Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: Thermo on <12-24-11/0841:37>
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THE BEGINNING
Seems like every other job these days has to do with tempo, drugs, or the fallout from the recent “restructuring” of the criminal underworld. It’s been a dangerous few months, with every major and minor player in the sprawl fighting tooth-and-nail for their place. Even the news is obsessed with tempo, and it seems like right now, every trid channel is covering yet another tempo-fueled crime spree. Outside, the acid rain is pouring down, and the automated weather service has just put out a warning on the chance of sleet tonight. All in all, it’s a miserable Saturday morning. Wouldn’t it be nice to just get away from it all?
While you’re buried under those pleasant thoughts, a familiar number pings you in AR. It’s your fixer. If you want to eat, you gotta work, so you answer the call.
“Hey, I got a special request from a Ms. Johnson. Seems she has a need for a team to accompany her on a trip overseas. Someplace tropical, she says. If you’re interested, she wants to meet tonight, at the 77 Club in Renton. She’s got a room reserved for 5 o’clock. Here’s the address, and a code to broadcast when you get there. Let me know if you’re not interested, because I might take the damn offer myself.”
Before you have a chance to reply, you hear the familiar 'click' of someone punching the disconnect call button and the line goes silent.
What do you do?
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A tropical region sounded very nice to Hyena, so she sent a confirmation of attendance to her fixer. In Lagos she was used to acid rain, but at least there the rain was warm. It was like she had never been warm since she had come to this god-forsaken place. Before she went there, she did a quick matrix search for the club, just the public website. What she saw there made her wear her best clothes and carry only her knife and a pistol. The rest of her weaponry she left at home, or at least the small one-bedroom appartment she was renting. At least it was a luxury suite compared to the place she had grown up in.
Trying to be there a bit early, like five to ten minutes, she first looked at the outside in the astral space to check out the barrier that most likely was there. Then she broadcast the code that was given to her and entered.
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After doing a search for the club's public matrix location, it is quickly apparent that there simply isn't one. If there is one, it must be hidden from view to all non-members.
A matrix search on the club reveals the following information, posted by a blogger on Shadowland forums:
"77 takes the privacy and security of its members very seriously. The place is as tight as a drum on all levels: Matrix security, scramblers and shielding to block incoming and outgoing signals, and airtight magical wards. Wireless comms are not prohibited, and there’s an active network inside the club, but connections to the outside world are strictly hardwired and secured. It makes 77 a popular place for those with means to get together privately and to conduct business."
-Kat o’ Nine Tales
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Lost blinked out of sleep when he heard his commlink going off. Fumbling for it, a heavily tattooed hand snatched the comm up so he could answer it. Blinking at the abrupt end of the call, the elf groaned his way out of bed, trundling into the bathroom.
"Too... early... for this..."
After taking care of his usual wake-up routine in the bathroom, the elf suits himself up; the form-fitting body armor went on underneath a casual outfit of neat shirt, pressed pants and polished shoes. It also wound up covering most of his tattoos, something he swore silently at himself about. He'd gotten inked just so he could show off the contrast between skin and ink... and now he was covering it all up.
"Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate... all my hate," Lost growled, flipping off the obscured sun through the window as he fitted the shirt's collar and tucked its hem into his pants. His commlink slid easily into a pocket, and he pulled the rubberframe goggles on over his head. "All my hate," he repeated, flipping the hidden sun off again. "At least you don't hurt as bad with these on, or while it's raining."
His only concessions to the "business casual" look; he slid his foci onto his hands, the finger-sheath around his left index, the ring about his right pinky. Finally, he sent confirmation. I'll be there. Like I need any more sun. Know anyone selling chang med-grade sunblock? I get a feeling I'll need a few tubes wherever 'tropical' winds up being. Hook me up, braddah.
And if it's to Hawai'i, I'll introduce Ms. Johnson to my special friend, Mr. Stunbolt, he adds to himself.
He binds his crimson hair into a ponytail and places a call to a taxi service. Like hell I'm going out in that crap without a ride. I'll just have the guy drop me off a block or two away. Scooping up an umbrella near the door - I have got to start buying chemically-resistant umbrellas. These things just die after a few minutes in the rain. Oh well, at least it'll keep me from getting wet. - he heads downstairs to wait for the taxi, checking the time as he goes. Even if he winds up being early, he can at least hang out and have a few drinks... probably.
He switches his SIN to his incognito - Seito Kaiba - and settles down to wait for the taxi just inside the doorway of his upscale apartment complex. Once it arrives, he darts out in the rain, shielding his shielded eyes from the ambient light, wincing even as he did so, with the umbrella popped up over him. He gives the driver a street name two streets over from Club 77, transfers cred from his account into the company's once the cab arrives, and hoofs it under the umbrella before it disintegrates beneath the rain, changing his SIN to Deis Davros as he goes.
Not even bothering to assense the place first, he transmits the code so he can enter, tossing the umbrella into the first garbage can he sees and straightening out his clothing before allowing himself a good look around.
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“Hey, I got a special request from a Ms. Johnson. Seems she has a need for a team to accompany her on a trip overseas. Someplace tropical, she says. If you’re interested, she wants to meet tonight, at the 77 Club in Renton. She’s got a room reserved for 5 o’clock. Here’s the address, and a code to broadcast when you get there. Let me know if you’re not interested, because I might take the damn offer myself.”
Why, in God's name there always has to be some Johnson? Mister Johnson, Miss Johnson. Fuck me.
Dwarf rolled from the bed, and take a look on the possible suits to wear. I got oil stained armor, and yes the same oil stained armor
He tried to remind himself his last talk with someone. Virtuagirls do not count You need to socialize, buy yourself a suit or something. That was Dave or Tom or Jenny ... probably He forgot. That was about the time new generation of commlinks went out. Who would be buying new suit by then?
He looked at himself in the mirror. Skinny, short. You're the champ, mister he dressed up, took the gear but left all the restricted ones.
He headed for the meeting point. The bouncer asked for name and he got "Mr. Fuck Off", he got irritated, but let him nevertheless. There was a meeting with "Ms. Johnson" and he was invited, so there wasn't much he could do. Jerry walked in...
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The sound of his 'link going off woke Iceblade. Slipping out from underneath the two women who were sharing his bed this morning, he slipped on his glasses, and took the call.
"77? Yeah, I know it. May be good to get out out of the sprawl for a while. Tell the Johnson I'll take the meet."
Unlike most runners, Iceblade was the kind of person who hid in plain sight when not on the job. Formerly a Count of Tir Tairngir, he played up the image of the renegade noble. He had a layer of cover stories in place, of course, like any decent runner, playing off one another in a web. He was the playboy noble exile. He was a high end male escort, a favorite of ladies who enjoyed having a handsome elf at their beck and call. He was a bodyguard at need, combining spells and steel to protect the ladies he 'escorted'. And he was a shadowrunner.
Getting up, he walked out of the bedroom of his spacious home, not bothering to get dressed as went to the living room where the curtains were still open in front of the large windows. It was one of the little things he did to ingratiate himself to the neighbors. He picked up the wooden bokken from where it leaned against the wall, and began his morning routine. He didn't have to look to know that the neighborhood housewives were watching. Here in the Elven District of Seattle, there were plenty of gorgeous people, but he knew the ladies enjoyed watching his morning workouts, and he pretended he didn't see them watching. It made them eager to do small favors for him from time to time. The reports that he was a noble exiled from the Tir, and worked as a high end male escort added to his allure, while keeping him just scandalous enough to not get asked to every single social function in the neighborhood. And no one wondered why he went off at odd hours. There were other benefits, as well. He'd made an easy thousand nuyen for little Sally Jones's eighteenth birthday, when she asked her parents to get a couple hours with him as her present. He'd named a price they could afford, told them it was a 'friend' rate because of the occasion, and gave the girl an experience she wouldn't soon forget.
By the time he was done with his workout, he heard Shannaleth and Roxy stirring in the bedroom. Well, he had enough in him for one more workout...
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At 4:45 exactly, Iceblade rolled up to 77 Club, under his fake SIN, Rahki Darkholme. The name was a private joke, and only a few people would know its significance. He had decided on wearing his Zoe Heritage Line armored clothes to the meet. As he got out of the cab, he the colors changed from green to a mix of blue and black. The 'Traditional Tir' look was a couple years out of date, but was still classy enough to get into any club in this or any sprawl. His only weapon at the moment was the swordcane he carried by his side.
He didn't need to use the code to get in, since he was a member (he was a member of any club worth speaking of in the sprawl), but he broadcast it anyways, to keep to form. Plus, it would get him directed to the proper table to meet with Ms. Johnson.
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You're the champ, mister
He headed for the meeting point. The bouncer asked for name and he got "Mr. Fuck Off", he got irritated, but let him nevertheless. There was a meeting with "Ms. Johnson" and he was invited, so there wasn't much he could do. Jerry walked in...
The bouncer, an utterly enormous troll wearing a high-end armored business suit, puts a hand on your chest as you try to walk past. It feels like walking into a chunk of stone protruding from a building. With the speed of his reaction and the mass of his arm, you suspect that he's got some kind of wired reflexes and probably heavy-duty bone density augmentation as well.
"You're obviously not a member. If you haven't got an invitation, you have no business here. I suggest you mind your manners, as you are wearing out my patience."
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the hand on the chest was a surprise...
How do you know I am not a member? I haven't had such an urge politeness in years, this must be your charm's doing. Dwarf summoned an AR with invitation Can I now humbly beg for permission to enter, I don't know the proper procedure, crawling, boot licking maybe?
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@Iceblade:
You arrive a few minutes early for the meet, which you believe to be the most professional approach. You have to double-check the location, as it isn't what you were expecting. You thought that you'd been invited to every single exclusive club in the city, but you realize that you were very much mistaken. The club looks unassuming from the outside, but you realize that you’re being scrutinized the moment you step up to the door. You broadcast the code to enter the club and the enormous troll bouncer gives you a look up and down. You see a glint in his eye and realize that he's using a scanner to check you for obvious weapons or offensive cyberware. He gives you a nod and allows you to enter, stepping aside so you can walk through the nondescript metal door.
You walk into a small foyer with a desk and a sharply dressed elf sitting behind it. In addition to the door you entered from, there are doors to your left, to your right, and directly behind the elf. The foyer is paneled with expensive real wood, but the acoustics of the room tell you that there's something much more substantial behind it. The elf smiles and tells you that all visitors, even members, are scanned for recording devices, weapons, and offensive cyberware, and asks your permission to conduct a scan. You nod in approval, not seeing much of a choice. The scanner is mounted in a decorative chandelier directly overhead, and when it turns on you are bathed in a greenish light. Separate scanners hidden in wall-mounted sconces shoot similar beams of light at your person.
The elf checks his AR readout and frowns slightly. He politely asks you to allow him to check your weapons. He sends over a read-only AR message that indicates the club, through a third-party shell company, is fully bonded and insured with respect to members' and guests' personal belongings up to a value of one million nuyen. He opens the door behind him and removes a long padded case which was clearly designed to hold a sword or similarly-sized weapon. He places a thumb on a small black square and asks you to do the same on a similarly placed black square, which you realize is part of a sophisticated biometric lock.
What do you do?
@Lost:
You arrive more than a few minutes early for the meet. You have to double-check the location, as it isn't what you were expecting. The club looks unassuming from the outside, but you realize that you’re being scrutinized the moment you step up to the door. You broadcast the code to enter the club and the enormous troll bouncer gives you a look up and down. You see a glint in his eye and realize that he's using a scanner to check you for obvious weapons or offensive cyberware. He gives you a nod and allows you to enter, stepping aside so you can walk through the nondescript metal door.
You walk into a small foyer with a desk and a sharply dressed elf sitting behind it. In addition to the door you entered from, there are doors to your left, to your right, and directly behind the elf. The foyer is paneled with expensive real wood, but the acoustics of the room tell you that there's something much more substantial behind it. The elf smiles and tells you that all visitors, even members, are scanned for recording devices, weapons, and offensive cyberware, and asks your permission to conduct a scan. You nod in approval, not seeing much of a choice. The scanner is mounted in a decorative chandelier directly overhead, and when it turns on you are bathed in a greenish light. Separate scanners hidden in wall-mounted sconces shoot similar beams of light at your person.
The elf checks his AR readout of the results and nods satisfactorily. He tells you that your outfit doesn't quite meet the dress code, but that the scanner has determined your exact sportcoat size. He opens one of the doors behind him and pulls out an expensive Zoe sportcoat. You put it on and it fits perfectly. Again, the elf nods satisfactorily, and opens the door to your right.
"Welcome to 77, Sir. Enjoy your evening."
A gorgeous hostess in a skin-tight cocktail dress leads you into the club proper. It’s quiet, and the aroma of cigar smoke, expensive rum, and money drifts through the air. In private rooms, you catch glimpses of a few famous faces—Mafia dons rubbing elbows with trid stars and high-ranking corporate officials. The hostess leads you down a couple of wood-paneled corridors to a small room and asks if she can bring you any refreshments.
OOC: Feel free to order a drink and look around for a moment, the rest of the team should be arriving shortly.
@Hyena:
You arrive a short few minutes early for the meet. You have to double-check the location, as it isn't what you were expecting. The club looks unassuming from the outside, but you realize that you’re being scrutinized the moment you step up to the door. You scan for astral wards and you see that there is a powerful ward surrounding the entire building. You broadcast the code to enter the club and the enormous troll bouncer gives you a look up and down. You see a glint in his eye and realize that he's using a scanner to check you for obvious weapons or offensive cyberware. He gives you a nod and allows you to enter, stepping aside so you can walk through the nondescript metal door.
You walk into a small foyer with a desk and a sharply dressed elf sitting behind it. In addition to the door you entered from, there are doors to your left, to your right, and directly behind the elf. The foyer is paneled with expensive real wood, but the acoustics of the room tell you that there's something much more substantial behind it. The elf smiles and tells you that all visitors, even members, are scanned for recording devices, weapons, and offensive cyberware, and asks your permission to conduct a scan. You nod in approval, not seeing much of a choice. The scanner is mounted in a decorative chandelier directly overhead, and when it turns on you are bathed in a greenish light. Separate scanners hidden in wall-mounted sconces shoot similar beams of light at your person.
The elf checks his AR readout and frowns slightly. He politely asks you to allow him to check your weapons. He sends over a read-only AR message that indicates the club, through a third-party shell company, is fully bonded and insured with respect to members' and guests' personal belongings up to a value of one million nuyen. He opens the door behind him and removes a rectangular padded case which was clearly designed to hold a pistol or similarly-sized weapon. He places a thumb on a small black square and asks you to do the same on a similarly placed black square, which you realize is part of a sophisticated biometric lock.
What do you do?
@Jerry:
After lowering your head and storming past the troll, you walk through a nondescript metal door which the troll holds open for you. You get the sense that the troll is all business and has already forgotten about you, just another customer. He's undoubtedly dealt with worse.
You walk into a small foyer with a desk and a sharply dressed elf sitting behind it. In addition to the door you entered from, there are doors to your left, to your right, and directly behind the elf. The foyer is paneled with expensive real wood, but the acoustics of the room tell you that there's something much more substantial behind it. The elf smiles and tells you that all visitors, even members, are scanned for recording devices, weapons, and offensive cyberware, and asks your permission to conduct a scan. You nod in approval, not seeing much of a choice. The scanner is mounted in a decorative chandelier directly overhead, and when it turns on you are bathed in a greenish light. Separate scanners hidden in wall-mounted sconces shoot similar beams of light at your person.
The elf checks his AR readout of the results and nods satisfactorily. He informs you that the club has an extremely strict policy on recording while in the club, and with that in mind he tells you that you are expected to keep your goggles powered off. He tells you that your outfit doesn't quite meet the dress code, but that the scanner has determined your exact sportcoat size. He opens one of the doors behind him and pulls out an expensive Mortimer of London sportcoat. You put it on and it fits perfectly. Again, the elf nods satisfactorily, and opens the door to your right.
"Welcome to 77, Sir. Enjoy your evening."
A gorgeous hostess in a skin-tight cocktail dress leads you into the club proper. It’s quiet, and the aroma of cigar smoke, expensive rum, and money drifts through the air. In private rooms, you catch glimpses of a few famous faces—Mafia dons rubbing elbows with trid stars and high-ranking corporate officials. The hostess leads you down a couple of wood-paneled corridors to a small room and asks if she can bring you any refreshments.
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The idea of checking his weapons at the door wasn't unusual. As a combat mage, though, he did feel ill at ease without a blade by his side. With a sigh, he hefted the cane, and, after submitting to the biometric scan for the lock, placed it in the case. Business was business, afterall, and he wasn't going to let this distract him from getting what appeared to be well paying work in a warmer location.
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Not really an unusual thing and she could do something in hand-to-hand should it become necessary. Those conceilable holsters in her suit wasn't all that good against a scanner apparently. She took out her pistol and blade and placed them into the case, after which she placed her thumb on the biometric lock. Besides, if things 'wandered off', it would make the club look bad and most members wouldn't like it, so she was fairly certain her stuff would be there when she returned. And lastly, a pistol and a knife were replacable.
She straightened the jacket of her suit and waited a bit, in case he wanted to do a rescan.
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@Iceblade
The idea of checking his weapons at the door wasn't unusual. As a combat mage, though, he did feel ill at ease without a blade by his side. With a sigh, he hefted the cane, and, after submitting to the biometric scan for the lock, placed it in the case. Business was business, afterall, and he wasn't going to let this distract him from getting what appeared to be well paying work in a warmer location.
After checking the weapon, the elf again nods satisfactorily and opens the door to the right. Your apparel apparently meets the club's strict dress code, you note with satisfaction.
"Welcome to 77, Sir. Enjoy your evening."
A gorgeous hostess in a skin-tight cocktail dress leads you into the club proper. It’s quiet, and the aroma of cigar smoke, expensive rum, and money drifts through the air. In private rooms, you catch glimpses of a few famous faces—Mafia dons rubbing elbows with trid stars and high-ranking corporate officials. The hostess leads you down a couple of wood-paneled corridors to a small room and asks if she can bring you any refreshments.[/spoiler]
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@Hyena:
Not really an unusual thing and she could do something in hand-to-hand should it become necessary. Those conceilable holsters in her suit wasn't all that good against a scanner apparently. She took out her pistol and blade and placed them into the case, after which she placed her thumb on the biometric lock. Besides, if things 'wandered off', it would make the club look bad and most members wouldn't like it, so she was fairly certain her stuff would be there when she returned. And lastly, a pistol and a knife were replacable.
She straightened the jacket of her suit and waited a bit, in case he wanted to do a rescan.
After checking the weapon, the elf again nods satisfactorily. He tells you that your outfit doesn't quite meet the dress code, but that the scanner has determined your exact coat size. He opens one of the doors behind him and pulls out an expensive Zoe coat. It fits perfectly.
"Welcome to 77, Miss. Enjoy your evening."
A hostess in a skin-tight cocktail dress leads you into the club proper. It’s quiet, and the aroma of cigar smoke, expensive rum, and money drifts through the air. In private rooms, you catch glimpses of a few famous faces—Mafia dons rubbing elbows with trid stars and high-ranking corporate officials. The hostess leads you down a couple of wood-paneled corridors to a small room and asks if she can bring you any refreshments.[/spoiler]
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He noted a few people he recognized from other clubs, nodding with a smile at one of the trid starlets he'd entertained at Dante's the other evening. But he was here for business, so even if he had time to play with the starlets, or the hostess, this wasn't the place for it. When the hostess asked his choice of refreshments, he said, "I'll take a glass of elven wine. A '45 red, if you have any." Iceblade smiled as he looked around. He would have to see about getting a membership to this place. There were a wealth of contacts to be made here.
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Lost fidgets uncomfortably in the sportcoat. This really, really isn't my style. The things I do for nuyen... laho kole is me. In the room, he takes a good look around before turning to the hostess.
"A shot of vodka, a cigarette and a light," he replies. If I've gotta wear this monkey suit, I might as well be comfortable some other way. Hey Kingy, you spot anything unusual about the room? As usual when that request is sent, he feels the skeletal touch of the Dark King folding around his shoulders and another pair of eyes settling into his, igniting a hyper-realistic state and starting a soft whisper of details into his ears. He scrutinizes the room while waiting for whoever else is supposed to show up to this meet, even letting his eyes unfocus and shift into the Astral before he lets the King go.
Perception check (9d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3313427/)
Assensing test (9d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3313428/)
With that, he waits for his booze and nicotine, looking around the room for a place to sit.
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Jerry heads straight at the meeting room.
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"Perrier, please," Hyena said to the girl. She wanted to keep a her head clear during the negotiations that would follow, so no alcohol yet. Maybe afterwards she could indulge, but let's try to show some professionalism first.
As the others came in, she did look at them in the astral, just to get an idea. The same went for Ms. Johnson.
assensing
intuition 4 + assensing 3 + enhanced perception 2= 9 (9d6.hits(5)=0, 9d6.hits(5)=5, 9d6.hits(5)=1, 9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3313562/)
Iceblade: 0 hits (critical glitch)
Lost: 5 hits
Jerry: 1 hit (glitch)
Ms. Johnson: 3 hits
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@Hyena
Your sight beyond sight can pretty easily tell that Lost is awakened. His astral form looks much like the physical, only it is genderless and nude, outlined with a black line that glows almost ominously - as does the finger-sheath, a health sustaining focus, and the ring on his pinky, a power focus, "stained" by his aura to shimmer with the same colors and emotions. He also feels more powerful than you magically (Magic 6), and his holistic health is equal to yours (Essence 6), which ties in nicely with the fact that you don't sense any kind of implants in his body. No astral signatures beyond this mar him, though you can almost swear you see something hovering behind him, a skeletal face obscured by a hooded cloak.
Also, you can tell he is bored, and perhaps slightly annoyed with having to wait around for so long for the rest of you to show up. Also, he is ever so slightly feeling the effects of the alcohol he has imbibed by now - which isn't a whole lot, just enough to be buzzed.
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OOC: Feel free to astrally describe your characters to Hyena, don't bother giving her too much detail since she had one cumulative hit between the two of you. I'll allow it because it gives you a chance to introduce your characters, so don't bother with the Spoiler window, even if there's a bit of metagaming involved. As for the glitches...
@Hyena:
As you look into the room, you see the astral figure of Ms. Johnson. She gives off no magical aura and does not appear to have any cyberware.
Before you have a chance to study her further you are startled by the sound of sirens. You turn and see three small cartoonish police cars racing towards you, each with an out-of-proportionally big siren on the top. They appear to be watcher spirits on patrol, no doubt conjured by the in-house security mages to patrol the hallways. Over tiny bullhorns, all three begin blaring their message in unison:
"Eavesdropping on Club Members is forbidden! Eavesdropping on Club Members is forbidden! Eavesdropping on Club Members is forbidden! Eavesdropping on Club Members is forbidden!"
In between the chaos, you see another spirit astrally glide around the corner. It is a powerful Spirit of Man designed to look like an old-timey police officer, complete with a spectral baton. It glares at you and you feel the telepathic message deep in your head:
"Miss, any more disturbances and you'll need to come with me."
You nod your head enthusiastically, and turn your vision back to the normal mundane world. It appears that your botched assensing made the magical security system think you were eavesdropping on other Club members, maybe even on the whole club! You look around, and fortunately it doesn't appear that any of your companions happened to be watching the astral at that moment and therefore didn't see the spectacle.
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@Hyena: Jerry is a dwarf and his aura is a picture of irritation. His aura is fiery, impulsive, aggressive. He is mundane that's for sure.
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@Hyena: Iceblade is alive. :P What did you expect from a crit glitch?
As the rest of the group assembled, Iceblade nodded at each of them, before returning his attention to the Johnson. Pretty thing, but he'd always found that flirting at an initial meet was bad form.
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The room is set up like an old-fashioned parlor out of a period trid. Two small couches and a variety of comfortable chairs are set up in the room, along with a real wooden dining table, set with a white linen tablecloth and crystal glasses. A real fire in a hearth warms the room, and the flickering firelight sparkles off the crystal on the table. Sitting casually in one chair is a brown-haired human woman with fair skin and blue eyes. She’s wearing a pale-blue tailored suit and some unusual jewelry, including a large dragon-shaped ring. She’s sipping a glass of wine when you enter, but she smiles and stands when the hostess closes the door behind you. When she stands to greet you, you realize she’s much taller than a normal human woman, and her slender figure clues you in; she’s an elf. She’s attractive, but not in the same class as that hot hostess outside—until she smiles at you. Her smile lights up her face, transforming her from simply attractive to suddenly stunning.
“Hello,” she says, greeting you all. “I’m Ms. Johnson. Thanks for meeting on such short notice. Please, sit down.”
She waits for everyone to sit and introduce themselves.
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Iceblade takes the offered hand, and smiles, before sitting down. "A pleasure, Ms. Johnson. They call me Iceblade. Close quarters combat mage." The last part was for the other's benefit as much as the Johnson's. Might as well get an idea of what each of them could do. He noted the interesting dragon ring, though he didn't say anything. The ring was interesting, but he'd seen a lot of unusual jewelry in his time.
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Lost proceeds to make himself comfortable, dropping into a seat on the opposite side of Ms. Johnson, shifting it around to one side and dropping into the chair where he can clearly look over the rest of the room, stretching his legs out in front of him and settling one arm on the table, the other thrown over the back of the chair. He lifts the hand from behind the chair to sweep a two-fingered salute off his temple towards the Johnson.
"Lost," he offers, settling fully into the position he calls the 'lazy professional', or the 'ainokea look'. Perfectly at ease, perhaps a little irreverent, he glances towards the door, hoping for at least his shot of vodka some time soon. "Whatever this is you've got lined up, it's makin' my contacts lolo. Must be lucrative." And dangerous. Still, if Akani was gonna go for it if I didn't... nah, he'd probably have just put some freelancers on his payroll on it.
As he speaks, he shifts his gaze into the astral. Alright, kingy, let's see what you can tell me about our prospective colleagues here. The skeletal grasp settles over his shoulders again while another pair of eyes floods into his own, and he turns his gaze on each person's aura, including the Johnson's, hoping he did a bit better so that the insanity that happened earlier didn't come down on his head.
Intuition 3+Assensing 1+Mentor 2 In order: Assensing test against Iceblade, Hyena, Jerry, Ms. Johnson. (6d6.hits(5)=1, 6d6.hits(5)=1, 6d6.hits(5)=2, 6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3313891/)
Iceblade; Glitch, spend singular Edge to negate, 1 hit.
Hyena: 1 hit.
Jerry: 2 hits
Ms. Johnson: 1 hit.
After, he mentally takes hold of the King's grasping hands, holding onto them for a moment to keep the presence from vanishing. A morbid thought danced across his mind. Ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? he queried the spirit, and suppressed a grin. You gonna get me killed one of these days and that's just what you want. Just don't go gettin' me killed tonight. I got a shot at working with that hot number over there, and maybe 'working'. You let me have that chance, haole, I'll go straight to whatever astral guarding duty you got planned for me when I get cacked.
With that, he lets the presence go, falling from the hyper-realistic state and back into the mundane. He wasn't looking at the Johnson anymore. His eyes tracked and found the target he could stare at lasciviously, and he spent some time staring at it before finally turning his gaze back to their prospective employer.
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Dwarf used the last one of the chairs (hopefully it is accommodated for shorter people).
Jeremiah Venson.
Jerry watches carefully both Johnson and the people surrounding the table.
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"Hyena," she said, "I'm a hunter, specialised in jungles."
She would hold back a bit for now. First let Ms. J do the talking. And she was also still a bit shaken from the club security. It had been a long time since she had made a mistake like that.
@Lost: Hyena is awakened and healthy, but a bit nervous.
-
@Lost Iceblade is awakened and healthy.
-
Ms. Johnson continues:
“I trust that your fixer mentioned that I’m looking for some traveling companions? Yes? Well, I’m actually in the business myself", she flashes you a smile.
“I’ve been hired by a private antiquities collector, who recently lost an item from his collection. His only clue is this man, who has apparently been hired by a rival collector to find the item first. He’s an elf who goes by the name of Samriel Lockwood. One or both of those names are likely to be false."
“We’ve been tracking him, but it now appears he’s gone to Lagos. We need to locate him quickly and trail him to the item. Now, normally, I work alone, but Lagos ... well, it’s not exactly a safe city for a single woman. If you’re amenable, I’d like to hire you to accompany me as security, and you can also help out in my investigation."
“As you can imagine, the trail grows colder with every hour, so I’d like to leave as soon as possible. In the morning, in fact."
“I’m willing to pay 2,000 nuyen per person, per day, plus a per diem of 250 nuyen with a guaranteed minimum of five days paid upfront. I’ll also cover lodging in Lagos, plus the cost of travel to and from Nigeria. If we find the lost item, and you assist me in recovering it, I’ll also split the ‘finder’s fee’ with you—which would be 50,000 nuyen for your team.”
-
Iceblade leaned forward at the mention of the job. Lagos was not known for being a safe place for anyone, let alone women. A foreign elf woman would be especially tempting prey for some of the groups down there. The price, though, seemed good. Potential for at least 22500 nuyen, plus the 250 per day expense account. Not bad, all told. But someone willing to throw that much money around was clearly not trying to find just any collectible.
"This item, I take it there's something special about it? There's a big difference between a clay pot from a museum, and an insect shaman's power focus, for instance. And you're right that Lagos is not a safe place for a single woman. If this Lockwood has friends or contacts in the area, we're going to be well away from our support network. Getting supplies will be problematic, to say the least. Perhaps three thousand a day would be a better price. And you would be covering the cost of whatever immunizations we'd need? We won't be much good to you if we're doubled over the toilet from catching some local bug in the food."
<OOC> Defaulting on negotiation. 4 hits.
9d6.hits(5)=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3314607/)
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[OOC: Iceblade, roll one more die (social modifier: Desired result advantageous to Ms. Johnson +1)]
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1d6.hits(5)=0 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3314664/)
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Nice payscale. Two gees a day, and two-fifty per day, with five of those days up front. It's a pretty penny... but unless I miss my guess, most likely not spendable on-site. Didn't I hear something once about third-world countries still working on a barter system? Kinda hard to believe.
Lost says nothing, merely leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his legs and fixing his eyes on the Johnson and Iceblade, casting his gaze between the two of them slowly. Hottie over there knows how to talk. I wonder what else he knows how to do. Might as well let him take the lead. For the moment, anyway... my turn will be later. Pushing the brief, tantalizing glimpses of the forming daydreams away, the elf tries to focus his attention on business.
-
"You're indeed right that Lagos is no place for a single woman, except perhaps Victoria Island," Hyena added, "but maybe first some extra information. There are a couple of places in Lagos I'm not entering, no matter how much you pay, unless the briefing goes 'after strafing runs are completed' and it continues to talk about complete armies."
-
Jerry sized up the woman again. Even sit, he knew she was tall, high heels to make her even more so. Exactly the kind of woman, that made him feel so miserable at times and he hates to feel that way. Jerry hated his dwarven appearance. Despised it passionately.
Every time a metahuman woman looked at him he saw that in their eyes. More an object then a person, a tool maybe in eyes of those in power and never a fucking person worthy of feelings. He was left to choose from the junk of metahumanity - other woman cut short and stocky. It was an insult to the injury that even they treated him like a rag. He only gained admin privileges when in proper circle, when the nuyen were rolling ...
This run... just another way to earn nuyen... show them who's the champ
I am in. And those medicines, get double amounts, it's hard to get a Dwarf diseased, but it's hard as fuck to vaccinate him.
@Lost: Jerry's aura is swirling, fiery red passion flares through him, even though he seems calm behind those AR goggles, that he didn't bother to take off regardless of their ill match to the suit. he is also more a hole in essence than whole. black and grey bits of cyberware are on him everywhere. His brain in particular seems heavily cybered, but his entire body seemed to be bolted with neural boosters and adrenalin stimulators
-
@Lost:
Your assensing of Ms. Johnson reveals that she does not have an aura of magic and appears to have no essence loss due to cyberware or disease.
@Iceblade:
Ms. Johnson tells you, "The item in question is a magical artifact, which looks to be a mariner's sextant mounted on a carved staff. There will be competition for the item, as there is for any artifact"
"As for compensation, I am afraid that we are on a tight budget and cannot offer any additional funds beyond the initial offer. We will, however, cover the costs of immunizations if you do not have your own physician. We have already negotiated for him to provide medkits at a 10% discount with my referral." She flashes everyone an AR message with a physician's office location in the Renton area.
"Finally, there is a system in place to obtain gear and other expensive items in Lagos. It's similar to a barter token system, which requires a trusted contact on each side of the transaction. I will be the trusted contact on this end, and in this manner you can purchase gear or even have it waiting for you in Lagos."
[OOC: there is a pdf file that I'll be emailing to you once I have all my computer equipment up and running again, in the meantime PM me with your email addresses]
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"I'll make you guys a list of medication to take to Lagos," Heyna said, "I don't need immunizations. I've lived there for 18 years, so either you are immune to the stuff running around or you're dead. Except for VITAS, but there's no vaccine for that anyways. Back to the equipment, how much can we take with us? I don't have a car or anything, besides you can't use the toys they call cars here in Lagos anyways, but there's some equipment I'd rather take with me. A couple of those items might raise some eyebrows were I to take them through airport security.
Those anal-retentive idiots at airports didn't like people bringing in swords or assault rifles. That was one of the few positive points about Lagos, nobody gives a shit about this stuff.
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"This sounds almost legit," Lost says from his sitting position, speaking up finally and pushing up out of his chair, crossing his arms over his stomach and fixing the Johnson with a direct stare. "People don't come to people like us when it's a legitimate job; they go to private security companies, especially when it's a hunt for something some place dangerous. Even if this is an artifact of some kind, you don't hire a four person team to ward against competition unless you don't want anyone else to know about it."
Lost drops his arms to his side and shrugs. "And I really don't care what the object is, even if it's some ridiculously powerful focus that any spellslinger would covet. You're paying us to do a job, and I'm pretty easy to buy, but I stay bought once the contract's signed. It's bad karma, and what's more, bad business. I just want to go into this thing without any surprises, you dig, Miss J? So how about the full infodump on this thing so we know what to expect?"
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Sextant? The only sextant he'd ever heard of was the Sextant of Worlds, which that dragon, Dunkelzhan, had left to the Azzies, providing they gave up blood magic. With a blink, he opened up a copy of the will he kept, mainly just for reference if he ever came across any of the things listed in it. Anyone who recovered items off the will would be very rich, very quickly. Of course he kept a copy after the will was first published. At one time, he'd considered looking for the dragon bones listed in the will, but he'd had other obligations at the time. They'd probably been found by now. Ah well...
He decided to try a gamble. "The Sextant of Worlds? Sounds like an interesting chase you've got laid out for us, and the pay's fair. I'm in." He filed the street doc's info away. He'd be heading over there directly after this meeting. One did not play around with getting one's immunizations in that part of the world. "Now, as our friend Lost so eloquently put it, let's have all the details, and we will begin making our preparations to accompany you."
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@Hyena: "I would advise against transporting unlicensed weapons or cyber; though African authorities tend to look the other way to the odd infraction, serious firepower will bring unwanted scrutiny and it's less of a hassle to pick up gear in Lagos. They're especially wary of outsiders bring weapons into the area; since you're a local you'll probably have less trouble, but don't bring anything larger than a rifle."
[OOC: since you're a local you can bring your Ares Alpha and I'll let the F rating slide, but don't push it until you get on-site - and keep the thing out of sight!]
@Lost & Iceblade: "Remember, the main goal is to find Samriel Lockwood. This is a picture of him."
She pushes a hard-copy picture of Samriel across the table for the runners to look at.
After you all agree to accept the mission, Ms. Johnson smiles.
“Wonderful. Since we’ll be traveling together, you can call me Jane,” the elven woman says. “Ms. Johnson is something I’d call my employer.”
“So, before we leave, there’s a few things you should probably know,” Jane says, then takes out a datachip and hands it over. “I’ve put together a list of inoculations that the World Health Organization recommends for travelers to West Africa. Some of these things aren’t in your normal medkit, so you may need to see a doctor before we leave. There’s some additional information about Lagos on the disk, if you’re not already familiar with the city.”
[OOC: datachip emailed to you]
“To get us to Africa, I’ve arranged for a private flight from here to Cairo, and then on to Accra—the capital of Asante, and the closest real airport to Lagos. That way we don’t have to deal with any airport security or other travel issues. But after that, I’m afraid we’ll be traveling with a bush pilot into Lagos. I’ve been told there will be limited room on the plane for us on the final leg, and we’re to pack light. A single carry-on-sized bag and a backpack or dufflebag each, or so I was told. I’d seriously recommend everyone here bring a medkit."
“Does anyone need any help arranging details before we go?”
-
Iceblade slipped the datachip into his commlink, and scanned the files quickly. He could see a few things he'd want to bring, before heading out, and they should fit into the allotted space without issue. Looking up to Jane, he smiled, and said, "Well, Jane, all I need to know is when and where we're going to meet. I've got a few things to pack if we're going to be heading on a long journey."
