___First in the three ‘Web Wars” series of modules i TSR’s high-tech espionage role-playing game.i == fe Lolo) (ey a ere San Cristobal 596 joie fob .8. bys 2) s00d 2 Hlistgryatigintss 00.95 0Di sts eae Nect +2 ‘The Government .........-.. 000 00eseeeee 4 Button, Button . Player’s Briefing Administrator's Briefing NPCs for Button, Button. ‘The Scenario . Act I: Least of Eden . Act II: Marshall Drilling . Act III: The Cubans’ Missing Crisis Act IV: The Central Interference Agency... . 50 ‘Act V: The Russians Are Here .... +61 ‘Act VI: The Reggae Connection ............ 53 ‘The Setting: Eden Cay ... 54 TOP SELRET/S.I. Official Game Adventure WEB OF DECEIT Design: Robert Kern Editing: Timothy B. Brown Cover Art: Jim Kietz Cartography: Dave Sutherland ‘Typography: Angelika Lokotz Interior Art: Ben Otero Graphic Design: Cory Graham ‘TOP SECRETISLL, the TSR logo, and PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House, Tne., and in Canada by Random House of Canada Lid. Distributed tothe toy and hobby trade by regional distributors, "Thi work is protected under the copyright laws of the United States ‘of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the mate- Fial or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express ‘written consent of TSR, Inc ‘© 1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. eg rs Printed in USA. 0.88038-7149 ‘TSR, Inc ‘TSR Led POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva ‘Cambridge CBI 3LB ‘WIS3147 USA United Kingdom resi Sel=San Cristobal22sA= Welcome to the island paradise of San Cristobal, where intrigue, subterfuge and double-dealing await your players’ characters at every turn. This supplement is the first of a trilogy. The infor- mation and adventure included in this booklet can be used as a launching point into the next two parts, but each one can stand on its own. If you plan on running all three supplements it would be best if you run them in order since information in one is useful in the next one in the series. This booklet describes the island nation of San Cristobal, a country geographically south of Cuba and east of Jamaica in the Caribbean. San Cristo- bal is also centerstage for countless intelligence operations, a hotbed of political and espionage intrigue. Included are descriptions of the major cities, ports, terrain types, people, customs . everything you will need to run a campaign. San Cristobal is designed to be a place you can use over and over in your campaign. The PCs will find many friendly and unfriendly NPCs to interact with and each NPC description contains guide- lines for how they will react to the PCs. Note: The physical and skill list descriptions for the important NPCs are the minimum they should have, When playing them, you can give them whatever skills you feel necessary. In some cases (such as minor criminals and civilians), just the bare minimum information for interaction is given. If you need or feel these NPCs deserve expansion, please feel free to do with them what you will. By no means are you limited to the NPC reactions described in this text. A lot will rely on what cover the players select for their characters. You are the final judge on how the NPCs will behave. Next is a section that contains maps of San Cristo- bal showing the major roadways and terrain types. Also, the maps depict major locations on the island and floorplans you can use for hotels, man- sions, resorts, wharves and warehouses . . . places where spies go to collect information and gener- ally get into trouble. The rest of the book presents an adventure to get the PCs started on the island. It will provide ample opportunity for you to intro- duce the various aspects of the island to the play- ers. Keep in mind, though, that San Cristobal is a fic- tional island and that the most fun part of a fic- tional island is this: You can do anything you want with it. Have fun, First colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century, San Cristobal was spared the looting and pillaging that ruined other Caribbean islands. The infa- mous Conquistadors were more interested in the gold treasures that had just been discovered in Central America. Instead, the Spanish used the island merely as a way station for their treasure fleets. Since so many ships were hurrying to the new world in a single-minded quest for gold, they seldom stayed long at the island. Those who did, though, found a lush, green haven filled with spec- tacular beauty and plentiful resourees. Since it was largely ignored in these early years, pirates came to use the south coast of the island as a refuge between plundering voyages. When the British navy finally had had enough and sailed into neighboring Jamaica in 1658 to rout the Spaniards it started a war that lasted two years. ‘The resulting Treaty of Madrid in 1660 gave the British the island of Jamaica and, almost as an afterthought, San Cristobal. Even then, the island was spared the cruelty Europeans offered others. While the British were busy eutting down every mahogany tree on Jamai- ca, San Cristobal was becoming the playground of the wealthy. After all, they couldn't be expected to live on an island where actual work was going on. ‘The port was still busy