. Players’, DM’s and dice’s imagination in concert! This is the second phase of a d20 Modern campaign (with parts of the first and hints for the third)…
For details on the Hoffmann Institute and the Order of St Gregory check (d20) Dark Matter. For the Fanes and various details on Barovia and the Castle Ravenloft’s inhabitants, see Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, though I’ve made many modifications. The entries in violet directly involve Castle Ravenloft, while the rest shed some light into the background story...
March, 13th 2024 – Hoffmann Institute’s agent in Transylvania disappears while examining rumours for an ancient relic called the Sunsword. Hoffmann Institute’s European agents don’t follow this up on time, because of an unexpected surge in paranormal phenomena across the world, as well as the appearance of 13 year old girls with military guns on German TV.
March 16th– The bloodiest protest ever against the use of cybernetics in 2024 Olympics in Berlin. 6 protestors die when two unconfirmed persons start firing into the angry mob that tried to free one of its leaders from a police centre.
May 1st – Hoffman Institute’s Agent Adam Brown, sent to examine the actions of a disappeared and re-emerged ex FBI officer, uncovers the story behind the cybernetically enhanced young girls used as anti-“terror” agents in a hidden experiment of the German Government and DBI (Deutche Biogenetisch Institut), a laboratory of IBM Deutchland, forced into public owning after its advances in cybernetics on 2011. (see gunslinger girl for references - it will give a lot of light on the interpersonal feeling of the first phase of the campaign).
May 11th – With Agent Brown’s help, the girls escape the institute, together with some of their handlers, after having left their anti-terror unit in disarray, with the “help” of an unidentified cybernetically enhanced soldier with Russian weapons.
May 12th – The girls give to Agent Brown the prescriptions and specifications of most of the drugs they were taking for their mind conditioning, in order for him to forward them to Hoffmann Institute doctors for them to suggest a proper gradual de-conditioning process. The most important missing drug is the mysterious substance “texhnolyze”. Unknown to both the girls and Agent Brown, his superior in the Institut forwards the specifications to IBM (the main branch which is fighting against IBM Deutchland in the cybernetic race).
May 17th-18th – Gretta, Erica and Erica’s handler, Alexander follow traces that lead them to uncover that the first experiments on texhnolyze range back to 1930, the building of Magnetogorsk in Russia and some tentacled creatures.
May 19th – A strange letter arrives to Hoffmann Institut, calling for help. It hints of rampant undead in the remote Transylvanian village, Barovia. Though Hoffmann Institut suspects it as a trap, the disappearance of their agent before makes them want to clear up the mystery once and for all. Satellite images do not show any strange activity.
May 20th – Franz and Gretta confirm that DBI is extracting texhnolyze in some way by the remains and the location of old concentration camps. (You all know the nazi+IBM story, I suppose?)
May 24th – In order to pay back their debt to Agent Brown, most of the girls (except from Cecilia who refuses, and Petra, who is a new recruit) go to Romania to investigate the letter and the Sunsword. They arrive only to find most villagers turned to zombies. The few surviving villagers seem to have had minimal contact with the outside world.
Unprepared for the sight and this completely new type of enemy, and despite clever guerrilla tactics involving Molotov cocktails thrown from the rooftops to the zombies, the 12-year old lovely Rico dies in front of the bars of the Major’s manor.
The night is long. Ireena explains about the recent zombie plague and Strahd von Zarovich, Alexander starts his advances towards her, and a strange orthodox monk armed with a Kalashnikov and accompanied by a raven arrives to the manor. He exhibits the ability to heal through prayer, in an extent that really defies any placebo effect.
May 25th – Gretta declares that all this is probably a hallucination, and leaves, together with Erica. While the rest are still recovering, they are ambushed by three fanged humans who could assume gaseous form, and the monk turns one to ashes by showing it the cross. The other “vampires” retreat.
