The four of you that work in Section D are called to a meeting in Major Grand's office located deep in the bowels of the Metropole. The bare bulbs hanging from the ceiling, the dank walls and the smells of damp earth and mold contrast strongly with the opulence of the above ground floors of the Metropole.
Major Grand's office is scarcely furnished with just a wooden desk, a couple of chairs and a table. There are large maps of Europe, Africa and the Far East hanging on the walls. Besides the head of Section D, the only people present in the room are his orderly, Staff Sargeant Nelson and a man who don't know dressed in civilian clothing. The major is sitting behind his desk with Nelson standing in the far corner. The stranger sits in one of the chairs talking to the Major. He falls silent as you enter the room.
"Gentlemen stand at ease," says the Major as you report. "Allow me to introduce, Frantisek Moravec. You may know that he was the head of Czech Intelligence before the Nazi's invaded. Moravec secretly flew out of Prague’s Ruzyne Airport in a chartered KLM Douglas DC-3 with ten of his fellow intelligence officers. Tipped off by agents operating in Nazi Germany, they had received information that the German invasion and subsequent occupation of Czechoslovakia was to take place the following day. Stopping briefly at Rotterdam, their final destination was London Croydon Airport; in their possession their most valuable files and archives, handed over to the British Secret Intelligence Service to be used against the Third Reich."
Moravec rises during the introduction and when completed shakes hands with each of you.
"Pay close attention gentlemen, Mr. Moravec has important information for you," continues the Major once the hand shakes are complete. "Frantisek can you brief the boys?"
Moravec proceeds to provide the following information: Czechoslovakia has been invaded by the Third Reich, and the country dismembered. In its place, the Nazis have declared a “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”, centred on the former capital of Prague. And yet, amidst the restive populace in the surrounding countryside, resistance is growing—led by a triumvirate of patriots known only as the “Three Kings”. A Czech priest working for the resistance in the vicinity of Prague has information about atrocities committed by the Third Reich—information which will provide priceless propaganda if war does break out. The priest—codename ANGEL—is hiding Czechoslovakian children and preventing them from being transported to Castle Karlstein, some 25 miles (approx. 40 kilometres) southwest of Prague, reportedly where the atrocities have been committed.
Once Moravec finishes, the Major rises and looks each of you in the eye, "Your mission is to parachute into occupied Czechoslovakia to contact the Czech resistance. The operations group is undercover, not in military uniform, and you will likely be shot as spies if captured by the Nazis. You each will be given poison capsules to take in the event of capture. Frantisek will provide you with a handwritten letter of introduction by him (with no reference to the British government). You are to establish communications with the resistance on the ground (including, if possible, contacting a group of resistance leaders known as the “Three Kings”), contact Codename ANGEL, find out just what the Nazi atrocities at Castle Karlstein are, and return with the information. You should also take any measures to prevent these atrocities from continuing."
Major Grand pauses and then adds, "this is a volunteer only mission boys so it is up to you to decide if you will take the job."
Just in case it wasn't clear, the Major is waiting on a response from each of you...:-)
Nikolai sends a coded telegram, "will keep appointment as per previous stop best luck over"
"Good to see you, Uncle," Roy says when he greets Moravec. He pays close attention during the briefing. Damn. It's finally come to the point we all expected... At least we're doing something about it.
"I'm in," he says at the Major's prompt. "Just tell me when we're going in to kill those G$$-d#~ned buggers."
"I'm yer man, sir!" says Sgt. McMonagle.
Trilby grins. Of course. Any idea where these "Three Kings" are located?
"Good lads, knew I could count on you."
Major Grand motions you to join him around the table. "Sergeant, if you please."
Sergeant Nelson unrolls a detailed map of a portion of the Czech countryside. In the center of the map, a large structure named Castle Karlstein can be found. A large Nazi symbol is interposed on top of the Castle. Castle Karlstein sits on heavily wooded hills overlooking the Berounka River to its south. The river bisects the map running from west to east. On the other side of the river from tne castle lies the village of Karlstein and to the east of it lies the village of Vordertrebain. The river flows between the two villages which are connected by several bridges. The area lies approximately 25 miles to the south of Prague. The Karlstein valley is connected to the capitol by a rail line and also a road.
