Blood, Water and All That...

New Orleans, the Big Easy. Trust me organized crime family for up north
when I say it ain't that easy. Life has decided to set up shop in the
here is as hard as it is everywhere French Quarter, wresting control
else. The Great War, with all it's from the original ruling gang, the
horrors did manage to do some Red Sect. Gang violence continues
good, cooling off tensions between as they battle for territory and
the North and the i n fl u e n c e . T h e
South as they majority of the
fought side by police, while
side against the some of the best
Axis powers. The equipped in the
disease they nation, are in
brought back s o m e o n e ' s
with them pocket, making
however killed them generally
s o m a ny, j u s t inef fective at
like the plagues best or deadly at
of old. With the worst. That's
depression on, where the P.I.s
some folks wish come in. The
they had died in police won't
the plague. touch some
People work, eat, cases because of
work some more, time, effort or
then die. Most d a n g e r. T h e
folks are just looking for their big gumshoes of New Orleans do a swift
break, regardless of where it comes trade in getting to the bottom of a
from. New Orleans is the jewel of the case or getting consumed by it....
c o n f e d e r a c y, t h a n k s t o t h e
machines birthed back in the days Part One: Investigator for Hire
of the cowboy, a lot of the bayou has
been pumped and new land for A glass door in a run down office building
those lucky enough to be in the reads "Iron Investigations". The o looks like
a small a with some pieces cut off. Save
middle class has become available.
money where you can. The windows in the
Not all the newcomers are welcome. hallway call out to the desperate, "Cheap,
T h e B l a ck H a n d , t h e l a rge s t Honest Lawyer", "Loans When You Need
Page 1
Them", "Become a Star - Casting". The truth to the press may ruin his company.
is you're just as desperate as the ones There is a depression on after all.
searching these halls. A good case means
He offers to pay for three days of
you get to eat.
investigation. If they crack this case
sooner, they can keep the rest as a
Before the client enters, Jones is in
bonus for quick work. He also asks if
his office, doing whatever it is he
Jones is working alone or with help.
does. Give Arizona Jones a few
Whatever the fee for extra help is,
minutes to give a short monologue
he tries to negotiate down, but will
on whatever he feels like. Give the
pay if he has to. When he accepts,
same opportunity to other players
the case is on!
as they're introduced. When done,
read the following. Part Two: Assemble the Team
A slight rap at the door gives you a few
moments to throw last nights dinner At this point, Jones goes off to get
leftovers out the window and hide whatever some of his acquaintances to join
else might tell a client that this office him. He may call in favors, beg, offer
doubles as a bedroom. The man looks to be money, whatever he needs to to get
in his early fifties with a head full of gray them onboard. He has three choices,
hair. His suit, while nothing to write home Papa Midnight, The Night-Crow, and
about, looks new and well kept. If he's got
Seamus O'Shannohan. he can visit
money for a new suit, he's got money to pay
for a few days of work. Not a dame, but them in any order.
whatever pays the bills.
Papa Midnight
A neon light reading "The Dark Side"
The man introduces himself as
flickers outside a small club in the French
Arthur Delaney and hands them his Quarter. The quiet contrasts the large the
card. It reads that he is the Vice crowd inside. On a small stage, lit with a
President at Ace Construction, one few lights, Papa Midnight bares his soul.
of the many construction companies
in New Orleans making a go of
reclaiming land for new
development. After a few questions
to the agency, he states that
someone is blackmailing him, but he
honestly doesn't know why they're
doing this to him. He insists he
hasn't done anything. He hands the
investigators a note written on
After reading the flavor text, give
nondescript paper. Give the handout Papa Midnight a moment for his
to the players. He would go to the
monologue. When he's done, give the
police, but any kind of word of this players a few moments to interact
Page 2
and allow him a perform test to see
how much money he can earn. Once
he's decided to come, move on to the
next section or recruit another
member.
Seamus O'Shannohan
The sound of a fist impacting followed by a
spattering of blood. Two gladiators battling
under the guise of a "civilized sport". This is
war. For Seamus O'Shannohan, this is living.
The players arrive at a "boxing gym"
which bears more of a resemblance
to some kind of underground fight
club. Seamus has just finished a
successful bout. Give him a moment
to monologue. After he's done, The
next fight starts, anyone can bet for
or against him for even money with
a max bet of ten bucks. After bets
are taken, start a small fight, don't
worry about action cards, use a
modified gun fight mechanic. Allow
Seamus to go first at a -2 penalty or
second for no penalty instead of
drawing from the action deck. After
the fight, if he wins, he gets a prize
of $10. Give the players a moment
to chat and then onward to collect
another member.
The Night-Crow
A man stands alone. In front of him, a
number of goons, weapons drawn. One of
