The Starstones Campaign.
Thanks to Mark Wayne Adams for the original idea that inspired this.
Earth has suffered a succession of bizarre and impressive meteor showers, caused by previously unknown space debris. Although most of the meteors burned up in the atmosphere, numerous small rocks survived to hit the surface of the planet. Four main "fall zones" have been identified, one ran across the South Pacific, the second across Antarctica, the third ran across central Africa and the fourth (and longest) ran from the Austrian Alps to the Sinai Desert.
Scientific investigation of the meteorites has revealed them to contain a previously unknown mineral, which appears to be an unprecedented source of power. Exactly how to harness this energy is currently unknown. Research was somewhat curtailed when almost simultaneous explosions in laboratories in Berlin and St Petersburg, and at an international conference in New York, eliminated almost half the world's experts in the field (along with a large part of Manhattan Island).
All HM Government operatives have been instructed to obtain any meteorites (commonly referred to as "Starstones") they encounter. It is also essential to prevent Starstones falling into the hands of foreign powers.
Unfortunately, the politics of the Balkans, where a large number of Starstones are thought to have fallen, is particularly volatile. As well as local governments/warlords/bandits, who may simply be after the meteorites to sell to the highest bidder, agents of various European powers have flooded into the region. In particular HM operatives should be aware of agents from the Ottoman Empire and Prussia (since the steam machines of Prussia destroyed the Austrian Army in the 1866 "Seven Days War", the Hapsburg Empire has effectively become a Prussian vassal state).
Full background is on the blog link
reveals a long-lost Martian tripod.