Once you've had a few minutes to study the map, the Major continues the briefing. "Your mission is to obtain proof of the Nazi atrocities. They are reportedly taking place within Castle Karlstein which is also the SS headquarters for the area. Angel has the proof we need. To reach him you will need help from the resistance. If possible, you should take steps to stop these atrocities."
"Trilby has operational command of the group. MacArran is our expert on Czechoslovakia. McMonagle, you and your man are responsible for keeping the group alive. We have made arrangement for a Russian agent that is already working with the resistance to meet you on the ground."
"Your first decision will be how close do you want to jump in to the castle. Landing close and you have a higher chance of being spotted but if not will be in a good location to complete the mission quickly. Landing further away decreases your chances of being spotted on the way down but you will have a longer trip to get to Angel and thus a risk of running into a Nazi patrol."
"Your plane leaves tonight. I know that this is short notice but this information is critical to get as quickly as possible."
"Now, do you have any questions?"
Plenty. Do we know anything about the villages? Resistance personnel in the area? ... We will land close in - better to retain the element of surprise. I don't want to give Jerry any time to prepare for us. Anyone have any other thoughts?
Plenty. Do we know anything about the villages? Resistance personnel in the area? ... We will land close in - better to retain the element of surprise. I don't want to give Jerry any time to prepare for us. Anyone have any other thoughts?
"Both villages are typical Czech villages. Populations in the few hundreds. Probably 90% of the inhabitants are sympathetic to our cause but few will be willing to actively help out of fear of the Nazis. The other 10% though are likely Nazi sympathizers and would turn you over to them if they had a chance. The Three Kings will be your best source of information about who you can trust."
Trilby wrinkles his mouth and brow into a pensive frown. We have to hope ANGEL knows something about the resistance, then.
"No, I agree. Best way in is close, but once down will have to move fast."
He takes a closer look at the map.
"There are a few open areas within a half mile or so of the castle. Maybe this one?" He points to the clearing of trees NW of the castle.
"It'll be tight, but doable. Anybody got another idea?"
"Aye, a quick entrance is going to be invaluable when it comes to this op. We don't want to bring many of the common folk into this--they're good-hearted, but they're civilians." He nods at Phil's suggestion. "Seems good to me. Anything's gonna be dangerous."
Trilby looks over his team. Anyone else have any questions? If not, let's gear up and get ready to go.
Sergeant Nelson ushers you out of the room and into a waiting truck. He will be accompanyng you until you take off for the flight to Czechoslovakia.
The rest of the day passes in a blur. You're driven to an RAF base near Dover and given a 15 minute instruction in parachuting which basically consists of jump out of the plane, count to 5, pull the ripcord, float and then tuck and roll when you hit the ground. On the way down you are to look for a red light being flashed. That will be your contact on the ground. It's advised to try and land as close to him as possible,
You're then provided with Czech civilian clothing, some money, your guns/ammo, your cyanide capsule and the letter for the resistance.
Nelson escorts you out to the waiting plane. "Right lads, this is it. Keep your cool and do your duty for King and country. Your contact on the ground is known as Bear. When you meet him give him the code word Robin. His countersign is Hood. Give the Jerrys hell!"
The flight is surprisingly uneventful. Your path takes you over the Netherlands and then Germany itself. Luckily for all of you, Germany did not have radar employed in the summer of 1939.
After several hours of flight time in the back of the noisy Whitley, the copilot walks back to you and gives you a thumbs up and a signal for 5 minutes to the drop zone. All too soon you are lined up at the rear of the plane. At the appropriate time, a crewman removes the cover where the rear turret normally would sit and claps each of you on the back as you leap out into the darkness over Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia.
Happily, all of your parachutes operate as designed and the wind is completely still allowing you to float safely to the ground. You see the blinking red light and are able to somehow direct your parachutes in the right direction. Then the ground is rushing at you and then you're down on Czech soil.
After hitting the ground, Roy quickly gets his rifle ready and stays crouched, looking around for Bear. "Everyone okay?" Glad that my first real time in the field didn't end too quickly.
