Casting Shadows

This seed is being planted for the Fourth Edition of The Morrow Project by Timeline Ltd.

My Saturday Seeds also reappear on Ancient Scroll on random Saturdays~

The seed

The seed involves a difficult life and death situation that may make or break the security of the team.

Planting the seed

The seed can be planted at any point in a campaign, but will work best either if the team has only light contact with a fairly large population, or has just made contact with a community. It is important that they not be familiar with the majority of people in the community. This seed can sprout any time the characters pass through the town – the busier, and more time-pressured they are, the better.

The Details

A man has gotten himself in trouble with what passes for a local legal system and as he comes into view of the characters is being drawn off to be hanged. His desperate cries for help seem very sincere, and as he is raised up by the crowd he begins calling out to the characters specifically – claiming to be “a part of the project.” He seems to be the right age and condition, and carries himself appropriately (when not being carried off to his own execution) so there is a chance he speaks the truth and is the member of another Recon team.

The town leaders have sentenced him to death for unspecified crimes against the community, but a little probing will reveal that the crime was an amorous one, against a council man’s daughter. Surveys of the crowd, even just visual ones will reveal that not all are on board with this execution. Numerous methods and persuasions are open to the group to free the man, most requiring that they take him and not return.

If the group opts not to get involved in local justice the man will be hanged and life in the community will go on.

What’s going on

Not much is going on at all, really, but the implications are broad. The man has sullied a council man’s daughter and few in the community care. Hanging is slightly more interesting than working, hence the crowd and the resulting modicum of bloodlust. There is more than enough evidence freely known that the father encouraged the union until he found his own seat on the council threatened by the younger man.

If the group invests itself in freeing the soon-to-be corpse, they should be able to succeed if they get the crowd on their side. The man himself will be most appreciative and offer his services as a local guide and expert on regional trade and politics.

The man is actually a member of the Turing Society and has gleaned a little bit of knowledge about the Morrow Project. More importantly, he is not alone. He has a child in his care that is both quick and charismatic. The child will soon identify the project members as his next meal ticket and will do whatever it takes to earn his way into the group – emotional blackmail is a given (although subtly done), but the child will also prove how useful he is as a cultural and regional guide.

If the group accepts either or both of these characters they will gain very knowledgeable aides with every appearance of loyalty. They will, however, receive intelligence colored ever so slightly to further the agenda of the Turing Society, and will be feeding their own information directly into the thirsty minds of spies.

Enjoy~