Jungle Chase is a travelling adventure FENG SHUI-style! Set in pre-1999 Southeast Asia, it puts the characters in the middle of an internal conflict within the secret rulers of the time. Their journey leads them from still British Hong Kong right into the jungles of the Golden Triangle.
This adventure references information found in the FENG SHUI supplements Golden Comeback (Rules Expansion) and Seal of the Wheel (describing the Ascended faction).
Introduction Scene
If you are into giving your players a teaser before the start of the actual adventure, describe the following scene:
- A high-tech container and tent camp in the middle of the jungle, sitting in the borderlands between China, Laos and Burma. The containers show WHO (World Health Organization) and UN (United Nations) logos.
- A local woman cooking a meal over camp-fire while two mercenaries chat idly nearby.
- A journalist and an administrator (obviously foreigners) discuss the mounting death toll due to an unknown plague hitting the area and its origin.
- An inside view of one of one of the containers, showing a full-blown Biosafety Level 3/4 laboratory with a female analyst clad in a pressure suit working on some specimens.
- Another scientist leaving the container, telling the journalist and administrator that it is probably an extremely advanced, artificially designed biological weapon.
- The sound of helicopters getting nearer and heavy vehicles crashing through the jungle, making the mercenaries scrambling for their weapons.
- An overwhelming force of Chinese People's Liberation Army infantry assaulting the camp and killing or taking everybody prisoner within minutes.
- The foreign administrator guiding a Chinese general towards the captured female scientist, still wearing her pressure-suit without helmet and introducing the two to each other as General Kong Lei (“Glorious Thunder”) and Lisa McCarthy.
- General Kong Lei ordering everybody to be killed except for Lisa McCarthy, which is to be taken back to their base.
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Named Characters: General Kong Lei (Glorious Thunder) – Chinese General and Pledged Agent Special Agent Jeremiah Black – US CDC (Center of Disease Control) Liaison and Pledged Agent Lisa McCarthy – Renowned epidemiologist working for the WHO, daughter of US General Montgomery McCarthy |
One week earlier…
The PCs actually enter the scene one week earlier. The story starts in a small restaurant in Hong Kong, which is nearly empty during the introduction scene. The PCs do not necessarily have to know each other, the scene is meant to bring the PCs and a few main NPCs together.
The atmosphere is quiet and relaxed, but two of the few guests start to quickly draw attention. An older, obviously well-trained man and an attractive woman in her late twenties are arguing over the current plans of the young lady. A short observation reveals they are father and daughter. The daughter (nobody less then Lisa McCarthy) seems about to take a new job assignment and her father (US General Montgomery McCarthy in civil clothing) is thoroughly opposed to this, as he deems it way to dangerous. The young lady insists this is part of her job and no more dangerous than what he does for a living.
As soon as the basic outline of their relationship has been established, the action starts. From the outside, the squealing of hard-braking vehicles can be heard, then the heavy step of boots seconds before all hell breaks loose. Black-clad people with masks over their heads start pouring into the restaurant, gunning down guests and personnel left and right.
The attackers are all mooks and as such cannon fodder. Make reinforcements appear as long as the fight seems interesting, when things get boring, end it. The attackers are obviously trying to reach the McCarthys, who flip over their table and duck for cover as soon as the fighting begins. When the fighting ends senior McCarthy might show his combat prowess by disarming one or two mooks and sending them over the next tables with a few well-placed punches.
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Typical Mook Attributes: Body 6, Chi 0, Mind 4, Ref 6 Skills: Guns 8, Martial Arts 8 Weapons: fist (8), kick (9), Glock 18 (10/2/33+1) |
After the fight, General Montgomery McCarthy introduces himself and expresses his gratitude. The British police arriving on the scene basically follow his orders as soon as they recognize him and will release the PCs without much hassle.
One week later…
Two weeks after the battle in the restaurant (and one week after the Introduction Scene) all PCs are contacted by General Montgomery and asked to meet him ASAP, preferably in Hong Kong. If the PCs need motivation General McCarthy knows effectively everything about them – hi is also a Pledged Agent – and will make them offers. The General will not pressure any PC, but he might well make an “irresistible offer”.
Monty (as his friends may call him) will ask the characters to find his daughter who has just gone missing somewhere in the Golden Triangle on a mission for the WHO. If the PCs ask the obvious question how he thought of them, he will refer to their performance during the battle at the restaurant and also tell them that he thinks that an organization he is part of is actually behind the abduction and he cannot trust his own people. If the PCs press on, he will even reveal that he is part of an international behind-the-scenes conspiracy which includes partners and internal competitors in countries like communist China.
