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The Core of Corruption
Episode VI of Star Wars: Dawn of Defiance
STERLING HERSHEY
Design
Sterling Hershey
Editing
Ray Vallese
The Core of Corruption is the sixth adventure in the Dawn of Defiance
campaign, which will take heroes from 1st level all the way through
20th level in a continuous storyline designed to give both players and
Gamemasters a complete Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition
experience. This adventure takes the heroes straight into the heart of the
Empire and the Sarlacc Project. They should advance to 13th level by the
conclusion of the adventure. During the course of this adventure, the
heroes pursue the Sarlacc Project to the Imperial capital world of
Coruscant, now known as Imperial Center. While searching for the
source of the project, the heroes learn the realities of life at the center
of the Empire, while pursuing leads under the glare of Imperial security,
the likes of which they have not encountered before. Ultimately, the
heroes manage to locate the source of the Sarlacc Project, though it may
not be exactly what they expect.
Typesetting
Ray Vallese, Gary M. Sarli
Production
Chad Laske, Matt Burke
Cartography
Corey Macourek, Rodney Thompson
Art on p. 4
Elizabeth McLaren
Lucas Licensing Editors
Leland Chee, Frank Parisi
Design Manager
Christopher Perkins
Director of RPG R&D
Bill Slavicsek
2
What is Dawn of
Defiance?
Dawn of Defiance is the name given to a series of 10 linked adventures
that Gamemasters can use to create an entire campaign for their players.
Set in the months after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the
adventures in the Dawn of Defiance campaign are designed to provide
players and GMs with the iconic Star Wars Roleplaying Game experience,
set against the backdrop of the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. The
Dawn of Defiance campaign takes the heroes all the way from 1st level
up to 20th level and features an ongoing storyline that progresses over
the course of the campaign. Each adventure can also be played
individually and should provide the heroes with ample challenges to gain
two levels per adventure. Gamemasters should feel free to use the Dawn
of Defiance adventures either as an entire campaign or as fillers for their
own home campaigns.
If you are a Gamemaster wishing to run the campaign, read the
GM’s Primer, which summarizes the overall plot of the campaign and the
events of each adventure. The GM’s Primer is available at the Star Wars
Roleplaying Game Web site (
www.wizards.com/starwars
). The site also
features other articles related to the Dawn of Defiance campaign,
including the official campaign standards and an FAQ.
Some rules mechanics are based on the
Star Wars Roleplaying Game
Saga Edition
by Christopher
Perkins, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Rodney Thompson; the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson; and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game
designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.
This Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work
may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming
License and the d20 System License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.
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USED UNDER AUTHORIZATION.
Warning! If you will be playing in a Dawn of
Defiance campaign or in a campaign using its
adventures, read no further.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D20 SYSTEM, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S.A. and other countries. This material is protected
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organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A.
Background
This adventure assumes that you have run your heroes through the
previous Dawn of Defiance adventures, particularly the fifth adventure,
The First To Strike. The heroes should already be acquainted with Admiral
Varth and the Alderaanian starship Resurgence. The events on the planet
Nizon should be fresh in their minds, since they have had little downtime
since their return to the Resurgence. The heroes also should know that
they returned with significant intelligence, and they should be awaiting
its analysis with great interest.
If you aren’t running Dawn of Defiance but would like to use this
adventure in your home campaign, you may adapt it to your own needs.
First, replace the Sarlacc Project with a goal integrated into your
campaign. This might be a person to be saved or an object or
information to be retrieved. In any case, it is something that must be
found on Coruscant. It should also be something worthy of the
Inquisitors’ interest, since the final encounters force to heroes to take
the Inquisitors head-on. If you ran the previous adventure, The First to
Strike, perhaps the goal could be to find a captured Gamemaster
character—or even a player character, such as a Jedi.
It is highly recommended that you read the entire adventure
thoroughly before running it. Much of the adventure focuses on
investigating the location of the Sarlacc Project and allows the heroes to
move around Coruscant as needed to follow leads. Because there is no
set progression between the sources they may choose to investigate, the
heroes will likely jump around from encounter to encounter in Part 2.