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Might be the main goal, but it doesn't answer my question. Not to mention if other people know he has the artifact, and they know what it is, and we don't, we'll be walking into this with our hands down our pants and our asses over our heads. Oh well... it's been a while since we got to play, isn't it, boys? I'll let you sing when we get there. We'll let other people know in no uncertain terms that we don't take kindly to jackasses interfering.
Lost tucks the datachip into his pocket, slotting it into his commlink and adjusting the AR window to a smaller size, reading it out of the corner of his eye. Huh. I'll be damned. Sounds almost like home. I'm looking forward to the cuisine, and very much not to all the sun... or the background counts. My ring should offset most or all of it, but that combination and the sun... Deity be damned, I'm gonna feel like a kid struggling for control again.
With that, Lost's mind turns to what he should take on the trip. I doubt I'll be able to smuggle some formulas over the border; a shame, because this hunting thing might have enough downtime that I'll get bored enough for some reading. Then again, I could get some digital copies... or find some other way to alleviate my boredom. At this thought, his eyes track to Iceblade again, and a faint smirk touches his lips, banished in a moment.
"Alright, Miss J," Lost says, tilting his head to one side to pop his neck. "You've got my slinging from the moment you start paying, and it'll stay yours until you stop. I hope to expect the same sort of trustworthiness from you. I've only one remaining question - this street doc of yours, he sell med-grade sunblock? I'm gonna need it."
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"I'll disassemble the rifle before I go on the plane," Hyena said, while going over the rest of her gear. Her sword might be a bit of a problem, although she had a licence for that. The main issue was that it wasn't possible to take it appart like the rifle. but as she didn't have much in the way of clothes, or at least nothing she didn't mind leaving behind, she could pack some other stuff.
"I already have a medkit and some special stuff I managed to get my hands on, so that should be okay. Now, as my collegue here said, it's just a question of time and place. One thing, make sure you have some money left, you'll need it to bribe people as soon as you're on the airport."
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That's all? Jerry stood up. Transfer the money, direct contact to you, that street doc and to them. Don't forget to attach meeting point and time. Seeing you then. I don't like talking here. WIth that he take his leave. Got enough socializing for one evening
if noone oppose or have anything important to say Jerry is leaving.
I am going to do some matrix search on the topics mentioned, and buy some water purifying tablets plus visit that street doc.
I am thinking about buying a full chemsuit, but I got to check if I can afford it.
I'd like to define our capabilities but we can talk about it on the plane.
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Jane catches Jerry's eye as he stands up, causing him to pause before turning his back on the table.
"We leave early tomorrow morning. Be at Sea-Tac airport at 06:00. I have arranged for Butch, your physician for the evening, to meet you this evening at his clinic in Redmond."
@Lost: "I'm sure he can accommodate you on the sunblock."
Jane sends each member of the team an encrypted AR message, wiring each of you 1250 nuyen as your up-front per diem money. She waits for everyone to leave, her body language making it clear that the meeting is over now that terms have been negotiated and initial payments made.
[OOC: now's the time to let me know if there's anything you want to do before the flight. Iceblade, you have no problem locating the water purification tablets and survival kit, and you stock up on 3 bottles of your favorite hand-distilled whiskey, a single-barrel vintage made using traditional techniques by Tir elves. Jerry, let me know exactly what you're doing for your data search.]
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Iceblade nodded to Jane, and said, "Until the morning, then, Jane." He offered a wink, and then nodded to the others as he left the booth. He paused by the door only long enough to reclaim his sword, and get information about how to join the club, before leaving. His first stop after leaving was to swing by the street doc, and get his shots, before doing some shopping.
His errands done, he spent the night in. He only drank a little, didn't bring any of the girls over, and made sure to turn in early, since they'd be getting an early start in the morning.
At 04:00, the alarm woke him. He slipped out from the covers, and did his morning workout, before getting his gear together, and heading for the airport. He dressed for 'business' today, and while his all black look with the lined coat was a classic, the clothes were all designer labels.
At 05:50, he was standing at the rendezvous point at Sea-Tac, ready to go. He had a single bag, a military style duffle, which could carry his clothes and what little gear wouldn't fit in his pockets. The bag was slung across his shoulder in a style that suggested familiarity with that kind of packing.
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Hyena finished her perrier and after saying goodbye to her employer and team mates that were still there, she left. She gave back the suit jacket and collected her pistol. She went to buy some extra purification pills before going home, but as she was still current with her shots she didn't need any new ones. There she packed, putting all weapons in her checked in luggage, her riffle dissasembled. As she needed to sleep only 3 hours per night, she made sure she was at the airport at 5.30.
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Lost snagged another smoke and lit it as he left the club, tossing the expensive garment they'd loaned him back to the clerk as he leaves. He glances once after Iceblade to see him leaving, a faint smirk touching his lips. He pondered, briefly, imposing and getting a ride to the street doc's clinic, but ultimately decides against it; there'd be enough close proximity on the trip.
He makes his way on foot to the street doc's, gets his shots, and then goes home to get some sleep. After an unenjoyable night in, he packs himself some clothes - the lightest full-body coverage he owns. He also packs his armored suits into the case, deciding not to chance being held up; he'd change on the plane before they landed in Africa.
Having to walk there, he wound up at the airport shortly before six, fingering the sheath over his index almost nervously.
-
You all arrive at Sea-Tac airport with time to spare. You leave your vehicles securely at home, not wanting the scrutiny of KE random parking lot sweeps nor the expense of airport parking. Iceblade arrives via meta-human driven cab, the rest of you via dog-brain drone cabs. The AR message Jane sent late last night gave simply the address of a hangar on a corporate-owned piece of the airport. A quick data search reveals that the hangar is currently rented to a private long-range charter operator. You are dropped off at the security gate, where a pair of armed guards waves you through after transmitting your image to an unknown recipient. As your group arrives one by one, you assemble inside the hangar, where you see a shiny white Gulfstream 950 executive jet being fueled by uniformed airport employees.
Slick operation. You wonder how much it must cost to have a private jet like this at your disposal, and quickly turn your thoughts elsewhere. Just thinking about that much money was like looking at the sun for too long.
Jane steps out of the jet at five minutes before the appointed 06:00 departure, and gives a quick wave before disappearing back into the plane.
You all march over to the plane, where a uniformed ork takes your bags and carries them up the stairs and stows them securely in the main cabin. He lifts even the disassembled drone without much effort, and you think that he likely has some muscle enhancement to help him wrestle heavy equipment in the hangar.
Once the bags are stowed, the ork steps to the side and says "Have a nice flight, sirs," taking no heed that Hyena was obviously a lady. Or at least a female, that is.
As you step into the plane, the luxury is obvious. There are data screens built into almost every surface, and the upholstery is made of a creamy-colored leather. There are four benches in roughly a diamond shape, two on each side of the isle pointed slightly inwards, with a narrow table positioned in the center of the isle. It looks like a conference room, only much more expensive. There are small fridges built into the areas between the benches, each stocked with a full minibar including beers and small bottles of liquor. Jane is sitting on one of the benches, going over some papers including a map. She gestures absently for you all to sit.
What do you do?
-
Iceblade smiled as he looked around the plane. It had been a while since he'd been in such luxury. At Jane's motion for them to sit, he strode towards one of the benches next to the one she was sitting on, and settled in for a moment, before taking a look at the others. They had, at least, been on time. That was something. And if Hyena was a local, that could get them around a lot of the bother that usually came from dealing with peasants. There were some good points about this mission, but there was also a very good chance that this could all go horribly wrong, being so far from his usual support networks.
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Lost gladly hands over one of his bags, but keeps the other - a small bag just large enough for a few garments. Not intending to land anywhere without his armoring - at least, not anywhere that could wind up hostile. Business casual had been traded in for loose-fitting, full-body-covering shirt and pants, and his eye-searingly red hair was wore loose.
Once on the plane, however, he tosses the bag into one of the unoccupied seats, popping open one of the minibars and snagging a few bottles kept within. Fetching himself a glass, he mixes a Tall Black Russian before seating himself; not traditionally a drinker, flying scared the absolute crap out of him, and he didn't want to go through it completely sober.
He picked his seat carefully, tucking himself into the bench adjoining Iceblade's, taking the seat nearest to the elf, taking two fast shots out of the tall glass. Leaning back in the seat, he throws one arm over the back, tucking the ankle of one foot on top of the other knee.
"So how long is this flight anyways, boss?" Lost asks, directing the question towards the Johnson.
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Jerry allows the bags to be taken away and tucked somewhere. He only kept with him the microdrones. As he enters the room he make a picture of Jane from the AR goggles and seats himself at the far and busies himself with detection of surrounding nodes and assessment of his team members form the technical side.
Assuming I've enough time, I will eventually get the 15 hits requried to detect hidden nodes, and enough matrix perception to get all matrix attributes of Jane and a team as well as the plane.
-
Hyena kept only some small things in a bag and one pistol in the plane and the rest in the bag.
"nice," she said as she entered, "and much better than those cargo planes used for transporting soldiers. Morning, Jane."
She sat down on one of the benches and stretched her legs.
"As soon as we're in the air, I'll try to contact some people I know in Lagos to get some up to date information on the situation in the city," She added to Jane.
-
@Lost: "The flight time to our stop in Accra is approximately 12 hours. Feel free to make yourselves comfortable."
@Jerry: You finally have a chance to review your data search results from last night. You find the following:
Samriel Lockwood is listed in a shadow thread as being connected to a group known as the Atlantean Foundation. Nothing more comes up on him.
Searching on the stolen artifact, you find recent text describing an artifact that you're certain is what you are seeking: it looks like a cross between an armillary sphere and a navigational sextant. In the center is a sphere, and the sphere is mounted on a staff, which is intricately carved with spiraling designs and glyphs.
There's a huge amount of buzz surrounding the international antiquities and artifacts community. You dig a little deeper and find that apparently there is a closed-door auction planned in the upcoming weeks. It's nearly impossible to get a ticket, and rumor is that just speaking of it is enough to have your ticket revoked. The original message gets deleted just as you finish downloading it.
You find that there isn't much news coming from Lagos, which isn't surprising since the international community has largely shunned it as a feral city. One thing that you do make note of is a traveler's report that they were expected to hand over a significant bribe to the local gangs upon entry to the airport. They refused and were severely beaten by locals, seemingly as a warning to other travelers since he didn't have anything of value to steal.
If you want to share this info with the rest of the group, feel free to copy and paste it in the IC thread. Otherwise, no metagaming you scoundrels!
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During the flight to the layover in Cairo, a data screen indicates that translation programs are for sale through the online kiosk. At the same time, an AR message appears indicating that available languages include English, French, and Yoruba, all of which are appropriate for Lagos. The cost for each language is 1000 nuyen for a basic program (Rating 2) or 2000 nuyen for an expert program (Rating 4). They will be downloaded immediately to your commlinks.
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Jerry didn't bother to speak. Sending out a compiled package to everyone he just attached an alert and a question on the bottom.
"@Jane: Do you know anything else on that Samriel Lockwood?"
Meanwhile, he fires up a DataSearch on Atlantean Foundation
For all future cases, consider all my info to be shared next free action with all in the team. Should I roll on the DataSearch?
Did I get the info on the nodes around? I think I'm gonna hack that online kiosk for that package and maybe Ms. Jane's for more info.
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Iceblade moved to one of the empty benches, and stretched out, clearly intending to do the practical thing and rest up while they flew, though when food and drink were made available, he ate his fill. Hunger and fatigue had ended more campaigns than any other force in history, save plagues. Since he had no idea what the scene would be like in Lagos, it made sense to store up while he had a chance. He did raise an eyebrow as Jerry sent the info packet around. "Interesting. I hadn't seen the picture before. It is definitely old, that is for certain. Though this prospect of an auction means that there will be other interested parties. We'll have to either grab the artifact before the auction, or steal it from whoever buys it before they can leave the sprawl."
As they waited on the layover, he downloaded a couple local linguasofts, so he'd be better prepared for dealing with the locals, sipping on a glass of wine from the plane's minibar.
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"If there's an auction, we might just be able to snatch it during. A little bang here and there to draw attention, the quickest of us to snatch and run... eh, I dunno. Might be worth thinking about."
After his drink, Lost sleeps through most of the flight, trying to ignore the terror at being so high up in the air through sleep.
During the layover, Lost snags one of the linguasofts, springing for the more expensive one. e never been good with languages. Maybe this'll help.
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As soon as the plane is in the air, Hyena contacts some of the numbers she has from the Daughter's of Yemaja in Lagos. She wants an update on the situation, to know just how FUBAR the city is at the moment. She isn't sure who's going to answer, even if all numbers she has are still valid. Probably some are, but some will have been abandoned.
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While waiting for Jane's reply, Jerry searched for the Atlantean foundation and took a closer look at the team members equipment.
The nodes looked fairly standard, off the shelf Novatech, Erika, Hermes. The OS on Novatech felt strange, certainly not off the shelf one, but he left it for now feeeling sleepy already.
Assuming that if you have encrypt program, the node is having standard encrypt running.
Hmm Erika isn't encrypted what was his name ... Lost.
@All: We need to setup the communications.
@All: Step one: You'll find attached credentials for the user accounts on my 'link. You need to maintain the subscription to access encrypted communication. I'll maintain the encryption. on my link
It means that on top of all programs I am running I'll have to run additional copy of encryption program.
@All: Step two: make sure Analyze program is running and linked with Firewall,
@All: Step three: setup ARC to scramble my persona program on intrusion detection. This mean you need to setup admin account for me on your links. I'll slave your links to my own. That way they won't accept commands from any other source. actually it just give the firewall additional +2 to treshold on hacking. Block the possibility of removal admin accounts without manual access.
@All: Step four: run encryption program to hard encrypt your nodes. make sure it is working all the time. And for the starter set them to six hours interval.
@Iceblade, Hyena: With the analyze and encryption running in the backyard this means that your commlinks will slow down if you run anything else including mapsoft so beware if you run too many programs your links will froze and you'll be out of communication.
@All: if you access my link do it via AR. I'll be setting up databombs on the encryptions as additional layer of protection. If you go in VR and glitch on the password, you will fart out your brain, on AR it will just crash your link.
@Jane: You too unless you want to be out.
@All: any questions?
Jerry's own commlink is usually running at Response 4(reduced from 5 due to overload): Analyze 5, Encrypt(rating 5, databombed with rating 5, node encryption, interval 24hours), Encrypt(rating 5, communication encryption, interval 1 CT) and Stealth 5. Then there is Exploit 5, Spoof 5, Command 5, ECCM 5, Biofeedback filters 5. There is still space for another program such as Browse during the data search.
-
Iceblade eyed Jerry, and shook his head slightly. Set up a VPN or private channel. That will be secure enough, since we will be in close proximity. There aren't enough of us to spread out. And no one gets admin access to my link but me. Could be good old-fashioned runner paranoia, or that he has something to hide, or both, but then, runners aren't known for being trusting sorts, and following Jerry's plan would open his entire life up to someone he had known since yesterday, and didn't particularly have any reason to trust.
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Hyena was trying another number, as the first didn't give any connection, when she heard Jerry and Iceblade.
"What he said," she said, pointing at Iceblade, "and don't worry about the analyse program on my link. I have a modified one that is made specifically for the link so it doesn't use as much resources as a regular program."
With that she turned back to her link to check if the connection had already been made.
-
Excuse me, are you from the past? ...
You really don't know what you're talking about or you just earned Oscar award here and now .... VPNs base on transmission encryption and transmission encryption has ended in 65 with Heinrich Maneuver.
Go ahead and amuse me, set up your VPN, let's how long it last.
-
Regardless of your own thoughts on the subject, no one looks on my PAN without getting a sword through their throat. And since we're not going to do anything stupid like wander off around Lagos on our own, we can switch to simply talking if the comms go down.
Anyway, did you read the info packet? Matrix might not be up half the time we're there, so we shouldn't rely on comms too much, anyways.
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"Don't worry too much about matrix security," Hyena said, "as long as we don't go into Festac Town or Victoria Island we should be fine. And as long as we're within signal range, we can keep using our links as they will form a local mesh. At least, that's what I've understood from these things."
-
I've stopped worrying.
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@Hyena:
Daughters of Yemaja: Local Area Knowledge (8d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3330736/)
You reach out to your contacts within the Daughters of Yemaja to find out the local conditions in Lagos. Your first few attempts are unsuccessful, as the connection seems to be extremely unreliable, so you leave a message with a trusted member. After about an hour, you get a video message back. The face is familiar, but appears to have a few scars that you don't remember. It's Hrickik, a girl you trained with. The message is in broken English.
"Hoi Hyena! Got your message. Good to hear from you. Things here have been.. rough. Since you left, mercs and terrorists have flooded the city with weapons and seem intent on showing how big their cajones are. The slums are seeing the worst [transmission garbled] It does mean that there are some great toys, if you've can get your hands on them. Best place to go is [transmission garbled] and they even [transmission garbled] spirits for hire [transmission cuts off]"
@Iceblade: After you purchase the two Linguisofts, Jerry offers to take a look at them and see if he can crack the copy protection. [OOC: it's your call, but if he screws up it might render them unusable]
@Jerry: You take a look at the Linguisoft kiosk and begin to probe its security, trying to see if it's connected to the plane to determine how serious it would be if you got caught hacking it. It doesn't appear to be connected to the plane's communication system, but may very well be connected to the pilot's PAN so he can be alerted to any theft. Hard to tell. You run a quick Matrix scan for the device, and stop dead in your tracks. These are the same linguisofts that Ares provides to fragging UCAS State Department employees. It doesn't appear to be high-security, but you won't know for sure until you're already into the system.
You spend the next 4 hours of the flight doing your data search on the Atlantean Foundation.
Created by Sheila Blatavska shortly after the Awakening in 2012, the Atlantean Foundation is a private organization publicly dedicated to restoring the glory of the lost golden age of Atlantis, a supposed Mecca of wonders and knowledge that disappeared into the mists of time. More than just a group of eccentric history buffs and new-agers, it is an organization with branches worldwide, popular trid shows, monthly newsletters and chats, major research centers, sponsored archeological digs, and cadres of respected scientists. It boasts millions of members worldwide and operates at a level just shy of an AA corporation.
[You might be able to find out more if you spend more time researching. Alternately, you have several other topics that you can investigate if you prefer.]
You have approximately 7 hours left before the flight lands.
-
"Ok, people," Hyena said to the others, "I've just managed to get through to someone I still know in Lagos and apparently there's some trouble over there, even more than usual. Mercs and terrorists are apparently running loose in the city. It means that we can get weapons even easier, but there will be a lot more people intend on using those easy to get weapons. We'll have to be careful there."
She looked to the hacker of the group and transmit him the message that she recorded.
"Euh, Jerry was it, righ? The transmission wasn't very good. I've send you the message I received, can you try to get the garbled stuff a bit clearer? I have the feeling there's some interesting stuff that didn't get through correctly."
There wasn't anything on it that would compromise the daughter's of Yemaja and she knew enough that the commlink used to send the message would be gone already, probably given to someone in the slums.
-
Iceblade had been sitting back, enjoying a drink from the plane's minibar after declining Jerry's offer to crack the protections on the linguasofts (he didn't trust the hacker not to screw them up, or go looking places he ought not to), but he opened an eye at Hyena's words. "Hmm. That provides both opportunities and difficulties. While I may not be any good with heavy weapons, grenades would be helpful if we have to make tracks out of Lagos in a hurry. I'd prefer to use flash-bangs or smoke, of course, and we can't use gas grenades with anything more powerful than pepper spray in them if we're in an inhabited area. But the high explosive grenades would be useful for dealing with 'problems' away from civilians. The background count is going to make magical options more difficult, I'm afraid."
-
"The one thing that's plenty in Lagos is weapons," Hyena said as she grabbed another drink from the minibar, "nukes are probably a to-order job, but 'normal' weapons you can get without any problem. As for the background count, you get used to it. Except in places like Surrelere, but I would avoid that place alltogether. Now, any of you have actually handled physical money? You know, coins and stuff."
-
"Not since I was twelve, and went on a trip to Britain with the parents. It was odd seeing paper money. But I gather we'll need to visit one of these 'hawala's mentioned in the info packet, and trade nuyen for the local currency?"
-
"I know one, so I can give you an introduction," Hyena said, "and you're even better with hawala vouchers than with coins. And never take paper currency, it's worth nothing. Too easy to forge."
-
Iceblade nodded approvingly. "And this is why it is always good to have a local guide when you're travelling. Especially if you're going to different continents." Looking to Jane, he said, "When we get to our lodgings, do you want me to put a ward up around our rooms? It won't keep any determined foes out, but at the very least we'll have some warning if anyone tries to attack us magically."
-
"True that," Hyena said as she leaned back, "wake me when we're one hour out."
She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. She didn't need all that much, but sleeping while you were on a plane and couldn't do much was prefered to falling asleep while in combat. The latter was often quite fatal.
-
"Hoi Hyena! Got your message. Good to hear from you. Things here have been.. rough. Since you left, mercs and terrorists have flooded the city with weapons and seem intent on showing how big their cajones are. The slums are seeing the worst [transmission garbled] It does mean that there are some great toys, if you've can get your hands on them. Best place to go is [transmission garbled] and they even [transmission garbled] spirits for hire [transmission cuts off]"
Cleaning a signal here? Let me think... For a moment Jerry inventoried tools he had at his disposal. Microdrone .... check ...audio enhancement .... Lost, Hyena, that earbuds you got... you have a software loaded on them?.
....
If I rig the earbud audio enahancement with microdrone sensor. Yes that could work.
...
If I get that signal cleared with the commlink analyze program, then link that result to the drone sensors amplified with audio enhancement route again the amplified signal to the comlink and use select filter to remove the noise I think we'll have it cleared.
OOC: Thermo this is completely out of the rulebooks, just my creation.
Lost is having earbuds with audio enhacement r3, Hyena is having on his own a select filter program r2
If I get the signal and use Electronic Warfare(2) + Analyze program (5) + MathSPU(2) I could get 9 dices to roll, but if you allow rigging the wires and route it through the audio enhancment of r3 and the use select filter to remove noise r2 -> i Could get 9 additional modifiers of 5 for a total of 14 dices, which would allow me buying the three hits you requested on buying hits.
I have a Juryrigger quality that allow making such contraptions without any other parts required.
-
[Cool idea! I'll allow it, but not *quite* the way you've got it written. First, no buying hits. You think MacGuiver would buy hits? I doubt it. Second, you need to make your new device following the rules on pg. 138 SR4a. Threshold is 6 (Rating 2), 8 (Rating 3), or 12 (Rating 4) and interval is 15 minutes. Gotta decide on the rating before you start. You'll be using Computer + Logic for the construction. Modifiers are as follows:
distracting working conditions (-1)
tools are adequate (+0)
jury-rigger (+3)
Once you've got the device, you'll only get a limited use out of it before it stops working. I'll allow you to do an extended test (15 minute intervals) until you roll a "1" 6 times. You decrypt one of the three static areas (randomly) for every three hits (9 hits would unscramble everything)
Make sure you leave enough time to put everyone's gear back together again :)
Oh, and don't glitch if you can avoid it.
Any questions?]
-
OOC:
assuming I get the parts
Construction -> rating 4 -> Logic(6) + Computer(1) + Juryrigger(3) - WorkingEnvironemnt(1) -> 9d6.hits(5)=3, 9d6.hits(5)=4, 9d6.hits(5)=4, 9d6.hits(5)=1, 9d6.hits(5)=3, 9d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3335987/)
no glitches along the way , 12 treshold reached after 4 intervals -> 1 hour
usage -> Logic(6) + Electronic Warfare(2) + MathSPU(2) + DeviceRating(4) -> 14d6.hits(5)=4, 14d6.hits(5)=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3335988/)
14d6.hits(5) → [4,2,5,4,1,1,2,4,6,3,3,5,3,6] = (4)
14d6.hits(5) → [3,1,6,1,6,4,6,6,4,2,6,5,3,2] = (6)
10 hits achieved after 2 intervals - half an hour
4 ones scored along the way so the device continue to work as I finish
15 minutes for decomposition and handing out the parts back
For those of you that were sleeping and waking up every 15 minutes for ten seconds Jerry's actions might have looked like taken out from a invention series on some educational trid. Piece this to another, wire over to another, setup some wireless here or there, hack a short script to make it communicate with each other and voila. For those that looked closely, the dazzling feat took almost two hours, and if you aren't into techie talk and act, was boring as hell, with only entertainment being Jerry's curses - that make a plane quite crowded with hard working females.
Here.
-
After disassembling the makeshift signal enhancer, Jerry spends a few moments putting the message pieces back into the correct order. He turns the external speaker of his commlink up to the max volume so the rest of the party will be able to hear.
"Hoi Hyena! Got your message. Good to hear from you. Things here have been.. rough. Since you left, mercs and terrorists have flooded the city with weapons and seem intent on showing how big their cajones are. The slums are seeing the worst situation in years, since representatives of several national armies have set up makeshift camps to take advantage of the arms dealers. It does mean that there are some great toys, if you've can get your hands on them. Best place to go is the Dúdú Dúdú Ôjŕ market in Agege, they have weapons that haven't even hit the UCAS yet. Left-overs from the corp ways, prototypes, you name it, omae. You need magical support, check out Amulet Market in Oshodi-Isolo, if you need big-mojo foci they even help customers bond with them through some kind of special ritual, and they even have all kinds of unbound spirits for hire - if you've got the cajoines."
After playing back the message, Jerry allows himself a smirk to the rest of the group. He asks, "Anything more on this Samriel Lockwood?"
Jane sits back and crosses he arms in front of her chest. "Unfortunately, we don't know anything else about him. He doesn't even show up on the official registrar for the Atlantean Foundation. Might be some kind of sub-agency, but we were unable to find anything more."
Jerry searches for the aircraft's nodes, and finds that the plane must have a flight system that is physically removed from the Matrix, probably skin linked to the pilot. The communications node is fairly high-security, but the team was given access to it so they could take advantage of the super-fast Matrix access. Other communications came through the node in a standard encrypted format, but didn't contain anything remotely interesting. Flight approach info, weather updates, tower chatter, blah blah blah. The plane broadcasts its flight manifest in an unencrypted format so it is visible to anyone who would be interested, including feds, customs agents, baggage handlers, etc. The plane is owned by Mitsuhama but has been leased to the charter company for the better part of three years. Past flight info is easy to find, and you see that the plane has been all over the world, mostly to Europe but also as far away as Australia.
[Unscrambling the signal took about 2 hours, meaning that 5 hours are left before the flight lands. Matrix availability will be sketchy after leaving the comforts of the Gulfstream executive jet, so now's the time for more legwork!]
-
Jerry digs more after Atlantean Foundation
-
roll your data searches, I'll let you know how long it takes you to find anything interesting
-
OOC:
4 intervals (assuming thirty minutes interval, judging from the previous results) two hours of searching -> 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 -> 26d6.hits(5)=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3339044/)
-
You do some additional searching on the Atlantean Foundation, and discover rumors of a hidden order within its ranks, known as the Mystic Crusaders. This may be why Samriel isn't listed as part of the Atlantean Foundation's ranks.
[now that you know what you're searching for, you can datasearch on the Mystic Crusaders with a 15-minute interval. You can also search more effectively on Samriel Lockwood, enabling you to search using the same 15-minute interval]
-
So two one-hour searches -> 26d6.hits(5)=5, 26d6.hits(5)=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3339051/)
1st on Mystic Crusaders -> 5 hits,
2nd on Samriel Lockwood himself - 13 hits.
-
[do another half hour on each, you're almost there, you just know it!]
-
After spending the final hour of the flight searching on Samriel Lockwood and the Mystic Crusaders, you find a shadowboard blog written by a former merc turned antiquities hunter, called "TREASURES OF BEYOND!" In the blog, there's a thread that talks about the competition for private collectors, and here you find references to both topics.
“Samriel is a hard-core member of the AF. Heavy hitter, black ops type. Completely devoted to the Mystic Crusaders. I hear he’s an adept, too, although you wouldn’t know it from all the cyber- and bio-ware he’s crammed in himself.”
-TrezzureHunt ::ts:09093-3040-101AA 2071
Later in the thread, you glean the following information about the Mystic Crusaders:
MYSTIC CRUSADERS
This paramilitary group is a secret order within the Atlantean Foundation, allegedly organized around the precepts of an ancient Atlantean codex. Part knightly order, part relic hunter, they serve a variety of roles for the or- ganization, although they remain mostly the stuff of rumors even in the shadows. Rumors persist that the Mystic Crusaders are fanatically devoted to the organization’s charismatic leader rather than the Foundation itself, and largely autonomous of the Foundation’s hierarchy. No one knows if they work for Sheila Blatavska or if they have their own, separate agenda that happens to coincide with hers.
-
One. Ms. Johnson (the real one) lost an magical item - mariner's sextant mounted on a carved staff, or to be exact it looks like a cross between an armillary sphere and a navigational sextant. In the center is a sphere, and the sphere is mounted on a staff, which is intricately carved with spiraling designs and glyphs.
Two. Ms. Johnson (the real one) hires Jane to find the artifacts, and she believes we should go to Lagos.
Three. Ms. Johnson (the real one) nor Jane don't have a clue where is the artifact or who took it, but they know that a rival collector hired Samriel Lockwood to find it.
Three-a. We don't know who is the real owner
Three-b. We don't know who is that rival collector who hires Samriel Lockwood. Nor how the real owner got to know that his rival hired him.
Three-c. We are not sure if this Smariel Lockwood is a Samriel Lockwood, that I've been searching for because he uses fake names
Three-d. We don't know how the real owner tracked Samriel Lockwood to Lagos, since they don't really know anything about him.
Four. If The Samriel Lockwood, I've found is the one we are following, he is a leader of a Atlantean Foundation subgroup called Mystic Crusaders. He is a mean bastard full of magic and cyber.
Four-a The real owner went for a tight budget approach, and hired runner team and Jane. We are equivalent of the Mystic Crusaders. She is a an equivalent of Samriel. And he probably paid more to Mitsuhama more for this flight than what we agreed to work for, which means Jane is really important to him or that the real owner is from Mitsuhama.
Five. The group he is leading is called Mystic crusaders. Fanatics autonomous form the Atlantean Foundation hierarchy, but not without access to the AA corp class funding - which means top class magic and cyber.
Conclusion. Going head to head against Samriel and his knights is not one of the options.
We need to know more Jane. What did you found out during the flight? What is your plan once we arrive?
-
You've made it all the way to your layover in Accra, the capital of the Asante nation. Your flight touches down on a well-maintained runway, and taxis to a simple but well-maintained single-story airport. When you get off the plane, your luggage is waiting for you. The airport security, under the protective eyes of four heavily armed border guards, fusses over your travel documents and licenses before waving you on to the “Intra-Continental Waiting Area.” An armored guard stands in front of a narrow gate, looking bored. Over the gate is a small sign that reads “LAGOS.”
The guard looks you all over, raising an eyebrow and smirking. “Going to Lagos?” he asks, in English.
Jane nods.
“There’s a travel tax for each of you,” he says.
Jane sighs. She turns to you.
“I’ll take care of this,” she tells you.
“Go ahead and see if you can find our pilot. Goes by the name Innocent Dobiri. He’s supposed to be waiting for us here. Tell him Black Mamba vouched for us.”
what do you do?
-
Iceblade had spent the flight profitably enough, sleeping for the most part, and taking advantage of what food and drink were on the plane for the rest. His attitude was a distinctly military one at this point. He wasn't a hacker, and you had to have some kind of target to do astral searches (not that he was that good at them), so he took in calories, which would give him energy, and slept, which would stave off fatigue if they had to hit the ground running, and didn't have a secure place to rest.
When they landed, he shouldered his bag, and politely put a hand up in front of Jane, stepping off the plane in front of her, and taking up a stance at the bottom of the steps until she was down. They were there as bodyguards, and the moment they got on the plane, they were on the job, in his mind. So while he's there, she isn't the first one to get in or out of a vehicle, if he can help it.
When they hear about the 'travel tax', he sends over the private channel, Hyena, why don't you stay close to Jane while she deals with the 'tax'. The rest of us will go talk to this Dobiri.
With a nod to Jane, he turned, still silent as far as anyone not on the channel was concerned, and headed through the gate, looking for the plane. Time to find a ride to hell.
-
Jerry's irritation growth seems to have no visible limit, an astral sight would reveal that he is boiling ...
Fuck ...
Jerry grabbed his bags and moved out of the plane. Searching for an active or passive PAN broadcasting 'Dobiri'. At some point an audible Fuck ! was heard and he sat on his bag for few seconds.
OOC:
Inventory all active/passive nodes withing 400 meters (assuming, that if he is active at all he would be having at least signal 3 rating in his commlink); complex action, automatic
Spoofing ID of my commlink to exchange it with the closest airport officer: Hacking(4) + Software(1) (2) -> 5d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340048/) complex action spent without success, retry 5d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340049/) complex action spent without success, retry 5d6.hits(5)=0 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340050/) complex action spent without success, retry 5d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340051/) complex action spent without success, FUCK,
dropping the bag, sitting on it, free action to flip into VR -> again -> 7d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340053/) SUCCESS
simple action to verify if the node broadcasting PAN including 'Dobiri' exists in the list of inventoried nodes
if it does extended test searching to locate it's position DataSearch(1) + Browse(5) + VR(2) (treshold 6 - public information, interval complex action - searching within signal range -> 8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340054/), 8d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3340502/)) -> treshold reached after two seconds
-
When they hear about the 'travel tax', he sends over the private channel, Hyena, why don't you stay close to Jane while she deals with the 'tax'. The rest of us will go talk to this Dobiri.
With a nod to Jane, he turned, still silent as far as anyone not on the channel was concerned, and headed through the gate, looking for the plane. Time to find a ride to hell.
"Okidoki," Hyena said. She put herself one step behind Jane in a standard bodyguard position. While her heavy weapons were still in her luggage, she could defend herself if needed.
-
@Jerry: After a brief inventory of broadcasting nodes, you see one that appears to be what you're looking for. It's a bewilderingly low-tech commlink that appears to be at least a decade obsolete. The name being broadcast is "Innocent Dobiri". You triangulate its location and see a small airplane... at least, you think it's an airplane... the commlink appears to be inside.
@Iceblade: You walk out onto the tarmac and see Jerry shake his head incredulously as he stomps towards a rusted heap parked about two hundred meters away.
@Hyena: The guard appears to be hesitant to deal with the two women, looking extremely uncomfortable as the two male traveling companions walk away to find the pilot and his airplane. Jane gives him an icy glare that says she isn't about to accept any bulldrek from him. He stammers out "that will be.. umm... 400 cred for your group". Jane fishes out three pre-paid certified credsticks for a hundred each, their purple stripe identifying the denomination. You haven't seen old-school certified cred in a long time, it's quite rare and valuable since it's one of the few forms of currency that can't be traced. The guard looks her over, sighs, and accepts the 300 credits. Jane looks over her shoulder at you and nods her head towards the rest of the group. She obviously approves of the group's choice in body guard being a female.
@Lost: You stumble off the plane, having fallen asleep in the comfortable chair while the rest of the group disembarked. The sun is *blindingly* bright and you have an extremely hard time seeing where everyone went, even with your tinted goggles on. You don't think you've ever had your skin burn so painfully, even back in the Kingdom of Hawa'ii. You try to see Jane, try to see Iceblade, but all you see is glare. You walk towards the nearest building, where you see three armored guards leaning against the wall. One, an ork, has his visor up and is smoking a cigar.
As you approach, the ork smirks and says "hey you, chalk-boy. You owe us a travel tax. Your backpack, open it up."
Fast-talk: Cha(7)+Defaulting(-2)+Distracted(-2) (3d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3360380/)
Fast-talk resist: Cha(2)+Intimidate(3)+Outnumbering(2)+Physically Imposing(1) (8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3360385/)
Your attempt to deflect the ork's request did not go well. The ork sizes you up and decides that he's going to make an example of you.
Initiative: 6 (6d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3360387/)
Guard's Initiative: 8 (8d6.hits(5)=3, 8d6.hits(5)=4, 8d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3360388/)
The three guards pummel you to the ground before you have a chance to ready any spells or even mount a decent defense. As you look up at the blinding sun, you see an armored foot slam you in the face. Your trip to Lagos is over.
@Jerry and Iceblade:
The waiting area opens out into a private runway. On the runway is a small airplane. At least, you think it’s an airplane. You saw something like it once in a trid. It has dual propellers and a rusted airframe, and looks like it should’ve been scrapped before you were born. A rail-thin African man is leaning against it, smoking. When you approach, he carefully looks you—and your luggage—over. You see a few flakes of rust drift to the ground when he pushes away from the plane to speak to you.
What do you do?
-
When the surly dwarf started tramping off to the... plane? Was something in that condition still possible of flight? Iceblade sighed, and followed, the dwarf might be a pain, like most halfers, but they would be in trouble if they had to find a new hacker in the middle of the run.
Walking up to the African man, Iceblade nods, and says, "You are Innocent Dobiri, yes? My client arranged passage to Lagos with you."
