A New Threat (ACP)

*Homebrew Reference Book: Living Force Adventures (Converted by Wikia user Chellewalker (formally Wikia user Lukewarner))*

*Main Page: A Cularin Presence*

*Key ideas of this encounter: provide the heroes with a first glimpse of trouble; show that private security forces have power; create some level of paranoia regarding the cartel; initial presentation of threat to the system.*

To set the stage, the heroes were all taking part in the celebration on Cularin for one reason or another. This was to be the day when everyone came together, folks from all walks of life, and paid homage to all the work that has gone into making Cularin into one of the most stable systems in The Mid Rim. It was to be the party of the decade, until the Cartel representative's transmission. Now, a lot of folk- potentially including the heroes- are too worried to celebrate.

***On most days, Vanster Enan's Sop House is one of the liveliest, loudest cantinas in Gadrin, if not on all of Cularin. It's just a block from the river, on the route supply wagons have to take to haul the raw supplies from the river to the docking bays, so you get all kinds in here. Ithorians, Rodians, Wookiees – always Humans, of course- and then things that most folk never take the time to identify. Enan's is known for raucous music and huge tumblers of imported beverages, but today the music is strangely subdued, and most of the drinking is being done by individuals who seem to have a lot on their mind.***
***You wandered into the cantina looking for somewhere away from the crowds and now, standing in the doorway glancing around, it looks like you've found it. As have several others.***

At this point, give the players a chance to describe their characters and introduce themselves to one another. Once that is done, they are free to interact with the other individuals in the cantina- some of whom will be more receptive to conversation than others.

They see:

* An Ithorian bartender scrubbing glasses.
* A pair of Rodians playing sabacc at a corner table.
* Three Humans- two females and a male- talking at a table in the center of the room.
* A Wookiee and a Trandoshan arm-wrestling while a small man in a gray cloak watches intently.
* What appears to be an entire crew of a Sullustan vessel lining the bar.
* A musical group- if it can be called that- made up of Tarasin, the Species native to Cularin.

There is one large empty table off to one side of the room where the heroes could all sit. The rest of the tables and booths are occupied, mainly by the crew from Sullust. This is the first opportunity many players will have for their PCs to interact with others in the *Star Wars* universe. They can pick any, or none of these individuals to interact with- though Enan, the barkeep, will eventually make sure they order something if they're going to take up table space.

## The Bar

Short descriptions are provided below of what kinds of interactions the PCs can have with the different members of the clientele, all of whom speak Basic (except for the Wookiee of course, who understands Basic but lacks the capacity to speak it), but will be pleased if anyone speaks to them in their native tongue of Shyriiwook instead.

### The Barkeep

Vanster Enan is proud of his cantina, if somewhat disappointed that the announcement by the Cartel has dampened people's spirits. Folk drink more when they're happy than when they're worried. Tip better, too. He has a broad selection of drinks from across the galaxy, most a little pricey because of the effort it takes to import things to Cularin. He wishes there was a way to safely use Hyperdrives within the system, because it costs an inordinate amount to run sublight engines from the edge of the system all the way to Cularin.

(Note to GMs: This is just how things have always been in Cularin, no one is quite sure why, though science-minded heroes may have heard rumors that there's some instability in the region, probably caused by the two huge suns.)

And the cost for running the sublight engines goes straight to him, and to the consumer. The cheapest imported drink is 3 credits, and they go up as things get more exotic. If asked, he will recommend the house special, a "Fine Ithorian Brandy" that he can let them have for only 2 credits for a huge snifter. This is a slight misnomer, since the brandy is really only "Ithorian" because he made it himself, from the fermented sap of trees found in the jungles of Cularin. A DC 19 Knowledge (Galactic Lore) or Knowledge (Life Sciences) can determine this. But it's fairly tasty regardless, with a mild pine aftertaste. A cask of the brandy (5 liters) can be purchased for 20 credits.

### The Rodians

These guys are playing an intense one-on-one match, and don't want to be disturbed. Any hero familiar with the game will quickly realize that (1) both players are cheating, and (2) both are cheating badly. If they weren't playing each other, they would lose even with cheating. The Rodians will not be overtly hostile to the heroes, but they really don't have anything to say. They don't think much about the Cartel's announcement, since they've seen the same thing in other systems and figured it was only a matter of time here.

### The Humans

The two women actually planned on finding men to have fun with at the party, but so far only dug up this one guy, a greasy man with a thin mustache. The women are fairly attractive, dressed in tight flight-suits (each with a Charisma score of 14). Their names are Amaya and Suki, and while Amaya has already settled for the greaseball (Kip), Suki is looking for a date for the evening. She will immediately gravitate toward any male Scoundrel hero who approaches her, or if she approached by someone else who she's seen with an obvious Scoundrel, she'll ask for an introduction. She's into "Bad Boys." They want to find a way to make the celebration back into a party- but later. After some flirting, they'll happily give any interested heroes information on how to get in touch with them later in the evening. (Translation: Playtests indicated that if you let the heroes wander off with the girls now, you'll never get to the scenario!)