Summary
While on the planet Nizon, the heroes obtained intelligence related to
the origins of the Sarlacc Project. Upon returning to the Resurgence, the
data is analyzed, prompting Admiral Varth to recall them to the mission
briefing room and fill them in on the details. It seems that the engineers
of the Sarlacc Project are in an Imperial facility on Coruscant, and the
heroes must seek them out.
Admiral Varth provides the necessary codes and permissions for the
heroes to enter the Coruscant system. They must slip through Imperial
security undetected, secure a landing pad, and establish a base of
operations. Using a multitude of skills, contacts, information gathering
and scrounging, the heroes must pinpoint the location of the project’s
architects and engineers. Above all, they must not attract attention from
the ISB or any other Imperial organization. Their investigations may
include the underworld, Imperial computer networks, Alderaanian
contacts, and a little help from the Force.
Eventually, the heroes discover that the designers are located in an
unfinished skyscraper. They must ascertain a method of entry and ascend
to the highest levels of the structure. Upon locating the designers, the
heroes soon realize the warped and horrific design process in place.
However, before they can do much about it, the project’s true managers
appear—the dreaded Imperial Inquisitors. The Inquisitors cannot afford
for the project to be revealed and fight to the death if needed. When
defeat seems imminent, they trigger a self-destruct, forcing the heroes
to find their way out of the collapsing building. Even after they have
escaped, the heroes must elude Imperial security and emergency rescue
teams until they can flee the scene.
Ultimately, the heroes learn the details of the Sarlacc Project. The
Empire is constructing a massive new starship many times larger than a
Star Destroyer, which is an early prototype (though not the final version)
of the Super Star Destroyer. The new vessel will serve as the flagship of
the Imperial fleet, and the Sarlacc Project nears completion.
Opening Crawl
If you wish to have an opening crawl before the adventure, consider
using the boxed text below.
3
STAR WARS: DAWN OF DEFIANCE
Episode VI
THE CORE OF CORRUPTION
The Nazren uprising is over. Out of the chaos, Senator Organa’s agents return
to the starship Resurgence with new data essential to discovering
the origins of the mysterious Sarlacc Project.
Fearing that swift Imperial action will invalidate the compromised information,
the Imperial traitor Admiral Varth has reassembled Organa’s agents for a dangerous
trip to the heart of the Empire. There they must continue their desperate search
for the Sarlacc Project, under the oppressive gaze of the Empire itself . . .
Part 1: Into the Core
In The Core of Corruption, the heroes learn the significance of the data
that they received on Nizon, prompting them to take the search for the
Sarlacc Project to Coruscant. They have had very little downtime since
their return to the Resurgence and the conclusion of their previous
adventure. It takes only a day or two for Admiral Varth and the
Resurgence crew to analyze the data. Upon learning its results, the
Admiral wastes no time in reassembling the heroes in the briefing room
to give them their next assignment. If the heroes did not participate in
the events on Nizon, they need only be told that the information was
obtained by another group of agents during the recent Nazren uprising
on Nizon.
The heroes have had little time to heal or recover. Due to the
sensitive nature of the data, speed is essential. Any heroes who may
require extended healing, repair, or recovery will find that they must
patch up themselves and their equipment as best as they can before
they go. They have time to meet with anyone who is already aboard the
Resurgence, but they are not allowed to communicate with anyone
outside of the ship.
The Briefing
Admiral Varth calls the heroes to the briefing room within 24 to 48
hours after they return to the ship. The Admiral is impatiently awaiting
their arrival, along with the now-familiar yellow and silver astromech
assisting droid. Resurgence Captain Verana is also in attendance. Read
the following text aloud:
As you enter the stark white briefing room, Admiral Varth waits
impatiently for you to take your seats. The Admiral looks extremely
tired and sleep deprived. It takes you a moment to realize that
Captain Verana sits nearby, near the familiar assisting astromech
droid. Admiral Varth begins.
