We’ll be watching you. You’ll get 
  another call to prove that Laura is still alive and in the 
  airport. Go to Baggage Return 4, put the vial on the 
  belt, and walk away. When you comply, Laura will be 
  sent to meet you. You have exactly three hours, which 
  is the length of time it takes to drive there. If you are 
  late, you’ll ﬁnd a corpse waiting for you.
  This elaborate tradeoff is mostly an excuse to get the 
  heroes out of Pinebox while the human trial is being 
  conducted. However, the mysterious caller actually 
  does intend on following through. Laura’s inoculation 
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 5
  vial is an inconvenient loose thread that could unravel 
  the plans of the shadow organization behind Safe 
  Health. 
  In the unlikely event that the heroes follow the 
  caller’s instructions, they ﬁnd Laura wandering around 
  the terminal as promised. Although she has a few 
  bumps and bruises, at ﬁrst she doesn’t appear to be 
  seriously hurt. However, she seems groggy and does 
  not recognize her former boyfriend. As the minutes 
  pass, it becomes apparent that she is suffering from 
  acute amnesia. Heroes who try a Treat Injury check 
  (DC 14) ﬁnd needle marks that might indicate she was 
  injected with a memory-wiping drug. Her entire life’s 
  history has been wiped clean.
  Resolution
  This adventure could take any number of interesting 
  directions, including serving as a launching point for 
  a long-term cat and mouse campaign with the sinister 
  forces behind Safe Health. Who was really behind 
  the fake company? What were their true intentions 
  for SH122-4? These are questions only you can best 
  answer for your campaign, although in the Pinebox 
  campaign setting this adventure has indirect ties to 
  Modern Dispatch #41: Fallen.
  That being said, if the heroes successfully prevent 
  Safe Health from spreading SH122-4 then they have 
  almost literally saved the world and most certainly the 
  lives of tens of thousands of people. Depending on their 
  actions, the world may never know their sacriﬁces, or 
  they may laud the heroes as, well, heroes. 
  Inversely, if the blank slate virus is released, then 
  within 12 hours it combines with a common strain of 
  inﬂuenza to create a super-ﬂu. This virus is 99.34% 
  communicable and proves to be very deadly for the 
  young, elderly, or immunodeﬁcient. Even a normal, 
  healthy adult is left incapacitated for almost two 
  weeks. The Safe Health agents are all immunized with 
  a vaccine developed by the “Australian” team. The ﬁrst 
  year, this virus impacts the security and well-being of 
  almost every country on the globe, and its economic 
  impact is felt for several years.
  If the heroes secure a sample of SH122-4 and get it 
  in the hands of health care professionals (such as the 
  Center for Disease Control), they make great strides in 
  softening the long-term impact of the super-ﬂu.
  About SH122-4
  While this adventure tries to stay on the side 
  of science “fact” instead of ﬁction, at least part 
  of the premise behind Modern Dispatch #65 is 
  questionable. The idea behind gene therapy is to 
  cure a single person, not infect a large group of 
  people with the same treatment. Real researchers 
  look for a virus that is highly infectious (meaning, 
  effective on the subject being treated), but not 
  communicable among multiple people. While 
  some people (such as the mysterious group behind 
  Safe Health Corp) have their own motivation 
  for infecting entire populations, gene therapy 
  is not a plausible reason for developing a virus 
  like SH122-4. Thus, the likelihood of duping an 
  honest researcher into believing she was doing 
  ethical research is pretty slim. Unless she was told 
  it was for a new generation of super-vaccines for 
  third world countries. Hmmm….
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
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  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
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  Three Teens Missing After Fall Festival
  By Theresa Lee
  The Golan County Annual Fall Festival 
  has been marred by the disappearances 
  of three local teens; Angela Mayes, Trisha 
  Douglas, and Thomas Brewer. The teens 
  were last seen by friends in downtown 
  Pinebox, taking part in the Ghost Dancing 
  Ceremony. Each was wearing Halloween 
  costumes with ghostly motifs. Thomas 
  was wearing a white costume that outlined 
  a skeletal frame, while Angela and Trisha 
  were dressed in black with white painted 
  faces.