He suspects the person behind the abduction is Chinese General Kong Lei, head of the Chinese bio-weapons research effort – and as such his Chinese counterpart. He found out that Kong Lei will meet with some of his partners in three days on “neutral ground” – in Hong Kong. Monty wants the PCs to infiltrate and/or assault that meeting to find out what Kong Lei is currently doing and where he might keep Lisa.
Hotel High Noon
The meeting will take place on the top floor of a small hotel in Hong Kong. Kong Lei has booked the whole floor for his guests and their entourage of mercenaries, bodyguards and henchmen.
The hotel floor is T-shaped, with four large apartments, a conference room, a small bar and a large seating area making up the trunk of the T. The bar of the T is formed of smaller rooms and at each end a smaller seating area, two lifts and staircases .
All in all there will be about three dozen mooks, two dozen present on the floor and guarding against each other as well as outside interference. The other dozen is spread across the hotel, watching access ways.
The main participants of the meeting are:
- Viktor Petrov – Military Advisor from Moscow and another Pledged Agent. He was actually appointed to Kong Lei by the Pledged and while his official mission is to support the General, he is also an observer for the Russian Federation (as far as the bio-weapons programs are concerned) and a safeguard should Kong Lei again endanger the project (see “The Real Deal” at the end of this document).
- Dennis Lin-Lien (“Jade Lotus”) – Chinese bio-weapons expert and leader of Kong Lei’s research programs. He is actually the brains behind the whole operation that brought Kong Lei into the Golden Triangle – and as such the primary target for the PCs.
- Ninan Kiet (“Eternal Honor”) – Officer in the Lao PLA Air Force, representing Laotian interests.
- Myint-Aung (“Highly Succesful”) – Officer in the Myanmar Police Force, representing Burmese interests.
General Kong Lei is actually not present.
Viktor Petrov and Dennis Lin-Lien know the location of Kong Lei’s current Headquarters (and Lisa’s prison) and carry maps and navigational data with them helping to get there. FENG SHUI-style, the PCs will probably storm the meeting guns blazing and legs kicking. Viktor Petrov will protect Dennis Lin-Lien, but flee the area if Dennis is killed or captured. He will do so by jumping through one of the windows into the hotel swimming pool below. Ninan Kiet and Myint Aung will try to fight their way out. The mooks will attack the characters as long as the named NPCs are still on the scene.
No matter if Viktor or Dennis are killed, captured or manage to escape, the PCs will find the map data either on one of them or in their vacated hotel suites. The map shows Kung Lei’s HQ to be situated in China close to the Chinese-Burmese-Laotian border triangle on the banks of the Mekong.
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Viktor Petrov Attributes: Body 8, Chi 1 (Fu 4), Mind 7, Ref 7 Skills: Deceit 12, Guns 12, Intimidation 10, Info/Bio-Warfare 15, Info/Chinese Military 12, Martial Arts 12 Weapons: fist (9), kick (10), Makarov (10/2/8+1) Schticks: [Gun] Concealed Weapon, Cover Fire x2, Signature Weapon (Makarov) |
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Dennis Lin-Lien (“Jade Lotus”) Attributes: Body 4, Chi 2 (For 4), Mind 9, Ref 6 Skills: Fix-It 8, Info/Bio-Weapons, 18, Medicine 18, Martial Arts 6 Weapons: fist (5), kick (6) |
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Ninan Kiet (“Eternal Honor”) Attributes: Body 7, Chi 0, Mind 6, Ref 7 Skills: Driving 18, Fix-It 12, Leadership 12, Guns 10, Info/Airplanes 12, Martial Arts 8 Weapons: fist (8), kick (9), Norinko Tokarev (10/2/8+1) |
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Myint-Aung (“Highly Succesful”) Attributes: Body 7, Chi 2, Mind 5 (Per 6), Ref 6 Skills: Driving 10, Detective 10, Guns 12, Martial Arts 10 Weapons: fist (8), kick (9), Norinko Tokarev (10/2/8+1) |
Into the Jungle
The next step is clear – and if it is not, Monty will make it so: The PCs are tasked to go into one of the most dangerous and wildest territories on earth to slug it out with one of the leaders of a major military power backed by a secret worldwide conspiracy. The realities of this situation soon catch up with the PCs.
