Rio Duplicity - an adventure for Trinity, contributed
by Chris Hill
Summary: An adventure idea pitting new characters against a criminal
underworld in Rio de Janeiro
This expanded adventure hook is designed to throw new Trinity characters into
the criminal underworld of Rio De Janeiro in South America. The data below presumes
that although the authorities in Rio do their best to stop drug traffic, it
is ripe in lower sectors of the arcology. It is also presumed that this may
be the first mission characters are undertaking for the Aeon Trinity, and that
they know very little about the organization of Aeon (this is essential to the
'trickery' element of the story).
Information on the local area (mega-city style city blocks deep at the base
of the arcology - ground level!),important drug running gangs (De Marco's Posse),
and a pseudo-corporation that organizes criminal gangs. The details of how the
story unfolds is totally up to the games master. The 'setting' information is
here and no more. The rest is up to you.
Introduction:
The characters are based on a very minor science space-station in the orbit
of South America. The characters have been on what passes for guard duty for
the first few weeks of their careers as Trinity Agents. Life is dull, very very
boring and entirely uneventful. The station is a large cylinder which branches
out at one end into three more cylindrical gangways which connect laboratory
modules. These modules and gangways have been the home of the characters for
the past few weeks. No other Psions are on board the station and the characters
are beginning to believe that they have been given a bit of a 'duff' assignment.
Whilst on duty a character walks past a holoscreen which alerts him/her to check
their messages, information for their next assignment has arrived from Aeon.
When the characters check their holomessages they find a transmission from a
member of Proteus Division (name not given) who details that they are needed
to undertake an undercover operation in Rio De Janeiro. Local drug trafficking
has escalated heavily within the last year in Rio, and gang wars are becoming
more and more frequent and bloody. Local authorities have been turfed out by
the well organized gangs and the lower regions of the arcology are becoming
a battleground. To add to the problems it is believed that their may be Psion
involvement. Whether this is actually the Orders (Norca or Orgotek for example)
or rogue Psions is unknown.
The characters are informed that they must go underground and destabilize the
drug trade and reveal any involvement by Psions in the drug industry. Aeon is
aware of a particularly vicious up an coming gang that have taken over one of
the megablocks in the lower arcology who are shipping the drug 'Brilliance'
to other areas of earth and are becoming quite a key center for drug trade.
Aeon advises that somehow the characters infiltrate the drug scene, and remove
De Marco's Posse. The characters can attempt to join the gang or take it on
pretending to be another, new, gang, Its up to them.
As long as the characters place themselves in a position for other Aeon operatives
to take over at a future date, Aeon is not concerned how the task is done. It
is advised that the Psion status of characters is kept as secret as possible,
and only use powers when absolutely necessary. For their own safety.
The Proteus representative states that a second transmission is on the way detailing
De Marco's gang members that are known and their usual hangouts.
The characters are due to leave on the next shuttle to Rio's Space Port within
the hour. Characters MUST NOT contact Aeon during this mission, Aeon will contact
the characters.
The Real Story
Ok.This is the duplicity part. The message didn't come from Aeon. Their is another
gang (make up not important) that has been on the receiving end of most of De
Marco's territory-grabs. One of them is an OpNet Hacker with a surprising amount
of talent. He was under orders fro the leaders of his gang to hack into the
DataFiles of an orbiting station of little importance to try and use insiders
to establish an off-world smuggling racket. If they could start selling drugs
to off-world traders, they would have more money to finance their war against
De Marco. Now, this hacker is OK, but not brilliant. He couldn't get into the
restricted cargo manifests, but he did catch brief details of a new crew addition
to the station a couple of weeks ago. The characters. He determined Aeon as
their origins, and obtained their names. That was it. He 'guessed' that the
characters would be Psions, and started to hatch a plan.
He visited an Aeon OpNet Node to check out the design and structure of Aeon
material and created a false transmission, which he sent along hacked communications
channels to the Station. He hopes that the characters will land in Rio and remove
De Marco and his accomplices. Then he plans to contact the characters again
pretending to be the Aeon representative and will stage a setup to have the
characters hand over the details of the little drug empire they will have established.
With a bit of luck the characters will only find out about the duplicity when
they get back to Aeon.
A clever character will ask for more data and send a message back to the Representative.
