Vengeance, burning bright
Synopsis
A zoo attendant has by mistake given Bywandine to a tiger, opening up the animal's senses to the Dreamlands, with all the feline powers that comes with it. The, now transdimensional, predator stalks her past tormentors.
The Briefing
The Agents are contacted through the usual channels. They are requested to investigate a brutal murder in Orlando, Florida. Delta Green was alerted through monitoring algorithms to the situation due to the violent manner of the attack in combination with the lack of visible entry. The victim, Wade Noland age 58, was killed in his house boat 2 days ago. Local police have done a preliminary investigation, and his corpse is in the Orange County Medical Examiner's office. The Agents objective to determine if this is a supernatural death and investigate any related vector.
Wade Noland
The crummy marina where Wade Noland lived the last 8 years of his life is depressing. He owned a stationary house boat. The Agents are met by Hannah Wildermeyer, the caretaker of the marina, who called the cops initially. The boat is of a surprisingly fancy model, but severely run down. It has been blocked off with police tape. Noland's body was found brutally mauled inside the locked boat with no signs of entry. The CCTV security of the marina shows Noland going inside and locking up the boat in the evening three nights ago.
No one entered the boat until Mrs Wildermeyer investigated the smell and the cops showed up. Talking to Mrs Wildermeyer reveals that Wade was a bitter alcoholic with no friends or family; “He was cruel even to animals”. There are several souvenirs from a variety of foreign ports, especially from Southeast Asia, including exotic furs. A successful Search roll reveals $12.000 in a stack of worn bills inside a cupboard and an old dirty jumpsuit marked with the logo of Trinity Shipping. Mrs Wildermeyer also confirms that Noland sometimes drunkenly rambled about how he worked at Trinity Shipping before retiring. He seldom said nice things about his previous employer.
The Autopsy of Mr Noland
The body is kept in the Orange County Medical Examiner's office downtown. It's been ripped to shreds, and there are clear defense wounds on the remains of Noland's arms. A successful Forensics roll reveals that the body has been subject to lacerations similar to large animal attacks. Most likely a bear or puma. He is assumed to have died 2-3 days ago.
A Second Victim
While investigating the marina, the Agents get a call from their handler. There has been another suspicious death, this time in a suite of The Rosen Plaza Hotel in the city. The victim is Harvey Strouse.
The Rosen Plaza Hotel
The lavish hotel suite of Mr Strouse is a mess. The bed containing the body is a bloodbath. Agents not adapted to violence have to roll San (0/1). A successful Forensics roll reveals that the body has suffered wounds similar to Noland.
There are no signs of forced entry, and the horrified staff explains that Mr Strouse visited them regularly several times per year. They also explain that he retired alone to his room early at the night of the murder. Among Mr Strouse's belongings is a briefcase of various financial documents concerning Trinity Shipping.
Looking into Mr Strouse’s past reveals that he is retired and lived in a gated community in Maine. However, up until 7 years ago he lived in Orlando and ran the Trinity Shipping company, which now is run by his son, John Strouse. Harvey is still a silent board member though.
Investigating Trinity Shipping with the use of Law, Accounting or Bureaucracy shows that the company mainly deals with import of foodstuffs from Southeast Asia. The company does however have a surprising profit margin, suggesting smuggling.
Trinity Shipping
Trinity Shipping is a logistics company that consists of a small office building and a large warehouse in the Ocoee area. It is surrounded by a wire fence but no CCTV. John Strouse, 37, greets the Agents. With him is Roberta Reynolds, 61. Roberta is a stern-faced, stonehearted woman who has been with the company for 16 years. John is distraught with the murder of his father and claims that he didn’t have any access or interest in the company since John took over. A successful HUMINT roll reveals that John disliked his father. If pressed, he reveals that their relationship was strained. The Agents need a warrant to enter the building, or sneak in at night.
Searching the shadowy warehouse (legally or illegally) reveals that one of the shipping containers contains metal cages of various sizes. There are traces of fur and feathers in the cages.
Searching the office building reveals documents that Trinity Shipping has been smuggling exotic animals for more than 20 years. But the company has only smuggled smaller pets, such as minor reptiles and birds since John took over the business. Documentations about smuggled animals prior to John's take-over are badly kept. Several large crates are however recorded to have been transferred to Critter City annually between 9-14 years prior.
If questioned about the smuggling, a successful Persuasion roll makes John admit that he changed a lot of things after he took over the business, including firing some of the old employees (Noland) and began smuggling easier animals, as they posed smaller risks and generated more profit.
Regardless of how the Agents get access to the warehouse or office, have them confronted by Roberta. While being verbally assaulted by Roberta, let the Agents roll Awareness or Perception x 3 to detect a shadow moving between the shelves. Zura is stalking Roberta and enters our reality for one more bloody vengeance. Zura attacks Roberta from the shadows, fatally wounding her before slipping back into the Dreamlands. The handler should let Zura take a swipe at one of the Agents and give them a glimpse of a fourlegged creature with white teeth, reddish fur. San 1/1D4. If the Agents manage to stabilize the dying Roberta, she wheezes; “That beast…Fucking Freaky Floyd must be behind this…” before becoming comatose.