  The teens apparently left the festival 
  around one in the morning and it is 
  presumed they were in Brewer’s late model 
  Ford truck. Angela Mayes parents reported 
  their daughter missing to the authorities 
  early Tuesday morning.
  A subsequent search by local police and 
  the Golan County Sheriﬀ’s department 
  recovered Brewer’s truck parked on Six-
  Mile road just south of the Devil’s Mouth, 
  near Wilson’s Quarry. Sheriﬀ Anderson 
  reported that, “There was no sign of 
  struggle or anything, and it looks as if they 
  just walked into the quarry down into the 
  Mouth.”
  The Mouth is a small spring fed pond 
  at the  base of the old rock quarry, and is 
  a popular teen swimming hole. The hole 
  is approximately thirty feet in diameter 
  and more than sixty feet deep. The edges 
  are sheer rock, and some have reported 
  underwater cave entrances as well. The 
  spring-fed water is ice-cold, even in the 
  middle of the summer. The Devil’s Mouth 
  has been blamed for more than one missing 
  or drowned person, the most famous 
  case involving freelance reporter Jennifer 
  Ridge. In the 1970s, Alicia Johnson killed 
  Community Calendar
  November 21
  Nature Walk—Raise money 
  to preserve our forests. Meet at 
  Indian Mounds Park 10 a.m.
  November 22
  True Church of Pinebox Tent 
  Revival—Father Jacob Mallichi 
  invites all to a tent revival for 
  music and fellowship. Begins at 7 
  p.m.
  Health Fair—Travis Elementary 
  is having a health fair in the school 
  cafeteria. Volunteers are still 
  needed. Call the school ofﬁce.
  Free Immunizations— Free 
  immunizations at the Golan 
  County Regional Health Center.
  Cont’d.
  November 21, 2005 
  Volume V, Issue 65
  pinebox news
  Ravens Cursed—  
  Worst College Team Ever
  By Daren Smith
  The Raven’s football team seems to be 
  cursed, as they suﬀered yet another defeat 
  against North Louisiana last weekend. 
  This loss marks the 23rd straight loss for 
  the team in the past three seasons.
  “We just are not executing on either 
  side of the ball,” said Head Coach Preston 
  Blakemore. “We have the talent to be 
  competitive. We just aren’t getting it 
  done.”
  Many Ravens’ supporters are calling 
  for the ﬁring of Coach Blakemore and his 
  staﬀ, though the players still support their 
  coach.
  “It’s not his fault we aren’t winning. 
  It’s the curse,” said starting half-back 
  Alexander Toomy. “It all started three 
  seasons ago against St. Joseph’s in Landry’s 
  Parish Louisiana.”
  Few local fans have forgotten the 
  unfortunate accident that took place three 
  years ago in a game against the Crusaders. 
  In that game, Crusader linebacker, 
  Mike Donato, had sacked the Raven’s 
  quarterback four times in the ﬁrst half. 
  Donato wrecked the Raven’s backﬁeld, 
  holding the running game to twenty total 
  yards. After the accident, it was alleged 
  that the Raven’s starting oﬀensive guard, 
  Jim Bo Martin, and oﬀensive left tackle, 
  Billy Halliday, conspired to take out 
  Donato early in the third quarter. Martin 
  pulled, but instead of taking out the end, 
  moved to hit Donato. Halliday clearly 
  cut Donato’s legs, resulting in a crippling 
  injury.  Halliday and Martin were placed 
  on suspension for their actions, but 
  Donato never played again, having to 
  suﬀer through three major surgeries to 
  repair his knees.
  The St. Joseph’s game was the last 
  victory for the Raven’s team, and some 
  supersticious players and fans claim that 
  Donato’s family placed a voodoo curse on 
  the Ravens.
  “Its no secret that Donato’s family are 
  voodoo priests,” said Toomy.  “I grew up 
  in Landry’s Parish, and everyone knows 
  it.”
  Despite supersticious excuses, the team 
  must play better. They may be the worst 
  team in college ball, leading all other teams 
  in injuries, fumbles and interceptions.
  continued on page 2
  continued on page 2
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 7
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 7
  her boyfriend and dumped his car into the 
  Mouth. The car was never recovered. 
