IC: The Sun Never Sets, IC thread for The Sun Never Sets Options

[pbangarth]

Stogie sips the hot coffee, slurping a bit to cool it as it enters his mouth. "Not bad.

"I just got a reply from a contact of mine in TerraFirst who knows about eco-activists. She says the Sisters have been around for a while, and have a reputation for planning, not random violence. Her opinion is, if they are attacking people in what looks like a random way, there is a reason behind it. She doesn't know what that reason might be.

"So. I guess we need to know if there is a pattern to the attacks, or maybe whether there are some unrelated attacks in the mix to cover one or more real targets. Anybody got a way to figure that sort of thing out?

"Heh, my contact suggests I connect with them to set up a joint operation, either with me or with TerraFirst. I suppose this might be a way to get a meeting with the Sisters. Who knows, maybe that is all we need. I wouldn't want to do something that gets TerraFirst mad at me, though. They're kinda handy with gasoline and dynamite."

[Faranji]

Upon sitting down Jeff places the shotgun on a seat next to him and leaves the cap on.

"Coffee eh? Irish please. You too? No? Hmmm... 'n s for the sisters. Why don't we find out what they attacked first? And THEN find the pattern, eh? They ain't too intelligent if they're messin with civilians so the pattern shouldn't be hard either, eh? Or they gone mad and it IS random!"


Jeff takes a deep gulp out of a pocket flask and whipes his mouth afterwards.

"I don like workin with darn terrorists. This will bring us into shit up to our heads eh? Can't have all the officers lookin for me cause they think Ima terrorist, eh?"

[AtroposReborn]

"I agree. We shouldn't be associating ourselves with arsonists just yet. I'm sure there are other ways to get to the bottom of this. I say we check out the previous targets and ask around the local populace."

Ellesar fiddles with the camera film, loading a fresh roll into the device. He takes a quick picture of the cafe and prepares the camera for the next shot, placing it carefully back in his bag.

"We need to feel out the situation before we do anything too rash."

[pbangarth]

Stogie sips his coffee. "No problem. Just puttin' it out there." I'll give the info a glance while we talk here and see if the locations mean anything to me.

[Faranji]

Jeff seems to loose track of the conversation while he is searching the Matrix for information on recent terrorist attacks in the salish-shidhe council.

[Faranji]

"Hey! Found sommin! Look at tis!"

Jeff presents the following article on the terrorist attacks:
"The house that was hit by a freak storm was in Cle Elum, a town about an hour southeast of where you currently are (North Bend). The house belonged to Paul Longshanks, an ork who worked as an overseer for a nearby mine on Cascade Ork land. Paul's wife and four small children were in the house with him. They were all crushed when the house collapsed.

The town that was burned by a fire spirit was the small community of Greenwater. Only ninety people lived there; most of the local economy was connected to outdoor activities for tourists. You find listings for guides to lead rafting trips, or bird-watching tours, or hiking expeditions. The online reviews for these services are generally positive.

The student that died in the firewatcher was named Timothy Higgins. He was pursuing a degree at Evergreen College, in Olympia (just south of border between Seattle and Salish-Shidhe). His coursework included classes in "Outdoor Leadership and Education" and "Sustainability Studies", plus courses in geology and physics."


"And also Gunny didn't mention is specifically but I found reports of an attack near the town of Lester, another tiny drop of civilization. It wasn't the town that was attacked but instead the nearby airstrip and helipad. There were no reported casualties but the airstrip and helipad were rendered inoperable, which was a significant setback for the town. Prior to the attack, the helipad had primarily been used to conduct sightseeing tours of the nearby mountains. Similarly, the small airstrip was used by ultralight aircraft, 1- or 2-person airplanes enjoyed mostly as hobbies rather than for actual transportation."

[pbangarth]

Stogie holds the hot mug to one cheek. "You know, many if not all of the targets were in a position to travel through or look out over some of the wilderness in the area. Like tour guides, a fire watch tower, an airstrip in the area. Maybe the Sisters are trying to keep some location secret, and are eliminating anyone or anything that saw or could aid in seeing something going on in the woods.