their number seems to be nursing a bloody
nose. Behind the lone hero, a man lies
crumpled on the street, blood pouring from
a number of wounds. Heedless to himself,
the Night-Crow defends those who need
him, if you believe the stories.
When the players arrive at the
scene, the Night-Crow is already
engaged with a number of thugs
equal to 1+ the number of Wild
Cards. One of them is a wild card
with a level of fatigue damage.
Before the battle starts, give Night-
Crow a moment to monologue.
Thug
Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vigor
d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d4,
Shooting d6, Streetwise d4
Charisma: —2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7
Hindrances: Greedy, Mean Edges: Brawny
Page 3
Gear: .38 revolver (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6,
RoF 1) or brass knuckles (Str+d4, treat as
Unarmed Attacker) or unarmed
After the battle, any of the less
honorable players may rifle through
the thugs pockets. In total they find
about $6.25 in bills and change and
a piece of beef jerky, not to mention
a few family photos. The victim,
while battered, will survive, but it's
best to get him out of the street.
They can take him to either the
church, a homeless shelter or a
small clinic nearby. The clinic will
ask for a bit of payment up front,
but you can appeal to their good
nature with a persuasion test +2 or
cow them with an intimidation test.
Give the party a moment to interact
and then on to the case.
Part 3: A Trail of Breadcrumbs
At this point, the agency can begin
the investigation in earnest. The
client promises to help the
investigators in any way he can, so
he can be tapped if needed. The first
piece of evidence they receive is the
ransom note. It has a few hooks
they can investigate.
First, if they suggest rubbing it with
charcoal or pencil to see what was
written previously, they find an
additional note, no roll needed. Give
them the other handout. If they
present the note to the client, he
will say that looks like it was
written by his nephew, Simon. The
girl he refers to must be that tramp
he is dating with expensive tastes.
The ransom note was also mailed to
the client's office and bears a
postmark which an give the players
a ge n e r a l a r e a o f w h e r e t h e
blackmailer sent the letter from.
This requires an investigation check
and $D6. A raise gets the info for
free, failure gets the info but it costs
$2D6 and they have to wait a day
for the info. If this info is presented
to the client, he mentions that he
nephew lives in that area, but why
would he be blackmailing him?
F inally, the ransom note has
instructions for the client to leave
money at a certain place at a
certain time. It's very easy for the
investigators to tail him back to
where he lives. Showing the client a
picture or giving him the address
also reveals the perp to be his
nephew.
The Client also promises to help the
agency in whatever way he can,
including providing some access to
records, however, he does want to
keep it on the down-low so they can
only check the records at night. At
the moment, this information
doesn't really further the
investigation, but it will prove
helpful later on. An investigation
test -4 reveals that some
information seems to be missing.
Page 4
Finally, the agency can research the
company itself. Hitting the books
requires an investigation test and
reveals that a number of bodies had
made there way onto a few of the
companies work sites, however that
seemed to have stopped a few
months ago after a security guard
was found dead at one of the sites.
An investigation test -2 and $2D6 in
bribes can get a out the victims. A
raise gets the info for free, a failure
indicates you spent the money, but
didn't get anything of use. The police
files indicate the bodies were found
surrounded by strange marks. The
guard simply had his throat slit.
Anyone with knowledge: occult can
make a check at +2 to ID the marks
as related to Vodoo.
Part 4: The Criminal Mastermind
Once the player ID Simon as the
perp and actually lay eyes on him,
read the following.
And there he is. He certainly doesn't act like
a criminal, at least not like a criminal who
doesn't want to be caught. This was so easy,
you almost feel guilty taking the clients
money. Almost....
This guy has nothing about him that could
be said to be memorable except for the fact
he is extraordinarily normal. Walking like
he doesn't have a care in the world, he
strolls into his apartment. A few moments
later, you see him throw open a curtain on
the second floor. 204. My God, that was
easy.
After the players find out where he
lives, they have a few choices. They
can confront him in his apartment,
tail him when he leaves or break in
when he's not there. They can also
do a combination of all three if they
split up.
If they break in when he's not there,
they find an apartment typical of a
bachelor. Read the following.
This place is definitely in need of a woman's
touch. If he isn't married already, he
probably won't be any time soon if his
sweetheart sees this place. The living room,
kitchen, dining room and bedroom, all in
four walls. Some would call it cozy, you'd
call it a closet, but this place doesn't have
one judging from the clothes strewn around
on the floor. Last nights half eaten dinner
sits on a desk near the window. What kind
of work he does on it, you have no idea.
Page 5

