OOC- Shadow's Dawn: Diving into the past Options

[Big Fella]

OK Biffing the guard http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2934311/
Damage is stun: 13 + 1 nett success (the guard apparently rolled 4 successes) = 14 stun

A gentle tap...mu ha ha

[Seth]

OK people welcome back after the weekend.

Current situation:

• It is the start of rounds 7&8
• The time is 00:00:30
• The background count is Aztech 2 Toxic 1 in the Reactor Control Room, but only Aztech 2 in the corridor and storeroom
• Bjeorn is in the store room opposite the reactor control room
• Feargash still has to get through the ward, but has been treated, is hopped up on drugs and is ready to have another go
• Ambrose is still being NPCed as Ol' Scratch is still not able to post
• Everyone else is in the Reactor Control room
• The visibility in the Reactor Control room is appalling, and its hard to see stuff.
• Mandala has cast and is maintaining a mind net to keep everyone in touch
• Ryl's matrix presence has entered the main security system, and he is still sneaking around it like a really sneaky thing, although he is holding a leaf (file) in his hand that implies someone has spotted him.
• There are currently no guards in the corridor, although you believe that everyone is awake, and probably running around the pyramid to get to their designated General Quarters position. Some people will be putting on armor, which takes up to a minute.

External things

• General Quarters has been sounded
• Multiple hypersonic aircraft have sighted approaching the pyramid
• Large astral forms have been detected about to assault the wards on the pyramid
• Plan 'Blood Alpha One' has been invoked which among other things seems to involve the creation of a ward using lots of hideous blood magic, which involves blood running through pipes around the pyramid. The created ward is strong enough to separate Mandala's link to the metaplanes which was last done in the Earthdawn Kaers.

Immediate goals:
Up to you. The plan was to split, half going to room 27a, the other half heading to take out warder. Before you actually open 27a, I will run the flashback into world war II

Things I need:
A rough idea of who you were, what you were doing in WWII, and why you were in the Wolfs den. (Spy, military commander, for or against, reporting on technical progress, reporting on the recovery of a valuable thing...) there is going to be a meeting with Hitler, and most of you will be at or near that meeting. If I can get most people's view, I will kick off the flashback thread (I'll run it as a separate thread so as not to confuse the main story line) towards the end of the week

[Aria]

Ryl's a HER!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Go look at the image file (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Alyena]

Hi Guys,

Sorry I wasn't around over the weekend. It sounds as though you've all been having fun, especially Fearghas!

Alyena will be using the 4:1 rule for Slaughter Spirit so Mandala will be able to absorb it with no problems.
She will then Cleanse the corridor so the background should drop to nothing, in case we're attacked.

As far as the team split goes can I suggest the following?

Get Warder team: Alyena (counterspell his hideous magics) Bjeorn (to soak damage and rend him limb from limb) Aren (to scout ahead) and Mandala (as a good all round support and bullet shield - as we have to go past troops)

Guard 27a team: Ryl (while she's hacking) Marduk and Ambrose (to figure out the door puzzle and wierd stuff inside) and Fearghas (as combat + magic)

Just a thought, but without that we have no bullet shield or counterspell against Warder.

In round 7 & 8 Alyena will move into the corridor and go with which ever team we decide on (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sabs]

Mandala is a pacifist (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
He might seriously cry if we make him go on the hit squad.
But other than that your fine. I figured I could counterspell as well as Alyena.. but I can't drop background counts, so perhaps I cannot.

I basically suggested a similar setup, although I had Aren(scout), Fearghas(murder by death), Me(Counterspelling), and Ryl (because we want Ryl to use her womanly ways to open doors for us as we head to him). But perhaps Ryl can open doors from here? That would certainly work out for us. Your suggestion is good too. Bjeorn might be of better use defending Room 27a. I'm not sure.


I would have thought that my Character would have Spent WWII in Russia, as a scientist under Stalin. But it sounds like we were being used by the Council. So perhaps he was a Scientist working for the Nazi's. Maybe he was intentionally sabotaging the German work on Nuclear Theory? To make sure they would not get the bomb. Or perhaps he was working for the Nazi's looking for "Paranormal" relics, and making sure that the stuff from the Balkans never got found?

