Pulp Seeds

Author: James Stubbs

Editors: Joseph Browning and Suzi Yee
Seed Art by Ian Armstrong

Introduction

Welcome to Seeds and to this third product in the new line by

Expeditious Retreat Press. Seeds are story ideas, plot ideas, creature
ideas, adventure hooks, anything that can grow into an
enjoyable gaming experience. Each seed is small (only a
paragraph or two at most) and each Seed product will
be small as well (only four to five pages), but just
like their namesakes, they have great potential when
provided with the right environment.
Were pleased to introduce Pulp Seeds to our
line of Seeds products and are happy to announce
that were accepting submissions for additional pulp
seeds as well as seeds for the other genres (fantasy,
horror, modern, and supers). Pulp is three and a half pages
packed with adventure ideas suitable for pulp gaming. We received
this first bunch of pulp seeds through inquiry by James Stubbs, and
we hope that youll be inclined to send us your seed ideas for perusal
and possible inclusion in future Seeds products. Wed love a continual
series of Seeds created by the very people who enjoy reading them the
most.
So drop by the Expeditious Retreat website, checkout our submission guidelines to find out more about the process, and then send us
your seeds. Hopefully youll soon be reading the latest Seed containing your successful seeds. Whew! Enough with the alliteration already,
on to the fun!

The Fang of Klinjira

Professor Artemis Smoake of the now-famous

Smoake Expedition has returned and is preparing to
unveil a large museum exhibit of the strange and
wondrous items he recovered and has, so far,
been very tight-lipped about. However, only
moments before the exhibit opens, Frank Downs,
a museum curator, is found dead in Smoakes
office and Smoake himself nowhere to be found.
The cause of death was poisoning by a venomous
snake of unknown origin.
Characters that investigate will find themselves
the target of native warriors who have inexplicably shown
up in the city as well as following the trail of bodies of Smoakes
loved ones and colleagues - all dead from snake bite. The PCs will
eventually run into Mulari, a native shaman who is leading the
warriors. She will explain about Smoakes theft of The Fang of
Klinjira, a cursed totem that contained the spirit of a snake demon.
She fears that the demon has possessed the man and is determined
to return the totem to her village. This possession can be true or the
professor can simply be a crook who is using a snake he captured
to eliminate anyone who can rat on him. The Fang itself is jeweled
and worth a tidy sum afterall.

Joseph Browning & Suzi Yee

Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition Core Books, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

And Death Begat Murder

Charlie Loomis was sent to the chair but not before he swore
that he would return from the dead for vengeance upon the judge
and jury who convicted him as well as the governor who refused
to cancel the execution. Nobody took his threats seriously until the
jury members began to be shot and killed from seemingly nowhere.
Unfortunately, one of the first victims from the jurors was Rosa
Adalgisa, the wife of one of the most trusted enforcers of the Adalgisa
family. Loomis had connections with the Gambini family. It wasnt
hard to make a connection however tenuous and soon a mob war
erupted with drive by shootings, raids and rubouts being the order of
the day.
The real culprit however is Joseph Loomis, Charlies
brother. He was a veteran of the Great War and an expert
marksman. Joseph also suffers from shellshock. Charlie
took his brothers fragile mental state and made him
swear that he would seek revenge for Charlies
death. Joseph likes to find tall buildings to shoot
from. The characters should have a hard time trying
to investigate the killings before Joseph reaches
the last person on his list, the governor, as the city
mob threatens to tear the city apart with violence and
bloodshed.

Voyage to Tyrina

A mysterious ray transports the characters to the planet of

Tyrina. They arrive only with what they had on them and will have
to rely on their strength, intelligence and cunning to survive the
beautiful but deadly world. After some time they encounter the Aurin,
a race of brutish blue skinned humanoids. They are warlike and will
attempt to capture the PCs until the intervention of the Horal, a purple
skinned race of humanoids. The Hornal are technologically advanced
but peaceful by nature. Only their walled cities and radium rifles
have kept the Aurin at bay. However, recently covert Hornal patrols
have reported creatures that resembled the race of the PCs at Aurin

encampments. They fear what knowledge these outsiders might bring

to bear against their cities.
The Hornal King begs the PCs to find out what the Aurin are
up to and, if it is a threat to them, to destroy or sabotage it in whatever
fashion possible. Unknown to the characters, however, is that the
Kings chief scientist, Ulir, is a usurper waiting his chance. He devised
the teleportation ray and is supplying the Aurin with technological
knowledge that their human sympathizers/captives are making use of
to construct weaponry. He will do whatever it takes behind the scenes
to thwart the characters plans. The Aurin have promised that he will
rule the Hornal when they take over but they have no intentions of
upholding that bargain.

