The players arrive carrying an ending. The Project Custodian intends to make it disappear inside procedure.
Running This Act
- GM Goal
- Import the actual San Telmo outcome, establish the DeSauros mission, secure the delegation's starting position, and reveal that the summit is not merely routine restoration.
- What Must Surface
- A component, copy, pressure record, or usable pattern survived San Telmo, and Emilio Resa is under pressure.
- Keep Pressure Moving
- Altered records, witness custody, Project Custodian activity, and the opening negotiation position.
- Active Clocks
- Project Custodian Completes the Ear — the custodian works while the delegation negotiates; delay and Resa's isolation advance it.
- Albion Covert Command Identifies the Asset — surviving San Telmo evidence and continued Heller activity draw covert attention.
- Negotiations Collapse — a public accusation at arrival costs the delegation its standing.
- Likely Faction Moves
- The Project Custodian buries San Telmo inside procedure and relocates a witness before the summit opens.
- Valdegracian authority delays papers or inspects the ship to learn what survived.
- Montoya offers sanctuary or an inquiry channel and expects an obligation in return.
- The Convener tests whether the characters can be bought, blamed, divided, or provoked.
- Move On When
- The characters understand that the summit is an auction disguised as restoration and at least one faction believes they can change its outcome. The campaign spine also expects the party to identify several incompatible interests pursuing the surviving technology, evidence, or access.
Required truths, not required scenes. When a player choice removes a default assumption, use When the Expected Route Breaks
Preparing the next session? Open the Seven-Line Session Prep guide
Opening Scenes
Valdegracian authority arrives in polished brass, sealed orders, and disciplined ranks.
| SCENE | VISIBLE PROBLEM | HIDDEN PRESSURE | USEFUL OUTCOME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customs at Boca Serena | The delegation’s papers are delayed and the ship is inspected. | An official wants to know what evidence or samples survived San Telmo. | Identify the watcher, preserve a hidden asset, or gain lawful passage. |
| The Wrong Name | A crew or witness name has vanished from the registry. | The missing person is being moved before the summit opens. | Reach the witness first or learn who ordered the alteration. |
| Montoya’s Chapel | Montoya requests a private meeting under sacred form. | He wants truth about Melenko and the Project Custodian but will not risk an unsupported accusation. | Gain sanctuary, an inquiry channel, or a dangerous obligation. |
| The Convener’s Welcome | The Convener hosts a formal dinner or reception. | Every course tests whether the characters can be bought, blamed, divided, or provoked by the authority behind the summit. | Read the delegations and choose which private offer to pursue. |
- VISIBLE PROBLEM
- The delegation’s papers are delayed and the ship is inspected.
- HIDDEN PRESSURE
- An official wants to know what evidence or samples survived San Telmo.
- USEFUL OUTCOME
- Identify the watcher, preserve a hidden asset, or gain lawful passage.
- VISIBLE PROBLEM
- A crew or witness name has vanished from the registry.
- HIDDEN PRESSURE
- The missing person is being moved before the summit opens.
- USEFUL OUTCOME
- Reach the witness first or learn who ordered the alteration.
- VISIBLE PROBLEM
- Montoya requests a private meeting under sacred form.
- HIDDEN PRESSURE
- He wants truth about Melenko and the Project Custodian but will not risk an unsupported accusation.
- USEFUL OUTCOME
- Gain sanctuary, an inquiry channel, or a dangerous obligation.
- VISIBLE PROBLEM
- The Convener hosts a formal dinner or reception.
- HIDDEN PRESSURE
- Every course tests whether the characters can be bought, blamed, divided, or provoked by the authority behind the summit.
- USEFUL OUTCOME
- Read the delegations and choose which private offer to pursue.
The First Contradiction
Place the first required clue in three locations: a customs copy, Resa’s pressure notes, and a servant’s memory of a brass cylinder or calibration case removed from San Telmo. Together they establish that a component, copy, or usable pattern survived the public incident. The records disagree on whether it was destroyed, transferred, stolen, or placed in official custody.
Hard Choice
A frightened witness asks for protection before sundown. Protecting them creates legal friction and delays the delegation. Following the clerk may reveal who is rewriting the story. Inspecting the damaged ship may preserve physical evidence. Whichever route the party ignores reaches a faction first.
When to Move On
End when the players know that the summit is an auction disguised as restoration, and when at least one faction believes the characters can change the outcome. Award one Position if the party protects a witness without losing the delegation’s legal standing.