[Seth]

By my counting (I might have made an error) Alyena is up to 17 die counterspelling combat spells, and 13 for other types.

I would have thought that my Character would have Spent WWII in Russia, as a scientist under Stalin. But it sounds like we were being used by the Council. So perhaps he was a Scientist working for the Nazi's. Maybe he was intentionally sabotaging the German work on Nuclear Theory? To make sure they would not get the bomb. Or perhaps he was working for the Nazi's looking for "Paranormal" relics, and making sure that the stuff from the Balkans never got found?

Few options for you:

• Russian scientist captured by the Nazi's and being presented as a "prize"
• Infiltrating the Nazi bomb project to sabotage it. The bomb project is going well, you have managed to set up a production plant for quality uranium oxide and you are reporting that to the Reich Research Council.
• Looking for the holy grail (Queeny dearest asked you very nicely), you have found a clue and you are delivering it

[sabs]

Yeah that's better than my 10 or so (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Aria]

Will try and get an IC post up this evening but I've got meetings all day today (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

[Aria]

Hope I've not jumped the gun with my IC post...I'm assuming I'll be able to re-establish matrix comms very quickly...?!?

I think that Ryl would have been a spy for either the nascent MI-6 or possibly the French resistance working out of Brittany. Either way she will be posing as an archaeologist (not many women military types in WW2)

[Sephiroth]

LETS TRY THIS AGAIN.

Magic 9 + power focus 4 + Int 9 - wound modifier 1 + Edge 3 = 24d6 = 12 hits

No, I didn't get a 1 on the bad luck roll

That's better. Fearghas is now through the ward.

[Seth]

@Sephiroth: Glad it went better this time.

@Aria:
on the tactical dispay that you are looking at, you see that two armoured troops (one of them a paramedic) have been tasked to investigate the flashing blue light.
a new leaf appears in your hand. THE RESEARCH FLOOR ABOVE THE WAY MAIN IN, BELOW THE MAIN TEMPLE. ROOM 12. YOU WILL NEED TO CARRY HER. BRING SOMETHING WITH A ROBOT ARM OR A DEMOLITIONS EXPERT

@everyone/WWII:
Thanks for the those that have indicated their WWII cover. Its sounding like a common theme is "occult artefact recovering group": some voluntary and some not. I'll post a brief in the next couple of days for the flashback. If you want to be a partisan, a Nazi sympathizer, and estranged military officer... let me know in the next 48 hours.

@everyone/group split
I think this group split decision is holding a lot of people up. I am tempted to suggest a modification of Alyena's plan with Sab's observation that Mandala is a pacifist.

• Group Alpha/Warder: Bjeorn, Alyena, Aren, Markduk
• Group Beta/27a: Ambrose, Fearghas, Mandala and Ryl

That way there is a scholar in each group, a hard combatant in each group and a non poster in each group. If anyone wants to move themselves to the other group, just do so as I can shuffle around the (now) NPCs easily.

I suggest you all IC move out into the corridor and start heading in your separate ways. At the moment the corridor is quiet, it does have wifi.

[Aria]

Ok, Ryl will log back onto the security node ASAP and consider her next action...

[sabs]

Seth:
Marduk was looking for the Holy Grail I think. The scholar role would fit him well. Btw, Ambrose and I. How did we hide what we were? I guess I'm just a short human?

Also I don't remember how mindnet works, let me know if I need to edit my post.

The spell I want him to sustain:

Combat Sense: Force 6,
Spellcasting test: 14d6(-2 from background count): 4 6 1 5 4 2 3 4 6 6 5 2 1 4 (5) hits

[Seth]

Just so that you know: Mandala will be at -2 on all actions if he sustains the spell, and if he maintains it for a day he will loose a point of force...

Ambrose has an alchemical elixier that he drinks to disguise his horns: he still looks ugly
I think there are plenty of real life dwarfs around. Of course in the Nazi eugenic period, you might have problems: You will have a ton of paperwork saying that you are legal, and still will be spat upon everywhere. A lovely time to be a dwarf

[pbangarth]

The limitless possibilities of what Mandala can be and starting a new job have delayed my response to the WWII thing. Sorry.