-
Hyena followed Jane to towards the rest of the group. As they came closer, she did a quick count.
"We're not all here," she said, "Where the elf... Lost, wasn't it? Did he live up to his nick?
-
I don't know, wasn't around when I got out of VR.
-
Jane sighs deeply, obviously frustrated that Lost didn't stay close and now was, well, lost. She turns her head away and studies the readout on her commlink. "Shit", she says. "He got himself into trouble with the locals and now he's in their holding cell, all beat up and hurt. If he can't handle the locals here, there's no way he's coming to Lagos."
She talks into her commlink, sending a brief message to the attending guard officer that once the albino wakes up he is to be loaded back onto the Gulfstream to be shipped back to the UCAS
-
We've wasted enough cycles on him, shall we move on, or maybe anyone has something to say on the summary I've told you?
-
Iceblade shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Jane is right that if he couldn't make it past the gate here, he would have been in real trouble in Lagos. If we need additional hands, there's always the possibility of recruiting local talent." He looked over to Jane for confirmation. Afterall, she is the boss here.
-
"I can contact some people if you want," Hyena said, "but first let's try to get there. We're going to use this thing? I hope someone has brought duct tape, we might need it."
she jerked her thumb to the airplane.
-
As you approach the plane, Dobiri hears your comments on the condition of the plane. He laughs and says "Do you see any other planes out here? If you want to go to Lagos, this is it. Don’t worry. I’m the best pilot in Lagos. The rust is just camouflage."
Jane confirms that Black Mamba has vouched for them and Dobiri nods. He tells Jane, "Tell him that the favor I owed him is paid, omae."
As you enter the plane, Dobiri is particularly interested in making sure you don't have too much gear. As Jerry boards, he looks like he's about to say something on the weight of the carry-on bag with the drone inside but apparently decides to change his mind. It looks like your luggage barely made it past him to get on board.
As you all pile in, the old Cessna 2012 creaks and groans. Most of the seats have been removed and the entire back appears to be loaded to the ceiling with supplies. Looking carefully, you see that they appear to be medical supplies. That explains why he was so concerned with the weight of your luggage, you think to yourselves.
Jane straps herself into her seat, folds her arms, and closes her eyes. She's apparently used to this kind of travel.
You're all standing in the isle with your luggage.
What do you do?
-
Hyena checked to see if there was any ropes or anything available to secure their luggage. While she didn't have much that was so sensitive, she wasn't sure about the others. While mostly the planes had been a lot more modern, it wasn't the first time she was in a small plane with a lot of luggage.
"give me your luggage," she said to the others, "I'll secure it. I've done this before."
-
Iceblade handed his single duffle to Hyena with a nod. "Well, it isn't quite like a military transport, but close enough, considering. Thanks." He took the seat next to Jane, and strapped himself in. Like Jane, he decided to spend this flight resting, if he could. Though this trip promised to be bumpier, there still wasn't much he could do until they were on the ground.
-
You got a space on copilot seat? I am a pilot also.
Jerry hands over the bag for roping without a word.
-
@Jerry: Dobiri laughs and says "Sure! Come on up! I could use the company! Plus it'll keep me from falling asleep. These modern rigs practically pilot themselves." As you clamber up into the worn-out chair, you can only smile at his sarcasm. This is unlike any plane you've ever even seen, no less piloted. It wasn't adapted for rigging! It didn't even have electronic gauges! With your technical aptitude, you feel that it might be cool to see how the old-school guys did things. Now that you've seen the cockpit you don't think you'd be comfortable in the back, knowing that you're putting your lives quite literally in Dobiri's hands.
(Roll an aeronautic mechanic + mechanical background test)
@Hyena: Your companions hand you their luggage without complaint. You quickly tie a series of complicated knots that bind the luggage to the D-rings bolted to the ceiling and bulkhead. The knots allow things to shift without letting them go too far, and one quick pull on the end of the slip-knot would free things up quickly if the need arose. Nodding in satisfaction, you sit down and strap yourself in. You manage to put your personal luggage within arms reach in case you need to access a weapon quickly upon landing (or crashing! haha!)
@Iceblade: Jane opens one eye and peeks over at you. You notice that she's a lot cuter than she first appeared. You try to let the military man take over from the gigolo that was trying to make an appearance. You close your eyes, knowing that either way it would be a very interesting trip.
[If anyone wants to talk to Dobiri this is your chance]
-
Iceblade winked at Jane, and smiled. Should be an interesting trip, indeed. Just which way this trip would go would depend on many things, but there wasn't much one could do in public. Best to just let things take their course. Plus, it wasn't exactly professional to go panting like a letch after your boss.
Con (Seduction): 11d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3362984/)
-
Fuck me! I wouldn't beleive those birds still fly. The last one I've seen was in McGuyver series remake from 2030 and she was dubbed then flying coffin... but it's a pretty one from the inside.
OOC:
aeronautic mechanic: 7d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3363129/)
mechanical background: 10d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3363227/)
fragging A, nice rolls :D
-
@Jerry: After studying the interior of the cockpit and listening to the sound of the engine, you begin to realize that the airplane has been meticulously maintained and is in excellent shape. It even sounds like the engines have been modified to put out more power than they were originally capable of.
The rust is just camouflage, indeed...
-
As the engines were already running, Hyena gave him a sign to indicate that everything was secure and he could move, before strapping herself in. From Asante to Lagos was some time, so she had downloaded a film on her commlink to see while on this flight. She put on her goggles and activated the film. Some fantasy/action flick with an ork actress, not big on the story, mostly mindless entertainment. From time to time she liked it that way. But in the corner of her eye she kept a window open with the outside view so she could react should it be necessary.
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It’s Monday morning when you finally touch ground again. After the flight from Asante, and especially after that landing, you’d almost be willing to kiss the ground—except that it is, perhaps, the filthiest tarmac you’ve ever seen. The airport building appears to be a sprawling facility that may once have had a full set of walls and roof, but the years haven’t been kind. Inside the building are a variety of vendors, some with tarps over the space they’ve claimed to protect them from holes in the roofing. The ceiling itself—where it is complete—is a colorful mosaic of red, black, and green molds that spreads down the walls. The floor is broken tile and coated with a thick layer of reddish dust. Strange-looking motorcycles—small and slender—zip through the crowds outside on what passes for a thoroughfare, with piles of luggage strapped behind passengers. Groups of men armed with AK-97s patrol the crowds. They’re wearing armored fatigues and dark glasses, and their faces are heavily scarred.
“Airport ‘security,’” Jane whispers, as a group of ten men saunters towards you. “Looking for a bribe.”
What do you do?
[Hyena, make a knowledge roll for Lagos gangs (I'll allow you to roll on tribes as though they're gangs, frankly not much difference in Lagos) ]
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Iceblade stepped forward, putting himself at the front of the group. One hand rests easily on the hilt of his sword, not in a threatening manner, but one showing he is quite capable of defending himself if needed. "Let's see how this goes." There was no point in fighting them, that would just cause their entire stay to be more unpleasant than it had to be. But they would have to do something to keep the bribes from getting too high. It was a pity they didn't have a real Face on this job, but he'd have to make do. From what he read, regardless of their skill, Hyena and Jane would be at a disadvantage negotiating with most of the natives, and Jerry would probably just get the bribes raised out of spite. No, it fell on him to try and find a way through this without emptying their reserves.
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[Hyena, make a knowledge roll for Lagos gangs (I'll allow you to roll on tribes as though they're gangs, frankly not much difference in Lagos) ]
lagos gangs 2 + intuition 4 =6 (6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3364687/)
I'll probably recognise the most common ones (Igbo, Yoruba,...) on sight.
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@Hyena: You recognize the thuggish greeting party as being part of the Igbo tribe. You not-so-fondly recall that they have a particularly sexist view about women, and that they often "test" newcomers and that this entire encounter will likely be relayed to the rest of their tribe.
@Iceblade: The leader of the group of armed men steps forward and speaks in broken and heavily accented English, "You, elf-boy. Airport tax. One hundred nuyen each. Pay now or else BIG TROUBLE." At the last two words he sticks his scarred face close to yours and bugs his eyes out disturbingly. You notice that he has a beat-up commlink in his hand and he obviously expects you to pay him in cred.
[OOC: You can choose to negotiate with him, ignore him and stand your ground, shove him, etc. Your call, but make it quick - he's liable to make the first move at any moment.]
@All: The rest of the gang begins to form a rough circle around your small group. They are armed with AK-97's of dubious quality, which are slung casually over their shoulders by straps. Even if they don't work, most of the men are wearing armored vests and have wicked-looking knives in their belts as backup.
Bystanders are giving the entire scene a wide berth, not wanting to get anywhere near the action if things get out of hand.
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OOC:
radar perception: any cyber on them? all cyber with 100 meters are detected automaticaly
matrix perception - any other nodes except the commlink in common signal range? What are the stats of the commlink?
Computer(1) + Analyze(5) -> 6d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3372224/), presence of nodes, beatup commlink access_id, firewall on the beat commlink
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"Igbo, it's a test," Hyena said through the comm as the group came closer. She mentally activated some of her powers like an adept at Ares had taught her.
-activate attribute boost for agility and strenght.
magic 5 + attribute boost 1 =6 agility= roll 1, strenght= roll 2 (6d6.hits(5)=3, 6d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3372268/)
-agility 8, strenght 5
-drain value is 1 for each, I buy the hits necessary.
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No buying hits, chummer. Roll them dice.
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Iceblade's eyes never left that of the Igbo man. However, as he gripped the hilt of his sword, everything about him changed. His face extended, becoming something more bestial, and his skin turned to scales. Black wings spread behind him, as a tail curled about his feet. Fingers became claws, and his teeth turned razor sharp. In short, he looked as though he was turning into a small western dragon with brilliant black scales and green eyes. When he spoke, his words came in a growling tone, as though something much older and more powerful than they could imagine was getting annoyed with them. "Do you really wish to test my patience, mortal?"
Casting Physical Mask, force 5
9d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3372400/)
Resist 3S drain.
10d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3372401/)
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OOC:
radar perception: any cyber on them? all cyber with 100 meters are detected automaticaly
matrix perception - any other nodes except the commlink in common signal range? What are the stats of the commlink?
Computer(1) + Analyze(5) -> 6d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3372224/), presence of nodes, beatup commlink access_id, firewall on the beat commlink
Detection out to 100m? Automatic success with a Rating 1 Radar Scanner? doesn't work like that, omae...
Your radar cyberware system has a range of 100m, but it only functions as a millimeter wave scanner up to 15m (SR4a pg. 262). You'll need to roll to detect the cyberware on that table. Trying to detect standard cyberware only takes one hit, but you only bought a rating 1 scanner for 3000 nuyen, so you only roll one die.
Roll 1d6 10 times, I'll let you know if you detect anything on the hits
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'what the...,' Hyena thought as she saw Iceblade change. She popped quickly into the astral to have a quick look.
intuition 4 + assensing 3 + enhanced perception 2 =9 (9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3373921/)
It was him and not a dragon. Nice spell, she had to admit, but she wasn't sure what it would do. She was quite sure there would be no mages amongst the Igbo. Those stayed home as most of them could sterilize water and that skill was too valuable to risk in confrontations. Some of them might be adepts, but they didn't often develop the power of astral perception, so they probably wouldn't see through it. But they might just hoze them with the AKs as a reaction. It was often the reaction of Igbo Area Boys, simply hoze everything with bullets and sort out the rest later.
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@Jerry: You run a quick scan using your millimeter wave scanner, but you don't see any cyberware on the gang members. You do, however, see that they're all armed with the same model assault rifle, the AK-97. After scanning for a brief moment, you utilize your natural mechanical aptitude and are able to see that they're in exceedingly bad shape. One or two are pitted with surface rust, and several appear to have barrels that are slightly bent. They'll probably fire, if the ammunition was cared for, but they'll be nearly useless at medium or long range.
@Hyena: You feel the world become slower, more sluggish, while you still move at normal speed. Your heightened senses are twitching with energy, just waiting for you to jump into action. You crouch slightly, feeling the spring in your legs, your balance and strength enhanced by your magic.
@Iceblade: You watch as the Igbo gang leader's eyes open wide in horror and shock. His mouth drops open, and an incoherent stream of gibberish begins to come out.
[OOC: Roll either Con or Intimidation, depending on how fierce you want to appear. Mods: NPC is neutral (+0), result is annoying to NPC (-1), Iceblade is very physically imposing (+3), NPC's outnumber PC's (-2), Iceblade is obviously wielding magic (+2) = +2 total mod]
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Iceblade nodded once, seemingly pleased with the reaction. "Now, I trust you will let the rest of your friends know, yes? I get annoyed so easily, and when I get annoyed, I get hungry. Now, we will be going on."
Con. Forgot the extra 2 dice. Total of 6 hits.
12d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3389158/)
2d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3389166/)
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[OOC: what language are you speaking in?]
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<OOC> English. They spoke to me in English, so I'll speak back in that.
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Hyena wondered what this was going to give. You shouldn't let yourself be intimidated, but what Iceblade did was going a bit beyond that. She was sure that by tonight the entire city would know about this. She was quite sure there were normally no dragons in Lagos. The polution and the background count in a lot of places was not to their liking. For now she waited, ready to go at the first sign of trouble.
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[Everyone roll a perception check; Jerry roll at +3 for mechanical aptitude, Hyena roll at +2 for your adept power, Iceblade roll at -2 for sustaining the illusion]
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Perception: 1 Skill + 3 Intuition + 3 Vision enhancement - 2 (sustaining) = 5 dice. Got 2 hits.
5d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3389971/)
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intuition 4 + perception 3 + adept 2 =9 (9d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3391008/)
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sorry for the hold up
Intuition 5 + perception 1 + Mechanical apptitude 3 -> 9d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3397069/)
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@Iceblade: you notice that everyone in the entire place is staring at you. You're huge, scaled, and talking in a booming voice. You notice that your sponsor, Jane, is staring at you with wide eyes. She doesn't look fearful. She doesn't even look surprised. She looks seriously pissed off. You immediately get a message on your commlink sent through your team's common channel: "Don't let any video footage leave this room or we're all screwed!!"
@Jerry: you notice that there is a lot of interference being broadcast from somewhere nearby. You realize that there's some kind of signal jammer nearby. It's a rough and unsophisticated jammer, but it's got a big power supply and will block transmissions from just about any off-the-shelf commlink. This airport is under constant threat of terrorist bombs (and corporate bombs.. and, well, pretty much everyone around here has access to bombs and has the willingness to use them.) The jammer will stop people from broadcasting any video out of the area, but not if they make a run for it and leave the building. There doesn't appear to be anyone who is holding up their commlink to capture anything on video, but there are three civilians that look like they are likely to have the money to afford cybereyes. All three appear to be part of the same group, and they're currently struggling to avoid being knocked over by the throng of people trying to run.
Looking around, you see that the Igbo's are scattering like ants. Several are starting to unlimber AK-97's from their shoulder straps, but everyone is running for cover. There is a row of mouldering cargo boxes along one side of the hangar on the opposite side of the hangar as the vendors. The Igbo are making a run for the boxes, planning to dive behind them and use them as cover. The slender motorcycles that have been zipping through the crowd all try to make a run for it at the same time, driving into passengers and each other and making a huge pileup in the middle of the airport. The drivers kick up clouds of red dust from the floor everywhere they land, the motorcycle wheels kicking up dust and spraying it all over. The airport is a mess.
@Hyena: you notice that there is a camera panning slowly back and forth in the corner of the building above the mouldering boxes. There's a cord running down the wall, disappearing through a hole in the wall next to a solid-looking wood door. The door is squarely behind the area where the Igbo are headed. The camera is panning slowly, especially with your superhuman reflexes, but you realize that you only have a few seconds before it captures the group on video.
What do you do?
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"Camera," Hyena said through the comms before she leaped into action. It looked as if it was still a wired camera, so she rushed to the closest location where she could yank the cord out, or at least disconnect it from the camera.
agility 7 (8-1 default) + edge 3= 10 (10d6.hitsopen(5,6)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3424675/)
I make it.
Also, I don't mind that the Igbo are coming my way. Yoruba and Igbo are not always the best of friends, so busting a couple of Igbo heads is not a real problem for Hyena.
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@Hyena: roll gymnastics+agility(3) to leap over the mouldering boxes and rip out the cord. Just so you know, you're jumping into the area that the Igbo are running towards to take cover. They're stumbling over their own feet, so you might have time to leap over and back out again before they get around the boxes.
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Iceblade cursed under his breath. Well, THAT didn't go as I hoped it would. Dropping the mask spell, he instead drew his katana, and concentrated for a moment. And then he changed. It wasn't a physical change, but suddenly his visage was that of a creature with all black, unfeeling eyes, teeth that never seem to stop chewing, and bullet nose. It was a shamanic mask and it marked Iceblade as a follower of Shark. All about him the air suddenly rippled with cold. When he spoke, it both was and was not his voice, having some kind of weird duality you it. "My master suggests that if we leave no witnesses, we can edit the footage as we like to remove our identities. Even to place the blame on some other group, if we wish."
Summoning a Force 5 Water Spirit. I get 2 hits.
9d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3426782/)
Spirit gets 0 hits. No drain, and I get two services out of it. Spirit also critically glitched the roll. Don't know how you want to play that.
5d6.hits(5)=0 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3426784/)
EDIT: Resisting 2 drain. No drain.
8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3427401/)
Spirit possesses me. Additional power is Energy Aura (Cold). I get +5 to all physical attributes, meaning my Physical track moves to 12. I have Immunity to Normal Weapons 10. I'll be rolling 17 dice to attack with the blade, doing 11P+net hits Cold damage, -half AP. Someone hitting me in melee has to resist 5P Cold, -half Impact.
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Minimum drain on summoning is 2 DV, gotta roll to resist it
Post your new attributes and combat skills (you + spirit)
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<OOC> Edited my post. Current stats listed in my sheet. Don't know if it matters, but the spirit critically glitched the roll to resist summoning.
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Jerry observed the situation while staring at the his commlink.
Jammer made the things a little harder, but still he issued a simple command to his FlySpy drone. "Close to the gound fly to those three people. Follow them. Detect nodes." Simultaneusly his took out Predator and kneeled on his knee.
simple action - issue command
simple action - ready weapon
free action - kneel down
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<OOC> Edited my post. Current stats listed in my sheet. Don't know if it matters, but the spirit critically glitched the roll to resist summoning.
Oh yes, yes, yes. Of course it matters.
You notice that the spirit that has possessed you doesn't seem to have the same level of control as other similar spirits that you've summoned before. Something seems.. off.
The spirit owes you one additional service. Its lack of focus means it has a harder time resisting your demands.
As you speak, a huge cone of frost suddenly shoots from your mouth, briefly obscuring your vision and covering everything in front of you with a shower of ice crystals. You shift your weight, and realize that frost has covered the ground beneath you, apparently spreading from your boots.
Every IP, you need to roll a 6-sided die. If it comes up 1, something negative happens. If you roll a 6, something beneficial (or at least entertaining) happens.
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Looking down at the ice spreading at his feet, Iceblade spirit said, "Interesting, there is some change in reaction to taking this body."
Initiative 15, 2 passes.
12d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3433431/)
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Hyena jumped over some boxes, took out her vibroknife (no need to bring out the big guns yet) and quickly cut the connection to the camera. As this was Lagos, it probably wasn't wireless equiped yet. In fact, the camera looked older then she did.
As I'm second in the initiative order (as far as I've seen) and my next action is quite simple, I've gone ahead and posted it. I don't think I need to roll something to cut a wire, but if so, let me know in the OOC and I'll do so.
initiative 10 (10d6.hits(5) =4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3431789/) => 14 initiative
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Just saw that Hyena and Jerry rolled their initiative in the OOC thread. I missed it, my bad, sorry for the wait. If you guys wouldn't mind please repost your initiative rolls in the IC thread so it's easier to keep track of. We'll be doing the first round of real combat over the weekend, I'll have a map sent out soon.
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Here's the scene right as Iceblade transforms into the dragon.
Hyena: red
Jerry: green
Jane: yellow
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I'm going to say that the "turn 0" actions include Jerry crouching, pulling his pistol, and getting his Fly Spy launched (basically just tossed it into the air), Hyena launches herself over the boxes and is standing to the right of the security door, Iceblade drops the illusion spell and summons a water spirit which immediately possesses him, and Jane runs out of sight behind the crowd.
The Igbo crowd split into two groups, one group running around the far side of the crates while unlimbering their weapons, the other group too stunned to think that fast, standing goggle-eyed in front of Iceblade.
We'll treat them as two groups for the purpose of initiative.
Running Igbo (group 1) initiative: (6d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3442199/) = 9
Standing Igbo (group 2) initiative: (6d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3442200/) = 8
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Here's the sketch for Turn 1. We've resolved initiative, so if everyone can make sure they've said what they plan to do this pass I'll write up the narrative. I will let you know if you need to roll for any tests, for now just let me know the intent and we'll work out the details as we need to. I'll be updating the sketches once per Turn unless something significant happens during that Turn.
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I forgot to mention, the folks with commlinks that need to be stopped are highlighted in purple. And Iceblade is in blue. And yes,
HE HAS A SHARK'S HEAD
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my first IP action is to take my vibroknife and to cut the camera wire. Shouldn't require a roll I would say.
OOC: recap: I have two IP and init 14.
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I'll delay for Iceblade before acting.
OOC: recap - init 15, three passess
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Iceblade darted forward towards the nearest of the Igbo forces, his blade slashing down, clearly meaning to cut the man in two. There was not even the slightest hint of pity or mercy upon his face. He followed Shark, and Shark's path was the path of Death. The blood began to flow, and Shark was hungry. "Time to feed Shark."
Attacking the closest baddy. 7 hits on the attack. 11P+1/net hit Cold damage. AP -half versus Impact armor.
17d6.hits(5)=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3443115/)
And I don't go into a frenzy.
8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3443128/)
Roll for potential crazy fun:
1d6=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3443119/)
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Iceblade attacks the unfortunate Igbo with a series of brutal chops and slashes. He holds his sword in both hands, thrashing back and forth like a shark with prey in its maw. Not having his knife out yet, he has no choice but to try and dodge the flurry of attacks.
Friends in Melee Combat would normally confer a +4 bonus to the defender but does not affect this IP since they had no idea they were actually IN combat
Igbo: Full Defense: Reaction(3)+Dodge(4)+Dodge(4) (11d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3445061/)
Igbo: Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Impact Armor/2(2) (10d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3445062/)
(anyone know how to turn off emoticons?)
11 damage total
The Igbo is unable to dodge all but the first of the vicious blows, and is hacked limb from limb. His body parts fall to the ground one at a time, each cauterized by a layer of bloody ice. The other Igbo look on at the massacre, utterly horrified.
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Jerry looked all around for a way to stop the possible camera holders. Water sprinklers, no use... Maybe the hangar doors, no not even McGuyver could have closed them... Shooting them from half a hangar no sense at all, they'll cover behind others ... damn....
Sharkman will manage badguys probably ...
Let's do it the hardway then ... AR gloved hand started to twitch with impossible speed as he darted through the options, menus, selctions, and operations....
AR visual overylaid the view ... filter out all nodes except the three marked out ... single out commlink nodes ... hack in ...
target first commlink, hack on the fly
Hacking(4) + Specialization(2) + Exploit (5) -> 11d6.hits(5)=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3451817/) hits
Treshold is target firewall +3 (going for security account), assuming 3+3 -> 6
If they are having analyze, they get firewall + analyze against treshold of 5 (my stealth)
I should be in on next IP.
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@Jerry: You furiously try all your basic hacking tricks, trying to find backdoors, exploits, un-patched security holes, etc. You have found a weakness in the target's auto-upgrade software for a weather-monitoring AR overlay and you think you're almost there.
[Roll to determine the target's software suite - 1-3: Basic User; 4-5: Basic+; 6: Pro User]
Witness #1's Program Suite: (1d6=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3452247/)
Ha ha, you think to yourself.. why even bother??
Witness #1 roll to detect: Firewall(3)+Analyze(2) (5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3452252/)
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@Hyena: You draw your vibroknife and quickly scythe it forward, severing the camera's cable wire and leaving a nasty gouge in the metal wall behind it. You turn your head and see several of the Igbo running around the far end of the crates, still trying to get their AK-97's off the shoulder slings. The lighting isn't good and with some luck you might be able to avoid detection for at least another few seconds.
Roll an infiltration test
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@Iceblade: The 4 remaining Igbo pull their wicked-looking knives and attack you. The blades look filthy but appear to be high-quality and razor sharp, probably left over from some corporate conflict from years back. Judging from the scarred faces of the warriors, these knives have seen action in their day.
OOC: I don't usually require a quick-draw roll for melee attacks since they take a Complex Action and it's assumed that they're able to pull their weapon within that IP. I do, however, require it for pistols and such since they can fire twice in one IP and therefore there's not as much "slack" built into the timing. If a character is switching from ranged attack to melee I might require it depending on the circumstance.
Igbo attack: Agi(5)+Blades(3)+Specialization.Knife(2)+Reach(-1)+Friends in Melee(3) (12d6.hits(5)=6, 12d6.hits(5)=4, 12d6.hits(5)=1, 12d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3455892/)
Decide how you want to defend and roll your defense. The attackers do 5P + net hits with their knives. Since you've got the first action on the second IP you can counterattack once you defend and roll to resist damage if necessary.
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Some mages it was a good idea, perhaps even the best idea, to try and attack them in melee. Iceblade was not one of those mages. He was a combat mage, of a warrior tradition, and the spirits of his line were well versed in the art of the blade. The spirit within him deftly parried the incoming blades, turning each one as though it were nothing. It was a rather impressive display, to be sure.
And then, the spirit of the ancient warrior did what all swordsmen did best. Taking the momentum of his last parry, Iceblade turned, and sliced upward with a savage blow, aiming at the first of the Igbo who had struck at him. There was no hint of mercy. Shark had no pity for the weak. They were simply to be cut down, so that the fittest would survive.
Doing a regular parry against the attacks. Taking off the -1 per attack defended against as normal, rolling in the same order you did.
Reaction 9 + Blades 5 + Focus 2 + Personalized Grip 1 = 17
17d6.hits(5)=6, 16d6.hits(5)=7, 15d6.hits(5)=5, 14d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3458357/)
I believe they all miss. Even if one of them hits, any nonmagical attack that deals 10 DV or less simply bounces off. Also, any of them that successfully hit have to resist 4P Cold, -half AP.
Attacking another Igbo. 11P+1/net hit, -half AP. Cold damage.
17d6.hits(5)=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3458363/)
And roll for random fun. I believe a 6 means good things happen?
1d6=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3458367/)
Roll for Frenzy. No Frenzy.
8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3458373/)
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@All: The crowd begins to push toward the hangar door, trying to flee the chaos brewing inside. Though the doorway is 2 meters wide, some of its width is taken up by the jammed doors, which unfortunately for the fleeing civilians did not jam in a 100% open position. People are crowding through the doorway and its slowing them down. The three civilians with the potential recordings are at the back of the crowd. It's going to take them another 10 seconds to get through.
@Iceblade: You savagely swing your sword in an upward arc like a killer whale leaping out of the water.
Igbo full parry: Rea(3)+Blades[Knives](5)*2 (13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3458907/)
The Igbo manages to get his knife into position to parry the blow but only succeeds in slowing it down. The massive power of the attack is enough to blast through his defense. [damage = 11+3=14P]
Igbo: Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Impact Armor/2(2) (10d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3458926/)
Total damage is 9P
The Igbo is split up the front from his crotch to his sternum in a shower of ice crystals. The wound is instantly cauterized by the cold, leaving a brownish-red streak up the lower half of his torso. He shrieks and clutches his wound. It wasn't quite fatal, but he'll likely bleed out once the wound thaws. As the iced blade makes contact with the Igbo, a *SNAP* sound is heard like a small-caliber rifle shot. There is a 3cm thick layer of ice on the ground, covering the feet of the Igbo all the way up to their knees. It's shiny and perfectly clear, the pure elemental ice of the spirit world. The hacked up body parts of the first Igbo to fall are similarly covered in the ice, the pieces scattered on the floor among the remaining Igbo.
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since they have 10 seconds at least to reach exits and I got 3 IP per three seconds of combat turn, it means I have at least 10 IPs of actions before they exit.
I'll make the opposing rolls until I'll get detected or something.
CT #1, IP2
target first commlink, hack on the fly
Hacking(4) + Specialization(2) + Exploit (5) -> 11d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3461811/)
total 6 hits, logged in on security account
commlink get a second detection attempt
Firewall(3) + Analyze(2) -> 5d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3461825/) total 3 hits,
CLEAN ENTRY
CT #1, IP 3
inside first commlink, simple action, delete all stored files. simple action shut the cybereyes off if present.
The firewall was backed up with passive IC, but it was still really loosy. Under two seconds, without even need to dropping into VR the dwarf hacked his way inot security priviledge account. Once inside th AR overlay listed simple file structure with a link to peripherals. Leaving sniffing around until later Jerry quickly snapped command to trash all the files and issued command to turn off the cybereyes.
EDITED: moved further to maintain continuity
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OOC: you can keep your second Turn action if you want to, but I'd suggest putting it on hold until you know whats happening with Hyena and the 5 AK-97 wielding Igbos about to come around that corner :)
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OOC: you can keep your second Turn action if you want to, but I'd suggest putting it on hold until you know whats happening with Hyena and the 5 AK-97 wielding Igbos about to come around that corner :)
agility 7 (8 -1 defaulting) (7d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3469652/)
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@Hyena:
[OOC: Welcome back!]
You see the group of Igbo as they come around the corner and you try to melt into the background. You look at the crates and try to visualize the pattern of the wood slats, and as you press against them you try to angle yourself in a manner to match the horizontal lines as much as possible so as to appear invisible. The Igbo are distracted and fortunately aren't looking directly at you as they round the corner.
[All five have the potential to see you so I'm giving them a +4 for the group as a whole. They are orks and therefore the lighting conditions don't matter since they have lowlight vision. They're distracted so they have -2 to their group roll]
Perception(3)+Int(3)+Group(4)+Distracted(-2)+Visibility(0) (8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3470084/)
Their eyes sweep across your crouching form as they run frantically for cover. That was close!!! You see all five of them unlimber their AK-97's. Several of them slide various goggles and sets of glasses into place, probably so they can use the built-in smartlinks on the powerful but fairly inaccurate assault rifles.
[OOC: Each of the Igbo has a 1 in 3 chance to have a working set of smartgoggles that they managed to steal from some unwitting tourist or that they scavenged from a fallen combatant]
Roll to see if Igbo has smartgoggles (1d6.hits(5)=1, 1d6.hits(5)=0, 1d6.hits(5)=1, 1d6.hits(5)=0, 1d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3470095/)
[Three of them slide goggles into place]
They're not in a good firing position to shoot at Iceblade quite yet, having just made it around the corner of the boxes.
They don't see you, YET. Since you tied them with your Infiltration roll they'll see you the moment you move.
Your turn for your second IP, Hyena
-
She wondered about the sanity of using riffles to attack a dragon, if that's what they had seen. But then again, Igbo had never been all that well endowed in the brain department. She would have to do something about it, as she knew Iceblade wasn't a dragon and therefore wouldn't be able to take five AK-97's on full auto. And even if he could, the rest of the team couldn't. She couldn't either, but if she could stay close to them, they would be at a disadvantage. The long barrels of the assault riffles were not made to be used in close quarter combat. So she jumped from her hiding spot and attacked the nearest equiped with goggles, assuming they would be the most accurate of the five, using the vibroknife she still had in her hand.
"Watch out, ambush," she said over the comm to the team, hoping they would hear it. Otherwise they would find out soon enough.
attack (complex action):
agility 8 + blades 2 =10 (10d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3470829/)
That's a total of 7P damage (4P basic + 3 net hits) unless they manage to dodge. AP -2
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[OOC: The damage from your vibroknife should be 5P, right? With your adept-boosted strength you have Str:5 and damage is Str/2+2. You have 4 hits, so the damage could be as high as 9P depending on the Igbo's defense roll]
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@Hyena:
[OOC: Here's how we're going to handle Surprise in this situation: You'll roll your initiative dice and Igbo #1 will roll his and we'll count hits. If you get more hits, then you've surprised him and he can't even defend against your attack. If he ties or gets more hits then he can defend as normal. Since you're popping out of nowhere and surprising the whole group, Igbo #2-5 will roll initiative at the beginning of Turn 2 and compare their score against your original roll. If they roll lower, they can't respond directly to your presence in Turn 2. Igbo #2-5 will get +3 to their surprise roll since it's assumed that they'll be alerted in some way when you attack Igbo #1.
We're going to refresh initiative rolls every 3 Turns. That way we aren't waiting just to see who gets to go first.]
Igbo #1 surprise roll (6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3471496/)
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@Hyena:
[OOC: Here's how we're going to handle Surprise in this situation: You'll roll your initiative dice and Igbo #1 will roll his and we'll count hits. If you get more hits, then you've surprised him and he can't even defend against your attack. If he ties or gets more hits then he can defend as normal. Since you're popping out of nowhere and surprising the whole group, Igbo #2-5 will roll initiative at the beginning of Turn 2 and compare their score against your original roll. If they roll lower, they can't respond directly to your presence in Turn 2. Igbo #2-5 will get +3 to their surprise roll since it's assumed that they'll be alerted in some way when you attack Igbo #1.
We're going to refresh initiative rolls every 3 Turns. That way we aren't waiting just to see who gets to go first.]
Igbo #1 surprise roll (6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3471496/)
initiative 10 (10d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3472610/)
I think he's quite surprised, and probably the others as well.
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@Hyena:
[Since you got 4 hits more than your opponent, that's a Critical Success! The other 4 Igbo don't get the +3 to their surprise rolls! They never saw you coming! I'm also giving you back the point of Edge you spent jumping over the boxes.]
You deftly perform a stealth combat roll into the crowd of Igbo. Their attention is so focused on getting into defensive positions that they are completely shocked by your appearance. You slash the first Igbo squarely in the stomach with your vibroknife before he has a chance to do anything more than open his eyes wide in surprise.
Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Armored Vest(4)+Vibroknife AP(-2)+Toughness(1) (11d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3473553/) Damage = 9P - 4 = 5P
Your blade slices cleanly through the armored vest and leaves a gaping wound which pours blood all over the Igbo's legs. It isn't a fatal wound but it'll certainly slow him down.
-
Turn 2
The Igbo fighting Iceblade use Edge to go first this turn!
@Iceblade: If you want to go first you'll need to spend Edge to counter theirs. Your call.
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<OOC> They can go first.
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@All:
The gravely wounded Igbo, barely standing after the crotch to sternum strike handed out by the possessed Iceblade, pulls a large hand grenade from a pocket on his vest. You see the red light on top, indicating that it's armed, but it's not blinking, and therefore you can assume that his hand is still clenching the safety bar. He stares at Iceblade with bugged out eyes and yells "STOP" in English.
The other three Igbo surrounding Iceblade, obviously not expecting this turn of events, wait for the outcome before taking their actions. They would probably have made a break for it but the ice encapsulating their lower legs looks quite strong and is holding them securely in place.
-
Iceblade's possessed form does not even seem to recognize the grenade. The spirit may be in control, but its master has succumbed to the frenzy of blood in the water that all those who follow Shark must endure. "Master says, 'No.'" And then he struck out once more with the blade, meaning to cleave the man with the grenade in two. The visage of Shark overlaying his features had its jaws moving now, in the unending search for prey. He had long ago given himself over to the way of the Shark. Shark kills without mercy, without compassion, without hatred. Shark kills because that is what he was put on the Earth to do. He was the Destroyer, the one who claimed the sick and the old, the injured and dying. The one who took the weak so they would not hinder the strong. That was Shark's purpose. And these weaklings would not see another day.
Roll to not go into frenzy: 8d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3474629/)
I'm in a frenzy for this turn.
Attacking the injured Igbo again. 11P, -half AP.
18d6.hits(5)=7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3474626/)
Random fun.
1d6=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3474632/)
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@Iceblade: The Igbo's eyes widen even further as you call his bluff. You swiftly raise your sword and chop downwards at the man's head. He attempts to dodge your blow, but with his feet encased in ice he doesn't stand much of a chance.
Igbo dodge: Rea(3)+Dodge(4)+Movement Restricted(-2)+Injury Modifier(-3) (2d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3475913/) - Critical Glitch
Damage resist: Bod(8)+Armor/2(3)+Toughness(1) (12d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3475939/) Damage = 17P [OOC: Ouch.]
Your sword hits the Igbo squarely on top of his head and chops his head, neck, and torso cleanly in half. The strike connects with the previous wound and the Igbo is cut completely in half, the two sides of his body falling in opposite directions like a log split under a woodsman's ax. The grenade falls straight to the floor, where it lands with a simple "click" sound. [OOC: The critical glitch means that the grenade falls squarely at his feet without any scatter, only a meter away from the remaining Igbo.]
The other three Igbo shriek in horror as they see the grenade at their frozen feet, the small red light on top flashing insistently. They immediately try to break free from the ice so they can dive out of the way.
