Welcome back to Hunters Inc., the role-playing game of action, horror and intrigue in a world of undead monsters and the men who hunt them. The basic rules for the game were published in SHADIS issues #32 and #33. This is the third of our four-part campaign supplement for those rules. (if you've missed any part of our Hunters Inc. series, don't worry. You'll be able to purchase all of the relevent issue once the final installment has been run.)

Note: This is a dynamic adventure. The scenario, as well as a cast list and extensive maps have been provided with a list of suggested events. For best play we recommend you read the entire adventure through thoroughly before you begin.

Introduction

If your Hunters are still walking and breathing (or at least breathing) they have just finished breaking up the operations of Roark Construction Technologies just west of New York City (issue #37). Owned and operated by ex-marine special forces commando Howard Hawke, RCT was found to be constructing custom lairs for a growing coven of Vampires immigrating to the US from all over the world.

Hawke, in league with the Vampire Cordelia, also provided human protection for his Undead clients by way of pressing selected mercenaries and narcotics traffickers into their service.

Once again, your team is likely spending some time in the local hospital after a tooth-and-nail shootout with both the Undead and their mortal flunkies. The last time they visited a hospital, the PCs generated a surprisingly small amount of interest from the local law enforcement community, but may not have been entirely clear on why.

This time, however, hospitalized Hunters will note the appearance of a number of obvious FBI field operatives (carrying M-16s and dressed in full body armor blazoned with the letters "F" "B" and "I"; in case there's any confusion) securing their entire floor of the hospital for private use.

Incoming medical personnel are searched for weapons and checked through security stations at the elevators and stairs. Another armed agent is posted at each of the wounded Hunters' rooms, as well.

If asked whether they are under arrest (or other questions), the Agent In Charge (named Johnson they are all named Johnson) will answer only that they are under protective custody and to please be patient.

"Deputy Director Gutenberg will be here to brief you shortly..."

When Nate Swain finally enters the scene, he will be wearing a gun (likely this is the first time your Hunters have seen Swain armed).

If the players hadn't figured it out by now, Nate Swain is actually Frank Gutenberg -- Deputy Director of the FBI.

While the other FBI operatives are mopping up the last of Hawke's operation in New York, Gutenberg will explain the whole cloak and dagger charade to the Hunters at last. He will explain how he became aware of the Vampire threat through the unusual evidence from the Wyoming train wreck ("Dead-Ex..." SHADIS #35) but needed more compelling evidence to convince his superiors.

The Hunters' success in the last two adventures has convinced them.

"No, you are not under arrest as such... but your presence is requested in Los Angeles - to advise Director Hat Karsten on our next course of action... and the possible assembly of a special task force to deal with this problem. Your team would of course be in charge..."

In charge? Of an FBI task force? This reeks of excessive federal funding, legitimate concealed weapons permits, and carte blanche authority to search and seize!

Where do I sign?

After another all-too-brief break, the Hunters will be escorted to JFK where they and Gutenberg will take United flight 1701 to Los Angeles.

But first, lets review the Hunters' clues so far. In no particular order:

1) According to Gutenberg's files, Howard Hawke was drafted into the Vietnam conflict in 1972. He was a conscientious objector and his service record was unremarkable. However, evidence found in Hawke's house shows him to have been a decorated USMC special forces operative.

Gutenberg's info came straight from the FBI's archives.

Which means either Gutenberg falsified the information to the Hunters...

... or someone on the inside tampered with the files.

2) The large empty pedestal in the architectural offices of the Penrose building was marked with the title, "Solace Center Los Angeles."

3) The name of Senator Jonas Clay's pivotal welfare reform bill is the "Solace Bill."

4) Hawke's phone bill had a call logged on it to the California capitol building in Sacramento.

5) The unmarked pedestal in Hawke's basement, identical to the "Solace Center, Los Angeles" pedestal in his office, contained a secret model for an extensive underground crib facility. If constructed, this facility could house over a hundred Undead. Your tax dollars at work.

Of course clue number one is the crucial clue: It indicates that someone in the FBI altered Hawke's file. It indicates that the FBI has been compromised.

A Method to The Madness

Clay is onto the Hunters. He has had a man in a prominent position in the FBI for may years now. He intends to bring the Hunters to California and dispose of them in a loud and public exhibition, to deter anyone they may have told about their discoveries from following up on their work. Why California? Simple. Clay's FBI man is presently vacationing in Disneyland with his family. He intends to use the FBI to destroy the Hunters. Clay's FBI man is Hal Karsten.

If the hunters survive this one, Frank Gutenberg will emerge as the head of the FBI, and the Hunters will have all the evidence, knowledge and backing they need to go after the head of the serpent Senator Jonas Clay.

The scenario is this: the Hunters will be brought to Los Angeles to meet with Hal Karsten, Director of the FBI. They will be housed on the 18th floor of the luxurious Twin Towers Hotel in Studio City. The first line of attack from the bad guys will be to incinerate the Hunters (and anyone else in the area) after dark, with an incendiary bomb. If this fails (and it should - or else this is going to be a really short adventure) other events will follow. Ultimately, the Hunters have to hold the top floors of the Twin Towers Hotel until dawn.

