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Game Thread Barbara Simmons - Shogeton Location: Barbara's apartment Asran You had not a great deal of experience with Asran yet, but when you were reading over local reports time slowed down in such an obvious and noticeable manner that you could only assume that it was intentional. Asran rarely communicated directly with words or discrete concepts, so implied communication like this was the best that you got a lot of the time. "LOCAL TEEN GOES MISSING AMIDST RISING YOUTH GANG VIOLENCE" The article detailed how a local black teen had gone missing from their local neighbourhood on the same night as there was a big fight between teen gangs. The fight had started with knives but quickly escalated into a gunfight. Police were reporting the disappearance as being under suspicious circumstances but official statements mentioned that there were no signs of a scuffle and there were no witnesses who had seen the teen. Your missing boy was named Tyler Keen, and his parents had made a statement that they hoped anyone with news would come forward. There was naturally no address listed in the article, but they did mention a suburb, Jasper Heights. You knew it was a poor neighbourhood and predominantly of poor black families. The chances of the boy being found sounded slim, but there had to be something more to this for your patron to so obviously point you towards this. Kai Senso - Junpei Location: Crimson Star Saloon Batta There were rumours of an exclusive fight club, where exclusive clientele watched fights against vicious and exotic beasts. This wasn't a surprise in of itself as Kai knew that the most respectable and outstanding of communities always had a well hidden bloodlust. The only reason those with power bothered to hide it was to avoid public relations complications, other than that they had the greatest freedom to indulge. However the rumours of this fight club sometimes spoke of fights where both opponents were people. Furthermore they mentioned people that fought with such violence and blood hunger that it seemed that they were possessed by demons. Your mercenary contacts didn't know about the arena itself, but someone had mentioned that if they were going to recruit for it that the people closest to feral would be in the Crimson Star Saloon. Looking at the people around him as he nursed his drink, Kai was forced to admit to himself that this was probably accurate. More effete and prudent people might be tempted to say they were barely human. If it wasn't so public that might not bother Kai so much either. Joshua Rytree - Valhawk Location: Platinum Globe Hotel - Dionysus' Finest The Shining Tyrant You had been having a meeting with one of your contacts in the world of business. Joshua might be retired with a self-made fortune but the currents of wealth had ways of whittling away at the greatest vault if one did not keep their fingers on the currents. The meeting had been of no great consequence in of itself, most of the discussion had been about political movements that Joshua already knew of. However you were surprised when in the middle of sipping on a fine champagne a hotel clerk mentioned your name. "Mr Rytree? Pardon me for the interruption sir, but a business card was left for you at reception." The woman was politely apologetic and clearly hoped that you would not get annoyed at her. You considered a few things quickly and asked her a question. The hotel staff would know you would likely to be here due to your reservation. However you did not know why someone else who would not know you well enough to simply come and meet you would know that you were here. Answering your question the clerk apologised and mentioned she had not been at reception when the card was dropped off, but she was sure that the staff manning the desk would be happy top answer your question. This was an honest answer, and the staff did try to answer your query however it seemed that the only defining features they could give you was that the man who had dropped it off had dark hair, not quite black or brown and had eyes that were not quite blue or silver. A strange and mysterious John Smith it seemed. The card itself offered little clues either. There was only a time written on the card, later this afternoon, to accompany the business name and address of the business on the card. "The Historical Society - Restorers of old and fine texts. 24 Seventh St, Central Hill" You knew nothing of it and there was time enough to make it today if you wanted to check it out. You still knew nothing of who sent the card, if they were associated with the business. However there was no date to accompany the time, which either implied that the sender did not care about the time Diana Thompson - Not Alex Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District Lacuna Leylines converged in one location in Central City in the docks, and for those in the mystic know with something to watch out for there was reason to keep an eye on the flow to see if you needed to watch your back twice as carefully tonight. It was even more difficult for Diana as she did not know what she was on the lookout for, but after her meeting with...it...she knew that she had traded certain death for certain danger and the promise of a likely death. But whatever it was, you did not find it today. Instead what you found was ahead of you, a black youth who was certainly out of place but not noticed by anyone. More importantly than the out of place youth was the creature that was wrapped around his neck with a long, many segmented body with many, many legs. You did not know its identity for sure, but it was some kind of carrion spirit that fed on detritus left behind by...well potentially a lot of things. It also did not attract any notice from pedestrians like its carrier and both ran down an alley between offices about a half dozen buildings ahead. Salomon Lech - a fatguy baldspot Location: Solomon's House The Liver-Waif The dream had been inescapable and in some respects frightening. You were in a restaurant and every piece of food and drink you touched turned to filth. When you went to complain to your waiter they would only say "Seek the Waking Garden for its paths are many. Seek the Ancient Dreaming Woods that lie between the Moments. Seek the Silver Fulcrum. Eat your fill. Drink your fill. Consume and be Consumed." Over and over. As did the manager, and janitor, the other patrons, the phone, the taxi driver, the-" You woke up. The moon was not too bright, the shadows not too dark. The ragged grass around the landfill that you could see outside did not flow like putrid ocean. This was the waking world, that much Solom could be sure of for now. But after the dream he was not sure of a great deal. As you thought the words your mouth spoke with barely more than a whisper. Was that dream your doing? "Yes. No. It came because I am with you, but not at my bidding. It is true and tells only lies. You will need to seek the Garden. Is that today? Or tomorrow?" It seemed that any answers would need to come from your own searching. Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg - Theantero Location: (Wherever what Andrew held to be his most sentimental and important belonging once lay) The Seeming It was missing. This was impossible, there should be no manner in which it could have been taken from you but its absence was inviolable. The one thing that Andrew had held as materially important above other things and now it was gone. This was a message, nay, a challenge. Something or someone was challenging you to a game and they had left a calling card. A tarot card with an arrow pointing downwards from the top, with the number XX upon it. Depicted on the card was an angel with a trumpet flying above a man and a woman. The Judgement, reversed. Common interpretations focused on stagnation, self-doubt, poor logic, poor or hasty judgement. The note taped to the back spoke more to the intent. "You are challenged. We have taken what you value most. Repent your crimes, or We shall do it for you. You have 72 hours. The Masked Rogues." The lettering was printed in an old typewriter font, although whether it was actually printed on a typewriter or not was unclear. Your power would let you Walk to your stolen object, but that might be a trap or dangerous. At least until you knew how they had taken it. Knowing the who and the why would be wise as well, but the how was the critical puzzle to solve until you could use the Seeming's power. What was the precious object that was taken, and why does Andrew believe that it would have been impossible to steal? Rhodri Jones - AJ_Impy Location: Rhodri's residence Many-As-One There was another special bulletin. You recognised the signs now, of the power you had connected to making a message to you. It was a report on youth gangs clashing in a poor neighbourhood. Jasper Heights was the name. There were other troubles in the area, you had heard seen it on papers and heard it on the radio. Many just claimed it was a poor neighbourhood and attracted crime. But the Bulletin you were watching now mentioned that a Special Investigation Unit was investigating the true cause behind the disturbances and violence, and would restore peace to the neighbourhood. Rhodri could figure out that as he had heard nothing about special units, in fact the police at large were making a rather obvious lack of effort to do much for the poor black suburb, that he was going to be the special unit. But what was the true cause, and why had he been given directions to solve this specifically? There was going to be something more to this, and he would need to be careful. Some preparation might not hurt either before he went into the deep end. Donovan Blackwell - Rhjamiz Location: Blackwell residence The Black Many others would have called your dream frightening and a small part of Donovan still did as well. But the new part of him, the better part of him found comfort and in fact, joy, in this dream. You were drowning in the water supply for the city, and as you drowned the water tore parts of you off and dragged you away into cold, dark and rushing parts. You were torn smaller, smaller, thinner and smaller still until you were almost impossible to see in clear water as the people of the city drank you, washed their hands in you, bathed and showered in you and just watered their garden with you. Then soon, they became part of you as well. The dream was a dream, but it needed to be a prophecy. Your goal was clear. You needed to spread the Black to the water supply of the city, so that it could become a part of everyone who lived in it. With your connections it would be easy enough, wouldn't it? General Edward Marshall - IAC Location: Aurora Meditech Offices, Central City HQ - Edward Marshall's office The Promethians The figure in your mind was in shadow, it was a generic humanoid shape but beyond that you could see no distinct features. At first you had thought it was human, now you knew better. "General." It began in your mind. "The biological vector you have code-named 'Omega' has progressed to a sufficient level in your body that we are now assigning you to field duty. Given your previous role and employment we hope you appreciate the irony in this as much as we do. Our project on your planet has been contaminated by too many outside parameters to continue to be viable. It must be reset. Where they to be aware of us, Humanity would no doubt believe that it is responsible for this situation. It is not. Humanity thinks too highly of itself in every regard. The voice said in a deep and masculine tone. It sounded like a commander, and not for the first time Edward might have wondered if this was for his benefit or if the voice normally spoke in this mode. "Of the numerous threats on the planet we have detected signs of a Class 1 power source in the vicinity of the human population you are currently located in. While this may seem coincidental, our scans began around the centre of the biological vector as a matter of expedience and convenience. This Class 1 power source is of a technological level that supercedes the technological capabilities of the human civilisation. Our estimates indicate that it would be at around 40 years at the earliest before humans can harness atomic fusion as a viable power source. This may indicate an outside presence like our own, or a rogue agent in the human system such as a Class 8 artificial intelligence." "General. Your mission is to locate the power source, asses its creator and then to neutralise both. Your biological agent will require both experience and stimuli before it is ready to grow into a form capable of acting without danger from human civilisation. Until such a time you must employ your enhanced abilities in a manner that does not draw attention. Then the voice and the image faded. It was not a vision as many people would consider it, Edward remained aware of his surroundings and could even hold a conversation with people around him as it occurred. It was more like an overlay to his perception, people who talked about the promised future of virtual reality described it as a kind of half-way layer that augmented reality with the virtual. Or in your case at least the biological.