[Igbo are about to roll a Strength test with a threshold of 3 to break free from the ice at their feet. If they are unsuccessful, they need to roll an Agility test with a threshold of 2 to not end up falling and taking 3P damage as their knees wrench out of place]
Roll to break free from ice: (7d6.hits(5)=5, 7d6.hits(5)=4, 7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3475967/)
Roll to avoid falling: (5d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3475968/)
Two of the Igbo are able to break free of the ice and dive in either direction to escape the grenade at their feet, scrabbling over the ground with hands and frozen boots in an effort to escape certain death. The third Igbo pulls his feet against the ice in vain, stuck firmly to the ground. He manages to avoid falling, but the expression on his face makes it clear that he doesn't consider this to be his lucky day.
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[Jerry, it's your turn; you can use your previously declared action or you can react to the new situation if you'd like. I'd like to have you make a Perception roll as well.]
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OOC: perception roll
Intuition(5) + Perception(1) + Visual Enhancement(3) - Distracted by AR operations(2) -> 7d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3478422/)
Am I in range of explosion?
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[OOC: Good thing for you that you made your Perception roll, you have the spatial awareness to get exact distances!]
You're approximately 12m away from the grenade
You FlySpy drone, however, is only 7m away. It's moved approximately 20 meters since you released it. It is currently moving due north at its top speed of 5 m/s.
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Here's the visual layout for Turn 2. These images show Turn 2 immediately after Iceblade chops the second Igbo in half and the remaining Igbo try to scramble for cover before the grenade goes off.
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Still in the blood frenzy, Iceblade darted to his right, meaning to chase after the Igbo heading for the safety of the crates. His attack was less sure this time, the acts of a shark in the midst of the blood frenzy it was a gruesome sight to behold, truth be told. There was none of his usual finesse when slashing with his blade, none of the flowing style and explosive power that characterized his actions normally. The swordsman here now was almost rabid in his approach to the battle.
Attacking the Igbo. 3 hits. 11P, -half AP.
18d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3482498/)
Random Fun
1d6=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3482499/)
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[OOC: Hang on one sec, you'll need to wait for Jerry, Hyena, and the second Igbo group to go before your second IP.]
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Jerry noticed the grenade going off in a second and a FlySpy in the explosion range but there wasn't much he would do and also there was no time to waste before the tourist walk out of the hangar. Other commlinks might have carried better software and he wasn't yet upgraded his software to the point he wanted it to be. Leaving the open connection in the link he already hacked, he send a simple fly route change to get the flyspy higher into the air and turned his attention to second commlink.
CT #2, IP1
free action: change flyspy flying route
complex action: hacking second commlink
11d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3461847/) hits, out of 6 required.
1d6=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3461850/) -> Basic user, assumming same set of Firewall(3) + Analyze(2)
hacking detect -> 5d6.hits(5)=0 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3461857/) -> that's critical glitch on the wittness part,, I'll hold on for you to resolve
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@Jerry:
You send a quick instruction to the FlySpy to fly at a higher altitude until it gets into closer range of the targets. Your amazing mechanical aptitude allows you to angle the thrusters to a more optimal angle and you give them a quick burst of energy, propelling the small craft higher without losing forward velocity. You know that it used a ton of the drone's energy to do this, but it's unlikely that you'll need it to use its full charge before returning to you for a recharge from the larger battery in your commlink.
As you hack the second tourist's commlink, you find an exploit that allows you to get into the root directory and you begin searching for the security logs. You can't get to any of the encrypted data from here but it tells you which security programs are currently installed so you can defeat them more easily.
While you cycle rapidly through the list of programs and their active subroutines, you notice that the user's Analyze program has crashed and is non-responsive! That'll make it one heck of a lot easier to break in undetected. [+2 to future hacking rolls since you can brute force it]
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With the Igbo being an Ork, he wasn't dead with one hit, so Heyna hit him again. She also tried to put that one between her and the others, so bullets would have to go through him first. She had seen Igbo shoot before
complex action: hit the Igbo
agility 8 + blades 2 =10 (10d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3487327/)
so without dodge that means 7P damage
free action: move a bit to the side so he's between her and the others. As run is a free action, this should also be possible.
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@Hyena:
[Trying to maneuver the Igbo into a specific place while in melee combat is the equivalent of a Called Shot, so I'm giving you -2 dice on your attack roll. Performing a Called Shot uses your Free Action this Turn. Fortunately, after looking at your roll on Invisible Castle, the deduct doesn't affect your number of Hits.]
The Igbo, still reeling from your sneak attack a second earlier, tries to duck and escape a second slash from your deadly vibroknife.
[Igbo: Full Dodge: Rea(3)+Dodge(4)+Dodge(4)+Wounded(-2) (9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3487508/)]
The Igbo manages to duck and twist, avoiding your attack.
[The rest of the Igbo need to roll for surprise to see if they are able to react to your presence this round]
Igbo: Roll for Surprise: Init(6) (6d6.hits(5)=3, 6d6.hits(5)=2, 6d6.hits(5)=2, 6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3487509/) [None of the Igbo are able to react to you this Turn]
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@Iceblade:
As you stand, reveling in the victory over yet another weak opponent who was to be culled from the ranks of the strong, the second group of Igbo get into position and fire their machine-guns at you. COWARDS!!
[3 of the Igbo are firing on your from the position near Hyena with their AK-97's. One of them has smartlinked goggles. Each Igbo will fire two short narrow bursts with the exception of the one with the smartlink, who will fire full auto]
Igbo 1: short burst 1: Automatics(3)+Agi(5)+Recoil(-2)+Recoil Reduction(1)+Range(0) (7d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490080/)
Igbo 1: short burst 2: Automatics(3)+Agi(5)+Recoil(-3)+Recoil Reduction(1)+Range(0) (6d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490082/)
Igbo 2: short burst 1: Automatics(3)+Agi(5)+Recoil(-2)+Recoil Reduction(1)+Range(0) (7d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490084/)
Igbo 2: short burst 2: Automatics(3)+Agi(5)+Recoil(-3)+Recoil Reduction(1)+Range(0) (6d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490085/)
Igbo 3: full auto: Automatics(3)+Agi(5)+Smartlink(2)+Recoil(-9)+Recoil Reduction(1)+Range(0) (2d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490088/)
The first Igbo misses completely with his first 3-round burst, but tracks his muzzle back onto target for the second burst. [DV=10S, -1AP, damage is below threshold of armor+spirit armor (16)]
The second Igbo manages to spray you with bullets with both bursts. The first burst hits you squarely in the chest, but the bullets bounce harmlessly off the spirit's incredibly resilient form. [DV=9, -1AP] The second burst penetrates a little deeper, getting past the spirit's normally bullet-proof form, but still able to do little more than cause bruises. [DV=11S, -1AP]
The third Igbo manages to train the barking automatic rifle onto target as he holds down the trigger. [DV=16P, -1AP] He gets lucky and shoots a number of the deadly rounds directly at your upper torso.
-
What followed was an impressive (and likely terrifying) display of what happens when a spirit rides a mage. Iceblade managed to duck, turn, and bend enough to avoid the bursts that were a threat to him.
Rolling Reaction versus the three ones that I have to bother with.
Igbo 1, burst 2. 0 net hits, no damage.
9d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490126/)
Igbo 2, burst 2. 0 net hits, no damage.
8d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490127/)
Igbo 3. 0 net hits, no damage.
7d6.hits(5)=1 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3490128/)
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@All:
You watch as the Igbo fire their AK-97's into Iceblade's spirit-possessed body. At the first short bursts, he turns and gives the shooters a feral glare. "KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT!!!" The bullets hit the spirit, and it's obvious that even though they aren't penetrating they are causing serious bruises to the elf magician. The third Igbo opens up with a barrage of gunfire, the bullets slamming into Iceblade's head, neck, and upper torso. Everywhere a bullet hits it leaves a huge reddish purple mark on the flesh underneath the nearly impermeable spirit. Iceblade is racked by small impacts but still manages to keep his feet. As the final bullets hit, the elf makes a pained sigh and his eyes roll up in his head to expose the whites. As he falls unconscious, the spirit returns to the metaplanes in a cloud of snowflakes.
Iceblade wobbles on his feet and falls flat on his face, his magic sword clattering by his side. He falls squarely on the grenade, which would be extremely painful were he awake to feel it. A second later, there is a muffled THUMP. A small amount of gore shoots from Iceblade's back and pieces fall to the ground around his prone body with wet plopping sounds. The size of the exit wound makes it obvious that Iceblade will not be continuing on the journey to find Samriel and the mysterious Artifact.
Iceblade, your journey ends here.
-
"Oh crap," Hyena said as she saw Iceblade go down. She would have to solve the issue by herself then, as Jerry wasn't all that good in combat. At least he had taken some of the Igbo with him. She felt her strength and speed leave her, so time to up it again.
second IP, put my strength ang agility back up, as it will stop after this turn. Both take one simple action, so I don't do much more this IP
boost:
magic 5 + boost 1 (1=agility, 2=strength) =6 (6d6.hits(5)=0, 6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3497379/)
luckily no glitch
use edge to roll agility boost again (use of edge to reroll a failure):
magic 5 + boost 1 =6 (6d6.hits(5) =5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3497383/)
much better
drain 1 for both:
willpower 3 + body 5 =8 (1=agility, 2=strenght) (8d6.hits(5) =2, 8d6.hits(5) =3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3497385/)
no drain
result:
agility=9 for 10 rounds
strength=4 for 2 rounds
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Oh fuck, where did those bullets came from? Wasn't Hyena over there?
Jerry watched how Igbos behave, but was more focused on breaking that firewall while his analyzing software was down.
And here ... standard password for matrix receiver, stupid bimbo ....override to gain user account ... denied, what the ... aaahh, got it ... forced memory error, overwrite new entry in security users table ... almost ... I need to only refresh the firewall access table and I am done with this moron ... Oh fuck that firewall is red hot chilli now ... and ... INSIDE .. who's the boss fragger?
OOC:
CT #2 IP3
Hacking roll (taking +2 to the roll): 13d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3497392/) 5 out of 6 hits required, using edge to reroll missess 10d6.hits(5)=8 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3497398/) OMG, why could I roll like this two IP ago? that totals to 13 hits out of 6 required, critical success by my read, but I'm logged in anyway
Hacking detection: 5d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3497395/) 4 out of 5 required.
clean entry security priviledge
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@Hyena: You flex your muscles and feel them fill with a fluid energy. They feel like a river of lava; fluid, hot, and bursting with energy. Everyone else's movements look clumsy and awkward as your body moves with micro-smooth precision.
@Jerry: You watch the lines of code speed past your display. You've logged in with Security privileges and the failed Analyze program is finishing its reboot cycle. The fragging tourist doesn't have a clue that you're squatting in his commlink with access to his whole life. Fool.
[you have one more IP this turn as well as your free action if you want to take it]
[Once Jerry finishes this Turn we'll have everyone roll for new initiative due to the addition of our two new players!]
@ Doc & Eugene:
You're standing outside the hangar just as you were supposed to. Mrs. Johnson (Or Jane.. or whatever her name is) called you as the plane was landing and told you both to be ready to meet your new team. You've had a chance to scout the immediate area but frankly it's been tough to get your bearings in this crazy city, so you decided that the best way to spend the 12 hours you've been here was to secure the perimeter. You watched with trepidation as the Igbo sauntered into the hangar, obviously looking to shake down any well-heeled corp-types.
As you begin walking towards the northern hangar door, you hear a huge ruckus coming from inside. You see an enormous shadow towards the middle of the hangar which looks like a fragging dragon! It soon disappears, and you hear more screams and the ringing sound of a sword slicing through metal and bone. There are tourists crowding the doorway and you have to push in order to get past them. You hear the riiippppp of automatic weapons, and see someone being pelted with bullets. He falls to the ground and his back explodes in a shower of pulpy gore.
Drek, let me guess, that's team #2.
As soon as you get past the EMF field that you learned about while scouting the area, Jane's message comes through loud and clear: "TEAM 1, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK. We need to get the team out of here!!"
-
Riding with a lady luck tonight, Jerry found a security routine that basicaly done factory wipe of the commlink, shutting down all the linked devices that was linked to a user logging on with security account. He only needed to accept.
And now there are two blind fools, going about with turned off cybereyes, tsk tsk...
OOC:
tried to utilize the extra init pass in believable manner. But really doing the same sequence as previously. simple action: command delete all files, simple action: command switch off cyber eyes.
initiative roll: Reaction(5) + Intuition(5) + Wired Reflexes(2) -> 12d6.hits(5)=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509748/) total 18
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initiative:
initiative 10 (10d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509816/)
so that's 16 total
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@ Jane: Hey Ms Johnson, am I seeing things or was there just a dragon in here? Should we assume keeping a low profile is no longer a priority?
Eugene calls his bound beast spirit from the metaplanes, just in case some muscle is needed. He then takes a moment to look around the hangar and see what exactly is going on.
Initiative: Int(4) + Rea(4) -> 8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509811/) Total 11
Perception test (observe in detail action--in particular trying to see how many people are involved in combat):
Int(4) + Perception(3) + Owl(2) + Vision Enhancement(3) -> 12d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509834/)
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Initiative:
Initiative 11 11d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509889/)
so that's a 13 total
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@Jerry:
As you switch off the second tourist's cybereyes, he immediately whirls in a half circle and bowls over a random lady struggling with her overstuffed and ripping suitcase. Though he's too far away to hear, you can tell by the panicked expression and open mouth that he's screaming for help. You continue to monitor his commlink for another second. You see that he tried to issue a verbal command to the commlink but the program he tried to access was in the process of being deleted and the command caused an error. He's freaking out. Fragging tourist.
-
Igbo group 1 (5 Igbo fighting Hyena):
Igbo Initiative, Group 1 (6d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3510656/) Init = 9
Igbo group 2 (3 Igbo previously fighting Iceblade):
Igbo Initiative, Group 2 (6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3510659/) Init = 7
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Turn 3
Initiative:
Jerry (18), 3 IP
Hyena (16), 2 IP
Doc T (13), 3 IP
Eugene (11), 1 IP
Igbo 1 (9), 1 IP
Igbo 2 (7), 1 IP
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'This is going way wrong,' Hyena thought, but she wasn't going to let those Igbo get away with it. There was the one she had hit before, who had somehow managed to dodge her last attack. She would see about that.
As I doubt Jerry is going to play with 'my' Igbo: hitting the same Igbo again, again keeping him between her and the others (I used the same called shot penalty from last round)
agility 9 + blades 2 -2 (called shot) =9 (9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511026/)
damage: 4P (Str/2 +2) + net hits, -2 AP
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Knowing he was in Lagos was enough to set Doc T's nerves on edge under the best of circumstances. It was one thing when he was with ten of his mates, especially when one of them was that insane Kraut grenadier Dieter. A fella with proper backup could have a drink or two without worrying that he might wake up to find that he had been robbed, drugged, and left in a ditch - if he was lucky enough to wake up at all. It was entirely another thing to be in Lagos with only a crazy Ork academic to back you up. Twelve hours spent in wandering conversations that ranged from the migratory patterns of the African Swallow to the merits of the 4-4-2 formation were pleasant enough, but Doc could never quite relax.
When the call came to get ready to meet the plane Doc was already fully packed, locked, and loaded, so it was just a quick jaunt over to the "terminal". When he saw the AK toting Area Boys striding into the terminal he got worried. Ms. J and her team were strangers to Africa and Area Boys could be a huge problem because they were both dangerous and numerous. One wrong word or gesture could escalate a situation quickly. A handful of money or a bottle of Hooch could often suffice, but sometimes they were just looking for a fight and there wasn't much you could do about it.
As you begin walking towards the northern hangar door, you hear a huge ruckus coming from inside. You see an enormous shadow towards the middle of the hangar which looks like a fragging dragon! It soon disappears, and you hear more screams and the ringing sound of a sword slicing through metal and bone. There are tourists crowding the doorway and you have to push in order to get past them. You hear the riiippppp of automatic weapons, and see someone being pelted with bullets. He falls to the ground and his back explodes in a shower of pulpy gore.
Drek, let me guess, that's team #2.
As soon as you get past the EMF field that you learned about while scouting the area, Jane's message comes through loud and clear: "TEAM 1, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK. We need to get the team out of here!!"
In a tight crouch Doc T entered the hangar, as soon as he emerged from the rapidly diminishing crowd at the door he automaticaly checked over his right shoulder and was surprised and gratified to see that Eugene was right there with him. It was clear that things were not going well for the new arrivals - he could only see two of them, and one those had just exploded. There was no sign of the Dragon he had seen, but he knew enough about Magic that the absence didn't surprise him. The Igbo covered in Ice, however, did. Before they could even register he brought his carbine fully to his shoulder and ...
In the interests of moving quickly because I'm not sure where Doc is on the map w/r/t lines of sight: Depending on what's down Range Doc will do one of three things. (1) If there are civilians in between Doc and the Igbo in group two, he will continue walking forward and hold his actions until they either drop prone or get out of the way. (2) If there are no civilians between him and the Igbo, and there are no civilians behind the Igbo he will fire one short tight burst each into two of the three Igbo in group 2. (3) If there are civilians behind the Igbo Doc will not risk stray shots missing his target and he will take one well aimed short tight burst at one of the Igbo in group 2
Option 1 requires no rolls.
Option 2
Simple action:
Tight burst at first Igbo in Group 2
Agility(7) + Automatics(4) + Reflex Recorder(1) + Smartlink(2) - short burst recoil(2) + Recoil Compensation (6) = 14d6 (14d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511186/)
6 hits
If that Igbo is aware of me and can react to my shots and chooses to full dodge:
First Igbo Dodge: Rea(3) + Dodge(4) = (7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511192/)
He would get 2 successes, and he would also get 2 from just his reaction subtracting the last four dice.
Damage is 6p (M23) + 1p (EX EX ammo) + 2p (tight burst) + 6p (6 hits) - dodge - body and armor test. AP is -2
Free Action: Take Aim on Second Igbo in Group 2. Krav Magra allows take aim as a free action.
Second simple action:
Tight burst at second Igbo in group 2
Agility(7) + Automatics(4) + Reflex Recorder(1) + Smartlink(2) - short burst recoil(2) - second short burst recoil(3) + Recoil Compensation (6) -second target in same pass (2) + took aim(1) = 13d6 (13d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511194/)
3 hits
If that Igbo is aware of me and can react to my shots and chooses to full dodge:
Second Igbo Dodge: Rea(3) + Dodge(4) (7d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511195/)
He would get 3 successes on a full dodge, or only 1with just reaction subtracting the last four dice.
Damage is 6p (M23) + 1p (EX EX ammo) + 2p (tight burst) + 3p (3 hits) - dodge - body and armor test. AP is -2
Option 3:
Free action Take Aim as free action from Martial Art
Simple action: take aim
simple action: Tight burst on first Igbo in group 2
Agility(7) + Automatics(4) + Reflex Recorder(1) + Smartlink(2) - short burst recoil(2) + Recoil Compensation (6) + Took Aim (1) + Took Aim(1) = 16d6 (16d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511197/)
3 hits
If that Igbo is able to react to Doc and chooses to full dodge: First Igbo Dodge: Rea(3) + Dodge(4) (7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3511198/)
He would get 2 hits on a full dodge, or only 1 with just reaction subtracting the last four dice
Damage is 6p (M23) + 1p (EX EX ammo) + 2p (tight burst) + 3p (3 hits) - dodge - body and armor test. AP is -2
Status of Equipment:
M23: 34 or 37 EX-EX rounds remaining in clip. 1 spare clip loaded with EX-EX, 5 spare clips loaded with regular
Manhunter: 16+1 rounds EX-EX, 1 spare clip with EX-EX, 2 spare clips loaded with regular
Taser: 4 darts
Elan: 5+1 regular, 1 spare clip with regular
Slivergun: 30 flechette, 2 spare clips with flechette
950: 5 rounds EX-EX (Eugene has 950)
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@Doc T:
As you enter the room, you maneuver to the right to get clear from the crowd pushing to get through the doors. One of the tourists is clearly more panicked than the others, thrashing around blindly and knocking people to the ground. His companion is checking his commlink and frowning, while the third member of the group sees his friends and immediately grabs his commlink and begins fiddling with the buttons.
You look down range at the Igbo and pick your target. There is one Igbo that is standing in front of a group of civilians. A second is frozen to the ground and isn't even facing you, which hardly seems like the greatest threat at the moment. The third Igbo just dove to the ground on his hands and knees and is scrambling to get his AK-97 into a firing position to shoot at the dwarf who you can only assume is the team's rigger, Jerry. Target acquired.
[OOC: I'm adding a negative dice pool modifier for range; the target is approximately 65 meters away according to your smartgun image link. That puts the range at Medium (-1). Checking your roll on Invisible Castle, is doesn't affect your number of hits]
You aim at the crouching Igbo, using your smartgun link to target center mass. You pause, allowing your reflex recorder to fine-tune your aim for the perfect shot. The reticle glows a soft red and you pull the trigger, putting downward pressure on the fore grip and leaning into the buttstock so the burst doesn't wander. The Igbo sees you as you draw a bead on him and instinctively tries to twist out of the way.
Igbo Dodge: Rea(3) (3d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514115/)
The Igbo, eyes wide in surprise, tries to roll out of the way but manages to do so far too slowly to avoid the tight hail of bullets coming towards him.
Igbo Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Ballistic(6)+AP(-2)+Toughness(1) (13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514125/)
Damage = 8P total
The Igbo is pelted with bullets, each one exploding in a burst of smoke as the exploding rounds send bits of shrapnel into his body. He is severely wounded. Without medical attention, it's likely that he'll bleed out and die.
-
@Jerry:
You watch as the third tourist, seeing the plight of his two friends, begins to fiddle with his commlink.
he's trying to power it down!!!!!
-
@Hyena:
You thrust your knife towards the injured Igbo, who again attempts to dodge your attack. You grab his arm as you make the attack, trying to maneuver him between yourself and the other 4 Igbo.
Igbo full dodge: Rea(3)+Dodge(4)+Dodge(4)+Wounded(-2) (9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514140/)
The bastard gets away again with no more than a graze! He jumps back, and the other 4 Igbo have a clear line of sight at you.
Uh-oh.
-
OOC: I am notsure that this kind of action is possible, if it isn't, I'll remove it.
From his combat crouch in the middle of carnage, Jerry didn't slow his hacking for a nanosecond. As fast as he was, even the fastest paralell threads are executed sequentialy on the machine level. He needed to hack that commlink before it will be powered down, but it seemed that the time has come to switch threads.
He started talking, before he started to work, but before he finished talking he was already refocusing back on the tourist.
@Hyena: Lot's of bullets. Dodge. Now.
Spoofing the command. From the smartlink to the gun. Full auto fire. Now.
A simple task, basically replaying the sequence he issued second ago when shooting at the Sharkman. Only that this time it was fired on when he was still turning toward Hyena.
OOC:
Basically I wan't to create the effects of suppresive fire in the closest vicinity of the Igbo. Yes, that means that Hyena is in the area, but so are all other Igbo and quite possible they also serve as cover for Hyena.
Free action: talking
Complex action: spoofing command
Hacking(4) + Spoof(5) -> 9d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514873/)
I'll reroll missess just to be sure. 6d6.hits(5)=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514878/) 7 hits in total.
I think this was the last point of Edge I had.
If the device follows the book example from pg. 236 it has rating of 4 and has an opposing roll resist of Device Rating(4) + Device Rating(4). One net hit is enough.
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@Hyena: Lot's of bullets. Dodge. Now.
As soon as she heard Jerry, Hyena simply dropped on the floor and rolled to the side where the crates were, so she could hide behind those. Her armour would keep her from getting bruised and even if she was, it was a hell of a lot better then getting sprayed with bullets.
reaction + edge as reaction against suppressive fire
reaction 6 + edge 3 + 3 bonus =12 (12d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3515097/)
No problem, I dodge the suppressive fire.
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@Jerry:
You zero in on the commlink of the smartlink-equipped Igbo who is just turning to face Hyena. You can see the list of devices subscribed to the commlink, but the connection is obviously encrypted. It uses a Russian algorithm that was hacked almost the day it came out, and despite their efforts to patch it the users almost never have the most up-to-date software on their AK-97's. How typically Russian; the Germans would never allow such crappy security on their weapons.
AK-97 Resist Spoofing: Device(4) x2 (8d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3515105/) Not good enough!
After narrowing down the encryption to one binary section, you send the command to fire the weapon on 1024 different frequency keys all simultaneously. As long as you got the frequency block right, you should be good.
As you send the command, the gun instantly begins to bark automatic weapon fire. You command it to fire as quickly as the weapon can cycle the firing cylinder, a stream of spoofed commands flooding the Matrix from your superior commlink.
The Igbo is turning past his compatriots to face the assailant who was trying to stab them in close-quarters combat. When the gun begins to fire, the knife-wielding girl hits the ground and rolls to the side, completely avoiding the bullets.
[The previously wounded Igbo is #1 for purposes of order of rolls]
Igbo avoiding suppressive gunfire: Rea(3)+Edge(1) (4d6.hits(5)=2, 4d6.hits(5)=2, 4d6.hits(5)=2, 4d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3515118/)
All the Igbo whirl to see the sound of the gunfire but it's too late. They are all pelted with bullets as the shocked gunman tries to get his weapon under control. A second later, the gun clicks empty.
[All 4 Igbo are to resist base damage of 7P]
Igbo Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Ballistic(6)+AP(-1)+Toughness(1) (14d6.hits(5)=2, 14d6.hits(5)=4, 14d6.hits(5)=5, 14d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3515145/)
Three of the Igbo are wounded, some more seriously than others. The fourth, namely the one who was already wounded from Hyena's previous attack, takes a bullet in the neck and falls to the ground. He's scooting back away from the fight as fast as he can, trying to get away with his life intact. [he's taken 10 of his 12 physical damage boxes and is trying to flee combat]
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@ Jane: Hey Ms Johnson, am I seeing things or was there just a dragon in here? Should we assume keeping a low profile is no longer a priority?
Eugene calls his bound beast spirit from the metaplanes, just in case some muscle is needed. He then takes a moment to look around the hangar and see what exactly is going on.
Initiative: Int(4) + Rea(4) -> 8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509811/) Total 11
Perception test (observe in detail action--in particular trying to see how many people are involved in combat):
Int(4) + Perception(3) + Owl(2) + Vision Enhancement(3) -> 12d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3509834/)
@Eugene:
You call upon your Beast spirit, who comes forth from the metaplanes to astrally wait at your side. With a quick glance in astral space you see it appear like a flickering florescent light that finally comes to full brightness.
You quickly scan the room, your keen vision helping you pick out targets as easily as if you had a tacnet. You see a dwarf kneeling around a pile of frozen dead bodies, whom you can only assume is the team's rigger. There's a sound of gunfire and screams behind some crates along the left-hand wall. You look back over and see the dwarf chuckle. Doc T is to your right and is firing controlled bursts into one of the Igbo near the dwarf. Jane is nowhere to be seen, and neither is the Ork girl called Hyena. In addition to the Igbo that Doc is firing at, there is an Igbo frozen to the ground between you and the dwarf, and one more to the left on his hands and knees scrambling to regain his footing. Finally, there are some tourists fiddling with their commlinks, one of which is thrashing around as though blinded, even though his eyes are wide open and staring.
Jane replies to your questions via her commlink: "No dragon, just a fool who scared the locals. This needs to end before it escalates further. We'll need to dive back into the shadows the moment we get clear of this place."
-
Igbo Group 1:
The still-frozen Igbo is tugging his legs against the frozen ground, trying to free himself once again. He has a panicked look after seeing his comrades get cut to pieces by the crazed swordsman, who subsequently exploded. Enough action for one day!
Str(3) test to break free: (7d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516465/)
Roll to avoid falling Agi(2): (5d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516466/)
The Igbo fails to break free but again manages to avoid falling and sustaining injury
The wounded Igbo that Doc T just shot is making a break for the far southern exit, running along the wall farthest away from the crates where Hyena is fighting.
The remaining Igbo, still on his hands and knees from the leap away from the grenade, pulls out a grenade of his own and awkwardly throws it towards Jerry!
[Jerry, roll Perception(2) to tell what kind of grenade it is]
Igbo throwing grenade: Agi(5)+Defaulting(-1)+Prone(-2) (2d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516473/)
Scatter Direction: (1d6=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516475/)
Scatter Distance: (1d6=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516477/)
The Igbo throws the grenade squarely at Jerry, hitting him in the heel. It bounces off and goes 5 meters away before finally rolling to a stop.
-
Updated maps for Turn 3:
Red = Hyena
Green = Jerry (and Fly Spy drone)
Yellow = Jane
Purple = Tourists w/ commlinks
Orange = Doc T
White = Eugene (and beast spirit)
Grey = Grenade
-
More updated maps for Turn 3. As always, if you want to see an area in more detail just ask.
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[Jerry, roll Perception(2) to tell what kind of grenade it is]
OOC:
Intuition(5) + Perception(1) + Vision Magnification(3) - AR usage(2) -> 7d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516675/)
by the way, that throw was glitched. If I could suggest anything, could the glitch mean scatter back in his direction? (same distance as you rolled)
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actually, it DID roll back towards him - the Igbo who threw it was the one towards your north-east
[to your point, I'll try to think of something for the glitch. The glitch system breaks down when you've got a really small dice pool (with only two dice, the chance of a glitch is 1 in 3!)]
You are able to tell that the grenade is a flash-bang
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@Jerry:
The last tourist with a functional commlink is starting his shutdown.
[Roll to determine the target's software suite - 1-3: Basic User; 4-5: Basic+; 6: Pro User]
Witness #3's Program Suite: (1d6=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516753/) Basic User
[Extended Test: System+Response (10), 1 Combat Turn]
Witness #3's Commlink Shut-down: System(3)+Response(3) (6d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3516757/) 8 hits needed to complete shutdown
-
And this one came from which hole? Jerry started to run toward the closest wall. Flash-bang? They need oxygen to flare, and concussion need an air for wave travel also... McGee would have sucked it somehow ... hmm maybe blowing out a hole in the hangar side or burn a flare on his owne to consume the oxygene.... no time ...what was the range? oh yeah 10 meters...
Running from the grenade blasting range (easy to measure the current distance when you operate on cyber enhanced senses with radar rangefinder, math spu smartlinked to the googles) ending with a cinematic jump and less cinematic FUUUUUCK as he plumbed on the wall propelled by the explosion of a grenade behind him. Explosion of rapidly igniting particles, raced toward a wide eyed Igbo, but luckily ended short before smoldering Jerry's external circuits.
OOC:
free action running (-2 modifier), 20 meters movement rate, meaning I am able to move 6 meters away, with 5 already do I should be able to get out of the range, that is a kind of close - far enough to not be affected. As I understand
I'll delay the complex action if possible.
technically the explosion if it wasn't rigged in non-standard way, should take place at next init pass on his initiative score, and Hyena or other would have an option to act before it, but I don't think there is a need to wait with it.
-
Now she was between some crates, Hyena thought it was best to end things as quickly as possible. So she dropped the knife for now, grabbed her Ares Predator and fired a shot into the Igbo that had obliged her by shooting his comrades. Now was the time to do something about him before he could do something to her.
free action: drop knife
simple action: ready weapon
simple action: fire weapon
agility 9 + firearms 4 + smartlink 2 - 2 firing from cover = 13 (13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3522201/)
Damage: 5P + net hits, -1AP (I use regular ammo).
I've put in a -2 modifier since I'm between the crates (firing from cover, SR4A p150). From what I can see on the pictures, I'm not in the blast radius of the grenade and even if I am, it's at the end and I'm protected by the crates.
-
BTW my late response to your question may have affected your IC action, you can adjust things if you want to (i.e. take a shot at the Igbo). I'll do Jerry's and Hyena's actions first and will wait for your say-so before doing Doc's.
I'll take you up on that option. For posterity's sake original actions here:
The dampers installed in Doc's ears slightly muted the unmistakeable sound of an AK-97 burning through an entire magazine. Doc continued circling to the right. He couldn't see the shooter, and two of the three Igbo he could see were out of the fight, one frozen the other running. The third however just threw a grenade at the strangely calm and collected dwarf, so he would be a natural target, but there were too many civilians in the line of fire. I've got to end this before it gets any more out of hand, Doc thought. Attempting to summon the voice of his first Sgt. Major on the parade grounds, he called out first in English, then in Igbo and finally in Yoruba - "SURRENDER! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
Free Action: Speak phrase (English)
Simple Action - substitute with free action: speak phrase (Igbo)
Simple action - substitute with free action: speak phrase (Yoruba)
[/spoiler]
Two of the three Igbo Doc T could see were out of the fight, one frozen the other running. The third however just threw a grenade at the strangely calm and collected dwarf ... a natural target - but there were too many civilians in the line of fire. Just as Doc was trying to figure out how to help the Dwarf, the dampers installed in his ears kicked in muffling the unmistakeable sound of an AK-97 on autofire. Without forming a conscious thought Doc T's training brought his M23 to bear on the new threat. After a split second to confirm his target he fired two bursts at the partially covered Igbo shooter.
Simple action - Short tight burst at the Igbo that shot at Hyena
Agility(7) + Automatics(4) + Reflex Recorder(1) + Smartlink(2) - Recoil (0) [short burst recoil(-2) + Recoil Compensation (6)] - Range (0) [range probably 41-120m(-1)+ Hawkeye (reduces range modifier one band)] = 14d6 (14d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3525957/)
damage is 6p+1p(ex-ex) + 2p burst + net hits, AP -2
2nd Simple Action - Short tight burst at same target
Agility(7) + Automatics(4) + Reflex Recorder(1) + Smartlink(2) - Recoil (0) [short burst recoil(-2) + 2nd short burst recoil (-3) + Recoil Compensation (6)] - Range (0) [range probably 41-120m(-1)+ Hawkeye (reduces range modifier one band)] = 14d6 (14d6.hits(5)=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3525959/) :D (critical success?)
damage is 6p+1p(ex-ex) +2p burst + net hits, AP -2
As his target disappeared behind the crates, Doc decided to see if he could get the remainder to give up before he had to kill any more. Attempting to channel the voice of his first Sgt. Major on the parade grounds, he summoned his best command voice and called out in Igbo - "SURRENDER! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"
Free Action: Speak phrase (Igbo)
Status of Equipment:
M23: 31 EX-EX rounds remaining in clip. 1 spare clip loaded with EX-EX, 5 spare clips loaded with regular
Manhunter: 16+1 rounds EX-EX, 1 spare clip with EX-EX, 2 spare clips loaded with regular
Taser: 4 darts
Elan: 5+1 regular, 1 spare clip with regular
Slivergun: 30 flechette, 2 spare clips with flechette
950: 5 rounds EX-EX (Eugene has 950)
-
@Jerry:
Your reaction-enhanced nerves don't hesitate for a moment. As soon as your commlink pipes the data on the grenade to your goggles, you turn with startling speed and rise from your crouch into a full sprint towards the western wall. The Igbo to your north doesn't react to your presence besides to stumble/crawl even faster towards the north-west to get away from you. As your short dwarf legs propel you away from the grenade, a shudder fills your immediate area and hits you in the back like a base note from a jet-core rock concert. You feel yourself pushed even faster, too fast, and you are barely able to keep your face from slamming into the corrugated metal hangar wall.
The wounded Igbo throws his arms over his eyes, apparently too stupid to look away from the blast as the stun grenade went off. Idiot.
@Hyena:
You pull yourself into a shooters crouch and slam your knife into a nearby box in one swift motion. The vibroblade stops humming the moment it senses your fingers letting go of the pressure pads, a safety feature which prevents the knife from cutting its sheath to pieces. You pull your pistol from its holster in a well-practised maneuver, take aim at center mass, and fire at the Ibgo who is still staring at his machine-gun trying to figure out what happened to make it go off like that.
Igbo dodge: Rea(3) (3d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3525308/)
Igbo Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Ballistic(6)+AP(-1)+Toughness(1) (14d6.hits(5)=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3525309/)
You shoot the Igbo squarely in the chest, but unfortunately for you he's tough enough to shrug it off without any injury.
-
@Doc T:
You shoot the Igbo with your assault rifle, using the tight, controlled bursts you were trained to use at boot camp; this not only conserves ammo but limits the amount of collateral damage when fighting in tight, urban environments. You fire two bursts, feeling particularly good about the second one.
Igbo Dodge: Rea(3)+Good Cover(4)+Already Defended(-1) (6d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3527459/) [net hits = 4]
Igbo Dodge: Rea(3)+Good Cover(4)+Already Defended(-2) (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3527460/) [net hits = 6]
Both bursts hit. Hard.
Igbo Damage Resist: Bod(8)+Ballistic(6)+AP(-2)+Toughness(1) (13d6.hits(5)=5, 13d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3527470/) [Damage = 8P+13P]
The first rounds dance across his collarbones and neck, penetrating the vest with ease. The exploding rounds leave giant bloody pockmarks in the durakevlar material. The Igbo winces and looks towards the shooter, trying to find his assailant. The second burst catches him square in the face, the exploding rounds blowing the back of his skull completely apart. The lifeless body falls flat on its back, not even twitching.
