Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Dawn of Defiance
After a chance encounter on a space station with a desperate agent of Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, the heroes negotiate with a local crime lord and obtain valuable cargo intended for the Senator. Once they deliver the cargo, the heroes learn that it is actually a man frozen in carbonite who carries secret information for the Senator. Based on this information, the heroes are hired (As friends of Bail Organa, enemies of the Empire, or freelance entrepreneurs) to fly to the planet Felucia and discover the fate of a turncoat Imperial Admiral. If the Admiral still lives, they are to bring him back to Alderaan.
The heroes arrive to find Felucia under tight Imperial control. After a brief skirmish with some Imperial Starships in orbit, their ship makes a hard landing on Felucia to avoid detection. The ship is damaged, though Captain Okeefe believes it can be repaired. Once they are prepared, the heroes venture out into Felucia's jungles in search of signs of civilization. After fighting their way through the local flora and fauna, they discover a hidden village of Felucians that have fled deep into the jungles to escape Imperial oppression.
The heroes negotiate for a guide to take them to a nearby Imperial facility known to the locals as the "Vanishing Place." In truth, this is a prison for Imperial dissidents and traitors where Admiral Varth is being held. The heroes prepare to set off for the prison when a cry goes up in the village- a Scout Trooper has just spotted the village and is headed back to alert the Empire! This leads into a chase scene in which the heroes ride Kybucks in pursuit of the Scout Trooper. Once the trooper has been stopped, the heroes convince the Felucians to lead them to the Imperial base immediately so that they can rescue the Admiral and stop bringing danger to the hidden village.
The heroes and their guide set off for the Imperial prison facility. It is heavily guarded from the outside, but the Felucian guide knows a secret way in. Once inside the base, the heroes find it more lightly guarded (And more along the lines of what they can handle). During the search for Admiral Varth, the heroes come across a communication from Imperial Naval Command indicating that Inquisitor Draco is en route to Felucia to take custody of the Admiral. The heroes fight their way through the facility and eventually find Admiral Varth in the detention block. They free him and head back to the secret entrance where their Felucian guide supposedly awaits their return.
Unfortunately, the heroes find trouble instead. Their guide lies dead, and Imperials are gathering outside the facility. About this time, Captain Okeefe sends the heroes a message: she has completed repairs to her ship and can pick them up when they are ready. On their way to the roof, the heroes must deal with the cruel Captain Vischera and his genetically modified bodyguards. Once they reach the roof, they board Okeefe's ship and blast off from Felucia.
The adventure concludes as the heroes bring Admiral Varth to the rendezvous point designated by Senator Organa. There, the heroes are introduced to the Nebulon-B Frigate Resurgence, which has been commissioned by Organa to serve as a mobile hiding place for the Admiral. Aboard Resurgence, Admiral Varth is debriefed and provides the heroes and Senator Organa with information related to a top-secret Imperial project.
Opening Crawl[]
For Gamemasters who wish to have an opening crawl before their first adventure, consider using the boxed text below to introduce the Dawn of Defiance campaign:
Episode I
THE TRAITOR'S GAMBIT
It is a dark time in the galaxy. The evil Galactic Empire has spread from The Deep Core to The Outer Rim, and everywhere the Empire's tyranny can be felt.
Fleeing from the oppression of the Emperor's minions, agents of Senator Bail Organa have run to a remote space station above Brentaal. Known to be a vocal opponent of the Empire, Organa may be the last hope of freedom in the galaxy.
In the hopes of stopping these dissidents before they can reach the Senator, the Empire has alerted its forces on Sel Zonn Station, where the struggle for liberty rages on, and the first sparks of rebellion have begun to burn...
