Tiberius trail- Sabotage at forgeworks

Act 1: The Saboteur’s Shadow

• Quest Hook; their debt to the Water Baron was paid off by Govoner Alanzo. He wants to hear from the party what they found in the Blight, and the fate of one of his best deputies Teddy.
• He in interested in the party, they don't strike him as the usual mercenaries usually found in the Riders. More importantly, the way they have conducted themselves and the reputation they have gathered as helpful and competent individuals has made him believe they are some people he wants on his side of things.
• If pressed, he might allude to the need for loyal warriors, due to the power struggle his city has been caught in the middle of between Herdlend and the Dwarven Empire, and the increasing and uneasy dependence on Wyattes Riders for protection... he wants people he can count on, with an invested interest in his city and his people beyond the next paycheck.

The Forge Works is facing mysterious accidents and operational failures that threaten its productivity and worker safety. Tilda, a former Iron Snake engineer now working as the rail yard chief, has reported it to the authorities, who are doing an investigation into the matter in conjunction with the Herlend Rail Authority.

• The Governor suspects sabotage, but feels that the investigation is being held up by the herdlend rail authority in red tape. Wants to hire the part to conduct their own investigation, without causing an international incident or implicating his government directly.
• The herdlend Rail Authority believes the broken crows are behind it, but the governor and rail chief Tilda are not so sure, believes something fishy is going on.

Key Characters:

• Governor Alanza- leader of the city, seeking resolution that does not lead to further influence of herdlend.
• Tilda: The rail yard chief who provides initial information and insight into the factory’s operations.
• Hergon Lieutenant Davis: A representative from Herdlend who has arrived to oversee the situation and push for increased Herdlend involvement, further complicating the investigation. If investigated, he is a lieutenent in the Herlend Royal Scouts, a smei autonomous faction of inteligence agents working directly for Sir henry Iron Heart leader of Herlends armed forces (and litch)
• Charles- a highlender Halfing new hire as a engineer. Secretly a Herdlend mercenary, expert in alchemy and acids.

Incidents

• a stack of rails that had their securing line cut, resulting in an injury.
• A stolen train schedule, coinciding with a Broken crow Raid on a shipment a week later.
• One of the engines had a critical melt down, nearly resulting in an explosion. The internals had been badly corroded, but the mechanic (a Heregon named Martin) manning it swears he had done a check up only a few days previous.
• A number of spare parts creates had been sent to the wrong city, resulting in major delays at the yard.

Exploration: The adventurers examine the factory and repair yards, encountering areas where machinery has been tampered with and finding subtle signs of sabotage.

• The Forge Works has a number of heavy kilns and forges, as well as large storage areas of raw material and completed rail works. The factory is boiling at all times, and become dangerous quickly if something goes wrong, or the unsuspecting stands in the wrong place.
• The Loading Bays is a labyrinth of storage creates and ware houses, lined up next to 2 large rail depots with a dozen or more loading spaces for cargo iron snakes.
• Repair yard is located on the far side, a tangle of misplaced machinery an a patchwork of rails crisscrossing each other, with rusting out hulks being scrapped to repair other semi constructed iron snakes. Known to be a dangerous spot for those not paying attention.

Witnesses: Workers share their concerns about recent changes, including new faces among the workforce who seem out of place. Some workers may have seen suspicious individuals or overheard cryptic conversations.

• Luca "Iron Arm" Moretti: one of the Foreman of the Foundry, Luca earned his nickname from his impressive strength and mechanical prosthetic arm, forged in the very factory he oversees. He’s known for his booming voice and firm but fair leadership.
• Marco Santoro Engine Technician Marco works on maintaining and tuning the rail yard engines. His love for machines is matched only by his penchant for singing folk songs while he works.
• Herregon named Hobble. He works as a rail runner, where his small frame and quick reflexes make him perfect for darting between rail cars and delivering urgent messages and getting whatever is required for higher ups. He’s always chewing on a stalk of grass and has a knack for overhearing secrets.
• Herregon Assembly Line Worker, Willa’s nimble fingers and sharp eyes are unmatched on the line. She’s known for her homemade carrot muffins, which she shares during breaks to keep morale high.
• A gruff veteran with a braided beard and a deep voice, the Roma dwarf Thrain is the backbone of the forge. His hammer strikes are legendary, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of metals.
• Charles Grit: a Highlender halfing hired in about a month ago as an engineer, but has been impressing his superiors with his technical knowhow. (he is the mercenary saboteur)
• A new hire who quickly became Known for his innovative welding techniques, Roma Dwarf Torric has a habit of tinkering with new ideas when he should be sleeping. He wears goggles with lenses of different magnifications.
• Minitour Security Supervisor: Fiercely protective of her team, Maela patrols the factory grounds with a commanding presence. Her horns are adorned with small metal rings, gifts from the workers she’s defended.
• Newly hired Owlin Logistics Coordinator Eryn is a strategic thinker, using her sharp mind and keen memory to coordinate shipments and schedules. She’s known for her elegant handwriting and detailed ledgers.