-
@All:
Suddenly, you hear the roar of a badly-tuned engine at the far north end of the hangar. The crowd leaps out of the way, and Doc T and Eugene are forced to deal with a swarm of pedestrians that are suddenly surrounding them, jostling to get clear. A rusty off-road vehicle lurches into the hangar through the doorway. It's covered in a mixture of rust, dirt, and soot, and has Igbo hanging all over it. A quick glance reveals 5 Igbo, including the gunner in the back manning the massive heavy machinegun. He pivots the weapon as far up as he can and begins to spray gunfire over the heads of the crowd, shooting bullets into the ceiling and far wall. The sound is deafening, and the crowd quickly hits the floor. The Igbo in the front passenger seat steps out and assesses the situation. He's much more heavily armored than the other Igbo and it is immediately apparent that his rank is at least a chief, maybe higher. He raises his hand and whistles, followed by a series of guttural clicks and grunts. The remaining Igbo immediately begin to retreat. The wounded are helped to the north end of the hangar, and the dead are left where they lay. The chief makes eye contact with Jerry, showing that while the group certainly gained the respect of the Igbo, they also gained notoriety.
The group disappears into the street outside the hangar, and the crowd quickly disperses. Jerry manages to crash the last commlink before the tourist is able to shut it down, ensuring that the footage is gone forever.
You see Jane towards the south end of the hangar, and she waves you over.
"Let's try to keep things on track in the future, all right? No more getting into drek unless absolutely necessary."
You all wait for the crowd to go back to their normal routine. It's astounding how quickly the hangar returns to business as usual. It's apparent that they see this kind of stuff ALL THE TIME in Lagos, and that anyone who is fazed for more than 5 minutes is fresh off the boat.
Going to be an interesting place to do a run, no?
[OOC: KARMA TIME!]
-
Not sure if this is IC or OOC - but...
Doc grabs Iceblade's corpse, knowing what happens to dead bodies this close to Ghoul territory. They may never have been introduced properly, but assuring a proper burial for a team mate is the least that can be done. No one is left behind - ever.
Ever.
-
Eugene heads over with Doc T to help him carry the body--partly because Doc seems to be a guy who knows what he's doing, but also because he's intrigued by the dead mage's unique tradition. He scopes out the astral surroundings to see if he can spot anything interesting.
Assensing test, 2 hits 8d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3559568/)
"Geez", he mutters to himself, "barely started and already a see-thru body. Well, this is Lagos."
-
@Eugene:
You assense the area around the dead body. Even though his spirit has left and his body appears dim in astral space, there is an imprint of great chaos surrounding the place where he died. You can tell this this was a tormented individual, one who was constantly holding back his rage but sometimes not succeeding.
The two of you carry Iceblade's body to the front of the hangar, where you see a can of gasoline next to a broken down minibus. You drag him into the field nearby, wondering if you're about to step on a land mine, and torch his body. Nobody gives you a second look.
This place truly is brutal.
-
@All:
Outside the airport, Jane leads you to a wooden booth, surrounded by heavily armed men in light armor. She says something to one of the guards, who steps aside. You follow your employer past the wall of flesh into the booth. Inside, a wrinkled ebony-skinned man with a cap of tightly curled grey hair sits at a makeshift desk. A large sign hangs behind him, with lettering in twelve different languages. In AR, a similar sign pops up, with “Hawala” spelled out in a dozen tongues.
“E káŕrň,” the man says to Jane, nodding to all of you.
“E káŕrň,” Jane replies, using a Yoruba linguasoft, then hands him a small slip of paper. As he reads it, Jane turns to you.
“Your per diem—five days at 250 nuyen per day—has been deposited in the hawala system here. You can withdraw all or some of it now. You’ll want to carry some, ah,”—she pauses, searching for the right word—“ah, currency, with you. Out in the city, most people won’t take electronic cred.”
The hawala nods. “I see you each have a deposit of 1,250 nuyen on account. That is equal to, hm ... 25,000 naira. I can give you all of this, or if you wish to leave some on deposit, any other hawala in the city can release your funds to you. I’ll give you a marker to show them, which will include your remaining account balance.”
The hawala looks at Jerry, and says "I have a special marker for you. Your associate in "See-A-Tell" must be extremely wealthy indeed. Be warned, you will be advised to spend this all in one place, as most merchants have loose tongues and will barter your information to the highest bidder. You may find people looking to take this from you."
[OOC: Jerry, this marker is for the 4 BP you reserved at character creation. You can spend it on a vehicle, an experimental weapon, a backpack full of drugs, whatever your twisted little heart desires!]
You think to yourself, "I love this city"
-
Hyena had just grabbed Iceblade's swords and his knife. The rest would be cleaned up quite quickly by other scavengers as it was normal in Lagos. She was used to it. When she saw the two advance members grab the body, she shrugged. Nobody would look at them, that was sure.
Following the rest they arrived at the hawala.
"I would like 5000 naria," Hyena said in Yoruba, her native language. That would allow her to get by until she could visit Kayin, her own hawala. As soon as she had her money, she walked outside and tried to contact the Daughters of Yemaja, using the same number she had used on the plane. She needed them to sell Iceblade's sword.
-
"I'd like 5,000 Naira in cash, no paper money please, and the remainder in tokens."
Doc swaps in a fresh clip for his AR, then refills the partially empty one. After accepting the money he introduces himself formally to Hyena and Jerry.
-
@All:
Suddenly, you hear the roar of a badly-tuned engine at the far north end of the hangar. The crowd leaps out of the way, and Doc T and Eugene are forced to deal with a swarm of pedestrians that are suddenly surrounding them, jostling to get clear. A rusty off-road vehicle lurches into the hangar through the doorway. It's covered in a mixture of rust, dirt, and soot, and has Igbo hanging all over it. A quick glance reveals 5 Igbo, including the gunner in the back manning the massive heavy machinegun. He pivots the weapon as far up as he can and begins to spray gunfire over the heads of the crowd, shooting bullets into the ceiling and far wall. The sound is deafening, and the crowd quickly hits the floor. The Igbo in the front passenger seat steps out and assesses the situation. He's much more heavily armored than the other Igbo and it is immediately apparent that his rank is at least a chief, maybe higher. He raises his hand and whistles, followed by a series of guttural clicks and grunts. The remaining Igbo immediately begin to retreat. The wounded are helped to the north end of the hangar, and the dead are left where they lay. The chief makes eye contact with Jerry, showing that while the group certainly gained the respect of the Igbo, they also gained notoriety.
AR googles don't give away too much in terms of eye contact, so Jerry holstered his gun as a sign of aknowledgment.
The group disappears into the street outside the hangar, and the crowd quickly disperses. Jerry manages to crash the last commlink before the tourist is able to shut it down, ensuring that the footage is gone forever.
You see Jane towards the south end of the hangar, and she waves you over.
"Let's try to keep things on track in the future, all right? No more getting into drek unless absolutely necessary."
I'll hold this words on you. and he turns to the two guys emerging from the north grabbing the sharkman's body. And where the fuck you two have been?! Sightseeing or what?! Before they take him out he spills mage still usable
gear on the heap, wrap it in the coat and carry out for further inspection later.
Hyena had just grabbed Iceblade's swords and his knife.
I see you Hyena.
-
The hawala looks at Jerry, and says "I have a special marker for you. Your associate in "See-A-Tell" must be extremely wealthy indeed. Be warned, you will be advised to spend this all in one place, as most merchants have loose tongues and will barter your information to the highest bidder. You may find people looking to take this from you."
Not extremely wealthy anymore. He was deep shit in debt, that I've decided to collect. Cash out everything, shopping time.
-
Not extremely wealthy anymore. He was deep shit in debt, that I've decided to collect. Cash out everything, shopping time.
"Just give him a couple of vouchers," Hyena said to the banker, turning around just before walking outside.
"Vouchers are more easily transported than a sack full of coins and are accepted as easily as regular currency," she told Jerry, "more easily concealed as well."
-
Eugene introduces himself to the others. He looks at the angry dwarf and smiles. If we had known you intended to swat flies with dynamite, we would have at least showed up to see the fireworks! I think next time a more subtle approach might be advised. Lots of people asking for your money in Lagos, and you can't kill them all.
Eugene dismisses the astral hippopotamus that has been following him around, and follows the others into the Hawala booth. 5000 Naira in cash, please. He takes the coins, looks about nervously, and spills them into an odd-looking pouch that he keeps under his jacket. He places his remaining tokens in another such pouch.
Afterwards, he turns to Hyena. You seem to know your way around here. I'm familiar with the area, but not very much with the details. Tell me, is there a place where awakened types congregate? I'm looking to track down someone in particular. In Yoruba, he adds, I did live in Lagos long ago, and I speak some Yoruba if you want to talk trash about the others.
-
Right. Jerry claimed whatever came for money in this part of the world trusting that they are actually worth something.
Anyone of you know a good garage place? I am lookinf for a used cars and drones park, preferably with some kind of workshop available.
OOC:
guys, any of you with local area knowledge. could you direct me?
-
"That's right Eugene - let's hope subtlety is the plan going forward" Said Doc. Turning to address the Dwarf with the mouth, Doc continued "from my perspective omae I saved your bacon, and a little thanks might be appreciated, had we been a moment later, or I been a hair slower, you'd be on the ground like your impetuous friend."
You've identified a few places that have vehicles for sale. Most of them are pieces of crap, but there are some that appear to be left over from some sort of corp-funded expedition, probably a weapons expo or something similar. They're far too expensive for anyone to accept anything except Hawala tokens. Since so far people have commlinks, and even fewer have bank accounts, you're stuck with either that or certified credsticks (and even those require a commlink to verify!) Jane told you that she had made arrangements for Hawala tokens, and that she was bringing a tech-heavy rigger, so you figured you would note the locations on your commlinks and talk about it in person with the rest of the team.
[/spoiler]
"Yeah we know where to get a car, and even checked out a few." While saying that Doc transferred the relevant files from his comlink to Jerry's system. "I think it would be a good idea to get wheels as soon as possible here are a few places... if you want I'll accompany you."
In Yoruba Doc T then properly greets Hyena, and is very pleased to see that she's armed for bear with the Alpha.
-
Don't even get me started on appreciation of your advanced recon performance, with all the upfront threats identification and preemptive takeout of the hostiles. We lost a man dammit. High nosed fucker, but still a loss we wouldn't have had you done your job properly and be here earlier. So shut the fuck up or I'll shove you my thanks up your cybered ass ... even though that shooting of yours was kinda awesome. He admitted grudgingly.
With that left Jerry grabbed what went for money in this part of the world and headed for the garage spot that Doc had marked on the map. Let's go. I'll find a ride for all our stuff and staff, but I won't carry it yet.
The garage place was looking more like car dump that was hit by a bombing straffing runs repeatedly. But Jerry knew better, it was the exact place he hoped to find. Among the rusted carcasses of trucks, tanks and something that looked like the remains of a submarine a real drone and traveling gems were hidden.
He went past the first few lines and heaps closing to the workshop. A one-eyed black orc was standing there with a toolbelt that holstered both screwdrivers and hammers as pistols and grenades.
Jerry spilled his cash on the table. I need a car. The orc nodded and smiled obscenely his rotten tusks.
Grabbing the money back to the pouch the two went out and wandered for a good half an hour haggling in the broken mixture of several languages. After a while the sound of motor closed to the workshop as a car has drove in spilling rocks.
This is fucking amazing. Miguel I love you. Did you guys ever seen such beauty?
Quite honestly if you aren't into technical, mechanical, engineering and rigging details what you see is a reddish (hopefully not rusted) pickup truck on the high offroad tires. The only thing you notice that is out of order is that dwarf is riding it from the back with a remote control and is laughing like mad. I took all I got so don't count on me in the bar.
I need to work on it for short while. I still need to install drone rack and a winch.
Miguel I hope you don't mind me using your workbench I had to dismantle some of my drones to get them past the fucking airport guards, and your raping me with those prices so be a man and throw in some labor space.
A drone walked off the pickup. Quite literally and in a doggish behavior followed the dwarf as he jumped off the truck.
-
As you check out the vehicle, you make some quick observations. It's a Conestoga Dust Devil modified for offroad use. It's got oversize tires and a heavy-duty suspension. The bed is a flatbed with benches on either side and metal sides that come up to the top of the cab. The top of the bed is open. There are gun ports built into the side walls of the bed which allow for passengers to fire out while still retaining the protection of the light armor plates bolted into the walls. There's a small drone rack built into the back of the bed. The winch on the front of the truck looks rusty but is a heavy duty model that should serve you just fine.
The truck is painted a dirty reddish brown color, except for the hood, which is faded black with a while skull and crossbones.
Doc immediately recognizes the logo as being that of the Dirt Rangers, a mercenary group that was wiped out by Saeder-Krupp commando units during a clandestine operation gone wrong in a nearby lawless area.
You notice that the door handle on the passenger size has some brown and red residue gunked onto it in a fashion that can only be described as "baked on". The black ork sees you looking and grins his disgusting grin.
"The only way to keep stuff from getting stolen around here is to protect it."
He sends the truck a quick AR command and the air around it quickly ionizes, leaving the hair on your arms standing on end.
"And the Doberman drone comes with it. I'll be taking that Hawala chip from you now, chummer. The bench is over there. You've got as long as you want on it, but I'd strongly suggest wrapping up before sundown."
It's about 2:00, so you've got around 6 hours of light remaining. After that, the ghouls come out.
-
@Hyena:
You manage to get in a call to the double-blind call forwarding system that you've used to contact the Daughters in the past and leave a video message for your contact, Hrickik. You ask about where you can meet in order to have a face-to-face meeting and indicate that you want to discuss going through Initiation. You also mention that you're looking for a particular talismonger for a friend.
[OOC: to refresh anyone's memory: http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=5723.msg102146#msg102146 (http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=5723.msg102146#msg102146)]
You get a message back within a few minutes. It's Hrickik, and she's looking much the same as the last time you saw her. She indicates that there's a market nearby that specializes in the type of talismongering that Eugene is looking for and that it would be a good place to start the search. She indicates that there's a trinket shop on the far end of the market that Hyena should come to alone. She rattles off a series of directions, which you overlay onto your AR display. Her final directions are that she will be there in one hour and that you shouldn't be late.
@Hyena & Eugene
You begin the walk through the crowded streets, bidding farewell to Jane. She says that she will meet the team at the hotel later that night, and that while she's concerned that the team split up she's even more concerned with making sure they all make it to the hotel before dark. The hotel closes its massive gates when the sun goes down and the perimeter is patrolled.
You get to the market without incident, pushing past throngs of filthy beggars, heavily armed corp guards, merchants selling tonics and kebabs, and stepping in the occasional pile of camel dung. The talismonger market opens up before you, approximately 15 booths on either side of a wide boulevard. There are fewer people in this part of the market, and those that are here look furtively around as though everyone has something to hide, something to protect, or something to steal. This is a den of thieves.
Hyena, you've got about 20 minutes to spare before the scheduled meet.
-
@Jerry:
As you are working in the workshop, you hear a familiar voice behind you.
"I heard you were in town. Hey Jerry."
You spin around, pistol aimed at the face of whoever is addressing you. You immediately grin and lower it to the man's genitals. He smiles in return, lowering his submachine gun in a similar fashion. An old joke between friends. Arms dealer friends. It's Crazy Dave, your contact within a shadowy organization called the Blue Octopus that you've had positive dealings with in the past. How the hell he found you is anyone's guess. It's kind of his job, though, so you aren't surprised.
"I've got a deal for you. I need you to cause some problems for someone. Destructive problems. You interested? This is your payment, by the way."
He opens up a case on the workbench and you see a foam insert with four dragonfly drones neatly inserted within. You notice the red and while striped cylindrical portions at their tail and you whistle appreciatively. These are the S-K models that can take out a vehicle by incorporating a C-12 charge into their fuselage so they act as a high-explosive grenade. As Crazy Dave closes the box, you notice the text on the top:
"Property of Saeder-Krupp"
Holy shit. This is my payment?!
Crazy Dave puts a much larger weapons case with a similar logo on the ground.
"Your job is to open this case, cause as much mayhem as you can with it, and get it into the possession of the the Shrapnel Dawgs. Do not open the case until midnight tonight, and get it into their possession within 24 hours."
You in?
-
Shrapnel Dawgs?
You know this is not my turf Dave. I'd need his help. Jerry pointed at Doc standing against the wall. and he has his price as well. Convince him, and you get us both.
-
Crazy Dave takes one look at Doc and his expression brightens.
"I've got just the thing. You look like you've fixed up a few broken bones in your day. This is the newest thing. You get the kit. You want resupplies you tell Jerry to get ahold of me and we'll find ya."
He flashes a salesman's grin and pulls off his pack. He removes a shiny white case with a holographic medical red cross on the top, with a red S-K written underneath.
"It's a top-of-the-line medkit. Something new. Uses nanobots."
He hands it over to Doc and looks him in the eye, smiling with his biggest lunatic grin. It's no wonder he's called Crazy Dave.
"So we got a deal, right? Don't disappoint me. Don't open it until midnight tonight. And do NOT have this thing in your possession by midnight tomorrow. You'll understand what I mean."
With that, he walks out and quickly disappears into the crowd. The big S-K case is on the ground where he was standing a moment before. His business card is laying on top of the Dragonfly case, crisp and white against the glaring sun.
[OOC: Jerry, Crazy Dave is now your new Contact]
-
Hmm... Eugene is wide-eyed. So much to see. Forgetting that Hyena is by his side, he begins roaming the market, keeping an eye out for anything possibly related to his uncle, the Sextant, or anything that might interest him. He makes sure to remain aware of his pockets at all times.
General perception and assensing tests:
Perception 9 (visual 12) (12d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3569540/)
Assensing 8 (8d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3569541/) Boo (no glitch)
-
Jerry - who was that guy? More importantly what exactly does he want us to do? I'm already employed, and while I'm not adverse to side work, If it involves killing civilians, or will make our current job any more difficult I am out. This city is a drekhole, and I've already done enough to make it worse. As a rule I don't take jobs where I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
That said, if it's minor, I'm in.
-
Hyena followed Eugene, but while looking out she also discretely tried to gain information about his uncle, dropping some naria into palms to get the talking going. The faster she could deliver him there, the better it was for everybody involved. She also hoped that the fact that she was a native and armed to the teeth - having brought her Alpha with her - would convince most people to go looking for easier prey.
I assume I was told the name of said uncle. As for asking around, if I've read my books correclty it's a negotiation skill check. I've taken no penalties as I'm using bribes to get some information (50-100 naria at a couple of places). Should I roll something else, let me know.
charisma 3 + negotiation 2 =5 (5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3569648/)
-
@Eugene: You walk down the row of stalls, peering in and seeing nothing but dark and shadowy figures haggling within. So far, none of them look like your uncle. You manage to see a couple would-be pickpockets in time to steer clear. You've covered about half of the stalls so far, it's been about 5 minutes since you arrived at the market.
@Hyena: You're having a hard time keeping up with Eugene. You grease a few palms, and get a couple indistinct gestures towards the far end of the market.
-
Jerry - who was that guy? More importantly what exactly does he want us to do? I'm already employed, and while I'm not adverse to side work, If it involves killing civilians, or will make our current job any more difficult I am out. This city is a drekhole, and I've already done enough to make it worse. As a rule I don't take jobs where I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
That said, if it's minor, I'm in.
Arms dealer, they don't call him crazy without a reason ....
From what I gather this piece of gear in the box is lava hot, an will get S&K on our heels the moment we open it up.
Dave is probably setting S&K against those Shrapnels Dawgs ...
Which means we need to give the thing to them somehow and before or after make some damage ...
and tag it to them so we loose S&K from our heels and guide them toward Dawgs.
This could turn out real fun, though it would help to know what is inside...
anyway, we are starting our job on tommorow, so we could start and finish this little run tonight ...
this can make our real job more difficult, IF we'll get caught but so far those babies I got here are worth more than I got from Johnson and I could use a little more cash to optimize the software.
Now gimme a hand - if that winch is to hold, it must be screwed right ... now ... puuush...
Jerry finished working on the truck, and turned on to mount an AK-97 on the doberman.
You know anything about those Shrapnel Dawgs, or Seader Krupps presence here or Dirt Rangers?
-
@Hyena: You're having a hard time keeping up with Eugene. You grease a few palms, and get a couple indistinct gestures towards the far end of the market.
"Hey, Eugene," Heyna said over the comm, "I've asked around and he should be somewhere at the end of the market. Let's move a bit faster as I'd rather have you under guard before I go to my own meet."
-
Eugene walks over to the far end of the market, wondering about the contents of each stall along the way. They may be devoid of light, but the really good stalls have a powerful glow on the astral plane. He manages to stay focused enough to find a shrouded tent with a familiar musk. He pulls the colorful tapestry shroud to the side and peers inside. A hand grabs him by the collar and throws him onto a table. It's an ork who looks to be pushing 50 (ancient in ork-years) with a grey beard and a steely, world-weary face. He's got a knife in the hand that he's not using to hold Eugene down. "What the hell do you want?" he asks in Yoruba.
"Good to see you, too, uncle!" Eugene's eyes light up at the sight of a familiar face, even if it's someone holding a knife to him. Uncle Chigozi's face relaxes into a slightly puzzled look, and he lets go of Eugene.
"Is that you, Eugene? Sorry about that. Thieves everywhere. It's been getting worse lately, but business is good, too. How are your stupid parents? What are you doing in Lagos? This is no place for you, boy."
"My parents? I don't hear very much from them these days. I suppose the smuggling business is good. Surprised they haven't dropped you a line. I myself have been on quite a few trips home to Nigeria. I think perhaps the spirits are calling me here. What they want with me, I have no idea!
"But today, I am here on business. Tell me, uncle: why would a person tracking down a lost artifact, a carved sextant on a staff, in particular, have come looking in Lagos? And more importantly, have you heard anything about anyone asking about this artifact? There happen to be some very powerful people looking for it, and I can't imagine its presence could have slipped your notice entirely."
-
As soon as she had dropped of Eugene at his uncle's place, she went to her own appointment. She had told Eugene that he should contact her in case he needed to get back to his hotel, as she didn't want him to walk alone in Lagos. He didn't look strong, at least not from an Orc point of view, but he was kinda cute. But she was sure that his uncle wouldn't let him. The man was quite old and you didn't get that old in Lagos without being smart about some things. She hurried to the meeting point, as she too didn't want to be on the streets after dark, or at least not in just any neighbourhood. Arriving at the address a bit early, she did check it out first, but nothing out of the ordinary presented itself.
Five minutes before the appointed time, she entered the shop.
"Can I help you," she shop owner, a human woman, asked, probably weary about a heavily armed orc coming in.
"Yes, I'm looking for some toys for my nephew," Hyena replied, giving the code that Hrickik had given her.
"I might have something in the back," the owner said, leading her into a small room at the back of the shop where Hrickik was waiting for her.
"It's been a while," she said by way of greeting.
"That's true," Hyena replied, "and in some ways it's good to be back home. At least here there's none of that 'snow' business."
That was something that had come as a bit of a shock when she had first encountered it.
"It doesn't look that bad," Hrickik said.
"From a distance or on a commlink, no," Hyena replied, "up close, it's horrible. Anyways, as you know, I've contacted you because I would like to initiate. While I could do so on my own, it's easier with others."
"You're right there," Hrickik said, "we do have some adept initiatory groups. I'll see what I can do."
"Oh, right," Hyena said, "before I forget, I have a gift for the organisation."
She took the weapon focus from Iceblade out of the cardboard box she had put it in.
"It's a weapon focus like the one I have," she said, "can be used by adepts and mages and it also works against spirits. If necessary, I can teach how to bond with it."
"Impressive," Hrickik said, investigating it. She was also awakened, as all daughter's of Yemaja are.
"This could be useful," she added, "I'm sure we can put it to some good use. Come back here this evening at 21.00 and I'll bring you to your group. It will take at least that to organise it."
"Ok, thanks," Hyena said, knowing a delay like that to get people in Lagos together wasn't unusual, "one more little thing. If you should hear something about an artefact called the Sextant or the Compass or something, I'm interested. My current Ms. J is looking into those."
"If we hear something, we'll let you know," Hrickik said standing up, "and I'll see you tonight."
With the conversation done, Hyena left as well, going back to the market to see if Eugene was already done. It was safer for two to be on the road instead of only one. She would bring him to back to the hotel and then come back.
-
After finishing with the first drone, Jerry assembled the flying drone that he was carrying in the bag, that and checking the weapon platform completed the preparations.
Now it was time to look into Dave's issue. First things first, checking the stuff he left for any RFID or any other tracking devices. Then manually disconnecting wifi devices before turning on the drones, and connecting via datajack. Searching for any security flaws, trojans, and setting up firewall so it will not report it's position to any previous owner.
Then careful look over the weapons case Dave left for opening mechanism, opening traps, RFIDs. Trying to match the marking on the case with any known weapons symbols.
Finally some data searches: Seader & Krup Lagos operations, Shrapnel Dawgs, Dirt Rangers.
OOC:
for the bug scanning I use radio detector scanner, tag eraser and I scan for any hidden nodes using electronic warfare skill.
DataSeach(1) + Browse(5) + VR(2) -> base dicepool 8
4 intervals -> 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 -> 26 dices
Seader & Krup Lagos operations -> 8d6.hits(5)=2, 7d6.hits(5)=2, 6d6.hits(5)=2, 5d6.hits(5)=0 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3581984/) 6 hits, no glitch along the way
Shrapnel Dawgs -> 8d6.hits(5)=5, 7d6.hits(5)=3, 6d6.hits(5)=3, 5d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3581986/) 13 hits, no glitch along the way
Dirt Rangers -> 8d6.hits(5)=3, 7d6.hits(5)=4, 6d6.hits(5)=2, 5d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3581987/) 11 hits, no glitch along the way
-
@Doc T:
You spend the afternoon hanging out and watching Jerry's back. You manage to endure the constant swearing, yelling, tantrums, threats, and name-calling that the dwarf hurls your way while he works on the drones. There is a stretch where you have some blessed peace and quiet while Jerry does some data searching after you tell him all you remember about the mercenary groups that you'll be dealing with.
Dirt Rangers: These guys were pretty hard-core operators. They drove around in armored convoys, transporting VIP's and running anything of value around Lagos. If you saw these guys coming your way, it was best to stay clear as far as possible. Their symbol was the Jolly Roger. They were known as the guys that would fire first and ask questions later, especially if they came under fire. You've heard many rumors on what happened to them, but nothing credible.
Shrapnel Dawgs: A relatively new group of arms dealers. They formed when some disgruntled couriers and enforcers working for a variety of existing criminal gangs decided to join up and make a new syndicate. They're young, brash, and have a reputation for causing chaos and headaches for the more "reputable" black market operations in town.
Blue Octopus: One of the most connected arms dealers anywhere in Nigeria. They specialize in military-grade gear, and they're universally known as having no tolerance for other groups trying to "share" what they consider to be their turf. These guys are big enough to run with the AA Corp outfits, but are still far too small to deal with the big guys like AAA Corps and government buyers.
While Jerry's working, you have a chance to take a quick look at the weapons case and the medium-sized medkit. While you haven't got a clue as to what's in the weapons case, it has to be something pretty big. That or something pretty delicate, maybe requiring a bunch of padding. You genuinely hope it's not a tac-nuke.
The medkit opens smoothly on a butterfly pivot mechanism. You see a state of the art medkit with two clear panels, obviously indicating the remaining supply of the expensive "goo" inside. On closer inspection, you recognize it as a S-K reproduction of the Savior Medkit, originally developed by Shiawase Biotech. Neat-o, you think to yourself. [OOC: if you don't have Augmentation let me know and I'll send you the full description]
-
@Jerry:
You spend the day working on reassembling your drone's weapon mount. You needed to make it look like a camera mount in case you got held up at customs, especially if you got caught on the UCAS side.
Armorer extended test: Threshold 6, 30 minute intervals
Armorer Extended Test (6): Armorer(1)+Logic(6)+AR Enhanced(2)+Superior Tools(1)+Superior work environment(1)+Juryrigger(3) (14d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3582982/)
Armorer Extended Test (6): Armorer(1)+Logic(6)+AR Enhanced(2)+Superior Tools(1)+Superior work environment(1)+Juryrigger(3) (13d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3582984/)
It takes you a little less than an hour to reassemble the complicated gimbal mount and make sure it's properly calibrated. Piece of cake.
Now to get to the fun stuff
You spend the next hour making sure the Dragonfly drones are up to spec. You're glad that you disabled the wi-fi before turning them on one at a time. They're factory new, and they're about two years out of date. They're programmed to report back to the central S-K database as soon as they're turned on so they can search for new firmware. That would have been a disaster. After finding and downloading the correct patches from a Shadowland site located in Egypt, you set up the firewall and restrict all user access to come directly from your commlink.
After looking at the weapon case, you see markings on it that are some kind of identifier barcode used to track inventory.
Always trust the Corps to keep track of their toys, you mutter to yourself.
Unfortunately, the case is used to store many kinds of supply items and is not specific to any one use. A quick image search on the Matrix shows It is the same case that's used to transport rations, grenades, military communications gear, lab equipment, pretty much anything breakable that needs to be stacked in an efficient manner. You don't dare try to break into the S-K database to search on this specific barcode. [OOC: You don't, do you?!?]
You use your radio scanner on the case and can detect faint RFID signals emanating from within. They're not coming from any one place, but instead seem to be coming from everywhere at once. They're encrypted signals that you recognize as "squealers". You run your tag eraser over the surface of the container but it doesn't seem to make much difference to the signals within. You don't find any hidden nodes, and the case itself doesn't appear to have any kind of boobytraps on it, but then again the well-hidden ones never do!. The whole operation takes you an hour.
You perform your data searches at 6:00 PM as the sun starts to get lower in the sky. Your searches take approximately 2 hours each. The owner of the junkyard barricades himself inside his armored building, muttering that the both of you must be crazy to be out past dark.
Data search results:
S-K Lagos Operations:
There's been a large buildup of S-K operations in recent months. They have a base set up outside Lagos where they do military drills and test new weapons systems that are purchased through various black market vendors. There's a rumor that they even have a full-size nanoforge set up to produce spare parts (and probably to scan and reproduce any weapons that a vendor is careless enough to leave laying around]. There was reportedly a S-K VTOL that crashed about a week ago, killing all 8 crew members.
Shrapnel Dawgs:
Most of the equipment they sell is stolen from other arms dealers and local outfits, not having the experience or connections to purchase their wares through more traditional black market channels. You are able to get the location of their main headquarters, a ring of approximately 20 shipping containers in a bad part of town near the airport. Word is that they use animals of some kind to provide security against both metahumans and ghouls.
Dirt Rangers:
They were transporting an important shipment across the city when a S-K VTOL gunship took out the convoy with bursts from a nose-mounted minigun. S-K commandos grabbed several crates from the shipment and left the rest to burn. Their leaders were killed in the brazen daytime convoy attack and the group quickly dissolved. You manage to find a trideo clip showing armored commandos taking crates which look like the one in your possession and loading them onto the VTOL. At the end of the video, one of the surviving Dirt Rangers tries confronting a commando and is shot point-blank in the face.
It's now midnight.
What do you do?
-
After pooling the results and watching on them for a while...
All right Doc. Any ideas? I think, that this baby will scream once opened. I think we'll have a VTOL full of commandoes on our neck the moment we open this and judging by their performance we'll have them on us in less the ten minutes.
-
Well Jerry my boy, If your guess is correct and we can use what's in the box from anywhere in the city then my suggestion would be for us to post up fairly close to a Shrapnel Dawg compound. That way we can open it, use it, and ditch it before anyone has a chance to chase us down.
If possible, lets cruise by their compound and get a sense of entrances and exits so we can ditch the box shortly after use. The Dawg's are barely a merc company anyway, so their security may not be so tight.
-
You are fucking about my height or what? Is that some fucking dick length contest? I am a dwarf! Should I repeat?!? I AM A FUCKING DWARF! And I got a name that do no need adding any fucking 'boy' to it. I am not stingy enough to bitch constantly that you look like you've been drinking all night and I am affraid you puke the moment I let you in the car. I could, bloody hell, but I don't, so give me a fucking favor and get off me being dwarf. I got enough of it everyday and I take no fucking pleasure in working with a fucking racists.
-
@Eugene:
You really enjoy seeing your uncle again. He hasn't heard anything about the artifact, but he mentions that it seems like there are a lot of foreigners in town very recently, all of which seem to have a lot of private security. Not the usual corp chummers looking for new weapons, these ones are here for something different.
You spend the rest of the afternoon training your severely lacking social skills with the grizzled old shopkeeper. He teaches you a few tricks on how to read the customer's needs and try to predict what they'll ask for so you can use it to your advantage. You feel confident that this will certainly help you should you have time to figure out how to apply it to your specific personality.
You and your uncle also spend a little time honing your assensing skills. You take turns trying to assense the customers and talismongers at the neighboring stalls, trying to read their auras. You're amazed as how easily your uncle can predict the exact moment that a customer decides to buy something.
[OOC: You've just spend three good solid hours with a trained instructor learning Con, Negotiation, and Assensing (1 hour each). This will help you when it comes time to spend Karma on character improvement.]
It's now 6:00 PM and the sun is starting to get a little lower in the sky. Probably a good idea to start heading back to the hotel. You see that Hyena has the same idea, as she's comes over with a contented smile hidden on her face. You immediately use what your uncle taught you to realize that she's sold all Iceblade's gear and feels that she got some good prices.
-
@Hyena:
You walk around the market and try to determine which booth is best for each type of gear you're trying to sell. There are booths that specialize in magical countermeasures to aid in smuggling (biofiber is apparently a hot item these days), booths specializing in drugs that mages seem to crave such as Psyche, magical weapons and foci, and even one surrounded by annoying watcher spirits hawking the services of bound spirits. You manage to sell all the items at decent prices, as even the non-magical items have a use for people in the brutal city of Lagos.
[OOC: You sell all the items for a use price 30% of their original value, go ahead and roll Negotiation(2) on the Zoe Heritage Line Armor and the Moonlight katana sword cane and you can apply hits at +10% price per hit over the base threshold of (2)]
You find Eugene in the middle of an animated conversation with his uncle, both of whom look in your direction with unfocused eyes. It's obvious that they're trying to assense you. You roll your eyes and tell Eugene that it's time to go.
@Hyena & Eugene:
As you both walk out of the market, you hear the sound of a young girl yelling for help in Yoruba, followed by the sound of a heavy door slamming shut. You see a small sandy-colored brick building immediately outside the market's entrance, and there is an older-looking ork standing in the doorway wearing the old version of the Igbo tribe's commonly worn outfit. As you look in his direction he walks hastily inside and closes the flimsy-looking door behind him.
What do you do?
-
We need to get out of here...there are ghouls outside....
You've seen the McGuyver serie? There was an episode, where he was trapped like we are in the garage. I guess we could use his trick.
What we need to do is to push through them. We need a plowing ram. We don't have time (nor cash) to install proffesional one. But I think we can make one that will last long enough moment.
There are two sheets of weak armor. If we mount them at the front of the car in a similar way to the snow plow and high enough that they will cover the seats like this... Jerry started to draw a small picture in the dirt on the working table. We'll need to fasten it here and here and here. Once we get past them, we'll need to speed up and run through the main gate before they recover and jump over us.. So we need to drop the sheets. It need to be strong enough to survive direct hit into a ghoul, but easy to drop off. This is a HE grenade you got there? Good. We'll put a small charge here at the joining spot. The blast and speed will blow off the ram freeing us.
OOC:
assuming there are ghouls outside and that there are two sheets of metal in the garage (i could use even a surface of the working tables if need be), picture attached show the 'schema' :)
the triangle is the line of armor sheets, the cirecles are the fastening points. the red dot is where the explosive need to be put in.
assuming Doc, will share his grenade,
Assuming I need an armorer roll to disarm the grenade reduce it's power by 8 and arm again.
Assuming I need an automotive mechanic roll to mount the ram onto the Cinderella (that's how I decided to name the pickup :) ).
Assuming I need an demolitions roll to attach the grenade, I want something easy like a glued grenade at the joining spot with a string to remove the blocking ring, and have it blow out on the next IP
to all of the applying Juryrigger bonus, and good working conditions.
grenade - Logic(6) + Armorer(1) + Superior Tools(1) + Superior work environment(1) + Juryrigger(3) -> 12d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3587549/)
temporary ramming plate - Logic(6) + Automotive mechanic(1) + Superior Tools(1) + Superior work environment(1) + Juryrigger(3) + plan (attached :D 1) -> 13d6.hits(5)=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3587550/) hits in first roll
ramming plate charge - Logic(6) + Demolition(-1, defaulting) + Superior Tools(1) + Superior work environment(1) + Juryrigger(3) -> this roll should probably be yours since I'm defaulting, but I'll roll anyway -> 10d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3587554/)
The first and third are easy tasks probably - treshold 2 maybe?
