1. Introduction

Space. Empty space. The camera pans left, a planet comes into view. A green and blue planet with wisps of grey and white cloud moving slowly across it in great weather systems. The view zooms and the planet approaches, engulfing you in the atmosphere. Suddenly the view is filled with clouds and then, as suddenly as it began, it empties. The view is filled with a massive continent. Approaching is a vista of a great valley, bounded on the north by a great mountain chain and on the south by high moorland before dropping away again to the sea. The valley itself, now filling the view, is wooded on both sides and filled with steep mountain rivers that descend to the jungle that fills the basin contending with swamps and oxbow lakes. The River, well over a hundred metres wide in places, twinkles in the Spring sunshine. Turning abruptly toward the mountains the camera zooms in on a glimmering against the grey and white. This turns out to be a large citadel perched in a steep sided pass over the mountains, baggage trains can be seen approaching the citadel from both sides. Looking down into the wood, a clearing becomes visible. In it is sat a group of men by a stream. Coming closer it can be seen that one of them is holding a root and that they are arguing about what it is called…
[this is the PCs in a little lesson on local flora given by Dekos]
As one of the groups of park wardens working in Kerutsi Park you are just over a week into a tour of the park. You set out from Montcrif [the citadel in the mountains] and are currently in the Tesant hills leading down to the jungle, on your way to Machatui Pier on the River.[Go!]

[Describe to the PCs a day or two in the wood, let them take some things and run with them. Give them a feeling for the slow pace of life and for the size of the park.] After a few days the ground becomes wetter, the air more humid as the wood of the hills gives way to the jungle of the basin. The insects are buzzing in the sunlight that filters through the leaves of the canopy now high above.
[over a day or so the ground gives way to the marsh of a plateau]

2. The First Camp

The next day they stumble on a patch of dryer ground in the marsh and in a small clearing they find…..
[handout 1]
The relics of a campsite. There are two felled trees and some cleared scrub that make way for the clearing. [ Routine Per. plus Survival
Botch- Their own campsite from a few days ago.
Fail- Nothing more
Pass- Some hammocks were erected. The campsite is from about 2-3 weeks ago. Several men and maybe an animal
Exceptional- This and definitely NOT native.
If they do not get information but ask specific questions give them hints]
There are several paths leading back into the marsh on most sides. This is a good place to make a camp and many people have used it in the past.
[Difficult Int plus Recon. To find tracks leading off to SW. No idea whether incoming or outgoing]

3. The Flood

The next day a storm blows in and as the day reaches noon the heavens should open with the first rains of spring. As the PCs are following the valley of a small river down into the basin. After a short while the rain really begins to get heavy[SECRET Formidable Dex plus Survival to notice a rumbling upriver].
The rain continues to get heavier, suddenly lightning streaks across the sky and thunder rumbles in. [Anyone who tries to retreat up the valleyside take Routine Dex]
[SECRET Difficult Dex plus Survival to notice rumbling]
The thunder gets closer and lightning streaks again [Impress them with how much it is raining]. A pack of monkeys rush through the treetops above them. [Dekos will know this is wrong, They’re rushing downhill] [Anyone looking at the river Difficult Dex plus survival to notice the swelling][All players take Difficult Dex to maintain position on the valleyside as ground becomes unstable. Fails will begin to slide down the hill (botch sends them tumbling into the river- 0.5D damage)]
All will notice that the ground now has rivulets running down it and that the whole valleyside is unstable. Those who fell into the river get swept off.
[Those who have room to think Difficult Edu to remember there is a Tequoia camp on the other side of the river. Also Routine Dex plus Survive to notice the rumbling]
At this point those who slid down the hill reach the river Difficult Str to hang on in the swollen river.
[Leave them to think for a minute whilst you deal with anyone who got swept away earlier] They’re sent bowling down the river that bends quickly out of the others sight. Suddenly as they come up for air there is something wrong… Then The water suddenly flowing straight down. They need to make a snap decision…
Option 1 Try to grab something to stop their fall [Difficult Strength plus Survival] If they fail they fall [1D damage]
Option 2 Prepare for the fall [Routine Dex plus Survival, Exceptional- beautiful swan dive resulting in no damage at all. Pass- 0.5D damage. Fail- 1D damage]
Anything else- cool let them go for it. Leave them splashing about in the pool at the bottom.
[Then back to the rest of them]
At this point the flash flood hits them.[Give them a little graphic description] If they come up with anything cool let them get on with it before being swept away.
Suddenly there is a waterfall in front of them. They’re going over [1D damage].

