DAY 13 – APRIL 30th 2000
OUTSKIRTS of DOBRODZIEN, POLAND – EVENING
WARREN checks her watch “duty calls me somewhere else” she nods towards MARIA “she’ll add an extra layer of intel over what I’ve told you, for which I do not have to be here. Plus, she’s going to tell you the part she thinks you need to know”
“And you’re not interested in that, ma’am?” asks LED.
“Well, she has already told me the part she thinks I need to know, so…”
“Got it” nods LED.
“My men will show you where you can get a bite to eat, and I’ve arranged for you and your team to have a place to stay for the next few days. There’s no room service, but still…”
“We’ll keep our complaints to a minimum” says LED.
“There’s one more item on the agenda for your group, but it can wait for now. Come find me tomorrow”
“Yes ma’am, and thank you”
WARREN nods and moves for the door. She opens it and stops on the threshold. She turns towards MARIA and LED “please keep in mind one thing: the latest headcount tells me I am in charge of 161 men and women. 161, that’s it”
MARIA looks at her “you know all I need is one, as long as it is the right one”
“Yeah, that’s what my mother used to tell me” says WARREN before leaving the room.
MARIA puts down the now empty canteen she keeps on the metal stool by her bed. “Oberstleutnant WARREN has correctly presented our surroundings. Now allow me to add a few… useful facts, so that you may better navigate this particular sea we find ourselves in”
“You sure you’re comfortable with this intel crossing sides?” asks LED just for the sake of hearing the response.
MARIA stares at him seriously “I told you already, we are on the same side. And do not play stupid, it does not suit you”
“Yes ma’am” says LED while leaning on the bed’s metal frame at MARIA’s feet.
She adjusts the position of her legs under the blanket “consider it a way of thanking you for…” she stops to emit a groan of pain while moving her torso “…saving my life”
“And with all the extra steps we could think of”
MARIA briefly glances at him “first, the Russians. They may not look like much nowadays, like US forces or NATO’s, but they are still a formidable foe if they are reunited and given a purpose. So our strategy remains: divide et impera” finishes MARIA in her German accent.
“Divide and conquer” nods LED.
“You speak Latin?”
“I’ve learned Latin in Sunday school” answers LED “I guess there’s still some in here” he says pointing at his head.
“Try and hold on to it, you never know”
“Yes ma’am”
“Luckily for us, the Soviets are doing their part in keeping their units’ cohesion at low levels. Colonel KAZANOV is mostly surrounded by competent officers: Major RAEVSKI is his executive officer and Captain MAKAROV his chief of staff. They are both witnessing the decay of the 20th Tank Division capabilities, and do what they can to slow the process, much like KAZANOV himself. Then there is the division’s zampolit…”
“The political officer” says LED.
MARIA nods “ja, Captain OLEG GORTNER. Rumors say he wants a higher role in the chain of command, preferably a role with nobody he needs to answer to”
“If the 20th is in slow decay, he needs to move fast or he’ll find himself in command of a couple hundred men at best” says LED.
“That is true” comments MARIA.
“How much can we trust these rumors?”
“How much can you trust the water in your canteen is not radioactive?”
“I could get a Geiger counter….”
“Right” says MARIA “and I did get a… Geiger counter. Rumors appear to be true. But you know as well as I do that not calling them rumors would give a false impression”
LED nods “so KAZANOV’s canteen contains radioactive water?”
“And he is drinking it one sip at a time”
LED ponders briefly “this GORTNER, if he is the division’s zampolit…”
“… he has connections with KGB or GRU” interrupts MARIA “or both”
“Right, and it’s hard to think this is a plan fueled only by personal ambition: getting control of a full division right now gives you more headaches than opportunities”
“I do not think it either. Maybe he is following orders from KGB, maybe orders from GRU, maybe he is playing one against the other. I cannot confirm any of those, so I will not exclude any of those”
LED looks at the map for a moment, his mind proceeding at full steam “anything more? Does he have some numbers on his side? Maybe some units or part of the brass?”
MARIA shakes her head “Nichts, that is all I know. But if you want more information, you could investigate yourself, and maybe while you are there tip the balance one way, or the other…”
“…or right in the middle” finishes LED “so that they all fight a losing war”
“See, we really are on the same side”
LED is following with his eyes the blue line representing the Oder river on the map, tilting his head to better read the names of the cities. He stops when he gets to Racibόrz and looks at MARIA “what about the Markgraf and his Barons?”
“There’s not much intel going around about the Barons, but they were all handpicked, and that says a lot”
LED nods quietly.
“As for the Markgraf himself” continues MARIA “he is quite something. He was liked and respected even before the war, and we assume that has not changed. He likes to be present, on the field, so that his men can see him. Same goes with the general population”
“If he is in a habit of traveling, I’m assuming he takes precautions”
“He does. He has a company of personal bodyguards, possibly a hundred or more, under the command of his right-hand man, Major STROÑSKI. STROÑSKI is the Markgraf personal Pitbull, loyal and uncorruptible”
“A hundred bodyguards…” ponders LED.
“A number fitting for a king” interrupts MARIA “so if you think about it this way, it makes perfect sense”
LED nods slowly, his mind at work.
“What are you thinking about?” asks MARIA.
“This man, the Markgraf… he is not your average warlord, is he?”
“Gut, what you say is correct. The world is full of petty tyrants with little resources and oversized ambitions, but it would be a mistake to count FILIPOWICZ among them. He is well-respected, capable, intelligent, leads an organized military and has a vision. For himself, his men, his country”
“Half his country is currently under occupation, if not more. What does he think of that?”
“He likes the Russians as much as we do” says MARIA.
“Any chance of bonding over a common objective? Could we approach him?”
MARIA tilts her head and stares at the Lieutenant.