His apartment doesn't really have
much in the line of sinister goods in
it with two exceptions.
In the desk, after a bit of
rummaging, they can find some
fi n a n c i a l d o c u m e n t s f o r A c e
Construction. The documents show
that Ace Construction received
payments from a Crimson
Securities. Comparing these
documents with the ones at the
company shows that they received
payments but performed no actual
construction work for them. In
addition, all of these payments were
signed off on by the company's
president, Brian "Ace" Albright.
Second, on the shelf a simple doll
rests on the shelf. A Knowledge:
occult test -1 can identify it as an
actual Vodoo doll. A smarts check
by anyone with the Vodoo arcane
background reveals that it can be
used to look at or influence the
owners dreams. Once made, it is
bonded to a particular person.
If they decide to tail him a bit, use
the modified chase mechanic to see
how well they do. Simon isn't
exactly on to the fact someone
might be looking for him so he takes
a -2 to his notice rolls. The first time
he notices the players, he shrugs it
off. After following him for a bit,
they notice he walks by the post box
mentioned in the letter, takes a bus
for about ten minutes and goes to an
apartment in a nicer part of town.
He knocks on the door for a bit, calls
out "Samantha" before heading
home.
Finally, they can confront him at his
apartment. It takes him a few
moments to realize what is
happening before he tries to run
away. He moves to the window, but
forgets it's locked, struggling futility
before giving in. The party either
needs to make a persuasion check
o r i n t i m i d a t i o n + 2 t o ge t a ny
information out of him. Once they
succeed, use the following
information for any questions they
may ask.
He was approached by some guys
with creole accents. They asked
him whether he would like to earn
some money. He said yes and they
gave him some documents.
He wasn't sure what the
documents said, but he knew that
it had something with his uncles
company so he figured if he was
vague enough, he could get a few
bucks out of it.
He wanted to use the money to
buy a ring for his girl and some
tickets out of here.
He promises to hand over the
documents whether or not the
agency has them or not and won't
say anything, he just doesn't want to
go to jail.
Part 5: Success?
Page 6
After securing the documents and
identifying the culprit, the players
have a few choices. They can turn
the documents in to their client or
may also confront the president of
the company with the documents.
They could also investigate the
documents themselves, looking for
the men with creole accents.

