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The Cast: Amani, the Fae, played by Klingon w Bowl Cut Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard, played by paradoxGentleman Leo Carter, the Veteran, played by Ferrosol Ophelia Shahmaran, the Tainted, played by Old Kentucky Shark -------------------- As winter comes to Columbus, the supernatural side of the city is facing new problems. The vampires were already pushing their way downtown and now with night coming up earlier and lasting longer they’re going to be harder to deal with. The Winter Court usually has to deal with the Summer Court as rivals but with the Summer Court pulling out of the east side for some reason, who knows what the Winter Court might get up to. And known to only a very few, there’s a revenant out on the streets and Hades hasn’t been made aware yet. Amani: You’re at your shop, waiting for Leo. He was supposed to be here with the gun you ordered from him, but he hasn’t shown up or called. And the gun might come in handy - recently you’ve had the vampires and werewolves looking around your shop as the vampires are moving in because of the Summer Court’s withdrawal and the werewolves are trying to keep them from getting too far downtown. You might be getting someone coming in and start demanding protection payments soon. While it might be worth considering if you should wait for Leo or go ahead and leave, you hear your cell phone ring. It’s the Sun Queen. “Amani dear,” she says when she picks up. “I need you to find out what’s going on with the Summer court - we can’t just have them leave out of nowhere.” What do you do? Dylan: The Brotherhood has sent you to pick up some of the artifacts the rogue wizard had gotten ahold of - a lot of it was hidden around various caches in the city and even then they’re not sure if they have them all. Once they’ve got what they can get right now, they’ll move on to gathering with the other cabals and sorting out this mess of who gets what among the two cabals fighting it out. Meanwhile, you’re near a storage unit rental which is supposed to be one of her caches. You've gotten your hands on the keys and it should have been easy to just walk in, see what’s there, and take it back. Except there’s an old man inside, looking through the items. His head snaps up and focuses on you. “You must have the wrong unit,” he says in a gruff voice. But you notice him covering his hand that has a strange ring on it, and you just barely catch the mystical hum of magic charging. He looks rather familiar too...what do you do? Leo: You’ve talked to some people, gotten some materials rushed in , and put in some work on it yourself and you have Amani’s gun ready for her. You were heading to her shop to hand it over - but on the way you were ambushed by a group of strangers and stuffed in the trunk of a car sans your gun and phone. From what you can overhear as your captors talk, they’ve been trying to find you for a while. They refer to you as “that gently caress who helped Tony get away” so at least you know this is for what you recently did and not something from the last time you were in the game. You feel the car go underground, and slowly pull in somewhere. The car stops, and then the driver turns off the engine. You hear footsteps approach, pause at the trunk, and then it opens. A young woman looks at you, smiling. “Hello Leo. Glad we got to you before anyone else. Got a moment to talk?” You see fangs hidden in her mouth - seems you’ve attracted the attention of some vampires. Taking a quick look around, you see you’re in some kind of hidden chop shop. What do you do? Ophelia: With winter starting up, Hades has withdrawn a bit - Persephone is going to be with him for the next few months and he always takes a bit of a vacation when that happens. There’s still work to do, but most people are coming directly to you since you’re the top Kerberos in Columbus. You’re at Echoes of the Tidal Song’s yoga studio, hanging out with her. She’s smiling and chatting with you over a cup of tea...but you can tell she’s a little worried. She briefly mentions the Summer Court wanting to pull out downtown, and since she’s a member of it you know that’s on her mind. “The King and Queen must have gotten mad about something, but you know how they are. I’m sure they’ll calm down soon enough.” The door to the yoga studio opens, and you see a man in a strange suit walks inside. He looks annoyed and frantic at the same time. “Ophelia Shahmaran? I’m Ryouta Katou, with the court of Blossoms. Hades appears to be quite busy so I need to talk to you right now.” Echoes looks between the two of you. The emissary from the out of town court has been the talk of the Wild faction, and here he is demanding your attention. What do you do? ------------------ OOC Thread NPC and Debts Please put your character sheet in a quote block at the bottom of your first post, and keep it updated as the game goes on. For the start of the game, wait until everyone has made one post before posting again. This is just so that it’s easier for me to look at character sheets in the future when coming back to the first page. Rules Make one move or roll per post, ask me if you want to do more When you gain a debt, add it to the document and insert a note detailing what the debt is for. When you cash in a debt, remove it from the document if they don’t refuse to honor the debt Enjoy your time in Columbus
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Jun 30, 2020 01:28
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 08:56 |
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The doors of the storage unit groan like old men standing up when I push them. The smell of dust and old things almost makes me sneeze as my eyes adjust to the darkness, half-lit by a small, swinging lightbulb. The whipping of the old man's head towards me alerts me of his presence, and I freeze a little from the surprise. I can feel magical energies dancing around that ring, which makes me glad I took care to recharge my own magical batteries before coming here. For now, though, it might pay off to play the fool. I furrow my brow: "Really? This is storage unit 214, isn't it? My keys worked..." In the meantime I try to figure out who this guy is. Have I seen him before? Channeling: 2d6+2 = (5+6)+2 = 13. I hold 4, thanks to my Focus. Put a name to a face: 2d6+1 = (3+1)+1 = 5. Either I don't know him, or I knw him and owe him a debt quote:Name: Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard
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Jun 30, 2020 08:42
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 "It's okay," I assure Echoes. I set down my teacup and, not for the first or hundreth time, wish she would serve something a little stronger and more caffeinated than herbal tea. There's only so much rose hips and echinacea that my body can tolerate without throwing up. But fae will be fae, I suppose. "I don't think that your court will really expect a total withdrawal from the city. Your studio will probably be fine." I'm not at all sure of that, honestly, but I'm not going to say so. I know full well what it's like to owe fealty to distant, impersonal forces that can and will uproot your life at will. Echoes knows too; she's far older than I am, at least in this body. She doesn't want truth, she wants reassurance, and possibly a hug. I settle for a brief hand squeeze, before we're interrupted by a visitor. Looking down, I realize that I'm still wearing yoga pants. Just great. This is absolutely how I wanted to greet a foreign potentate. I have no choice but to brazen it out. I stand smoothly, and incline my head in a short bow; fae can be touchy about things like handshakes. "I am Ophelia Shahmaran, kerberos of Hades," I announce, making the official introduction. Well, this is an awkward bit of protocol; normally I would make a formal offer of hospitality, but this is Echoes' place, an it's up to her to handle the niceties. I can't even offer tea; Fae can be very, very touchy about hospitality. I try to shoot her a glance out of the corner of my eye, but of course I'm wearing sunglasses so it doesn't work. My naked gaze can make people a little... anxious. "How may I be of assistance?" I ask, trying to make the best of a bad situation. Put a Name to a Face: @Ophelia (OKShark): 2d6+1 = (1+1)+1 = 3. Ophelia either doesn't know him, or is in debt. quote:Name: Ophelia Shahmaran