May 26th –Ireena, the monk (Ivan), Franz (Gretta’s handler), and Sina reach Madam Eva after having encountered some proud shapechanging wolf-men, whom they force to retreat with a clear message to their ‘Lady’ that if she searches for trouble, she will find. They are friendly enough with the local Roma, and they learn about 3 places that link Strahd to the land. Strahd now has been identified as clearly behind all that, and they want an explanation at best.
On the other hand, Gretta and Erica return in their hiding place outside Berlin and a Hoffmann Institute doctor takes blood samples from Erica to check if they have some kind of disease or hallucinatory drug.
May 27th – In the early morning, the group in Barovia manages to make a ritual on the Forest Fane. The 2 vampires that had attacked them before strike again, this time accompanied by a spectre, but the company has managed to gain the friendship of the Hill Giant guarding the place and they defend the place successfully. The third time the woman vampire attacks, with a huge collective effort they manage to trap her gaseous form within the Hill Giant’s trousers (he had removed them before), tie their openings very fast and then let the cloth in the running river for a couple of minutes. What a humiliating Final Death…
After that, their mobile phones start operating normally. Franz informs Agent Brown about the situation. Hoffmann Institute now can see the strange mists, and occasionally the tower, in the satellite images. It’s unknown for how long it’s been there.
Later in the day, though, the group’s efforts to explore the Lysaga Hill, where the monk knew that the sword was, almost lead them to death. The Caller in Darkness was an immense encounter for a team with only 2 blessed and no magic weapons, but they manage to dig the sword. Later, though, in the hidden cave, only Franz’s silver tongue saves them all from sure death in the demonic encounter. They know owe Baba Zelenna the death of “that devil on Strahd’s tower”.
Back in Berlin, it is confirmed that Erica (and probably Gretta, who refuses to give a blood sample) is infected by a strange virus that seems to limit cells’ metabolism. This causes irreparable damages to neural cells, leading to a malfunctioning of brain and to clumsiness. When the cells are removed from the body, the virus seems to be accepted easier in order to reduce the metabolism and prolong the cells’ life, and advances in extreme rhythms. It is suspected that the same happens if the infected person dies. In absence of an other term, the process is temporarily described as “zombiefication”.
May 28th – The trial of the “terrorists” starts. It is about violent and non-violent anarchists accused for terrorism and arrested by the girls in earlier operations.
May 29th – Adam realizes Ivan was an agent of the Order of St Gregory. He also realizes that it was probably the Order who sent the letter, trying to have the Institute to do the job of clearing Strahd for them. He is furious about the trap, but he has little choice.
Madame Eva’s words lead the group in Barovia deep in the forest in search for the Symbol of Ravenkind. The beautiful tentacle-mouthed Green Lady waits with her proud lycanthropes. Things almost turn bloody when the lycanthropes smell (in some mystical way) the texhnolyze in Sina’s cybernetics. Franz one again turns this to an advantage, though, as the Green Lady understands the girl had been subjected to the cybernetics without her consent. “These tentacled things did to you what they had done to me”. Alexander remembers some Erica’s dreams about tentacled creatures which led to their research in Magnetogorsk. The werewolves promise to leave the agents alone and interrupt Strahd’s worgs, in order for all of them to go together later to Magnetogorsk to clear the evil once and for all.
May 30th – Ivan finds a wet death by the eels of the Swamp Fane. He raises as a zombie only to be shot down [hint: “brains” in Russian has a very good effect here]. Performing the ritual there doesn’t have any visible effect. The faithful Christian Ireena manages to keep Ivan’s raven with her. A bit later, her prayers have some limited healing effect. (yes, NPCs gain levels too
).May 31st – Despite Hoffmann Institute’s command to wait for the analysis of the virus to be completed, Adam, Erica and Gretta arrive in the forests of Barovia to find a cure. They find the team in disarray: Strahd arrived last day and kidnapped Ireena, despite her heroic resistance. Strahd’s body seemed vulnerable to silver bullets from blessed weapons, but his wings in dire bat form were enough to get him out of trouble quite fast.