“You already did, didn’t you?”
“We tried” confirms MARIA “he refused to meet us. Also, we got news that we came in second”
“The Russians?” asks LED with surprise.
“Ja, they didn’t know about his sentiments for them. Or they thought they could bring this new power on their side”
“And?”
“Rumor is that he said no. And in response they tried to kill him”
“They didn’t manage to I assume”
“No, but they killed his son. Intentionally, or by accident, I do not know. But he had the culprits hunt down and killed publicly. That part we can confirm”
LED nods “and now he wants nothing to do with them… or with us”
“The Margravate is an independent power, more sympathetic to us then the Russians, but still… FILIPOWICZ trusts his wife, his children, and a few others. If you enter the Margravate and come into any contact with its authorities, he will certainly know you are there”
“Do you… do we have any friends in the Margravate? I’m assuming someone is reporting the rumors and witnessing the public executions”
“There is one person; I’ll see that she knows about your… business card so she can contact you if necessary”
“So it’s a she, does she have a name?” asks LED.
“Yes, and you already know it”
It only takes LED a couple of seconds “another MARIA”
MARIA nods with the hint of a smile “oh, please, FILIPOWICZ’s wife is also named MARIA. That’s not her…”
“Good to know… how do we contact the right MARIA?”
“She will look for you, not the other way around. The four of diamonds, do you know how they call the diamond suit in Polish?”
LED shakes his head.
“Karo, with a k” spells out MARIA.
“Okay… karo” repeats LED “is she going to ask it?”
“In a matter of speaking… or not speaking”
“Ma’am?”
“Do you know how to sign karo?”
“You said the Markgraf has resources, manpower, loyal subjects. He is capable and intelligent…” thinks LED aloud.
“Your question?” asks MARIA while folding back the map.
“… so what is he missing?”
“We think he is looking for a symbol. Something most people would rally around; something that could bring Polish people to him, amplify his influence”
“He wants to legitimize his claim”
“Ja”
“What kind of symbol are we talking about exactly?”
“There is one obvious candidate, but it is kept safe where FILIPOWICZ cannot reach it, not yet. His alternatives are few and possibly hard to find, or that’s what I thought until your group showed up and you talked to WARREN about the man you found in the cave”
“You went to that cave to get that chalice we saw… was that what the Markgraf is looking for?”
“It could be useful to him in a sense, but he needs something different. Anyway, the chalice was not there when I looked in the cave”
“And your capturers didn’t have it, we searched them. So, someone else took it in the past few days”
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]
ED has already – and successfully – lied to WARREN about the group not having the chalice. MARIA was in the room but she wasn’t the one LED was lying to. I’d say it’s time for another opposite PERSUASION roll. MARIA has EMP B and PERSUASION A, but suffers -1 for being wounded. LED rolls without modifiers (I don’t think his Psy Ops specialty applies here):
- LED rolls [D10+D10] = 1 SUCCESS (rolled 8 and 5)
- MARIA rolls [D10+D10] = 0 SUCCESSES (rolled double 5)
MARIA doesn’t think the group has the chalice, for now…
“Yes, and I cannot imagine who. The men that captured me had the armband of Krzepice: they were there by order of the Baron. But their leader was Russian, so you can see how fast a rumor can spread”
“The Markgraf, the Russians, and now us” comments LED.
“And we are right in the middle”
“What did those men want from you?” asks LED.
“Pretty much what I told you I guess”
“You make it sound like you could have just told them as well”
“Well, you see, they only threatened to shoot me, and they did not ask politely. You on the other hand…” MARIA forces a smile.
LED smiles while looking down with a modicum of embarrassment “got it ma’am”
“Do not concern yourself too much Leutnant, I consider myself lucky that you four showed up. This wound is a small price for my freedom” MARIA pauses briefly “I hope what we discussed is enough of a reward for your troubles”
“It’s enough of a headache for sure” comments LED “WARREN was right, everybody is getting ready to make a move, they just need to know where and when”
“Das ist richtig, that is correct. I trust we will keep an open line of communication, with the proper precautions of course”
“You’ll stay in Dobrodzień?” asks LED.
“Maybe, maybe not. But you can… find me in many places. By now you should know what I mean”
“How many MARIAS are out there exactly?” asks LED pointing at the window.
“Not as many as we need. Just make sure you are speaking with the right person before you start discussing… sensible matters”
LED nods, still trying to piece together every bit of information received. “You said there is an obvious candidate for the symbol the Markgraf is looking for”
MARIA nods.
“But you said it is somewhere safe, and he cannot get to it”
MARIA nods again.
“What is this obvious symbol?”
“A ceremonial sword, centuries old, used in the coronation ceremony of the kings of Poland. You can see why I called it the obvious choice”
“And where is it now?”
“Where it has been for the past forty years. In Wawel Castle, in Krakόw”
FINAL COMMENTS
Intel, places, speculations, and opportunities. MARIA has provided a reading between the lines traced by WARREN: the world around the players is a busy one, with powers struggling for surviving and sparring for control. And among them is a would-be king masking as a savior, looking for something that can give him an edge towards his ultimate goal.
I used this chat with a NATO spook to place a few interesting facts on the table. I play a solo campaign, and I have a general idea of where I want my story to go (we’ll see what the dice have to say about it), so I can present my characters with a lot of intel all at once, and be sure they won’t be overwhelmed by it.
If you have players around the table, know your group and decide whether this much information will be received as a broad world rich in possibilities, or as a confusing puzzle of different interests and powers. The risk is to stuck the players, forcing them to make a decision about their next move before they have had time to digest everything you gave them.
Another way to proceed is to nudge them in one or two particular directions. It’s a bit more akin to rail-roading, but I know some players out there prefer to be guided in the macro-decisions that build the campaign.