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Apr 21, 2020 13:43
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Barbara Simmons Location: Barbara's apartpment  Asran disliked language, she knew. With its ambiguities, its analogies, its hyperboles, its emotional undercurrents. It was all far too inaccurate, far to deceptive for it to use. When it communicated, it preferred to just give bursts of revelation, filling the mind with intricate knowledge to the brim, accurate and complete and truthful. It would like nothing more than to have Barbara know exactly why it wanted her to find that teen. But for it to communicate like that left her with massive migraines, nosebleeds, and she was pretty sure that was inflicting brain damage on herself. So, there was this. For now. Until she'd proven herself more, and would be able to deal with it. For now, this was clear enough. Time to uncover some truths. Sadly, it didn't seem very likely this particular truth was gonna have a high payday. Jasper Heights wasn't exactly where the big money was. Which also meant that she didn't expect the CCPD to give too much of a poo poo. Likely just say 'gang violence' and expect the corpse to wash up on a beach somewhere. No, she'd have to go digging herself. Missing person case was at least somewhat within her usual wheelhouse. First thing to do is to find the parents. Have a talk there. And the issue was that if the gangs were involved somehow, it was better if they didn't know. There was a brief throb of a headache as her patron made its disapproval known. Church. Find a local church in that neighborhood. They tended to know a lot about people. Might get some interesting information there as well. She put on her coat, checked herself in the mirror one last time, and coaxed another ride out of her aging Ford. Trying to find a church in that neighborhood, with the intend to at least get the address, possibly more Shogeton fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Apr 21, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2020 15:26
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Joshua Rytree - Platinum Globe Hotel, Dionysus' Finest This whole set of circumstances stunk to the high heavens, Joshua thought. A mysterious meeting with someone who was either following him or having him followed at a private location, with no information. It seemed like it might be some sort of trap. His current best guesses were some sort of scam, a kidnapping attempt, or perhaps something with one of the intelligence agencies. Whatever it was, the smart move would be to ignore it and figure out just who he was dealing with. However, Joshua hadn't gotten rich or gained lost knowledge and power by being timid. Boldness had a strategic power of its own, and its very likely whoever had dropped off the card expected him to play it safe. If he walked into this he also had the advantage of a hidden hole card, after all it wasn't like anyone could possibly have planned around his newly acquired power, and he had confidence his Majesty would allow him to turn whatever this was to his advantage. So, after finishing his conversation, Josh hails a cab and makes his way to the location on the card, feeling secure in his ability to handle whatever was thrown at him. Going to the address listed at the appointed time.
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Apr 21, 2020 16:06
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Kai Senso Kai scans the crowd and the bar, and then, breathes in deeply. There was a scent. A desire to harm, a desire to prove strength, a desire to fight. All he needed to do was find it-and follow it to the booker. Kai is using his Scent of Blood [+4] to figure out who here's signed up for matches, and who here works the books or signs people up.
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Apr 21, 2020 16:19
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Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: Safehouse bedroom  Andrew lowered his shades the slightest bit, and scratched his head quizzically as he surveyed the scene. 'The Blind and Smiling Man' was an oil painting by a locally well known, yet notoriously reclusive and esoteric artist by the name of Duke Harrister, dead by way of mysterious circumstances back in '65. There was an increase of interest in his work after his death, which was exactly why Andrew had targeted the widowed Mrs. Harrister with one of his earliest swindles. Hell, the whole operation was more of a full-scale heist. Back when he still dreamed big. He had a crew and everything. A crew that caused everything to go wrong, sure, but still. He was lucky to have made it out of that jam without being identified, and with at least this thing in tow. True, he had to flee the state for a couple years, and true, the painting was known stolen property now and far too hot to fence, which is why he'd kept it initially. But over the years, even after things died down, he found himself attached to the thing. It was a reminder of the younger years, of lessons learned. He kept telling himself that he was keeping it for emergency funds should he need them, now that his network was better developed, but deep down he knew that it held too much sentimental value for him to ditch it. Which is why he kept it here, in a nondescript safehouse apartment he owned under a fake name. Except now, The Blind and Smiling Man was gone, which seemed like a rather impossible feat. Not because the apartment was difficult to breach, no, even a fairly amateurish lockpick could handle the front door (he assumed a lockpick, there was no sign of forced entry), and it did not require much of an adept to see through the charms he'd placed upon the painting to make it seem unremarkable. No, what made the issue odd was that the painting was still there. It was just The Blind and Smiling Man within it that was gone. Andrew pocketed the card and the note with a sigh, inspected his apartment for any further unwanted surprises, and made his way out again. It was time to hit some contacts. OOC: Andrew is hitting up some of his underworld palls in an attempt to inconspicuously fish some info about The Masked Rogues. The art of the con [+6] might apply here.
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Apr 21, 2020 16:20
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Salomon Lech Location: The House by the Dump  He awoke early, as he often did. He awoke hungry, as he always did. Salomon felt the last trappings of Dream fall from his shoulders as he crawled, naked and sweating, from under the stained, ragged blankets that covered his corpulent form. The Waif was there, waiting. She was always there, waiting. She stared at him from the corner, avoiding the triangle of morning light that caught drifting dust in its beam. Her eyes were luminous and too-large, pale red and sickly. He looked at her, his bloodshot eyes a mirror. Was that dream one of yours? He knew it wasn't, before he asked. Her dreams were always of feeding and satiation. He had found neither last night. She blinked. Yes. No. It came because I am with you, but not at my bidding. It is true and tells only lies. You will need to seek the Garden. Is that today? Or tomorrow? Her presence grew faint. This happened from time to time - she was drawn away from this world, torn by her hungers between the corporal and the Manse, a shadowed house that she alluded to in whispers and mad visions. She wandered there when she was not fully with him, she had said. He did not know if it was true. He thought she was telling the truth about the dream, at least. Salomon grunted and lifted himself from the soiled bed. Books spilled from the side table as he brushed it, though he disregarded the mess. Groggily making his way to the tiny bathroom, he completed his morning habits in a sleep-fogged haze. This was unusual. Salomon was a man of extremes - he did not generally suffer between states - the light in his mind was either on or off. Today he could not focus. The dream had meant something, needed to be followed. He did not like this sort of thing. One could not usually eat dreams. Draped in a dirty robe and yawning enormously, Salomon flipped through the books on his desk with a calloused, massive hand, fingers fat and plump like overcooked sausages. He thought it had been- ah. There it was: The Manner of Ants, by Alessandro Ximénez . Consisting almost entirely of the dream-songs of a disgraced Spanish poet, it was not a book that had occupied Salomon's attention for very long. Now, however, something within it called to him, something he had consumed from its pages - there. A couplet in which Ximénez ranted about the gods and their passions hid a mention of the very same Garden that called to him in his own dreams. He still didn't know what it meant, but he remembered where had he acquired this particular book - a small, used bookstore downtown called Abanaco's that specialized in occult works. It was a place he knew well, and a place where he regularly spent most of his modest stipend, eating secrets one by one, whole and wriggling. Loosing the robe from his shoulders as he had cast off the Dream, he dressed himself in his usual red and white and made his way to the bus stop. The early morning light glinted off of his glasses and lit his too-red lips. The bus rocked as his heavy frame squeezed through the door. The driver did not turn. The bus was empty. Idly flipping through The Manner, Salomon glanced between the pages of the book and the rapidly passing cityscape out of the windows. He chewed thoughtfully on a piece of rubber he had prized from the window lining. It was delicious. Making use of Salomon's Occult Knowledge [+4] to ferret out any mentions of or information about this Waking Garden a fatguy baldspot fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Jul 30, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2020 16:20
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Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District  Night gods, what am I even doing here? Trawling leylines like some freshly initiated bumpkin looking to spook herself. Desperation isn't a good look, D. Diana thumbs stop on her walkman and tugs the headphones down around her neck. Three times around the block, widdershins, and not ev- hellooo there. Who are you and why do you have that gribbly as a scarf? The man, no, boy isn't too far ahead. He darts down an alley. Diana eyes the rest of the street traffic, but that hadn't caused even a ripple. Well then. Time to weigh options. Carrion spirit. Not nice in anyone's books but not necessarily actively malevolent. And new. Don't forget new. You didn't recognize the kid or his passenger. Partner? Slavemaster? Whatever. Needs checking out. Diana carefully doesn't think about finding answers. The questions would lead her brain back to the cottony gaps that none of her meditating or mental tricks can plumb. Diana leaves her headphones off as she makes her way to the mouth of the alley. Her hands slip into the pockets of her windbreaker, finding comforting weight in each. In the right a boxcutter and in the left a thick length of chalk. Follow the youth <a leaf cast into a still room to find the breathy cracks in the wall>