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Jul 1, 2020 00:03
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 Sigh, I can't believe I let these chucklefucks kidnap me like that. I'm getting old and worse that I'm getting sloppy. It should have been a simple delivery run drop the gun off at Amani's place and head for home. But I decided to stop off at the 7-11 on the way to pick up some milk and bread. Obviously someone spotted me and decided to run a little smash and grab operation. They were ok about it for amateurs there were enough of them that I didn't want to try anything stupid, they frisked me pretty thoroughly and relieved me of my gun and phone. But then one of them made the mistake of blabbing while they were loading me into the trunk of their car. So this was related to the Tony business rather than some old job coming back to know. That trunk was hellaciously uncomfortable mind you. And I think my back is in half. But they stuck a sack over my head and drove us around a little way before hauling me out and dumping me in a chair. I'd rate the whole kidnapping experience as a 6 out of 10. Good start good intentions, poor execution. They hadn't even roughed me up or tied me to the chair. You just can't get quality goons these days. In my day a group like this would be laughed out of town. With the sack removed I could see the dingy little chop shop I was in. Not an awful choice, although the noise outside suggested it was a going concern and not the abandoned building I woulda used for an interrogation. Sloppy. Then she walked in. The Vampire. You can tell by the way they sometimes forget to breathe. The fangs help of course but if you're paying attention the breathing's a dead give away. Pardon the pun. She looked about early 20's but with vampires that could mean her age was anywhere between 20 and 400. With her I was guessing it was the younger end of the scale but I might be wrong. I wondered if it was worth playing dumb and then decided against it. "You could have just called me up." I said evenly resisting the urge to try and pop my back back into place. "I'd offer you a business card with my phone number on but your men seem to have relieved me of them. it would have been much easier than sending out a whole crew for me. Not that I'm not flattered of course." I said as I tried to figure out if she rang a bell from somewhere. I'd heard bits and pieces about vampires moving back into town but I hadn't really been paying much attention. A fact I was kind of regretting now. @Leo Carter (Ferrosol): 2d6-1 Putting a name to a face = (2+1)-1 = 2 quote:
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Jul 1, 2020 16:05
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Amani Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 Annoyance is definitely my predominant emotion at the moment. I had cleared my whole morning of clients in order to receive Mr. Leo Carter and the item I ordered from him, and now he is late! At least I am alone in my office, no one except a pair of guards outside the door to notice my pacing. Note to self: I'm going to need more than two if creatures keep sniffing around here like they have been. No, no. That's too many worries at once. I sigh and carry myself over to the golden raised basin that stands in the middle of the room. Looking into the water's still surface always calms me. Gazing past my reflection into the ultimate truth behind it... Yes, there we are. Now I am ready to deal with the situation. No sense in sitting on my hands all day. My phone is halfway out of my handbag when it suddenly starts ringing on its own! The sound and vibration startle me, and the phone nearly slips into the basin. Only a clutch grasp inches from the water's surface saves it. And saves me, when I see who the call is from. I do my best to quickly shove down the last remnants of annoyance, lest the queen think less of me. Sun courtiers are supposed to rule emotions, not be ruled by them, and I must not forget that no matter how long I'm away. "Your Majesty, thank you for calling," I say, my controlled voice even and warm, just like normal. It takes a lot out of me though, especially once she makes her request. Does the Queen really not know why the Summer Court is leaving? I'm honestly shocked... this must be a bigger deal than I had thought. I don't dare voice any such doubts, although she can likely guess based on the brief pause on my end. She is very adept at determining what her subjects are feeling. "I would be happy to investigate the situation," I reply, while inside I am quite unhappy to investigate the situation. "I have some ideas where my inquiries might begin, but do you have any leads I should start with?" The Sun Queen probably realizes I have no idea where to begin, but hopefully she still has enough fondness for me that she won't begrudge a little information fishing on my part. quote:
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Jul 1, 2020 18:22
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Dylan: The man looks at you. "Ah. It's you, Dylan Mbaye. Leo described you. Said he bailed you out when a demon tried to bite your head off and to mention that?" Now you know who he is - Jack Stewart, the mage who does what the rest of Power won't do, is on their poo poo list, that Leo went to and you covered up for. Jack has a Debt on you "Surely you and your friends don't need everything here?" What do you do? Ophelia: You've heard the name, but Ryouta has only been meeting with members of Wild as little as possible. No one knows what he's up to or what he's doing in the city. He looks at Echoes and says "May I have a smaller cup for tea?" She looks a little confused, but heads out to where she keeps them - giving you two a moment in private. He looks back to you and says, "Why hasn't Hades put a bounty on Nekyomanteius?" Well, perhaps you know what he's here for now. What do you do? Leo: "Aren't you supposed to be a badass, 'Young Lion'?" She looks you up and down. "Guess you got old. But that's not my problem. This isn't a business offer. Tony owed us a lot of money, and you were the one who helped him skip town. So now you'll do work for me to deal with the werewolf problem downtown. You going to make this easy or hard?" You have no idea who this is - you've heard there was some new leadership among the vampires, and she must have not made much of an impact yet. What do you do? Amani: "Of course. The Summer Court has been meeting with all kinds of people lately and in private. Thing is, you can never really keep a secret - I'm sure one of them or someone who collects information might be willing to talk. Or perhaps someone from the court?" You did bail out the Knight of Fire Fruit and could call that favor in, although he'll probably only know what he's been told. What do you do?
