Torth - THE DAM

The company looks out over a valley of rocks and moors, with a great coiling river. The river ends in a dark lake, sustained by an artificial dam. The dam itself is huge, seemingly constructed in a single piece, scarcely decorated, with heavy buttresses. On top is a broad pavement and two towers. The dam is cracked and dirty. As they descend, they notice they are being pursued =96 men on horseback and with HOUNDS. All the same, if they choose to ignore the dam, they will still find out they are being pursued. Do they cross the dam, or rather search for another place to cross (there is none)? The dam is their only chance to cross, but as they near, horns sound from their pursuers, and a moment later, bells from the dam as in reply.

• SITUATION 1. On top of the dam. MUSIC: BOURNE IDENTITY - AT THE FARMHOUSE. Soldiers rush at them from the front, the pursuers from the back. Someone stumbles perhaps. They can reach the first tower but not the other side). The tower is locked, but a narrow staircase runs downward at the side of it. A part of it is gone, they will have to make the leap. Then a very narrow walkway and an entrance into the dam (two defensive guards with spears). Defensive fight, no one desires to fall off. Ogre leaps down from above (perhaps swung by a grappling hook), they can thrust him over the side but he does not fall down, instead hangs from a rope, and prepares to climb back up. RULE: OGRE IS IMPRESSIVE, BUT HUMAN, AND MAKES MISTAKES, FALLS DOWN.
• SITUATION 2. The inside of the dam is lit with torches, there are narrow corridors. Let the players run for a bit, be chased for a bit. MUSIC: BOURNE IDENTITY - BOURNE IDENTITY. Then, one of their pursuers laughs hard, madly cries about a gift he has for the players. An series of explosions heading their way. Fool! You killed us all! His henchmen shout. The bomb explodes, water starts pouring in. The cracked dam cracks even more, starts to break down under the pressure of the water. MUSIC: DANIEL PEMBERTON - BARREL OF A GUN. Sirens. The corridors fills with water. Torches extinguish.
• SITUATION 3. The players wade through the water rising. In thirty minutes real-time they will drown. Naturally, the more time they loose, the higher the water rises. They encounter five of their opponents, the black clad ones. Weapons are drawn, but a fight can be avoided - in fact it will prove to be essential. MUSIC: BLACK RAIN - OUTBURST OF RAGE. One of the enemies has a map, but an exit that isn't totally flooded is barred by some machine that won=92t budge =96 someone with technical aptness is needed. A door needs to be opened, and requires eight or nine men to do so, with all the water pressure. Suddenly, a break in the walls. The man with the map is hit by a metal object and swept away, the map gone. The exit is at the end of a metal ladder upward, but locked from outside. Unpickable. Someone needs to clamber through an air shaft and pick the lock from the other side. The enemies have a woman among them that is slender enough to crawl through, but Rogue needs to give her instructions from the other side=85 if she doesn't decide to run away.

Once outside they can have a nice chat with the enemy. They're just following orders. Ogre is not that easily killed and will be back soon, but the players get a head start until then. In any case, the conversation is cut short by dam guards arriving and demanding retribution for the damaged dam =96 The autocracy! That will take months! How are we to run our machines then, eh?? =96 Do you defy the will of the Autocracy? The Party will hear of this treason, supplicant! =96 The Law demands immediate retribution for damage sustained, in gold or in blood =96 Blood it is then, fool! =96 a fight erupts between the dam guards and the black clad soldiers.