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Apr 21, 2020 17:18
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Donovan Blackwell Location: Blackwell Residence  Donovan awoke from that... unusual dream. He’d be sweating, if that were something he still did. It had been so incredibly vivid. But now that he was awake, all it meant is that there was work to be done. This was good. The work gave him something to focus on, made him useful. After ‘changing’ into an appropriate suit (he always liked to look professional), Donovan sat down and began to make some calls. First to 411 to get necessary numbers, and then the Municipal Water Management, working his way up the chain until he could find someone who could arrange a nice tour of the facilities... “Hi, this is Donovan Blackwell, Liberty Petroleum. I was hoping we could chat. I’ve got a interest in water treatment and filtration and I’m told you’re the man to see...” Working my way up the chain til I find someone who can authorize a personal visit. Using Oil Tycoon +6 to find the right people and apply some monetary or political pressure. Who wouldn’t want LP investment in your fair city? Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Apr 22, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2020 19:02
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Gen. Edward Marshall - IAC Location: Aurora Meditech Offices, Central City HQ - Edward Marshall's office The Promethians Edward took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the blood near his nose. There was a lot less than there had been in the beginning. The Promethians wanted him to gather up theirs and other precursor objects before, many of which were now locked up at Aurora Meditech. He put the cloth away and called for his assistant, Ito. The man didn't ask many questions, which initially was curious but then again Edward liked it that way. The shady things the company did or was doing both with the blessing and behind the government's back could only be done by those with the will and fortitude to do it. Many company employees found out that their silence clauses were exactly that. They got silenced if they couldn't keep their mouths shut. The Promethians didn't realize it but humanity was more like them than it realized. The voices either were how he perceived them, or how they wanted him to perceive them.  It was a minor thing, but he had Ito gather a few professionals on the payroll for the job. The black   Class 1 power source eh? The retired general thought, his fists and muscles unconsciously clenching as the change continued on a micro level. Yeah, he'd have to find it. That he wasn't questioning everything the Promethians were telling him didn't really occur to Edward. Then again, it didn't really matter to the mission now did it? He could feel Ataxisis stirring in the truck from quite some distance. "Easy boy." Edward said both for himself and to calm the Kaiju. If what the Promethians had told him was correct, then it would obey him. Mostly... He wouldn't try to use it if he could help it, or only if poo poo really hit the fan. In any case the teams were in position, Ataxisis was nearby and now it was time for Edward to enter the area. Alone but with backup stationed as close as he could without being too overt. Edward took in deep breaths as he concentrated on his senses of smell, hearing, and vision. He was getting close, he could feel it. Edward felt Ataxisis shift in the truck. Could he feel what Edward felt? Shaking his head, he began again to concentrate on locating the source. He spoke quietly into the mic on his jacket, "Search but do not move in until I give the order, if anyone finds anything update me with a status." Going to find that source! Using: Black Ops Connections [+6] - To take a small group of professionals as red shirts and security Human-Kaiju Hybrid [+4] - To feel with his senses anything amiss in the area and to zero in on the target. To visit. Perhaps.
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Apr 21, 2020 22:52
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Rhodri Jones Location: Rhodri's residence A subtler and more hands-off approach, but this was Many-As-One's will, he could feel it. One of the less salubrious aspects of this otherwise fine nation was the vile redlining of districts, a genteel, unspoken apartheid that could nonetheless be felt, cloying and oppressive. Rhodri pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered his options: He'd reached out and made a plethora of contacts over the years, and there were a fair few who might well have insight into what was going down, who the movers and shakers were.  He rose, headed over to the kitchen, filled the kettle, set it to boil. Next, the office annex, leafing through his rolodex for the contacts for his Contacts. Jotting down names and numbers on a scratch pad, he returned to the kitchen to get a nice, hot cup of tea, then settled in beside his telephone, and started from the top of the list. Church pastors, youth workers, social workers, a couple of shopkeeps with an ear to the ground and a finger on the pulse. He was patient, and eventually he'd find what he needed to know. Rhodri is using Knows Someone [+4] to perform due diligence on Jasper Heights, its gangs and other factions with vested interests.
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Apr 25, 2020 01:19
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Barbara Simmons Location: Barbara's apartment Jasper Heights didn't have the newest church or the fanciest, but you could tell that its community was in general a faithful one given that despite the low average income the church was in decent shape. Stepping inside you could signs that the church needed to prioritise repairs, but it seemed that they got enough donations to keep it in fair condition barring the odd cracked paint in one corner and a window at the back being patched over with tape. A man that seemed to be the local pastor was helping another woman with cleaning as you walked in. Looking up at the stranger they both paused for a moment, trying to figure out who you were and why you were there. Finding a church is easy, but you can tell the neighbourhood is way about outsiders right now and at a glance you could represent danger or at least unwanted attention for an already troubled community Joshua Rytree Location: The Historical Society The building was reasonably plain for the outside, a 2 story brick store with a white coat of paint. You paused for a moment to consider how the building survived in the area, which was prestigious enough to ensure rent was substantial. Pausing for a moment before you entered, you could see there was a middle aged man sitting at a desk at one corner of the store looking at some leather bound book. Entering the store you could see that there were examples of restored work but most of the actual restoration did not occur in this front area, the store space was just too small to be practical for that function. The man at the desk looked up as the door opening caused a bell to chime, smiling slightly as he lowered his glasses. "Ah, welcome sir. May I be of assistance?" His voice was soft-spoken and had a slight British accent to it. Nothing immediately jumps out at you, so maybe the clerk can assist you? Kai Senso Location: Crimson Star Saloon Many people here smelled of casual violence and inotixcation, but Kai wasn't there for just casual violence. After watching the room for a while you noticed patterns in behaviour around who and what people did, and more importantly did not look at. Those common thugs who were just there for blood and beer avoided on corner of the bar, and a table in particular. Other people who kept to themselves more kept an eye, glancing from time to time at the table's occupant. Unsurprisingly given the nature of the bar and its patrons it was a man sitting at the table, who had a couple of papers that he was mulling over with a pen while nursing a drink of some kind. The man was white, with dark hair and dressed in the kind of clothes you would see in an office cubicle. Were it not for the two (visible) tattoos and the scar on his face you might have been tricked into thinking he was just in the wrong place. "I'd watch out for that one." The barkeeper, a massive man with a blunt face and a blunter voice, said to Kai quietly as he notices your gaze. "He's more trouble than he's worth, and I know my crowd." You locate your target, with a warning confirming they're the person you seek Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: In transit You found out two things, firstly that one of your contacts had apparently gone to the police with such a detailed and comprehensive confession that they could not just ignore him. Sly Tom apparently had received a similar calling card three weeks ago, then three days later had his sudden and impossible change of heart. The whole affair smelled bad, some serious fire beyond whatever tricks that Andrew had played with before. The second thing was that these Masked Rogues seemed to be targeting random people to the network at large, but once you heard a few of the names being listed you figured out something else. Not all of the names were familiar to you but the ones that were had one thing in common with you, that they practiced the real kind of magic trick like you. Whoever these rogues were, they seemed to have a grudge against people who used the supernatural to take advantage of others and also were playing with some serious magic. You'd need a plan, walking straight to them obviously seemed like a trap now. Salomon Lech Location: Abanaco's Specialist Books The Manner of Ants was after a careful read, a source of more questions than it was answers. In fact you wondered if Ximénez had actually ever seen this Garden or its Woods himself, the language was too heavily couched in mystic imagery and language to be legitimate. The whole text read look a student who had written an essay in the most verbose and formal way possible to avoid saying as much as they could, to hide the fact they they understood little about the subject they were writing on. While disappointing this in of itself was not surprising with texts of this ilk. However one thing had struck out to you in the text after reexamining it in the current light of your dream. Ximénez had written about a "Silken Strider" as the key to entering the Forest, but the frequency of its mention and the yearning for it in the text made it clear that the man had been desperate to find it