There is only so much that this chap knows, and eventually is pressed, his actions
and mannerism prove that he is an impostor. The characters could even contact
Aeon direct and discover the trick. What they do then is up to them.
To top this off the messages that were received have been set for self-deletion
and are deleted 5 minutes after both have been read. There goes the proof for
the characters if they need it in future.
The Plot Thickens:
OK So the characters should now be on their way to Rio, unaware of the trick.
This means that:-
The characters have gone absent without leave from their assignment on
the station
Aeon has no idea of their whereabouts
Characters will not attempt to contact Aeon if they obey the 'Representative's'
message
Characters will attempt to hide their Psion nature or (worse) act as rogue
Psions
If characters act as rogue Psions, then media footage of their Rio activities
will make life a harder when they explain this away to Aeon
Characters will have little equipment
They are about to try to become drug barons
They are totally unprepared for what stands against them
They are kind of in the doo-doo so to speak and have got to figure things
out for themselves
Now, the characters can be a bit clever here if they start to catch on. My players
turned this one around on me and did exactly as they were told. They set up
an opposing drug syndicate, whilst one character infiltrated De Marco's gang.
Then, they progressively sabotaged De Marco from the inside (a few close calls
by the way...) and attacked him openly as the other syndicate.
They got their faces on all the local media and became _very_ wanted by what
was left of the local authorities.
The hacker tried to contain things a bit and take over when the characters had
De Marco on his knees. But they didn't want to.
In a bit of a firefight they discovered the hacker was not an Aeon Rep, and
went a bit ballistic (obviously realizing the dubious position they were in,
what with all that media proof). The characters wasted the hacker and his gang
with no remorse what so ever, and then set about organizing 'figureheads' to
run their syndicate before Aeon arrived to charge them with various crimes against
the Orders, Aeon, Local Authorities etc..
Now, each character inserted a 'right hand man' behind the figureheads of the
syndicate.
When everything went to wash, Aeon gave the characters a severe ticking off,
and sent them back on guard duty. Other gangs eliminated the figureheads
BUT The characters still had their 'right hand men' who controlled things from
behind the scenes... so they managed to keep some control on their syndicate
after all.
Sheesh.... don't players just do the most awkward things...?
DE MARCO'S POSSE
De Marco is a small time crook with big time ambitions. Apart from a desire
to become a major player in the local crime scene in Rio de Janeiro he also
has some skills which may go some way to helping him achieve his goals.
De Marco is knowledgeable of the processes required to grow and mature the plant
which, when compounded becomes the recreational drug known as Brilliance.
Brilliance:
Brilliance is a very popular recreational drug that, although not lethal in
small regulated doses, can be severely damaging to an imbibers health if taken
too regularly or in uncontrolled doses. Brilliance is best available in tablet
format that is easy to swallow for social occasions where rolling a joint would
not be appropriate. The tablet is at best 'pure' Brilliance, which gives the
greatest high - it is known for some 'manufacturers' to dilute the product to
increase street coverage, although the high is significantly less effective
with Brilliance tabs of this sort.
Brilliance is easily recognizable by the color pigmentation used in creation
of the tablets, they are a subtle fluorescent orange - hence the name Brilliance.
This coloring is just an 'addition' in the manufacturing process to make the
drug more attractive to the street youth culture.
Game Effects
Description: Brilliance takes effect within 10 - 20 minutes of taking
1 tablet. The user feels incredibly relaxed while under the effects of the drug;
which last between three to five hours depending upon the user. The character
will also suffer mild hallucinations which are not life threatening par se.
Brilliance is a classical upper - where the downs are very down. When the effect
wears off the character will be listless, unmotivated, sullen and miserable
with a low feeling of self worth for around 5-8 hours.
Dose: 1 tablet Onset: 1-20 mins Wearoff: 5-8 hours downer Overdose: 5+ tabs Cost: * to ** 120 yuan a dose Duration: 3-5 hours Effects: 'drunk' hallucinations
De Marco
Coordinate the gang, kill dissenters, controls Maleki, scares Thugs, Weed Girls.
Does not scare Lui. Knows who they enemy is. Can't handle cops well.
