INSIDE THE FORKED TONGUE
The Forked Tongue is chaos with rules.
Bass pounds through your chest as holographic light fractures across chrome and sweat-slick skin. Dancers move beneath glitching projections. Private booths line the walls like predator blinds, guarded and shadowed.
Gambling tables glow with embedded screens. Credits change hands fast—sometimes willingly, sometimes not.
Everyone here is watching everyone else.
And now they’re watching you.
(Pause. Let players react.)
WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON (GM ONLY)
Word of the street hit is already circulating
Some patrons recognize the crew
Silas is monitoring the room remotely
The club’s staff quietly evaluates threats and assets
This scene determines how Silas receives them.
POSSIBLE INTERACTIONS
Use any that fit your table. Do not force all of them.
INTERACTION: THE BARTENDER
Vibe: World-weary, sharp, observant
Knows: Silas’s moods, recent rumors
READ-ALOUD (OPTIONAL)
“You’re early. Or late. Hard to tell these days.”
Roll (Optional):
Empathy + Observation or Persuasion
Success:
Gain 1 Leverage Token
Learn: “Silas hates desperation. Come correct or don’t come at all.”
Failure:
No leverage
Bartender clams up
INTERACTION: RIVAL RUNNERS
A group of runners recognizes the crew.
READ-ALOUD (OPTIONAL)
“Didn’t expect to see you walking around free after that stunt.”
Options:
Trade insults
Flex competence
Buy them drinks
Intimidate quietly
Roll (Optional):
Presence/Empathy + appropriate social skill
Success:
Gain 1 Leverage Token
Rival backs down or spreads respect
Failure:
Lose face
Future complication (they may interfere later)
INTERACTION: GAMBLING TABLES
High-stakes, fast-turn games.
Roll:
Wits + Observation (or equivalent)
Success:
Gain credits or rep
Gain 1 Leverage Token
Failure:
Lose credits
Attract attention from someone who wants repayment
INTERACTION: PERSONAL GHOST
Someone from a PC’s past appears:
Ex-lover
Old creditor
Burned contact
No roll required.
GM GOAL:
Personalize the city
Outcome:
May grant leverage or create debt.
IF THINGS GO LOUD
Violence does not escalate into a firefight
Security intervenes instantly
Offenders are removed quietly
Reputation suffers
Optional Line from Security:
“Take it outside.”
Zeke
Zeke
Dry humor
Speaks softly
Never rushed
Remembers everything
Zeke doesn’t judge — he catalogs.
“You want the truth, or you want another drink?”
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Eyes Everywhere – If Zeke has observed a target for a full round, he gains +1 to Insight or Manipulation against them.
Equipment
- Chemical Pouches (stims, sedatives, antitoxins)
Cyberware
- Neural Comms
- Cyber arms – gives him +1 action if it includes his arms
GM Notes
No One Touches the Bartender
Any violence against Zeke immediately alerts:
Malik “Velvet” Graves
All nearby bouncers
Response is swift and disproportionate.
Trent Briggs
Trent Briggs
Smug, performative charm
Frames himself as “misunderstood”
Pretends he’s over it — absolutely isn’t
Loves being seen near important people
“Relax. We’re adults, right?”
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Unwanted Familiarity – Automatically knows one embarrassing or emotionally loaded detail about Dr. Selene “Doc” Aras that he will casually reference in public.
- Social Gravity Once per scene, Trent can force a social interaction to continue even when it should naturally end.
Equipment
- Designer jacket he won’t stop adjusting
- Smart shades (tinted lenses, AR notifications)
- Personal datapad with old messages he definitely rereads
- Expensive drink he barely touches
GM Notes
Coward at Heart
If physically threatened or directly confronted with consequences, he backs down immediately.
Bad Timing
Always appears at the worst possible moment.
Greenlight
Greenlight
Axel loves the club like a living organism —
the crowd is his instrument.
Attributes
Skills
Equipment
- Signal Scrambler (low-grade; disrupts wireless comms on the floor)
- Club Control Tablet (lights, fog, bass cannons, shutters)
Cyberware
- Neural DJ Rig (direct brain-to-mix interface)
- Crowd Biofeedback HUD (heart rate, aggression, excitement overlays)
- Encrypted Comms (hardline to Velvet, Zeke, bouncers)
GM Notes
GM Use Notes
Axel is an early warning system
He can escalate or defuse scenes without combat
If taken out, the club becomes unstable fast
If Velvet runs the door and Zeke runs the bar, Greenlight runs the night.
Mr. Voss
Mr. Voss
Calm to the point of discomfort
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Long Memory – Once per scene, Voss may force a PC he knows to: Hesitate, Reveal emotional tells, or Take −1 on a social roll involving lies or intimidation
Weapons
- Concealed Micro-Pistol
Equipment
- Old Corp Credential Chip
Cyberware
- Neural Recorder
GM Notes
This is a social confrontation, not a combat encounter
He should make the PC doubt past choices
He may demand:
Public apology
A favor that hurts
Or patience… which is worse
If things turn violent, Velvet will intervene immediately — and Voss knows it.
