Tab 1
Operation PACIFIC DREAM
A Delta Green Shotgun Scenario
Background
The Japanese island of Okinawa, despite being given up by the United States in 1972, is home to 50% of the United States Forces Japan. Today, around 26,000 American military personnel are stationed on the island on thirteen different bases.
For the first time in a century, an unnatural entity has awoken. This entity is known to native folklore as the Bashō no sei (translated as Japanese banana spirit). This species awakens rarely more than once a century to feed on a string of humans over the course of about a year, then returns to torpor as a seemingly ordinary bashō banana tree.
Native Okinawan folklore and culture shared legends containing advice to avoid this entity’s predation, but the suppression of native culture by the Imperial Japanese government and the following domination of American culture have weathered these traditions, leaving many modern residents unequipped to avoid it.
American Marine Francis Berkman has become the newest in a long line of victims to fall prey to this creature after drunkenly taking a walk off Camp Hansen a week ago. He was propositioned by a young, Japanese woman who led him into the woods. The “woman” caught him off guard, killing him from behind. His cerebro-spinal fluid was sucked out the back of his neck.
The death of an American serviceman in unusual circumstances has attracted the attention of Delta Green, who have arranged for Agents to investigate the crime in cooperation with Okinawa Prefectural law enforcement under cover of FBI.
Briefing
Agents are made aware when their employers call them informing them they’ve been assigned to a special training exercise with regards to national security. Their supervisors, coworkers in the know, or others may remark on how lucky they are to get a free paid vacation to Hawaii for an easy assignment. An airline ticket is provided, with a flight leaving that very same evening. Due to the flight, equipment other than sidearms may be restricted unless a successful Bureaucracy check is made to arrange transport. This check is made at a -20% for Agents who are not active members of law enforcement or the military.
Agents are met by their Handler at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu in a TSA-provided conference room. They are informed of the mysterious death of PFC Francis Berkman. The report of such unique circumstances made it to the ears of a Friendly in the military, who passed on the event to Delta Green.
Agents are to board a flight to Okinawa and make contact with their Japanese liaison in Okinawa, a local member of law enforcement assigned by the Kyūshū Regional Police Bureau. He may meet them at the airport or may be contacted via local police stations (See Detective Kojuro Yoneda).
Locals
Investigating locals in the base’s neighboring town of Kin can lead investigators to local individuals who protest the presence of foreign military occupation of their island. Gaining answers without a level of Foreign Languages (Japanese) will be difficult, but Detective Yoneda can interpret. Center-left beliefs comprise the majority of the local population and call for the removal of military bases for environmental reasons, along with historical examples of violence against locals by American servicemen. Right-wing nationalist individuals often support the military bases, as they may dislike foreign influence, but see it as a necessary evil to protect Japan's national interests from closer foreign adversaries such as nuclear-equipped North Korea and China.
Recent disappearances of local individuals over the last year are believed by more conspiratorial locals to be the work of Americans who are covered up by the American and Japanese governments. Research or questions into these local disappearances reveals they went missing in the same forest as Berkman, and can be used to significantly lower the area to search. Locals cannot explain the death of Berkman, but are unlikely to display too much sympathy.
Camp Hansen
Agents contacting the local American MPs will find themselves disappointed by LEOs who see their duty as to their fellow servicemen rather than to the local civilians. They will provide information required for the investigation, including Berkman’s record, his autopsy report, and access to his home. While Agents are not allowed to interview the servicemen who last saw Berkman, they will provide accurate witness statements that confirm that he was out drinking, left the bar, and then never came back. They assumed he had gone home on his own. The autopsy report describes an incision on the back of his neck which appears to be the cause of death, but through which cerebro-spinal fluid was sucked out.
Berkman’s Quarters
Berkman stayed in an apartment on-base. The room is spartan, bare of much ornamentation. A PlayStation 4 plugged into a modest flat screen and several piles of video games provide the greatest sense of Berkman’s personality. Mostly present are Japanese role-playing games. Hanging on the wall, prominently displayed, is a katana and traditional wooden scabbard. Berkman was very proud of this. A score of 60% in History, Melee Weapons, Archeology, or other relevant skill will reveal that this is a mass-produced replica aimed at tourists. While its sharpened steel edge will cut things, it was not designed to, nor will it, survive any actual combat (see REPLICA KATANA).
There is little evidence of what happened to Berkman here, but his laptop can provide saved GPS data for his fitness tracker with a 40% in Computer Science or a successful roll. The GPS data confirms that he left the bar, but shows that he had wandered into the woods, before stopping. Then, some time later, he moves to a location deeper into the woods before being moved to his final location.
Bashō no sei
This legendary “yokai” is not as legends describe. It is an extra-universal predator that spreads in a manner analogous to a dandelion, ejecting reproductive units analogous to spores into holes in space, to spread to new parallel realities. It is a predator and survives on the cerebro-spinal fluid of sapient species. It “hunts” at night, as it is easier to lure others away.
Our specimen landed in Okinawa, where its spore overtook a local banana tree. This is its physical body. For the purpose of attracting prey, it can project a semi-real illusion of a beautiful, young Japanese woman in traditional garb (a long-dead victim). The projection has the behavior of its form’s original holder, and the unprecedented pace of cultural development has left its projection ill-equipped to blend into modern society, as it will display obviously anachronistic speech patterns, behaviors, and knowledge. Its clothing resembles traditional Japanese garb worn today, such as a kimono or yukata, which may make it appear simply old-fashioned, conservative, or strange to Japanese individuals. Westerners unfamiliar with Japanese culture and language are at a -20% to notice this. She is seen coming out of the forest which borders Camp Hansen and Kin, where the true form is located. “She” will identify herself as Kaede Fujiwara, an old-fashioned aristocratic name.
