The Modern Adventure: Document Q
That Cepheus Modern story ...
I have always wanted to come back to that modern story I began here.
To recap:-
The date is today. The location - Planet Earth. Britain. Some lonely wintery scene, driving along an all-but-empty motorway. It’s almost Christmas, and the sun set about an hour ago. It’s pouring down, windy, freezing, and you’re driving along this motorway, nothing but your dog in the passenger seat for company.
Oh, and you are on the run. Not from who … from what.
Ahead, an exit ramp looms. You head a beep from your phone. It’s resting on the dashboard. An arrow shines on the inside of the windscreen. You’re to go left, along the exit ramp and off the motorway.
You follow the off-ramp. The road is narrow and dark. Too dark. All the streetlights are broken. Deliberately.
Headlights shine ahead of you. Two vehicles, blocking both lanes of the road. You can’t make out what the vehicles are, other than they are both cars, not vans or lorries. You stop the car. Your dog’s ears prick up. It raises its head.
Shadowy figures emerge from between the vehicles and approach you. You realise that they are armed with actual guns.
A hard, metallic object taps against the driver’s side windscreen. You look down the barrel of a pistol. A masculine voice calmly says “Get out!”
And now, the story continues.
I’m using Cepheus Modern for the characters, but the storytelling will be using Lightspress Principia’s core rulebook Principia Canonica, which was successfully launched on Kickstarter on Tuesday March 24, 2026.
Because the genre of this adventure is based firmly in Mystery, there are two Mystery-themed supplements to look at:- Foundations Of Mystery, RPG plot hooks and scenarios, and Modern Archetypes: Mystery, character profiles for running as player characters or antagonists, or to fit into supporting roles. On Clue And Consequence is also useful.
Foundational Philosophy
The foundational philosophy of Principia Canonica is this. Story begins with an instability already present. This instability cannot be allowed to stand. Events are already in motion, and the characters’ first actions can direct that action. Even if they do nothing or refuse, their indecision has a consequence, as events take an undesired turn which comes back to face them.
Document Q
Your dog growls at the uncouth man pounding the grip of his gun on your glass. The barrel of the gun points at the dog, as if to send a warning to you.
‘Don’t you dare shoot Rex!’
The gun pivots to your face. ‘Then get out of the car, Miss.’ The voice is neutral, but firm.
You open the door. The wielder of the gun could have opened it at any time, but he was making very clear that this was something you had to do.
‘Turn around,’ said the firm voice. ‘Hands on the roof of the car. Legs spread apart.’ You feel his foot kick your legs apart, forcing you to stand with a wide stance, leaning against the car.
‘Sit, Rex,’ you say, as you see shadowy figures emerge from outside the cone of light from your car headlights. You catch glimpses of khaki and dull metal. More guns, this time what look like assault rifles.
‘Keep staring ahead of you,’ says the voice. ‘You can turn when I tell you. Right now, I am going to have to cuff you.’
Sure enough, you feel hands yank your arms behind your back. There is the zip of a zip tie, binding your wrists in place.
‘Now you can turn,’ says the voice. You turn, but briefly you notice something unusual.
Rex is not growling. Rather, he is sitting up on the driver’s seat, his tail wagging.
‘Tell me,’ says the voice. ‘Where have you hidden Document Q?’
And now you recognise who the voice belongs to …
To be continued