### The Arm-Wrestlers

The Wookiee (Varoca) and the Trandoshan (Oosk) have been arm-wrestling most of the afternoon, each winning about 50%. The small Human's name is Nance, and he is taking bets on the outcome of the next match. He won't accept any bets larger than 10 credits, but is giving 3:1 odds against the Trandoshan. If the heroes are interested in Gambling a bit, that's fine, they can get in on the betting for a maximum of two rounds. The odds don't change after the first round, no matter who wins. Adjudicate this in front of the heroes using opposed Strength checks, giving Varoca a 21 Strength and Oosk a 17. Winner is the first one to get two out of three pins. Heroes are welcome to try this, and the odds on any hero against Varoca will be 5:1 in favor of Varoca or 3:1 in favor of Oosk. If a hero beats either of these individuals, Nance will decide this is a bad bet, cut his losses, and leave. Neither Varoca nor Oosk has a stake of their own, though they will continue to wrestle anyone who wants to. They've both been drinking heavily, and had been looking forward to the celebration. Neither of them is a mean drunk, though.

Remember that Wookiees and Trandoshans do not get along.

### The Sullustans

The Sullustans are the crew of a supply ship that docked yesterday to offload electronic components. Lots and lots of components. Pretty pricey stuff, too, from what some of them saw on the invoices. They will start spouting off part numbers if anyone asks. YS-4279, YM-3382, YC- 1100. Heroes Trained in Knowledge (Technology) can make a DC 19 check to recognize the part numbers as very expensive components which typically get used in high-end computer security systems. And there's really not any place on Cularin that has that kind of security, but all of the parts were offloaded yesterday onto a pair of unmarked landspeeders. The records of the transaction have already been sent back to the shipping company's base of operations on Sullust, so there isn't a way to figure out who got the parts, although the crew can describe the crates in detail- Large silver crates with bright red lettering, written in Basic and Sullustan. They will quickly get tired of talking about the shipment, and want to find out when the party is really going to start. This was supposed to be a primo assignment because of the celebration, and so far it's seemed pretty tame.

### The Band

If the heroes wait a few minutes, the band takes a break and the musicians are willing to talk to them. All of them are various shades of red, due to the excitement and exertion of performing, and are feeling good about their efforts. They are not the most talented musicians most of the heroes have heard, even for bar bands (they collectively have a Charisma bonus of +12 for their various instruments, and were attempting songs with DC of 27 or so- feel free to see how close they actually came to doing a good job, since it is possible for them to do well), but they're probably not the worst, either. A lot of their music sounds much better to native ears (treat the DC to entertain other Tarasin as 24). They are, frankly, just happy to be working, and from their vantage point on the stage, any celebration is a good celebration. They've actually been playing all day, so they don't know about the Cartel's announcement.

## The Interruption

Once the heroes have had a chance to interact with two different groups in addition to the barkeep, read the following:

***You've been busy getting a feel for the establishment and for the individuals who you've found yourself seated with for a while now, trying to guess just how much the ill-timed announcement is going to affect the celebration. From the sounds of things, though, life is picking up in the streets, as you hear shouting and whistles and laughter.***

***The sounds get louder as the door slides open and a young man rushes into the room. He has dirty blonde hair and his clothes are a patchwork mess, and he stops just inside the doorway, eyes darting back and forth as he scans the bar.***

***"Cularin is in danger!" He's wheezing, but the words still come out clearly. "We have to do something!" And the door, which has just begun to slide shut behind him, slides open again and several individuals dressed in security uniforms rush in and grab the young man by the wrists.***

The security uniforms are from one of the local trading houses, House Hirskaala. They are completely legitimate uniforms, because they were stolen from the company that does laundry for Hirskaala this morning (and as such, have not been reported missing yet). The "Guards" are actually agents of the pirates in Part 7 (*Piracy?*), but know enough details about House Hirskaala to pass. It is also very much the case that in Gadrin, private security forces bear equal weight with local law enforcement, and in fact more weight when matters of industrial security are involved.

The heroes are welcome to attempt to convince the guards not to take the young man (his name is Darin) in, but will not succeed. These men are much more afraid of what happens if they fail than they are of anything a bunch of guys in a bar can do to them. They will tell the party that they're welcome to stop by and talk to the head of security for House Hirskaala, Nim'Ri, to verify their claim, and will produce a document signed by Nim'Ri authorizing the arrest of anyone accused of industrial espionage (this is a form letter Nim'Ri provides all his guards, and is legitimate, albeit stolen). There are enough guards (15) that they will be able to get the young man out the door and away in a Speeder before the party can stop them.

If the party insists the remaining guards accompany them to House Hirskaala, the guards will refuse, stating that they have other duties to which they must attend. They will give the heroes the letter from Nim'Ri to take in and verify, but they cannot themselves go with the heroes.

If the heroes simply let the abduction happen, in a few minutes have a representative of House Hirskaala stop in, looking for the young man. Make it clear that whatever the heroes were told, no one from Hirskaala authorized that arrest, and ask them to come back to House Hirskaala to provide a statement on what happened to the young employee.

*Continued in Part 2: The Hunt*