Killing the projection will display damage similar to non-anomalous humans, but the body will deteriorate at an advanced rate (1/1D6 from the Unnatural). Any physical damage done to the projection will appear on its host tree (bullet holes, cuts, etc will appear in the bark). This can be used to identify its true body. The projection will reform in 1D3 days.
Agents can find the location of the true form through the leads of missing locals and Berkman’s GPS data. The projection may attack them or mislead them in the forest.
Once identified, the true form of the creature will create a new projection (See SAMURAI) as a last ditch effort to save itself, as it lacks any means of locomotion.
Conclusion
If Agents find and kill the yokai, the murders can be spun various ways. Agents can pin the string of murders on Berkman, or can allow the governments to cover them up as unresolved deaths. When Agents report the nature of the threat to superiors, they may hear news in the next week of protests regarding live fire exercises near Camp Hansen which started a local wildfire. Trees in the area were burned to ash, and locals see this as yet another example of the careless environmental damage of the American military in Okinawa. If Detective Yoneda survives, he might become a Friendly or become recruited by Japan’s own forces against the Unnatural, located in small cells in the Public Security Intelligence Agency.
If Agents fail to find and kill the Yokai within a couple of weeks, it may re-enter torpor, never again to be seen in the lifetime of Agents. If the Agents determined the nature of the threat, but never found its body, then the wildfire coverup will be used, but much more aggressively.
If Agents killed the yokai: +1D6 SAN
If Agents and the Detective survived: +1D4 SAN
If the Yokai is never found: -1D6 SAN from Helplessness
If the Detective dies: -1D3 SAN from Helplessness
Statblocks
(Note: as this scenario is written for an assumed Anglosphere audience, Western name order will be used for Japanese individuals; surnames follow personal names.)
Replica Katana - Berkman is no Hattori Hanzō
SKILL: Melee Weapons
DAMAGE: 1D8
MASS-PRODUCED REPLICA: If used as a simple machete to clear vegetation, the blade works just fine. However, if used in combat, any Attack or Defense roll of 85% or higher causes the blade to snap. This causes the weapon to become nearly useless.
RŌNIN OF THE OCCIDENT: Agents openly wearing this blade’s scabbard receive a -20% to social rolls towards Japanese individuals and a +20% to social rolls towards Westerners.
Detective Kojuro Yoneda - Okinawa Prefectural Police Detective
STR 11, CON 12, DEX 13, INT 15, POW 12, CHA 10
HP 12 WP 12 SAN 60 BREAKING POINT 48
SKILLS: Alertness 35%, Athletics 40%, Dodge 40%, Drive 45%, Firearms 45%, Forensics 45%, HUMINT 40%, Law 35%, Persuade 35%, Search 50%, Unarmed Combat 40%, Foreign Languages (Japanese, native) 60%, (English) 45%
ATTACKS: Service weapon (.357 Magnum Revolver) 45%, damage 1D10
Unarmed Combat 40%, damage 1D4-1
FOUR-EYES: When physically attacked for the first time in an encounter, make a Luck roll to see if his glasses fall off. If they do, a successful Search roll is required to find them, or all applicable rolls are made at a -40%.
Bashō no sei - So-Called Tree Spirit
HP 40
HIDDEN FORTRESS: Can normally act through its projection (See PROJECTION).
SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE: Any damage done to its projections are inflicted on the tree. Reaching 0 damage through this method will kill the entity.
YOJIMBO: If reduced to 20 HP or less, summons a last-ditch projection (See SAMURAI).
Projection Kaede Fujiwara- A Victim Out of Time
STR 14, CON 10, DEX 11, INT 10, POW 10, CHA 12
HP 13 WP 10
ARMOR: See OUT OF PHASE.
SKILLS: Alertness 30%, Dodge 50%, History (Pre-Modern Japan) 50%, History (Modern Japan) 5%, Persuade 60%, Stealth 50%, Unarmed Combat 45%
ATTACKS: Untrained attack with enhanced strength 45%, damage 1D4,
Concealed knife 50%, damage 1D4, Armor Piercing 3
FLICKERING: At the beginning of a turn, roll 50%. On a success, teleports within thirty feet, possibly hidden. She can try to escape or to make a stealth attack. Cannot be used again for 1D3 turns.
OUT OF PHASE: The projection’s form is not entirely solid. A roll with an odd number passes harmlessly through it, doing no damage. Hypergeometry works as usual.
Samurai Toshi Minamoto- A Warrior Out of Time, Unnaturally Enhanced
STR 19, CON 19, DEX 14, INT 12, POW 14, CHA 9
HP 19 WP 14
ARMOR: 4 points of iron lamellar armor. See OUT OF PHASE.
SKILLS: Alertness 50%, Athletics 50%, Dodge 35%, Melee Weapons 70%
ATTACKS: Katana sword 70%, damage 1D12, Armor Piercing 4.
Wakazashi sidearm 60%, damage 1D8, Armor Piercing 3.
OUT OF PHASE: The projection’s form is not entirely solid. A roll with an odd number passes harmlessly through it, doing no damage. Hypergeometry works as usual.
BUSHIDŌ: If challenged with a similar sword (See REPLICA KATANA), it will agree to a one on one duel. This is because it knows that the replica is an inferior weapon. It does not recognize modern firearms.
Credits
Operation PACIFIC DREAM was written by Kevin Dent for the 2024 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vPyFKsdmmznYO4KUivK3aon3mlqME05a4AHJ0YzwlY8/edit