It is obvious that an air trip is on the schedule and a flight from Hong Kong to Vientiane in Laos would take the characters most of the route. Since there are no commercial flights, Monty will arrange a charter plane (with or without pilot, as needed), a good old Douglas DC-3.
In the meantime, as soon as the PCs make themselves appear at a public place, they will be greeted by two Men in Black (see Seal of the Wheel, p. 41-42) showing them an InterPol warrant of arrest. If confronted about it, the MiBs will make clear they are not here to enforce the warrant, just to tell the characters that they should better lay low and keep from sticking their noses into things not meant for them.
With the InterPol warrant, flying through Chinese airspace is off the table and the PCs are forced to fly over the South China Sea and trying to sneak through Vietnam and Laos before landing near Vientiane.
The air journey takes about 6 hours and is eventless – until the plane is just about to leave Vietnamese Air Space. At that point, the DC-3 will suddenly be perforated with bullets and then passed by a Vietnamese MiG-21. If a pilot was provided by Monty, he is killed by the first salvo and now the PCs have to take over. The DC-3 has neither the maneuverability nor any armament to handle such a fight, but this surely will not keep the PCs from getting the MiG-21 downed with their personal arms or even Fu attacks.
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Douglas DC-3 Pep: 0 / Wreck: 20 |
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Vietnamese MiG-21 Pep: 10 / Wreck: 10 Weapons: NR-30 Cannon (Wreck: 3 or 14**/-/300), 2 x AA-2 Atoll AAM (Wreck 10 or Large Explosion) Unnamed Vietnamese Fighter Pilot Skills: Driving 10, Guns 10 |
When the fight is over, the DC-3 will have been damaged to far too make the whole journey, an immediate landing is advisable. Fortunately, there is a really big emergency landing area right below: A sidearm of the Mekong River.
The good news is that the Mekong will take the characters to Vientiane and on to their final destination. The bad news is they still have a few hundred miles to go and the Mekong will run along the Burmese Border, an area dominated by pirates and an arbitrarily acting military infamous for their brutality and cruelty.
The possible encounters are manifold and should be adapted to the amount of Jungle/River Warfare and Wildlife encounter the group is inclined to. In any case, the group will encounter (and probably even hijack) one of the ubiquitous Patrol Boats.
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Mekong River Patrol Boat Pep: 0 / Wreck: 4 Boat Weapons: Heavy MG (Wreck: 2 or 14**/-/100), Grenade Launcher (Wreck 4 or Small Explosion) Unnamed Patrol Boat Crew Attributes: Body 6, Chi 0, Mind 4, Ref 6 Unnamed Patrol Boat Crew Skills: Driving 8, Guns 8, Martial Arts 6 Unnamed Patrol Boat Crew Weapons: fist (7), kick (8), AK-47 (13**/5/30) |
Other things to encounter:
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Mekong River Pirate Boat Pep: -1 / Wreck: 3 Boat Weapons: Light MG (Wreck: 1 or 13**/-/100) Unnamed Pirate Boat Crew Attributes: Body 7, Chi 0, Mind 4, Ref 6 Unnamed Pirate Boat Crew Skills: Driving 8, Guns 8, Martial Arts 8 Unnamed Pirate Boat Crew Weapons: fist (8), kick (9), AK-47 (13**/5/30) |
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Asian Golden Cat Attributes: Body 8, Chi 0, Mind 3, Ref 10 Skills: Martial Arts 8 Weapons: claws (10), bite (12) |
Final Rush
Finally, the group will reach the Chinese border, a term which is loosely defined in this area of the world. On the river banks a small village can be found, and here it shows that you are back in a civilized nation: People are friendly and the PCs find an opportunity to refresh, even heal some wounds and sleep a few hours.
Yes. It is a trap. Among the village population waits one of the deadliest weapons the Pledged have to offer: Killkid 7 (see Seal of the Wheel, p. 94-96) with two dozen PLA infantrymen as backup . The first thing Killkid 7 will do when things start to get ugly (and I mean really ugly) is to employ Laughter of the Fox (Fu Path of the Clever Eye, which she completely mastered) to grab the weapon of the first PC targeting her, saying “Gee, you brought me a weapon!”, then emptying the magazine into him. After Killkid 7 (and her backup) has been dealt with, only an hour’s march lies between the PCs and their final target.