“Congratulations. The data you obtained on Nizon is very
revealing, so much so that I fear that once the Empire realizes it has
been compromised, they will take steps to invalidate it. I’m afraid
that time is not on our side.
“Thanks to you, we now know the origin of the Sarlacc Project,
if not its final purpose.” The Admiral signals the droid, and the
holoprojector activates, showing a very familiar city-planet. “I
suppose we should not be surprised that the project’s origin and
design team resides on Imper—I mean, Coruscant. I do not believe
that the entire project is housed there, given the casualty figures I
have seen in my former Imperial life. However, it is apparent from
the new data that the project is controlled from somewhere in this
area.”
The Admiral waves at the droid, and the view zooms to the
planet’s surface, highlighting a large district that includes some of
the Empire’s most important governmental structures, such as the
Imperial Senate. “Unfortunately, we do not have an exact fix on the
building or agency directly responsible for the project. The leads we
have are impossible to pursue remotely. Therefore, we must send you
in as soon as possible.”
Captain Verana speaks in a serious tone. “Before we delve into
the details, you should know that our benefactor has fully
authorized this mission, and he wanted me to personally assure you
of its importance.”
The holoprojector zooms out to show thousands of starships,
space stations, and satellites orbiting or approaching Coruscant.
“Coruscant is, of course, the center of the Empire. If you have not
been to the system since the days of the Republic, the amount of
traffic and the level of security may astound you. Peace and order,
even under an oppressive government, have brought new
opportunities to corporations and individuals throughout the galaxy.
Between the prosperity of the Core Worlds and the rebuilding of the
planets damaged by the Clone Wars, traffic to Coruscant has
increased many times what it was only a few years ago. Security has
also increased, so it will be vital that you have the proper
documentation and permits to approach the system and land at a
suitable port. I will provide this for you.”
With that, the Admiral finally takes a seat, leaving the
holoprojector on as a nearly silent reminder of your final
destination. “Now, I’m sure you have additional questions.”
4
The following questions should be answered by the Admiral; however,
Captain Verana may interject when needed.
Admiral Varth
•
Why should we do this for you?
“We would hope that by now you are fully dedicated to
discovering and stopping this project. However, we have been
authorized to provide you with 5,000 credits each and
equipment and weaponry available from the Resurgence’s
stores to replace those that you lost on Nizon. We may also
repair your ship, if required.”
Captain Verana
•
When do we leave?
“As soon as you’re ready—hopefully, within the next 24
hours.”
•
Where will we stay on Coruscant?
“We arranged docking at the Cloudscape Platforms, a private
starport used by Core World travelers and small-scale
merchants. I highly recommend finding some
accommodations elsewhere. That way, if you draw the
attention of the ISB, they may not immediately locate your
ship.”
•
How do we get to Coruscant?
“You should take your own ship. If your ship is unavailable for
some reason, we can provide you with an unarmed small
light freighter. In either case, we will provide the required
licenses. Any borrowed ships must be returned to us.” The
provided freighter is a battered YT-1300 called the Onderon
Sky; use the statistics of the standard YT-1300 on page 182
of the Saga Edition Core Rulebook (minus the laser cannon).
•
How do we find the source of the Sarlacc Project?
“An excellent question. The best we can provide is several
starting points. For instance, we’ve discovered that the
Sarlacc Project data is broadcast in a specific frequency
range. You may be able to locate the source, but it will not
be easy. It is likely a tight-beam transmission to some sort of
messenger droid or secret receiving station. We have also
identified individuals whose names have shown up on
communiqués and delivery reports. One is ISB Agent Lesan
Dos, whose exact connection to the project is unknown. It
was also discovered that routing codes pertaining to a
protocol droid called CZ-3T6 have been discovered on many
outgoing messages. The final possibility is a Sullustan called
Resh, who was a former associate of Darga the Hutt and tied
into the Hutt’s material delivery services. If you can locate
one or more of these individuals, they may be able to lead
you in the right direction.”