"Maybe if we got some info on where the tours are going, and what the viewshed of the fire watch tower is, we could narrow down some places to check out."

[Faranji]

Jeff nods vaguely.

"'s possible. But what with the mine, eh? Gimme a minute. Ima try find sommin on the tours."

Once again he starts searching the Matrix, this time for information on the tours that ran from Greenwater and Lester.

[pbangarth]

"Mining usually includes surveying." Stogie frowns as memories of the survey teams that came to his farm flood back. If only he had shot a few of them then...

[Faranji]

Jeff marks the targets of the attacks on a (digital) map in appropriate scale.

"Hrmmm... Look at tis. 'S make sense?
Perhaps in the middle, hu?"

Jeff points to a spot which is vaguely at the center between the four points.

[AtroposReborn]

"I agree," Ellesar proclaims, "either they are hiding something or they're beginning to act territorial. I don't see why they would do that though, so they must be hiding something. What could they be hiding though? And why all of a sudden? They haven't been bothering anyone up until now so what has made them resort to these tactics?"

Ellesar shifts in his seat, now staring at the dull ceiling. His eyes wander aimlessly.

"Maybe they found something that they don't want anyone else to know about. Maybe they've created something that people wouldn't be too passive about. Maybe they're doing some less-than-legal activities. Too many possibilities, only one way to find out. We need to go check it out ourselves.

[Tecumseh]

Jeff's search turns up everything that is available publicly about the attacks under discussion.

The mine overseer, Paul Longshanks, was popular with the miners and considered a strong manager headed toward executive management. The article detailing his demise noted that Paul had been credited with several improvements at the mines where he worked. Under his tenure output rose, safety lapses fell, cost targets were met, and worker morale improved. Several unidentified sources gave favorable quotations to the reporter but declined to be identified by name, citing concerns about the suspicious circumstances of his death.

Greenwater, the town that burned, was largely dependent on tourist activities. Upon further inspection of the comments you notice some isolated criticisms that the tours were too popular and were beginning to impact the local ecosystem. The critique doesn't seem to be well-founded as many other reviews compliment the eco-conscious nature of the tour companies and the outings they led. Regardless, all tour activities are currently suspended. It's unclear when, or if, they will resume, given that the town would need to be rebuilt from scratch. The nearest town, Enumclaw, is 20 minutes away but is across the Seattle border, which makes it more difficult as a departure point for guided tours.

Timothy Higgins, the student that was killed, was writing his thesis on the sustainable use of natural resources, particularly power generation. He seemed to be following in his father's footsteps, who is a mid-level executive at the headquarters of Gaeatronics in Olympia. Timothy's thesis adviser considered him a bright student and felt that several parts of his thesis were intriguing and warranted further study.

The airstrip and helipad near the town of Lester were mostly used for recreation. The ultralight gliders and aircraft were not required to file flight patterns so it is unclear where exactly they went, but the obvious attraction would be Mt. Rainier (often called "Talol" or "Tacoma" by natives) just to the south. The town itself is barely significant. It almost certainly doesn't have the resources to rebuild the airstrip and helipad and, since many of the same services are available in the town of Easton, which is easily accessible via Highway 90, it is seems likely that Lester will turn into a ghost town.

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar whistles.

"From that perspective they seem like ill-informed eco-terrorists with a vendetta against anyone that spits on the wrong tree. I'd be willing to bet it's just a front for something larger though. But like I said earlier, too many possibilities and not enough tangible evidence."

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla's astral form took wing from his material body and flew over the landscape.

His travel took him to the home of one Grugnir, shaman of a small clan of the Cascade Orks.

Finding Grugnir in the middle of dinner in his own small teepee, Smohalla manifested his human form inside.

Hello and good evening, Grugnir. I come to request information from you.

The Three Weird Sisters - do you know of them?

[Faranji]

Jeff chuckles lightly.
"'s right. hehehe... But what's me supposed to do eh? Why don't YOU tell us what those women are up to. You should know eh? 's not what women normally do... torch houses, huh? YOU don't do that..."