Maleki
Does the 'hits', keeps 3rd rankers in check. Loyal to de Marco, knows other
gangs well, has good gear - knows explosives
Lui
Old chemist, knows Brilliance like back of his hand, doesn't control warehouse
Thugs, controls weed girls, good OpNet Skills, could arrange other movers/hit
men, scared of de Marco and Maleki
Leo
Finds Thugs and Weed Girls, found Lui. Takes 10%, knows a few hit men. Scared
of de Marco, thinks Maleki is nuts
Marilla
Has great contacts on Lunar and in the UAN (also in Italy). Arranges the deals,
once OK'd by de Marco. Gets things done, takes 5%
Antonio
Native of Rio, knows the shipyards well - organelles the exports/shipping with
a little help from Marilla. Bit of a bruiser.
Thugs
5 guys with guns, basic pistols work directly for de Marco/Maleki
Warehouse Thugs
Monitor the warehouse/weed girls/Lui - report to Maleki. Kill all intruders,
have automatic weapons, and a Brilliance habit.
Weed Girls
Grow the plants in warehouse - live upstairs in warehouse - ex junkies or whores,
de Marco's prisoners - regularly rapes them/kills them keeping Leo busy as a
result.
Gang Resources
Buildings:
1 warehouse split into three levels:
Basement - used for drug growing/storage
Ground - used for legitimate shipping company
First - used for living quarter for weed girls
1 winebar and back office
Basement - Wine cellar / storage
Ground - Wine bar/bistro - back office
First - de Marco's living quarters
Equipment:
Guns
All persons, with the exception of the Weed Girls and Lui have one Banji Cyclone
Autopistol. WH Thugs 1 & 2 are also equipped with L-K MAC-803 Automatic carbine's
Maleki is also equipped with a Banji Lightening Taser Baton and a L-K Protector
Auto shotgun. De Marco is also armed with an Aris SureSting Flechette Pistol
Armour Unless stated, all persons wear normal clothes. Leo, Marilla and Antonio
all have Armored Vests [1/3] torso only. Maleki wears an Armored Vest [1/3]
torso only De Marco does not wear any armour.
Drugs - Brilliance
All Brilliance of the de Marco gang is produced and stored in the Warehouse.
This way it cuts down production time and is fairly well guarded.
There are 1000 completed Brilliance tabs at any one time. These are stored in
the basement of the Warehouse. At any one time there is also 200 tabs in mid
production in the cultivating section of the basement; and enough weed growing
to generate 1000 more tabs when fully grown (growth period of 7 weeks with appropriate
attention.
Gang Statistics
See the Trinity Character Archive page for details of De Marco and some templates
for gangers that can be used in this story.
That's not all though - Behind the Scenes
De Marco's Posse is but one gang in the middle of a thriving drug underworld.
Many many gangs inhabit the surrounding areas and will all attempt to take out
the gang, its allies and each other. Even the characters.
Above all this, there is one organization who supplies the drugs into the system.
The gangs, like De Marco's, are but pawns in the 'greater scheme of things'.
A larger, legitimate organization really runs the drug trade. If the characters
are to influence the local drug scene in any way, they are likely to come across
this organization for better or for worse.
Remember, this organization maintains a front of respectability, donates money
to worthy causes, has several authorities in its back pocket, and runs dozens
of gangs all the same size as De Marco's. This organization is The Dawn Organization
The Dawn Organization
Mr Dawn
One of the largest criminal organizations in the East of Rio de Janeiro, the
Dawn Organization is essentially a classic organized criminal operation using
a front of established business to conceal their real activities. The Dawn Organization,
when referred to, means the financial services company located in an south East
Rio megablock office sector. The Dawn Organization takes its name from its 'silent'
partner's own name, Mr Dawn. He is never present at the offices, and in fact
only calls upon the company Directors when he needs their services. As he both
owns the company, and is capable of 'removing' any uncooperative Director they
all do exactly as he says when he contacts them. He ultimately has total control
over the organization
A front of Respectability.
The Dawn Organization has offices in the South of East Rio, neighboring Copocabana.