High Altitude Holdup

The characters are either passengers or are hired

on a security for the inaugural flight of the airship
Majestic. All of the other passengers are wealthy
or famous in some way. The business of air travel
and cargo transportation has suffered as of late with
a rash of air piracy. This trip is no exception. The
Majestic is too rich and tempting a target. A group of
women pirates calling themselves the Ebon Valkyries
board the airship and begin to relieve the passengers of
their valuables. They are courteous but firm in their demands
and promise that no harm will happen to anyone as long as they
cooperate. These pirates are lead by a woman calling herself Duchess
Isa Romanov. She claims to be a dispossessed Russian princess but
that has never been proven.
One of the passengers is Doctor Victor Schnell and he has with
him secret plans that he has stolen from Germany. He is on his way to
making contact with g-men who will ensure his safety. Schnell panics
and pulls a pistol. It is obvious, however, that he is more of a danger
to everyone else with his shaky nerves. Just as things reach a boiling
point, German rocketmen arrive, determined to recover the plans
Schnell has even if it means destroying the Majestic and everyone
aboard in the process.

The Dope Ring

Five police officers have been murdered on their beats in the last
two weeks. The only accounts that bystanders have been able to report is
that these cops were ridden down and killed by a man on horseback with
a sword. His clothes are like those of a ancient highwayman but the rider
was masked, making any kind of identification difficult. If this wasnt
bad enough, a wave of drug overdoses is sweeping the affluent youth of
the city and the police are hard pressed to find out who or where the dope
is coming in. Their resources and manpower are stretched to the limit.
The culprit in both crimes is the highwayman who is Officer Dan
Brenton. He went crooked years ago taking minor amounts of money
from the mob to look the other way. In the years since, he has moved up
in the world and his newest benefactor is an Arab, Rashid Abou
Hamed. He and his gang of cutthroats are smuggling in dope
from the docks. Brenton dons the highwayman disguise
to attract the full attention of the police while the drugs
are transported safely to a warehouse for distribution.
However, Brenton is becoming paranoid about his
fellow officers at work. He believes that they suspect
him when, in reality, they have no clue. Brenton plans
to start picking them off next. Rashid frowns on this
and has warned Brenton to not follow through with
it. Rashid has plans in place to deal with Brenton if he
jeopardizes his business.

The Cult of the Scorpion

An old acquaintance who works in a higher level position at the

city bank asks the characters to investigate a large number of the citys
affluent withdrawing large amounts of money. This wouldnt normally
be suspicious but many of them cant realistically continue their lifestyle
after removing what they have and large numbers of them have done so.
He suspects blackmail but is at a loss how they all could be ensnared.
Looking into the matter, the only common thread seems to be that the
young members of these families all frequent the same nightspot, The
Emerald Club, and that their parents are extremely tight-lipped if not
hostile about the matter.

The Emerald Club currently hosts the exotic dancing of Kroua

Zadeh, an arabic enchantress who entices the young men of the club to
partake of drugs. She then introduces them to Abbas Al Faraj. Under
the suggestive influence of Krouas narcotics, Faraj brainwashes them
into joining his cult. They willingly surrender their worldly wealth
to him and he, in turn, uses them to his own ends, which is currently
blackmailing their parents to keep their drug use and membership
in a subversive cult a secret. Perhaps Faraj and Zadeh are just an
opportunitstic criminals or perhaps they really are attempting to bring
back a dead god or supernatural creature to grant them power.

The Circus Murders

Elise McAllen, a trapeze artist for the Girt Traveling

Circus is found dead in her trailer with an unconscious
Jake Girt, the circus owners son. She has been shot
and the pistol is in Jakes hand. He claims that he was
framed but everyone at the circus will attest that it
is a well-known rumor that Jake and Elise where
seeing each other. There is also the darker secret that
Elise was pregnant. The other performers believe
that Jake killed her in a fit of rage when she refused
to not have the baby.
Jake denies even going to see Elise and has no
idea how he ended up there and with a gun. As the characters
investigate, they will recieve warnings and veiled threats from several
members of the circus. It seems that either they dont like outsiders
poking about of there is something to hide. While this is a fairly
straighforward mystery, there are numerous angles that can be played
up on: another of the performers impregnated Elise and she was trying
to frame Jake in it in exchange for money. When he refused, she was
killed to prevent him from finding out who really orchestrated the
frame. Another option is that Jake really did do it and is trying to play
up on the assumptions of the PCs that he is innocent. Finally, neither
Elise or Jake had anything to do with it and a third party is using the
circus rumors to scare the circus owner into selling by threatening to
make the rumors public.

Mechanical Terror

Commercial shipping is in a state of panic. The Navy is being

pressured to provide warship escort to all passenger and cargo ships.
Several have already been sunk with large loss of life. Survivors all
speak of giant mechanical monsters that attacked their vessels. A major
newspaper has received a message from someone calling himself,
The Black Wolf, who claims responsibility and demands a payment
of ten million dollars. He also demands to be recognized as the King
of the Atlantic. The characters are called in by the government either
because of their past exploits or connections they have in an effort to
contain widespread panic.
The Black Wolf is Doctor Finnigan Walls, a scientist who
was spurned by the academic world for his theories on aquatic
propulsion. Walls has taken his theories and created speedy
robots capable of traveling underwater. He is terrorizing
shipping simply to get money as compensation for his
ruined life and as vindication of his ideas. Walls is
hiding out on a small uncharted island from which
he remotely controls his robots.