as a major stop on the molasses-rum-slaves triangle in the 18th century. Many a slave who jumped ship found that he could make a life in the jungles either farming for suste- nance or raising highly profitable cash crops suchas tobacco or bananas. The authorities usually left them alone. ‘The blessed existence of San Cristobal continued into the 20th century. While Jamaica suffered riot- ing due to economic devastation wrought by the Great Depression and the destruction of the banana crop by Panama Disease, San Cristobal was spared both. The island prospered both agri- culturally and as a resort island to the many seek- ing protection from the riots. The island even became free one year before Jamaica, in 1953. That’s when the trouble started. In 1958, when San Cristobal announced it planned to join the West Indies Federation, there was strong opposition that split the government. San. Cristobal never joined the Federation. Instead it was thrown into five years of revolution. Ironical- ly, the revolution lasted longer than the West Indies Federation did. Still, the revolution wasn’t devastating. There were few riots in the streets. Instead the revolu- tion took the form of jungle fighting and a number of abortive coups. Finally it ended when the mili- tary, led by General Mareo Bayo, took over the goverment and ruled with an iron fist in a velvet glove for more than two decades. ‘The Bayo Government was careful to shield tour- ists from the “more unsightly” aspects of the island, A major part of the country’s economy was based on tourism and the resorts. The dissatisfied and impoverished were carefully kept out of sight, often by force. A negative image might have dam- aged the tourist trade, the very life-blood of San Cristobal. ‘A symbiotic arrangement grew out of this. The resort owners would make sure the military gov- ‘ernment was well-paid and the government would make sure the owners were safe . . . especially from the government itself. Its capricious nature might inspire some official to launch a surprise inspection or a search for “subversives” which would hurt business, eh By design of both the resort owners and the Bayo government, the natives worked like animals and lived only slightly better. Shanty towns sprung up on the outskirts of the cities, far away from the view of tourists. Many worked the large remain- ing plantations for less than adequate wages for the owners who were, not surprisingly, good friends and backers of the government. But it is a matter of historical record that no mat- ter how much you beat a man down, he will main- tain some spark of dignity that needs only some tinder to blaze forth. In the case of the impover- ished natives of San Cristobal, that tinder was Valentino St. John Ignatius. Ignatius, a man descended from escaped slaves, was never one to just accept his lot in life. While he toiled in the fields gathering bananas and cit- rus fruits, he was always considering how to change the way things were and what could be done to turn San Cristobal into the island para- dise the posters and television commercials claimed it was. At night, by the fire in his shack, Ignatius would read the books he "borrowed” from the mansion house whenever he got a chance to do domestic chores or deliver supplies. He would devour the books from cover to cover, return them, and then “borrow” more. Some of the books on politics and philosophy were a little difficult for him to understand in the beginning, but his mea- ger reading skills improved rapidly. He began holding meetings with his fellow work- ers about how they were being oppressed by the regime and how they must do something about it. His co-workers wanted to stage an armed revolu- tion and burn the rich people’s houses, but Igna- tius knew better. He had come to understand the teachings of Gandhi and of Madison Avenue and he began making plans. With an army of workers, Ignatius engineered a series of work slowdowns. Days would go by where production was practically nil. And on every occa- sion when the military would try to intervene with clubs and force, Ignatius was ready. He would arrange for the government to embarrassitself and back down. For instance, a foreign digni- tary or a celebrity, whose driver took a wrong turn, would see what was going on. Or a tour bus, running a little behind schedule and trying to make up for lost time would come across the scene by chance. Ignatius also started a print campaign. At first, the local newspaper would not print his letters, so photostated copies began mysteriously appearing in hotel rooms and getting into foreign newspa- pers. Ignatius was an excellent persuader and his war of words soon gained worldwide fame. Pressure was brought to bear on San Cristobal to hold free elections. After a few years, the government finally relented and allowed them, figuring they could control and fix the results. But Ignatius was not easily taken in by the gov- ernment’s generosity. His next step, shortly before election day, was to invite the world media to watch the “new democracy in action.” So much attention was paid to the elections in the world press that there was no way for the government to rig them quickly enough. Ignatius was voted