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 Blood -1, Heart 2, Mind 1, Spirit 0 Lighthouse 0, Queens Guard 1, Brighton Cartel 0, Tribunal 1 Harm: ☒|☐☐|☐☐ || Corruption: ☐☐☐☐☐ || Location: Unclean Court First things first, I'm just gonna keep quiet and follow Fernweh's lead while I'm a guest in... wherever we are. My brain is having a real tough time parsing this place, which is really weird, since nothing seems out of the ordinary, but everything feels just slightly off. Once I get back, I'm gonna see if I can hound Kazco for the rest of the fight footage to finish the job for the Cockroach King. Going to feign ignorance about him setting me up, unless he gives me a reason to use outing him as a snitch as leverage.  Pretty sure Fernweh mentioned something about my cousin asking for me. Must be Tito. Probably wants another story for his conspiracy theory newsletter. He keeps insisting on distributing it by hand, since he's convinced the Illuminati is tracking his online activity. I usually write up articles half based on some of the things I learn, but I keep getting into arguments with him about how lizard people and new world order conspiracy theories are anti-Semitic and literal Nazi propaganda, but he just counters that that's what "they" want you to believe. He pays a decent rate for the stories, though, and it gives me an outlet to write about what I've learned since coming to this city. Maybe I'll have something for him after this meeting…
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Apr 13, 2018 02:58
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:54 |
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 Blood -1, Heart +2, Mind 0, Spirit +1 Tribunal +1 Lighthouse -1 Queensguard +1 Brighton +1 Harm 1(a)/5 Corruption 2/5 "Hey, King! Hey, Maayo! Good to see you made it. I'll show you around my home in a minute. And I didn't steal nuthin' from the wizards. I just got in and out of the tower." And then i tell the Cockroach King everything that happened, down to the last detail of the dance and the fact that I owe the Demogorgon, because he is my liege as well as my Dad and respect is a stream that flows both ways. Once I've done that, I show Maayo around the Unclean Court, stopping to get some painkillers and booze, which you should definitely always mix. Man, burns suck. My arm's all gross and crispy and poo poo, and it's not healing properly. It's still pretty cajun the next day, which I spend around the weirder sections of Brighton trying to offload the Redleaf I got from Kazco, because I might as well get some profit or favors off of the deal.
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Apr 13, 2018 23:04
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EveryoneOOC posted:The previous session has ended! If you want to do the +1 and -1 to faction as part of the end of session move, you can. The same goes for collecting on any debts that you feel you either owe or are owed to you.  Finding Piper’s safehouse was a little harder than you thought it’d be, probably better for hiding people in the short run. Carita’s shipment comes in, and was everything you needed to make the protective talisman. It even came with a little note attached from Carita. -You’ll want to hurry if you want to keep the courts off of your boy. Seems to be a lot of angry sidhe. At both of you.- At least she was kind enough to give the warning. Unfortunately, this means most of the typical sources of unusual information are right out: Both the Lighthouse and the Tribunal want to keep their hands clean of you before the meeting, plus most people are walling themselves in metaphorically as time goes. The Queens Guard don’t know where to find it, but are always willing to help for a good price. Worrying about what the sidhe think is for people higher up on the food chain, not the ones who’ll have to fight with these creatures out in the open. Do you know anyone in particular? Alex posted:When you use the Queens Guard Network, roll +Queens Guard. On a hit, you find out where to find what you’re looking for. On a 10+, they already have an in, all you need to do is show up and collect it. On a 7-9, pick one:  How does Mr. Vitalie get a hold of you, usually? Is it unusual that he’s sending a text instead, or is he a modern demon, as far as these things go? Either way, you’ll probably have to put your plans aside unless you can think of a really good excuse. Murphy, need you to look into something. Non-negotiable. Need you to look into something for me. I’ve heard rumors that someone’s attempting to muscle in on The Mutt’s territory. Don’t care about that, personally, but if they’re a burglary crew, this could grow into a bigger problem. Look into it, find out what you can, don’t tell them it’s for me. Try not to kill anyone, but break a few noses. The address is an abandoned warehouse around Brownsville, far enough away from Nessa’s place. What do you do? Muphy posted:Salvatore spends a debt for you to do this. If you want to try to weasel out, you can with Refuse To Honor A Debt. If you don’t, you’re stuck with the Warehouse job.  