There, in the middle of the jungle, camps a full mobile infantry battalion of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. More than 1,000 infantrymen, APCs, tanks and helicopters are waiting to be blown up by the PCs. The camp uses an improvised perimeter of razor-wire fence and moats, with most structures built from bamboo and thus pretty stable. There is a large headquarters complex on the north side, which houses General Kong Lei and the prison of Lisa McCarthy. If Viktor Petrov survived the fight in the hotel, he will be there, too. The number of mooks to be thrown at the PCs is endless, so this is the time to do some thinking. Effectively, the PCs have to secretly infiltrate the headquarters building, free Lisa McCarthy and cause enough chaos so the troops will not muster for a chase for some time. Hijacking one of the faster APCs or even a helicopter will facilitate an escape.
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General Kong Lei Attributes: Body 6, Chi 3, Mind 8, Ref 6 Relevant Skills: Deceit 12, Guns 12, Intimidation 12, Info/Bio-Warfare 12, Info/Chinese Military 18, Martial Arts 12 Weapons: fist (7), kick (8), Norinko Tokarev (10/2/8+1) Schticks: [Fu] Claw of the Tiger, Tiger Stance, Unyielding Tiger Stance |
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Chinese PLA Infantry Unnamed PLA Infantry Attributes: Body 6, Chi 0, Mind 4, Ref 6 Unnamed PLA Infantry Skills: Guns 8, Martial Arts 6 Unnamed PLA Infantry Weapons: fist (7), kick (8), AK-47 (13**/5/30) |
Aftermath
Wrap up the story when the PCs made their escape from the army camp – no need to bog down in boring stuff. Lisa and her daddy will be reunited and the group has a new patron and friend in Monty McCarthy.
In the short run, this means that the PCs will have inside access to and the backing of the secret world government. Mid-term, the fall-out of the adventure will shake McCarthy’s believe in the Lodge and he might consider changing sides. In the long run, the adventure might even shake up the power structure of the Ascended…
The Real Deal
So what the hell actually happened?
General Kong Lei and Montgomery McCarthy are both unknowingly henchmen in the Extinction Agenda (see Seal of the Wheel, p.30). During a hit by the Guiding Hand one of the stockpiles is blown and a highly advanced bio-agent released. Due to the remoteness of the area, a preliminary global extinction is avoided, but the incident draws the attention of the WHO, who plans to send one of their best: Lisa McCarthy. Lisa knows her father is involved in bio-weapon research and tries to make good for the sins of her father by fighting against bio-warfare.
The Ascended behind the Agenda want to make sure Lisa is stopped. They advice Monty to talk to his daughter, infiltrate Lisa’s team with Jeremiah Black and repeatedly try to stop her themselves. The PCs are witnesses to one such attempt in the restaurant. When this fails Kong Lei is advised to roll out the big guns and capture Lisa.
Monty correctly suspects that the Lodge is involved and that he cannot trust any known Pledged Agents under his command. His US Army, CIA or otherwise “mundane” connections are also dangerous, since he does not know who might also be a Pledged.
When the PCs take the job, they land right in the crosshairs of the most militant Ascended, but those have to move carefully themselves to avoid attention – after all, the Extinction Agenda is not sanctioned. Sending Killkid 7 already means they had to reveal their hand to Ascended outside the Agenda. The fallout of this might shake up the whole power structure of the Ascended and could even turn out to be one of the mosaic stones for the final replacement of the Ascended by the Architects of the Flesh.
Feng Shui, Golden Comeback and Seal of the Wheel as well as the names Ascended, Lodge, Guiding Hand, Architects of the Flesh and Killkid used in relation to Feng Shui are Intelectual Property of Robin D. Laws and/or Trident Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games and protected by Copyright. The names of weapons used in character descriptions are Intelectual Porperty of their respective owners. These items have been used unofficially and quoted exclusively as reference with no infringement on any associated rights intended and without implying endorsement by the copyright holder. Other contents of this articles are published under the following license:
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Feng Shui, Golden Comeback und Seal of the Wheel sowie die Namen Ascended, Lodge, Guiding Hand, Architects of the Flesh und Killkid in Verbindung mit Feng Shui sind Geistiges Eigentum von Robin D. Laws und/oder Trident Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games und urheberrechtlich geschützt. Die Namen der Waffen in den Charakterbeschreibungen sind Eigentum der jeweiligen Rechteinhaber. Diese Elemente wurden inoffiziell und ausschließlich als Referenz zitiert ohne die Absicht damit verbundene Rechte anzufechten und ohne eine Billigung durch den Rechteinhaber zu implizieren. Andere Inhalte dieses Artikels werden unter folgender Lizenz veröffentlicht:
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