The Campaign Spine | Shadows of the Compañeros

Eight acts, one clue web, and no required sequence inside an act.

The Spine

ACT	VISIBLE OBJECTIVE	TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE	EXIT
I. Ashes of San Telmo	Import the previous ending, secure the delegation, and learn why the Convener called the summit.	A component, copy, or usable pattern survived San Telmo. Emilio Resa is under pressure.	The summit opens and the party identifies at least three incompatible buyers.
II. Masks at the Table	Build Position while protecting access and credibility.	The Ear is being offered indirectly, and Stroomdijk is using the summit to hide another operation.	A ledger, disappearance, or rebel contact points toward the Shadowed Tide.
III. The Shadowed Tide	Find the captives, routes, and officials behind the network.	The Project Custodian and Stroomdijk interests overlap; Marina has been helping Lukas.	The party identifies the pressure being used against Resa and learns that the Ear is nearing completion.
IV. The Ear	Reach the laboratory, protect Elena or neutralize the substitute leverage, and decide what happens to the device.	The Ear is listening toward an inland burial Source and cannot safely be demonstrated.	Albion identifies the target and moves from intrigue to extraction.
V. Wolf in the Clouds	Keep Van Rijn alive, contest the northern and southern landings, protect the laboratory, and open Wolfhound’s strike window.	Albion’s four frigates are fixed on Van Rijn while its sloops attempt to land troops; Black Thorn guides Wolfhound behind them.	Albion breaks contact or reaches the island; survivors retreat inland with evidence or a scholar.
VI. The Jungle Remembers	Pursue the survivors and negotiate with the Clann.	Albion committed atrocities inland and the true Source lies beyond colonial maps.	The Clann permit, compel, or shadow the party toward the Source.
VII. The Breathing Source	Cross the burial complex and reduce Source instability.	The system is correcting around incompatible signals. The final pulse will create matter.	The manifestation occurs and the party escapes with a truth no faction can fully own.
VIII. The Price of Fortune	Return to the summit or its ruins and decide what becomes public.	There is no neutral handoff. Every ending creates a new regional order.	Choose the next Mar de Oro campaign path and show its cost immediately.

I. Ashes of San Telmo

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Import the previous ending, secure the delegation, and learn why the Convener called the summit.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: A component, copy, or usable pattern survived San Telmo. Emilio Resa is under pressure.
EXIT: The summit opens and the party identifies at least three incompatible buyers.

II. Masks at the Table

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Build Position while protecting access and credibility.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: The Ear is being offered indirectly, and Stroomdijk is using the summit to hide another operation.
EXIT: A ledger, disappearance, or rebel contact points toward the Shadowed Tide.

III. The Shadowed Tide

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Find the captives, routes, and officials behind the network.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: The Project Custodian and Stroomdijk interests overlap; Marina has been helping Lukas.
EXIT: The party identifies the pressure being used against Resa and learns that the Ear is nearing completion.

IV. The Ear

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Reach the laboratory, protect Elena or neutralize the substitute leverage, and decide what happens to the device.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: The Ear is listening toward an inland burial Source and cannot safely be demonstrated.
EXIT: Albion identifies the target and moves from intrigue to extraction.

V. Wolf in the Clouds

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Keep Van Rijn alive, contest the northern and southern landings, protect the laboratory, and open Wolfhound’s strike window.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: Albion’s four frigates are fixed on Van Rijn while its sloops attempt to land troops; Black Thorn guides Wolfhound behind them.
EXIT: Albion breaks contact or reaches the island; survivors retreat inland with evidence or a scholar.

VI. The Jungle Remembers

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Pursue the survivors and negotiate with the Clann.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: Albion committed atrocities inland and the true Source lies beyond colonial maps.
EXIT: The Clann permit, compel, or shadow the party toward the Source.

VII. The Breathing Source

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Cross the burial complex and reduce Source instability.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: The system is correcting around incompatible signals. The final pulse will create matter.
EXIT: The manifestation occurs and the party escapes with a truth no faction can fully own.

VIII. The Price of Fortune

VISIBLE OBJECTIVE: Return to the summit or its ruins and decide what becomes public.
TRUTH THAT MUST SURFACE: There is no neutral handoff. Every ending creates a new regional order.
EXIT: Choose the next Mar de Oro campaign path and show its cost immediately.

The Clue Web

NODE	WHAT IT GIVES	ROUTES FORWARD
Boca Serena / Porto Sombra	Arrival records, harbor rumors, administrative surveillance, Clann coin, missing names.	Convener’s reception, Montoya, docks, or rebel contact.
Conference Hall	Delegation priorities, private bargains, timetable, public contradictions.	Private quarters, formal records, cultural events, or Stroomdijk route.
Shadowed Tide Safehouse	Captive names, manifests, Marina’s role, plantation routes.	Warehouse, Valerio estate, DeLuca household, or Resa’s laboratory.
Hidden Laboratory	Elena Resa or substitute leverage, the Ear, technical notes, and the Project Custodian’s coercion.	Destroy, move, copy, or use the Ear; trigger Albion action.
Plantation and Sky Battle	Albion orders, captured signals, Vega’s intervention, surviving scholar.	Jungle pursuit, Clann contact, soldier’s journal.
Jungle Ambush	Proof of Albion atrocities, concealed compounds, path to the burial Source.	Clann bargain or forced march to the Source.
Breathing Source	Source rule, Compañero truth, manifestation, evidence beyond ordinary proof.	Final negotiation, concealment, war, or wider Source campaign.