Critter City
The Critter City Zoo is a washed-up excuse of an animal park. The owner, “Freaky” Floyd Solas, is a small-time crook and eccentric con man. The compound is surrounded by a high fence and CCTV.
The zoo is currently closed due to the hospitalization of Mr Solas. Arthur Shein takes care of the animals, which consist of several tigers, as well as a handful of other larger mammals, such as antilopes and hippos. Floyd suffered a cardiac arrest when Arthur told him that Zura disappeared four days ago, presumably stolen. The zoo has been closed since the incident. Floyd is currently in intensive care at the Adventhealth Orlando hospital, awake but uncooperative. He does not allow any Agents on the property without a warrant. He also stonewalls any questions regarding animal smuggling.
Talking to Arthur Shein reveals that one of the tigers, Zura, is missing. Pressing the issue reveals that Zura disappeared four days ago. The tiger was in bad shape and refused to sleep. Arthur gave it some herbal remedy for sleep that his dead uncle left him. The morning after, Zura had vanished, with no marks or damages on her cage. The substance is called Bywandine and Arthur still has some left (1D3+1 doses). Arthur reveals that Zura was in bad shape when she arrived 8 years ago. Floyd was also sometimes cruel to the tigers, trying to make them fight and roar for visitors. Arthur on the other hand tries to treat the tigers fairly.
Facing Zura
There are several different ways to stop Zura, but facing her in our reality is deadly, as she can phase between the Dreamlands and our realm. If Zura suffers more than 20 damage, she tries to retreat to her den in the Dreamlands.
- The following night, Zura attacks Freaky Floyd in the hospital. If the Agents are monitoring him they can try to ambush Zura by using Freaky Floyd as bait (or Roberta if she survives the attack).
- If Zura is allowed to kill Floyd, she afterwards retreats to the Dreamlands and leaves our reality behind. This of course is impossible for the Agents to know.
- If the Agents imbibe the Bywandine they enter the Dreamlands when they fall asleep. It forms as an impossible deep and mossy old forest covered in night, and the Agents are dressed in tattered, red robes. In the forest lies the den of Zura, a bone-filled cave. The Agents lack modern weapons but can fashion spears and clubs to arm themself (Damage 1D6). Zura tries to ambush the Agents but does not use her phasing ability, instead relying on her natural predatory instincts. Dying in the Dreamlands will cause the a Agent to suffer a fatal cardiac arrest.
Aftermath
Defeating Zula rewards the Agents 1D4 Sanity. If the Agents figure out that Zula only wanted vengeance on her tormentors, reduce the gained Sanity by 1.
STATS:
Hannah Wildermeyer
STR 10 CON 10 DEX 12 INT 10 POW 10 CHA 13
HP 10 WP 10 SAN 55, BREAKING POINT 45
SKILLS: Alertness 30 %, Athletics 40 %, Bureaucracy 20 %, Craft (Mechanic)
40 % Heavy Machinery 20 %, Navigate 30 %
ATTACKS: Unarmed 30 %, damage 1D4−1
Roberta Reynold
STR 9 CON 10 DEX 10 INT 14 POW 9 CHA 13
HP 9 WP 9 SAN 51 BREAKING POINT 44
SKILLS: Accounting 40 %, Bureaucracy 40 %, Heavy Machinery 20 %, HUMINT 40 %, Law 30 %, Persuade 40 %
ATTACKS: Unarmed 30 %, damage 1D4−1
John Strouse
STR 13 CON 13 DEX 12 INT 14 POW 9 CHA 13
HP 13 WP 10 SAN 60 BREAKING POINT 54
SKILLS: Accounting 60 %, Bureaucracy 60 %, Criminology 20 %, HUMINT 40 %, Law 50 %, Persuade 40 %
ATTACKS: Unarmed 30 %, damage 1D4
“Freaky” Floyd Solas
STR 4 CON 6 DEX 12 INT 10 POW 9 CHA 14
HP 3 WP 9 SAN 45 Breaking Point 36
DISORDER: Paranoia
SKILLS: Accounting 30 % Alertness 40 %, Bureaucracy 20 %, HUMINT 30 %, Law 30 % Persuade 50 %, Survival 40 %
ATTACKS: Unarmed 20 %, damage 1D4–2
Arthur Shein
STR 11 CON 11 DEX 9 INT 13 POW 10 CHA 12
HP 11 WP 12 SAN 50 BREAKING POINT 44
Alertness 30 %, Athletics 30 %, Heavy Machinery 40 %, Survival 50 %
ATTACKS: Unarmed 50 %, damage 1D4−1
Zura
STR 23 CON 14 DEX 19 POW 10
HP 26 WP 12
ARMOR: 2 points of muscle and thick hide
Alertness 50 %, Athletics 80 %, Stealth 80 %.
ATTACKS: Claw or bite 60 %, damage 1D10
DREAMPHASE: Every other turn while in our reality, Zura can phase into the Dreamlands and disappear. The first time an Agent sees this, they need to roll San (1/1D4). Zura will then try to attack her victim with a Stealth attack, often from an unexpected direction.
Credits
Vengeance, burning bright was written by Brodbane for the 2025 Shotgun Scenario contest.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mpGL1m0AZVKhIsn2_TY0JSvXbzRH5aBRssWjtAI8YoU/edit