Under the Redwood Tree

While this one-shot was written with Shadowrun in mind, it can be played in any modern or cyberpunk setting. Sample Characters can be found here.

The runners are contacted by their Fixer with a job offer at Riverplex: A Mr. Johnson is in need of bodyguards to escort him into the Veluwe in search of a missing friend. When they meet with their Mr. Johnson, who calls himself Jacob, he explains he has an off-grid neo-anarchist friend that is currently incommunicado. He's very worried but does not dare investigate without bodyguards.
Jacob's friend is a retired dwarven runner who used to go by the handle "Secondhand Samurai", on account of using a lot of recycled Cyberware. He's extremely distrustful of wireless tech and all Megacorps, so lives off-grid in the woods. Secondhand communicates with his friends through longwave radio, but has missed his last two check-ins, so Jacob wants to go into the woods.

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Jacob Alure

Metatype

Elf

Gender

Male

Birth Year

2052

Awakened/Ware

Physical Adept

Type

Sailor

Personality

Foul-mouthed

Jacob Alure is a sailor who has done the occasional smuggling trip in the past. Through this he befriended a rather paranoid Shadowrunner, 'the Secondhand Samurai'. They got along well, even after Secondhand retired and moved into the woods. Nowadays Jacob does the occasional supply-run to his friend whenever he's in the UNL and has some shore leave.
Jacob set together a new care package but then Secondhand no longer checked in. He hoped that would change, but now that he's arrived at Riverplex, he still can't hail Secondhand. Now Secondhand gives him a budget for the supplies and transport, so he's electing to hire bodyguards from that money. Jacob is offering the runners 4k each if they can bring him there and back again, while keeping him alive.

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The Run

The Veluwe is a small but wild area, with the wildlife having forced out nearly all people over the past decades. The former city of Arnhem even bankrupted itself building a protective wall, after which they were assimilated into Riverplex. Normally Jacob would use some Coyote services to smuggle his wares in, but because he needs to pay bodyguards he'll have to actually drive in.
It is breeding season at the Veluwe, with wild boars raising their offspring. This makes them rather protective. Meanwhile, Fenrir Wolves are hunting whatever easy prey they can get their hands on. On top of that there's magic chickens. The runners need to frequently stop to check the arcane encoded directions Secondhand left Jacob, which gives them chances to encounter the wildlife.

Johnson

Jacob Alure

Job Type

Bodyguard Detail

Opposition

Popular Will

Base Rewards

¥8,000 each (originally ¥4,000)
7 Karma

Word on the street

"Be careful in those woods. I hear there's some sinister folks setting up camp there nowadays, only God knows why."

"Secondhand always had my bloody back. I'd never forgive myself for not helping him when he's in a shitty situation."

"You know what's scarier than a pack of wolves? A flock of magic chickens charging you to peck you."

"They want my base? They can have it over their dead bodies. We can blame it on royal mercs, and hand in the corpses for a decent bounty. Don't feel bad, they deserve it."

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The Complications

When the team reaches Secondhand's base, they find it taken over by some form of hostile force. Secondhand covertly contacts the team so they can rendezvous with the street samurai at a nearby former park ranger hideout. There, Secondhand asks the team for help.
While he was hunting recently, a group of anti-magic terrorists came across his base, assumed it abandoned, and moved in. Secondhand wants them gone so he can relocate his base, but he's rather restricted budgetwise. However, the anti-mages supposedly are worth a decent bounty when handed over to the Monarchy alive.

The Aftermath

Depending on how quietly the runners took out the Popular Will terrorists, their comrades comes investigating either soon or in a few days. By that time, Secondhand is long gone and already has set up a different base. He's rather grumpy about it, but c'est la vie.
The team gets to sell any surviving anti-mages to the Monarchy for a decent bit of cash, and bounties for their remaining kills or captives. These will total up to 4k each if they left enough evidence to prove their handiwork. It also ingratiates them to the Dutch royals, which can lead to them being hired for sabotage work in the future.