The second probably require extended test, but since I specifically want it to be temporary solution, I assume 10 minute of work and an easy fix type of job for the skill -> treshold 4, I'll certainly finish it by the second roll if you judge it treshold 8 - complex repair
If the above is correct than probably in 15 mintues we should have a McGuyver style ghoul-plow ready (actualy this is more of the A-Team style, but Doc wouldn't notice the subtle differnece anyway :D)
Once finished Jerry packed the tools and weapons crates onto the Cinderella. and parked drone into it drone rack. The plan for the closest future is that you open the garage gate. I drive out. You jump in on cargo pickup. I am driving out to the main gate. if we hit one ghoul then it is no problem. if we hit more then one I'll try to wedge through them. blow the ram and get the fuck out. If anything jumps on to the cargo, it's your job to take it off. You can hide behind the cargo covers - here are gun ports. Try to fasten yourself so you don't fall off - here are the belts.
-
"Let's go," Hyena said to Eugene while checking her Alpha. She first looked for a side alley and a back entrance to the building. Storming the front door in full view of the market might not be the best idea, so she went looking for another way into the building.
OOC: going with the fact that Eugene will be following and that we find a quiet spot somewhere close by.
negotiation roll: charisma 3 + negotiation 2 =5 (5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3587786/)
nothing added I guess.
"If you go and have a look inside the building astrally," she said to the mage as soon as they had found a spot not too far from the building where there were not too many people, "I'll guard your shoes in the meantime."
-
Well Jerr-O, I called you "my boy" as a gesture of friendship, but based on your behavior it is clearly also an accurate description of your maturity level. That said, if I let every gruff pill head I've known get under my skin, I'd have a short career (no pun intended). However, the best I've worked with have always been irritable jerks, and I'm guessing you'll measure up to their standards as well (also no pun intended).
I'm happy to lend you a grenade or two, further I'm happy to lend assistance to your work. Did you want Flash or HE?
Assisting with demolitions: Logic (4) plus Demolitions (1) (5d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3588038/)
I can keep anyone out of the back of this rig, provided you drive sanely. Also don't assume everyone on the streets is a ghoul, even here, even at night - the overwhelming majority are just regular folks out. If we go down a back alley in a bad neighborhood that might change, but otherwise drive cautiously.
-
What is this crazy woman doing? Eugene thought. She'd seemed the level-headed type, but now here she was chasing after phantoms. If Eugene went looking every time he thought he'd heard a girl screaming, he'd have run himself off a cliff by now. But, the only thing more dangerous than chasing a rabbit down a hole was doing it yourself, at night, in Lagos. So here he was, hiding in a shadowy alley in Lagos trying to be a do-gooder. At least it was a chance to try out one of his new spells.
"I don't like to leave my body lying around if I don't have to. Plenty of nasty surprises out there. But, I have something better." Eugene's pupils dilate, his brow furrows and his eyes grow wide with a yellow tint. You notice a leather and resin pendant in the shape of a hawk's eye around his neck, glowing faintly.
OOC:
Casting astral window at force 5. I'm assuming we're within 25 meters of the building.
Magic(5) + Spellcasting(detection) (5)(+2) = 12 (12d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3588361/) 4 hits
Willpower(5) + Charisma(4) + Focused Concentration(1) = 10 (10d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3588365/) Drain resisted. Actually, the pool should have been 12--I forgot to add my fetish bonus. But no need to roll 2 more in this case.
I'd like to read the aura of everyone inside the building, provided there are not too many. Also I will inspect the astral shadows for weapons, escape/entrance routes, and anything else of interest.
-
@Eugene:
You cast your Astral Window spell and immediately your vision fills with images from inside the building. The building is made of stone, and therefore it appears as a dullish blue surface. You spin your view in a 360-degree circle and see a single window at the back of the room and a single wood door, presumably the door you were able to observe from the street. The wood door glows brighter than the surrounding stone, as it contains trace amounts of the life-force of the tree that was harvested ages ago to create it. You can make out black lines in the window opening where there are some kind of bars installed, probably metal. There is a single metahuman sitting on a chair at a small table in the center of the room who appears to be eating something. The food glows brightly in your astral vision, having just recently been alive.
You notice that there appears to be a black square on the floor under the table the lone figure is sitting at.
[OOC: you'll need to roll Assensing to tell anything more about the figure in the room.]
-
Eugene remains silent and still. He appears to be concentrating carefully on something, though you have no idea what.
OOC:
Intuition(4) + Assensing(2) + Owl Mentor(2) = 8 (8d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3588860/) 5 hits!
After assensing the figure, I'd like to move the astral window below the black square on the floor, to see if there's anything to observe.
-
@Eugene:
You analyze the metahuman, trying to scry any details you can by looking at his aura.
He appears to be a mundane. Due to his size he appears to be either a large human or more likely an ork. His aura is faded and has a lot of dark spots; based on your past experience, this is common with people who have lost essence at some point in their life, or who have knowingly done terrible things to others.
You shift your astral window down below the floor. You enter a basement or cellar space without any windows or doors besides the one in the ceiling. The walls glow with an extremely faint purple glow indicating that they are probably made from natural stone. There is a wooden ladder propped up to the hatch in the ceiling, again showing its age by its faded glow. There are some small tables and chairs in the space which appear to be covered in candles and hooded lanterns.
There are several figures in the room. One of the figures is definitely Awakened and he appears to be a fairly powerful mage. He is standing in the middle of the room and appears to be speaking, but you have no way of knowing what he is saying. There are two more figures in the room, both females. The both appear to be Awakened, but either don't have a high level of magical ability or are masking it in some way. They are kneeling on the ground facing the male. There appears to be something made of paper or papyrus on the ground that both female mages are looking at. The room has a feeling of fear and desperation embedded into the walls, as though it has been used for bad things for a long time.
You also notice a small ball of light floating around the room, slowly circling the perimeter. It's definitely a low-powered spirit of some kind but you can't tell much more.
-
Eugene can't resist the chance to be a hidden voyeur at a strange magical ceremony. He voraciously reads each aura in the room.
Assensing for mage, females, paper, spirit (8d6.hits(5)=3, 8d6.hits(5)=1, 8d6.hits(5)=4, 8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3589764/)
-
"What is going on there," Hyena asked to Eugene. She could always hear when people were talking when she was looking in the astral, but she wasn't sure if the same went for mages. Well, he was still standing up, so that was a probable yes. The mages she had seen going off in the astral always dropped down. Maybe she could see something as well, she thought, so she quickly had a look in the astral as well. If there was nothing to see she would come back in the normal world.
OOC: I don't think I can see through that window, if I'm not mistaken.
-
@Eugene:
You assense the people and objects in the underground room:
The mage's Essence appears to be less than yours, but his Magic appears to be roughly equal to your own. You notice that the mage is an ork, and that he has cybernetic replacements for several body parts, including lower arm, lower leg, and one eye, all on his left side. The mage projects an aura of control and dominance.
The two females are definitely Awakened, but you're having a hard time telling how powerful they are. They appear to be mostly unharmed with the exception of some minor injuries. They project an aura of fear.
The paper is very old and has an aura indicating it has been read many, many times. It projects an astral signature of a Manipulation spell.
The spirit is a watcher spirit. You see the faint echoes in the mana around it linking it to the ork mage in the room.
-
@Hyena:
You switch over to astral vision but don't see anything except for the closed door. Eugene is completely still; his astral signature shows you that he's not projecting himself, but is instead using some kind of spell which you guess is performing roughly the same task. Might have to learn that one, you think to yourself.
-
@Jerry:
You take a look at the finished product. It doesn't look too shabby. You're particularly happy with how sturdy the plow feels; you aren't quite sure how well the charges will work when it's time to blow them, as you're not really all that into demolitions. Screw it, you think to yourself, It'll be fine.
You decide that the truck needs one last finishing touch. You find a can of bright orange spray paint and write on the makeshift ram prow in big block letters:
"MOVE IT, ASSHOLES"
It sure was nice of that old bastard to let you use the tin roof of his workshop as your ram prow, you laugh to yourself.
You pull Cinderella into position about 30 meters back from the gate, its engine thrumming nicely. The weapons case is tied down in the bed of the truck and has an old tarp over it. You've got a feeling that once Doc T unlocks the gate, the ghouls are going to swarm in like crazed hornets. You lean your head out the window so you can see whats going on in front of you. Doc T is approaching the gate, trying to be as stealthy as possible. If he's stealthy enough, he might be able to unlock it without the ghouls noticing.
-
@Doc T:
You can't believe Jerry went and used the owner's shop roof as his fragging ram plate. The guy's going to be so pissed that you don't know what he'll do in the morning. You consider leaving some coin on the workbench as payment for the dwarf's "appropriation", as he called it.
You decide that Jerry's original idea of ramming the gate open is a terrible idea. It would alert all the ghouls in the area immediately, and they would come swarming into the old man's shop. He wouldn't be able to lock the gate, and he'd probably get killed if he went outside his barricaded little house to investigate. No, that wouldn't do. Needs to be something that does as little damage as possible.
If you try to sneak up to the gate to unlock it, roll make an Infiltration roll, otherwise state how you plan to open the gate
-
Having learned all he can, Eugene drops the spell and turns his senses back to the real world. He looks at Hyena with a grim face.
"Looks like trouble. One ork just inside the building, probably a henchman. In the basement there's a an ork mage and two women, involved in some sort of a ritual. I do not think this ritual is benefitting the women. The mage might be too powerful to go toe-to-toe with, but if we can get the drop on him we might win out. If you want to go after them I think it would be best to take care of the henchman."
OOC: Thermo, you didn't mention but I forgot to ask: Any wards or mana lodges?
-
The Dwarf has panache' granted, but maybe wants to make to much noise for the situation thought Doc. Best to clear the area as quietly as possible.
While Jerry was applying the finishing touches, Doc crept up to the gate to open it - ideally without alerting any in the neighborhood.
Agility 7 + Infiltration 4 + Urban specialization 2 (13d6.hits(5)=9) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3591842/) [OOC: How 'bout them apples?!? ;D ]
soundlessly Doc T worked the chain through the door, moving it one link at a time...
-
@ Eugene:
You don't see any other astral constructs around the building; they probably don't expect trouble since they're trying to stay discreet with whatever they're up to
@Doc T:
You move as silently as an American Indian ghost ninja. The gate is unlocked and the hasp has been opened so all it will take is a push to open the gate.
-
"Only two guys shouldn't be to much or a problem then," Hyena said, "we storm in, I blast a couple of rounds in the guy on top and you stunbolt the mage, if you can cast that one. Better not starting to fire ammo in the basement to avoid ricochets to hit the women we're trying to save. Any spirits you've seen?"
As she was going against orks, she swapped the clip in her riffle for a clip of Ex-ex rounds. Against orks that was the better option and ammo was easily available here.
"Let's first do a quick recon," she added. She went back towards the door, looking around if anybody was watching the house. She'd rather not have reinforcements show up too quickly. She did the same with the astral to make sure they didn't have spirit watchers at the house. Technology would be limited, as most of Lagos didn't have contineous wireless or even power. If you saw the level of technology at the airport, she knew she didn't have to worry about it too much outside of Festac town and Victoria Island. She did however look around for cameras as well. No sense in getting sloppy as that would get you dead very quickly.
perception to see if anybody is watching the house and presence of cameras pointed at the house or at the door of the house.
intuition 4 + perception 3 + enhanced perception 2 + vision enhancement 2 + hawkeye 1 =12 (12d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592674/)
astral perception to see if any spirits are watching the house.
intuition 4 + assensing 3 + enhanced perception 2 =9 (9d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592676/)
-
"One spirit in the basement--just a watcher. Didn't notice any others."
Eugene didn't like the idea of dueling it out with this mage. Sure, maybe he was just some old creep who liked to torture young women. Or maybe he was a combat mage. No use risking the latter. "I'm going to call for some backup. Got a spirit in mind who can zap this mage good! After you take out the guard, he'll surprise the guy downstairs, and we can go mop up if necessary."
While Hyena did her recon, Eugene briefly remained out of sight. He'd be calling a powerful spirit, so he thought best to prepare himself first. After using his magic to enhance his favor in the spirit world, he lifted his hand to the sky and called forth a spirit of air.
OOC: (lots of dice rolls coming)
Casting Increase Charisma at force 5:
Magic(5) + Spellcasting(5) = 10 (10d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592807/)
Charisma(4) + Willpower(5) + focused concentration(1) = 10 (10d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592808/)
Drain resisted, but crappy spell! Gonna drop that one and try again:
Magic(5) + Spellcasting(5) = 10 (10d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592810/)
Drain Resistance (10d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592812/)
Bad rolls today :( I'll keep this one I guess. Drain resisted.
Summoning a force 5 spirit of air:
Magic(5) + Summoning(5) - sustaining(2) = 8 (8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592814/)
Summoning resistance (5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592817/)
Drain resistance, with +2 Cha (12d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592820/)
Looks like that extra die made a difference! :D No drain.
Force 5 Spirit of Air, 3 services owed. Optional power energy aura (Smoke--from Street Magic) Increased Charisma dropped.
Is it currently after sunset? Will I have this spirit all night, or lose it shortly?
Swirling currents of air came together on the astral plane, creating a humanoid form in the sky that reached out and grabbed Eugene's hand. Its features were obscured by a heavy mist surrounding it. Hello Eugene, I am a spirit of the fog which sinks from the sky and smothers Lagos on cool nights. How may I assist you?
I need your help, foggy, to defeat a fellow magician. This guy might be trouble, but he should be no match for the two of us. The plan is that we will cause a distraction, while you sneak up and smother him. Stay on the astral for now and stand by for my order.
Eugene crept over and did a search around the other side of the house. After that he met back up with Hyena.
Perception (12d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592831/)
Astral Perception (8d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3592832/)
-
@Hyena:
You pop in the magazine of ex-ex ammo and cycle the receiver to chamber the first round. Safety off.
You scan the area for cameras, but you don't see anything out of the ordinary. You're not terribly surprised - the Matrix in this area is so hit-or-miss that almost nobody relies on wireless signals, and the power is so hit-or-miss that nobody relies on anything that runs off electricity except for maybe a light bulb in an overhead fixture. Come to think of it, everyone has lanterns and candles, so even that can't be counted on.
You switch to astral viewing but don't see anything of interest.
@Eugene:
Your spirit gives a bounce that you can only assume is a nod, and settles itself into the astral plane. It looks to be comfortable in its astral form; you know from experience that most spirits of Air hate materializing to the physical plane due to the amount of concentration it takes them to take physical form.
"Ssssmmother him. Yessssss.", the spirit says telepathically.
You take one last look at the house but don't see anything out of the ordinary on either the physical or astral plane.
[OOC: It's 6:30 PM now; your spirit will last until dusk turns to night, which occurs at approximately 7:30. Incidentally, that's about the same time as the ghouls start coming out...]
-
Subvocally Doc called Jerry "I've got the gate ready to slide open, lets not leave the Ghouls easy access to your friend's shop...when you're ready let me know and open and close it as fast as possible. Just hold for a moment or two and I'll hop in the back."
Doc settled in to wait by the door for Jerry's signal. He double checked that all his weapons were locked and loaded before taking a quick pull on the extra fine bottle of Cascade Mountain Whiskey. Slipping that back into his kit bag, he switched his vision over to low light and turned his hearing up to max in an attempt to hear if anything was on the other side of the wall.
Intuition 3 + Perception 1 + Earbuds with Audio Enhancement 3 = 7 (7d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3593249/)
Straining to hear as much as possible, Doc T settled in to wait on the angry Dwarf.
-
@Doc: You stand next to the rusty metal gate, straining to hear the scrabbling sounds that all ghouls somehow seem to make. You can't hear a fragging thing, as it seems like all you're hearing are the echoes of the faint noises made by Jerry as he climbs into the truck. The goal is to heave the gate open just as Jerry zooms through, throw the gate shut, have Jerry brake just enough for you to catch up without stopping, and leap into the back of the truck.
Gee, no sweat, you think to yourself.
[OOC: Throwing the gate open is the easy part; doing it in sync with Jerry is the tough part. Make a roll with (Rea+Int+Edge) to beat a target score of 3. Then roll (Agi+Str) with a target score of 3 to catch Jerry and jump cleanly into the bed. The results of failure on either roll.. well it kinda depends on just how badly you miss it]
-
@Jerry:
You hop into Cinderella and position her approximately 40 meters away from the gate. Doc T takes his position at the gate and waits for you to approach before he whips it open. You quickly realize that you need to make a decision on how to drive with the truck this way; since you can't see outside the windshield, you'll need to either use full VR, use your AR interface, or poke your head out the window. [OOC: if you use AR or VR you'll incur a -1 penalty to all rolls since some of the sensors are blocked, if you poke your head out the window and pilot the vehicle as normal you'll avoid penalties but you'll be exposed].
You're 40 meters away from the door. You estimate that if you stomp on the gas, you'll be moving at 30 m/s by the time you clear the gate. More than fast enough to smash some ghouls. You'll need to get down to 5 m/s to allow Doc to catch up and jump in (he can probably run around 8-9 m/s at a sprint). He'll have to cover 20 meters of ground to catch you. Then it's time to shoot any stragglers.
[OOC: make a skill roll (target: 3) using your appropriate pilot skill, depending on how you're driving the car (AR, VR, manual).]
-
Here I come ... Jerry climbed to the pickup cabin, fastened safety belts and sinked into the VR console of the rigged car.
Slowly he accustomed himself to the new body. It always took some time, like trying on new pair of shoes, but much more so.
He was no longer short, no longer was a freaking accident on the genetic evolution path, no longer weak. He felt his engine ... so much power ... there was something leaking in the right turbine, but a minor issue he noted for further inspection. He felt his cameras and sensors it was like opening eyes after long sleep, painful at first, but quickly adapted to his neural structure... Doc was ahead, by the gate - signalling, behind him the radar picked up movement, thermal cameras indicated targets more precisely...
so so slowly, Jerry / Cinderella rolled ahead, the noise kept at the minimum, after few meters when he felt the grip better he waited for the final signal. I'll be turning right after the gate, you'll have one second to close the gate, and one to jump in the back. if you fail, I'll make a wheele - I'll be turning in place burning tires, you'll have more chances to jump on but so will the ghouls, so try to be quick about it.
When the signal came, (Jerry / Cinderella)'s engine went high gear. With a lamps still off he sped toward the gate. Having it open for Doc was easy, so right after passing the fence he turned right, and flared the front lights for added confusion. Oh the fucking joy! I love this baby !!!
EDIT: Jerry/Cinderella rammed first ghoul before it had a chance to react. With second slightly to the right, Jerry/Cinderella steered in his direction to ride him over as well.
OOC:
I assume, the full speed turn right EDIT: to hit the ghoul require vehicle test,
Treshold 2 - from the treshold you gave there is -1, due to piloting through VR
Reaction (7) + Pilot Ground Craft (3) - Handling(1) + Control Rig(2) - Sensors blocked modifier (1)-> 11d6.hits(5)=5 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3599223/)
I've rolled second before your post - [2,2,5,4,6,5,2,1,6,1,6] = (5), scratching the last dice, I still get 4 hits.
-
As Jerry's technical started moving, Doc thought to himself - Here goes nothing, lets hope Jerry doesn't choose this moment to get sensitive about the short jokes. As the "Car" approached he tensed and slid the gate open tensing so he was ready to slam it closed the very moment the car cleared the gate. in the few moments he had a view out of the gate Doc quickly scanned for immediate threats.
Roll to look for Ghouls: Intuition 3 + Perception 1 + Visual Specialization 2 + Vision Enhancement 3 = (9d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3600537/)
As the "car" cleared the gate he tried to close it so no wandering Ghouls could get in to the shop.
Roll to Open and quickly close gate - Reaction 8 + Initiative 11 + Edge 3 (22d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3600519/)
As soon as Doc closed the gate he quickly dashed after Jerry before the dwarf had a chance to pick up too much speed. he leaped towards the bed of the truck before it could get away...
Agility 7 + Strength 3 (10d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3600522/)
The moment he got in the back Doc muttered a terse "I'm in, lets roll" subvocally. At the same time he steadied himself and brought his carbine up to his shoulder.
-
"Let's go then," Hyena said as she walked up to the door, just as to walk past. Just before she reached it, she used her adept boosts. Her rifle was already on burst as it was the default setting she always had it on.
"Ready," she said to Eugene just before she kicked against the door and fired a burst to the orc at the table as soon as it swung open.
boost agility and strenght:
magic 5 + boost 1 =6 (agility=1, strenght=2) (5d6.hits(5)=3, 5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3602552/)
agility 8, strenght 4
drain 1 in both cases:
willpower 3 + body 5 =5 (agility=1, strenght=2) (8d6.hits(5)=4, 8d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3602553/)
no drain
kick open the door (assuming body + strenght here, if other let me kow)
strenght 4 + body 5 =9 (9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3602558/)
assuming surprise, I can fire one short, narrow burst (no recoil, I have enough recoil compensation on the rifle).
agility 8 + firearms 4 + smarlink 2 =14 (14d6.hits(5)=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3602559/)
That gives 14P damage, assuming no dodge
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@Jerry:
As you floor the truck, you feel the motor humming as it revs up to red-line RPM's. It feels good; you can feel the carbon buildups on the cylinder walls begin to get polished smooth, and you can smell the exhaust's composition as though it was the smell of meat roasting on a spit. The truck zooms forward, and as the door opens BAM!! you feel something soft and yielding get thrown to the side. You turn to the right and see another glowing red thermal blob and aim right for it. You steer accurately and WHAM!!! you hit it. You slow down enough for Doc T to scramble into the back, and you notice that there are two more of organic blobs showing up on your thermal camera to your left. You begin to tense as they come streaking closer, and floor it to try and get away.
[OOC: You hit the first ghoul automatically since he was surprised and had no chance to get out of the way. The second ghoul sees you coming and tries to dodge. I'm using your previous roll for the right-hand turn as your attack roll against the second ghoul.]
Ghoul 2 Dodge: Rea(5)+Dodge(0) (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607493/)
Speed at straightaway = 30 m/s (90 m/turn)
Speed at turn = 15 m/s (45 m/turn)
vehicle is considered to have a ram plate, which raises the damage category by 1 (from SR4a pg 169)
damage to ghoul 1 = body*3 = 42P (holy crap!)
damage to ghoul 2 = body*2 = 28P (holy crap!)
Both ghouls are completely splattered.
Your truck now has to roll against the ramming damage (half of the base pre-ramplate damage done to the ghouls):
damage from ghoul 1 = (body*2)/2 = 14P
damage from ghoul 2 = (body)/2 = 7P
armor helps against this damage, so each roll will be resisted by armor(10)+body(14) = 24 dice
I'm ruling that the ramplate adds 33% to your vehicle's base damage boxes for the purposes of ramming only. Therefore your vehicle has 15 damage boxes for normal damage and an extra 5 for ramming. Once the ramplate has run out of damage boxes, it's still attached but it's pushed up so far against the frame that it no longer adds any additional protection.
Truck damage resist 1: (24d6.hits(5)=11) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607509/) = 3 damage [you got lucky here]
Truck damage resist 2: (24d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607511/) = 2 damage
The ramplate absorbed the damage but is now mangled and useless.
Beginning of Turn 1: Jerry, roll initiative
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@Doc T:
You slam the door open as Jerry goes whizzing through. In the split second between opening the door and having your vision blocked by the big red truck, you see a filmy-eyed ghoul sniffing the air right outside the gate. It never sees the truck coming, and you hear a loud THUMP as it is run down by the truck. Without hesitating, you run through the gate and slam it behind you. You have no way to lock it, and you can only hope that the owner of the junkyard will be safe. At least it will prevent some crazed ghoul from wandering in randomly and sniffing him out.
Once the truck is clear of the gate, you see it take a sharp right-hand turn and slam into another ghoul. This one tries to dodge, but it didn't stand a chance. It bounces sideways off the ram, rolling head over heels for at least 20 meters before stopping in a twisted heap, bones poking out of its nasty skin in all kinds of weird angles. There is no doubt that both ghouls are dead.
As you run towards the slowing truck, you see two more ghouls making a run for the far side of the truck. They're heading straight for the drivers side window where Jerry is sitting, totally unable to defend himself if they get past the truck's window. You leap into the back of the truck in a single jump, unlimbering your carbine from its shoulder strap to bring it to bear on the ghouls.
Beginning of Turn 1: Doc T, roll initiative
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initiative Roll:
Initiative 11 (11d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607567/) so Intiative 11 + 4 hits = initiative of 15
before he can even think to do it, Doc T brought his carbine up to his shoulder and fired a quick burst into each of the ghouls sneaking up on Jerry.
Simple Action - shot at Ghoul 1: Short burst EX EX ammo
Agility 7 + Firearms Group 4 + Reflex Recorder 1 + Smartgun 2 = 14 (14d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607584/)
Damage = 6p plus 1p EX EX plus 2p short tight burst, Ap -2
Free action - take aim as free action on Ghoul 2
Simple Action - shot at Ghoul 2: Short burst EX EX ammo
Agility 7 + Firearms 4 + reflex Recorder 1 + smartgun 2 + take aim 1 (all recoil compensated) (15d6.hits(5)=9) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607605/)
Damage = 6p plus 1p EX EX plus 2p short tight burst, Ap -2
-
Ghoul Initiative: Rea(5)+Int(4) (9d6.hits(5)=3, 9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607641/) both ghouls have init 12
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initiative Roll:
Initiative 11 (11d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607567/) so Intiative 11 + 4 hits = initiative of 15
before he can even think to do it, Doc T brought his carbine up to his shoulder and fired a quick burst into each of the ghouls sneaking up on Jerry.
Simple Action - shot at Ghoul 1: Short burst EX EX ammo
Agility 7 + Firearms Group 4 + Reflex Recorder 1 + Smartgun 2 = 14 (14d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607584/)
Damage = 6p plus 1p EX EX plus 2p short tight burst, Ap -2
Free action - take aim as free action on Ghoul 2
Simple Action - shot at Ghoul 2: Short burst EX EX ammo
Agility 7 + Firearms 4 + reflex Recorder 1 + smartgun 2 + take aim 1 (all recoil compensated) (15d6.hits(5)=9) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607605/)
Damage = 6p plus 1p EX EX plus 2p short tight burst, Ap -2
remember that your second burst suffers from a -2 dice pool penalty since you're attacking a second target. So, you've got 8 hits on the second burst.
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@Doc T:
You barrel into the bed of the truck, jumping onto the bench so you can get a clean shot over the armored sidewall. You could have used the gunport in the side, but this was much faster and gave you a cleaner shot, especially up close to the side of the truck.
Each ghoul tries to dodge the gunfire, assessing your position and using their superior hearing to try and dodge.
Ghoul Dodge: Rea(5)+Running(2) (7d6.hits(5)=2, 7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607678/)
Both ghouls are hit with Ex-Ex rounds, staggering under the impacts.
Ghoul Damage Resist: Bod(7) (7d6.hits(5)=0, 7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3607684/)
Ghoul 1 takes 13P damage, Ghoul 2 takes 15P damage
Both ghouls do lifeless faceplants on the ground as the truck rapidly accelerates and zooms away.
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@Hyena:
You walk up to the building, and try to look nonchalant right up until the moment you kick the door in. It's a flimsy wooden door without any reinforcement, so it splits in half up the middle as you feel the latch break free from its strike plate. It breaks half-way off the hinges as it swings into the small room. The orc looks at you with wide-eyed surprise and pulls a heavy-looking sidearm from a shoulder holster. He's wearing a heavy-looking armored vest with his traditional Igbo tribal colors emblazoned on the front. You note that his commlink is on the table next to a half-eaten plate of food.
Hyena, roll two initiative rolls, one with a +3 for Surprise and one normal roll for your first turn Initiative. Also make a visual Perception roll.
@Eugene:
You sit back approximately 10 yards from the door, watching as Hyena smashes the door open.
[OOC: Are you watching with normal vision or are you watching from Astral? Let me know exactly what you're keeping an eye on.]
Eugene, roll two initiative rolls, one with +3 for Surprise (you saw Hyena kick in the door), and one normal roll for your first turn Initiative. If you're watching in Astral, make a Perception roll (using Perception+Int) and an Assensing roll (using Assensing+Int)
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@Doc T:
After the fourth ghoul goes down, Jerry makes a surprisingly thoughtful suggestion about locking the gate. He drives the truck back to the gate and you hop out, weapon at the ready. You step through the unlocked gate, lock it from the inside, and try to find a way out of the junkyard over the fence. You see a stack of scrapped cars nearby the fence, and are able to climb them and hop over the barbed wire fence. You land in a combat roll, and jump into the back of Jerry's truck once again.
"Seems like my winning attitude is rubbing off on the grumpy little dwarf after all", you chuckle to yourself. Jerry hears you through the external audio sensors and pumps the brake, causing you to bash into the back of the truck cab. You're still smiling as the truck drives away at a thoroughly reckless pace.
-
As soon as the doctor locked the gate and jumped on the back of the pickup, Jerry/Cinderella started to roll again ... I guess I don't need that plate anymore, and he might want his roof back ...
@Doc T: Watchout ...
BANG !!!
the reduced strength grenade exploded, tearing apart the knits that bound the roof plates, already hammered by the ghouls they catched wind and flew away to the sides.
without the burden the truck accelerated a lot more vigorously and zoomed away leaving lifeless heaps of ghoul meat and bloodied and smoked pieces of metal
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Jerry/Cinderella drove toward the place he had previously marked as Shrapnel Dawgs headquarters.
Just like Doc had suggested he tried to approach the place carefully, without bringing much attention from either ghouls, nor Shrapnel Dawgs with a goal in mind to take a closer look at their security.
Once sufficiently close (less then kilometer), he contacted his partner with a video chat to his commlink.
Doc, take a look at the drone rack - see that small package attached to it? take it out and unwrap. that's a FlySpy
Once freed he activated it and remotely piloted toward the Dawgs HQ. ETA 100 seconds, any idea what to look at first? unless you want to see it yourself? Keep in mind those animal security.
I was thinking about them .... I've seen it in an movie you see... they have wider hearing range and just like we they don't like high volumes, I could try to put the white noise generator to overdrive - filter out the white noise and leave only high and low frequncies while removing safety from volume. I don't know the exact range, but that should keep them at bay. Secondary, they should be much more prone to electro/stun weapons.
OOC:
Thermo, what would be needded to juryrig my white noise generator for that purpose. I am thinking of a screamer - spheric emiter of some 10-20 meters radius, that should give enough discomfort to any animal to hint it leave us alone, and if they would still step inside that should dazzle them a bit.
I got some medicine knowledge to assess the hearing range that are above and below human hearing range, so we won't alert the human security with this screamer.
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@Jerry:
You pull into the shadow of a guard tower near the airport perimeter fence. The tower has several lights pointed towards the ground to provide security against ghouls, and the pool of light cast by one of the lights allows you to work with decent lighting.
You try to think back to some of the medical trideos you watched a couple years ago that talked about how the human ear works. Something about frequencies. The show focused more on the ear itself and not the physics surrounding it.
[OOC: you can try and use your Medicine skill with a -2 penalty to get the frequency just right (the Medicine active skill is more about fixing someone's ear, not the physics around how it works). Or, you can ask Doc for some help. He can use his Knowledge skill on medicine without penalty since it's a more general skill.]
Putting the exact frequency aside for the moment, you focus on building the device in question. You can jury-rig it to emit the frequency that should distract any animals in the area (the rating of the white noise generator times two is rolled against each animal's Willpower, net hits reduce their dice pools), and you figure it'll last for about 5 minutes before burning out.
Hmmm, that's good, but you can do better. By taking the capacitors from three of your taser darts and wiring them in parallel with the battery, you can get a massive electrical charge that'll blow out the white noise generator immediately but will inflict 6S (resisted with Body) to animals that are within 10 meters. You're pretty sure that when it blows it'll be noisy as hell, and not just the animals will hear it.
Changing the frequency of the white noise generator and amping up the volume is a Complex operation and will take 8 hits to perform.
It's currently 1:00 AM
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Before Hyena kicks the door in, Eugene pulls his Super Warhawk and gets into a position where he can see into the building. He never gets to actually fire his gun, but it keeps him from seeming too mage-y, and he thinks it looks cool. He asks the air spirit to keep an eye out in the astral around the hut (being careful not to go into the basement), and suggests that it hide itself while doing so.
Surprise test:
Int(4) + Rea(4) + 3 (11d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609362/)
Initiative:
Int(4) + Rea(4) (8d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609363/) 8+3 = 11, 1 pass
Perception (physical, watching inside the house, specifically the basement door):
Int(4) + Perception(3) + mentor(2) + enhanced vision(3) (12d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609364/)
Rolling for the spirit now:
Initiative:
Force(5) x 2 (10d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609366/) 10+3 = 13, 3 passes (astral)
Assensing:
Force(5) x 2 (10d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609367/)
Spirit uses concealment power on itself (-5 dice for perception tests to see it)
Eugene declares counterspelling on Hyena and the spirit.
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my rolls:
surprise
surprise: 13 (init 10 +3) (13d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609811/)
initiative:
initiative 10 (10d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609812/)
so initiative 14, 2 IP
perception:
intuition 4 + perception 3 + enhanced perception 2 + vision enhancement 2 = 11 (11d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3609815/)
one thing I forgot in my previous post: the shot is at AP-3 (-2 from the ex-ex bullets and -1 from the weapon)
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@Jerry:
You pull into the shadow of a guard tower near the airport perimeter fence. The tower has several lights pointed towards the ground to provide security against ghouls, and the pool of light cast by one of the lights allows you to work with decent lighting.
You try to think back to some of the medical trideos you watched a couple years ago that talked about how the human ear works. Something about frequencies. The show focused more on the ear itself and not the physics surrounding it.
[OOC: you can try and use your Medicine skill with a -2 penalty to get the frequency just right (the Medicine active skill is more about fixing someone's ear, not the physics around how it works). Or, you can ask Doc for some help. He can use his Knowledge skill on medicine without penalty since it's a more general skill.]
Putting the exact frequency aside for the moment, you focus on building the device in question. You can jury-rig it to emit the frequency that should distract any animals in the area (the rating of the white noise generator times two is rolled against each animal's Willpower, net hits reduce their dice pools), and you figure it'll last for about 5 minutes before burning out.
Hmmm, that's good, but you can do better. By taking the capacitors from three of your taser darts and wiring them in parallel with the battery, you can get a massive electrical charge that'll blow out the white noise generator immediately but will inflict 6S (resisted with Body) to animals that are within 10 meters. You're pretty sure that when it blows it'll be noisy as hell, and not just the animals will hear it.
Changing the frequency of the white noise generator and amping up the volume is a Complex operation and will take 8 hits to perform.
It's currently 1:00 AM
Doc, you got any fucking idea on the hearing range of the animals?
I'm thinking of building a screamer, that will keep them at bay.
OOC: logic(6) + medicine(1) - modifier(2) -> 5d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3615638/) success I guess
I guess anything above 16 kHz, shouldn't be audible by metahumans, but still would hurt the sensitive animal ears. I'll put that on 18kHz, in case there is an audiofile in that campus, and cut it beyond 25 kHz. If I steer entire generator power into those frequencies and amp the volume to the starting jet level ... yes, that should do the trick.
OOC: DataSeach(1) + Browse(5) + VR(2) -> 8d6.hits(5)=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3615643/) looking for satelite view of the surrounding area, i guess that's simple and direct research enough to use the standard data search roll and have it within 1 CT
I need a little time to break and fix this piece of shit. here ... takeover the remote control of the FlySpy and scout the fuckers with it, look at the satelite view of the area, it might be a few weeks old, but this should suffice. The drone is already by the gate. the node is hidden and communication channel encrypted, but try to limit the exposure. it's bloody useful so don't waste it.
OOC: I grant user priviledges to the FlySpy drone from Doc's access_id and send him a satelite picture that I found. I'll run the encryption program to secure the communication on my link. I'll maintain the AR connection to monitor the situation and record the view. While at that I'll slave the pickup car node to my commlink, and set it's node to hidden and encrypt the communication as well.
Done that, Jerry left the comforts of the VR environment of the pickup. One second feeling like a turck that could uproot a tree, another one a dwarf... Loosing that kind of power was always depressing so he slapped himself with a stimulant patch to improve morale. Grabbed the white noise generator and screwed it apart.
OOC: I got electronics tools with me, but the working environment isn't that perfect as at the workshop.
assuming there is no interruptions from the Doc's scouting
Hardware(1) + Logic(6) + Juryrigger(3) + Superior tools(1) - Poor working condition(2) -> 9d6.hits(5)=2, 9d6.hits(5)=3, 9d6.hits(5)=5, 9d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3615646/) no glitches along the way, completed in three intervals. assuming 30 minutes intervals, it took hour and a half to complete
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Group 1: Hyena and Eugene
Orc surprise roll: Rea(4)+Int(4) (8d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3617543/) 3 hits
Orc initiative roll: Rea(4)+Int(4) (8d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3617550/) Init: 13
CT1, IP1: Hyena: 14 (3 IP) Orc guard: 13 (1 IP) Eugene: 11 (1 IP)
Edge: Hyena: 3/3 Eugene: 2/2 Orc guard: 1/1
@Hyena:
After smashing the door to pieces and entering the room in a relaxed shooter's stance, you see your target struggling to process what just happened. You have the element of Surprise over him. You don't hesitate a moment as you fire a burst of automatic weapons fire into his chest. He is unable to dodge due to the surprise.