Part 1: Prelude to Defiance[]
Main Article: Prelude to Defiance
The Dawn of Defiance campaign opens on an unsuspecting space station orbiting the Core World of Brentaal. Sel Zonn Station is little more than a travel and cargo port, just like dozens of others in orbit around the world. However, the station is also home not only to the Empire and its lackeys among the nobility of Brentaal, but also to the beginnings of the first major resistance group- that of your heroes. In part 1 of The Traitor's Gambit, the heroes arrive on Sel Zonn Station to find that enemies of the Empire have been struggling to gather a valuable piece of cargo and make their way to Alderaan. When the heroes become embroiled in the plot, they find that they are rescuing an undercover agent frozen in carbonite who has valuable information for Senator Bail Organa. After some run-ins with local information brokers and Imperial agents, the heroes leave Brentaal and head for the scenic planet of Alderaan.
Before the adventure opens, you (The GM) should determine whether the heroes already know one another or whether they are on Sel Zonn Station by chance. If the heroes already know one another, they have simply come to the station for the same reason as many other travelers- to rest, relax, refuel, and prepare for the next leg of their journey. If the heroes do not know one another before the adventure begins, discuss in advance what has brought each hero to Sel Zonn Station. They might be criminals escaping justice on Brentaal, fugitive Jedi on the run from the Empire, legitimate traders or businesspeople passing through, or nobles who have traveled to Brentaal to investigate their financial interests.
Part 2: Arrival at Felucia[]
Main Article: Arrival at Felucia
Senator Organa gives the heroes as much time as they need to prepare for their journey and sees them off. The journey from Alderaan to Felucia is relatively uneventful and should give the heroes plenty of downtime before their mission begins.
Felucia is an out-of-the-way jungle world where massive mushrooms dominate the landscape. The native Felucians retreated into hiding many years ago when Gossam colonists came to the world. Though the fierce battles of the Clone Wars made their way to the planet eventually, Felucia was left largely unscathed, and once the Separatist forces were defeated, the newly created Empire mostly withdrew from the system. As Bail Organa explained to the heroes, the Imperial presence on Felucia is based primarily around protecting the small prison facility left on the world. The few cities on Felucia have Imperial garrisons, and the Gossam colonists remaining on the world after the Clone Wars must deal with Imperial persecution.
However, the heroes won't be going anywhere near the cities. The prison facility, which does not exist on any official maps, is located deep in the Felucian jungle. If not for the Alderaanian Security agent frozen in carbonite, neither Bail Organa nor the heroes would have any knowledge of the facility's location. The Banshee has the coordinates in its nav computer, and the course plotted by RX-13 should bring the ship out of Hyperspace on the side of the planet nearest to the prison facility.
Part 3: Imperial Prison Facility[]
Main Article: Imperial Prison Facility
Once the heroes have concluded their visit to the Felucian village (And prevented the Imperials from reporting its location), they can make their way to the Imperial prison facility. Their Felucian Scout leads them around obstacles and potential threats and takes them directly to the facility. Their guide doesn't say much on the journey- and unless the heroes have a Protocol Droid, they won't understand him, anyway- and simply leads them to their target with solemn determination.
When the heroes arrive, they discover that the prison facility is a relatively squat, two-story building in characteristic Imperial style: gray walls with a slight outward slant, no visible windows, and a plain visage that leaves no room for accoutrements. The second story of the building is visibly smaller than the ground floor, and blinking lights line the top floor's edges. A large set of blast doors denotes the ground floor entry to the building, while a single gun turret (Which appears to be an E-Web Repeating Blaster built into the wall) juts out a few meters to the door's left. Otherwise, there are no other visible entrances or exits to the facility.
Stormtroopers stand guard at the facility's blast doors, while the low hum of repulsor engines indicates that there might be Scout Troopers on patrol nearby. Additionally, any hero who succeeds on a DC 15 Perception check hears heavy thudding sounds in the distance, along with the noises of plants being crushed, indicating the presence of a walker of some kind.
Fortunately for the heroes, their Felucian Scout is aware of a secret entrance. He leads them to the northwest corner of the building, where a ventilation grate barely hangs on its bolts. With the right application of force (Dealing at least 10 points of damage to the grate), it can be pried free, giving the heroes a way into the prison facility.