into office. General Bayo dis- creetly left the island for sanctuary in a sympa- thetic Central American country. ‘The politically cynical predicted that within six months, Ignatius would become as corrupt as his predecessors and as tyrannical. Ignatius has been very careful, though. His decisions and programs have always been for the betterment of the island and his people. When the huge resort companies wanted to build hotels and casinos, Ignatius agreed to let them build provided at least 60% of the employees were island natives and that within four years the own- ers would train islanders to assume at least 75% of the managerial positions. He did not let them build casinos, though. That he reserved as the province of the government. A strip of prime beach property along the island’s north shoreline was set aside by Ignatius and developers were allowed to bid for rights to lease the land for their hotels. Much of the island’s working capital is derived from these rent pay- ments. He also expanded the commercial seaport to accommodate large tankers and freighters, turning San Cristobal into one of the leading ports in the Caribbean. After three years of progress such as this, Ignatius was re-elected by a landslide. He has served two terms and is now going into his third with no sign of loss of popularity among the citizens. There are those, however, who would rather see a different form of government on San Cristobal, even a return of General Bayo. Ignatius is aware of these factions, but like any legitimate head-of- state, he cannot legally do anything about them until they break the law. The Government San Cristobal is a democracy. The president is elected along with seven provisional governors that function both as governors of their territories and as a sort of congress. They, along with the general of the army, each have one of eight equal votes on the affairs of state. Any ties are broken by the president. ‘The system has worked so far. In general, every section of the island feels it is getting fair repre- sentation and while the entire island is not yet booming with wealth, there is progress being made. ‘The government welcomes visitors and tourists, but does not appreciate outsiders meddling in its affairs. It has rejected offers of economic aid from the United States and the Soviet Union and remains on friendly to neutral terms with both. ‘There are no embassies on the island, though there are citizens of almost all nationalities scat- tered across the island.Nor does San Cristobal appreciate being used as a *playground” for espionage. Due to its strategic location in an area that is rife with political intrigue, drug deals and various smuggling operations, Ignatius has created an Intelligence service. The Ministry of Intelligence’s main job is to keep spies and foreign operatives out of the country and make sure that the govern- ment is not in danger from outside subversive forces. ‘The Ministry has very little to do internally. They check on visitors and are regularly sent reports from the police around the island. They gather and analyze the information and investigate when they feel a pattern of foreign influence emerges. Their aim at that point is to defuse the influence as quickly as possible and remove it from the island. The Ministry of Intelligence is not naive, however. ‘The Ministry knows that the major powers are interested in keeping an eye on what goes on on the island. So the government does tolerate a low level of activity on the island, agents who main- tain a very low profile and just report back to their respective agencies as to what's going on. Background: Much of Ignatius’ background was covered in the history of San Cristobal, above. He is a self-made, self-educated man with one fierce passion and loyalty: San Cristobal. His mother and sister live in a comfortable but unostentatious house outside of the capital and Ignatius visits them frequently. (The mother and sister are given round-the-clock protection by orders of the Minister of Intelligence.) ‘There is no girlfriend or fiancee in Ignatius’ life. He attends most state functions alone or with his advisors. He does not hate women by any stretch of the imagination. It is just that his obssession is the growth and well-being of his country and that has no time for any romantic entanglements. Many of his countrymen do wish, though, that there were someone. General consensus is that it would make him a happier man. Reactions: As he is very interested in the devel- opment of his country, Ignatius will welcome any- ‘one who promises to bring jobs and/or another source of income to San Cristobal. But he is no fool. He does not want some huge conglomerate to come in and strip the island of its resources and then discard the empty shell. He will enter into hard shrewd negotiations in order to get past the polite words into the actual intent of the business. ‘As far as spies go, he is passionate about not hav- ing them on the island, unless they have contacted his government and are working in cooperation with his own intelligence people. Otherwise, he views them as interlopers who are using his island because they think it is a quaint little backward country whose sanctity