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Jul 2, 2020 00:42
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 Don't panic. Don't panic! If he knew for certain, he would have been more direct. Not for the first time, I'm glad to be literally cold blooded. I take care in setting my teacup aside, hoping it will cover any momentary hesitation. I have to be careful. Some fae can taste untruths. "Lord Hades has a standing bounty on all escaped revenants," I reply smoothly. This is, technically, correct, but the answer to a question he didn't ask. "He cannot be bothered to tend to every scurrilous outlaw soul individually." Also technically correct; the best kind of correct. I arch a pale eyebrow at him. "May I ask what your interest is in this specific revenant?" And then, a trifle hopefully. "Is Nekyomanteius inhumed? Have you come to collect on the bounty?"
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Jul 2, 2020 22:57
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Dylan I bite my lip, mentally cursing Leo for handing over my debt like this. It's not really a fair curse, since the trade of favors was a time-honored tradition, but then again it had put me in a really lovely situation. Was I really going to piss off my Ipsissimus for the sake of a pariah like Stewart? There had to be some other way, but for now I needed to buy some time. "Aw, come on, man, you don't really want me to get in trouble with my superiors, do you? Look, I'm sure we can work out some kind of deal, yeah?" 2d6+1 Figure Stewart out = (4+6)+1 = 11 My first question is: how can I get your character to relinquish the relics?
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Jul 4, 2020 09:29
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 "Bullshit."I said firmly . "I'm not Tony's keeper. I'm not his friend. Until a few weeks ago. I'd never heard of the guy. If you have debts with Tony, then you settle them with him. I hear Tijuana is nice this time of year. Although you might want to stay out of the midday sun." I said with a smile that didn't show any teeth. "If you've got a werewolf problem I can maybe help you out, although I seriously recommend you get your goons to take care of it they're younger and fitter than I am." Not to mention stupider. "But if you insist on having me do it we can perhaps work something out. I don't work for free. But for a future favour from someone who looks like they're going to be a power player in future. Well that's different." A bit of flattery never hurts in negotiations. Especially if you're negotiating from the wrong side of a power imbalance. There was no guarantee she'd bite, but at least if she did she wouldn't be biting. Pardon the pun. quote:2d6+1 #Manipulating a Vampire
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Jul 5, 2020 22:43
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Ophelia: "Nekyomanteius had brought harm to us the last time he was out in the world, long ago. Hades told us he would put him in the Underworld forever in exchange for our help and now that deal has been broken. And it seems no one even knows that this thing is out in your city and Hades himself can't be reached? What's really going on?" You realize that you're in a very bad spot that's hasn't gotten worse because of timing - if they manage to get in touch with Hades, he'll find out about the revenant. And if you thought the debacle in Nice turned out bad for you, who knows where you'll wind up if this reaches his ears. Looking at Ryouta, you can see he wants to figure out why Hades (from his point of view) is allowing this revenant to run around in Columbus after breaking a promise to keep it contained. He's kind of realized now that's something's up though, and he wants the truth from you so he can start dealing with this problem. What do you do? Dylan: "Hmm." His eyes go back down to the items. "Well, perhaps." You realize that he's looking for something specific among them - if you're willing to give him the one thing, he'll probably be willing to let the others go. Getting into further fights with the members of Power might be a bit too much for him even if there's a bunch of useful artifacts in here. "What do you have in mind?" What do you do? Leo: "Good luck pitching that excuse to everyone else Tony owed. You're lucky we got to you first - I have an actual use for you. My friends and I can help keep you safe until the job is done. Maybe everyone else will calm down after that, or at least you can figure out who else is coming at you." What do you do? Heliotrope fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Jul 7, 2020 |
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Jul 6, 2020 01:30
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1x, Wild 1 I make my way towards Stewart, slowly, making it clear that I mean no harm. I take a quick look at the items, making sure nothing is missing. "Nice little haul, eh? Tell me, is there anything in here you are particularly looking for?".
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Jul 8, 2020 17:48
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Dylan: Stewart looks at you, and see you're not going to attack. "Looks like Leo has some good friends," he says with a small smile. "I guess I got lucky with someone willing to talk it out." He digs around. "Your, ah...associate got her hands on quite a lot of things. Shame most of it will go back to the people you work for." He finally pulls out an strange, dark black amulet. "I think...yes! Got it. I believe this is what I need." He flips it around. "I really would like the rest though. When Hades finds out an artifact like this is gone, when he's done having his first week boning sessions or whatever with his wife, he's going to be pissed." He looks into your eyes. "Why should I give up all this protection? You owe me, Dylan. I just have to walk out with this in my hands. Hell, tell them you saw me driving away and recognized me, give 'em my name. They'll understand. All the blame off you and on me as usual. What do you say to that, Dylan?" What do you do?
