Pulp Adventure on the Dark Continent The Premise Under the auspices of the Royal Society, our intrepid adventurers have been sent to Morocco in search of the rare flower of Al-Kiar, which has mythical healing powers. Unfortunately, news of the expedition has leaked out to the party's Italian rivals. The Setup The explorers meet in a cafe in the city of Marrakech, deep in the souks yet close to the British Consulate. They meet with the Aide to the Assistant Deputy Ambassador, Mr Charles Balthazar Porter, a slightly pompous, bureaucrat with obvious political ambitions. Porter entertains (or irritates) the group with stories of his life in the Army in North Africa and his tales of bravery and derring-do. The stories are marginally believable when coupled with this brooding good looks and obviously healthy physique. Porter has an endless supply of these stories, culled from his time behind a desk in the British Army Supply Corps. Mr Porter insists on being part of the expedition, so that he can "keep an eye on things" for the government, and to "keep everyone out of trouble". He also has the only extant copy of a map which can lead the players to the alpine meadow in the Atlas mountains which cradles the rarest of flowers. Unfortunately, his ideas and map have been sanctioned by the Royal Society, which likes to keep in good graces with the powers that be. Allow the players to examine the map and make notes (but not on the map itself), etc. Big Trouble in A Small Cafe As the party begins its negotiation with Porter (probably arguing about his position in the expediton hierarchy), one of the characters is bumped by a large, florid American. Water (or gin and tonics) spray over the map. Bradley Ralston apologizes profusely in loud English for his clumsiness, and then stops in astonishment as he recognizes his old friend and fellow botanist. After his astonishment, he (quite naturally) wants to compare notes as to what brings fellow academics to such a "danged sweaty and unfriendly" place. His unrelenting sweaty friendliness doesn't allow much two way conversation, but the adventurers discover that he's been hired by an Italian university for some unspecified botanical expedition. He doesn't sit with the party as he talks, claiming tardiness for a meeting. As he speaks, a crowd of young street urchins spills into the cafe, searching for alms. Amidst the chaos of loud American and chattering children, the map to the valley in the mountains disappears. An observant character will spot the thief, who will take off running down the mazelike alleys of Marrakech if spotted. Even if chased, the child will get away with the map, although the chase itself should be thrilling, involving baskets of fruit, recalcitrant donkeys and irate shopkeepers. Any inquisition of the remaining boys will show that he had spoken to a European just minutes earlier. Further grilling discovers that he was a foreigner with black hair and no sense of humour. A Ransacking Good Time The characters have little choice but to return to their hotel rooms despondent. Porter insists that they press on regardless -- he remembers the name of the closest town, and a good botanical description will lead everyone the rest of the way. Stiff upper lip and all that. An evening at the hotel bar/restaurant/chance meeting reveals that Bradley Raltson's exhibition is travelling in the same direction, and he kindly offers to share the trip with the party. His offer appears quite genuine, as he has known one of the players for years. As the party returns to its rooms, they find a black-haired European rummaging through their equipment. He leaps out the window and into a nearby (driverless) car. Naturally, there is another car waiting for the players to use. By pure serendipity, Ralston is present by the car (or it may even be his transport that the players use), and helps the players in the pursuit. At no point in the chase should Porter show any initiative or bravery. Alternately, have Ralston's vehicle taken by force, with him still in it, for a thrilling rescue scenario. The robber will fire shots at the party in an attempt to escape. Sadly, he is captured by the adventurers, but dies before saying anything, from a car crash or a stray bullet. The players' map is still in his coat, as is an Italian passport under the name of Giovanni Renaldi. Porter recalls the man as a low level functionary in the Italian Embassy (ie, spy). Contacting the embassy reveals that the man died six months ago, and that the passport is obviously a forgery. In fact, the passport is genuine, and the Italian government is lying to the British. At this point, smart members of the party will make a copy of the map, as it is a clever near copy of the original. Ships of the Desert The journey to the Atlas mountains is long and arduous, requiring both camels and native help. Travel by car or truck is impractical, because of the distance required and the dangerous width of the Atlas mountain trails. The party may or may not travel with Ralston's party. They are close by, in any event, as they are ultimately heading to the same place. Porter complains bitterly about the hardship, of course. After a few days of travelling, the party discovers someone ransacking and destroying their equipment. He's easily captured, and the Moroccan native claims he was hired by a