himself. The woman staffing the desk glared balefully at Salomon as he entered the store. She knew something was wrong with you but lacked the authority to force you to leave without an obvious transgression. Abanacco himself was nowhere to be seen today, which was more common than not, however noises from the back of the store indicated he was home today. A name to search for beyond a half-imaginary place Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District You followed the youth down the alley, and paused for a moment as your eyes adjusted to the shadows cast by the buildings on both sides after having moved the mid morning sun outside. The teenager was placing his hands on the wall at the end of the alley, as if somehow trying to figure a way to get through the bricks. On the other side of it was a large warehouse for one of the shipping companies nearby. For the moment you were unnoticed, as the youth tried to figure out whatever idea he had to get past the wall. Then you overheard for a moment the sounds of conversation, whatever was happening with him it at least seemed that he was aware of and conversing with the spirit. This was unusual to say the least, and indicated that the kid had some natural resonance with the Other World. You found the kid and have a chance to decide how to act Donovan Blackwell Location: Blackwell Residence The manager of the facility was quite happy to book you in for an appointment at your earliest convenience, even without the need to escalate above him. It seemed that Mr Summers was a man with some ambition, and helping to secure founding from a wealthy oil baron would give him a lot of valuable clout. Mr Summers advised you that for health and safety all visitors and employees needed to wear protective gear to keep themselves and the facility clean and safe, and that the gear could be a little heavy so you might want to bring a change of clothes to swap into afterwards. Everything is going smoothly so far Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Aurora Meditech Offices, Central City HQ - Edward Marshall's office You weren't sure exactly what a Class 1 power source was, but given it was apparently something beyond current human science you narrowed it down to two possibilities: nuclear fusion or anti-matter. The tech-heads quickly clarified that anti-matter was purely hypothetical and that there was no known way to produce anti-matter in a sufficient quantity to make any kind of power source dependent on it even viable to look into. So your search for was nuclear fusion. As the Commander had said, although lots of scientists posted optimistic discoveries and theories into the scientific community no one publicly or discretely had any reactor up and running. The last company to try was an Ibyx Technologies, which was of course the up and coming competitor to Aurora. Their focus differed though, Aurora was invested into preventative and curative technologies while Ibyx was focused on hardware. They had apparently converted their attempted fusion reactor a few years back into a plant to produce medical radioactives after the fission project had failed to deliver and leads had dried up. Current word was that they were testing a new generalised health scanner in some locations before looking to begin sales for the medical industry. You have a lead to investigate Rhodri Jones Location: Rhodri's residence Rhodri learned quickly that the community was feeling very scared and this was causing people to be cautious, hoping to avoid more bad attention. Despite the disruption to life in the neighbourhood many people seemed to be too occupied with appointments and business to spare time to meet you. With little to gain from forcing the issue with people you could only thank people for their time and move along your dwindling list of contacts. Two options remained to you, the parts of the community that needed to be open at most hours to help their patrons. The church and canvassing some local businesses on foot. You rolled a 2, so your result has a mixed success. Not many options are open to you but you have two potential options. Either will give you at least some information.
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Apr 29, 2020 07:01
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Donovan Blackwell Location: Blackwell Residence Donovan puts on a pleasant tone. Of course, how's tomorrow/this week sound? A change of clothes? Absolutely. Safety comes first, after all. I look forward to it. I hope to present something to the board this fiscal quarter, if everything goes smoothly, etc, etc. The usual promises that greased the wheels of business and politic. Who knows, maybe it would be beneficial to follow through on this. Control of the water supply could be very useful. In any case, Donovan would, of course, bring a change of clothes in a briefcase to keep up appearances. It would not do to look unprepared! I will make my appointment and then go to it and tour the place and hopefully it will go well! Using Engineer +4 to basically blend in, talk shop, etc, but most importantly, identify the ideal location to enter the water supply for the quickest distribution to the city and the obstacles in my path.
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Apr 29, 2020 07:31
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Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Ibyx Technologies, Central City - -=Same action as before, only at Ibyx=- Same action as before, pt 2? Zeroing in on the site, taking the crew and heavy hitter with me, at night. So not an independent creator like I was thinking. Using: Black Ops Connections [+6] - To take a small group of professionals as red shirts and security Human-Kaiju Hybrid [+4] - To feel with his senses anything amiss in the area and to zero in on the target. I am Communist fucked around with this message at 14:20 on Apr 29, 2020 |
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Apr 29, 2020 13:24
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Kai Senso Kai laughs a little internally at the barkeeper trying to warn him. "Don't worry. I know how to deal with danger." Kai gets up and approaches the man in the corner, nodding politely. If being in the Phoenix Syndicate had taught him anything, it's that a polite exterior can hold vicious monsters underneath. "I have a client who would like to sign up." No skills, just going up to him and asking to 'sign up' his 'client' (read: Himself, but in his grasshopper warrior form.)
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Apr 29, 2020 18:19
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Joshua Rytree - The Historical Society Joshua looks over at the clerk. "Yes, someone from your organization requested a meeting with me here." He pulls out the business card.
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Apr 30, 2020 00:52
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Rhodri Jones Location: Rhodri's residence, out and about in Jasper Heights. In troubled times, people often looked to their faith to steady them, and it was in this perspective that Rhodri saw an angle to get two birds with one stone. He mooted the idea across to various religious leaders in the target area, a pastoral walkabout amidst their parishoners, to offer peace and a confessional atmosphere. It'd provide ample time to get the perspective of the church representatives themselves, in addition to those they served. His outreach included those of other faiths for better coverage as well, see if any were willing. Rhodri is using Knows Someone [+4] and Masterful Mediator [+6] to try and engage with the Church or other institutions of faith on an information-gathering walkabout in the form of pastoral visits to the various local businesses.
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Apr 30, 2020 09:58
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Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District "You are aware you've got a astral critter around your neck, right?" To the point at least, D. "If you're cool with that I'm cool with it. Just being neighborly." She shrugs nonchalantly, but doesn't take her eyes off the pair. If this is a meat puppet scenario they usually can't run the face just right. "You can call me D. Witch for hire." Extend the olive branch. Use my [Pact Magic +4] experience with outsiders to determine if he's an unwilling host.
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May 1, 2020 15:12
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Barbara Simmons Location: Jaspter Heights Church "Reverend." She said, with a respectful bow. It wasn't the first time she had to deal with wary people. Getting people to spill their information was a way bigger part of the job than finding cigarette butts, though not as much as being willing to spend hours in a car with a camera. And that, of course, was before she had her assistance. As she looked at the pastor, she carefully looked a bit more, trying to make sure she didn't get too much for her mind to take. All she needed was an idea what he was thinking, what he was hoping she'd say, and she'd have the angle she needed. "I'm Barbara Simmons, a private detective." She started out. "I'm looking into the disappearance of Tyler Keen." Private Eye +6 and All Revealing Light +2 to try to get some information out of the reverend. Can play the actual convo out on discord if you'd like. Depending on how the roll goes,
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May 1, 2020 19:18
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Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: In transit Andrew clicked his tongue in annoyance. The esoteria was of great use on occasion, but also brought him all kinds of odd troubles that sometimes made him wonder if it was really worth it in the end. Never had a secret society with an axe to grind after him though. The sorts of adepts that might be capable of shielding themselves even in dreams, of laying traps for the unwary. He needed information. And that required legwork. He'd visit a couple of the other victims, in no particular order and not too many, to avoid attention, but enough to get a bit of a read. If he was lucky, maybe he could figure out what had been taken and by what sorcerous method, but for now the important bit was to visit them in the first place. Was always easier to get somewhere in the Dream if you had a real life empathetic read on the place. OOC: First thing to do is case some of the places of the targeted people, hang out, get a read on them, to prepare a Dreamwalk visiting them rather than the Masked Rogues directly, to figure out what has been taken and why and with what sorts of magics. The art of the con [+6] might apply here to get where I need to be without attracting undue attention, Illusionist [+4] might help with uncovering what has been taken from the others.