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Jul 9, 2020 09:04
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1x, Wild 1 I start nodding as I hear Stewart's explanation. I'm a bit worried that this amulet is going to turn out to be the most powerful thing in here... but hey, our beloved Ipsissimus can't give me too much crap if someone just happened to get there first. "That sounds pretty fair. Why this amulet in particular, though? If Hades has staken a claim on it, whatever benefit you get had better outweigh the risks to your health..." Spending my second Read A Person hold to ask "What is your character hoping to get from this amulet?"
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Jul 9, 2020 09:16
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Amani Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 "Thank you," I tell the Queen. "I will give Your Majesty my all in this endeavor." After making sure to hang up only after I'm sure she's done speaking to me, I gather myself up to leave without hesitation. Striding out of my door in a sweep of fabric, I call back to the two surprised guards to hold my remaining appointments for the day too. This is a luxury service, I'm sure the clients will understand. I will have to seek out a broker of mine, by the name of Zeke. He arranges meetings and supply exchanges between various factions. Not due to any particular competence, skill, tact, brains, wealth, looks, or talent, but because he has a mind that is very easy to control with magic. That may seem like a liability, but often there are so many competing mental compulsions working on Zeke at once that they all sort of... cancel out, and you can trust him completely. I will have to roll those dice if I am to serve the Queen's will while still having time for my own work. It doesn't take long to find him. He actually has a posh little studio apartment much like mine, though his was provided for him by some shady service or another he performed for someone. I knock firmly, to signal that I mean business, but it takes several minutes for the door to finally open. No excuse is offered by the bedraggled, yet at least bathed, man before me, but no matter, I don't have time for those. "Mr. Zeke, a pleasure as always," I say with a small smile. "Are you alone? I have urgent business to discuss with you." quote:> <@174312451272212480>: `2d6+1` Hit the streets mortality = (2+6)+1 = 9
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Jul 9, 2020 15:45
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 I thought desperately, searching for a way out. There didn't seem to be one; I couldn't think of a plausible lie that fit the facts as Ryouta knew it which wasn't worse than the truth. I could only see this conversation going one of two ways, and neither were good. I turned, to check to see that Echoes still hadn't returned with the tea. "Lord Hades is not currently aware that Nekyomanteus has resurfaced," I admitted quietly. "A group of local fledgling wizards accidentally summoned the lich using a corrupted seance ritual. All of them were young, and some of them have local political ties. I feared that if Lord Hades's attention were brought to the incident in an official capacity, his retribution would cause the city to become politically unstable, and if his wedding retreat were interrupted, it might cause the area to become geologically unstable," I add darkly. "So I have been attempting to resolve the situation in an unofficial capacity, by hunting and killing the damned revenant on my own."
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Jul 10, 2020 04:40
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 Yeah safe, I'm sure i'd be very safe up until the very moment I'm not. Welcome back to the real Columbus, Some things never really changed. I sighed. "Ok tell me about your werewolf problem, Who are they? what do they want? What do you want from them? the more I know the better I can do." at least if I played along that might put me in a better position to deal with their inevitable attempt to whack me. Call me paranoid but I'm still alive when a lot of my contemporary's aren't . They'd keep me around for as long as I was useful and not a moment longer.
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Jul 10, 2020 21:08
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Dylan: "He'll have to get in line," Steward says with a grin. "Someone else wants this, and I want his help. I might not have to worry about Hades soon enough." He chuckles, and you know he doesn't seem to think this person even currently fears Hades - which is pretty strange as well. What do you do? Amani: "Yeah, I'm alone for now," Zeke Cornett says. You go into his apartment, and he pours drinks for the two of you. As you're talking about what you want, he slowly stops drinking and stares at you. He often stares at people, so it takes a moment for you to realize he's staring at you because of what you're asking. "Amani, you're asking a lot of me here. The Summer Court is...well, they're inviting some dangerous people for vists. You're going to owe me big for this. And you're going to want to watch your step around those dangerous people." He leans back and thinks. "I want you to cut off Vincent." Do you know what Zeke's problem with Vincent is or is this something new? What do you do? Ophelia: Ryouta eyes at you - he's trying to figure out how to benefit from this situation. "I don't know, Ophelia. This is a huge deal to us. I'm under a lot of pressure from my court to solve this. Telling them what's actually going on would be very simple. But this is your city, and your line of work. What is your plan?" Really though he's asking, 'What will you give me that's worth putting myself at risk?' What do you do? Leo: "Smart man," she says. "There's this gang called the Downtown Claws. We're going to push them out, take over the operations in the area. Surely you've seen this kind of poo poo before? You're not that old right? We have an opportunity since the Fae are leaving for whatever reason. They're expecting us though, so I want you to soften them up in the day. We'll finish them at night." What do you do?
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Jul 11, 2020 05:03
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Amani Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 I drink my drink in a stately and sedate fashion, so that it won't show how rattled I am. Not like Zeke would pick up on such cues, but it's good practice. "Pardon?" I lift an eyebrow. "You want me to 'cut off' one of my most lucrative clients? What is the meaning of this?" I honestly have no idea why he would care whether or not Vincent makes use of my services. I was barely aware they knew each other. Regardless, I am not about to lose a client over this assignment, if I can help it. "Well, whatever the reason, it's obviously important to you." I put my now-finished drink gently down on the table, then fold my hands in my lap. "But you must understand, it's equally important to me that I not lose my trusted business relationships. Since you have always been so helpful and forthcoming, I will promise to cut back Mr. Vincent's sessions. Will that satisfy you?" quote:@Amani (Klingon): 2d6+1 Manipulate Zeke = (4+5)+1 = 10
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Jul 13, 2020 22:55
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 "Telling them might be simple," I counter, "but it won't get you any closer to Nekyomanteus. Lord Hades is still out of contact, and will be for some time. Whereas, if you work with me, and we stop the lich..." I grit my teeth. "I'll owe you one."