Damage: Rifle(6)+ex-ex(1)+short burst(2)+hits(7)=16P
(OOC: by the way Hyena, ex-ex ammo has -1 AP, not -2)
Orc guard damage resist: Bod(9)+Vest(6)+AP(-2) (13d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3617561/)
Final damage: 13P
The orc falls backwards out of his chair onto the ground. He appears to be dead.
The noise of the gunfire echoes through the space.
You look under the table and see a large black trapdoor set into the floor with an electronic locking mechanism. It looks to be fairly outdated compared to the newer locks but the overall impression is that it is still very sturdy.
@Eugene:
Your spirit sends you a telepathic message:
"The mage's watcher spirit just left the building at a high rate of speed, heading towards the setting sun"
You get the strong impression that time will be of the essence if the watcher spirit is allowed to get help. Hyena, you are standing in the room, and Eugene, you are still outside keeping watch. Your spirit of air is outside the building floating in astral space next to you.
What do you do?
-
"no time to do it the nice way," Hyena said to Eugene, "I'll shoot the lock, you open the trapdoor a little and I'll fire a flash bang into the basement.".
She threw the table out of the way and waited for Eugene.
OOC: I assume that I don't have to roll to shoot the lock, as I can take a couple of aim actions and I stand as close to it as is safe if you want to shoot a lock. If you want me to roll, let me know and I'll add it in.
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[OOC: Just so everyone's clear, the metal door is meant for security and is armored.]
[OOC: We'll use the rules for Barrier destruction per SR4a pg. 166. The door is approximately 1m square, has an Armor rating of 8, and a Structure rating of 9.
As we all know, the rules for destroying barriers using burst fire are a little.. rough. I'm going to lay out my interpretation of the rules, and you can choose how you want to proceed. I think the whole "2 DV per bullet, ignore AP" rule is stupid. That means that a .22 rifle and a Barrett do the same damage. Not gonna happen.
Roll to attack using the Point Blank modifier (+2 dice). The armor is considered to be Hardened, so you'll need to exceed the Armor value without the benefit of burst fire DV mod in order to penetrate it. AP modifier applies. The door will do a damage resist using twice its armor rating minus the gun's AP value. Any remaining damage will go against its Structure rating. When that goes to zero, the door is effectively destroyed.]
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[OOC: Just so everyone's clear, the metal door is meant for security and is armored.]
[OOC: We'll use the rules for Barrier destruction per SR4a pg. 166. The door is approximately 1m square, has an Armor rating of 8, and a Structure rating of 9.
As we all know, the rules for destroying barriers using burst fire are a little.. rough. I'm going to lay out my interpretation of the rules, and you can choose how you want to proceed. I think the whole "2 DV per bullet, ignore AP" rule is stupid. That means that a .22 rifle and a Barrett do the same damage. Not gonna happen.
Roll to attack using the Point Blank modifier (+2 dice). The armor is considered to be Hardened, so you'll need to exceed the Armor value without the benefit of burst fire DV mod in order to penetrate it. AP modifier applies. The door will do a damage resist using twice its armor rating minus the gun's AP value. Any remaining damage will go against its Structure rating. When that goes to zero, the door is effectively destroyed.]
What about just the lock? I'm not going to try to shoot the whole door, just destroy the lock and then open the door. It should be easier and faster. :)
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The hatch doesn't have a separate lock, per se; It has a keypad in the middle next to the handle. You can only assume that the keypad causes the mechanism to retract locking pins that slide into the frame, similar to the door to a floor safe.
-
"Merde!" Eugene mutters as he hears about the watcher spirit. Fortunately, he's got more friends to help. As he runs over to join Hyena inside the hut, Eugene calls his bound earth spirit from the metaplanes.
Spirit! I have no time to explain. There is a watcher who could cause us much trouble. I need you to chase after it, NOW! Eugene telepathically sends the earth spirit an image of the watcher's aura. When you find the watcher, destroy it. Unless it has met up with someone--in that case, tell me what you see. And please conceal yourself while doing this.
Eugene looks over the locked hatch with Hyena. Another unexpected trouble. Fortunately, this one would not be difficult to get around. He speaks in a hushed voice. "We don't need to destroy the hatch. If you can just create a distraction, say one involving the menacing sound of bullets striking an armored door, my spirit can sneak in, take out the mage, then hopefully open it from the inside. Oh, and good shooting, there."
Spirit search: Magic(5) + Intuition(5)
10d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619217/)
9d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619218/)
8d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619219/)
Let me know if you need more rolls
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@Jerry:
[OOC: you're still waiting on Doc T to take control of the drone and start scouting the base. You're also waiting on him to make his rolls for the "screamer" device. In the meantime, this is the initial look at the Shrapnel Dawgs' base.]
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"Those who don't learn how to shoot here, end up dead," Hyena simply said, aiming for the trapdoor and trying to avoid the lock for now, "Give me a sign when."
-
Eugene communicates the plan to his spirit, then gives Hyena the signal to shoot.
As Hyena shoots at the door, the spirit hides in the astral shadow of the floorboards, poking through just enough to check out where the mage is and find a good spot to hide and materialize. Once it's materialized, it jumps out and attacks the mage.
OOC:
I think the spirit needs both an astral infiltration (logic) test and a dual-natured infiltration (agility) test here.
Astral infiltration:
Logic(5) - default = 4 (4d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619396/)
Physical infiltration:
Agility(8) - default = 7 (7d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619399/)
using concealment, of course, and trying to hide behind something physical during materialization
I'm guessing a surprise and initiative test is next, assuming the spirit isn't spotted, but I'll wait to see before rolling for that
-
After Eugene instructs his Spirit of Earth to follow and crush the Watcher spirit, Hyena begins to spray gunfire at the floor hatch, hoping that the menacing noise will cause the mage within to be distracted enough that the Spirit of Air can smother him. The Spirit of Air attempts to enter the space unnoticed.
[OOC: to speed things up, I'm going to use your previous initiative rolls for the first combat turn]
Group 1: Hyena and Eugene
Mage initiative roll: Mage initiative: Rea(3)+Int(5) (8d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619470/) Init: 10
Spirit of Air initiative roll: Spirit of Air Initiative: (13d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619479/) Init: 19
GM Mystery Roll (TM): GM Mystery: (12d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619481/) Init: 17
CT1, IP1: Spirit of Air: 19 (2 IP); Mystery: 17 (? IP); Hyena: 14 (3 IP); Eugene: 11 (1 IP); Mage: 10 (? IP)
Edge: Hyena: 3/3 Eugene: 2/2 Mage: 1/1
@Eugene: You sense your spirit as it attempts to hide itself astrally from the mage's perception. It is successful. It now attempts to materialize in the space without alerting the mage, using its power of Concealment.
Spirit Infiltration: Agi(8)+Defaulting(-2)+Concealment(5) (11d6.hits(5)=7) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619485/)
Mage perception: Int(5)+Perception(3)+Distracted(-2)+Visibility(-2) (4d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3619487/)
The spirit appears to have materialized undetected, it will attack in the second IP. Eugene, this was your third service, so after it attacks the mage it will return to the Metaplanes.
@Hyena & Eugene:
The ground beneath you begins to tremble. You look down and see the dirt floor underneath you begin to pull itself towards the middle of the room, almost like a piece of cloth laid flat was being pulled up in the middle by invisible fingers. You see a vaguely humanoid shape start to take form, created from the dirt and rock itself. It has glowing red eyes and doesn't look terribly happy to see you.
Hyena, your turn
-
Group 2: Jerry and Doc T
As Jerry puts the final touches on the jury-rigged screamer device, he wipes his hands in satisfaction.
"That should keep the little fuckers at bay, at least long enough for us to shoot them"
Jerry takes control of the FlySpy back from Doc T and checks the data logs.
@Jerry:
You fast-forward through the FlySpy's recon recordings and piece together the situation. The FlySpy didn't get close enough to pick up any audio. You see a ring of shipping containers with generator-powered lights at three locations illuminating most of the exterior. There are several smaller shipping containers inside the compound, which you assume are for sleeping and maybe supplies, and you see that one of them is apparently the IT center since it has a satellite dish and antenna on the roof. There is an animal cage on the other side of the compound, which appears to be empty at the moment. There are two newer-model pickup trucks parked inside, and you get the distinct impression that they do not belong to the Shrapnel Dawgs, as they are far too nice (and new, and clean, and maintained, and expensive, and you get the point). There are two walker-modified Steel Lynx drones inside the perimeter, providing security at the gate. Finally, there is a camouflage netting tent set up with a bunch of crates underneath. You see that several of them look identical to the one in the back of your truck, S-K logo and all.
There appears to be a business deal going down, and you can tell that it's about to wrap up. There are several armed men in dark fatigues who walk towards the crates after shaking hands with a scuzzy-looking orc wearing an armored jacket.
There are several other Shrapnel Dawg members present at the site. There are three inside the compound, each standing near one of the light poles. Two more are walking back and forth along the tops of the shipping containers, keeping an eye out for trouble. The appear to be keeping an eye on the activities inside the compound as much as outside, looking for trouble or signs of a double-cross.
Finally, you see that the drone marked two groups walking outside the compound, each completing a slow, lazy circle around its perimeter. Each of these teams consists of two men and what appears to be a Barghest!
You're currently approximately a kilometer away from the Shrapnel Dawgs' base. Your truck is in the pool of light cast by the airport's guard tower. There are some decent places to hide your truck closer to the base, if you're willing to risk getting closer.
The arms deal is almost done. It's a few minutes past 2:00 AM.
What do you do?
-
"Earth spirit," Hyena said when she spotted the creature coming up. It would be next to useless to fight it with her rifle. Bullets would bounce of harmless. But her sword was made amongst other things to battle spirits. So she dropped her rifle and drew her sword while moving beside Eugene to cover him.
"Stunbolt him," she said to the mage.
Drop weapon: free action
draw weapon: simple action
move to Eugene: simple action
-
Eugene stares down the Earth spirit with a look of intensity. He doesn't like to hurt spirits, and he definitely doesn't like to attack them directly, but here he seems to have no choice. He'll try and get this over with quickly. As mana visibly swirls around him, his face takes the look of a bird of prey, silently soaring in for a kill. The blood vessels in his eyes pop from the power of the spell.
Casting stunbolt at force 9!
Magic(5) + Spellcasting(5) + Owl Mentor(-1) = 9 (9d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3622051/)
Edge to re-roll failures--don't want this one to fizzle:
Re-rolling 5 failures (5d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3622063/) Arrrrgh what a waste
Drain resistance
Cha(4) + Wil(5) + Focused Concentration(1) = 10 (10d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3622067/) Took 1P damage
-
After scanning the immediate area around the parked Truck Doc felt confident that there were no near threats. "I'm not sure I can help too much, Jerry, but I'll lend you what assistance I can. Clearly I'm better at creating and fixing holes in people than electronics, but Lets see if I can translate that knowledge... From what I understand the ideal frequency is...
Knowledge Medicine 5 + Logic 4 = (9d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3622205/)
...Assuming I'm right, that should work. How 'bout you finish that up and I'll take the fly spy for a ride?
Doc doesn't have any skill operating a fly spy. I assume it would be reaction -1 Reaction 8 - Unskilled at pilot aircraft 1 = (7d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3622212/)Attempting to keep the fly spy unobtrusive, Doc flew it in a rough circle around the compound. Thanks for just jumping ahead, and checking the cameras output
...Jerry - If the deal is going down now, then it would seem activating the box now is the way to go. My guess is that you'll know what to do when it's opened better than I will. I'm locked and loaded, lets do it."
Doc climbs off the bed of the truck and rechecks his weapons preparing for the "unveiling".
[/color]
-
All right, let's do this.
Jerry ticked off timer on his AR clock and opened the package.
OOC: Thermo, I assume, that the point of that package is to alert the corp when opened (or you would have let me open it when I was in the warehouse) so I won't bother with jamming on the fly. But if my security knowledge (and shadowrun gut) matches the GM approval, than consider my commlink being turned on as a jammer on the fly giving me an effectitve jamming rating of
Signal(5) + Electronic Warfare (2) + Math SPU(2) -> 9d6.hits(5)=3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3623283/) hits, opposed by signal rating of the device + ECCM software if installed (but if there is a node inside running eccm, I'd probably try to hack it immediately to turn it off)
I also have a jammer that automatically jams any device with signal lower than 4.
regardless, my next course of action, after opening the package is to find the emitting device, turn it off, turn off the jamming on the fly and remotely drive the pickup closer to the Dawgs base while inspecting the content.
-
Group 1: Hyena and Eugene
CT1, IP1: Spirit of Air: 19 (2 IP); Spirit of Earth: 17 (2 IP); Hyena: 14 (2 IP); Eugene: 11 (1 IP); Mage: 10 (? IP)
Edge: Hyena: 3/3 Eugene: 2/2 Mage: 1/1
@Hyena:
You drop your rifle to the floor and draw your sword, maneuvering into place so you block the Spirit of Earth from having a straight attack at Eugene. As you move into position, you activate your weapon focus, feeling the energy crackle through the sword.
@Eugene:
Your stunbolt erupts from your palm in a beam of focused white light, hitting the spirit squarely in the chest.
Resist Stunbolt: Wil(5) (5d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3624318/)
Damage: 9S
The spirit roils in pain as the stunbolt ripples its rapidly forming shape, knocking sand and rocks out in all directions. It's probably getting to be close to disruption.
-
[OOC: I'll save my edge and leave the stun damage at 9, so I take 1P damage and earthy gets to go another round]
-
Group 1: Hyena and Eugene
CT1, IP2: Spirit of Air: 19 (2 IP); Spirit of Earth: 17 (2 IP); Hyena: 14 (2 IP); Eugene: 11 (1 IP); Mage: 10 (? IP)
Edge: Hyena: 3/3 Eugene: 2/2 Mage: 1/1
Wounds: Spirit of Earth: 9S(-3); Eugene: 1P
@Eugene:
Your telepathic link to the Spirit of Air tells you that it is attacking the unfortunate mage, using its Engulf power to strangle him with toxic smog fumes. You hear screams from the women in the room as it starts to fill with smoke.
Engulf Attack: Agi(8)+Engulf(5) (13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3627853/)
Dodge: Rea(3)+Dodge(2) (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3627861/)
Base Damage = Magic(5)+Net hits(2)+Energy Aura(4) = 11S
Damage Resist: Bod(7) (7d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3627882/)
The mage leaps over one of the tables as he attempts to escape the choking smoke monster rushing towards him. He fails to get clear, and the spirit slams into his lungs and grips his chest, totally engulfing his upper body and making it impossible to take a breath. The smoking energy aura only makes things worse, adding thick smoke to the effect. The mage is tough and resists some of the damage, but the spirit is too strong and he takes 8S damage.
@Hyena:
The Spirit of Earth rears up and appears to inhale a breath of air, followed by blasting a huge gout of sand and rocks directly at you. The entire room fills with a cloud of dust, making it hard to see. The abrasive blast has the force of a fire hose. A fire hose shooting rocks.
Elemental Attack (Sand): Agi(3)+Exotic Ranged Weapon(5)+Wounded(-3) (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3627894/)
[OOC: base damage is 5P+net hits, resist with half impact armor. Future actions have a -2 visibility modifier until the dust settles.]
-
Group 2: Jerry and Doc T
@Jerry:
You pull the truck away from the guard tower along the airport security fence just far enough that you can still see. You climb into the back of the truck and stand next to Doc T. You turn the jammer on full power, just to be safe, and put your commlink, Doc T's commlink, and Cinderella's onboard computer into hidden mode. You turn your commlink's security and monitoring programs on and open the latches on the white S-K case. You flip open the lid.
Inside is a long, heavy-looking weapon. It's dimensions are roughly the same as an assault cannon, but you see that it has cooling fins installed along the sides of the weapon, and not just along the length of the barrel. Nested into the case is a shoulder strap and hip bracing harness, along with three very bulky-looking magazines, each with a "10+E" stenciled on the side. The entire frame of the weapon appears to have been made using a nano-forge, as you recognize the distinctive texture that they typically leave behind.
Your commlink is detecting faint electronic activity from the weapon, even with your commlink in hidden mode with the jammer running at full strength. You recognize the signal immediately as one of the ones used to track sensitive assets; they're microchips barely larger than nanobots that are distributed into the feedstock used in a nanoforge. They're fragging impossible to track down and disable. They use RFID signals to communicate with nearby nodes, and use military-level software programming to hack into any nearby nodes to send their exact position back to whoever installed them.
Opening the weapon case turned them from "passive" to "active" mode. They're stored in "passive" mode so they can be transported without flooding the area with signal; if you had the correct biometric signal to transmit to the weapon, they'd turn off, but you don't, so they're searching for a way to transmit back to "home base" through the Matrix. Nasty stuff. The microchips are probably also in the bullets, or whatever this thing fires, so they can do forensic stuff later if they need to.
This thing is going to hack into one of the nearby systems in very short order; the jammer is helping but it's not enough to keep them out for long.
@Doc T:
You watch as Jerry opens the case. The dwarf is scratching his head trying to figure out exactly what he's looking at, but you recognize it immediately. At least, you know what it resembles. It's got a strong resemblance to one of the weapons you saw in the field once. This appears to be a newer model, though; the old one had a built-in laser sight, but this one clearly has a smartlink. You didn't think S-K had the capability to design this type of rifle.
No fragging wonder they want to keep this a secret.
Your eyes widen as it finally clicks that you're looking at a stolen prototype Saeder-Krupp Gauss Rifle. Holy. Drek.
-
Group 1: Hyena and Eugene
@Hyena:
The Spirit of Earth rears up and appears to inhale a breath of air, followed by blasting a huge gout of sand and rocks directly at you. The entire room fills with a cloud of dust, making it hard to see. The abrasive blast has the force of a fire hose. A fire hose shooting rocks.
Elemental Attack (Sand): Agi(3)+Exotic Ranged Weapon(5)+Wounded(-3) (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3627894/)
[OOC: base damage is 5P+net hits, resist with half impact armor. Future actions have a -2 visibility modifier until the dust settles.]
standard defence roll => reaction
defence: reaction 5 (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628130/)
The spirit misses.
Now it's my turn.
Hyena managed to dodge the brunt of the attack from the spirit and except for some small pebbles nothing hit her. The dust cloud was a bit annoying thought, but since she had seen the spirit stagger under Eugene's attack, she decided to try to finish it off.
attack (complex action)
agility 8 + blades 2 + swords 2 + weapon focus 2 -2 visibility penalty =12 (12d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628139/)
I'll roll 2 more dice if I can counter the penalty with my vision enhancement gear
Damage 5P + net hits, AP -1 (and as it's a weapon focus, the spirit still has it's armour, but it's not considered hardened if I'm recalling correctly).
-
@Hyena:
The Spirit of Earth attempts to parry your blow with its massive stone arm.
Parry: Rea(7)+Unarmed Combat(5)+Wounded(-3) (9d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628159/)
[and no, the spirit doesn't suffer visibility mods.. it's MADE of dirt]
Edge re-roll: Edge Re-roll (8): (8d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628166/) 2 total hits
Damage resist: Damage resist: Bod(9) (9d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628187/)
[spirits have Immunity to Normal Weapons, which provides them F*2 Hardened Armor against non-magical attacks. Since you used a magic foci sword, they lose all this protection and effectively have no armor against your attack.]
Your sword slices through the spirit's arm and into its chest. While passing the sword through its arm seems to have had no effect, the wound to its chest appears to have hurt it, hitting the spirit's "core". The spirit bellows angrily, stomping its massive legs so hard that the roof above you begins to creak in a very disturbing way.
Damage: 9P-4 = 5P
@Eugene:
Your Spirit of Earth sends you a telepathic message that it has caught up to the Watcher spirit over the heart of the city. The Watcher spirit is trying to evade it and still reach its target.
-
Group 1: Hyena and Eugene
CT2, IP1: Spirit of Air: 19 (2 IP); Spirit of Earth: 17 (2 IP); Hyena: 14 (2 IP); Eugene: 11 (1 IP); Mage: 10 (1 IP)
Edge: Hyena: 3/3 Eugene: 2/2 Mage: 1/1 Spirit of Air: 5/5; Spirit of Earth: 4/5
Wounds: Spirit of Earth: 9S, 5P(-4); Eugene: 1P; Mage: 8S(-2)
@Eugene: Your Spirit of Air continues to strangle the mage locked in its smoky embrace.
Engulf Attack: Agi(8)+Engulf(5) (13d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628257/)
Base Damage = Magic(5)+Net hits(5)+Energy Aura(4) = 14S
Damage Resist: Bod(7) (7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628261/) Net damage: 12S
The mage's eyes bulge out of his head as the smoke monster punches him in the lungs with hot, acrid smoke. From the inside. He collapses to the ground, with the spirit still clinging to his unconscious body, intent on finishing the job.
The women in the basement begin to cough loudly in between screams. They sound terrified.
Stun damage overflow: 9P
@Hyena:
The Spirit of Earth suddenly stiffens, then begins to lose coherence. It falls apart, slowly at first, then all at once. It's now a pile of rubble and sand on the floor, the spirit having returned to the Metaplanes.
-
Now that the combat has been done, Hyena went back to the hatch and tried to open it, either with her vibroknife or her rifle, whichever went the fastest.
"Eugene, if your spirit has finished with that mage in the basement, call it off. From what I can hear those women in the basement start to get problems breathing. Or have it cleanse the air if it can do that."
-
"Holy Crap! A Gauss Rifle - I've never handled one of those before, but I have seen them in action." Doc said as he reached into the case to pick up the weapon. "they're loud as heck and twice as destructive."
A low whistle passed his lips as he examined the weapon in detail. "This has to be a new model, possibly a prototype. This is bleeding edge hot, and you can bet your shoes that whoever lost it will be itching to get it back ASAP. What do you say we get busy and get out of here before every available asset in Lagos crashes down on our heads?"
Doc busied himself strapping the Rifle on and stashing the Ammo Clips in his web gear.
-
Eugene is pleased to hear news of the mage's demise, and to see the consequent dispersal of the adversarial spirit. That will do for now my friend, I will take it from here. Thank you greatly for your service. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you unlock that door before you depart?
[OOC: I'm assuming it's just got a latch or handle that unlocks from the inside. If not the spirit might not be able to unlock it.]
He turns to Hyena. "You might want to call down to them. Your Yoruba is better than mine, I would imagine. The mage is unconscious but not quite dead yet, I believe. It would probably be safest to slit his throat, but if we keep him alive there might be a bounty or ransom."
He then calls his earth spirit. Thanks for the update. Don't let that watcher reach its destination! Let me know what happens, and don't forget to stay hidden.
Always curious, Eugene picks up the commlink on the table and looks through it for any useful information. He then switches it off and keeps it--maybe he can convince that dwarf to look through it.
logic(4) + data search(1) = 5 (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3628611/)
This is sort of a lot of stuff to do at once, so Eugene will search the commlink at the next opportunity, if not now.
-
Doc, unless you get a better idea ...
step one. you cancel that airport tower with that thing. that should suggest everybody around that Dawgs went stupid and offered some demonstration in their neighbourhood. The customers, will probably get nervous, they are doing illegal business, and they don't want to get into some gang wars that erupt here all the time. The Dawgs themselves, will only get more nervous then they are already. They know it's not their fireworks, and will probably start suspecting their customers doing something fishy. Either way, they either wrap up their business quickly or abandon the deal.
step two. customers move out of the Dawgs compound. You cancel their car, mind you, don't blow it, just shoot enough to tremble the shit out of them. Customer will think (correctly) they are under attack, and (incorrectly) that it is Dawgs - having completed the deal, funds transfered, decided to kill of the customer. Dawgs, will know that (again) it is not their doing, and will know, that shooting of customer on their turf will wreck their already weak reputation, they could pack the business and move away. So they'll act to defend the customer, loosing all hell against us, most specifically, Barghests. You need to be standing on the street I'm affraid, otherwise, they won't let them loose.
step three. we need to wait long enough that the customer could flee. Then we need to put the Barghest down. I know shit or less about them, but they are fucking paracritters. That is animals, once launched, they'll run straight, or maybe a little circling, but no napoleonian tactics here. First thing they should run into should be something shocking, they shoudn't have anything to help them. If you're good with grenades you could try flashbangs, but if you miss, you're dead, so I advise against it. I'll mount doberman with with taser on the car, so you'll get more darts in the air.
step four. with Barghest down, they'll need to move lynxes and people in cars, so we'll flee, but slow enough that they will follow us. and when they reach our previous position, they'll find a box with a gauss rifle. BAM. S-K VTOL should be combat landing around that time.
check mate.
Something go wrong, I'm in the car, you jump in we leave the gun here, Dawgs reputation is shreded anyway.
OOC: all the above assume, that we start outside of the fire range from the weapons in the Dawgs compund. We need to take advantage of the supremem range of the assault cannon.
it also assume there is a long enough road leading to the HQ main gate, so we could target the customers.
Once Thermo approve, 11 - you can start rolling.
-
One Question Jerry -
In principle this would work, but I doubt I'm skilled enough to reliably damage the customers' car without killing the occupants. [OOC: Doc T has no heavy weapons skill]. I've got 30 shots and I can sure make a lot of noise, and damage a lot of equipment, but I won't be too mobile with this bad boy. Just cover me as best you can, and be ready for a quick rescue when it gets too hairy.
-
Dear Mr. Shiawasi-san,
Please find attached your requested satellite map with overlaid AR objects. Your long-term support humbles us all.
Sincerely, your friendly NeoNET data services bot.
[This picture shows the layout from the south (i.e. the truck is due north of the base). The airport perimeter fence and tower are in blue, your truck is in red, the Shrapnel Dawgs base is in orange, and the Barghest patrols are in yellow. You can assume that the base from the previous picture is oriented so you are facing the entrance. The distance between the fence and the base is approximately 1 km. The rumored location of the S-K operation is in the industrial complex West of the airport. There is a road that runs East-West along the perimeter fence.]
-
Team 1: Hyena and Eugene
@Eugene:
You dismiss your Spirit of Air, who grants you the small service of turning the handle on the trap door before returning to his home in the Metaplanes. You can sense that it appreciates the respect you show your spirits, that you view them as peers and guardians instead of beasts of burden.
The commlink doesn't appear to be anything special. It's a cheap model that has obviously seen better days, made obvious by the scrapes on its case and the crack in the corner of its display. You hit the display button but see that it is protected by a basic password program and is probably encrypted. It is caked in dust, and you think it might be best to clean it before using it any further.
@Hyena:
You reach for your vibroknife and walk towards the hatch, only to hear a loud "thunk" as the spirit unlocks it from the inside. You open the hatch and a cloud of smoke billows out. With the smoke mixing with the cloud of dust that was released by opening the trap door, it's extremely hard to see into the basement. There's an old wooden ladder propped up against the edge of the hatch. The two women downstairs are coughing weakly and have stopped screaming for help.
What do you do?
-
"Keep an eye out for reinforcements," Heyena said to Eugene, "I'm going in to have a look."
She put in her respirator and went down into the basement, trying to find the two women to get them out.
"Don't worry," she said in Yoruba as she went down, "we're going to get you out and back to your family."
While looking for the women, she also kept an eye out for other surprises that might be present in the basement.
-
@Hyena:
You climb the rickety ladder and see a powerfully-built ork laying on the ground at the base of the ladder. You focus your natural low-light vision and see two women chained to the floor with ankle manacles. Both are passed out but appear to still be breathing. There is an old leather-bound book laying between them; based on its position and the nearby candles, it appears that they were being forced to read from it. Next to each woman are various glass pitchers and jars, each full of dirty-looking water.
-
Eugene carefully walks to the doorway and peers out.
int(4) + perception(3) + mentor(2) + vision enhancement(3) = 12 (12d6.hits(5)=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3630409/)
He calls over to Hyena, "What's going on down there?"
-
Hyena closed the book and then took a couple of pictures of the scene. She would ask Eugene about it later, but she was sure that it was a bad idea to leave the book here. Next she cut the two women loose. Now she still had to get them up.
"I've got them loose," she called up when she heard his voice, "I'm bringing them up right now. Can you check the pics I'm sending you and see if you can make something out of it. It's supposed to be some sort of ritual I think."
She first sent him the pictures, let her backpack on the floor at the moment and put one of the women on her back in the grip that they taught her at Ares to carry a wounded comrade back to the first aid station, a grip that left your hands free, which was necessary for climbing the ladder.
She brought them both up and when she went back for her backpack (and first putting the book in the backpack), she took her pistol and shot the Ork in the back of his head. Nobody who did that kind of things to women should be allowed to live to try again.
"Let's get out of here," she said to Eugene as soon as she was up and had closed the hatch again. She first checked the women again to make sure they were still breathing, and she also looked into the astral to see if they were possessed or something. If not, she would bring them to the Daughters of Yemaja and they would know what to do with them. It wouldn't be the first time they got women that were close to death, although mostly it was from abusive men and not so much from participation in a ritual.
OOC: I've written a rather large part. If something happens in between, let me know and I'll rewrite.
assensing rolls:
intuition 4 + assensing 3 + enhanced perception 2 =9 (9d6.hits(5)=3, 9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3630445/)
With 3 hits I can get a general diagnosis for maladies, if they are awakened (and if so, higher or lower magic then me) and if any astral signatures are present on them (like from possessing spirits)
OOC: @thermo: what's the in-game time at the moment?
-
One Question Jerry -
In principle this would work, but I doubt I'm skilled enough to reliably damage the customers' car without killing the occupants. [OOC: Doc T has no heavy weapons skill]. I've got 30 shots and I can sure make a lot of noise, and damage a lot of equipment, but I won't be too mobile with this bad boy. Just cover me as best you can, and be ready for a quick rescue when it gets too hairy.
You can't shoot it? Bloody hell, change of plan. pulling a wire to connect the drone via the datajack, Jerry unloaded the doberman out of the truck. I'll mount the pipe on the drone and I'll be shooting. Once they move against us, I'll dismount it, drop it and get the fuck out of here. I'll try to do it fast don't let anything fuck me. By the way, put your 'link on hidden.
OOC:
Mounting the gun over the drone, putting the AK on the back of the Jerry, for easy remount if needed/possible.
The commlink is operating in jammer-on-the fly mode. But once we start shooting it will resume normal operating mode, to allow me to connect the drone and more importanly to allow S-K get info that their gun has been taken out of the box.
Once in normal operation mode, all the nodes are in hidden. I am running two instance of encrypt program (one for communication and one for strong commlink node encryption). I am also running command program and ECCM, analyze, stealth, biofeedback filters and exploit (total 8 programs) all at rating 5 - overload reduce response of my node by 1). Both commlink, car and drone nodes are slaved and databombed (rating 3) on invalid entry.
Once the mounting is done, I'll operate from VR.
-
Large icon appeared in the corner of Doc's AR display.
Step one - warm up
Jerry/Doberman felt itself crouching on all fours. Gecko pads adapted itselfs to the surface, providing an assuring level of stability. Large powerful gun reported online status, warming itself in the socket.
Jerry/Doberman barked twice, and a detonation has been heard loud as a crashing jet fighter. The prototype gauss rifle fired double shot, at the nearby tower...
OOC:
I'll take 3 actions to take aim properly (max. half of the skill) on the first shoot, and going for damage - trying to hit something that support it and crash the tower.
for all the shots I'm using image magnification built in the dobermans sensor.
base pool: Sensor(3) + Gunnery(6) + Specialization(Ballistic, 2) + Smartlink(2) + Control Rig(2) + Hotsim(2) -> 17
+ Take Aim(3) - Called Shot for Damage(4) -> 16
second shot Called Shot for Damage(4) -> 13
I assume no recoil, as this is drone shooting.
rolls: 16d6.hits(5)=5, 13d6.hits(5)=6 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3630781/) -> since both are unopposed, both looks like critical hits.
Damage Values:
9P + 4(called shot) + 5(net hits) -> 18P from the first shot,
9P + 4(called shot) + 6(net hits) -> 19P from the second shot
resisted with HalfArmor(due to gauss weapon)*2 - AP(4),
whatever the result (it only matters, that the shooting was flashy and noisy), the drone will start to aim at the compound entrance.
-
Doc was grateful that the plan changed, as he hadn't fancied taking on an entire 'merc compound solo with a weapon he hadn't even read the manual on. As Jerry disappeared into the virtual wilds of full VR Doc became acutely aware that his instincts and reflexes were the only protection available when the Drek started to fly. He switched his comms to hidden, and made sure to get his spare 950 rounds ready to reload the rifle because five rounds could go quite quickly. He hunkered down a couple of meters from the dwarf, so that any explosive ordinance sent their way wouldn't get both of them and brought his Remmington up to his shoulder, trying to keep as low a profile as possible. Switching his visual field back to Low light he scanned the 'DAWGS compound, waiting for the first threat to appear.
[OOC Doc is carrying his 950, but he has the Carbine as well - should anything get within a hundred meters or so]
Visual search - Intuition 3 + Perception 1 + Visual Specialization 2 + Vision enhancement 3 (Low Light test): (9d6.hits(5)=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3631546/) and Intuition 3 + Perception 1 + Visual Specialization 2 + Vision enhancement 3 (Thermographic test): (9d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3631547/) add one more success: Forgot to Add Hawkeye bonus of one die for perception tests at distance (1d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635334/)
Doc also strained to hear any activity from within the compound:
Intuition 3 + Perception 1 + Audio enhancement 3: (7d6.hits(5)=0) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3631548/) but couldn't hear anything after the Doberman let loose with the first two shots.
Infiltration roll:
Agility 7 + Infiltration 4 + Urban specialization 2 = (13d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635241/)
subvocally doc whispered to Jerry: "the drek has hit the fan for sure, I figure we've got no more than two to three minutes before we've go to be rolling, I've got us covered for now, GET SOME!"
[note clever use of small font to show whispering ;) ]
Status of Equipment:
M23 (sholder strap): 40 EX-EX rounds remaining in clip. 1 spare clip loaded with 35 EX-EX, 5 spare clips loaded with regular
Manhunter (strapped to right thigh): 16+1 rounds EX-EX, 1 spare clip with EX-EX, 2 spare clips loaded with regular
Taser (cross draw left hip): 4 darts
Elan (right leg ankle holster): 5+1 regular, 1 spare clip with regular
Slivergun (cross draw left chest): 30 flechette, 2 spare clips with flechette
Remington 950*(rifle sheath on back): 5 rounds EX-EX
Meta Link: Hidden Mode
Novatech Airware: Hidden Mode
*denotes actively equipped weapon
-
Team 1: Hyena and Eugene
@Hyena:
You scan the Astral plane for any evidence of possession on the two women but don't see anything of concern. They are both Awakened, but don't appear to have a Magic ability anywhere near as strong as yours or Eugene's. While they are both unconscious from the smoke, you see that their vitals are strong and they will probably wake up soon. Their essence gives off an emotion of desperation, hope, and pain, as though they have been prisoners or slaves for only a short while. You grab the book and put it in your pack. Your shot echoes in the small space and blows the mage's head wide open; he's most definitely dead.
@Eugene:
Hyena drags the two women up the creaking ladder, and you help get them laid out on the floor near the smashed door where the dust isn't quite as thick. Hyena sends you several pictures of the scene, including a picture of the book.
[to see if you know what the book is, roll your Magical Artifacts knowledge skill with a -2 penalty]
-
logic(4) + magical artifacts(4) - mystery modifier(2) = 6 (6d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3638365/)
"Hmmmmmm... Why don't you let me take a look at that book?" Eugene approaches Hyena with his hand outstretched.
[OOC: I'm assuming combat didn't take more than a couple minutes, so we should still have about an hour until sundown, correct?]
-
[OOC: correct, you've got about 45 minutes until sundown]
-
Team 2: Jerry and Doc T
[The wooden guard tower has an Armor of 6 and a Structure Rating of 7. Due to the anti-material nature of the gauss rifle, it falls into the same category as AV Rocket/Missile (SR4a pg. 166), and therefore base damage is tripled. Damage = 9P*3 + 4(called shot) + 5(net hits) and 9P*3 + 4(called shot) + 6(net hits) = 36P and 37P, respectively. Tower rolls Armor*2 to resist.
Tower damage resist: (12d6.hits(5)=1, 12d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3639369/)
Net hits = 35P and 36P
Each shot puts a hole in the structure equal to (damage/structure rating)*1m^2, so each shot puts a 5 square meter hole in the tower. It is completely obliterated.]
The two shots from the gauss rifle both hit the guard tower square on, the first one blowing the roof and spotlight to pieces, the second hitting the platform and blowing it completely off its frame. There is a billowing cloud of blueish smoke from where the power cell for the spotlight was disintegrated. The two shots were LOUD and very distinctive. They sounded more like the crack of a lightning bolt than the boom of an assault cannon. There's no way that the Shrapnel Dawgs could have missed what just happened.
