Silver Lining:San Francisco Will Lift Your Load

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February 24, 2023 – Episode 9: San Francisco Will Lift Your Load

Teaser

A family matter leads John and the Silver Lining to make an impromptu trip back to earth.

Cold Open

You sprint down the hallway pushing the wheelchair in front of you and round a corner, facing two guards.

"Okay, buddy, that's it. You gots nowhere to go." an orderly blocks the way you came.

The old man cackles wildly with glee.

Characters Introduced

Hawke Sorenson - John's father
Lucia Carlos-Sorenson - John's sister

Setup

Alpha Centauri station, you've just finished delivering cargo here and are returning to the ship with some news of a possible follow-up job, where you find John excitedly warming up the engines. "C'mon, business back on earth, we gotta go." John dismisses the talk of the other job, and, with no time to waste, you head off to earth.

He explains in the 6 days it takes to arrive, that he just found out "my sister has my my dad locked up in a retirement home, and won't let him go on a pilgrimage he's done every year since... for the last 30 years; these are the last few weeks he'll be able to do it. So, we're gonna take him. We've gotta bust him out, bring him to Mexico, and escort him on foot. He suspects that it won't be as simple as just checking the old man out of the place.

Scene 1 - Shady Pines Retirement Home

Shady Pines Retirement Community, is a large, majestic retirement manor-house located in the mountains near Sedona, AZ. It's a sprawling complex, with several hundred rooms for the ultra-rich that caters to every one of a resident's needs.

The defenses of the Shady Pines are fairly formidable, and the PCs will have to locate John's father then extract him while avoiding or otherwise neutralizing security. Naturally, John doesn't want anyone killed, and would prefer folks not be permanently harmed. When Hawke is found, there's a chance any PCs that don't already know who he is recognize him - any with business or engineering backgrounds will be more likely to.

Security Guards

The Shady Pines has a security crew who's job it is to make sure unwanted guests find the exist quickly.

Cagey

Thorough

Bored

Shady Pines Retirement Home

A retirement home for the rich, in the mountains near Sedona.

Security Checkpoints

Closed Circuit-Television

Geriatric Residents

Hinder
Gain a when you switch out this distinction's for a .

Staff Orderly

The overworked, underpaid medical staff of Shady Pines Retirement Home

Attentive elder care

Dedicated to their Work

Understafffed and Overworked

When encountered, in his room, Hawke insist on grabbing a walking stick; it has several dozen cloth straps tied to it.

After getting a hold of hawk, we reference back to the Cold Open, and a chase ensues.

Race to the Silver Lining - Challenge Pool
The PCs must run - NOT WALK - to escape the Shady Pines Rest Home and get back to the the Silver Lining
Stop, Please!	Stop! Police!

The PCs have 2 rounds to succeed at this: failure to do so will put a complication, Authorities on the Lookout or Authorities on the Lookout , on the team for the next scene, depending on the result.

Scene 2 - The Pilgrimage

Reconvened on the Silver Lining, Hawke will give them some background info on the pilgrimage. He's not a man of great faith, but after his wife passed around 30 years ago, he was determined complete the pilgrimage she made each year. The pilgrimage starts at Nogales, Sonora in Mexico, travels 55 miles south and ends at Magdalena de Kino, Sonoroa at the Eusebio Francisco Kino Monument Plaza. For many, a “manda” is a central part of the pilgrimage - which is a vow made to San Francisco, or a reason for making the journey. In return, pilgrims ask San Francisco for help, or for a favor. Hawke suggests everyone take time to think of a Manda of their own.

Despite the formidable distance between Nogales and Magdalena, Hawke insists on carrying no more than a water bottle or maybe a light backpack. "It will only be a few days, and we can rely on food and drinks handed out by roadside Samaritans along the way."

Nogales is a city of half a million souls, the southern portion is overflowing with pilgrams preparing to male the trek to the south.The trip goes along a highway that was cut through the mountains of the Sonoran desert. On part of the journey, the roads are surrounded by vendors selling food and drinks. About halfway through this thins out, though occasionally there will still be these who are offering food.

The Pilgrimage - Challenge Pool
It's a long walk from Nogales to Magdelena
Unseasonably Warm Autumn	Not as Young As I Used to Be	Walking is Hard on the Knees

The PCS have 2 turns to resolve this before the bandits show up. If they do not, the group will get a complication applied, Road Complications , Road Complications , or Road Complications applied to the group, depending.

Road Bandits - HIGH STAKES

A gang of bandits attacking some young women just off the main path.

Armed and Dangerous

Aggressive and Stupid

The Worst Kind of Opportunists

Magdalena

As they reach the town square, Lucia catches up with them. She has a few words for john but acquiesces at this point.

The hours long line stretches first into the church past the statue of San Francisco Javier, where Hawke and then John both kiss it on the forehead. Do the PCs? The line then passes into another domed structure, where under a glass case the bones of Padre Kino can be found. Hawke prays here for a moment.

Lucy will give them a ride back to Sonora and take Hawke back to Sedona.

A few days later, Hawke sends money to john, and he shares it with the group.

Reward:

Musical Inspiration
Song:	Magdalena
Artist:	Brandon Flowers
Album:	Flamingo
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