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Jul 14, 2020 00:36
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1x, Wild 1 "Not having to worry about Hades, uh." I comment, and I can't keep a trace of skepticism out of my voice. It honestly sounds like Stewart here got swindled, and swindled pretty bad, too. But hey, who knows, maybe he does have the right hook up. I weigh my option for a second before asking: "And who's this contact of yours who can pull off a trick like that?" OOC: what do I know about the amulet?
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Jul 14, 2020 17:24
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 "Fine, I''ll deal with your bloody werewolf problem. Then we're done, finished, finito, I never see you again and you never see me again. Now if I could just trouble you for my gear back and a ride back to pick up my car. I'll get out of you hair." Of course my mind was already considering how I was going to deal with the werewolves. Brute force was the obvious answer but thinking more like a battering ram and less like a rapier had nearly got me killed too many times to count and I didn't have the invincible ignorance of youth on my side anymore. As I was being escorted out my mind was already working on the problem a couple of ideas sprang to mind but it depended on who was running the wolves these days.. Hmm Downtown claws I'd definitely heard the name somewhere.. quote:/roll 2d6 #Who's running the wolves (Putting a name to a face)
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Jul 15, 2020 22:05
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Amani: "I'll accept that," Zeke says. He pauses for a moment and then unconsciously lowers his voice even though it's only you two here. "The Summer Court is more aware of what the werewolves and vampires are up to then they're letting on. I think the King and Queen are legitimately pissed about something that went down in the courts, but their subjects seem to be using this opportunity to plan something. The Duchess of Summer Rose in particular has been giving aid to, uh..." He stops for a moment and you think there might be some competing magic rattling around in his head. "The Downtown Claws. They have a bar called Underground - not far from here." He gives you the address. "She gave them some magical assistance for some vampires they're dealing with and is probably getting them to do something for her in exchange. You'll have to get them to tell you what though. Good luck with that. And you didn't hear it from me." What do you do? Ophelia: "Sounds like a good start," Ryouta says. "But in addition, I want to deliver the final blow to this revenant." It takes you a moment, but you realize that he's angling for being able to say he killed Nekyomanteus even if you do most of the work bringing him down and then ritually sending his spirit to the Underworld. What do you do? Dylan: "Well, let's just say he should be at the top of Hade's most wanted list, and yet Hades doesn't even know he's here. The amulet will help with that even more. I think we'll be fine." You haven't seen the amulet before, and in fact the Brotherhood didn't mention that one of these artifacts was among what the rogue wizard had in her possession. Either they didn't know...or they didn't want you to know. What do you do? Leo: Before you leave the leader makes you put down her burner's number in your phone, under Alice. As you think on the Downtown Claws while being driven back to your car it hits you - you ran into Junko Kawaguchi before. In fact, she bailed you out once when you nearly had a weapon you made stolen off you by some other gang of wolves. It was probably more because they were a rival gang operating on her turf then actually out of the kindness of her heart, but that's still yet another person you owe. Junko has a Debt on you You remember she was a drat good fighter and now you've got one group of people pushing you to go against her and wolves like her. What do you do?
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Jul 16, 2020 07:52
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1x, Wild 1 Now, I know what I should've done. I should've taken the artifacts, gone my separate way from Stewart and delivered the package like a good boy. But the thing is, something about what Stewart is doing is just too interesting to pass up. Hades is about as big a name as it gets in Columbus; whoever this friend of Stewart is, who can work around or even reject such a massive threat, I'd love to meet them. So I pretended to stick to my original plan (in a downright devious stroke of inspiration, I told him that I was going tell my people that he got to the cache first, to get them off my back) and then pretended to leave on foot; but as soon as Stewart was in his car, I turned a corner, ducked into mine, and started following him from a safe distance. Plenty of traffic in Columbus at this time of day; how's he going to notice one more beat-up off-beige sedan going in the same direction? Keeping my cool: 2d6+2 = (5+2)+2 = 9. Partial success: the GM tells me what it costs me to achieve what I'm doing.
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Jul 18, 2020 13:18
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses. "Sure," I agree. "If we bring him down and survive, you can take the credit." And if Ryouta doesn't survive, he can be a posthumous speed-bump in my career-path; this blackmail is getting on my last nerve. I gesture towards the door. "Shall we get started, then? Time is very literally running out."