Any investigation into the men with

creole accents requires a streetwise
check and $D4. Success reveals that
they were probably members of the
Red Sect. A raise indicates that they
are trying to regain turf lost to the
Black Hand and will use any means
necessary to gain influence in the
city. Two raises and the players
learn that the Red Sect has used
both Vodoo and deception to replace
people in power with ones in their asking if I had forgotten the arrangement. I
pocket. told them I was done with them, gave them
their money back and sent them off. The
Since the agency has access to Ace next night, most of the guards called in sick
Construction, they can take their and the only one that worked wound up
dead. I don't want to hurt this company, too
finding directly to the president. He many people are depending on the jobs
needs little coaxing to admit his here. I'll resign, then go to the police when
wrongdoing as his guilt is already the time is right.
weighing him down.
He offers any help he can and asks
Yes, I took their money, but it isn't what it the players to hold on to the
seems. When I set up operations down here,
I had no idea what they were. They said documents and not to show them to
they just needed a place for their society to anyone.
meet, do a few rituals, that kind of thing.
We have those kooky mystic types up north The client is disappointed to hear
too, so I thought "hey, free money" and that the culprit was his nephew, but
signed off on it. It wasn't until the bodies doesn't seem to be too surprised.
started showing up that I realized what I Apparently, he had been coming to
had gotten into. I made sure I had security
his uncle for some time for money.
on the sites they were supposed to meet at.
A few days later, they came into my office, He also asks about what proof he
Page 7
had. If they mention the documents,
the client asks for them, looks them
over and promises to make sure the
president pays for such a crime. If
they lie about it, have the players
make a taunt test. If successful, a
notice -2 test. Those that succeed
notice he seems a bit surprised
about hearing that. Regardless, he
gives the players present a $5
bonus to keep quiet about the
company until he has had a chance
to handle things.
Part 6: A Knife in the Back
A few days after the case has been
resolved, the players notice in the
paper that the president of Ace
Construction had resigned amid a
scandal and the Vice President,
Arthur Delaney has taken over. The
next day, the papers are filled with
reports of a man found horribly
mutilated in a back alley or the city.
If the players still have the Vodoo
doll taken from Simon's apartment,
they have a vivid dream.
You awaken, tied to a chair. As you look
around, you realize you are outside in an
alley, you try to scream, but you can't seem
to open your mouth, even breathing is
difficult. A man, covered in white paint,
forming simple, yet sinister designs, slowing
approaches you. He begins chanting in a
language you do not understand. The sound
of steel being loosed fills your senses.
Shortly after, pain. Each slice into you feels
like he's cutting your soul. This continues for
what feels like hours as the chanting build in
both speed and intensity. Abruptly, the
chanting stops, the same moment you feel
the blade cut deeply into your throat. He
holds a jar to your throat, collecting the last
bits of your life. Slowly, your vision fades,
growing cold. The last thing you hear
before the silence is "one end tied up, a few
more to go now." As you feel the embrace
of death, the feeling of absolute
nothingness, you suddenly feel everything.
Life shooting into you, you sit up in bed,
covered in a cold sweat.
The player can make his own
conclusions about the dream. The
man murdered was Simon. A few
nights later, the Red Sect will target
the former president, taking him to
an abandoned waterfront
warehouse to deal with him. If the
players go to Delaney, he will tell
them he just got the news that his
nephew was murdered, it must have
something to do with this whole
blackmailing mess. If they tell him
he is in danger, he gasps and
mentions that the former president
told him to meet him that night at
this address, and hints that maybe
he is behind this. However, Delaney
is actually working with the Red
Sect. The whole thing is a trap to get
rid of anyone who knows about the
Red Sect's involvement.
When the players go to the address,
read the following.
This place looks like it should have
collapsed into the river ages ago, no
wonder they don't use it anymore. A large,
rotted plank way leads to a set of ancient
double doors. A heavy rusted chain lies
between the two handles, lock absent. You
hope a breeze doesn't strike up whole
Page 8
you're in here or the whole thing might
come down on you.
There are a number of ways into the
warehouse. The most obvious is the
front entrance, however it is being
guarded. To the northern side is a
rickety platform that leads to a
rusted metal ladder. Moving down
the plank requires an agility check
to avoid stepping on rotted planks
in addition to any stealth checks.
The ladder requires one as well or a
climbing +2. Once on the roof, they
can jump down from any of the blue
squares. Doing this requires an
agility test to avoid bumps and
bruises. If they jump and attack,
they take a -2 on both actions, but
they have the drop on the
unsuspecting schmucks. If they feel
like getting wet, there is a dock on
the side. They can also swim under
the warehouse, finding a small trap
door leading inside. If the player
succeeds a stealth check or attacks
from here once the action starts,
they get the drop on whoever they
attack. Mr. Albright is tied to a chair
as a bokkor is performing a ritual on
him to collect his "essence" there are
also 2+ the number of wild cards
Red Sect cultists guarding the
warehouse. The bokkor and one of
the cultists is a wild card. The
bokkor doesn't join the fight until 3
rounds has passed and the ritual is
complete, killing Mr. Albright. They
all fight to the death. If they go to
Delaney first, they receive a +2 to
their notice tests against the party.
Page 9
Bokkor*
Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d6,
Vigor d8
Skills:
Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (Occult)
d10, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Spellcasting d10
Charisma: –2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Hindrances: Vengeful, Mean, Enemy (Black Hand)
Edges: Arcane Background (Black Magic),
Connections (Red Sect), New Powers, Power Points
Powers: Boost/lower Trait, conceal/detect arcana,
confusion, zombie; Power Points: 15
Gear: Bokkor frequently carry ritual weapons
imbued with evil (inflicting an extra +2 damage in
the hands of the bokkor only), but they are not
above packing a f irearm either.
Delaney requested a meeting at that
warehouse. When he arrived, he
was jumped by a number of men and
came to tied to the chair, shortly
before they started slicing into him.
Armed with this information have enough to
build a case against Delaney, however he
seems to have either skipped town or
maybe just relocated six feet under.
Regardless, Ace Construction losing two
presidents in less than a month proves too
much. The company is sold to one of the
larger firms. The workers keep their jobs,
but they're now at the mercy of their new
owner. Whose pocket he's in is another
story...