Since you’ve held that little tidbit in your back pocket, finding them for a meeting should be easier. The first thing you learn, easily enough, is that the Kingmaker isn’t a legitimate name but some sort of pseudonym. Either the man who wrote the info was fed the pseudonym instead of a real one, or he made it up himself. Knowing about that could give you leverage on Callista, but it could also cause panic. Luckily, you already are linked into the Queens Guard, so finding out where Callista would be willing to meet you shouldn’t be too hard. The network is right there, and you know the insides of it pretty well. Tristan posted:Go ahead and use the Queens Guard Network move as well. See Alex’s section for details. Kazco gets you your footage, and apologizes for the mix-up. All humans sort of look the same to him, so it’s hard for him to tell people apart at times. He even says he’ll remember that you don’t have any wizard cousins. Do you have any wizard cousins? Does anyone on the supernatural side of things read your writing that you know of? What about your cousin’s newspaper? Obviously, not the information about the lizard people, who everyone knows is a combination of anti-semitic rhetoric and a cover-up for former dragons during the 19th century. But the items that could be relevant to locals through codes or deciphering real information from the ramblings. A few days before the meeting, you receive an e-mail from a throwaway e-mail address telling you that the person would like to meet and offer you something more substantial and official within the Queens Guard. Nothing more than what you’re doing already, although the details about what it actually is. The last words are a request to meet, cryptic as the rest of the e-mail. Meet me where the Guard was founded. Bring some food to share. -The Rook It doesn’t sound like much of a request, but the whole thing reads like it’s a batboy away from something your cousin would write. Maayo posted:If you want to meet the person by solving the puzzle, roll +Queens Guard to gather the information needed. On a hit, you get enough information for the meeting. On a 10+, either you find out more about The Rook or you bring their favorite kind of food. Trying to sell drugs you technically stole from the Cartel back to the Cartel takes some real moxy, but you know that the Cockroach King wouldn’t care unless you got caught. So, there’s an obvious solution: Don’t get caught. Also, if you don’t charge cash, you can probably get away with whatever you do. Did you have anyone in mind in particular? Or just trolling around, hoping to catch someone who might be useful later? Fernweh posted:If you try to sell drugs in the city, roll +Brighton Cartel. On a hit, you gain a debt on a low-level dealer or customer who’ll have some information in the future. Name them. On a 10+, they’ll tell their friends about you or tell you about their friends, your choice. Right before the meeting, the Lighthouse cops still want to talk to you, despite the fact that they believe you’re innocent. Do you go see them ahead of time, like your dad asks, or are you going to do your own thing?  Mission accomplished. The shapeshifters seemed to have some idea about Alex, about the whole situation, but you’re not sure about what they are beyond that. Did your father keep good notes about what he found? What about your grandfather? What other family members were involved in all of this? Whatever notes you find tell you that if you want to find something that you need help with, you need to look for The Source. It gives an address, which happens to be a cross-street in SoHo. No actual address number. Do you try to follow it? Find another source of information? Piper posted:If you follow The Source, roll +Tribunal. On a hit, you get access to a mysterious source of ancient texts, prophecies and hidden secrets. On a 10+, your trip through the parts outside of reality impresses the Source’s Caretaker, who’ll give you additional information right away. Once you’ve made the journey, you can repeat it without this roll.  Even if they didn’t steal anything of value, you know that the Cartel is going to sense some blood in the water with how everything went. Luckily, with the events at the Soiree that you missed out on, there were much bigger problems going on. Ironically, this may also be your best time to find a better way out of this situation with the Cartel. A few days before the proper meet at Old Pete’s, the Cartel has their own meeting where there were many pointing fingers, shouting and a lot more chaos than normal. There were even accusations of some of the other bosses being shapeshifter plants. The robbery attempt was a bullet point, but declared by some as a distraction from the real trouble at hand. Did you say anything? Do you have someone that talks for you during these meetings, since they’re at night? Nessa posted:Roll +Cartel. On a hit, you find someone who’s just as sick of the Cartel bullshit as you are, at about your level in the hiearchy. On a 10+, you’ve worked together before and they owe you a debt for what you did for them. Tell us what happened. Everyone The meeting comes with an optional plus one. Old Pete’s will be neutral grounds, as it always is, so anyone bringing weapons better keep them holstered. Will anyone be bringing anyone in particular? The general goal of the meeting is to try and figure out what’s going on with the shapeshifter attack, and what to do in the future. Do you have any ulterior motives?
