Briefing
Last week, the mutilated corpse of a teacher, Deborah Hadley, was discovered on the campus of Dexter Academy, an elite private high school. The police believe she was killed in an animal attack, but the autopsy report threw some red flags that makes it look like there is something more sinister behind the teacher’s death. Discretion is a key objective for this mission. The students at this academy are the children of celebrities, politicians, and other powerful people. Delta Green won’t be able to help the agents out if they attract too much attention.
The Silver Branch
When the Dexter Academy was established in 1786, some of the students formed a secret club for dabbling in the occult. At first, it was mostly just teenagers harmlessly messing around, but one day one of its members managed to obtain a real occult book. Using the forbidden knowledge within, they managed to make contact with dark powers. Realizing that they had found a path to true power they made a pact with the entities they were communicating with. It was the birth of a new cult. Exploiting their newly acquired dark magics, they were able to secure high positions in society, and the cult’s influence has only grown over the years.
The original club never went away, and parents soon saw it as a convenient way to transition their children into the membership of the cult.
While some of the student body and teaching staff are aware of the Silver Branch’s existence, they don’t know much about it beyond that.
All of its members wear a silver ring with the insignia of a snake wrapped around a branch.
The Sacred Ritual Of Ascension
A sacrificial ritual meant to reinforce the cult’s pact with the dark forces that is performed every 2 to 3 years. The usual victims are runaways or vagrants. This year is unique though, every 20 to 25 years a more powerful and complex version of the ritual is performed. Instead of getting a random victim off the year, a special victim is chosen. They are led to believe they have been accepted as a new member of the Silver Branch. Throughout the year, the true members go out of their way to make the victim feel special and loved. To them, it is a great honor to be part of the ritual, and an even greater honor to the victim.
Billy Schultz
Introverted and from a broken home, Billy is attending the school on a scholarship and is the chosen sacrifice. He didn’t have any friends until his senior year when he suddenly was accepted into the Silver Branch. He is extremely grateful and loyal to his new comrades. He will even help them fight against the players unless he can be persuaded to stop.
Susan Meyers (True Name Unknown)
The current leader of the Silver Branch. While she looks like a teenager, she is actually much older. A sorcerer and a member of the cult, her mission is to groom the next generation of cultists. She is also responsible for performing the sacrificial ritual. Billy has a crush on her.
Frank Meyers
Currently serving as a US senator, he is pretending to be Susan’s adoptive father. While she might namedrop him, he won’t actually show up until the the time of the ritual. If the players manage to interrupt the ritual, he will fight with Susan. If it looks like they are about to lose the fight, he will try to flee or surrender.
Nancy Fillmore
Unlike the others she started to doubt if participating in the ritual was the right thing to do. She went to Deborah Hadley to ask for help, but Susan Meyers found out about it. She forced Nancy to watch as she killed the teacher. By the time the players talk to her, she is thoroughly intimidated and can only be persuaded to give a hint about what is going on.
Other Members
The other members are typical spoiled rich kids. They aren’t particularly concerned about the death of their teacher and will even badmouth her. If the ritual is interrupted, they will attempt to flee as soon as combat starts.
Clubhouse
Located off campus, its small but opulently decorated, and filled with things teenagers would like. The clubhouse mostly appears to be normal, but some entry level occult books like the Lesser Key of Solomon can be spotted out in the open. If the players more thoroughly search the clubhouse, they can find more serious occult books, and some incomplete notes about the ritual.
Principle Henry Woodsworth
His only concern is about protecting the school reputation, and just wants things to resolve quickly without incident. If the players push any of the students or teachers too hard, he might intervene.
Autopsy
The victim was clawed to death, but there are several a bite marks of an unidentifiable animal on the corpse and one of her livers is missing.
Conclusion
The ritual is conducted in an chamber underground built during a renovation of the school funded by the members of the cult. It is connected to a vast network of tunnels leading to parts unknown. The mere act of players arriving during the ritual will be enough to interrupt it. Combat will start shortly after this happens. Susan is a sorcerer and well prepared for interference, so who knows what nasty surprises might be lurking the shadows.
Even if the agents manage to stop the ritual and come out of it intact, there could be serious consequences depending on the bodycount of the mission.
The cult is also still out there, and somebody will eventually have to deal with it.
Credits
This was an entry to the 2017 Delta Green shotgun scenario contest, written by IShallRiseAgain.