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Jul 18, 2020 17:15
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 As I was being driven back I was patting myself on the back. At least I'd walked out of there with my skin intact and full of blood. Never a guarantee when you're dealing with the Vamps. Still that left me to contemplate my werewolf problem, I wasn't looking forward to dealing with them, Werewolves are 300 pounds of lean mean killing machines and people with any sense dealt with them at a distance. Preferably with a zeroed in sniper rifle. Hmm but maybe a sniper rifle was a bit too flashy and would bring down the wrong kind of heat. Didn't want the feds pulling me in on some sort of terrorism bullshit. Still maybe I could pull it off get your hands on some silver and it would be easier. Maybe even round up a few punks and wannabes as cannon fodder. Still something about the job was bugging me and then it hit me, "poo poo" I swore out loud as the drivers eyes glanced up in surprise. "Just remembered I'd left the stove on." I said casually . No what I was really remembering was where I'd heard the name Downtown Claws, that was Junko's gang. Junko was something all right, I'd seen her take down six guys once, and that was without letting the dog out. Besides I owed her one, Some werewolf prick had ambushed one of my couriers. Not one of her pack but she'd helpfully pointed me in the right dingy little bar where the prick hung out. Being a werewolf doesn't help you when you're drunk as a skunk and you've got several inches of silver through your left kidney. I'd heard he'd died slow. But I wouldn't have known where to look if not for her. We weren't friends don't get me wrong, but for a youngster she understood how the game was played. I'd much rather be working for her to scrag some vampires than the other way round. Hmm actually that gave me an idea. Of course I'd have to find where Junko and her cronies drank these days.. My old sources were kind of kaput these days but there was still one guy I could probably trust to give me the right answer. Old Three-eyed Willy. He looked and smelled like a homeless guy but claimed he had a third eye that allowed him "to see what mere mortals could not" I'd call that bullshit but I'd never caught him out in a lie yet so maybe he did have a line in unfathomable cosmic power. Should be easy enough to find. just follow the scent of stale booze and piss. quote:/roll 2d6 #hitting the streets (power)
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Jul 19, 2020 23:26
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 With Ryouta's smug consent, I take only a moment to give Echoes my sincere regrets for cutting our afternoon short, and I'm out the door and onto the street. "We take my car," I tell Ryouta, clicking the fob on my leased Audi RS7. You can never trust fae with transportation; Echoes once tried to take me upstate via the Scioto River, forgetting that other people need little niceties like boats. I head downtown, looking for an acquaintance of Ramona's; Ramona prides herself on her ability to find almost anything in the vicinity of Columbus that generates a paper trail, including vampires and most fae, but for creatures that don't own property or pay taxes, she outsources her contracts to someone a little more esoteric. I park in front of an old three story brick house in the German Village. The house to its right has been converted into a museum, the one on the left is a gastro-pub now, but this one is still a residence, technically. Except for the month of October, when it's the most profitable haunted house in the city. "Gird your loins," I tell Ryouta as I knock on the door. "And, if possible, hold your breath. I'm a gorgon, and even I find this one a little weird." I let that hang a beat before adding, "and I hope you're not allergic to cats." The door is opened by a tall human dressed entirely in black evening wear, flanked on either side by two of the evilest-eyed black tomcats I've ever seen. From inside the house, I can hear the yowling of dozens and dozens more. "Hello, Sloane," I say. "Sloane, this is Ryouta Katou of the Court of Blossoms. Ryouta, this is Sloane, the Speaker to Cats, a Pythia and medium." Introductions completed, I cut to the chase. "Sloane, Nekyomanteius is loose. I need to know where to start looking for them." quote:@Ophelia (OKShark): 2d6+1 hitting the streets (power) = (3+6)+1 = 10
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Jul 20, 2020 03:57
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Dylan: Stewart goes around in circles a bit - you think he's making his movements erratic and unpredictable in case someone's following or tracking him. He starts heading close to downtown and towards the homes in the German Village. He goes to a house on top of a hill, but you notice a lot of people are out relaxing or talking or playing. You can park close and follow him, but this is for fairly rich people and you...well, you don't quite look like the average resident here to put it gently. People are definitely going to take notice. What do you do? Leo: You start working on tracking down Willy. You call around, and find he's taken to hanging around various liquor stores so underage kids will give him money to get him booze. As you pull up to his current haunt, you see Old Three Eyed Willy standing, watching you drive to him. Like he was just waiting for you to show up, or more likely knew exactly when you'd be here. "Hey Leo." He finishes the lone cigarette and drops an empty bottle. "Don't stop the car." He gets in the passenger seat. "You need me for something right?" You tell him that you need to meet up with Junko and her werewolves, and he thinks for a moment. "Yeah, yeah I know her. Listen, she's a little pissed at me so I'm gonna need you to vouch for me, all right? Tell her I won't cause any more trouble. Agree to that, and I'll tell you how to get there." There's something strange going on here though. "God I hope they have cigarettes there, I had to go off a dropped pack today." What do you do? Ophelia: "Oh my, so many problems in this city," Sloan says. "It's Jack Stewart again. Oh he hides his residences through getting other people and businesses to pay for his housing, but I know where he lives. And I know Nekyomanteius shouldn't be loose and that Hades doesn't know, so let's just keep these two facts secret okay? He's had a young visitor move in recently recently, and at first I thought - Good for him! I thought there might be an age gap thing, but it turns out his friend is your Nekyomanteius. Perhaps not so good then? Who knows what those two are getting up to. Since I gave you this information, can you at least try to make sure Jack doesn't get hurt when you're hunting his friend? I have uses for him." She scribbles down an address, and it's surprisingly close. She starts to hand it to you, and then pauses. "If you make sure Jack is okay by the end of whatever happens, I will owe you." Then she hands it to you. "Here you are. Didn't hear it from me, etc etc. Anything else or are you and your boyfriend ready to go Ghost Busting?" What do you do?