•
What should we expect when approaching Coruscant?
“You should expect tight security when approaching the
planet. You must enter the system near a designated
hyperspace buoy and contact Imperial Center control
immediately. Remember to call it Imperial Center. They will
direct you to an approved spacelane to your requested
starport. Do not deviate from this flight path. Assume that
you are always under surveillance, even though it is unlikely
to be focused on you. With the credentials we’re providing,
you should not expect any trouble. However, it is always
possible that Imperial customs will see fit to inspect the
vessel, either by sensors or singling you out for boarding. I
highly recommend that you do nothing to draw attention to
yourselves. There are literally thousands of Imperial military
vessels in the system, so any combat is likely to end swiftly
and extremely badly for you.”
•
What do we do when we find the source of the Sarlacc
Project?
“You must find and infiltrate the source, discover exactly
what the project is, and learn where it is located. Relay any
vital data through our benefactor’s contacts on Coruscant,
then send what you can back to the Resurgence.”
Imperial Center
Despite the Admiral’s ominous warnings, the heroes’ jump to Coruscant
starts without any issues. The navigation data is excellent (less than one
week old). Once the heroes arrive in-system, an unusual combination of
circumstances might make them uncomfortable and a bit nervous. You
should play this up at any opportunity.
Arrival
When the heroes arrive at hyperspace buoy IC-772, a quick scan (DC 15
Use Computer check) reveals a scene much like what was on the
holoprojector. Hundreds of ships are in the area, following specific
spacelanes from the buoy to their ultimate destinations. The standard
Message to Spacers (METSOP) directs incoming ships to immediately
contact Imperial Center control. If they linger too long, they receive a
stern hail from one of the space traffic control droids requesting
identification and destination, after which the heroes are ordered to
Imperial Center Approach Vector ICAV-7A, lest they become an obstacle
for incoming ships. In fact, the heroes should realize that a new ship
drops from hyperspace near the buoy once every few minutes.
As the heroes approach the spacelane, their ship’s collision warning
abruptly sounds. An enormous Action VI bulk transport drops out of
hyperspace out of position and crosses their path at an odd angle. An
immediate DC 25 Pilot check is required to avoid a glancing collision off
the ship’s stern (the ship is treated as a mobile hazard in starship scale
(page 173, Saga Edition Core Rulebook). If the ships collide, the heroes’
ship takes 4d10+10 points of damage (reducing the normal collision
damage due to the glancing blow). A collision also attracts the attention
•
How good are our credentials, licenses, and papers?
“Between my own expertise and resources of Captain Verana,
we have assembled all the proper licenses and permits,
altered for your specific vessel. Our highly placed contacts
will enter this data into the BoSS systems before you depart.
If you’re using your own vessel, we must make a couple of
alterations to your sublight drive to make sure the
transponders match. The alteration should be detectable only
if someone actually physically examines your transponder. All
licenses will be in your proper names, or in alternative
identities if you already have ones that can withstand direct
Imperial scrutiny.”
5
•
What were you (Admiral Varth) going to say instead of
‘Coruscant’? (in the boxed text)
“Sorry, but some habits die hard. I was about to refer to
Coruscant as Imperial Center, which of course is its formal
Imperial name.” (This is a minor hint as to Varth’s ultimate
loyalty.)
•
How will we know the benefactor’s agents if they contact us?
Admiral Varth says, “I’m not exactly sure. I’m told that it may
be somebody you have worked with before.” Sometime after
the briefing when the Admiral is not around, Captain Verana
tells the heroes that Tero Reskan will be their contact. He
also gives them a comlink code and the sign/countersign “We
broke our droid./ I hope you meant to.” The Captain makes it
clear that this information is extremely sensitive, and the
heroes are not to reveal the name or passwords to anyone,
including the Admiral. There is always the possibility of
Imperial spies aboard the Resurgence.
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