Suspicion Falls:

• Investigation: The adventurers identify that the sabotage is not random but follows a pattern that indicates a deliberate effort to undermine the factory’s operations. They may find documents or messages that suggest an external hand in the sabotage.
• Discovery: Clues lead them to the realization that the sabotage is orchestrated by a group of mercenaries led by a minotaur comandante with a hidden agenda, or allude to meetings in the Railside Inn and Boarding

Climactic Encounter:

• The adventurers track the mercenaries to a tavern. They confront the saboteurs, who are revealed to be part of a larger scheme to erode the city’s independence and increase its reliance on Herdlend’s technology and protection.
• Strike Team- Group includes 1 or 2 of the above factory workers, the owner of the Tavern Dela Swift, a Kenku Mage, a hergon Sniper, a Minitaur shock trooper, and a Loxodon team leader.
• They are staying in the basement of the tavern, which has been covered up, and have been planning a large attack on the railyards (specifically, they have a cargo container in the loading bay filled with Dragon soot they plan to blow up). that they plan to leave evidence pointing to the Broken Crows.
• If found out, the team members will attempt to destroy all evidence and flee, before moving up their plans for the attack.

Strike Team Stat Blocks

• Herregon Sharpshooter - Lauris
• Halfling Saboteur - Charles Grit
• Halfing sleeper Agent - Dela Swift
• Kenku Saboteur mage - Whisper
• Minotaur Shock Trooper - Dinarus
• Loxedon Paldin Boss lvl 6 - Sergeant Varruk, Team Leader

Act 2: Preventing catastrophe

Whoever successfully escaped form the strike team will regroup at a secondary location elsewhere, and begin preparations for attacking the rail yard.

Loot

• 10 black ball explosives
• 6 trade bars
• 1 bag of 25 platinum
• 2 crates of Spice (worth 400g)
• 3 bags of assorted jewels (150g each)
• Goggles of night
• Ring of Invisibility

Potential Evidence

The team will attempt to destroy all evidence of their plans, but some might escape destruction if the party acts quickly. Below are possible things the party can find (roll to see what survives?)

1. A bag of Crow beaks, used as a calling card for bold members of the broken crows.
2. Rail yard worker uniforms
3. A train schedule, with a train that arrived 5 days ago underlined, with a meeting time next to it.
4. A forgery kit, and several versions of shipping manifests showing a large container of coal, labeled E-7-4.
5. Instructions telling them that the needed explosive charges and weapons have been shipped in container marked 3-A-B, and will be moved into optimal position for ease of access during the mission.
6. A map of the loading docks
7. Orders from a Lieutenant (named blacked out) to destroy part of the Loading bays, making it look like a broken crow attack, and then make their escape to the North where an extraction team is waiting for them.
8. List of names and forged ID cards, most of them related to working in the repair yard and the Loading Bay.

Stopping the Attack

The party must follow what evidence they recovered, and predict when the attack is happening, and stop the remainder of the strike team from carrying out the plot.

• Fight in the Loading bays, must prevent them from detonating the shipping container.
• Moving train cars on the battlefield add complexity. 1d4 at the top of each round: on a 1 or 2, a train passes through the rails on the map (include at least 2 rail lines)

Conclusion

• jonas will reward the party, with his gloves of missile snaring (a party trick he has enjoyed playing with), and 30g.
• he will inform his direct superiors of what is happening, and hopefully they will be able to handle the messy situation.
• Govoner Alanzo will be very grateful for their help, and offer to give them the Tavern since his government has seized it. she believes they are the kind of people he wants to keep near his city, but they have a lovely mobile command center now. he believe's it is beneficial for all involved for them to have an investment in his city worth coming back to and keeping safe.