man European with black hair in his neighbouring village. He says he was hired to find a map and some books within the party's luggage, with "pictures of plants". He was then to return to the village and exchange them for the other half of his payment. He can offer little else except that the European gesticulated frequently and smelled of garlic. To avoid the harsh punishment for stealing in his village, he offers to guide the party back to his rendezvous. The Italian attempts to bolt at the first sight of the players, but is easily captured. As the players interrogate him, a shot rings out and a spreading stain appears on his chest. As he looks at death's door in horror, the only thing he says is "Ralston". Race for the top By now it's clear that the players have been betrayed by their friend. It's a frantic camel race to the top of the Atlas mountains. Unbeknowst to them, Ralston has the correct map, and the players are being led into the ancient defenses of a ruined city, home of the legendary Al-Kiar flower. If they follow the map (and they should) they will be led to the trapped gate of an ancient city. The gates should slam shut, and a ram (or piling) should nearly crush the characters. The trap should be clearly marked on the map, but not at the correct location. If the players suspect, allow them to check to see if the map is a forgery. When they escape and discover they're on the wrong route, they see the tracks from Ralston's party leading to the mosque. Final Conflict The flower still lives in the centre of the old mosque, in the fabled consecrated garden. The garden is ornate, and parts of its complex geometric designs remain. The centrepiece is the small flower itself, on a geometric raised platform. As the players approach, they are surrounded by Italians, all armed with military rifles. Ralston appears, and gives his villainous speech. He has betrayed his old friend out of loyalty to Fascism. His background (despite his name) is primarily Italian. He gloats of his plan to return the flower to Rome, where it will support the armies of Il Duce. Ralston is squeamish about killing, especially someone he knows, hence the convoluted plot of hired killers and forged maps, etc. He ties the party up and leaves them in a cave to die. When the adventurers think they're to die of neglect (by the evening), a horde of chittering, flapping, monstrous vampire bats appears. The characters should take some damage and Porter should cower helplessly, eventually collapsing from lack of blood. Naturally, the characters escape miraculously. Ralston will die without immediate aid. Unfortunately, none is available. The obvious and only solution is the Al-Kiar flower. As the characters escape and go to the site of the flower, they see Ralston reaching for the last plant. As he digs the flower up, the floor collapses and Ralston falls in, holding on with one hand. The flower lies on a ledge a short distance away. Porter will die without the flower, and Ralston will fall to his death without immediate aid. Play up the ending for maximum dramatic effect -- Ralston pleads with the characters, contrite. As he falls (and he should fall, to keep with the spirit of the thing, curses float out of the darkness as he disappears. Flower Arrangements The flower must be ingested or placed inside a wound to heal a character. It will completely heal all wounds within 5 minutes. The flower works by accelerating metabolism, so anyone so cured will be ravenously hungry and desperately thirsty. The flower doesn't cure diseases which are suppress the immune system (AIDS, cancer, etc). GM discretion is advised. The plant is a potentially world altering drug, but it's effect can be controlled by the intrepid GM. It is the last flower of it's kind, so administering it to Porter to save his life may render it extinct. Alternately, it is not consumed, but is highly difficult to cultivate, requiring the precise conditions found in the High Atlas mountains. It may bloom once every 10 years or so, and the drug is contained within the flower itself. The active chemical may be impervious to synthesis (for 70 years or so), or exceptionally expensive to create. Flower of Al-Kiar A mythical flower from Islamic mythology. The Al-Kiar flower is said to heal any injury, no matter how severe, within minutes. Documentation on the flower is rare, but it is mentioned in the Song of Idris, an account the epic struggle between the Berbers and invading Muslim Arabs. In 1098, Ali Imadiza, Caliph of Outat-el-Haj, took a fatal blow in a battle outside of Kouar-zazati. He toppled from his horse into a patch of strangely coloured, soft flowers, and lay dying as his royal guard watched in despair. Within minutes, though, his wounds closed completely, and he rose again to smite the enemy and take the day. In thanks for this blessing of Allah, Ali Imadiza built a mosque on the site of his miraculous recovery, complete with a garden containing the healing plant, which was christened Al-Kiar, "Heart of Allah". The site later expanded into the town of Jahederaza, now lost. Although its existence has never been confirmed, historical sources cite the plant as having large green arrow shaped leaves, with creamy white triangular petals and luminous yellow centre. The stalk is also said to have small bell-shaped buds which do not form flowers.