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Jul 21, 2020 08:21
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1x, Wild 1 You know, it's easy to assume that, since Stewart is kind of a pariah in, shall we say, the hidden community he is part of, that he wouldn't have that much going on for himself on the private side of things, either. So easy in fact that I did just that, and isn't there egg on my face now as I watch these fine folks eating hors d'oeuvres and talking about blissfully unimportant things. Well, this is about as harmless a lesson in not making assumptions as I'm going to get. For now, I do a quick drive around the place to get a feel for it, and then I park far enough that it's not immediately obvious that I intend to walk over there. I take a moment to study the people chatting away. Who are they? What's going on here? Investigate a place of power: @Dylan Mbaye (PXG): 2d6+1 = (3+6)+1 = 10 paradoxGentleman fucked around with this message at 13:25 on Aug 2, 2020 |
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Jul 24, 2020 14:25
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Amani Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 Ah, the Summer Court. They can always be counted on to get in over their heads. Well, I will not be making the same mistake. At least not without some preparation. I thank Zeke effusively, but I leave as soon as is polite. A great conversation partner he is not. I make my way back to my shop, deep in thought the whole time. As much as I'd told myself I would stay laser focused simply on finishing the queen's task as soon as possible, I can't help but be a little drawn to the drama of secrecy and betrayal. Old days that may never come again. I have a hunch, but I check with my employee just to make sure--as expected, no sign of Leo Carter or the item. I didn't want to have to do this--as a privileged client it should by all rights be beneath me--but I will have to... call him. Ringing... ringing... no answer. No, I will not be leaving a voicemail. I am far too disappointed, and the missed call alone should be enough to indicate that. No matter. I have tricks. And bodyguards. Ordering two to follow me, I take a ride to the Underground. Now the question is, do I recognize anyone here?
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Jul 28, 2020 04:24
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 Tch. Boyfriend? Still, Sloan just proved more helpful than I ever expected. "Thank you, Sloan darling." I kiss the air to either side of her cheek and try to ignore the smell of cats. "This helps tremendously. You justify every one of Ramona's boasts about you." I pocket the address. "Do not worry, my only interest is in the revenant. I promise to do everything I can to save Mr. Stewart from this danger he has gotten himself in." Fun fact: unlike my fey partner, jack and poo poo happens to me when I break my promises, so long as they aren't made to Lord Hades. "This... young friend... of Mr. Stewart: you have a description? In case we see them first?" Once we've gotten what we can from the Oracle I join Ryouta in my car. "My thinking on this is, we go in to talk to Jack Stewart geared up but low-key, and try to get him to scare him away from the revenant. If Nekyomanteus is on the premises, we don't want to kick in the front door but have him flee out the back. I'd rather not have to fight a living wizard and a dead wizard at the same time." I reach into the back seat and remove a slim leaf-bladed bronze sword, covered in verdigris. The guard and handle look like two twining snakes. "But I will, if I have to."
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Jul 29, 2020 00:32
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 "Here" I said flipping him a cigarette. "But wind down the drat window first." At least that would hide the smell coming off him. I get the man is homeless and all but would it kill him to have a shower every now and again? Still if he can get me to where I need to be I suppose I'll do him a solid instead. Why can't things be nice and simple, between vampires, werewolves and homeless psychics this day has already gotten way too complicated. I didn't like having this many players on the board at once. "Look I don't know what you've done to piss her off but once I've sorted my own business with her I'll try and put in a good word for you. Think of it as a finders fee." I said to Willy. As we were driving and I tried to follow the erratic directions of my questionably sane passenger. My phone began to ring. Now don't get me wrong I'm willing enough to do dangerous poo poo like fight vampires hand to hand or sit down to a game of poker with a were-rat but even I draw the line at answering my phone while driving. However by the time I'd pulled over the phone had stopped ringing. Glancing at the number. Amani poo poo, She probably thought I'd forgotten all about her. And to a certain extent I had. Just one drat thing after another. I tried calling her back but got no reply. So I left her a voicemail "Sorry I missed you but I've had a minor emergency. I'll deliver your package to you as soon as it's resolved." I added apologetically. Then to make matters worse Willy started laughing as I hung up. "What's so funny?" I asked crossly. "You, I remember back in the day when you wouldn't apologise for poo poo and would have told someone who had an issue with you to put up or shut up." I glared at him. "Maybe I've gotten older and wiser." "Older certainly." he laughed again. "Look do you want me to put in a good word with Junko or not?" I added as we pulled away back onto the road...
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Aug 2, 2020 23:51
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Amani: You enter inside this small bar, and the people inside take a look at you. One of them, the leader probably, speaks from the door. "If you have business here you'll have to wait a moment." A dirty man enters along with Leo, and she takes out a switchblade. She flicks it open and points the blade at Leo's neck. What do you do? Leo: Willy looks at the road as you drive to the Underground. It's a somewhat small and and grungy bar, with a few people inside. He open the door and you follow him...right where Junko is waiting for you. She flicks open a switchblade and points it at your neck. "Hey old man." She looks at Willy. "Thanks. We're settled." He looks apologetically at you. "Sorry Leo. I have my own problems, and I knew you were coming here." He starts to leave. Junko motions for you to go ahead. "Let's talk in private." Interestingly you notice Amani and two of her people are here as well, but that might have to wait. What do you do? Dylan: You study the place, and see it's fairly secure against intrusion. There's a strange feel about the area that you only really pick up when you focus on the more magical aspects of this house. It's the kind of sensation that happens when a fairly complex ritual is being prepared in advance - not yet started, but you know if you go in and look you'll find the setup for it around. But as you're going around, you see another car coming by - and inside is Ophelia and another man. What do you do? Ophelia: "Thank you dear. The other person is an Indian man with a scar on his lip, wears a black handkerchief on his neck. Stewart doesn't really have a lot of people staying at his home, so I doubt you'll have to worry about mixing him up with anyone else there." When you're back at your car, Ryouta looks at the sword in admiration. "I want to use this on the revenant when the time for the killing blow comes." You head up to Stewart's house, but there's someone looking at it - and when you get closer you can see it's Dylan. What do you do?