June 1st – The team enters Caste Ravenloft. While they destroy the security camera on the high tower, the gargoyles are patrolling and informing Strahd for the team’s movements. With a lot of climbing (I made the chasm less deep), they manage to avoid the central entrance and get directly into the chapel. There they find the Tome of Strahd. They discover huge amounts of information, but in short:
1) Strahd and Tatyana/Ireena’s story.
2) The fact that Strahd was murdered by some strange device but “She” paid him back for his loyalty. “She” seems to be a powerful creature who persisted in some way after her death.
3) Strahd’s apparent confusion about where he is and about technology.
4) That a strange person (the “Necromancer”) with knowledge on technology approached him with a plan to create an undead army through a virus. Strahd doesn’t trust technology, but trusts his ability to command an undead army, so he accepted.
While the ritual on awakening the Symbol of Ravenkind is in process, Strahd appears in dire form (first bat then wolf). His rage proves a weakness; soon the bullets bring him down and he barely manages to escape in gaseous form. The ritual is completed and Gretta is cleared forever from texhnolyze – all texhnolyze’s power having fed the Symbol to awaken it.
June 2nd – Gretta changes her mind again, declares that fighting Strahd in his castle is a recipe for disaster and leaves. Strahd leaves her leave the area once more, for her to spread the virus to even more people.
In the early hours the team demolishes the barrier on the stairs leading to the catacombs and starts searching. Right before the tomb of some – evidently tortured – Romanian commandos, they are encircled by Strahd’s servants, including himself. Strahd declares his interest in embracing the young goth Sina, and possibly Erica, his extreme disapproval of them interrupting his first day with his wife and the fact that Alex is going to be tortured for days and then fed to Sina. The team doesn’t agree with his plans (at least with the part about Alex) and the situation turns violent. Gretta’s absence, though, brings chaos: Franz runs to hide so far that he falls into the “Necromancer”’s pits and is captured. Adam and Alex die in the battle, the latter in the hands of Strahd. Sina fumbles an attack, wounds herself with her sword and loses consciousness.
Some hours later, Sina wakes up as a vampire and feeds on a pure Vistani. Erica is dominated. Strahd presents his new “daughters” their mother: Ireena.
Franz meets the Necromancer. He is a Russian doctor with extreme knowledge on cybernetics (he has something like a small jump pack on his back). The “Necromancer” tells Franz that texhnolyze is made from the pain of countless souls. He says that the Germans would name it “seelenschmerz” if not for marketing purposes. Franz (an agnostic) replies “It’s funny how in the end the clerics were always right about the existence of the soul.”
June 3rd – Some of the accused in the trial of the terrorists declare guilty on crimes the girls knew they did not commit, and accuse other people for similar crimes. Mind conditioning is suspected.
June 4th – The Hoffman Institute confirms the full potential of the virus. Red alert is issued. A lot of agents try to hide from prying eyes the ensuing operation.
June 7th – The “Necromancer” plants a bomb on Franz’s heart. He needs a loyal competent human agent. He just made one.
June 9th – Strahd starts his wedding ceremony. The “Necromancer” has called his very old mother to the ceremony. The “children” and Lucian are also there. As the couple enters the dinner room on the second floor (count the European way), explosions rock the building. Cecilia, Gretta and two small teams of Hoffmann Institute black-ops have arrived on a black military helicopter.
The first team is decimated by Khyristrix and the warlocks, but he is forced into hiding after the helicopter sends all 4 rockets to his tower. The warlocks die. As Khyristrix is licking her wounds, Baba Zelenna and her demons find her, but she manages to escape again.
The second team (with Cecilia and Gretta) meets organised resistance and forces Strahd out of hiding by setting up fires in various places (coming from the windows with a flamethrower and retreating). The Necromancer runs down to hide his mother in a safe place, trying to calm her, and then sends all his creations to bring water to quench the fires. Strahd tries to surprise the team by encircling them, but the Knight of the Raven ghost warns them.