Boca Serena / Porto Sombra

WHAT IT GIVES: Arrival records, harbor rumors, administrative surveillance, Clann coin, missing names.
ROUTES FORWARD: Convener’s reception, Montoya, docks, or rebel contact.

Conference Hall

WHAT IT GIVES: Delegation priorities, private bargains, timetable, public contradictions.
ROUTES FORWARD: Private quarters, formal records, cultural events, or Stroomdijk route.

Shadowed Tide Safehouse

WHAT IT GIVES: Captive names, manifests, Marina’s role, plantation routes.
ROUTES FORWARD: Warehouse, Valerio estate, DeLuca household, or Resa’s laboratory.

Hidden Laboratory

WHAT IT GIVES: Elena Resa or substitute leverage, the Ear, technical notes, and the Project Custodian’s coercion.
ROUTES FORWARD: Destroy, move, copy, or use the Ear; trigger Albion action.

Plantation and Sky Battle

WHAT IT GIVES: Albion orders, captured signals, Vega’s intervention, surviving scholar.
ROUTES FORWARD: Jungle pursuit, Clann contact, soldier’s journal.

Jungle Ambush

WHAT IT GIVES: Proof of Albion atrocities, concealed compounds, path to the burial Source.
ROUTES FORWARD: Clann bargain or forced march to the Source.

Breathing Source

WHAT IT GIVES: Source rule, Compañero truth, manifestation, evidence beyond ordinary proof.
ROUTES FORWARD: Final negotiation, concealment, war, or wider Source campaign.

A Sixteen-Session Route

NO.	TITLE	DECISION
1	Ash on the Ledger	Import San Telmo; protect a witness; learn the summit is an auction.
2	The Convener’s Table	Meet the Convener, Montoya, and the delegations; choose the first private approach.
3	Opening Statements	Set Heller’s negotiation goals and discover the first contradiction.
4	The Wrong Manifest	Investigate Stroomdijk shipping records or a vanished worker.
5	A Coin with Three Curves	Receive the Clann warning and establish whether the party can keep a secret.
6	The Shadowed Tide	Meet Lukas and learn Marina is helping the rebellion.
7	Beneath the Warehouse	Rescue captives or preserve the route long enough to reach its buyers.
8	The Scientist’s Price	Identify Elena Resa’s location or the substitute pressure on Emilio.
9	The Ear	Infiltrate the laboratory; decide whether to copy, destroy, or move the device.
10	The Demonstration	The Project Custodian attempts to force a sale; every delegation takes a position.
11	Wolf in the Clouds	Van Rijn fixes Albion’s frigates while the northern and southern landing forces descend toward the island.
12	Break the Anvil	Relay Black Thorn’s observations, open Wolfhound’s rear strike, and decide which landing zone can still be saved.
13	The Cut-Off Men	Pursue Albion inland and enter the jungle kill zone.
14	History Burns in Rain	Meet the Clann, recover the journal, and decide what evidence survives.
15	The Breathing Source	Enter the burial complex and learn its pattern.
16	The Price of Fortune	Survive the manifestation and settle the future of Canula Prime.

TITLE: Ash on the Ledger
DECISION: Import San Telmo; protect a witness; learn the summit is an auction.

TITLE: The Convener’s Table
DECISION: Meet the Convener, Montoya, and the delegations; choose the first private approach.

TITLE: Opening Statements
DECISION: Set Heller’s negotiation goals and discover the first contradiction.

TITLE: The Wrong Manifest
DECISION: Investigate Stroomdijk shipping records or a vanished worker.

TITLE: A Coin with Three Curves
DECISION: Receive the Clann warning and establish whether the party can keep a secret.

TITLE: The Shadowed Tide
DECISION: Meet Lukas and learn Marina is helping the rebellion.

TITLE: Beneath the Warehouse
DECISION: Rescue captives or preserve the route long enough to reach its buyers.

TITLE: The Scientist’s Price
DECISION: Identify Elena Resa’s location or the substitute pressure on Emilio.

TITLE: The Ear
DECISION: Infiltrate the laboratory; decide whether to copy, destroy, or move the device.

TITLE: The Demonstration
DECISION: The Project Custodian attempts to force a sale; every delegation takes a position.

TITLE: Wolf in the Clouds
DECISION: Van Rijn fixes Albion’s frigates while the northern and southern landing forces descend toward the island.

