Chapter XII: Wolf in the Clouds

Running This Act

GM Goal: Run the battle as competing objectives, command problems, landing pressure, rescue, signal control, and spatial decisions rather than a contest of vessel hit points.
What Must Surface: Van Rijn fixes Albion's frigates while Albion landing forces approach from north and south, Black Thorn supplies observation, and Wolfhound approaches from the rear.
Keep Pressure Moving: Albion Frigates Converge, Defender Cohesion, Landing Forces Ashore, Laboratory Collapse, and Wolfhound Strike Position.
Active Clocks: Albion Frigates Converge — each round Albion holds formation brings the squadron onto the defenders.
Defender Cohesion — lost signals, damaged masts, and split orders erode the defence.
Landing Forces Ashore — sloops approaching from north and south put troops on the island.
Laboratory Collapse — pressure on the site makes it impossible to hold.
Wolfhound Strike Position — Vega closes from the rear and chooses his moment.
Albion Delegation Loses Control — cut-off troops or public evidence force Lysander's hand.
Source Disequilibrium — violent resonance work above the island advances it.
Likely Faction Moves: Drake commits landing forces from north and south rather than winning in the air.
Van Rijn fixes Albion's frigates while Black Thorn feeds observation and signals.
Lysander begins preparing to disavow or defend the field command.
A cut-off Albion force breaks inland carrying evidence, a scholar, a witness, a map, or a fragment.
Move On When: Albion breaks contact or reaches the island, or the laboratory becomes impossible to hold. A cut-off Albion force retreats inland carrying evidence, a scholar, witness, map, or fragment.

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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

Albion designed the attack to end before anyone could call it a battle.

Wolfhound, Lucian Vega’s Justicar-class privateer, closes behind Albion while Van Rijn holds the enemy’s attention. Command, signal control, landing routes, and timing matter as much as guns.

Battlefield Situation

Van Rijn fixes Albion’s attention with his Justicar-class ship of the line while events unfold over the plantation. Vigilant, Spectre, Crown’s Whisper, and Daggerfall converge from the east, with Swift in close overwatch and Falcon guarding the outer flank. Adder and Windcutter approach the island from the north to land sixty line infantry; Sea Lance and Mistral approach from the south with sixty marines. Hidden near the coast, Black Thorn tracks the force and relays its disposition. Wolfhound, Lucian Vega’s Justicar-class privateer, closes from behind the Albion formation. The battle spans the plantation, laboratory road, landing zones, and the sky above them.

SCALE	WHAT THE GM TRACKS	WHAT THE CHARACTERS CAN CHANGE
Field	Albion’s anvil, hidden hammer, Heller or Valdegracian ships, weather, and retreat routes.	Reveal the second force, restore command, open an extraction corridor.
Scene	Laboratory yard, signal mast, bridge, gun deck, prisoner route, or loading platform.	Hold a position, rescue people, preserve evidence, destroy or move the Ear.
Character	Immediate danger, orders, smoke, broken lines, wounded officers.	Repair, signal, command, fight, carry, deceive, or refuse a fatal order.

Field

WHAT THE GM TRACKS: Albion’s anvil, hidden hammer, Heller or Valdegracian ships, weather, and retreat routes.
WHAT THE CHARACTERS CAN CHANGE: Reveal the second force, restore command, open an extraction corridor.

Scene

WHAT THE GM TRACKS: Laboratory yard, signal mast, bridge, gun deck, prisoner route, or loading platform.
WHAT THE CHARACTERS CAN CHANGE: Hold a position, rescue people, preserve evidence, destroy or move the Ear.

Character

WHAT THE GM TRACKS: Immediate danger, orders, smoke, broken lines, wounded officers.
WHAT THE CHARACTERS CAN CHANGE: Repair, signal, command, fight, carry, deceive, or refuse a fatal order.

Battle Clocks

CLOCK	SEGMENTS	MEANING
Albion Frigates Converge	6	When full, Vigilant, Spectre, Crown’s Whisper, and Daggerfall isolate Van Rijn and begin coordinated fire.
Defender Cohesion	6	When empty, allied ships and ground forces act on old or contradictory orders.
Landing Forces Ashore	4	Advances as Adder and Windcutter approach from the north and Sea Lance and Mistral approach from the south. When full, Albion troops secure one landing zone.
Laboratory Collapse	6	Advances through fire, ruptured lines, or abandoned containment.
Wolfhound Strike Position	4	Advances when Black Thorn relays a clean bearing, Van Rijn holds the frigates, or the party restores the signal chain. When full, Wolfhound attacks from behind the Albion formation.

Albion Frigates Converge

SEGMENTS: 6
MEANING: When full, Vigilant, Spectre, Crown’s Whisper, and Daggerfall isolate Van Rijn and begin coordinated fire.

Defender Cohesion

SEGMENTS: 6
MEANING: When empty, allied ships and ground forces act on old or contradictory orders.

Landing Forces Ashore

SEGMENTS: 4
MEANING: Advances as Adder and Windcutter approach from the north and Sea Lance and Mistral approach from the south. When full, Albion troops secure one landing zone.

Laboratory Collapse

SEGMENTS: 6
MEANING: Advances through fire, ruptured lines, or abandoned containment.

Wolfhound Strike Position

SEGMENTS: 4
MEANING: Advances when Black Thorn relays a clean bearing, Van Rijn holds the frigates, or the party restores the signal chain. When full, Wolfhound attacks from behind the Albion formation.

Lucian Vega Enters

Black Thorn’s observation reports guide Wolfhound behind the Albion formation after Van Rijn has fixed the four frigates in place. Vega attacks the force threatening Melenko or the selected Legacy Anchor, the captives, or the landing zones rather than the most valuable ship. His intervention saves lives and reveals that he has been following the campaign. The crew’s moon-linked condition should appear through strength, silhouette, breath, and wrong movement rather than a generic wolf transformation.

Character Missions

Restore the signal mast before Van Rijn and Wolfhound act on an old or contradictory order.

Cross a fire zone to reach Elena Resa or the current leverage, and the captives.

Prevent Albion engineers from removing the Ear or its calibration plates.

Relay Black Thorn’s observations so Van Rijn and Wolfhound can identify the Albion formation and its landing routes.

Disrupt Adder and Windcutter in the north or Sea Lance and Mistral in the south before their troops secure the estate.

Preserve one piece of undeniable evidence that Albion acted under organized command.

When to Move On

The battle ends when the Albion frigates break contact, the landing forces are driven off or reach the island, or the laboratory becomes impossible to hold. Wolfhound may cut the extraction route, but it cannot secure every landing zone. A cut-off Albion unit retreats inland with a scholar, witness, map, or fragment. The party must decide whether to pursue before legal authorities can stop them.