and laws can largely be ignored. Ignatius holds the laws of his country sacred. He would turn any spies over to his courts for trial and deportation. He will also make sure that any spy gets the maximum local newspaper and wire service coverage, negating their effectiveness as undercover agents.The Caribbean = Miami 4 Nassau © Seiten Havana So oe ine ‘antic Ocean SY crooked stand : Baum 9 Ceo dag and Cato ends ey ey Jo. Great nagua ° 2 ‘The Gayman stands Guantanamo Dominican Republic Hat Eden Puerto Rico _ Virgin Islands Jamaica cay so e. Kingston 2 es ‘Anguilla Eberon City Prince Santo Domingo a ie San Cristobal sug, Marin (St Bans Guadeloupe > ‘Barbuda § Antigua Martinique “ «Caribbean Sea tis sas Saint Vincent ¢ Ana Baracon og S Curacao The Grenadines “cronada 2 Cone “Tiidad & Pom iadBackground: Clavell was “deactivated” from the Security division of the SDECE (Societe de Docu- mentation Exterieure et de Contre-Espionage), the French secret service because she wouldn’t follow what she felt were questionable orders. She refused to lend aid to the sabotaging of a Green- peace sailing ship. By some strange coincidence, just a few short weeks after the termination of her employment, information that led to exposure of the operation was leaked and hit the international media. Since that time, Clavell has led a three-fold career. She has made a living as a legitimate bonded cou- rier, delivering valuable items around the world. She has also simultaneously been an undercover intelligence courier, delivering microfilm and papers to remote, desolate corners of the world. Finally, she has acted as a freelance agent han- dling delicate missions that the hiring govern- ment would rather not have its named attached to. Just prior to her coming to San Cristobal, she had finished a mission in Columbia and was looking for a safe way out of the country. Like most mis- sions in Columbia, it did not make her very popu- lar with anyone and her life was in danger. A representative of Ignatius located her and offered her diplomatic protection out of the coun- try. Just the opportunity to pass unscathed past Columbian customs agents made the offer appeal- ing enough to Clavell at the time. Ignatius had done some investigating and was impressed with Clavell’s moral stand with the French. The post of Minister of Intelligence was open, and he was under great pressure to appoint a minister from within. His supporters felt he needed a loyal person in such an important post. Others, like the remaining supporters of General Bayo, wanted their man in. Ignatius offered the post to Clavell. After the ini- tial rounds of shock, outrage and yelling were over, Ignatius calmly explained that he wanted someone without any loyalties in the Caribbean except to the job. To Ignatius, Clavell had proven herself incorruptible and “that, gentlemen, is that.” There was some grumbling, but Clavell got the post. She has done such a splendid job that it, ‘would be nearly impossible to maneuver her removal. ‘The Intelligence service is not very large. There are only about 12 field agents and they are sent ‘out periodically to see what information they can gather. The real heart of the service is its role as a ‘communications center. Though San Cristobal does not actively seek relations with other coun- tries, the intelligence service has linked up with every other country it could. There is a constant feed from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States (known as the paper-waster since often the information from 400 sheets of information can be distilled down to fit very neat- ly onto one typed sheet). There is also a link with Interpol (known as the European Filing Cabinet sinee it is only good for reference and not for action). There are many other services linked to the island, plus the news feeds from Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters and ‘Tass. These are gone over carefully for the express purpose of cutting off any operations that might involve or affect San Cristobal, Reactions: Clavell has a very suspicious nature. When a new company or individual expresses interest in opening a factory or operation in San Cristobal, it is her job to do an extensive back- ground check and report to the president. She is ruthless and shameless when she is doing a check She will go into the person's history, likes, dis- likes, strengths, weaknesses . .. everything she can find from news clippings, covert interviews, and even eavesdropping on neighbors. She is so thorough and exacting because she has been infected with Ignatius’ desire to keep San Cristo- bal safe from outside influences. So she will often sound like an interrogator, even in polite conver- sation.She will even test the moral fiber of a person by initiating sting operations and setting temptation (money, drugs, sex) out to see if the person takes the bait. She is credited (or blamed, depending on whom you talk to) with stopping the infiltration of American organized crime into the resorts by hav- ing one of her female operatives feign interest in a man who claimed to be representing a large hotel chain. Over a quiet dinner with a lot of wine, the man tried to impress Clavell’s agent with tales of power