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May 1, 2020 23:51
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Donovan Blackwell Location: Central City Number 1 Waterworks You effortlessly pass through the social cues outside of the waterworks, chatting shop with the manager who makes a lot of boring fuss about the processes of the water treatment. Entering the facility runs into a stumbling block however when you go through one of the entrances and are directed to check through a medical scanner. It is the first time you have seen the technology, which is apparently some kind of new contact based scanner that can check for bacteria, pulse, temperature and a few other basic indicators. Ibyx Technologies was the manufacturer apparently. When you placed your hand on it to check, the scanner blinked red and made an error noise. The manager came back to double check the scanner was running correctly, but again he was cleared while you came up with an error. The manager wanted to just pass you through since you seemed fine, but one worker, a brown haired young man was insistent that guests especially needed to follow the procedures for the health and safety of the city. You know you're not sick, it wouldn't be possible any more. It does not seem defective, but the worker is going to cause a scene if you try to force you way in physically or socially. Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Ibyx Technologies, Central City You enter the building with your armed guard, under the pretense of an inspection and using some old contacts to give you some official clout. The staff at the building are outraged, and you will later hear the consequences when people find out that this was not true. But that was a later issue to deal with, and you'd dealt with puffed up bureaucrats before. They wouldn't intimidate you. You had the forethought to bring someone with knowledge about fusion reactors and some idea of what to look for in a theoretical fission reactor. The reactor here was as they claimed, purely used for the creation of medical isotopes. However the technical staff from the previous experimental fission project had all moved on, none of them worked at the facility any longer. It seemed one of them would be your lead. To be honest the only reason you got a decent outcome here was because you got a 12. Without a warrant or an arranged meeting for a public office or facility like this, arriving unannounced with an armed force could cause some serious complications. Obviously if you are moving on something illegal or underground then you won't have an issue. Kai Senso Location: Crimson Star Saloon Please remember to include your location The man looked up at you, and considered your words. "Give me a reason why I should." His response was simple, but the voice and his expression told Kai that he wasn't being dismissive. But you needed to make your case and how convincingly you did would affect his decision. Joshua Rytree Location: The Historical Society The man looked confused for a second, then realised what you were asking. "Oh no, a client asked us to rent out the room upstairs for a meeting. They would have been the ones who sent the card. Soliciting is rarely worth the time and trouble in our business." He said with a cheerful and rueful smile. "Would you like tea or coffee?" Rhodri Jones Location: Rhodri's residence, out and about in Jasper Heights. Unfortunately a walkabout was not really an option, with the incidents that had occurred police were being more vigilant and the three churches in the area were all concerned about the police using it as a justification for brutality or racism. One of them did offer to allow you to join a sermon if you wished so you could mingle with the locals. While all the churches were strictly open to the public and this option was available to you at the other two, only this pastor specifically offered the suggestion. Your roll was average but you needed an exceptional role to get through a public event like a walkabout. For the sake of getting your character personally into the thick of things you won't get anything else from making phone calls right now.. Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District The boy turned around to you and made a "shhhh" noise to get you to be quiet. When he spoke next his voice was a little dry as if he had not had anything to drink and had been up for over a day, but he did not display any traditional overt signs of possession. That didn't rule it out mind you, it just meant it would have to be more subtle manipulation if so. "We're looking for our family, mine and hers." He said gesturing to the creature. "There are some nasty people in this warehouse, but they should be gone at the moment." Barbara Simmons Location: Jaspter Heights Church "Ah." The pastor said simply, before continuing after a moment. "Poor Ma Keen has been beside herself with worry. Tyler was always a good boy, unlike his elder brother Luke. We were all surprised when he went missing, but the police's story doesn't make a lick of sense. He left to go to his youth group, they're part of the church close to his school, but he never arrived. But it was only between 4 and 5, and it was light out and there should have been a witness if he was abducted. A few people remember seeing him but none of them saw anything like he was in distress, or fearful mind you. You can ask what you want but I don't know how much help I can be." The man isn't lying, and he seems slightly more relaxed now that he knows what you are after. He is still wary and closed, but some of the anxiety has been replaced with a familiarity of the process of dealing with people asking difficult questions. Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: In transit You decided on Harvey Green, good ol' HG hellraiser they'd called him on account of people who crossed him seeming to say they were being haunted. As you understood it, Harvey could bind minor ghosts or spirits to a person to harass and blackmail them. After all most people dismissed the notion of being personally haunted as a joke, superstition allowed for a building or object to be haunted, but a personal haunting was far less likely in the public mind. He was currently on bail so he was at home, but he wasn't allowed to go out and about. "Oh hey there Holls, I heard that you're next on their targets. Come in and have a stiff drink, you'll need it before this is done." Harvey was if one was to be honest a cowardly and pathetic looking man, which matched up well with the cons and scams he had run until now. He was obviously in a rough place but seemed to be relieved for the chance to both share his misfortune and focus on yours instead of his own for now.
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May 6, 2020 13:29
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Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Ibyx Technologies, Central City It wasn't a raid but Edward thought maybe something got into his coffee. He usually never would run an op like this. Perhaps it was the change that came over him. Just as when he always thought towards this his thoughts moved onto other things. The fusion reactor was there as expected. Next time he wouldn't be so sloppy. Getting everyone and everything packed, racked, and rolling he pulled out the large backpack containing a "cellular phone". The car battery sized power supply and components were a pain and almost made it nonportable but it was worth it to have one in the field. He began making some calls, using the money and influence as well as his personal connections to look into the mysterious "Mr. Smith" character. Corporate spies and government spies did have some overlap. The grey world where such operators could sabotage, kidnap, kill, or gather information was one that he had a few fingers dipping into. He almost sipped his coffee before grimacing and dumping it out the window. No more of this poo poo for him. He steepled his fingers as he & his team went back to Aurora. This was a fruitful mission, if a bit tame. Once he had solid intel on the asset he could plan out his next move. Location, what kind of security they had, etc. Heading back to base for now. Using Black Ops Connections [+6] - Sending operators/agents to locate and REPORT on & find the person or persons of interest.
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May 7, 2020 05:04
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Joshua Rytree - The Historical Societyquote:"No, I'm fine. Would you happen to know anything about who I'm supposed to be meeting with? I'm afraid they tried to play the person of mystery when they were arranging all this." Having left the meeting, Joshua turns his mind to what must be done. Clearly first and foremost he would need protection from threats mundane and supernatural. It was time to aquire the services of some bodyguards. Luckily, as a man of means he should have no trouble sniffing out the best candidates for the job, and thanks to his new power he could broaden the bounds of his search beyond the usual suspects, to candidates others might pass up for fear of being able to control them. Joshua's going to use his Vast Wealth[+4] to try and locate prime candidates for potential bodyguards. He'll include candidates others might pass over due to being hard to control thanks to his Majesty[+2]. Valhawk fucked around with this message at 05:27 on May 12, 2020 |
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May 7, 2020 05:26
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Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District "I'm up for a bit of B and E if you're looking for backup. All for the cost of just a few questions while I whip up a contingency." Diana stoops down and draws a small circle on the dirty pavement. "So how did your families go missing?" The chalk blurs in Diana's hand as she adds a ring of symbols to the circle. Dial it in on what I'm looking for. No more blind callings for a while. Forever, I hope. "And what do you know about these bad folks? Actually let me do this bit and then tell me." The chalk disappears into its pocket. The boxcutter comes out slower held in a nonthreatening thumb and forefinger grip before she regrips it and clicks the blade out a notch. Diana swipes the point across her forearm near the wrist. A thin red line oozes a single drop of blood into the circle. Diana doesn't close her eyes but her gaze takes on an unfocused quality. "The blood is mine. Through my blood the circle is made one with my wound and becomes a wound. Through this wound my will pulses like blood. My will and my wound are a lock opened only by the key that I seek. Open and come forth." The spoken mantra isn't strictly necessary but it makes sure the required metaphysical visualizations gain a rock solid clarity in her mind's eye. The actual summoning isn't flashy. The area of the circle seems to gain depth far beyond its small span and then with an eye-twisting distortion the creature was standing within. It was a small gray humanoid, cadaverously thin. Bony arms far too large for its body reached out in a grasping gesture but did not cross the circle. "Ympe of agony, this practitioner would deal under the bindings of Solomon." Diana winks at the youth next to her and brings a finger to her lips before continuing. "I want you to follow me, doing nothing, until I indicate beings or groups of beings not exceeding eight individuals. You are to visit upon these targets, and no others, such great suffering as you are able. Upon discharge of this task or upon the next dawn, begone and return from whence I have called you." Diana shrugs out of her backpack and rummages around it. "For the stated service this practitioner would gift you..." She draws her hand out with a flourish, "A ham sandwich." "Zat sumsorta joke, princess?" The imp's voice is grating. "This sandwich is a condensate of suffering beyond the scope of your imagination. An animal raised from birth in a box, in a huge building ringing with the screams of its fellows. A great mechanism of butchery and naught else crushed its life away and it is rendered into parts, scattered to the four corners of the world never to be whole again.The bread is untouched by baker's care or pride, merely drudge's toil and machine's heartless touch. The lettuce is watered by water stolen from the people who live by its plot and picked by people continuously in fear of being discovered and exiled merely for their birthplace. Do not even get me started on the socio-economic consequences of the mustard." The manisfestation rubs its chin thoughtfully. "Four zots" "Seven." They haggle. Eventually an agreement is reached and the imp is gruesomely devouring the sandwich as Diana and the youth break into the warehouse. Hopefully the breaking of glass goes unnoticed. Conversation and a quick bit of self defense prep work. Obviously [Pact Magic +4] to see how many agony bolts Diana haggled from the imp. <each knot tied another link in a grand chain> Not Alex fucked around with this message at 21:40 on May 7, 2020 |
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May 7, 2020 21:35
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Rhodri Jones Location: Out and about in Jasper Heights. Personal visits alone it was, then. The timidity of ther church, whilst understandable, was disappointing. Rhodri is using Knows Someone [+4] and Masterful Mediator [+6] on an information-gathering walkabout visiting the various local businesses and churches.
