Journey to the Center of Bennett

## Background

It's 1987, you're a member of The Immortals, you run Coafton Island, and you and your friends have been called to The Bowery. Valerie herself called you, along with every other gang in the city, to The Anabasis' hideout in the Botanical Gardens. You don't even think about turning down the invitation.

Valerie gives an impassioned speech about the gangs in the city ganging up in the city against powers like The Mantegna Outfit. If we all work together, we'd all outnumber them 50-to-1. You think about it for half a minute. What if the gangs ran the city? You had them protecting your shipments? Paying them peanuts instead of the other way around? Before you finish the thought, a gunshot rings out through the Botanical Gardens, Valerie took one through the heart. Chaos ensues, people start scrambling, and a scream starts ringing through the air, "The Immortals! The Immortals did it! Get 'em!". You know you didn't do it (Well, you think you didn't do it, at least). You scramble towards the exit of the Gardens, regrouping with whoever made it out with you.

You're in unfamiliar territory, you're surrounded by gangs that want you dead regardless of the freshly minted price on your heads, and you have to make it back to Bennett before The Immortals are disbanded for good.

## Act One: The Botanical Gardens

You need to get out of the Botanical Gardens right now. Most of everyone is scrambling due to the gunshot and the NOPD raid that's happening, so you might be able to get out before anyone realizes you slipped out.

Your party starts in the middle of the gardens. However many people are in the party will be joined by two fighter DMPC's. If the group chooses to sneak through the chaos, they'll need to succeed on three stealth checks to get through the crowd then a second wave to sneak past the NOPD blockade. Any form of making a break for it will require Dex/Str checks to either jump the planters or run through them. Any form of failure will result in you lagging behind or getting spotted and will trigger a low level fight against scattered gang members. They'll be fairly easy, I promise. Winning in that fight will ensure a safe exit out the Gardens. Choosing to rumble through the chaos means that you'll be fighting between two-to-five low level combat encounters dependent on your party noticing a path through the blockade. Making your way through all five fights will grant a rare weapon (Yet to be determined) and a large amount of items.

Depending on DM's rolls, NOPD officers may join the fight and attack both parties, arresting anyone that they defeat in combat. If anyone in your party is arrested during this phase, you have the option to try and break them out from police custody, but you'll have to complete a medium stealth check or find a way to distract the cop guarding the paddywagon.

No matter what direction you take, you'll end up in the Bowery, and that's an entirely different can of worms.

## Act Two: The Bowery

Welcome to the Bowery! Time to get the Hell out of here as soon as possible. The Bowery's split up between dozens of small time gangs that controls streets at most. The bounty hasn't fully gotten out yet, so no one will be actively looking for you, but gangs will be territorial if they spot you cutting through their territory. Some might be willing to let it slide and some may attack you on sight. You could also potentially convince some more mercenary gang members to help fight with you.

Your best bet for getting out of the Bowery is taking the Q Train straight to Bennett.

## Act Three: Millston

Welcome to the Big Time! Digging your way out of the train tunnels, you'll make your way up to [Whatever I decide to call Times Square]. It's shitty, and you'll almost instantly be harassed by the citizens of [Whatever I decide to call Times Square]. If you get into a fight, it'll be an easy one. Making your way out of Times Square, passing a Perception Check will clue you into the fact that a [Baseball Furies] scout has spotted you and run away to warn the gang. So now might be a good time to get out of there.

Cutting through the Millston alleys, you'll eventually stumble upon a seemingly abandoned running car. Passing a perception//investigation check from afar will reveal that you're looking at a sex worker and a John going at it. Failing the check means you'll have to get closer to the car to register this fact. Regardless of how close to the car you are, eventually a car from the Mantegna Outfit will eventually roll up and open fire on the two lovers. If you're close to the car, the shooters will instantly recognize the audience he has. If you're a distance from the car, the woman will survive and run down the alley, prompting the shooters to chase her down the alley. If you've decided to ignore the car, you'll be able to hear the gunshots and the scream without needing a check.