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Aug 3, 2020 08:30
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Amani Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 I know I have to be careful in unfamiliar territory, but the scene before me is just beyond the pale. I came all this way, only to find my contractor getting into nonsense in some dingy bar? The Queen's inquiries can wait, I need to deal with this right now! "Excuse me," I say to the woman with the knife, adding just a hint of a glare to my expression. Who is she, anyway? Who dares try to cut in with Leo before I'm done with him? "I do in fact have business here, and some of it is with that man. What in all the hells are you doing pointing a knife at his neck?" I turn to the old man in question, looking him up and down with my arms crossed. "And you, Leo Carter! I hope you realize that a voicemail apology is not even remotely enough to make up for missing an appointment with me. I trust that you have a moment to spare now, at least?" I let my two associates do much of the unspoken communication that accompanies my questions, but the shimmer in my eyes that is rising with my emotions is actually far more dangerous. quote:Rolling Night Orbs fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Aug 7, 2020 |
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Aug 5, 2020 05:43
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 "You want to borrow my sword?" I can't keep the incredulity out of my voice. That's a rude, an astonishingly rude, thing to ask. I can vaguely recall the hands of past lives gripping this sword during the literal bronze age. It's enough that I actually forget and peer at him over the top of my sunglasses, before I remember and raise them again. "If you... absolutely must..." I say, unwillingly. [OOC: Ophelia is willing to temporarily turn the sword over, but considers that a debt in its own right, either calling in, or owed.] As we drive up to the house, I spot another unwelcome face and groan. Bloody wizards. If I hadn't gotten Nekyomanteus's description from Sloan, I would have thought this was our new revenant's form, because that's the way my luck is running today. I pull the car up to the curb, take my cell phone out, and dial the contact marked "Wizard, Disaster". "What are you doing here?" I demand of Dylan.
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Aug 7, 2020 23:22
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Leo Carter Mortality 1, Night 0, Power 0, Wild 1 That motherfucker.. I hope he could see the future because right now what I was contemplating doing to him would mean he had no future. That still didn't explain what Junko's deal was, I mean we're not exactly old bosom buddies but I hadn't done anything that was worth a knife to the throat as far as I was aware of. Holy poo poo that thing was sharp though. Still I needed to think, and Amani's babbling (What was she doing here anyway?) was distracting me. I needed some way to get Junko off my back but first I needed to figure out what had her so pissed at me in the first place. quote:/roll 2d6+2 #figuring out Junko
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Aug 8, 2020 19:02
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 I arch my eyebrow as I see Ophelia and... that's Ryouta Katou, yeah? He's fae, if I'm not mistaken. How odd to see them hanging out here. I spy her pick her phone, and then I hear mine ring. I can feel the edges of my face turn into a smile as I answer. She's as businesslike as ever, but I can't resist ribbing her a bit. "Ophelia! So good to hear from you, too! I'm well, thank you, as I hope you are." I chuckle, in part to let her know that I'm just pulling her leg. "As it happens I'm here on official business of the Reformed Hermetic Brotherhood of Set. Very official. Here's a more interesting question: what are you doing here, in fae company and with a burning scowl on your face? @Dylan Mbaye (PXG): 2d6+1 Put a name to a face with Wild = (2+5)+1 = 8
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Aug 8, 2020 19:27
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Ophelia Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 "I am hunting an enemy of the Lord of the Underworld," I reply peevishly. "Th wizard in that building is currently harboring a revenant. I don't suppose you know anything about it?" I ignore the other half of Dylan's question: Ryouta can supply his own damned justification. Old Kentucky Shark fucked around with this message at 02:49 on Aug 12, 2020 |
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Aug 12, 2020 02:46
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Amani: It takes a moment, but you recognize the woman as Junko Kawaguichi. She's the leader of the Downtown Claws, and presumably has been getting help from the Wild side. In fact, you remember giving her information on a rival's session - a secret kept between you two. But you figured her owing you could be good in the future. And now here's a chance to use that debt. "Amani. Didn't realize it was you. I have a deal to fufill and your friend here is part of it. Sorry." What do you do? Leo The good news is that it's not personal. The bad news is that it's professional. Looks like one of your enemies got to Junko before you. She gives you a painful poke to your neck with the knife, although no blood is drawn. "You wanna do this the easy way or the hard way Leo?" She could have already just stabbed you, so it seems like she might at least want to talk to you first. Visibly disarming yourself would get her to put down the knife, since she'd still be dangerous to you without it. "Glad you decided to come by. But why? This isn't really your kind of scene." What do you do? Junko asks "Who's pulling your character's strings?" Ophelia: Ryouta looks a bit annoyed at your reaction to him asking to borrow your sword, but muses on it. "I suppose we'll see when the time comes." But you can tell he's probably willing to go with your demand. When you're talking to Dylan he's mostly watching, trying to see what Dylan is like and if he's a problem or a solution. What do you do? Dylan: Ryouta is not just any Fae, he's a ambassador to the Court of Blossoms - a pretty big deal for the Wild. But he's actually been blowing the local Wild population off and visiting people in the Power communities, asking them about what they are doing and how things are. That's pretty strange, but no one's sure what exactly he's trying to find out yet. Well, presumably no one but it seems you have a good idea of what he was trying to get information about now. What do you do?
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Aug 12, 2020 23:36
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Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard Blood -1, Heart 0, Mind 1, Spirit 2 Mortality 1, Night -1, Power 1, Wild 1 "You're being very suspicious of me, Ophelia, and you have no real reason to be. I'm here on something completely unrelated." I lean forward a bit, squinting my eye at her car. "Listen, can you put Ryouta on the phone?"
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Aug 16, 2020 17:59
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paradoxGentleman posted:Dylan Mbaye, the Wizard quote:I lean forward a bit, squinting my eye at her car. "Listen, can you put Ryouta on the phone?"
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Aug 18, 2020 03:26
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