[Tecumseh]

Grugnir stands slowly at the arrival of his guest. He doesn't respond immediately. Your question has generated an emotional response from him. He's feeling wary and rather angry, which he tries to suppress. He folds his arms across his chest.

He joins you on the astral plane, his perception shifting to see both physical manifestation and your astral presence. You get the feeling that he is assensing you, trying to determine the motive behind your question.

"Aye, I have," he says at last with a curt nod. His tone is grim. "Witches, the three of them."

He speaks slowly, carefully formulating his words. He replies guardedly.

"They have been here on my lands, although they are no longer welcome. They have threatened my people and struck out at those who oppose them. What they cannot do by fear they do by force. They killed a man in Cle Elum not long ago, and his family for good measure. I myself visited the scene; the mana there was twisted and foul. It turns my stomach to remember."

His lip curls up at the thought of it. He gauges your reaction to his answers, watching you for signs.

"I do not see the same mana around you, Smohalla, and for that I give thanks. What the witches do is not so different from what you yourself have done in the past. I confess that my people are not always responsible stewards of the land with which they were entrusted, but it is my duty to defend them and I will do so until I can no longer. This is my ereth, and the witches are my zakhan," he says, using the Or'zet words for home and enemy, respectively.

"If you wish to join them, I will try to stop you. My people are afraid and the fear is poisoning their lives. The witches know that the surest way to halt the logging and to close the mines isn't to destroy the machines or to fill the holes, but to stop the workers. That outcome may please you, Smohalla, but these people have little else. Winter is coming, and it is cold in the mountains."

He narrows his eyes and waits for your response.

[phlapjack77]

Smohalla considers this information in silence for several moments. Then he replies,

Mother Earth cries out in sadness to hear such things.

Magic should not be used for twisted purposes, disrupting the very Nature it should be protecting.

Nor should it strike out at those who are innocent.

I thank you for the information Grugnir.

In trade, I will tell you that a human calling himself Gunny has attempted to hire me and several others to find and stop these Sisters.

If you hear any information that can help me in this, if the Sisters are sighted on your land, contact me.

With this, Smohalla lets his manifested form ebb away, slowly fading from normal sight.

Taking wing on the astral once more, he sets out to rejoin the group.

[Faranji]

"Sooo... let's go blast em to the hell they came from, eh? You coming with us? 's good to have a girl telling us what the witches think, eh?" Jeff chuckles again and says to the group:

"Women... always think they know better... Sooo... What are we gonna do? Take a hike at Greenwater?"

[phlapjack77]

Finding Jake was no difficulty for Smohalla - animals always made stronger mental impressions for him than metahumans.

Manifesting in the seat next to the others, he spoke:

My friend among the orks tells me that these Sisters are killing without regard for Mother Earth and her inhabitants.

They are using twisted mana in their attacks.

At the moment they are not welcome in the lands of the Cascade Orks.

[pbangarth]

Not even blinking at the antics of Smohalla appearing to them, Stogie remarks, "Well, from our investigations, we have an idea where to look for them. How should we get there?"

[Faranji]

Jeff jumps from the seat and reaches for the shotgun as Smohalla appears next tto him. He does recognize him after a second though and slowly puts the weapon back down.

"Never. Never do that again, eh? I almos blew off your skull!
Ima go buy some fuel and then I drive there. You can... " Jeff sighs "come with me. But keep that dawg under control, eh?"

[pbangarth]

"Heh. Jeff, you know 'that dog' is under better control, self-control, than most people."

[AtroposReborn]

Ellesar watches the others interact, quietly taking in the conversation. He takes a moment to look around the cafe and then proceeds to stand up and stretch. Avoiding the glances of the other patrons he walks outside to wait for his fellow adventurers.

[pbangarth]

"Let's go then." Stogie follows Ellesar outside. Jake wags his tail when he sees Stogie.

[Faranji]

"... only that you don't have fleas, Tila." Jeff picks up his gear and follows the rest out of the café.

"So it's Greenwater then?" He opens the back of the Tata thus releasing Jake. "Your... friend needs you, dog."