Then They’re left behind by the head floundering in the plunge pool. [Routine Str plus Survival/ Athletics to get towards the edge. Failers will get out a little further down the line.]
Once they’re all on the bank let them sit there a while.[Routine Edu plus Survival to remember the Tequoia camp up the hill]

4. The Tequoia Camp

This is a chance for the PCs to rest up out of the storm for a while.
If they had anything delicate then that is probably broken. If they had anything that wasn’t waterproof then that probably suffered. The long range radio will only work on incoming.
The Tequoia camp is empty, and is a chance for them to show their survival skills.
[Dekos will get a funny feeling of unrest here]
[Once they have done whatever they want to do let them move on]
The storm holds up for the next two days. They can move off now [Make their passage difficult], or they can wait until the storm blows over [The journey passes without incident].

5. The Second Camp

The heroes travel SW towards Machatui Pier for 3 or 4 days down the Valley side. The small river channels begin to open out and the ground begins to flatten off. They’re generally travelling down a ridge [Along a Tequoia path from the camp to the Pier], so there aren’t any great problems with the ground. But after this time the ridge begins to disappear: this is the bottom of the Kerutsi basin. The ground becomes slightly damper underfoot and there are several patches of open water [Oxbow Lakes].
Then, the following day, in a patch of damp ground there is a small rise and on the top there is…..
A campsite[Handout 2]
[Difficult Per. plus Survival Same results as before. Exceptional- let them find an oddment of equipment of too high a tech level]
There’s a central hearth and 1 felled tree.[Dekos gets a funny feeling from it, doesn’t like it]. Anyone who thinks about it will notice that it’s too far out from the Pier for it to be day trippers. [It’s not too far out for campers but anyone checking the radio with the pier (not that it works) will find there are no day trippers]
[ Again, let them make of it what they will]

6. Machatui Pier

Another 2 days down into the basin they will reach Machatui Pier. On the way describe how they meet a few people heading to or from the pier. The ground has become flat and there are a series of lakes and marshes. The weather is sunny weather more of late Spring than early.[If they’re going too fast make a couple of these encounters actually play out].
When they reach the Pier [Describe the Pier to them as of the main description Handout 3]. They emerge from the shadow of the jungle into the bright sunlight of the open on the edge of Machatui Pier at about lunchtime with the Sun shining directly into their eyes. Today is market day and anyone with good eyesight can see that there are many boats in on the River.
As soon as they enter the outskirts of the town they are accosted by urchins trying to sell them stuff- salt, beads, fish, good time. All of which will be accompanied by the phrase "Give you good price". They will be persistent. The will hound them all the way into the town. The more observant and older ones will notice Park official insignia and keep back a bit. Once they’re a bit further into town they will notice people hauling all sorts of things about.
The market is giving it some. There are rows of people with produce set out on rugs, and in cages. There are many, many things for sale here from food stuff to herbal cures and witch medicine. The avenues are heaving with people and to add to this the ferry from down river pulls in as they walk past the front. [If anyone is looking there are a number of non natives in the crowd, a couple from the West and a few couples from the South continent. There are no off-worlders to be seen.]
[Let them do as much or as little interaction with people as they want but keep pestering them with "good price" offerers]

The IISS(P) Office is one of only a couple of two story buildings at the Pier and is recognised by being painted pastel blue (the colour of the IISS(P) in Kerutsi).
Inside there is a large room that has one working fan and one not working one keeping the air stale. The furniture consists of a few benches for sitting on and a high desk with a couple of rubber stamps on it. Behind the desk is a glass screen with the park arms and signs of "feverish" activity behind it. Sat at the desk is a large black woman in a bright dress. She is paying absolutely no attention to anything.
[Gracious (the woman behind the desk) is an employee of the Park but is a useless secretary. She will ignore anyone attempting to gain her attention until they shout at her. She is the big black woman of stereotype and should be played up to the hilt]
When the PCs gain Gracious’ attention, she will say, without even looking at them "There are no more grants for flooding, fill in a form 7322/2746/B and leave it in the tray at the end of the desk" and then carry on ignoring them. They must gain her attention again to get anything else out of her. Once they get her to notice that they are wardens she will start paying attention properly. When they ask to see Mimba she will say "I will just get him on the intercom and see if he can see you……Take a seat" She then turns round and raps on a big wooden door behind the desk and shouts "CAPTAIN MIMBA. WARDENS TO SEE YOU!". And then sit down again. A reply should come through the door, motioning them to enter.
[Taratuti Mimba is the head warden for this part of the Park and does not like wardens to get in the way of his work (exactly what this is is not made clear) especially this bunch of madmen. He will be tired and bored looking when they come in]
He will take their report with an air of boredom and give them a report form. At the moment he appears to be busy dealing with last week’s storm and preparations for the monsoon season. [If they are reasonably succinct and mention the campsites and their thoughts on them he might mention the fact that a couple of off-worlders are reported to have skipped check-in on the river a bout 2 weeks ago.] He will give them the keys to the Shansboran and tell them to get lost.
They have to fill in the report and hand it to Gracious. After that they are at a loose end until they head off upriver.

Part 2 follows shortly
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