SLA Indutries certainly doesn't expect a camapign to last only 10 scenarios and cumilate in MC being under direct threat in a major confrontation with the forces of Bitterness. So scatter other scenarios between these, but ones which have common theme would be best so the players don't lose the plot threads amid false leads.
From the original text we know the rough process of the story, a tussle between some cultists in the city of Crossings, with the goal of bringing forth the Demon Lord and the hordes of demons to destroy the world. As described on page 2:
“The
Campaign Story
Most of these adventures deal with the efforts of the
ancient society known as the Brotherhood of Shadows to bore a hole into the
Void—the home of the Demon Lord and hordes of demons intent on destroying the
world. For years, a halfling named Elder Fobb has secretly led a Brotherhood cult
in Crossings, posing as a befuddled city councillor as he advances the cult’s
agenda.
However, Fobb has a rival for control of the cult. A human
aristocrat named Pentachus Katandramus—one of a long line of wealthy deviants
who have dabbled in dark magic—discovered that the dread artifact known as the Eye
of the Demon Lord lies hidden in Crossings. Stolen from a legendary vampire
known as Lucretia, the Lady of Sighs and Sorrows, the eye was brought to the
city centuries ago by a demonologist named Moore. Gathering a cadre of cultists
to him, Katandramus has set out to find it. The results of his efforts are
described in Chapter 2.
As the characters are drawn into the story, Katandramus works
to consolidate his power and start a coup against Elder Fobb. He achieves this
by the time the characters choose their master paths, using the eye’s power to
take over the cult. Once the cult comes under his control, Katandramus sets out
to complete the dreaded incantation revealed by the artifact, as described in Chapter
12.”
By default,
the setting is changed to Mort City, maybe Crossings becomes a local government
authority for a sector or level. But more likely the scope expands, a plot to
bring forth a direct link to White Earth and confront Slayer with Bitterness,
before Mr. Slayer is ready. Shadow of the Demon Lord is supposed to end with
world-shattering peril after all.
Therefore,
the campaign really becomes a set of loose capstone adventures, to be run
interspersed with other SLA Industries or converted Shadow of the Demon Lord
scenarios until the players are ready for the next act.
Elder Fobb needs to change to something seemingly harmless,
a tall order for Mort City. A Halfling being a cultist is unusual, so an
Ebonite is out. A Shaktar fts the traditional vibe, but I might suggest a
Wraithern. Someone who is so old for one of his species that no one expects him
to stay active, much less run a cult. Father Paulus is clearly some sort of
senior bureaucrat, the sex addiction wouldn’t be too weird or controversial, so
maybe it’s something like a raging drug addiction. Commander Rena is a military
woman, one of the more removed aspects of the setting despite War Worlds being
a constant threat. Ezekia is clearly an Ebonite. Dreen and Quick remain as is.
Gundren would be a Shaktar, the same vibe as a Dwarf. Randolfus is either Naga
7, Cloak Division or Moral Right, someone who riles people up.
Harvester of Sorrows
Cultists find the horrible artefact they need. Set off an
Organ Filch who starts kidnapping people to steal their organs. Organ Filch and
Ghoul were stuck in basement of haunted house that used to belong to
Demonologist.
(Hunter Sheet) A local posting relating to a failed Shiver
investigation last week, a local Shaktar priest went missing and Shiver
Sergeant Alyse is willing keep it open.
Organ Filch and Ghoul are Dream Entities as is the
apparition in the Moore House, a shunned and abandoned two-up two down. The bad
rumours about the place spawned a creature based on organ thieves and a
carrien-themed monster. All blood-themed.
Born to Die
White BPN with a false opening
Dreen will ensure everything is private. Gears should be a
feral ebonite with an ebonite drug addiction, something weird but not as weird
as a Manchine, the closest to a mechanical person. The island becomes an
abandoned lot and the boats, motorcycles or lorries. The bound demon obviously
is a White Earth entity, probably reusing the stat block of another monster.
The two gremlins tormenting the gang could be a lot of things, maybe some feral
dogs or carrien, though that’s maybe a bit of an escalation.
The Curious Case of the Errant Swine
Pig farm is easy, while a Carnivorous pig farm might be
dangerously absurd, a subsidiary which either recycles killed pigs into food
for a cannibal sector settlement or just makes artificial ham is good enough.
Finest hogs become prize-winning luxury ham for Uptown/Mort Central. The
halfling prisoner thing is just an aside that can be played as is as a
follow-up or dialled-in BPN.
The Bloody Bones are Manchines infected by Bitterness’s
early attempts at a blood cult long ago and locked away by Stigmatyr in
rubble-filled industrial area just beyond the Cannibal Sector wall. The
Beastmen become carrien as it’s a novice adventure and the troglodytes are
clearly just cannibals. The Shrine is covered in Ebon markings instead of
Elvish. The whole thing is a giant shrine made by some of the first White Earth
cultists, now extinct due to Stigmatyrs sending in a Manchine/hit squad after them.
The Chaos Shard can be a creepy gem, or it is a out of place artefact, like a
tape that plays 70s or 80s Scottish mixtapes.
Temple of Shadows
Red BPN
Gibbering Fever can be run as the Rage Virus or as straight
up zombie virus, depends on how much you want to emphasize Bitterness isn’t
bound by such concepts as life, death and physics. Randolfus either is in the
know about what he faces and is prepared or didn’t know and pulled out an
emergency tool given by someone who does. The living tar is a literal black
pudding, being made of congealed blood. All monsters are WE/Shi’an cult
monsters. If Katandramus doesn’t have access to WE teleportation magic, he
should be an Ebonite.
