---
campaign: Avalon Adventuring Academy
type: session
session_number: 7
date: 2025-12-29
arc: gangs
status: planned
tags:
last: "[[session 6]]"
next: "[[session 8]]"
---
> [!quote] Narration
> Night air. Desert chill. The three of you stand in the driveway of the Mulkerberg house.
> 
> Ben, it's your place, but it still feels... off.
> 
> – The family SUV is parked neatly in the driveway.  
> – No lights on inside.  
> – The TV glows from the inside living room.  
> – No music, no clatter, no voices.
> 
> Just you, Joe, and Soren on the concrete under a dark sky.

> [!question] Table Prompt
> "You’re exactly where we left off last time. What do you do?"


Expect them to go inside, peek in windows, prepare for other shit.

> [!quote] Narration
> Ben, you grab the key from its usual spot — [under the mat / behind the fake rock / coded rune-lock, whatever you’ve established] — and let everyone in.
> 
> The house is quiet. Too quiet for a place that usually has at least one parent on a call or the dishwasher running.
> 
> No shoes by the door that aren't already there. No new coats on the rack. Just the smell of nice furniture and air freshener.

> [!question]
> "Where do you check first?"

Let them explore the house for some time. When they're satisfied:
> [!quote] Narration
> Wherever you end up, you all eventually drift back toward the living room, drawn by the one bright thing in the house — the TV screen, still on from earlier, volume low.
> 
> The channel flips from some forgettable rerun to a spinning *BREAKING NEWS* sigil…

# Evening News: “Circle Inferno”

> [!quote] Narration
> The screen flickers from some forgettable sitcom rerun to a *BREAKING NEWS* graphic – spinning siren crystal, red banner, scrolling text:
> **“THREE DEAD IN CIRCLE EXPLOSION – AUTHORITIES SUSPECT FOUL PLAY.”**
> 
> Hard cut to a reporter standing in front of a cordoned-off gas station. What’s left of the Circle is a half-collapsed skeleton of twisted metal and scorched concrete. Yellow rune-tape glows faintly around the perimeter. Emergency crews and arcanists in heavy, rune-lined gear move through the wreckage like ghosts.

### Trisha-style Anchor

> [!quote] Anchor – On Scene
> “I’m Tala Takanawa, reporting live from the scene of last night’s devastating explosion here at **Circle Fuel & Snacks**, on the outer edge of Avalon, where three people are confirmed dead and one teen remains in critical condition after what investigators are now calling a *‘deliberate act of magical arson.’*”
> 
> She turns slightly, gesturing with a manicured hand toward the rubble.
> 
> “Behind me, you can still see crews from Avalon Fire & Rescue, the Arcane Arson Taskforce, and Avalon Oversight combing through the wreckage. Witnesses say a ‘ball of fire’ engulfed the station shortly after 10 p.m., rocking nearby neighborhoods and shaking windows for blocks.”
> 
> “Authorities have not yet released the names of the two adult victims, but we do know one of the deceased was a local teen. A fourth victim, a halfling youth, survived the blast with severe injuries.”

> [!quote] Narration
> B-roll: a blurred shot of a stretcher being wheeled into an ambulance; sheets over two burnt shapes; a long, slow pan across the melted remains of the pumps and storefront.

### Chief / Arson Investigator

> [!quote] Anchor (voiceover)
> “Earlier today, we spoke with Chief Nolan of the Avalon Police Department and lead investigator Captain Halloway from the Arcane Arson Unit.”

> [!quote] Chief Nolan
> A tired-looking human man in uniform, bags under his eyes, stands at a makeshift podium.
> 
> “What I can say at this time is that this was not an accident. Our preliminary findings, along with the Arcane Arson Unit, indicate the presence of magical accelerants and at least one mechanical trap device at the point of origin. Someone set this up to blow.”
> 
> “We are treating this as a homicide investigation. We are asking anyone who was in the area of Circle Fuel between nine and ten p.m. last night to please come forward.”

> [!quote] Captain Halloway, Arcane Arson
> A rail-thin elf in a soot-streaked coat, a glowing sigil stitched over his breast pocket, steps up.
> 
> “We’ve recovered components consistent with a delaying snare trap – something designed to hold a target in place long enough for the blast to do maximum damage. This was a professionally conceived device.”
> 
> He glances back at the ruins.
> 
> “The level of damage and the magical residue mean we may never have a perfect picture of exactly how it was triggered. But whoever did this knew what they were doing, and we *will* find them.”

> [!quote] Anchor (voiceover)
> “Chief Marquez confirmed that while no arrests have been made, investigators are pursuing several leads, including possible gang-related activity.”

### Cut to Pip Interview (Hospital)

> [!quote] Narration
> The image jumps to a quieter setting – a hospital room. Harsh fluorescent light washes everything pale.
> 
> A halfling teen sits propped up in a hospital bed, one arm in a sling, burns peeking from under heavy bandages along his neck and jaw. One leg is clearly immobilized, wrapped and braced. The lower half of his face looks like someone tried very hard to put it back together.”

> [!quote] Lower Third
> **“PIP ‘PIPPIN’ TUMBLEFOOT – EXPLOSION SURVIVOR”**

> [!quote] Anchor (off-screen)
> “Pip, you were working at the Circle the night of the explosion. Can you tell us what you remember?”