Nikolai huddled in the woods, with a view of the distant castle perched on a hill some miles away, wondering if he had made the right choice. There had been no way to contact his superiors about the invitation to aid the resistance, and he hoped that he wasn't betraying the motherland by working with these English, but he knew any intel on Nazi atrocities would be welcome in Moscow. Though the Germans were in theory still Soviet allies, nobody who knew anything imagined it would last, and the propaganda war was already underway.
He heard the distant humming of the plane flying overhead, and then saw the parachutes, black spots moving across the stars that came to ground in the clearing where the signal had been placed. With his pistol in hand, he crept out of the shadows of the forest into the open space and whistled, to get the attention of the English.
Trilby hits the ground and rolls as he was instructed, coming up quickly into a crouch. He scans the surrounding terrain, then spots the Bear. He quickly gathers up his parachute and waits - both for the rest of the team to land and for his contact to come within easy earshot.
That you, Bear? Or did I hear a Robin sing? A hand goes to the .45 at his hip.
"Keep your Hood on," Nikolai whispers, rising up and lowering his weapon. "Is everyone here?"
When the English are all assembled, Nikolai counts and nods.
"Hide your 'chutes in the woods over here," he whispers, leading them in the opposite direction of the farm. When the chutes is at least somewhat concealed, he points in the direction of the farmhouse. "I think we stay in the woods but follow the road. Better we don't take even a small chance of getting lost."
Checking the clip in his Thompson, Phil slams it home and chambers a round.
"Right lads...nice and quiet. Lead on, sir."
The night is quiet and the darkness complete as you make your way through the woods. You keep the road in sight so as to not get lost in this territory that is unfamiliar to all of you. After about an hour of slow going through the thickets and brush of the woods you come to the edge of a clearing that marks the boundary of the farm that is your objective.
Suddenly, the quiet of the night is shattered by a single shot followed almost immediately by a woman's cry of pain and despair. The cry is cut-off as abruptly as it began.
Trilby pauses for a moment at the edge of the clearing and peers into the windows. Let's hope we did not just lose our contacts.
You need to make a stealth roll to move through the clearing and up to the window.
Nikolai moves towards the house slowly, looking for cover.
That makes sense...
From your position, you can look across approximately 100 feet of open but dark ground to the farmhouse. There is light coming from two open windows on your side of the house. You can see occasional movement inside the house but are unable to tell who is moving. You can't see anything on the other sides of the house from your vantage point as those areas are shrouded in darkness.
Nikolai moves towards the house slowly, looking for cover.
You are aided by the darkness of the night so you can get within about 30 feet with no chance of being spotted. After that though, you need to pass a stealth check to get closer.
Roy also creeps up with Nikolai, swearing under his breath at the implications of a shot and a woman's scream. What abominations the Nazis already commit... And who rises up to stop them? No one.
Roy pauses about thirty feet from the house and looks into the windows, hoping to see anything useful or important, his rifle at the ready.
Roy also creeps up with Nikolai, swearing under his breath at the implications of a shot and a woman's scream. What abominations the Nazis already commit... And who rises up to stop them? No one.
Roy pauses about thirty feet from the house and looks into the windows, hoping to see anything useful or important, his rifle at the ready.
[dice=Notice]1d6
[dice=Wild Die]1d6
There are at least 3 people moving about in the room. All seem to be big men. From your vantage point you are unable to see the woman or anyone else.
Steven watches Roy and Nikolai advance, looks around the field, , and creeps toward the house. He looks for cover or other people outside, but goes all the way to the house, where he ducks against a wall, trying to stay out of sight.
Please welcome Bart Jones, your doctor, who unfortunately got separated from the group on the way down. His attention has been drawn to the farmhouse by the gunshot that you all heard.
His father would be sorely disappointed if he could see Bart now. His shoot had worked yes, but only on the second pull, and the few short seconds he'd spent in confusion had made all the difference as he landed in amidst the trees, his chute catching in their branches.