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Apr 16, 2018 03:44
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Blood -1 | Heart +0 | Mind +1 | Spirit +3 || Lighthouse +1 | Queens Guard +1 | Brighton Cartel +0 | Tribunal +0 Harm: ☐|☐☐|☐☐ || Corruption: ☒☐☐☐☐ || Hold: None || Location: Back at the Sanctum The actual construction and enchantment of the protective talisman is hardly worth mentioning. I mean, I'm sure I could bore you with the finer points of the sympathetic magic that, functionally, repels Fae of the Seasonal Courts from the bearer while minimizing unnatural phenomena in their surrounds, but it'd really be better for everyone if you just take my word for it. It works, it's fantastic, and Leonardo's Fae troubles are a matter of the past. Now, as one may recall, it seems he has some issues with our changeling plague as well. I suppose that would be another, different job. Our terms are satisfied. I repeatedly drive that point home as I instruct him on the operation of the talisman. Don't submerge it fully in water blessed and/or otherwise sanctified by any religion followed by more than one-hundred thousand people. If you are taking iron supplements, stop. Don't expose it to temperatures in excess of 750°F for more than sixty continuous seconds. Don't, for that matter, get set on fire. And, most importantly, never take it off. Ever. For any reason. If you experience symptoms suggesting a transcendence of your mortal flesh, call me. Leonard's job has been completed and he owes me a debt. Once that small matter is taken care of, I can fully focus on the more looming matter of our impending extradimensional invasion. Certainly more personally intriguing than the construction of a warding talisman. Now, as much as I believe I am revolutionizing the study and practice of magic with a modern understanding of basic principles, I cannot help but suspect that others have walked this path before. Call it a hunch, as unscientific as the term is. Now I already know the Lighthouse doesn't have the resources I need. The Tribunal's motives are suspect at best, their antipathy also quite evident. That leaves the hedge magicians and the more down-to-earth types of the Queen's Guard. I've been in contact with a man who owns a shop near Corona. Warren Eden is a disreputable sort, a smuggler of the bizarre and arcane, but his stock hasn't failed me yet. He claims to have a tome written by pre-Hermetic religious scholars. Some sort of heretical sect of monks, if I'm understanding his attempts to upsell the material correctly. The treatise portends to tell of ways to manipulate the divine plan assigned to each as they enter this life. Normally I'd view that with no little skepticism, but my own experiences have aligned quite closely with the portions I've inspected for authenticity. And, of course, there is the matter of the coming meeting. While I certainly cannot count on my Lighthouse compatriots or those of the Tribunal, I do have a somewhat surprising new ally. Sera, that Cartel enforcer, has proven quite level-headed. And willing to return my calls. That counts for quite a bit these days. quote:SidekickBOT - Last Sunday at 6:49 PM At end of session, shifting Cartel up and Tribunal down. I'd say that finding out that the Fae were interested in stealing Leo for some sort of trade with the other side is pretty significant! Also, taking +1 Spirit as my advance.
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Apr 20, 2018 23:11
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Blood -1, Heart +2, Mind 0, Spirit +1 Tribunal +1 Lighthouse -1 Queensguard +1 Brighton +1 Harm 1(a)/5 Corruption 2/5 So, Brighton ends up being a bust. Turns out, drug dealers really hate it when you try to sell them back their own drugs on their own territory. Who knew? Kazco recognizes me on the first loving day and I end up skipping out by diving down a storm drain. Garbage fae are hard to catch, motherfucker! Too bad about the redleaf. Oh well; easy come, easy go. That's how I ended up with a lot of free time on my hands. I was hanging out in the underground, banging off the walls, annoying Dad, and just generally trying to avoid having to deal with any of the people who want me dead. It was going so well that i was already trying to stage my second rendition of the opening from the Lion King using cockroaches as actors when Dad bumbled up, in his holy bath-robes, and delivered the invitation, as well as the official request from the wizard cops to interview me. gently caress. The Cockroach King gave me a very stern, very long-suffering look, and told me I should talk to them before things escalated any further. When i told him that I wasn't talking to cops until either he hired a lawyer or I started looking Caucasian, he reminded me that I do know a lawyer. Which is true, in the biblical sense.  Addington is a sin-eater, a kind of undead carrion-spirit that eats unsanctified corpses. I don't know why, it's an Irish folklore thing. She moved here from Philly a few decades back, and we used to date last year. Yeah, I went through a undead man-eating goth phase. Whatevs. Sue me. Anyway, she's a criminal lawyer, and also a criminal lawyer, and not something to be hosed with lightly if you are of the edible persuasion. So, basically perfect, except for the part where she's still mad about the whole... you know, it's a long story. Water under the bridge. I've forgotten about it. Hope she has too. And I guess she has, because I only have to turn on the charm a little bit before she agrees to go with me to the meeting with the Wiz-cops and represent me, on one condition; I have to take her to the other meeting. Which she already knew about before I told her. And she already knew who was going to be there. And she seems real eager to meet someone. So that's weird. But at least it won't be boring!