Ledger
Ledger
The man who runs the numbers — and decides who still adds up.
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Measured Presence – Ledger gains +1 die on Manipulation or Insight rolls in tense social encounters where violence is possible but not inevitable.
Weapons
- Concealed Heavy Pistol
Armor
Adaptive Longcoat
Equipment
- Ghost ID Chips
Cyberware
- Neural Comms
- Subvocal Mic
GM Notes
Crew Before Ego
If combat breaks out and Ledger is present, rival runners:
Act with coordination
Avoid reckless moves
Attempt flanking or withdrawal over brute force
Eyes on the Room
Ledger always knows:
Where exits are
Who’s watching him
Who’s bluffing
Noodles
Noodles
Always chewing
Rarely looks directly at people
Talks around mouthfuls
Never apologizes
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Overwatch Brain – If he line of sight for a full round: He gains +1 die on his next Firearms roll
- Low-Affect Killer – cannot be intimidated through threats of violence. He’s already imagined the outcome.
Weapons
- Compact SMG
Armor
Thermal-lined Jacket
Equipment
- Spare Mag Harness
- Always Food
Cyberware
- Smart-Linked Optics
GM Notes
Noodles should feel unbothered
He doesn’t posture or threaten
Violence escalates around him, not because of him
If the PCs notice him eating, it’s a warning sign.
Switchblade
Switchblade
Fast-talking
Easily bored
Drinks constantly
Treats danger like a puzzle
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Parallel Processing – May: Hack and observe in the same round, or control a drone while remaining socially engaged
- Drone Eyes – As long as at least one drone is active: He cannot be surprised, his crew gains +1 to Observation-related actions
Equipment
- 2–3 Recon / Interdiction Drones
- Signal Jammer & Spoofer
- Chemical Stims (focus, calm, pain suppression)
- Encrypted Goggles / Visor
Cyberware
- Neural Cyberdeck Rig
- Back-Mounted Auxiliary Cyberarm
GM Notes
He should feel everywhere
PCs may not realize he’s involved until systems start failing
He’s the first to retreat if things go loud — not cowardice, priority
Gaiden
Gaiden
Quiet
Polite
Speaks only when necessary
Apologizes before breaking bones
He believes violence is a service, not a pleasure.
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Shock Entry – When Gravel initiates melee: Targets suffer −1 on their first reaction roll
Weapons
- Reinforced Knuckle Bracers
Armor
Subdermal Armor Weave
Equipment
- Heavy Utility Belt
Cyberware
- Neural Pain Dampener
GM Notes
GM Use Notes
Gravel should end scenes, not dominate them
His presence alone can resolve conflicts
If he moves toward someone, everyone notices
Ghoststep
Ghoststep
Focused
Respectful, even to enemies
Speaks only when something needs to be said
She believes fighting is a language —
and most people speak it poorly.
Attributes
Skills
Talents
- Flow Step – If Ghoststep successfully dodges or counters an attack: She gains +1 die on her next Close Combat action
- Redirection – Once per encounter, Ghoststep may: Redirect an enemy’s melee attack onto another nearby target, or force an attacker prone instead of dealing damage
Weapons
- Shock-Weave Gloves
Armor
Light Armor Clothing
Equipment
- Reactive Footing Boots
Cyberware
- Subdermal Reflex Boosters
- Neural Comms
GM Notes
Ghoststep should neutralize, not slaughter
She excels in tight spaces and chaotic scenes
Pairs terrifyingly well with Gaiden or Noodles
SILAS ARRIVES
The music dips—just for a moment.
A ripple passes through the club. Conversations soften. Eyes shift.
A massive figure enters the VIP section, purple synth-silk suit immaculate beneath the neon glare. A gold datajack gleams at his temple, holo-displays flickering near his drink.
He does not look at you.
He doesn’t need to.
A message pings your comms simultaneously.
VIP. Now.
SCENE END CONDITION
Leverage Tokens are tallied
The crew is summoned
The social groundwork is set
SCENE PURPOSE
- Let players breathe without relaxing
- Give them opportunities to earn leverage
- Introduce social risk and reputation play
- Seed future complications and allies
This scene is about choice and consequence, not spectacle.
RULES NOTES
SCENE STRUCTURE
Allow the crew to attempt up to TWO meaningful interactions before Silas arrives.
Each successful interaction grants:
- +1 Leverage Token
Leverage Tokens can be spent later to:
- Gain +1 die in the Silas negotiation
- Cancel a complication
- Unlock a narrative advantage
Track them openly or secretly — GM’s choice.
- Success: Entry granted
- Failure: Entry denied (temporarily)
Failure does not mean violence.
SOCIAL PLAY
- Do not over-roll this scene
- Let good roleplay succeed
- Use dice only when outcome is uncertain
Stress:
- No automatic Stress gain here
- Gain +1 Stress only if a PC is publicly humiliated or threatened