Invasion from Planet X

Junarium is disappearing. This rare and powerful

isotope was recently discovered and the scientific world is
abuzz with its potential. Now, however, research labs are burgled or
raided by masked individuals. The only thing taken is the Junarium.
The government is worried about its potential as a bomb or the
possibility of a rival country getting more of it than anyone else. The
characters are called in to investigate.
Investigation will reveal the culprit behind the thefts is the
Malone Gang. These hardened gangsters are ruthless and work for
whoever can make their price. They are working for Dargus, an
advance scout and scientist from Migariun. The Migarians plan to
use the Malone Gang and Junarium to destroy strategic targets across
the country. Once the government is destabilized, they plan to take
over and hold the country hostage with their Junarium-powered
super ray cannon. Defeating Dargus will temporarily stop their plans

but the only real way to thwart them is to take Darguss rocketship
to Migariun and to destroy their rocketbase or defeat the king of
Migariun. The characters may or may not find Migarians sympathetic
to their cause.

The Forbidden Valley

The characters are a part of Professor Calvin Rhodess widely

publicized expedition into deepest Africa. Rhodes has postulated that
evidence of pre-man could be found there and managed to get the trip
financed. Things are ominous from the beginning as native porters
refuse to go or flee at the first thing that stirs their superstitions. The
area is also known to be in the ownership of several hostile cannibal
tribes. After many trials and tribulations, the party soon
discovers a fog-enshrouded valley, accessible only by a
massive tree that is leaning against the side of the sheer
valley walls.
Professor Rhodess curiosity is peaked and
he claims that this would be the perfect place to
search. Inside the valley, however, their lies bigger
surprises such as the prehistoric dinosaurs that still
exist. If that wasnt bad enough, pre-man still lives
in the valley and they view the invaders with both
fear and anger. The characters have stepped right into
the middle of a war between two neighboring tribes. Both
are eager to capture some of the strangers out of curiosity and hunger.
The characters may have superior intelligence and technology, but
the half-men have force of numbers. It is up to the heroes to protect
the professor, escape the valley and, possibly, provide proof of their
discoveries.

The Haunting of Colvert Manor

Reginald Colvert, the last heir of the once-influential Colvert

Family, is in dire straights. He is considering selling Colvert Manor
to pay off his creditors and his only sister, Diane Colvert, refuses to
marry so that her husband could take the debt off of his hands. The

real problem, however, is the appearance of the ghost of Nigel Colvert.

Nigel was the manor owner almost a hundred years ago before he was
killed in a hunting accident. Now Reginald has to deal with ghostly
moans and, occasionally, the apparition making an appearance.
Reginald is wondering if he has lost his mind and begs the characters
to investigate.
The ghost can be real, a portent of Reginald actually hiding
the family treasure and pressuring his sister to marry so that she will
forfeit the Colvert name and, thus, claim to the wealth. Another option
is that the ghost is a sham created by Diane and her secret lover using
the ventilation system for noises and a clever series of mirrors and a
disguise for the ghost. She wants Reginald to be declared insane so
that he will forfeit the manor to her so that she can then marry and sell
the treasure

Submarine Saboteurs

Work on a new submarine has been plagued

by mishaps and accidents at the naval yards. So far
most of the mechanical failures have been minor.
However, the head of the project is convinced that
this is not the results of careless workers or shoddy
workmanship. He believes that this is purely the work
of someone attempting to sabotage the project and wants
the characters to investigate by going undercover as factory
workers.
As things continue, work on the submarine seems to improve
with no accidents but, after a few days, the submarine is stolen.
The characters are caught onboard as the sub gets under way. The
submarine is taken to an underwater base run by the mysterious Doctor
Tyranius. Super analytical scientists control this base with their robot
constructs. The Doctor wants the submarine to study for its technology
but the characters need to retrieve the sub and defeat the mad doctor
and his minions.

Taking A Dive

Leon Killer Kroger was a heavy favorite to retain his title

against Tyrone The Tank Smith. That belief bit the dust when Kroger
was kissing the canvas in the third round. Bookies across the city made
a small fortune. This would have been bad enough if Kroger wasnt
found dead in his car a week later. Krogers former manager contacts
the characters wanting them to investigate what he believes was a
deliberate dive by the champ. He suspects that someone got to him
somehow and was either blackmailing him or paid him off to take a
fall.
To complicate matters, Kroger had a heavy bet riding on him
by Mario Vintori, the head of the Vintori crime family, and he suspects
that the rival DAmico family got to the champ. As a reprisal,
he has made threats against Tyrone Smith, his trainers
and anyone associated with the DAmicos. The truth
of the matter is that Kroger was already working for
DAmico as a minor legbreaker and got in over his
head. The characters need to untangle the whole
mess while trying not to wind up on the bad side of
either family.