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Apr 20, 2018 23:15
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Blood: +2 Heart: +2 Mind: -1 Spirit: +0 Tribunal: +1 Brighton Cartel :+1 Queens Guard: +1 The Lighthouse : -1 Harm: Edit: Well this went disastrously. I take the job =+= OOC posted:
Exmond fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Apr 23, 2018 |
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Apr 21, 2018 15:54
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Blood +1, Heart -1, Mind 1, Spirit 1 Lighthouse -1, Harm: O|OO|OO || Corruption 1/5 || Location: Old Pete's Tap tap tap, goes my foot on the asphalt. I'm nervous. This has been a stresful week. I've been trying to get in touch with people that might also have a bone to pick with the Cartel, but no one's talking. Everyone's either too comfortable with the status quo, or too afraid of the repercussions. Can't really blame them, I guess. Most people have something to lose, and the Cartel can take that away. I spit out my gum, and take some deep breaths. Control your frustration, Nessa. The Cartel reunion didn't help. Rufus, another werewolf working for them, spoke for me when I made it clear that other attempts at encroaching on my territory would not be tolerated. There were a few chuckles from the big fishes (who always assume nothing's off limits for them, the bastards), but I think the smaller ones got the message. Rufus gave me a thumbs up. A nice enough guy, that Rufus, but kind of condescending at times. Maybe I should have asked me to come with me at this thing. But on the other hand, I'm not that close to him. And who knows what bullshit's going on with this thing. I don't trust him, not really. What's worse? I've heard rumors that someone else is going to make a play for my territory. A formal one. Rufus let that one slip by when we were rolling out of the Cartel reunion. As I said, good guy. I nod at Tristan as I see him approach, but my heart's not into it. My hair feels itchy, my feet are uncontrollably nervous. My gut is telling me that something bad's going to happen... quote:I rolled a 9 in my Comes with the Territory roll, which means that one of my troubles with the territory surfaces. I choose encroachment
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Apr 21, 2018 20:04
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Blood -1, Heart 2, Mind 1, Spirit 0 Lighthouse 0, Queens Guard 1, Brighton Cartel 0, Tribunal 1 Harm: ☐|☐☐|☐☐ || Corruption: ☐☐☐☐☐ || Location: Queens College Library Cafe I go through the footage Kazco got, and it's mostly usable. There are a few instances of him covering the camera with his hand, but it's usually during a lull in the action, and I'm going to be generous and assume it was an attempt at discretion. Thankfully, he didn't give much color commentary, so I don't have to cut much out, since the Cockroach King specified he wanted to do that himself. A pretty straightforward editing job gets burnt to a DVD, labeled "TO THE COCKROACH KING" in thick black Sharpie, then promptly chucked in a dumpster. I can mark that job officially over, and the Cockroach King owes me a Debt I don't have any wizard cousins, that I know of, at least. For all I know, Tito could be slinging spells in his spare time and using his conspiracy theory paranoia as some kind of front, but I doubt it. His own independent research has been pretty close at getting to the heart of the actual issues affecting the city, but always diverted by the same, tired, old conspiracy theories. There's no new world order plot to take over the world, just the old world order trying to maintain control. I try to communicate this in a digestible way in the articles I write for him, and though he often argues about the details, he always publishes my articles uncensored, so there's that. In addition to trying to shed light on the supernatural underworkings, I also try to share knowledge about things like basic protective rituals that anyone can do with simple household items. I also try to dispel any pernicious myths about any benign cryptids. No point in perpetuating bigotry of any sort. SidekickBOT posted:@Maayo (cloneboy): 2d6+2 queen's guard puzzle = (6+2)+2 = 10 Thankfully, I've been doing my homework on the Queens Guard, and whaddya know, they were founded in Queens. Queens College precisely, as a sort of student movement, initially. Details are kinda murky about how they ended up in their current form, but most rumors point to WWII vets coming home and looking into some of the occult research done by Nazis. Why does it always have to come back to loving Nazis? I figure they'll want to meet in the library café, since they mention food. I'm not able to dig up much on the Rook, so I have no idea what their favorite food might be, but I whip up some chicken adobo because who doesn't love chicken adobo? I hope they don't turn out to be vegan. When the big meeting comes around, it'll just be observe and report for the most part. Hopefully, someone will have some info I can bring back to keep folks safe from these shapeshifting bug things because I don't think recreating the choreography from Moonwalker will work for the average Joe. cloneboy fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Apr 22, 2018 |