@Jerry:
The tower explodes in a magnificant display of firepower, shooting forth wood splinters and twisted metal in all directions. The weapon hits with such force that it creates a cone of shrapnel and debris as soon as it hits its target. Your circuits hum with excitement and energy. You quickly spin your body back towards the Shrapnel Dawgs' puny base, tracking both inferior meat targets as well as outmatched mechanical ones. There's none of the heart-pounding adrenaline you get when in your meat body, replaced with a cold, calculating system of target and threat analysis.
@Doc T:
You lay down on the berm, pointing your long-range sporting rifle downrange towards the Shrapnel Dawgs' base. Your long-range vision picks out several targets. The two mercenaries who were walking sentry duty on the tops of the cargo containers have both hit the deck and are aiming in your general direction with sniper rifles. They're probably taking aim at the drone, which is sitting loud and proud a few meters away from you on top of the ridge. You also see the two teams of barghest sentries starting to run in your direction, running low and fast while the barghest practically drags them towards you. Each team has two members, each armed with a submachine gun. You notice that one of the Dawgs' drones has moved back into the compound, but before you lose sight of it you see it raise what appears to be a grenade launcher. The other enemy drone is positioned outside the gate, swiveling back and forth while pointing a machinegun downrange.
The Shrapnel Dawgs have completed their deal, and the weapons are loaded into the backs of the two trucks. The buyers leap into the already-running trucks at the sound of the exploding tower, and the trucks are ready to move out.
Everyone roll Initiative
[The truck is the red rectangle, the grey shape is your drone, Jerry is in green, Doc T is in purple. The orange shape is the earthwork berm. The yellow squares are barghest teams, and the pink dots on the orange circle are the snipers on top of the cargo containers.]
-
Team 1: Hyena and Eugene
@Hyena:
You tell Eugene about the scene in the basement, and share with him the pictures of the ritual, including the book and the pitchers of dirty water.
@Eugene:
You immediately recognize the nature of the book by the pictures sent by Hyena. It appears to be a religious tome that was used by a tribe of local healers who would sell their services to the highest bidder. It is rumored that they were wiped out years ago when the Igbo rounded them up and sold them off as slaves to local mercenary groups. You remember reading that they had several abilities that were particularly helpful to groups who were unfamiliar with living off the land in a polluted and scorched desert. You might learn more if you were able to analyze the book in person.
-
Initiative Roll: Initiative roll: Initiative 11 = (11d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3640728/) So total score of 15.
Doc is just going to wait to see how initiative plays out but I had posted the following and will use it if Thermo thinks best. [OOC: Assuming they are within 750m, and that Doc has initiative:]
Simple action taken as free action: "Jerry - take out the two drones by the entrance if you can"
Take Aim as free action (from martial art): Use take aim action to zoom in on sniper using Vision Magnification
Simple Action: Fire Remington 950 at Sniper
Agility 7 + Firearms Skill Group 4 + Firearms Skill Group Reflex Recorder 1 + Smartgun 2 + Vision Magnification cancels range penalties = 14 (14d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3640745/)
Damage is 8p/AP -1 modified by EX EX ammo = 9p/AP -2
-
"Help me with these women," Hyena said to Eugene, "We'd better be out of here before someone comes around to investigate. I also have that book with me. No sense in leaving it so they can try again. Would your uncle mind if we stayed there for a while until I can take them with me to my appointment this evening."
She looked at her watch.
"In a couple of hours actually."
-
No plan ever survives the battle... at least they're coming to us...
They must have been confused like hell... unknown drone fired at the airport tower...
Inside the dobermans virtual reality AR control console exploded with calculations:
their Barghest teams will investigate the situation - probability 98% - confirmed
attack variant
hitting both snipers in a single two shot volley... probability 5 hits ... defensive position, 4 hits ... good cover factored in ... 90% fatal retaliation on failure probability 40%
hitting conteners below sniper position, throwing off the snipers, probability 99,99% ... selected
facing superior force ... their commander orders both Barghest teams to drop to the ground wait for assault drones and regroup ... probability 80% .. combat result fatal probability 80% ... on successful combat S-K gauss recovery team finds rifel in my possession ... mission failed
facing superior force ... their commander order both Barghest teams to fall back behind the conteners probability 65% ... S-K gauss recovery team finds rifle not in possession of Dawgs ... mision failed.
bait variant
nothing is shooting at the compound ... snipers wait and observe on the investigation results not shooting at anything unknown unless provoked probability 92% ...
facing unknown ... their commander call back one of the teams to investigate if there is no infiltration attempt on the other side of the compund, probability 70% ....
defensive maneuvers ... their commander roll out grenade launcher to cover Barghest team as they investigate probability 60% (risk factor of loosing expensive drone might be overestimated, Barghest are more valuable), corrected value 64%...
Bait variant selected
Large icon appeared in the corner of Doc's AR display.
Step two - bait up
Don't shoot unless they will. Observe.
OOC: initiative roll - as I am in hotsimming in VR I am using the matrix initiative
Response(5) - Programs overload(1) + Intuition(5) + VR(1) + Response Enhancer(3) -> 13d6.hits(5)=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3642845/) 17, 3 IP
Assuming I'll go first, the drone will move at running speed behind full cover (simple action) toward Jerry. Send message Doc's 'link. (simple action). Jump out (free action)., Initiative will drop by 4 points, but still 3 IP per CT.
To be clear, I want to disappear from sight, so they won't have anything to shoot at, unless they spot Doc (which at this range should be fairly difficult). I'll start dismantling the gun from the next IP.
-
Barghest teams roll initiative:
Barghest Teams: Rea(6)+Int(3) (9d6.hits(5)=5, 9d6.hits(5)=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3652353/) 14,10
CT1, IP1: Jerry: 17(3 IP); Doc T: 15 (3 IP); Barghest Team 1: 14 (2 IP); Barghest Team 2: 10 (2 IP)
Edge: Jerry: 3/3; Doc T: 3/3; Barghest Team 1: 4/4; Barghest Team 2: 4/4
Wounds: None
@Jerry:
You tense your servos and leap backwards, feeling the durathane liners in your joints flex as your massive legs propel you behind the berm. You nearly hit your meat form, kneeling on the ground. You jump out, feeling the all-too-familiar sensation of being sucked backwards into your body. The aches and pains of your meat form return almost immediately, and you wish you never had to leave the digital world.
Doc, your turn
-
Eugene helps Hyena with the women. Think they'll wake up soon? I'm not sure it's wise to be seen dragging bodies through the streets, even around here.
[OOC: Sorry farothel, I figured we'd just automatically move along. I'm not sure if moving the women's bodies is something that will give us trouble or not. If you think so, Eugene can cast mask on them. On the other hand, if dragging bodies around Lagos is common enough to go unnoticed, we may as well just head over to the uncle's. Eugene will defer to Hyena's experience.]
-
"They're still alive," Hyena said, "so we can just pretend they've passed out from too much alcohol. And since there's dead bodies in this city everywhere, even if we were removing them, it wouldn't attract all that much notice. People will think we're from Tanamous and leave us alone."
Nobody messed with the flesh trafficers here, at least if you didn't want to be in the next set of merchandise on its way to Asamando. So after a quick check to see if anybody was waiting for them, they moved out of the building.
Perception to see if anybody is interested in what's happening in this house.
intuition 4 + perception 3 + enhanced perception 2 + looking for it 3 =12 (12d6.hits(5)=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3654850/)
I think I will notice if someone does.
Thermo: I've just assumed a couple of things up here. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've read about Lagos, people there are very good at not noticing things.
Eight: Don't worry about it, miscommunication happens and things are still going a lot faster here then in another of my PbPs. :)
-
[OOC: going to play a little catch-up here for a second]
@Eugene:
Your Spirit of Earth reports back to you that the Watcher spirit disappeared in a puff of never-never dust while it was engaged in the chase through the city. They ended up near a known Igbo part of the city. It appears as though the Spirit of Earth was able to delay the Watcher spirit for long enough that it didn't make contact with its target. Once the mage was knocked unconscious, the spirit got extremely confused, and once Hyena shot the mage in the head the spirit simply winked out of existence.
Team 1: Hyena and Eugene
You each grab one of the women and begin carrying them out of the building and towards Eugene's uncle's shop. The women are humans and therefore aren't very heavy (at least not compared to ork women!). As you get a closer look you realize that the women have very similar features and complexions and might be related, even possibly sisters.
The street outside the brick house is deserted. You carry the women towards the long row of talisman shops, most of which are still open for business. As you do, you see people begin to gawk and stare. You catch some muttered phrases as you walk, and you are able to gather that these women were known here.
Eugene's uncle greets you warmly, and upon seeing the women he raises his eyebrows.
"The Riki sisters! Where in the sixth world did you find them?? They went missing a month ago after their mother was murdered! She was a friend of mine!"
You are able to learn that the sisters worked in a booth in this very market, until their mother was killed and they were presumed kidnapped or killed. The stall has been looted, but is still standing not far away. Their mother was a dealer in antique books and scholarly items such as incense, inks, and parchment.
The women are still unconscious. There isn't a very good place to lay them down except on the heavy carpeted floor.
What do you do?
-
Doc read the text scroll from jerry and settled in behind his 950.
Simple Action: Observe in detail - Doc Looks around to make sure that the only possible targets are the two sniper teams and the two barghest teams. Intuition 3 + Perception 1 + Visual Specialization 2 + Vision enhancement 3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3631546/)9d6.hits(5)=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3655694/)
Second simple action: Talk to text to Jerry: I'll hold for now, but If that drone stays near us we are the target. Also two shots probably aren't enough "chaos".
Free action: Take aim as free action from Krav Magra - use take aim action to zoom vision magnification in on closest enemy team.
-
"Let's put them here," Hyena said, letting them slowly on the carpet as it was the only spot and it was better then their previous 'hang-out'. She quickly explained where and how they had found the two woman, showing the book and the pictures she had taken.
Then she took out her first aid kit.
"If you can heal faster, please do," she said to her companion, "I can only do so much with this thing."
As hits with a first aid kit are capped on first aid skill, I can only heal one box of damage. So if Eugene can do more, please do.
-
"I wonder if there is a professional nearby. Uncle, do you know anyone? I could use some healing myself, actually. Come to think of it...." Eugene trails off, remembering the powerful spell he cast. He sits down on the floor. "Be right back."
Eugene takes to astral space, and (assuming the hut where the girls were is still empty) erases the astral signature from his spell. He then returns. "Almost forgot to clean up after myself!"
Eugene has a force 6 medkit but would have to default to logic. First aid is a defaultable skill, but if healing is capped by the skill rating I don't know how much he can do. Thermo?
Also I assumed you can clean an astral signature while astrally projecting, since it's a strictly astral phenomenon. It should take about 30 seconds in this case.
-
Team 2: Jerry and Doc
CT1, IP1: Jerry: 17(3 IP); Doc T: 15 (3 IP); Barghest Team 1: 14 (2 IP); Barghest Team 2: 10 (2 IP)
Edge: Jerry: 3/3; Doc T: 3/3; Barghest Team 1: 4/4; Barghest Team 2: 4/4
Wounds: None
Perception checks:
Barghest teams: Perception Check (3): Perception(3)+Int(3)+Sonar(0)+Distance(-3)+Actively Looking(3) (6d6.hits(5)=2, 6d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3669561/)
Sniper teams: Perception Check (3): Perception(3)+Int(4)+Low-Light Vision(0)+Distance(-3)+Actively Looking(3)+Enhanced Vision(3) (9d6.hits(5)=3, 9d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3669564/)
@Doc T:
You settle in behind the all-too-familiar rifle and scan the area for threats. You see the two trucks begin to move, heading towards the gate to leave the Shrapnel Dawgs' base. You see the drone with the grenade launcher and the drone with the machinegun set up to cover the vehicles as they leave. The snipers are obviously scanning the area and by the glints of light from their rifle scopes you can tell that they are looking right at you. You see a subtle movement from the snipers and you see the barghest teams simultaneously touch their earpieces. The barghest teams are headed on a direct path towards you!
@Jerry and Doc T:
The barghest teams are running at full tilt towards you. The snipers have obviously spotted Doc T's location. And the two trucks full of stolen hardware are going to leave any second.
The barghest teams are approximately 600m away and are running at a speed of 30m per turn (10 m/s). At this rate, it will take them approximately one minute to reach you.
-
Team 1: Hyena and Eugene
Hyena applies first aid to the three wounded people, first to Eugene and then to the two girls. Eugene's uncle assists you with the first aid. While the conditions are far from perfect, they're a lot better than trying to do this in the street.
First Aid: First Aid Kit(6)+Logic(3)+Average Conditions(-1)+Awakened Patient(-2)+Skilled assistant(1) (7d6.hits(5)=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3669607/) 4 boxes damage removed
First Aid: First Aid Kit(6)+Logic(3)+Average Conditions(-1)+Awakened Patient(-2)+Skilled assistant(1) (7d6.hits(5)=2, 7d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3669617/)
Eugene, the medkit applies a shot of anti-inflammatories and you feel your blood pressure returning to normal. The wound from your casting has been healed.
The two girls both sputter and wake up after the medkit applies some smelling salts and some inhalation-based topical steroids. They both look around wildly, and after seeing Eugene's uncle and the two armed adventurers they both burst into tears.
"It's finally over. Thank god. Those bastards were monsters. What happened to the Teacher?"
After speaking with them a bit more, you learn that they grew up in this very market. Their never knew their father, but were instead raised by their mother. She had just acquired a rare book of spells, and when one of the local Igbo mages saw it he killed their mother and took both the book and the two sisters.
"He was forcing us to learn a spell from the book. It was a water purification spell, he told us, and it would make us very valuable as.. slaves (sob sob). Now we have no family and nowhere to go. Our family's stall has been destroyed and our mother killed. What are we going to do?"
@Hyena:
[OOC: It's getting pretty close to the time of the meeting with the Daughters. If there's anything you want to do before the meeting, now's the time. Let me know who you are going to try bringing with you to the meet.]
-
"I can take care of that," Hyena said to the two women, "I have to go to an appointment now and that's with an organisation that among things also takes care of women in your position. They can take care of you."
OOC:
If they agree, I'll sent a quick text message to my contact that I'm bringing also two female victims of an abduction, otherwise I go alone and they can stay here and do whatever they want. I'm not going to put pressure on them.
If they want to think about it, they can stay where they are now and decide when I come back from my appointment.
-
"We've actually found the book, uncle." Eugene digs out the spellbook and begins leafing through it. He shows Chigozi. "I'd heard it mentioned before, but what else do you know of its history?
OOC: That purify water spell looks useful. If it's possible to learn from the book, Eugene will photograph the formula for the spell, plus any others he finds interesting, if you know what else is in it.
-
Jerry dismounted the gun from the drone in a practiced move. Ejected the magazine and put it into the pocket. Threw the gun on the ground.
Doc, time to get the fuck out of here. Jerry scanned the sky to the south looking for the sight of incoming VTOL, and was already running into the driving cab. Grab the jammer, jump into the cab.
Hit the button if the dogs come too close.
Drone parked itself into the drone rack, while Jerry jumped into the Cinderella's rig.
VROOOM !!! Cinderella's radio maxed out the volume screamed McGuyver series opening theme and the wheels started to spin the moment Doc jumped in.
Sharp turn toward the wreck of the tower and drive away, by the next turn north nearby the tower, Jerry jumped out for a second from VR to throw out the gun magazine and issue the FlySpy a command to fly high toward their general direction.
The escape is not full speed. I want it to be fast, but I don't want to disengage completely, until they reach out previous position and find the gun.
If all goes matching we should be fast enough to avoid being caught up by the Barghests and with any luck, the VTOL should appear any moment, as the gun should be in open close to a minute.
-
Team 1: Hyena and Eugene
@Eugene:
You quickly scan through the book, taking photographs of the spell formulae inside. You recognize several of them:
Purify Water spell, able to turn brackish or salt water into potable water. Incredibly valuable in this part of the world.
Diagnose spell, able to determine the target's general health and indicate any illnesses or injuries.
Mindnet (extended area) spell, used by the shamans to communicate both words and emotions from distant parts of the desert
Stim spell, used by the shamans to alleviate the need for sleep or rest, allowing massive distances to be travelled in a short period of time
You will be able to learn these spells from the scans you took, though you will require either a skilled instructor or an appropriate bound spirit to assist you.
You turn the book over to your uncle, who tells you that the book is worth a lot of money due to the spells contained within.
[OOC: 2 Detection spells and 2 Health spells = 2000 nuyen, black market value (50%) = 1000 nuyen]
He hands you a Hawala chip worth 10,000 Naira. The two girls don't see him give you the token. You can keep it, or give it to the girls.
@Hyena:
You place the text message to the Daughters, and they quickly reply that they would like to see the girls before agreeing to meet them. You send them a picture of each one, as well as a picture of Eugene. A few minutes later, they send back a reply that it is acceptable to bring them with you, as long as you are willing to vouch that the male will act respectfully towards the other women. You hope it's not a mistake, being that Eugene is obviously crazy as a loon, but you accept their terms.
You escort the group to a meeting point outside the market gates. A battered VW bus with off-road tires creaks to a stop in front of you and the doors slide open. A woman dressed in desert camo fatigues points a brand new AK-97 at you and motions for you to hand over your weapons. You quickly do so, as a second female gets out of the passenger seat and pats everyone down. Everyone climbs into the van and buckles their seatbelts. Or, more accurately, ties themselves in with what's left of the seatbelts. The woman with the assault rifle casts a Darkness spell which fills the back of the bus, and soon you arrive at your destination.
As the spell clears, you see that you've been taken into a large garage of some kind. The door slides open, and you are greeted by several women dressed in various fatigues. Many have scars, some even on their faces. Overall they are a beautiful group of women, tempered with a hardness that is slightly unnerving.
After introductions, you are taken to a corner of the garage that has a small office. You are debriefed concerning your encounter with the slaver Igbo and the two women who accompany you.
[OOC: Please feel free to narrate your debriefing to the Daughters]
After your debriefing, you are taken to an outdoor courtyard outside the garage. It's fenced in with a tall fence with concertina wire ringing the top. You don't know what this place it, but it's definitely impressive.
[OOC: You are beginning your Initiation! Again, I'll let you narrate the details. Bad news: The Initiation rites will be brutal and will take all night, and may leave lasting scars, both physical as well as mental. The Daughters are not to be taken lightly. Good news: bringing in the two women and killing the slavers counts as a Deed Ordeal (Street Magic pg 51). The cost of your Initiation is reduced by 20%. Turning in the foci as you'd previously indicated will get you into the good graces of the Daughters, allowing you to use a Group Initiation, for a further reduction of 20%. Your total cost to become a Grade 1 Initiate is 7 karma.]
@Eugene:
Once you get into the garage, you see Hyena get led away and watch her get interrogated through the window blinds of the small office. It doesn't look pleasant. Afterwards, she is led outside. You hear screams, the slamming of heavy objects, and some inhuman sounds which can only be explained by the presence of spirits. The whole time, you are kept sitting in a metal folding chair, and you are never without the presence of at least one armed female guard. The two girls are taken through a metal door at the opposite end of the hangar, and you don't see them again. Before you lose sight of them, one of them turns to you and you see her mouth the words:
"thank you"
[OOC: please feel free to narrate how you spend the night on the hard folding chair.]
Karma Rewards (both Hyena and Eugene):
Meeting Eugene's Uncle: 1 karma
Killing the slavers: 2 karma
Saving the girls (unharmed): 3 karma
Recovering (and scanning) the book: 1 karma
Bringing the girls to the Daughters: 1 karma
-
Team 2: Jerry and Doc T
@Doc T:
You carefully shimmy down the slope, trying to stay out of sight. You watch as Jerry quickly dismantles the weapon, his hands moving with a practices precision as he loosens the quick-mount mechanism and leaves the weapon on the ground. He appears to nearly shed a tear as he puts the powerful weapon down, knowing that it will be quite some time before he's able to play with a toy such as this again. You jump into the back of the truck, unlimbering your assault rifle and making sure the safety is off.
@Jerry:
You dump the gauss rifle and watch as your drone is quickly loaded into the back of the truck. Doc T scans the area with his assault rifle from his position in the truck bed. As you jump into the cab, you see distant spotlights rising into the air that can only indicate one thing: S-K is coming for their stuff.
Tearing down the weapon had cost valuable seconds, not only in relation to the S-K gunship, but also with the effect of getting the two barghest teams within visual range. As you speed off, music blaring, you see the barghests closing in on the position of the abandoned weapon. A minute later, you throw the weapon magazine out the window near the smoking remains of the tower.
As you throw out the magazine, you see the two pickup trucks speeding offroad towards the northwest, about halfway between the Dawgs' base and the airport fence. They're approximately 700 meters from you, and they appear to unwittingly be on an intercept course with the incoming S-K VTOL. A visual check from your flyspy shows that the cargo in the back of the trucks is covered with a tarp and therefore the white cases are not visible from the air. You've only got another minute before the VTOL gunship is within visual range.
What do you do?
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Updated map:
Red rectangle: Jerry's truck
Green dot: Jerry
Purple dot: Doc
Yellow squares: Barghest teams
Blue rectangles: Unknown pickup trucks
Green text: Incoming S-K VTOL
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OOC: that was good call for that update of the map. Somehow I thought that VTOL will come from the east.
virtual persona of the talking car (cartoon pickup with a winch on the storage area) appear on the Doc's AR. You see those fucking morons? What are they up to? I didn't see to well, are those the dealers trucks? My guess is so, but why would they drive toward us, if we clearly were the unknown threat? fucking amazing....
Never mind... Jerry/Cinderella makes a 180 and drives east putting on AR the stream from camera view from the FlySpy drone. be sure to watch those Barghests Doc. They should be occupied with what they found and probably still unaware of the S-Ks or ignore the VTOL as there are probably lots of them flying over the airport. The music slowly fades away, the lights are turned off... Cinderella rolls away from harms way...
OOC: I'll drive fast enough to avoid being catched upon if they would loose the Barghests, but slow enough to see if they took the bait, and see how the situation with the intercepting trucks resolve.[/it]
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OOC: content warning: there are descriptions of violence and sexual assault in this post. Nothing too graphical, but please do not continue reading if you are offended by such.
Arriving at the secure location, Hyena was quickly taken apart. She hoped Eugene wouldn't do anything stupid as she knew the Daughters of Yemaja had mages that could easily best him. But she didn't have time to worry, as another woman entered the room she had been put in and took a seat in front of her.
"So, tell me what happened," the woman said, coming immediately to the point. Hyena told her and she was rewarded with a set of terse questions, which she replied to the best of her ability. When her interrogator seemed satisfied, about three hours after the interrogation started, she was brought to a courtyard with a large fence around. 2 other women were there as well, all three unarmed. On a guard tower outside of the fence stood three more women, all looking at the people inside the fence.
"Tonight we're going to set you some challenges," one of the women on the tower said, "in order to initiate, you will have to overcome them. We will start with a simple one."
Before Hyena could ask for at least her sword back, the women started to gesture and suddenly three spirits appeared. Knowing there was no way she could even defeat a weak spirit in hand to hand combat, she shifted perception to the astral. At least there she had an option of doing something as she was trained in astral combat. But her Ares tutors had warned her to be very careful because attacking spirits without weapons was not easy, but at least it would be easier for her than using the other option, the attack of the will. Going in she quickly found that the spirit was rather weak and she quickly forced it back to whatever plane it had come from. Going back to the material plane, she saw that her two companions had likewise disrupted their spirits. But they had barely time to recover when three other spirits arrived. These apparently had learned as they didn't close in immediately. They also used a different attack tactic.
Suddenly she found herself back in a small alley, a little ten-year old girl with five area boys standing in front of her and one on the ground a bit further. The only difference this time was the shadowy presence behind the five men, a presence which stopped the bullets going towards the five guys when they had just wrestled her to the ground, like all those years ago. But now the bullets didn't go through them and the shadow chased away her rescuers as the five guys continued what they couldn't do 10 years ago. It felt like hours when another shadow was suddenly visible behind the guys and tossed a couple to the side. Before they could react, Hyena broke another one's neck and she found herself standing in the courtyard again, with the spirit standing next to her and one of the two other women, a mage by the look of it, just jumping back from an attack from 'her' spirit. Now she couldn't have that, so she went on the offensive and her spirit quickly buckled. What had looked like hours were only a couple of minutes.
She didn't have much time to reflect on what she had seen or even to thank the woman who had helped her as she spotted her sword and some other stuff at the other side of the arena and she wanted to get to it before the next set of spirits or whatever they would bring in. After activating her boos, she started running towards her gear. Halfway through a new set of spirits appeared and she only just managed to dodge one ... or so she thought. It was only when she felt the pain radiating from her left arm she realised she was hit. Luckily these were earth spirits and therefore quite slow, so she gave it an all-out run, but the spirits seemed to ignore her, going for the two other women. She arrived at her gear and quickly took her sword. Looking over the other things she thought they were also foci but not weapons, which meant her two companions were mages. She grabbed all of it and ran back, first towards the woman now holding off two spirits. With a ferocious war cry she charged in the spirit's back, chopping it all but in two with a mighty cleave, before attacking the next one. Together they quickly took it out and in the mean time the third was also gone. Hyena quickly handed out the equipment she had rescued.
The next attack didn't come immediately, so Hyena introduced herself to the two other women. It turned out she was right and they both were mages. She just wanted to ask what spells they could do when they heard a skittering. Looking around they quickly spotted about 20 devil rats, all following one even larger one.
"That one is possessed," one of the mages said, indicating the leader.
"Try to keep the others away," Hyena said, "I'll have him."
She advanced a bit and prepared to take the charge, but the lead rat didn't come closer.
"Well, if Moses won't go to the mountain...," she muttered, before she charged herself. While she took swings at passing rats, it wasn't her main focus. The rats however, tried to keep her from the leader, but the mages also kept them occupied, so except for a couple of passing bites, Hyena managed to get to the leader fairly unharmed. Her first swing however, missed because another rat got in the way, but the second one hit on. Clearly it was a spirit inside the rat that controlled the others, as they reverted to their normal behaviour once the leader was dead and were quickly dispatched.
The following challenge were spirits again, but this time much larger ones. This one managed to take another slash out of Hyena, before she managed to put it down. Looking around she saw that one of the mages was down, so she went to help there. When all spirits had been taken out, Hyena quickly checked the woman who was down as two women came into the arena. They quickly healed the fallen mage and had a look at the other's wounds as well.
"Not good enough," the same woman on the tower said, "you'll have to do it again. But first surrender your foci again."
And sure enough, after they had given their foci back and the two healers had disappeared, three spirits like the first ones appeared again. This time the fight went a bit quicker as they knew what was coming, but the spirits were a bit meaner as well. Luckily Hyena didn't succumb to her fears this time. While they were induced by the spirit, they were still her fears, coming from her memories.
"Better," the woman on the tower said after the second run, "now we have one more challenge, but that will be a separate one for each of you. First up is Nadia."
The mage who had almost been killed by the spirit during their first run stepped forward while the two others were brought into the garage and told to wait. After about 5 minutes they called the second mage and five minutes later, it was Hyena's turn. She walked back into the arena to see two large dogs waiting. It was only when they turned towards her that she saw they were hell-hounds. She felt her chest tighten when they both looked at her with a 'nice snack' look, but she had encountered them before and she knew what to do. Doing it was something else, as the 'what to do' concerning hell hounds started from 'after you emptied your clip into the critter' and went from there. Now she had only a sword and while it was a focus, it still meant going into the range of the hound's fire breath.
She quickly glanced to the tower to see the three women still there and when she looked back, the dogs had already moved. They knew how to hunt, that was for sure, as they had split up. Attacking one meant turning her back to the other. At least that was what they hoped. She supercharged herself as she called it and put a quick sprint to one side of the enclosure, putting both dogs at the same side again. But they also reacted and one charged. She saw movement from the side of her vision and as it jumped to land on her back, she moved to the side and hacked with her sword. The quickness of the attack meant she only graced the dog, but now the other one came on. This she couldn't avoid completely and as she reflexively held up her arm the dog bit down on it. Her jacket stopped some, but she could still feel the teeth getting through. Not being able to reach with her sword to run it through, she opted to give it a good whack on the head with the pommel. She had hoped it would let go, but that hope turned out to be idle. The other dog was also coming back, so she did it again and now the dog let go.
Both groups withdrew a bit and started eying each other. Suddenly both dogs charged again, but while one kept coming, the other suddenly let go a gout of flame. Hyena jumped out of the way but still caught some of it. Luckily her armour was fitted with special fibres to be able to handle fire, but the exposed parts of her body still got some burns. Due to her manoeuvres the other dog had missed her
"Now I'm fed up with it," she grumbled as she looked at the dogs. She wasn't sure how often they could flame, but she took the one that had already flamed first in the hope that he at least couldn't make her extra crispy. This time she managed to score a grazing hit on its nose, but its agility let it evade greater harm. While doing that, the other dog attacked again, but this time Hyena was prepared and had actually counted on it. She turned around and as the dog jumped she threw everything behind her attack. While she didn't kill it immediately, she managed to remove a paw and give it a deep cut in its flank. It tried limping away but sagged through its paws. Hyena quickly finished it off. While she wasn't squeamish when confronted with some blood, she didn't go out of her way to be cruel, so letting the animal slowly bleed to death was not needed.
The second one had learned and treated her with the respect due another predator. First thing it tried was another flame attack, but she easily dodged it. She wasn't, however, ready for the attack that followed. Afterwards she would curse herself for not remembering that they were immune to their own fire, but at that moment she had too many other things on her mind, like a raging dog that wanted to take a bite out of her. This time it got her leg, but that left it open to a counter attack. Willing the pain away, she chopped at its head, the monofilament sword going smoothly through the bone, taking it out.
Looking around she saw that it was almost day.
"Congratulations," the woman on the tower said while Hyena checked her wounds. While it hurt, she had had worse and she knew they would disappear quickly. She would give herself a shot of anti-biotics later just in case.
"You require assistance," she asked.
"Just to get back to our hotel," Hyena replied.
"No problem," the woman said, "just go inside to pick up your friend and transport will be arranged."
Hyena did as she was told and went back inside to check up on Eugene.
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Eugene looked at the token, then at the girls, then back at the book. He'd sort of rather have kept the book, but it seemed like a dangerous thing to be in possession of anyway, considering the fate of its last owner. He heads over to the girls. "This is the price I fetched for that book, which was rightfully yours. I hope it will help you two get back on your feet. I am sorry for your loss."
On the way to Daughters' HQ, Eugene thinks to himself, Pfft, I it would be easy to see where we're going if I wanted to. Their tricks cannot fool me. However, feeling that going astral might have negative consequences in this situation, he contents himself to take a short nap. Upon arriving at the base he bids Hyena good luck and finds himself in a cramped room with a stern-looking guard.
Eugene smiles and attempts to lighten the situation, though he feels that most runner jokes would not go over well with this woman. He asks her where she's from and mentions he lived in Lagos as a young child. If at some point he feels sufficiently comfortable, he gets down to business.
"If you'll excuse me miss, I've got important business to attend to, and I will need to call a spirit for assistance. I promise I am up to NO shenanigans." Presuming he isn't being shot at at this point, Eugene summons a spirit of man.
[OOC: buffing charisma first, casting Increase Charisma at force 3: Magic(5) + Spellcasting(5) = 10 (7 hits) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694763/) (sorry, messed up the code on that one) Charisma is now 7
Summoning spirit of man: Magic(5) + Summoning(5) + totem bonus(2) - sustaining penalty(2) = 10 (3 hits) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694766/)
Spirit resists: force 5 summoning resistance (5d6.hits(5)=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694772/) One service, 4S drain, optional power innate spell (Astral Window)
Resist drain: Charisma(7) + Willpower(5) + focused concentration(1) = 13 (13d6.hits(5)=3) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3694778/) Take 1S drain
I'm assuming I'm allowed to summon a spirit here--if not, disregard the following.]
The Spirit of Man appears, though as should have been expected it is rather a Spirit of WOman, the ghost of a deceased female warrior. Eugene gulps, hoping she will not present any problems. She looks at him with a steely gaze and sighs. Even in the afterlife, I am at the beck and call of MEN. What makes you think I should serve you. What have you done for a woman lately?
Eugene blushes. This is not going as planned. He stammers, "Why shouldn't you obey me? It is the nature of the spirit world. I call and command you, though I have no choice in whom I call. I do not boss women around for my own pleasure! Perhaps you are drawn to this place. If you look around, it is all women here like yourself. Perhaps you knew some of them. AND I'll have you know, I saved the lives of two women just today!" Thanks to his increased Charisma, this comes out far more eloquently than Eugene had planned.
Well, help another one.
"Very well. If I fail to help another woman, may the realm of feminine spirits come crashing down upon me. Certainly wouldn't be anything I haven't seen before. Now will you perform this one service for me? It is very simple but highly sensitive.
The spirit shrugs and sighs again. Very well.
"There is supposedly a man in this area, who has something I need. His name is Samriel Lockwood." Eugene sends the spirit an image of Lockwood over their mental link. "I need to find him, but it's very important that he doesn't know someone is looking for him. So search Lagos and the surrounding area, but be very careful not to be spotted. I've given you spell that may be of some assistance in this task."
[OOC: I'm not sure how likely it is that a spirit will be spotted while searching. If it's possible to add a negative modifier to the search test in order to be extra careful, I'll accept that, since I wouldn't want to flub up the mission before we're even started! And I'm not sure if astral window will help, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.]
When the spirit departs, Eugene spends the rest of the time trying not to get bored. Being an owl shaman, he tends to stay up at night. If the Daughters' HQ has matrix access, he calls Mulder to shoot the bull over the latest conspiracy theories and magical anomalies. He'll also try to engage the guard in a game of chess, or a discussion about the strange beasts that lurk around Lagos at night, or any local news that might be of interest. He also informs the guard that he is honor-bound to provide some assistance to a woman in the near future, so if there is anything he can help her out with, he would be more than happy to oblige.
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[All the previous activities are now considered to be "back story" for your character development. Jerry and Doc are still owed a bunch of karma, we'll resolve this soon, as well as an explanation of how the arms deal went down. Stay tuned!]
[Meanwhile, back in the present...]
You all arrive at the hotel in the wee hours of the morning. Hyena and Eugene just finished up their harrowing adventure with the slavers and the Daughters of Yemenja, and Jerry and Doc just successfully escaped a ghoul-surrounded junkyard and disrupted an arms deal.
The Porto Novo “Luxury Hotel” has precious little to do with luxury—unless you compare it to the slums you drove through to get here. The five-story building is a U-shape around a central courtyard. It is made of cinderblocks that were whitewashed two or maybe three decades ago, but now the walls are a uniform red from the pervasive dust that coats everything. Still, the only way into the building is through a sturdy-looking gate into the court- yard, which is guarded by a pack of FNHAR –toting thugs. There are no windows on the first two floors, and inside more armed guards patrol the hallways—well, at least they’re in the hallways. The guard on your floor—an ebony-skinned human man—is slouched back in a rickety chair, smoking a fragrant cigarette, his teeth stained yellow from years of smoking. He introduces himself to you as Peaceful, which seems strange until you realize the English word is actually his name. Otherwise, he speaks Yoruba. You also quickly figure out that for a sizable tip, he’ll make sure anything you leave in your rooms stays in there. He also offers to get you “Anything else you might need, boss.”
Inside your room, the hotel has a “wet bar,” which is a wooden cupboard with bottled water and a jug of what you’re told is home-brewed palm wine. The manager, a slick operator, already told you he can provide bottled beer or UCAS soft drinks for an extra charge. You’ve also discovered that his boast that his rooms are “insect free” means there is a dog-sized lizard sleeping on your bed.
“Every room,” he tells you, in broken English. “High class, yes? No iba here.” (Your linguasoft translates iba as illness, or perhaps malaria, or perhaps VITAS.) While you’re watching, a cockroach the size of your fist crawls out from under the bed. Without opening its eyes, the lizard snaps out an incredibly long tongue, snatches up the cockroach, and swallows it, almost too fast to see. The manager turns to you, beaming, and says, “See? No insects!”
There’s a shared bathroom with working chemical toilets on each floor, but no running water. Apparently, the manager spends all his money on security guards and not housekeepers, since everything seems to be covered in a layer of red grime.
Grimacing, Jane says to you, “Charming, eh? But I’ve been told it’s the safest place to stay outside the Island, and we don’t have the budget to go there. I’ve got some calls to make and I need to check in with my employer. After that ... well, I guess we should get started. Give me four hours and we can go. First things first: I can already tell I didn’t bring enough ammo for my Predator. Do you need to pick up any gear?”
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"I've slept in worse," Hyena remarked. While it wasn't much compared to the norm in the UCAS, it was quite good for Lagos.
"I don't need anything," she added, "except maybe a good night sleep. But if you need a hand, let me know."
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Good enough. Unless you want to give me more upfront money I don't have cash for anything, but you can buy fuel on your own. Jerry was asleep almost before he managed to get the lizard of the bed and fix himself there instead.