He'd managed to cut himself down, but his landing had been less than gentle and he was thoroughly disoriented. If it hadn't been for the sharp crack of gunfire (surely not his team, they wouldn't signal their landing so obviously, and if there were enemy forces nearby it would be more than a single shot) he still might be wandering around out in the woods.
He moves stealthily forward as the cabin comes into sight, unsure of what he'll find there. He spots several figures approaching it, and risks a owl's hoot, followed by another two short hoots to catch their attention; he'd worked with some of these fellows before, they should recognize the call...
Nikolai scurries to the back door, not terribly quietly, and takes a position with his back to the wall, ready to shoot if need be. Trying to listen to hear if anyone's saying anything.
[dice=Sneak]1d4-2
[dice=Wild]1d6-2Nikolai scurries to the back door, not terribly quietly, and takes a position with his back to the wall, ready to shoot if need be. Trying to listen to hear if anyone's saying anything.
[dice=Notice]1d6
[dice=Wild]1d6
The stillness of the night is shattered by Nikolai knocking over a pile of farm instruments. As he continues to move forward you all can hear a loud voice speaking rapidly in German.
Just as Nikolai approaches the back door it is suddenly flung open and you see a young man in a German uniform walk out holding a pistol in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He is almost certain to see Nikolai in just a few seconds. The interior of the house has fallen quiet.
[dice=Notice]1d6 [dice=Wild Die]1d6
Not anymore...it's almost as if they are purposely staying away from the windows.
Steven curses under his breath at Nikolai's clumsiness. He quietly steps forward, trying to sneak up on the corporal without exposing himself to shots from the house overmuch.
If he succeeds, Steven will crack Herr Korporal over the head with the butt of his pistol.
Steven curses under his breath at Nikolai's clumsiness. He quietly steps forward, trying to sneak up on the corporal without exposing himself to shots from the house overmuch.
The Nazi will oppose your stealth attempt with his Notice Skill (1d6).
...Fail
You manage to use the darkness to your benefit and get a free swing at the soldier. Unfortunately, his steel helmet turns aside the force of your blow.
Combat begins...
Initiative Order
Trilby (Jack of spades)
German soldier (10 of hearts)
Bart (9 of hearts)
Nikolai (8 of clubs)
Phil (6 of diamonds)
Roy (4 of clubs)
Unknowns (3 of spades)
Trilby grits his teeth as the Clank! from hitting the soldier's helmet reverberates up his arm. He shuffles his feet toward the front of the German and swings again, sidearm this time, hoping to catch Jerry full in the face.
Trilby manages to catch the soldier right in the mouth this time with the butt of his pistol causing the soldier to be shaken.
The shaken soldier calls back into the farmhouse...
Bart's attempt to signal the rest of the team so that they don't shoot him is lost amidst the commotion as someone sends farm implements clattering to the ground. He is already starting to move forward as the german emerges, seeking to close the distance while being careful of where he treads
Bart moves successfully to a window.
Feeling he's done enough to announce their presence, Nikolai holds his gun in his right hand and socks the shaken german in the nose with a left.
Feeling he's done enough to announce their presence, Nikolai holds his gun in his right hand and socks the shaken german in the nose with a left.
[dice=fighting]1d4
[dice=wild]1d6
[dice=explode]1d4
[dice=more exploding]1d4
[dice=damage]1d6
[dice=additional damage if I got a raise]1d6
Nikolai slams his left fist into the side of the soldiers face who staggers back another step, trips and falls slamming his head into the side of a wooden table just inside the door. He slumps unconscious to the floor.
You all here a voice call out from the interior of the house in Czech
Round 2 Initiative
Trilby (Q of Clubs) - 1
Bart (5 Hearts) - 4
Nikolai (6 of Clubs) - 3
Phil (J Clubs) - 2
Roy (4 Diamonds) - 5
Unknowns (3 Clubs) - 6
"They have prisoners!" Roy hisses as the group presses forward. He moves around to join the others, glancing down at the man Nikolai knocked out. "We need to either move quickly or surrender. Which do we do?"
Bart presses himself up against the wall of the house next to the window and attempts to sneakily peer inside and figure out where the germans are, and the hostages as well.