KEEPER INFO
Using the FBI as a cover identity, L cell is sent determine a threat if any in San Juan Capistrano, CA. There has been a reported death in the vicinity of other recent reports of sickness that are unexplained. The reason is from cracked black pepper (from the Mission’s own tree) used in the food a week ago for the mission’s recent restoration gala. The tree has been infused with poisonous fluid seeping out of a cracked fuel cell left behind by a Yithian traveler from long ago. Father Galera sealed this away when the mission was being built under the nose of the builders at the time. All of the violent purple vomiting sickness being reported is by people affected by the pepper. Everyone but the priest recovers as he lived at the mission and ate it for too long to fight it naturally.
Majestic 12 however, got the call first and sent an agent in to investigate. He arrived before the team and dispatched (legally or illegally as you see fit) the actual Father Hernandez in case DG was put on the case as they usually are… Taking the opportunity to investigate at his leisure, he assumes the guise of Father Hernandez.
THE CALL
- Open at the Main Garden of Mission San Juan Capistrano, “The Jewel of the Missions”.
Read or paraphrase the following for the PCs:
“Driving back from Mexico, you were hoping for a break after the Lobster-Man fiasco. Leo, your handler, seems to have different plans for you… He calls and tells you he just got a report that a strange incident has been reported through back-channels. Hospitals reporting strange purple projectile vomiting and now a death. After arriving and meeting Father Hernandez at the entrance to the mission he shows you to a priest lying motionless on the ground. The early heat of this summer morning becoming noticeable as a bead of sweat forms on your brow, the sun rising to the east. The dew sparkles on the priests face frozen in agony while the rest of his body seems as if constricting and curling into the fetal position, searching for a last embrace. Leo always did like keeping you on your toes.” (San Check - 1/1d3)
- A Successful Medicine determines the priest was poisoned / Impale confirms its not a natural poison
> If none have Medicine or fail the coroner takes 4 hours to confirm poison but unidentifiable
-Spot Hidden with a successful 1/5 skill or lower result will notice pepper on his breath
>If asked about this Father Hernandez says that the Pepper Tree has been growing here for a very long time and is actually the biggest in California! It is used in all of the food prepared at the mission. Father Lewis liked personally peppering and preparing his own jerky. (Confirmed when they search the kitchen of the Mission)
Father Hernandez is there to answer questions or show the PCs around the Mission and oversee them on the grounds. He knows only that Father Lewis was last seen yesterday evening walking the garden and the grounds. Father Lewis was the longest serving priest at the mission for a long time now at 12 years. As of late Father Lewis was sickly and seemed to not be doing well but would not or did not get any help. Sheriff Steve Brown is the responding officer and is currently finishing taking Father Hernandez’ statement. He leaves without too much trouble on the part of the agents should they pull jurisdiction with their fake credentials. (KEEPER - Keep in mind that ‘Father Hernandez’ is an M12 agent and amazingly deceptive if pressed hard or otherwise is undetectable until presented. He is a master agent practiced for many years and under the pretenses of being their guide, is actually spying on the agents to see what they learn that he missed).
THE MISSION GROUNDS
The following are a list of the rooms on the grounds - Any room other than the 2 priests’ has nothing of interest and is completely harmless. Feel free to insert any type of flavor you want from dark and ominous foreshadowing to red herrings that extend the scenario and/or tie in for a longer running campaign.
-Kitchen (Has peppered jerky stored there - assumed correctly to be from Father Lewis - If the agents eat the jerky they need to make the poison check after 24 hours from digesting it)
-Small Church
-Big Church
-Priests Quarters (2)
-Guest Quarters
-Courtyard
-Library (Expertly Hidden Secret Cabinet at the base of one of the bookshelves - Impale needed on a Spot Hidden to see without prior knowledge)
-Garden
*There are many more rooms at the mission that use to have a number of purposes and they are all exhibited there but closed off from viewing. Activities such as candle making, wine making, carpentry, etc… Use what seems interesting to you*
FATHER LEWIS’ ROOM / LIBRARY
A successful Spot Hidden check reveals a small iron key in the ashes on an incense censer on a shelf in the room. A secondary successful round of Spot Hidden checks reveals a hidden floor safe that the key fits in under a rug partially obscured beneath the bed. Inside is a journal outlining the fathers past year and his discovery of a secret compartment in the library! Here the agents find the diary of one Father Galera. It tells of his discovering a strange metal container he knew to be unnatural so he buried it in the night while the Mission was being built. He drew a crude map and with a successful Navigate check they can pinpoint the location as where the Pepper Tree is growing as the location it was buried.
GETTING THE FUEL CELL
The player’s only option will be to dig up the garden where the Pepper Tree is. The tools to do so are available on the grounds and “Father Hernandez” is more than willing to let them investigate further when he allows himself to be convinced :-)
It will take 1 hour of digging with a successful CON x 3 Roll & 2 hours if no successful checks. During this time the M12 agent will make sure to go get his silenced pistols and secret them on his person to take out the agents when they reveal they have found the source. After the allotted amount of time for digging the agents hit a metal object that is leaking a viscous purple glowing liquid. If an agent touched it without gloves or protection the coated outside gives him a heavy dose of the fuel (1d8 damage & CON x2 with a success only making the victim vomit purple discharge violently every hour for a day instead of the 4 days for the failed CON check).
AMBUSHED
The Majestic 12 agent will take the most opportune time to start taking out the agents when they have discovered the canister. If the agents are separated that is all the better take them out in the sneakiest order possible (or be fair and have them roll luck, highest roll targeted first) If they are all together in the garden, have the group make luck rolls to determine the unfortunate agent that rolls highest, to be targeted first.
Wrapping Up
This scenario can end with none, some, or all of the DG agents KIA - Let the chips fall where they may and continue from there as you would. If killed, the M12 agent is unidentifiable except for a tattoo of M12 on the bottom of his foot. Add in any crumbs or extras to lead to other campaigns for you if it helps to lead the agents into another exciting Delta Green Investigation.
Majestic 12 Agent
STR 14
DEX 12
CON 14
APP 10
SIZ 12
EDU 14
INT 16
SAN 45
POW 50
HP 13
(2) Glock Model 18 Auto - Silenced 70%
Credits
This was an entry in the 2014 shotgun scenario contest, written by Max Muhaffa