The offices are situated on the 136th floor of the 200 floor block. The block
itself it is similar to most blocks in East Rio. This one is nearly 2 kilometers
in height, (housing 200 enormous floors). It is important to note that an entire
floor of a megablock is a community unto itself, and houses a massive amount
of homes, business and other organizations This particular megablock has the
following make up:-
1-55 Waste Town:
Cheap, almost derelict living quarters which makes for living conditions not
much removed from conditions in Shanty Sprawl. (a shanty town on the outskirts
of the Rio arcology; which is riddled with the dead, the dying and the diseased.
56-110 Mercantile:
Referred to as 'the town', this is the merchant quarters. In these 54 floors
is an entire economy unto itself. Market stalls, Shop Traders, Recycled Food
vendors, Recreational facilities (occasional vice) and Night Life are all accommodated
in this sector.
111 - 120 Block Security:
These 9 floors contain the security staff for the entire complex. Security guards
dominate floors 118 - 120, effectively separating the lower sections of the
block from the upper sections. Floors 111-117 house the local Policia, administrative
staff, maintenance staff and (now abandoned) Rio West Officials Office.
121-175 Business Sector:
This sector houses hundreds of different firms that deal in hardtech, biotech
(for the Norca), financial services, the shipping industry, OpNet Security,
and of course Medicine. The higher up, the more kudos gained. Of course, the
higher up the more you pay. To avoid having to use the lower floors, Gravcrystal
Cab services are available along the many 'city-top' roadways supported by the
top floors of surrounding buildings. A network of such runway's dominate the
entirety of East Rio's skyline. Some of these roadways connect to the heavily
guarded West Rio Gates, several kilometers above the city's ground level.
176-200 Road Maintenance:
The structural supports for the network of gravcrystal grid roadways are based
on these floors - jutting out from the top of the building at extreme and varied
angles. Without such supports on most of the megablocks in East Rio, the road
system would collapse. Maintenance teams for the roadways are housed here, in
accommodation that is very poor quality; although the view is amazing!
The Dawn Organization rents office space from East Rio's City Administrators
on the 136th floor of this megablock. It occupies almost a fifth of the entire
floor (8000 square feet). The Dawn Organization hires staff (those on its official
documentation) as follows:-
The Dawn Organization is financed by Mr Dawn directly, through a 'silent shareholder'
deal, which enables the Directors to go about their business as dictated by
Mr Dawn. Each of the Directors have a small financial stake in the company,
totaling 15% each, with Mr Dawn holding the remaining 55%.
The Face Behind the Mask
The Dawn Organization is simply a front to deflect any probing questions about
Mr Dawn and his associates. It also serves certain functions through manipulating
paperwork and OpNet records in order to meet Mr Dawn's criminal activities.
Mr Dawn is one of the most successful crime bosses in East Rio. His activities
include all elements of criminal function. Mr Dawn sustains a large criminal
gang which is very well organized to maintain their stranglehold on certain
illegal activities within the city
Mr Dawn sits quite happily at the top of this organization He also sits at the
top of the Dawn Organization Money comes in from 'questionable deals' from the
Dawn Organization and far more money comes in from activities of the criminal
organization
Each employee understands their position in the organization, and very rarely
acts against each other (openly) for fear of incurring Mr Dawn's personal wrath.
Each member also knows of the sniveling Phreak, a Psion who has total loyalty
it seems to Mr Dawn. Phreak has excellent Biokinetic skills as well as a latent
talent for Telekinesis. These skills make him ideal for punishing those who
do not do as Mr Dawn instructs. Mr Dawn ensures that fear of him personally
and that of Phreak are optimal all the time to keep the organization from self-destructing
(as happens to dozens of crime gangs daily in East Rio).
Each member is responsible for a particular facet of business and Mr Dawn occasionally
calls 'board meetings' to keep up to date with each area of his business. At
such meetings, each member reports on the situation at hand, how trade is and
identifies any particular problems.
... and that's all folks!
OK... that's all the information I had drawn up to work with. A bit of setting,
a general plot, some bad guys with a paragraph of description here and there.
Oh, and I drew up the rules for Maleki's Durest CyberCycle, which can be found
on the equipment page of the Tech section of
this web site.
The one thing that I made a constant throughout the entire game, was the atmosphere
of living in and around Rio as an arcology. If you think along the lines of
Fifth Element for cityscape and Judge Dread for the general attitude of residents.
Add to that a large Chinese shanty town on the outskirts of the city and an
attempt at a bustling space port near by. Then you get the picture.