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Apr 21, 2018 20:31
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Blood: +1 Heart: +2 Mind: +0 Spirit: -1 Tribunal: +1, Brighton Cartel :-1, Queens Guard: +1, The Lighthouse : +1 Harm: 1/5 (Not fine) || Corruption: 1/5 || Location: Old Pete's In My Web: Old Pete (NPC) Honestly, it's not hard to connect with "Kingmaker." There's time to get word out that I'm looking for a partner to invest, and I've got information I'm willing share to show that this partnership is a fruitful one. In fact, I have a meeting coming up that they'd be very interested in attending with me, so "Hop to" as they say. When Callista stops being coy about watching my place for a few days and shows up to talk, I'm still in my bartending outfit, so I grab a coat and say, "About time you showed up. Almost thought that you hadn't gotten the message." I point over to my car, saying, "We've got people to meet, and then we can talk about a potential investment." I figure I tied up the loose ends with the Cockroach King's crown by calling in the favor I would have gotten from my Seer friend, so we're square. /r 2d6+1 #Queen's Guard Network @Tristan, the Vamp (Capfalcon): 2d6+1 Queen's Guard Network = (4+5)+1 = 10 As for Old Pete, I'm interested in info about his enemies. He's been around long enough enough that he's got to have a few. Also, take an advance: Irresistible: When you persuade an NPC using promises or seduction, treat a 7-9 as a 10+ result. On a miss, your machinations succeed as though you rolled a 7-9, but attract the attention of a rival or enemy
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Apr 22, 2018 15:10
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:54 |
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Blood +1 | Heart +0 | Mind +2 | Spirit -1 || Lighthouse +2 | Queens Guard +1 | Brighton Cartel -1 | Tribunal +0 Harm: ☐|☐☐|☐☐ || Corruption: ☐☐☐☐☐ || Location: My Apartment Ever since the incident at the Soiree, I couldn't get the shapeshifters out of my mind. Who sent them, and why? Why would they go after Alistair, of all people? What are they, anyways? I tried asking Alistair, but he knew as much as I did about the whole situation, which is jack all. Speaking of Alistair, he's back home with his family. He's safe, for now, but just in case, I've given him my phone number, and made sure to stress to call me only on emergencies, and nothing else. No more pretend dates. I was ready for him to make a big fuss about how ripped up the dress he gave me was, but, surprisingly enough, he didn't. He was actually really grateful to me for saving his life, and even told me that if I ever required aid from him, or his family, all I would have to do is call, which, yea, surprised me. Being thanked for my work is one of those things I'm still not all that used to. Alistair is safe (for now!), and he now owes me a Debt! I decided to consult my dad's old journal, to see if there's any mention of shapeshifters in it, and while I was looking through it, I did manage to find a passage that described the creatures I saw that day. According to my dad, these "Dopplers," as he calls them, are connected to the Corrupted, but how? He's not sure. He also mentions a library, a library that's "hidden around the edges of reality," that should have more information about them, but he also mentions that getting the information won't be easy. Just getting to the hidden library is a task in itself, but thankfully my dad outlined the steps to gaining access to the place, which I made sure to follow. I found the location he mentioned, and let me tell you, getting the information I need... was a real journey. If I ever have to go through another dimension-hopping portal ever again, it'll be too soon. But it was worth it in the end. I came out of the library with various texts that should give me the knowledge I need. Hopefully. Last thing I want to do is go through that ever again. quote:@Piper Steele (Hugzilla): 2d6 Tribunal roll = (6+3) = 9 Now there's the matter of the upcoming meeting. For one, I'm making sure I'm coming with my sword this time, and second, I'm not going alone this time. Shortly after I was told of the meeting, I was contacted by a woman who called herself Victoria Valentine. Ms. Valentine works for the Brighton Cartel, and she claims to be an acquaintance of my fathers (and who isn't at this point). She has an interest in the meeting, and she wants me to take her along with her, and in exchange, she'll "tell me the secret your father has kept hidden away from you." I have no reason to believe her, or even trust her, but... I couldn't turn her away, either. My father had secrets, lots of them, things he kept hidden away from me, and Ms. Valentine claimed that the secret is linked to his disappearence. She might be lying, but if there's even a sliver of a chance that it's true... then that's a risk I'm willing to take. I only hope I'm making the right one. For now, I'm going through all the text I took from the library, gettingwhatever information I can before Ms. Valentine arrives. Hopefully I'll be able to learn something useful before the meeting.
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Apr 22, 2018 18:58
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