and corruption. The entire conversation was played back for Ignatius who had the man San Cristobal Eiberon City declared persona non grata and deported back to the United States. Clavell will do the same (or worse) to discover eve- rything about the PCs if they raise her suspicions so much as a millimeter. “The Great MarshWhen speaking of the people in the Caribbean, the word “creole” is bandied about a lot. Originally, creole was used derogatorily to denote that the people were not of any pure ethnic blood. Down through the centuries, however, the word has lost its power of insult and now refers to a proud peo- ple who have created their own background and culture. ‘There has not been one culture that has not been in the Caribbean. Even Oriental peoples have come and left their mark. People from the United States, Europe, Africa, South America and Asia have all traded in these waters and many have settled down. Many have left indelible marks on the island and its culture. In many of the citizens of San Cristobal visitors can see the original native Indian characteristics of high cheekbones, ruddy skin and black piercing eyes. The African slaves brought their beliefs which were incorporated into the already existing beliefs of the natives, making various forms of religion and voodoo. They also brought their native cuisines which formed the basis for many of the area’s spicy, delicious dishes. The Spanish brought with them the architecture of Europe which dominates the island. They also brought the arms and firepower that suppressed the natives and insured their control. The British brought their English language, an educational system, the judicial process and gin. ‘The predominant influence on the islanders today is television from the United States. The younger San Cristobalans, just like their counterparts around the world, strive to emulate their TV heroes, musical idols and fashion models. Like most islands in the Caribbean, San Cristobal boasts a variety of faiths. All the major Christian faiths are represented here along with Judaism. ‘There are also the local faiths, including voodoo. ‘The Europeans imposed Christianity on the natives and the slaves brought from Africa. The slaves, to cover their own practices, adopted many of the forms, but little of the substance of Chris- tianity, all the while retaining their own culture. They did this to fool their masters, who were afraid that a rise in the cults would lead to slave uprisings. ‘The result is a layer of Christianity over the tribal beliefs of the islands and the immigrants. Many of the cults and voodoo worshippers adopted Chris- tian symbols and ideas, then modified them to fit with their own beliefs. Myal and Obeah: These cults are two sides of the same magic coin. They are the modern day ver- sions of white (Obeah) and black (Myal) magic brought to this island by the African slaves. They are rivals of a sort, each supposedly able to cancel the other's spells and magics. Strangely, it is the “Myal wizards who were the leaders in healing potions made from herbs, incantations, and cere- monies. Today, the connotations of good and evil have been eliminated and both are assimilated into the Afro-Christian culture of the island. Obeah purists do have an underground cult and do enjoy a measure of popularity from natives who place much trust in their methods and with tour- ists who think it is all ‘very colorful and rather interesting.” Bongo: This obeah-related cult views men and spirits living together in harmony and helping one another. The power of the spirits is inherently nei ther good nor evil, just available. At their ceremo- nies, spirits are invited to take hold of the devotees. It seems that a spirit’s greatest desire is to be able to experience the physical world. They all wish to live for a short time through the humans summoning them and enjoy smoking, laughing, dancing, singing and other pursuits of the flesh. Reports state that possessed devotees first contort and grimace and are then able to per-2 SSS SS SS SSS form almost superhuman feats like standing in fires, holding hot coals in their hands and mouths and lifting great weights. All these exertions can have a debilitating effect on the devotee and some have been seriously injured by giving in to the excesses demanded by the spirits. In exchange, though, the believers can call upon the spirits for help. There is a strong Bongo cult in the Great Croc Saltwater Swamp (see the Terrain section of this book for more information on the swamp). Rastafarianism: Though usually associated with Jamaica, Rastafarianism is spreading throughout the Caribbean and other parts of the world. Rastafarianism was begun by Marcus Garvey in the early 1900s. The idea of “One God! One Aim! One Destiny” preached that there would be a black king who would be crowned in Africa and lead all his followers to a promised land on that continent. In 1930, a black, Haile Selassie, was crowned king of Ethiopia. The Rastafarians adopt- ed him as their savior and began worshipping him and named Ethiopia as the promised land, ‘Their ideal is in direct conflict with many histo- rians, many of them Europeans, who claim Haile Selassie was one of the worst tyrants