GMs: This adventure is going to be a bit more of a challenge to run. Instead of running your players through a static environment that has been laid down for you on paper, you will have to manage your players through a series of dynamic events. Actions that your players take will effect the bad guys' next move, and vice versa. There are fewer pre-defined courses of action and more will depend on you guiding the players in the right direction.

Several key events (like the Firebombing in Event 4) will have to go off near perfect to get the players into the next position, while others are merely optional, for your amusement.

Complications:

At present, a BIG budget, A-list movie is being filmed at the hotel as well, so there is sure to be huge media coverage. This is precisely what Senator Clay wants. It is not enough to just kill the Hunters; he wants them dead on national TV, as a lesson for anyone else out there who might have delusions of mortal grandeur.

The fact that a large chunk of America's finest acting talent will go up in smoke with them simply assures the media zoo will be at its zenith for the whole affair, and so is an added bonus.

Let's get cookin', shall we?

First let's take a look behind the scenes at the waves the Hunters have made in Clay's private ocean.

Behind the Scenes

For the last 12 years, FBI Director Hal Karsten has been a puppet to Senator Clay. Even before his promotion to his Washington post 9 years ago, Karsten had taken Jonas Clay's money for everything from destroying federal evidence to mishandling federal investigations to the outright murder of Jonas Clay's political and criminal rivals. In return, Karsten enjoys his place as one of the most powerful men in the nation. Coincidentally, the FBI has not seen a budget cut since Karsten took its helm in 1988.

Karsten is deep in the soup with Clay and knows that, at this stage, if Clay fries, so does he. As a devoted husband and father, this would not be good. Karsten loves his wife Jayna and his daughter Claire more than he loves his own life.

He knows of Clay's dealings with smugglers and drug pushers. He knows of his mass bribes to state and federal officials. He knows of (and has been a part of) Clay's outright political assassination of various rivals since 1991.

In short, Karsten knows Clay is crooked to the bone, but does not know that Clay is a Vampire. Nor does he know about the coven or its human allies.

Having heard the Hunters' stories, backed by his own Deputy Director's testimony, and more and more forensic evidence coming in by the hour, he is still skeptical about this Vampire thing. At heart, he believes it to be some kind of religious cult populated with hard drug users... or something...

... but there are no such things as vampires...

Regardless, he was told a tong time ago by Senator Clay that he should always watch out for this kind of fantasy-land case. But to see the Senator take such interest in it was somewhat, well... creepy.

Clay had known something was wrong a short time ago when the (now-deceased) Vampire Starkin did not return his calls. When Karsten phoned him with news that Deputy Director Gutenberg was foaming at the mouth and crying "Vampire!" all over Washington, it did not take Clay long to launch his own goons into action and put the rest of the pieces together.

Clay knows that the Hunters have taken out Starkin and Cordelia. He knows that they already have the FBI involved and that there is a very high probability that he is already implicated... in ways that will not be easy to explain.

He has sent Karsten to find out the extent of the Hunters' knowledge and is already taking his own steps to ensure Karsten's total, unquestioning obedience in the coming attack.

Even as the Hunters were en route to LA, Clay had several of the coven (the Varnpires Lester and Lazarus) nip down to the Karstens'hotel in Anaheim and pay a visit to Karsten's family. Four hours later, Lazarus is already in LA with a token for Director Karsten:

The Token:

His little girl's Scooby Doo lunch box. Inside is a box of animal crackers, a half-eaten bologna sandwich and his wife's wedding ring...

... with her finger still inside it -- bitten off.

"Let there be no mistake, Director. I own you. I have your whole life in my hand. Don't make me squeeze.

Actually, Clay's orders were to present the finger of Karsten's little girl, Claire. But that was a bit much, even for Lazarus.

While the Vampire Lester guards Karsten's family, Lazarus will enter the Hotel and plant a number of charges of napalm and C4, dispersed about the 17th floor. Lazarus is an expert with explosives, and his vampiric capabilities to charm makes it very easy for him to just walk in and put his bombs anywhere he wants.

Lazarus believes the Hunters to be on the 17th floor... but Sal Solomon had our heroes bumped to the 18th, so his movie crew could be by the swimming pool!

Oops...

The resulting explosions, when they go off at around 10:30 pm, will completely obliterate the 17th floor without penetrating the floors above or below. However the upper floors of the hotel will be burning out of control. This will force the Hunters to the roof and ultimately to the top of the east tower. After he plants the explosives, Lazarus will go try to catch up to Karsten and deliver his token.

Clay's Order to Karsten:

"Director Karsten, there has been a terrorist attack at the Twin Towers. See to it that none of the perpetrators get away..."

Clay wants this wrapped up quickly. He has an early morning press conference and would rather not have the Hunters on his mind.

At this point it is important to note that Clay is making a slight miscalculation that is going to cost him the proverbial war. Clay does not believe Karsten capable of anything that might provoke him.

But to Karsten, Clay's token crosses the line from raw fear into holy rage.

Karsten will give orders to an FBI strike team to start their search in Anaheim, find his family, and shoot to kill.

... the bad guys, that is... shoot to kill the bad guys you know what I mean, get moving!

Hunters Inc. Chapter 5: The Vampire Strikes Back

Introduction
The Twin Towers Hotel
Events
Cast List
Hotel Maps (very slow: 272K)