Eventually, making your way out of the alleys, you'll eventually make your way over to [Whatever I decide to call Wall Street]. Take a few moments to walk down Wall Street, talk to your party. Get to know each other. Yell at each other. Then roll a Perception Check to notice the body falling towards you. Roll a Dex saving throw to not get hit by it. You survived! Great! Roll Investigation if you want, it's a stock trader. He doesn't seem to have been in a fight or pushed off, so he must have jumped. Just don't stick around too too long, because some TVC security guards will eventually stumble onto the scene. Survive a medium level fight, loot them and get a move on.

You'll eventually make your way to [Whatever I decide to call Central Park]. You'll run into a generally empty park, mostly populated by drug dealers and drug users. Most won't try and attack you, but some might be bold enough to try and collect the bounty on your head. Most will be low level enemies but you might catch the occasional bruiser or crankhead. You may also catch an undercover cop posted up alone in the park or amongst the proles, who will trigger a medium level fight between you and the police if you provoke them. Eventually, you'll walk into a completely desolate part of the park. You'll start to hear a repeating knocking sound, a successful Perception check will allow you to identify these as the sound of a baseball bat tracking on the ground, while higher rolls will tell you that you're almost completely surrounded. The [BASEBALL FURIES] have come to collect the bounty on you. There will be about 2x more of them than your party, mainly populated by medium level fighters with a few stronger lieutenants peppered among them. A few viable options exist here. A.) You can attempt to run away and get out of the park. B.) You can attack them head-on. C.) You can split up and try to divide and conquer. If you do end up defeating them, loot their bodies to get some high level weapons and items. I promise I'll come up with something.

During the mad dash through the park, you'll eventually notice a hotel across the street, conveniently staffed by an extremely weak looking valet. Walk over there and deal with him as you see fit. Grab yourself a car and make your way into Dukes for the next chapter.

-Baseball Furies Central Park

-Gatecrashing a fancy party to steal their cars.

## Act Four: Dukes

Your first introduction to the borough of Dukes will be immediately walking into a riot. It seems the summer heat overloaded the power for the borough, causing a blackout and a subsequent riot. Dukes is aflame as people as NOPD deploys riot cops alongside beat cops to contain the madness. While most of the people out and about will pay you no mind if you don't interfere with them, there may be some gang members taking advantage of the madness that will attempt to collect your heads, but they'll be in smaller packs. If you got into it with the cops in [CENTRAL PARK], some of the cops might recognize you and attempt to get into it with you. Defeating them (or looting fallen officers) might grant you important items like riot gear, a shield, or a revolver if you're especially lucky. Maybe you could even partake in some looting yourself to acquire a few unique items, just be careful if the shop owner is still in the building. Eventually, after moving to a specific block, you'll be targeted by a massive force of [GANG], along with an equal force of riot police. Both parties will focus on each other as much as they focus on you, but both will be reinforced as the fight goes on. The party will be told to roll a Perception check, with a successful check alerting the party to the sounds of generators and general party sounds down the alley that they're in. The party can fight for as long as they choose, but reinforces will keep coming until they decide to head towards the party.

Welcome to Duke's hottest (and only) party tonight! Those generators appear to be powering ten floors of differently themed parties ranging from DIY punk shows to break dancing competitions. Stay for as long as you like, join in on the festivities, grab some snacks to replenish your HP. Maybe even see if you can win some party games and get some unique loot for your party. Eventually, after a certain amount of lazing about, the party will be raided by corrupt cops sent by the Mantegna's to try and track you down. Two options present themselves, try and fight through the cops and die or make your way up the stairs towards the rooftop. The higher up you get, the less chaotic the action will be, since the cops are starting on the bottom floor, but they'll eventually make their way up. Gather your party together during the chaos and try to make your way to the roof. Once you've hit the roof, you have a little bit of time to assess the situation.

-Jump roof to roof to try and get away

-Dramatic fight on the final roof

-Jump down a trash chute to get down