the conti- nent of Africa had ever seen. The arguments are much too involved to be detailed here, but the con- flict should be noted for interaction purposes. The dream of all believers returning to the prom- ised land has been modified because it is political- ly and practically impossible. The ideal of the Rastafarians now is to make Jamaica, or wherever they congregate, their promised land. The dreadlocks, or long braids of hair, sported by the majority of Rastafarians are their way of showing his devotion and their connection with the Ethiopian lion, a sacred symbol within the | group. Rastas are suspicious of Caucasians as a race but judge each person they meet on their own charac- ter. There are a number of white Rastafarians and they are readily accepted. Women are relegated to the home as the religion sees their main function as domestic. Women are allowed to sell crafts and perform minor functions. ‘There are many fakes preaching Rastafarianism and soliciting funds to help the cause. The devoted Rastafarians prefer to stay away from the urban life and opt for quiet lives in the country, away from the spirit-polluting cities. Cumananci: Cumananci is an outgrowth of an African spider cult. There is a martial arts flavor to this cult since it turns to the ways of the spider for a method of bare-hand fighting and for its, strange beliefs. Followers believe that the spider-god is working through them to build a worldwide network of religion which will bring power to the true believ- ers who will reign benevolently over the rest of mankind.ai nie Si ‘They study and emulate the way of the spider, building intricate webs, both figuratively and lit- erally. Some are of silk to bring in new members. Some are of rope to hang enemies. In Africa, the spider cults were feared by all. Once the mark of the spider was on you (usually noted by having a poisonous spider delivered to your home), you knew you had been named an enemy of the cult and were sentenced to die. When mem- bers of the cult were captured as slaves and brought to the New World, they brought with them their cunning and their beliefs. Many apply the Study of the Web much the way chess players use their strategy skills. In business they are for- midable opponents since they know the web must be complete before the spider can be successful. Their ceremonies revolve around one high priest or priestess. An open grove must be found which the light of full moon can bathe fully. The ground is marked with a pattern of a web. At the center of the pattern is a large pit filled with spiders. The followers, holding long ropes follow the priest in a dance in which they create a web of rope. In some ceremonies, the pit is filled with poisonous spiders and a human sacrifice is thrown in. It is rumored that a Cumananei cult operates out of one of the larger islands of the Rubena Keys. Terrain ‘This section describes the basic terrain types on the island. Included are NPCs typical of the people who live in those areas and Chase Hazards you can implement. Refer to the chase flow charts in the second part of this supplement to determine when the PCs encounter each particular hazard. Of course, you can pick and choose hazards that would best suit your purpose and keep the adven- ture moving. ‘The primary Attribute used on a Foot Chase will be REF, since the PC will be making a split-second reaction to the hazard, Guidelines will be given to handle the various hazards during play. Remem- ber, though, that you have the final say. If you and your group have been handling similar situations differently and it has been working to your satis- faction, don’t change on our account. rem lel Teh ce les Sometime back in its dim geological past, San Cristobal was at least twice as large as it is now. Like most islands in the Caribbean, it is of vol- canic origin. The young island was covered with airborne seeds and was an ideal resting spot for migratory birds until its surface evolved into a deep layer of fertile topsoil. Then the southern half of the island sunk back into the sea. The magnificent cliffs that boaters gaze at in rapt admiration and spend countless rolls of film photographing are a direct result of this ancient geological event. In addition to being a spectacular sight, these cliff's have helped save the island from sustaining major damage from hurricanes. The storms usually strike from the southeast and much of their fury is spent batter- ing the durable rock, sparing the cities and farms the full force of the Caribbean storms. The cliff is not extraordinarily difficult to climb. It is anywhere from 100 to 175 feet high and its jagged edge has some excellent hand holds for bare rock climbing. Anyone using mountaineer- ing equipment will have an easier and faster time of it, though. Of course, during a storm or hurricane you should apply negative modifiers as you see fit. ‘The cliffs mark the highest point of San Cristo- bal’s Caramanda mountains. The roads through the mountains are considered treacherous with many hairpin curves. At the time of their con- struction it was easier to build more road than to try to carve a pathway out of the rock. The view along the roads is scenic, but only for passengers. 1