> [!quote] Pip
> He gives the camera a small, tight smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
> 
> “Yeah. Uh… I remember stocking the cooler. It was a quiet night. Then…”
> 
> He taps the side of his head lightly with his good hand.
> 
> “Then it *wasn’t*.”
> 
> A beat. He licks dry lips.
> 
> “I heard this… *click* under the car outside. Real sharp. Not the kind you hear unless you’re listening for it.”  
> He looks directly at the camera now.
> 
> “And then everything went white.”
> 
> Another beat. He exhales slowly.
> 
> “Thing is… you don’t set something like that up for some random halfling on a late shift. Whoever did this?”  
> His gaze sharpens, and for a moment the mask slips – there’s anger there, and something colder.
> 
> “They weren’t aiming at me. I was just… in the Circle when the match got lit.”
> 
> He lets that hang, then adds, still staring into the lens:
> 
> “But hey. If the folks who did this are watching?  
> 
> **You know who you are.**  
> 
> He gives the tiniest, bitter laugh.
> 
> “Funny thing about circles, though. You walk ’em long enough… you always end up right back where you started.”

> [!quote] Narration
> 
> Ben and Joe know exactly who that was aimed at.

### Back to Anchor

> [!quote] Anchor – On Camera
> “A harrowing account from one of the survivors. Officials say Pip Tumblefoot faces a long road to recovery following multiple surgeries.”
> 
> She turns back to the camera with her practiced serious-face.
> 
> “Once again, three people are dead and one teen remains hospitalized after what authorities describe as a deliberate magical bombing at Circle Fuel & Snacks. Anyone with information is urged to contact Avalon PD or the anonymous tip line listed below.”
> 
> “Reporting live from Avalon, I’m Tala Takanawa. Back to you in the studio.”

> [!quote] Narration – After Segment
> The sound drops back to the dull buzz of studio chatter as the anchors argue about "youth violence" and "magical crime."
> 
> The three of you are alone in Ben’s expensive, spotless, not very W-block living room. The Circle burns silently in the corner of the screen.
> 
> Your parents’ car is in the driveway.
> 
> Your parents are nowhere in sight.

> [!question]
> "What’s the first thing you do?"


> [!question] Table Prompt
> “You’ve just watched that whole segment. Pip’s face. The rubble. The arson talk. The ‘canyon view’ line.
> 
> What’s the *first* thing you say or do?”

Play out them doing what they will- calling the parents, check cameras, check rooms again frantically. When they start to worry:

> [!quote] Narration
> Just as your brain starts sketching the worst possibilities — burned bodies in the garage, a quiet house because the worst already happened — blue-white light sweeps across the living room:
> 
> Headlights.
> 
> Not pulling into the driveway. They angle across the lawn instead and stop out front.
> 
> A car door slams. Someone laughs in that tired, end-of-the-night way.
> 
> Keys scrape clumsily at the front lock.

> [!quote] Ben’s Dad
> “No, no, I’ve *got* it— okay, maybe I don’t got it— hang on—”

> [!quote] Narration
> The lock finally clicks. The front door swings open.
> 
> Ben, your parents stumble in — a little overdressed, a little flushed, the unmistakable smell of alcohol and restaurant garlic following them in.


> [!quote] Ben’s Mom
> She kicks off her heels by the door, frowning at the TV.
> 
> “Oh gods, are you watching *that*? Turn it off, Ben, that’s horrible. That’s right by your school, isn’t it?”

> [!quote] Ben’s Dad
> Already drifting toward the kitchen, jacket half off.
> 
> “Yeah, I saw the push alert. Gas stations, man. Leaky infrastructure. City says they maintain it, then boom…”

> [!quote] Narration
> He clearly *hasn’t* absorbed the arson angle yet.
> 
> Both of them look to you, Ben.

>[!quote] To Ben:
>“Are you honest? Do you tell them you think someone might actually target _this_ house? Or do you spin it?”


If Ben is honest, have him make persuasion. If he isn't, deception. DC 10, with advantage. On success, they leave the house with Ben, to the bunker. On fail, they don't agree to leave, but still take the threat seriously.

> [!quote] Ben’s Dad
> He goes very still while you explain — Circle, the arson, “what if it isn’t random,” nervous glances at the window.
> 
> The drunk goes out of his eyes faster than you’ve ever seen.
> 
> “…You think someone might actually target *us*,” he says, not quite a question.
> 
> “Not ‘Avalon in general,’ not ‘infrastructure.’ Us.”
> 
> You see the gears turn. Risk trees, probability charts, worst-case simulations. This is his happy place.

> [!quote] Ben’s Dad
> >“The panic suite’s solid. The only question is whether they hit _this_ place while we’re gone.  
>If they do, it’ll tell us a lot about who we’re dealing with.”
> 
> He looks at your mom. “We can go down for a week. Two. Work remote. Let APD and Oversight get their shit together.” 
> 
> Then back to you.
> 
> “You’re coming too.”

Let Ben argue. Call for checks. Ultimately, he will choose to stay above ground, and his dad will relent.

>[!quote] Ben's Dad
>“At least stay with a friend, and don’t leave the house dark. Dark houses get tested.”

> [!quote] Narration
> Ben’s dad disappears into the hallway, already tapping at his comm-stone like he’s moving money around.
> 
> The house is quiet again.
> 
> Outside the big living room windows, the canyon is a black cutout against the sky.
> 
> The news anchor keeps talking about “suspected foul play” and “ongoing investigation.”
> 
> Then Joe notices something:
> 
> A pair of headlights, far down the street, kill their beams.
> 
> The car doesn’t leave.
> 
> It just… sits there.

Call for a Perception check.
- On success: they see someone watching / phone glow / cigarette.
- On fail: they get the creeping sense of being observed.

> [!question] Table Prompt
> “You can do three things right now:
> – Ignore it and go to bed.
> – Confront whoever’s out there.
> – Or use the fact that this house is the obvious target.
> 
> What do you do?”

If they confront them, they flee before they get close. If they do nothing, a dead crow is on Ben's doorstep the next morning. If they go to the police, they are largely useless- "we'll increase patrols in the area", and nothing beyond that.