  “Those kids probably were going skinny-
  dipping down there and got into some 
  sort of trouble.” Sheriﬀ Anderson said. 
  “We are investigating a possible drowning 
  and have called in divers to search the 
  swimming hole.”
  The Sheriﬀ’s department also recovered 
  the costumes and other clothing near the 
  Mouth, apparently carefully laid aside. 
  Search dogs are currently combing the 
  area for any signs of the three teenagers.
  “There were no signs of trouble 
  anywhere, and no foul play is suspected at 
  this time,” Anderson said.
  The divers did not ﬁnd the bodies, but 
  Jake Dari, a local diver, reported that they 
  have called for special equipment to help 
  investigate the caves below. However, he is 
  doubtful that the teens swam into a cave. 
  “It’s too deep and dark, especially at 
  night and I do not believe they are there. 
  But it’s better to be sure,” Dari said.
  The teens have been missing since 
  October 31st and anyone with information 
  regarding the disappearances are asked 
  to contact the Sheriﬀ’s department 
  immediately.
  GM Ideas
  • A cave dwelling eel-like creature, more 
  than four feet long, is making the cave 
  its home and comes out at night to feed. 
  Its bite causes paralysis and it drags its 
  victims deep into the earth via one of 
  the caves.
  • Strange lights have been seen over the 
  Devil’s Mouth, and the teens were 
  victims of UFO abduction.  
  • A Siren-Spirit of the forest beckoned the 
  teens from the pool and led them deep 
  into the forest beyond the Quarry. They 
  were taken into another dimension via 
  a portal through an ancient pine tree. 
  The dogs have tracked the teens to the 
  tree, but no further. Any night between 
  midnight and three am, when the moon 
  is full, the door is vaguely visible, and 
  the Siren-Spirit (succubus demon) is 
  temporarily released into our world. 
  The teens are still alive, but trapped and 
  tortured in the pseudo-dimension of 
  the Siren-Spirit.
  • Jake Dari goes into the caves, but does 
  not come out. Fearing the dangerous 
  cave dive, the Sheriﬀ’s department 
  calls oﬀ the search. Dari’s wife oﬀers 
  a substantial reward to anyone willing 
  to make the dangerous dive to ﬁnd her 
  husband.
  For more information on the Devil’s 
  Mouth and Wilson’s Quarry, see the 
  Pinebox campaign setting on our website 
  at 12tomidnight.com.
  “I don’t believe in curses, and that 
  Donato boy has suﬀered enough. I realize 
  I can’t stop the story from spreading, but I 
  think it’s wrong to do so, and I’m talking 
  to the players. It’s easy to scapegoat, but 
  ultimately it comes down to lining up 
  and playing the game as it’s meant to be 
  played,” said Coach Blakemore.  “We just 
  need to refocus and get ready for next 
  week’s game.”
  Unfortunately, that game is against the 
  Crusaders. Does anyone know of anyway 
  to break the curse?  I hope so, but until 
  then I predict the Crusaders will win 21-
  3.
  GM Ideas
  • Several Ravens’ supporters attempt to 
  hire the characters to travel to Louisiana 
  and ask the Donato family to remove 
  the curse. 
  • To lift the curse, characters need to 
  take part in a white voodoo ritual to 
  exorcise the evil spirits. Unfortunately, 
  the spirits are transferred from the team 
  to the heroes, causing them to suﬀer ill 
  luck and a -1 to all save, hit, and damage 
  rolls.
  • Coach Blakemore has a serious gambling 
  addiction. He has been drugging the 
  players’ sports drinks before each 
  game to insure their loss. Now the 
  Ravens quarterback, Marquez Uman, 
  is dying from a drug overdose. The 
  heroes must track down the source of 
  Uman’s poisoning if there is any hope of 
  identifying an antidote.
  Missing Teens (continued from pg 1)
  Ravens Losing Streak 
  (continued from page 1)
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  Virus
  Page 8
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc.
  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, 
  Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, 
  Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, 
  John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2004, Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc.: Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip 
  Williams, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary 
  Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Modern Dispatch #65, 2005, 12 to Midnight, Inc.; Author: 
  Preston P. DuBose
  open gaming content
  Designation of Product Identity: The following terms are 
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