Special Abilities: • Sending: As an action, a bokkor

can use his arcane power to summon an evil spirit
to hound a victim. This requires the bokkor to win
an opposed Spirit test with his intended target. If
successful, neither the bokkor nor the victim can
spend Bennies until the sorcerer releases the
sending, which also requires an action. This power
has a range of Smarts.

Red Sect Cultists

Attributes:
Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor
d6

Skills:
Driving d4, Fighting d8, Knowledge (Occult) d4,
Knowledge (Trade) d4, Notice d6, Shooting d6

Charisma: –4; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5

Hindrances: Bloodthirsty
Edges: Arcane Resistance

Gear: .38 special, scattergun or knife. The wildcard

has a confusion gris-gris(7pts.)

Part 7: All in a Days Work

After the fight, if Albright survives,

he is unconscious for 1D4 days.
When he comes to, he explains
Page 10
 Additional Materials
Use these tokens and aids for your game. All tokens are to 1" scale.

Page 11
 Wild Cards & Extras
Arizona Jones
Agility D8 Smarts D6 Spirit D8 Strength D6 Vigor D8
Pace 6 Parry 5 Toughness 7 Charisma 0

Skills
Knowledge: Occult D6 Investigation D6 Streetwise D6
Taunt D4 Fighting D6 Shooting D8 Notice D8

Veteran of the Concrete Jungle - Jinxed, Hard,

Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Brave
Curious (Major)Rebellious (Minor)Loyal (Minor)

Gear
.38 Special Revolver, Flashlight, Lighter, Notepad and
Pen, Camera, Dented Badge

Papa Midnight
Agility D6 Smarts D6 Spirit D8 Strength D4 Vigor D6
Pace 6 Parry 5 Toughness 5 Charisma -1

Skills
Voodoo D8 Perform(Sax) D8 Persuasion D6
Fighting D6 Gambling D6 Knowledge: Occult D6
Notice D4

Arcane Background: Voodoo, Gris-Gris Crafter, Elan,

Power Points
Vow (Major), Quirk (Minor), Habit (Minor)

Gear
Charms and Amulets, Gris-Gris (Healing), Sword Cane,
Lighter

Powers -15 pts.

Shield of the Rada Loa (Deflection+Necrotic)

Rob the Senses (Stun)

Page 12
Seamus O'Shannohan
Agility D8 Smarts D4 Spirit D4 Strength D8 Vigor D8
Pace 6 Parry 7Toughness 7 Charisma 0

Skills
Fighting D10 Lockpicking D6 Throwing D6 Stealth D6
Notice D4 Intimidation D4 Driving D4 Gambling D4

Brawny, Two-Fisted, Boxer

Grim Servant of Death (Major), Quirk (Minor),
Impulsive (Minor)

Gear
Used Old-Model Truck, Lighter, Flask, Lockpicks

The Night-Crow
Agility D10 Smarts D6 Spirit D6 Strength D8 Vigor
D6
Pace 6 Parry 7Toughness 5 Charisma-2
Dominion +0

Skills
Notice D6 Fighting D10 Intimidation D6 Climbing D4
Tracking D6 Stealth D8 Survival D4

Harrowed-Stitchin', Supernatural Trait-AGL, Cat Eyes

Obligation (Major), Destitute (Minor), Outsider (Minor)

Gear
Used Billy Club

Page 13
Page 14