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May 8, 2020 09:24
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Kai Senso Location: Crimson Star Saloon "Not satisfied, huh. Well, then." Kai lifts up a leg and moves it in a quick and swift motion, right to the side of the bookie's head. It stops barely an inch from his face. "Sign my client up. Or. Else." Using Battle Lord [+6] to intimidate this bookie into signing Kai's grasshopper form, or else.
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May 10, 2020 20:03
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Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: At HG's place "Don't mind if I do, my man HG", Andrew answered with a lazy wave and an easy smile. It was not ideal that information about what he'd been up to had reached even Harvey, but then again it's fairly obvious this is exactly what he would do first thing after the theft. Knowing it would scarcely benefit the Masked Rogues, and if they cared enough to prevent it they'd have broken his kneecaps pre-emptively or something. Andrew strode into the building, his other hand in his jacket pocket, and gave the place a cursory glance, before continuing. Not much left to do now other than try to find out as much as possible. OOC: Have a talk with HG, try to figure out the circumstances of the Masked Rogues targeting him, what they took, what happened to HG afterwards, and if there's any similarity in details between his case and mine. We will phish this information affably with innocuous enough conversation via The art of the con. [+6] If there's any hidden charms or lingering presences, Illusionist [+4] might help in spotting them.
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May 12, 2020 14:39
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Donovan Blackwell Location: Blackwell Residence Donovan eyes the new medical device with a cool dissatisfaction. “New technology always has a few kinks to work out. But safety is important, after all.” He gives the manager a smile. It was bullshit, of course, and the manager probably knew it. “Say, if this thing is currently a little buggy, what was the procedure you had in place before you moved to the new system? That still an option? If not, I’m sure we could reschedule.” Socially Probing for alternative avenues. Using Oil Tycoon +6 to smooth over social disruption. Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 16:40 on May 12, 2020 |
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May 12, 2020 16:30
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Barbara Simmons Location: Jaspter Heights Church "Thank you, that is already more than what I know right now. Perhaps I should go talk with his family, and the church he was going to. I fully intend to get to the bottom of this." She put a hand on her heart. "Rest assured, I will be careful not to add to their misery." The church itself was a possible source of the problem of course. If he DID arrive, and they were involved, that could be the reason. But too early, pure speculation. Not sure if I need a roll for that, but trying to get directions to the boy's actual parents and the church.
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May 13, 2020 23:04
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Sorry about the delay here. If you haven't been on Discord, I have been having some severe sleep issues in the past few weeks and exhaustion was crushing my creativity. I've got a CPAP machine now so this should clear up, although it might take a week or two to adjust properly. So there might be another delayed update during that time. Also if folks can remember to add in their location, or indicate when they're moving so I know where you want to go that would be helpful. Also try to keep actions discrete and with clear goals and desired outcomes. I do my best, but the more vague your actions are the harder it is for me to focus my response to the direction you're moving your story in. It also avoids me possibly misunderstanding your intent as well. Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Aurora Meditech offices, Central City Your contacts came back with information two days later. They had accounted for the movement and employment of all of the technical staff, and all but two of them had moved on to jobs in the same or adjacent industries without any noteworthy or unusual behaviour patterns. Carl Manwell and Hyde Jongleur however had extremely suspicious behaviours. Despite having no previous aptitude or interest in the stock market both of them were self funded and seemed to work on small contract work that fell within their interests. The two had a series of contract jobs that fell outside of their previous fields of expertise and occasionally were even contracts the two collaborated on. They lived in separate but affluent areas of the city, but despite their notable success rate with investments and selling stocks they had a modest set of assets. You read the final assessment; "Behaviour patterns indicate some kind of private and hidden agenda with both individuals displaying a suspicious and previously uncharacteristic low profile." Joshua Rytree Location: Joshua's personal office You had a list of potential options. There was a German woman with a storied an eye-raising list of clients, previous mercenary experience and what you knew off the record to be several black ops operations; Tanya Vordmeier. Another was a large man with an uncanny streak of luck and resistance. He had less experience and a more focused skillset than Tanya but he also had some domestic skills and that could give him an unexpected and potentially useful angle at certain points; Rory Tanner. After all you had been warned this wasn't going to be a game of assassinations. Thirdly was a Japanese mercenary that seemed to seek out trouble and hot spots but had a nearly alarming record, both in the underworld and with more legitimate if questionable employers; Kai Senso. Finally was a Pacific Islander who had a connections to someone who had been a previous eliminated player in the game, or at least that is what you believed when you put together certain pieces of information; Nikau Stone. Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District "Folks pretending to be followers of the Gilded Lord. I don't jive with them when their legit but these folks are pretenders. Not sure who or what they follow but it likes pain, and lots of it." He pointed at the spirit that had moved position to put most of the teen between herself and what you were doing. "She can sense what's going on with her brother, and it's bad stuff." The spirit made an awful rasping noise that you could hear it speak. "They like the part where the Gilded Lord is marked with Nail and Blood." A cult pretending to be a Christian community, that was deep into the Crucifixion it sounded like. A nasty group indeed, but the kid continued. "My brother, Tyler, well he was always a good son and wanted to do the right thing. Unlike me." He said with a short and sarcastic laugh. "Anyway you can call me Tyler. And uh, I don't think I'll ever eat another sandwich after hearing you there." Luke said almost nervously. I'm not at all certain what you were trying to get out of the imp, but it drives a hard bargain so you get the lower end of whatever it is. If you want to add in story and world elements some explanations in your post or on Discord will help me stay on the same page as you! Rhodri Jones Location: Jasper Heights Church As a general comment, if you could give me some more focused and specific actions I will handle things better. If you want information tell me what kind of information you are looking for. If people don't have the information you are looking for I can move you on quickly, but with broad strokes like that you might get stuck with an NPC for a while who can't give you what you want. You arrived at the address of the first church you had called and went inside. Inside was a fair skinned and dark haired woman who had been speaking to what you assumed was the pastor of the church. Although he was relaxed enough as you walked in when he noticed you tension filled his body. The woman turned around to look at you with piercing eyes that seemed to scrutinise your very being. "We seem to be welcoming many from outside the congregation." The priest said a careful and polite tone, clearly hopeful to avoid stirring up more conflict or trouble in the neighbourhood. You recognised his voice from your phone call so it seemed he had not realised who you were just yet. Barbara Simmons Location: Jasper Heights Church The pastor gave you a phone number and an address, and asked you to be patient and kind with the parents. As he was giving you the name of the church that Tyler went to near his school, you heard the front door open and turned around to see a brown haired white man walk through. He had a pleasant an easy smile on his face that put you immediately on guard at the same time as you wanted to relax. Men like that always had a goal, an agenda, although it could be something to help people as easily as it was to help himself. You could feel the priest tense up next to you again. So many white people coming to visit a black church in a time of unrest in the neighbourhood could easily end up with more violence later. "We seem to be welcoming many from outside the congregation." The priest said a careful and polite tone, clearly hopeful to avoid stirring up more conflict or trouble in the neighbourhood. As you had assumed he did not seem to know the man based on his guarded attitude returning. Kai Senso Location: Crimson Star Saloon To the mans credit he did not flinch and moved his head to dodge your boot. His reflexes were good, although you had some advantages that normal folks did not. His attitude did change subtly but in a manner that Kai was used to, people of power and influence deciding to take the person they were dealing with as a serious threat instead of as an unknown stranger. "Okay. I'll bite. Tell me about your client and I'll see if we can fit him in." The use of the masculine pronoun suggested certain assumptions. Either the man assumed that you were going to sign yourself up, or that someone like you would only be kept in check by another and more dominant man. Foolish to underestimate women, but Kai had found that to be a common failing in the English speaking countries. Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: At HG's place "Holls my man you know what they say, what goes around comes around. Now we both know that karma is bullshit but the Devil is not a kind man and he got a bit tired of me and my 2 bit gig hustle knocking on his doorstep." HG laughed in a way that had a touch of crying to it and was incredibly awkward to listen to. He downed another mouthful of whiskey that he had poured for himself (and for you if you wished) and sighed. "For real I'm not sure. I had some weird loving dreams man before, being trapped in a maze looking for something to drink, a graveyard where the name of everyone I'd conned was on them. Then after that something changed and...I stopped dreaming. Well that's not quite true, I had two nights where I dreamed about you but beyond that nothing. After I stopped dreaming I couldn't reach out to the spirits any more and then I just felt...like what was the point you know? Oh those rogues sent me some kind of piece of poo poo letter which listed out almost every goddamn scam I'd done in some kind of loving scrapbook. Maybe they're kids. loving brats if they are. Anyway I just thought about it and like...I dunno how they did it, but if they killed my magic and my dreams I don't want to gently caress with them Holls. Whatever they want from you, I'd give it to them." Based on what you could figure out from what HG was saying it sounded like these Masked Rogues were using some kind of oneiromancy to find out details from their victims and then their next target. Also they could apparently take away someone's magic...or at least make them think that they had. Dreams were your schtick, especially with the Seeming in the game now. But then how did they get to that painting? HG didn't know about it so they had to have found some way to find out about it. Donovan Blackwell Location: Central City Number 1 Waterworks "Didn't we use to get a blood test done at that pathology lab that the governor liked? Not that he has to go to that one, just get it signed off by a doctor." The technician suggested, which caused the supervisor to wrinkle his nose in displeasure. "Yes but that will take a few days, and Mr. Blackwell is a busy man with important stuff to do." Being eager to please you, the thought of a delay was something the supervisor wanted to avoid at all costs. "Well yeah but I'm sure someone like him can get it done quickly." The tech pointed out and added. "Meanwhile we can get the Ibyx folks in here to double check the scanner. Just to make sure it's not acting funny or anything mind you." You had the influence and clout just to get it signed off, wait for the minimum time and then come back. Or you could get it done properly and avoid any further need for bribery arising from the risk of bribing a doctor. The Black would not show up in a pathology lab's test but you could also ensure that the sample you gave was 'clean' if Donovan decided to go that route. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 11:34 on May 20, 2020 |
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May 20, 2020 11:29
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Joshua Rytree - Joshua's personal office He had some interesting candidates, but there was only so much you could learn from a page. Not to mention, when he came right down to it, he wasn't really sure how his new power would actually effect them. So, to both get a better feel of which of them would be suitable for his purposes and as an invaluable opportunity to test out his new powers, Joshua has arrangements made for him to interview the four prospects. Josh's gonna interview the four bodyguard candidates. He's trying to figure out what they have to offer and more importantly how they'll react to his Majesty[+2].
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May 21, 2020 21:55
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Kai Senso Location: Crimson Star Saloon "He's... inhumanly strong, and has an appearance that will surely draw interest. You ever saw a giant grasshopper fight? His kicks are practically lethal, and he can leap like nothing on earth. Plus, he's tough. You can call him... Hopper." Simple statements of facts.
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May 24, 2020 00:25
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Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Aurora Meditech offices, Central City Edward raised an eyebrow. Not just one but two. The same patterns. Same behaviors. This smelled of an OP. They must have either been coached with what to do or trained by the same agency or group they were working for or towards. But who to choose without spooking the other?
Both worked together on projects, both were successful with money on the stock market but the money went elsewhere. This reeked of a black ops style project, or they were doing some kind of mad science on their own or for a previously unknown org. Tapping a cigar previously unlit, Edward began to chew on the edge, his teeth had become perfectly white, sharp, and he hardly noticed when all of his fillings mysteriously fell out and several dental pieces were replaced with funcional teeth. Like a shark. The thought should bother him, but he had other things on his mind. Follow the money. The payments and payouts had to be going somewhere from all of the contract work and stock market earnings. That they were doing well and never had a loss on the stock market but did not flag any federal attention showed that however this was being done, someone was being paid off. Edward had an interesting thought: 'The US Securities and Exchange Commission should have been all over this.' Picking up the phone, Edward made a few discrete calls. He wouldn't move on these men yet, disturbing them just wouldn't do. 
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May 27, 2020 17:07
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Barbara Simmons Location: Jaspter Heights Church Barbara gave her most encouraging smile before turning. Another white person, at around the same time. And clearly not someone familiar to the priest. Friendly, reassuring smile. Professionally so. Which could mean anything from teacher to conman. Could be of course that he was simply here with a question of faith, but that'd be a pretty big coincidence. A look at the preacher suggested that he thought much the same. Well then, this might be a problem, an opportunity, or both. She'd talk to him, but always better to talk with some knowledge in your back pocket. "Thank you very much, reverend." She said with a small bow of her head to the man and then moved to head to the exit. She looked at him briefly in passing with a smile and a nod, but she didn't really Look at him until he passed her, trying to get what this man was looking for, and what he knew of Tyler Keen." Doing the gaze with consent form Impy. I think this is mostly All Revealing Light [+2] Not sure if I can have Private Eye tell me anything just by looking at the back of his head.
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May 27, 2020 23:58
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Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: At a safehouse "Ah, it's always rough beat with you, ain't it G-man?" Andrew lounged on a sofa in HG's living room/sad bachelor cave with a somewhat goofy but sympathetic grin on his face as his downtrodden colleague explained the situation. He didn't say a whole lot himself, but was making notes inside his head the whole time, until it was time for him to leave. "Hey", he said before he left, "Sad to hear about the bad hand you've been dealt, ay? Lemme know if you ever want to get back in the biz, maybe I can set you up with something. But I really need to get going, you know how it is, the hustle never ends ha ha!" After disentangling from his friend, Andrew shopped around for a while. White chalk. Ritual candles. Incense. He knew something, now. Perhaps not enough, but about what he expected to be able to gather on short notice. It should be enough for him to be able to at least investigate the issues a bit closer, without stumbling into a trap like a moron. He hoped. OOC: Let's take Dreamwalker [+2] for a spin and go check out these former victims in our dreams, knowing what we know about them having been likely victims of some forms of oneiromantic erasure. Let us see if we can grok the weapon our enemy uses. And if we've dreamed of somebody that seems like a likely next victim ourselves, let's go check on them too, since that seems to be the Rogues' MO. Illusionist [+4] will help me see through tricks. Theantero fucked around with this message at 23:02 on May 28, 2020 |
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May 28, 2020 11:38
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Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District "Right then." The actually breaking in is almost anticlimactic after a spot of demon summoning. Diana clambers on top of a dumpster and holds her bag up to the window. Pause. Some time later a truck rumbles by on the main street and D slams an elbow into the pack. The window shatters. She matter of factly rakes the backpack across the window frame to knock out any remaining chunks of glass. "Coming?" Action: Break in
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May 28, 2020 14:30
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Rhodri Jones Location: Jasper Heights Church. Rhodri turned on the charm full-bore. This priest knew him and had spoken with him before, and that could be built upon. Add in a little empathy and understanding, a whole heap of experience teasing out useful outcomes from the reluctant, and hopefully the foundations for this whole operation could be laid. He returned the nod and smile to the parishioner as she passed him, common courtesy was an essential stock in trade in his profession. "That depends, Father, on the definition of congregation, for I would not claim to be outside the wider congregation of the church as a whole. Depending how wide this community of the faithful casts their nets, I might well be numbered amongst the cure of souls assigned to you in any case. More to the point, I am here in accordance with the wisdom composed seventy years ago and attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: To be a channel of peace, to bring love where there is hatred, pardon where there is offence, union where there is discord, and hope where there is despair. I am a mediator and negotiator trained in conflict resolution. I have been led to believe there is a great need for that right now in Jasper Heights. What I am after right now is a run-down of the situation: The local powers and principalities, if you will. Who is causing the tension, who is moving against whom, the fuses and the explosives of this metaphorical powder keg. An overview of the nature of the problem. Are you able to help in that manner?" Rhodri is using Knows Someone [+4], Masterful Mediator [+6] and Infectious Empathy [+2] on the priest in order to learn the intricacies of what's going down in Jasper Heights, who the players and organisations are, what the sources of tension are and the nature of the potential flashpoints.
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May 28, 2020 22:48
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Donovan Blackwell Location: Central City Number 1 Waterworks Donovan claps his hands together and smiles. "Then it's settled. Let's reschedule for, say, next week. I'll return with the paperwork, you have time to do a bit of troubleshooting, and with any luck everything will go swimmingly." In the meantime, Donovan would need to produce or procure a clean sample. No need to risk bribery coming back to bite him down the road. Last thing he wanted was more questions. And while he waited, he could check in on this Ibyx Technologies company. Perhaps find some means of bypassing such scanners in the future. Or destroy them entirely. Using The Black +2 to produce or procure a "clean" sample, whatever that entails!