Early in the battle Erica is dazed for almost half a minute, with some of her cybernetics destroyed because of an electromagnetic pulse grenade. Sina is halted (as in halt undead) by Gretta when the latter detects undeath in Sina, and then Gretta tells a commando to blind Sina. Even blind, Sina can, because of the texhnolyze, notice souls close to her, and kills the commando. Strahd, gargoyles and stone dragons hunt Cecilia and Gretta who retreat by climbing on the ruins of the top of the central tower. Then the dying head of the black-ops team detonates his explosives…
Half the second floor disappears.
Sina dies (together with her coffin who was still on the second floor), having 8 hours to see her life passing before her eyes and speak with the ghost of her long-dead handler.
Ireena, who was just in the floor below the explosion, dies too.
Erica loses consciousness but Strahd takes her in his hands, promising revenge. He will give new life to his “daughter” because she was Ireena’s daughter too.
As a part of the last tower collapses, Cecilia and Gretta notice the Dayheart, but even the helicopter’s bullets can barely scratch it. They retreat while hunted by gargoyles. The girls quit the mission (again).
The Hoffmann Institute is forced to make bolder actions that might reveal its presence – unable to solve the problem by itself, it is forced to make a temporary alliance with the Order of Saint Gregory.
The Necromancer convinces Strahd it’s a matter of time before enough force will be brought on the castle – they have to move somewhere and play down until they have built a safe network of contacts in high echelons. Strahd, the wounded Erica, Franz, the Necromancer, his mother and some loyal servants use the portal to darkness to leave the place (remember that portal somewhere in the catacombs?).
The Necromancer promises to sacrifice Franz’s soul, by bringing him to darkness, in order to appease the “Goddess of Darkness” and open the portal. Strahd urges moderation, after Erica cries for mercy for her friend.
They find themselves somewhere in Mexico…
June 10th – Because of Hoffman Institute manipulation, the Romanian army takes false coordinates for target practice for heavy artillery. The castle is destroyed. Hoffman Institut and Saint Gregory agents fight their way through the debris, the spectres and the wraiths to reach the catacombs, where they find the portal and… (to be revealed soon).
Franz’s missing for too many days. His plan B kicks in through an associate: information on the connections of DBI, the german state, the nazi regime, the set-up trial and the appearances of the armed girls goes out on the net. The German state (in particular, Lisa Falkenaugen) anticipates the movement and manages to make it appear unbased. Most of the evidence is deleted, or made appear ambiguous. But Europol agent Malena Cortez was also ready and manages to save a good amount of evidence.
June 21st – Under closed doors, European Commission and the German State reach an agreement that ensures the protection of the German politicians’ reputation. European Agencies will oversee the cybernetic experiments to ensure that participants are of full age and provide full consent, but DBI can go on with the extraction of texhnolyze from old tortured dead.
July 11th – Operation Magnetogorsk fails to provide a quick solution, mostly due to lack of cooperation between the Green Lady’s werewolves and the St Gregory’s monks. The Hoffman Institute only manages to find out that a power there controls the city through manipulation of key persons with its immense telepathic powers.
The Order of Saint Gregory draws most of its power back to Russia and enters a long subtle war against the Evil of Magnetogorsk.
July 20th – Beginning of the first Olympics where players with prosthetics for therapeutical purposes are allowed in the main competition. This year has the most records since 2012, with a great comeback for Germany. The public is divided, but the TV ratings climb again to high levels.
September 11th End of the trial of the "terrorists". Even though most are convicted for very heavy crimes, the penalties are less severe than expected. It is suggested that the jury was influenced by the information leaked by Franz.
September 13th – The numerous cases of athletes with prosthetics that suffer from fits of mental disorder, as well as the influence of Hoffman Institute make the Immortals (the Olympic commission) to impose stricter limitations on the kinds of prosthetics allowed for future Games.
January 2nd 2025 – DBI starts operations in many other EU countries, on the locations of various mass torture and murder sites of the 20th century. The resources of Hoffmann Institute are stretched further as it tries to limit this dangerous and unpredictable exploit of human pain without exposing the public to dark secrets they cannot handle.
Meanwhile, a new darkness rises in Mexico…