I've got the scholar thing going with another character on DS, so I don't think I'll do it with Mandala.

I think with Mandala's background, some kind of propaganda ministry official would work. Sussing out good propaganda film material, looking for 'heroes of the Reich', expected to poke his nose into all kinds of places, that sort of thing. With his charisma he could be a good 'A-list' party-circuit mover and shaker. I'm open to suggestions from teammates if a more cohesive unit can be formed by Mandala filling another role.

[Seth]

Mandala-as-nuclear-technician 'stumbles' out into the hallway, looking for cameras covering the hallway. to any camera he sees, he gesticulates: left hand on heart, right hand waving stay away; left hand points to reactor room, right hand draws thumb across throat; both hands wave run away. He staggers to the closet door across the hall, and looks in.

The closet door across the hall is the storeroom door that Bjeorn has just demolished. He dealt with the guard and hapless clerk. There is no one other than you in the corridor now (Bjeorn is still in the store room, and everyone else is behind you. I am NPCing Aren, and he has invisibly zoomed towards the stairs.

[pbangarth]

If Mandala finds nothing in the closet, he moves down the hall to 27A. Wait a minute! That's the room Bjeorn just went into and knocked a guy out. Who is the girl?? If there is a girl there Mandala has to investigate. Can't leave an innocent in the line of fire, now, can we?

EDIT: Ah, posted just after Seth answered my question. Oh well. My IC post is not too out of line.

[sabs]

I'll sustain the spell myself then. Which is irritating because I get 5 extra dice, and then lose 2 for sustaining (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) but oh well.

He probably gets accused of being a Jew all the time. I mean he looks like a caricature of a jew from that time period. But he's really smart so.

So I have a question:
Were we pro-nazi? or were we anti-nazi pretending to be pro-nazi?

[Seth]

Were we pro-nazi? or were we anti-nazi pretending to be pro-nazi?

Up to you. Quite a lot of the immortals are Facist, racial supremists. Most of the immortals are supporting the Nazi's, and are in for a rude shock when the mundanes kick their butt (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif) .

[sabs]

My character is Throalic, and the Nazi's really strike me as 'Theran like'
Unless his personality seriously changed, I would think he would be anti-nazi. So perhaps this was a dissagreement amongst friends (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) In which case.. I think I'll make him a Russian Scientist, who gets captured as a prize. (I think He'll be using a Russian Jew Identity)

[Seth]

The WWII brief will look a little like this. It's based on what you have been saying

Its the middle of July 1944, you are entering the "Wolfs lair" in the Black Forest.

You are mostly a group of occult investigators that have just found a prize. The prize you find is the "Bird of hope" which is a guide to the Holy Grail. It's physical manifestation is as a blackbird, and its currently in a golden bird cage. The bird of hope can only be found at the gates of hell by those who have lost all hope. The group of you have just returned from Auschwitz where you recovered a significant artifact, and are feeling somewhat scarred (and probably full of anti-Nazi sentiment). Marduk I think they saved you from the chambers, and have given you false papers indicating that you are part of the crew, and I think you found the bird.

You are in the process of handing the artifact to Queen Alachia, and probably planning on clearing out of Germany. We'll skip over the hold she has over you (again: are you spotting an MO) but recovering the bird of hope should be enough to stop her interrupting you.

For the purposes of the story it would be helpful if you decide to steal the bird back from the Nazi's after clearing your "debt" with Queeny.

I wouldn't mind your help embellishing the brief (roleplaying after all is communal story telling). I'll post the brief in its own thread soon.

[Seth]

The new IC thread is here

[sabs]

the background count is only -5?
Does that mean we have /roughly/ a 5 magic rating? (since I don't have any cyberware yet)

[Seth]

the background count is only -5?
Does that mean we have /roughly/ a 5 magic rating? (since I don't have any cyberware yet)

It certainly does. The wolfs lair is a magic hot spot that is about 3 or 4 points higher than the general background.

[sabs]

Oh for future reference:
Marduk (if he has a choice) will lose Spellcasting Magic Rating before he loses Adept Power Magic Rating.

So for him to start losing Adept Powers he has to be in a -8 environment. He loses all spellcasting at -7