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May 29, 2020 00:13
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Joshua Rytree Location: Joshua's personal office Frau Vordmeier was a woman who loyal to the job and loyal to the paycheck. She had seen many people without their own delusions of grandeur and majesty that she did not buy into cults. She responded to your Majesty, but she did not internalise the narrative you fed. If you could find a cause for her to truly believe in then it would be more effective, until then she was a calculated risk. She was effective and professional, but would not go down with a sinking ship. If you made too many mistakes she would leave you, and to compel her not to with your Majesty would damage what made her otherwise useful. Mr Tanner on the other hand responded very well to your Majesty and internalised the narrative you fed him with ease. To compare him to Tanya, he was an excellent guard and would lay down his life for you with enough work but was not going to be suited for independent action. He would be a bodyguard, not an assassin or a saboteur. However he was also more educated about subtler threats such as poison or planning ahead for dangers. If you were not already his equal if not superior in dealing with politics and the dangers of money that would be an assett as well. Nikau Stone was an odd character. The first time you had tried to turn your Majesty upon him he had frowned slightly and told you that was not necessary. He understood the game and its purpose but did not want to be a contender. If you could convince him why he should follow you and why you would win, then he would do so. Even should there be setbacks, for no one player a game of strategy without losing some pieces. He was neither the sword of Vordmeier, nor the shield of Tanner, but he did know about the dangers of the game and his insights could be valuable. But something shielded him from your gift and that was both as interesting as it was dangerous. As Kai is another player, you will need to interact with him directly. However if you want to use your Majesty on him, it will be a contested roll unless Junpei consents to be affected by its influence. Kai Senso Location: Crimson Star Saloon "We'll need to workshop the name." The man said in a matter of fact tone as he wrote down something in a notebook. You couldn't get a good glance at it but it was immediately obvious that there was a code at play as the glimpse of what you read made no mention of any of this. It stood to reason that you couldn't run a supernatural underground fight ring while noting everything straight on the books. He wrote down a number and handed it to you. "In three days, call this number at 1:00pm and you will receive instructions on how to proceed next. Also it is advised that your employer has a cover story ready and a will prepared. Everyone will be happier if we are not required to clean up." He said and waited to see if you had any questions. Gen. Edward Marshall Location: Aurora Meditech offices, Central City Unsurprisingly both men were trading through a broker company, a management firm called "The Midas Touch". An arrogant and somewhat gauche name, the presumption that everything they touched turned to gold. Flipping through the second report revealed something very odd though, Manwell and Jongleur were only two of many clients for the company and many other clients had at least some shares in the same folio as those two. However they seemed to have made different decisions on the same stocks, although certain times apart. In addition some of the decisions were in hindsight bad calls made after the correct ones. What was truly stunning was that there had been an investigation at one point but aside from some concerns about some sort of proprietary algorithm there had been no penalties or fines handed out. Despite the clear evidence you had found (and if you could find it, you were confident economic regulatory investigators certainly would) of something strange going on all of the recorded information in the relevant databases and the stored microfilm images of documents corroborated. It was too clean to be bribery. Something had modified all records of the investigation once it had been archived, and archived in digital and print mediums. You were remembered the mention of a class 8 artificial intelligence. Perhaps this was an indication of its work. Barbara Simmons Location: Jaspter Heights Church You turned your inner sight, that revealing light given to you by Asran upon the newcomer. What you saw numbed your sense of self and felt almost like a physical shock. Around, behind, inside the man was a chorus of figures. Each figure was indistinct as if seen through smoke or shadow, but Barbara knew without a doubt that each was the same. They were almost, but quite, a hive-mind, an entity born of the desire of humanity to conform and for others to conform. It was not the oppressive conformity of the tyrant, but came from the place of loneliness and isolation that was the human experience. When everyone was the same then you could feel safe, comfortable, for it was simple to understand another person. It was the base mechanism for empathy and anthropomorphism extrapolated and refined endlessly until it became a razor sharp word, an undeniable and irresistible knife's edge that compelled obedience. You knew that the man was here to help resolve the situation, because the crisis in this neighbourhood was a source of danger, separation and confusion for the people both living here and around it. He could be trusted, for he genuinely wanted to help and resolve the issue. But this was underpinned by a much more unnerving and terrifying logic and ideology. Barbara might have drowned in that compulsion for conformity and obedience, had Asran not asked her a question that almost tore her back to reality. Is that what true human nature is? Is this your answer? Maybe it was your answer, but at least not yet. There was more to see and decide on first. Fortunately your only obvious outward sign of the event was a slight misstep as you walked and stumbling to avoid a fall. The priest might have noticed but he was now focused on the stranger. Unfortunately due to rolling a 4 when trying to see the true nature on a major Entity, you have suffered a temporary ego wound. Until you take time to rest, recover and recenter yourself you will take a penalty to social interactions; Dragged Under by the Masses [-2]. This is to represent that Barbara is shaken and needs some time to firmly reassert her own identity in her consciousness. Andrew 'Holls' Hollberg Location: The Astral Plane You 'awoke' on the astral in a place strange and alien. This was not necessarily strange but it immediately meant that you were not in control. You were in a realm of islands and between the islands, bridges with gates. Between your island and another that you knew would belong to HG, was a thorny vine that was puncturing yours. In the distance you could see HG's island was strangled by a thicket of thorns and roses. Beneath this parts of the island had crumbled and were falling down. From that island you could see a chain of these thorn bridges stretching to two other islands. One which was chocked like HG's but in worse condition, and another that was like yours being encroached upon. Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District It became clear immediately that this part of the warehouse, the part that people would move in and out of was mundane and held no evidence of what else might be going on below. The teenager and his companion immediately made their way over to one corner of the warehouse and began to look around. It was covered in various objects, pellets, shipping containers, things that could easily hide or block some kind of trap door or entrance to another area. Assuming that the entrance was even mundane to begin with. No one seemed to be around. It was a morning, you would expect some sort of guard at the very least to be present. You are successfully in and the kid has followed you in. No sign of being noticed yet. Rhodri Jones Location: Jasper Heights Church. The priest is wary, but your offer of assistance is genuine and your words compassionate and comforting. Although he still seems anxious he takes your request at face value and begins to explain the same information that he had explained to Barbara. As he spoke there was a moment where you felt as though a great light was being shone from behind, and you could almost see your shadow and the shadow of a multitude of people being cast from your body. You noticed that the woman nearly tripped as she stumbled for a moment. The information was: 1. The boy was named Tyler, and had an older brother named Luke. Tyler was well behaved and avoided trouble, while Luke was more rebellious and tended to do his own thing without regard for the authorities. 2. Tyler had been a member of a youth group based out of another church in the region that was located much closer to his school. 3. He had gone missing on his way to attend the youth group between 4pm and 5pm. There had been light out but no one had seen an abduction, which would have been likely given Tyler's route and the fact he walked. 4. The youth group confirmed that Tyler had not arrived, after he had been late for around an hour they began calling his school and his parents to try and find him. Donovan Blackwell Location: Central City Number 1 Waterworks The Black contained the genetic material of every organism it had assimilated previously, in case it discovered some way to improve on itself. From this it was possible to create a biological sample based off of your recorded DNA. You stored the sample of pure blood in your veins, ready for when the doctor drew the blood. This was done without incident and your follow up declared your white cell count normal and your blood had no obvious abnormalities. So far so good.
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Jun 10, 2020 08:37
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Diana Thompson Location: Sidewalk of Parson Rd, Docks District Nothing jumping out. "You or your friend see anything? I've got a trick if they're using some fancy portal or something." Diana starts walking the outer edge of the building, dragging the chalk along the wall. "Making a big circle here. I don't have the juice to power it up 'course, but when it fails there's usually a feedback effect from other magic in the area. A glow or sparks or something. Keep an eye out." Diana glances at the strange spirit around Tyler's neck. "Or whatever." Action: Search warehouse. [Pact Magic +6] vs magical concealment <eddies in the current>
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Jun 10, 2020 23:42
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Donovan Blackwell Location: Blackwell Residence? Donovan goes through the motions of life, making an appointment, visiting the doctor, wincing when the needle touches "skin", yadda yadda. It was all so easy. While he waited for the coming rescheduled tour, Donovan decided to do a bit of digging about Ibyx Technologies. Including calling them up directly, feigning curiosity about their scanner technology he had recently seen demonstrated, wanting to see if a demo unit could be loaned to him, hinting but not stating that they might seek a contract with the company for use on their work sites. For those rare times good health was important for oil drilling and refinement. Whatever it takes to get his hands on a unit to play with. Using Oil Tychoon +6 to learn about Ibyx Technologies and hopefully procure a demo scanner for testing and experimentation. Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Jun 11, 2020 |
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Jun 11, 2020 02:10
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