TITLE: Break the Anvil
DECISION: Relay Black Thorn’s observations, open Wolfhound’s rear strike, and decide which landing zone can still be saved.

TITLE: The Cut-Off Men
DECISION: Pursue Albion inland and enter the jungle kill zone.

TITLE: History Burns in Rain
DECISION: Meet the Clann, recover the journal, and decide what evidence survives.

TITLE: The Breathing Source
DECISION: Enter the burial complex and learn its pattern.

TITLE: The Price of Fortune
DECISION: Survive the manifestation and settle the future of Canula Prime.

Expand to eighteen sessions by splitting the negotiations, trafficking rescue, and Source descent. Compress to twelve by combining Sessions 2-3, 4-5, 7-8, and 11-12.

When the Expected Route Breaks

The campaign has required truths, not required custodians or scenes. Use this matrix when player action removes a default assumption. Preserve the information and pressure; do not restore the original plot by undoing a victory.

BROKEN ASSUMPTION	PRESERVE	MOVE THE CAMPAIGN
DeLuca was removed or killed	The summit, the Ear project, and the fight over custody.	Use the Project Custodian and let Calderón, Isabella, a crown commissioner, or the controlling faction convene. Do not resurrect DeLuca’s authority.
Resa dies or cannot be recovered	His three contradictions and the truth that the Ear listens inland.	Split technical knowledge among Elena, notes, calibration marks, workers, and another engineer. No replacement understands everything.
Elena is freed early	Resa still faces pressure and the project still has momentum.	Make Elena an active witness. Shift pressure to legal charges, other relatives, witnesses, or control of the record. Never kidnap her again to reset the plot.
The Ear is destroyed	A repeatable pulse and at least one dangerous owner.	Use a calibration plate, copied pattern, Resa’s memory, or Shatterstein’s interpretation. Act IV becomes a hunt for copies rather than the intact machine.
Albion takes the Ear early	The extraction crisis and route toward the Source.	Turn Act V into pursuit or interception. Start Source Disequilibrium +2 and let the surviving scholar, signal record, or Clann warning point inland.
Melenko or the Legacy Anchor is absent	Vega’s loyalty and Montoya’s investigation.	Use Melenko as a protected NPC, attach Vega’s promise to another named person, or remove the sacrifice question. Do not force a player into the role.
Vega is killed, arrested, or rejected	The moon-affected crew and the cost of redemption.	A first mate or survivor carries the crew dilemma. Another ally may open the extraction corridor, or the party must create it without rescue.
The Clann withdraw trust or become hostile	The Source route and the cost of colonial intrusion.	They erase paths, withhold safe guidance, or strike both sides. Reach the Source through field signs or a surviving scholar at higher instability.
The party refuses to enter the Source	The contradictory pulse and its regional consequence.	Run Act VII as surface containment, interception, or evacuation. The manifestation occurs remotely or later and returns as a continuing threat. Do not force the descent.

DeLuca was removed or killed

PRESERVE: The summit, the Ear project, and the fight over custody.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Use the Project Custodian and let Calderón, Isabella, a crown commissioner, or the controlling faction convene. Do not resurrect DeLuca’s authority.

Resa dies or cannot be recovered

PRESERVE: His three contradictions and the truth that the Ear listens inland.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Split technical knowledge among Elena, notes, calibration marks, workers, and another engineer. No replacement understands everything.

Elena is freed early

PRESERVE: Resa still faces pressure and the project still has momentum.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Make Elena an active witness. Shift pressure to legal charges, other relatives, witnesses, or control of the record. Never kidnap her again to reset the plot.

The Ear is destroyed

PRESERVE: A repeatable pulse and at least one dangerous owner.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Use a calibration plate, copied pattern, Resa’s memory, or Shatterstein’s interpretation. Act IV becomes a hunt for copies rather than the intact machine.

Albion takes the Ear early

PRESERVE: The extraction crisis and route toward the Source.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Turn Act V into pursuit or interception. Start Source Disequilibrium +2 and let the surviving scholar, signal record, or Clann warning point inland.

Melenko or the Legacy Anchor is absent

PRESERVE: Vega’s loyalty and Montoya’s investigation.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Use Melenko as a protected NPC, attach Vega’s promise to another named person, or remove the sacrifice question. Do not force a player into the role.

Vega is killed, arrested, or rejected

PRESERVE: The moon-affected crew and the cost of redemption.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: A first mate or survivor carries the crew dilemma. Another ally may open the extraction corridor, or the party must create it without rescue.

The Clann withdraw trust or become hostile

PRESERVE: The Source route and the cost of colonial intrusion.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: They erase paths, withhold safe guidance, or strike both sides. Reach the Source through field signs or a surviving scholar at higher instability.

The party refuses to enter the Source

PRESERVE: The contradictory pulse and its regional consequence.
MOVE THE CAMPAIGN: Run Act VII as surface containment, interception, or evacuation. The manifestation occurs remotely or later and returns as a continuing threat. Do not force the descent.