The Mirage of Radiant Sands

Ratfolk resist a looming threat amidst industrial dunes.

The ratfolk community is under dire threat from a newly established human nuclear power plant in their desert home. Known for their cunning and resourcefulness, the ratfolk embark on a daring mission to sabotage the plant and save their habitat. This heist involves infiltrating the heavily guarded facility, overcoming technological barriers, and navigating the plant's intricate interior. As the clock ticks down, the stakes intensify, demanding quick thinking and adaptability. Players must grapple with the plant's defenses and uncovering a plot twist: not only is the plant dangerous to the ratfolk but its core is on the brink of a catastrophic meltdown. The adventure is a heart-pounding race against time, blending stealth, strategy, and alliance-building with potential sabotage from within.

Campaign Image

The World

Context

In this world, humans have harnessed industrial technology, unaware of their impact on lesser-known magical species like ratfolk. The desert is a haven for these magic-sensitive beings whose survival instincts are heightened by threats like industrial expansion. Magic remains an elusive, unpredictable force, often intertwined with ancient desert mysteries and legends, unseen by most humans but very real to the ratfolk. This setting thrives on the tension between burgeoning industry and the arcane world it displaces.

Concept

An industrial desert setting where elusive magic intertwines with technology.

Impact

Daily life thrives underground or in hidden enclaves, fostering secrecy and tension with humans.

The Plot

Summary

The player characters are ratfolk scouts tasked with sabotaging a looming environmental threat: a nuclear power plant recently erected by humans. They must navigate the plant in just 24 hours, undoing its operations to protect their desert home. The adventure starts with gaining entry by exploiting a personal link: a ratfolk engineer judged untrustworthy by humans. Once inside, they face guards and climatic hazards while racing against time to reach the plant’s core. Amidst the mission, an unexpected complication arises: the plant's AI system becomes self-aware, mistaking players for maintenance workers, urging them to HELP instead sabotage. This creates a moral dilemma—assist the AI to neutralize human neglect or follow their original sabotage plan. The finale culminates in high-altitude tension as they maneuver to safely disable the core. Their choices will determine the outcome: the continuation of their habitat or the onset of irreversible change.

Complication

The plant's AI system autonomously pleads for assistance to prevent a meltdown.

Hook

Plant threatens ratfolk's ancestral home.

World stakes

Risk of a nuclear disaster impacting a wide region.

Personal stakes

Failure means eviction or peril for their entire community.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

The adventure begins with the ratfolk team covertly observing the power plant from their underground hideout, formulating an entrance strategy. They exploit an insider’s knowledge—an ally working in the plant as an engineer—to procure access through maintenance ducts. As they infiltrate the facility, they encounter the first wave of security checks. The tension mounts as the clock starts ticking on their 24-hour timeline.

Location:

Maintenance ducts beneath the nuclear plant, dimly lit with echoes.

Challenge:

Security systems that demand clever bypassing.

Objective:

Infiltrate the nuclear power plant.

Set Back:

A mechanical malfunction alerts guards, reducing infiltration routes.

Revelation:

Discover a human blind spot: internal system vulnerabilities.

GM's Guide:

Introduce a sense of urgency and suspense, emphasizing the ticking clock to motivate decisive actions. Encourage character interaction, prompting players to explore their connection with the insider and use their collective ratfolk skills to navigate the facility.

GM's Move:

Security checks become more frequent and randomized.

Act 2

Summary:

Inside the plant, the ratfolk must disable various operational sections, dodging patrolling guards and heat from reactors. Just as they make progress, the plant’s AI system communicates with them, explaining that a critical fault exists overlooked by humans and it may lead to a meltdown. A moral dilemma arises: disable the plant entirely or aid in stabilizing it. This twist forces players to reassess their goals and navigate new alliances with the AI.

Location:

Central control room teeming with blinking consoles.

Challenge:

AI defenses mistake the ratfolk for intruders.

Objective:

Reach the plant's control center.

Set Back:

A corridor blockade forces a detour through hazardous zones.

Revelation:

Learning about the impending meltdown scenario.

GM's Guide:

Create tension with unexpected encounters, such as guards and machine anomalies. Encourage discussions about ethics and strategy, emphasizing the AI's plea for aid and the ramifications of ignoring it.

GM's Move:

AI-controlled defenses unintentionally engage them.

Act 3

Summary:

In the climactic final act, the ratfolk must decide between helping the AI contain the nuclear threat or executing their initial sabotage plan. Navigating massive reactor chambers and evading security drones, the team finally reaches the volatile reactor core. Here, every decision is crucial, balancing personal, communal, and global stakes. The adventure concludes as they choose their path, affecting the plant's future and their people's fate.

Location:

Reactor core, engulfed in a warning glow and mechanical thrum.

Challenge:

Draining radiation requires quick thinking and action.

Objective:

Neutralize the nuclear core threat.

Set Back:

A reactor component fails, complicating the stabilization effort.

Revelation:

Discover flaws in both sabotage and stabilizing plans.

GM's Guide:

Heighten tension with a clear countdown displaying impending disaster. Encourage players to voice their individual motives and highlight the weight of their decisions. Use intense descriptions to evoke the stakes.

GM's Move:

Security lockdowns and increasing radiation levels.

Climax:

Players decide to stabilize or destroy the plant, defining their legacy.