The Moon Spire
Just passing through, can be cashed in for a White BPN if
they radio in deaths before they solve it.
Carbunbcle is a grimy and cursed Sector. Mutations and
health issues are common; Shivers and gangs avoid the place when feeling superstitious.
Lots of idle chatter about water red running like blood or being blood. The moon spire becomes a Naga 7 vault, locked
away before their departure and forgotten by all except the heads, who think it’s
fine where it is. When the magnetic fields are right (generally monthly), it
fades into view as a white marble fountain for a plaza long demolished, with an
open maintenance door at its base.
Crusher Glas is a Frother lorry driver, who ran afoul of a Rawhead
cultist when delivering a package, but the cultist was being chased by Shivers
so he just suffered a slash. He’s had the dreams ever since.
Mines of Madness
Green
One of the few Mort-domestic mining operations, pulling out rare
minerals for components close to the Fission Belt has gone silent. Players are
tasked with fixing the problem. Barrow Wrights are semi-dead Jethians, kept in
some twilight state by what seems to be Ethereal/WE power (explaining the weird
undead powers). Cartul are some Root Dog ground troop variant, sealed by time.
While neither are nowadays strictly D-Notice. Dire threats and NDA are issued
to the players along with congratulations.
In the Name of Love
Blue, why did the sewers running under the Cannibal Sector
Wall here start backing up. Sops needed because danger.
Verge is a small sector close to the Cannibal Sector 2 Wall.
Used to make good money with small time industrial and organic recycling but
has been severely desolated by occurrences blamed on over the wall creatures
until the Ex-War Criminals took over. Deep in the tunnels that go into the sector
through the sewerage works, is a stand of Maggrot, left from a successful mission.
There is a D-Notice no one has ever removed about the
incident, some persuasive rolls and samples might be required for Threat
Analysis to budge. That reveals the momic was destroyed but the Maggrot should
have shrivelled with it, as it’s Flux-dependent.
The trees/roots have been absorbing Shi’ian-tainted Flux from
the sewage works for years, probably from the cultists in Verge and the wider
city. Church of the New God is SLA public works, brigands are a gang, Wargs and
Carrien and Craven is a Ebanite.
Shadows in the Mist
White/Red/Cyan/Black (rising steadily over the radio)
Missing children case starts evolving rapidly as a massive
black storm/fog cloud starts rolling in from Cannibal Sector 1, filtering up
through the sewers and smothering Bridgeheads, Lower Downtown and probably curling
in the Deep Constructs. Centre appears to be a large semi-solid mass at ground
level.
A Dream Entity Master has figured what is Bitterness’s plan
and decided to preserve the keystone of half-made realities, she is going to
wipe MC off the map. Players must drive out into the approaching epicentre.
Mass is a whole island, sliding like a hovercraft, made of twisted trees and
ruins. The genie is an Aethernaut who has been stuck here for quite some time, she
admits she is probably not capable of going anywhere anymore, but she has tea.
Off the Rails
Red BPN when the players are in Cannibal Sector 1.
The Iron Titians were experimental weapons going to be
tested on 9th Legion and Darknight Forces in Cannibal Sector 1
before being turned on a warworld. Orcs are merely angry workers or Darknight
agents who think Darknight might not treat them as awfully. Troglodytes are
cannibals from CS1 and Crow’s Foot is either a Shi’an-controlled settlement or
a Rawhead-worshiping cannibal village. The least-reliable cadre of Darknight
personnel form the Orcs in the cave.
Prince of Darkness
If a direct hook is needed, Ross (Roo) posts a crude Hunter
Sheet directly to their address, requesting help with those experienced with Orange,
Red and Green missions. Otherwise, the players encounter one rainy morning a
manchine missing it’s covering and being tormented by a pair of unnatural gorecrows
(technically Dream Entities by really figments of Ross’s self-guilt).
Ross needs help from Operatives, and in halting speech
explains that it used to be a Blood Cultist from when White Earth first tried
to set up a cult, players will recognise it’s the same tainted manchine design
from The Curious Case of the Errant Swine. He will explain what limited
information he knows on Bitterness if it hasn’t come up yet. Barghest is another
DE figment of Ross’s self guilt.
Iron Peaks is a region beyond the No Go Zone, Ross is quite
smug about not every devious plan needs to happen inside the confines of MC. Everything
is otherwise as is. SLA Industries will debrief the players very thoroughly as
they are high SLC by now and might give them more SLC increases and bonuses for
delivering The Sword of Unmaking to Stigmatyr and Naga 7. The void is a portal
into a horrible cult centre of White Earth, emphasis this is bad.
The End is Near
Plantinum BPN – Since the players have unravelled this
mystery so far, the White + Red/Jade BPNs for each disturbance are
automatically upgraded and merged with a hasty in car conversation with Mr.
Slayer.
He admits Intruder has been investigating false leads planted by White Earth.
Katandramus has fully twisted into an Ethereal. Lucretia is
worse, a Kilneck, someone whose very existence is a D-NOTICE. Her mutated
entourage of ghouls are severally twisted people, feral Wraithern, maybe some
form of basal horror or even slightly mutated Jethian.
Wizard’s Peak is a major Necrothrope centre, create one if
none exist. Fail and Bitterness walks into Mort to directly challenge Mr.
Slayer. Regardless of who wins, the players will die in the resulting blast.
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