IC New Beginnings DAWN Options

[Necrogigas]

"Let's start there then. What kind of spirit will you use for the distraction, and what can you make it do?"

[farothel]

"That depends on what you want as distraction," Sammy said, "they all have an elemental attack, or at least I can provide them with it. And most can cause confusion, accidents or fear as well. Other than that, if you want heavy direct combat, fire or earth is better than water or air, but the latter is better for illusions for instance."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor turned to Silence, "How disciplined would you say the guards are? Do you think a little confusion mixed with a few illusions could get them to shoot at each other? How fast would they regroup from that?"

[Crossbow]

"I wouldn't count on anything going that well. I would think a fire elemental burning up stuff in their barracks and armory would cause enough problems to keep them occupied, and is far enough from the safe that we can get what we need and get gone. I don't think telling the grandfather about that is a good idea though."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor gave Silence an annoyed look, "We went over this already. No fire." He was getting real sick of Silence's fire suggestions. It just didn't make sense to him either. He was bitching about loud plans earlier, and yet he kept advocating the loudest and showiest distraction with the highest amount of collateral damage.

It was like the thief had picked up on his aversion to fire, and was trying to use it against him. Once that clicked into place, things started to make sense. Starlet and himself were the only tactical threats to Silence. The plan called for Starlet to be alone with the thief, and he'd be tangling with the guards. He could see the betrayal now. Silence would alert the guards to Starlet and his presence, forcing the spirit and himself to enact the distraction. The thief would then be able to kill Starlet, and set the fire. Killing Starlet would set the spirit free, meaning it might attack him or just dissappear. Between the guards and the fire, good chance he goes down too. Silence then has both freedom and revenge.

Now O'Connor just had to figure out how to counter Silence. His own team was probably his biggest obstacle. He couldn't trust them to trust him, so all he had was Lil' Homie. While eager, the kid was going to be of minimal help, at least in a direct confrontation. He didn't have any real options, and little time to create some. He did have the equipment shopping trip as an excuse to sepaerate from the group, so he had one shot to do something.

[Crossbow]

"We did? Oh, the cook, that's right, never mind then. I didn't want anything but a stealth insertion anyway, if we can just get the grandfather to distract the guards in front, that should be enough. Nothing else is really an obstacle to get to the idol with our combined magic."

[Necrogigas]

Why did people always assume just because he was blunt and straightforward, he was also stupid. He wasn't a great thinker by anymeans, but he wasn't the drooling Neanderthal he was often taken for. Silence's backpedaling, and then acting like he wasn't the one pushing for a fire, was a rather poor attempt at gaslighting. Hopefully Torley would pick up on it, then maybe he'd actually have an ally on his own fragging team to help keep them all from being killed by the thief.

[farothel]

It was clear to Sammy that O'Connor didn't like Silence and while he was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he had to have developed some instincts to have survived as long as he had. And besides, she expected a double cross at some point. He had given up quite easily. Well, she knew his aura, so finding him back shouldn't be too difficult. And she had a few tricks up her sleeve as well, should there be a need.

"No fire," she agreed with O'Connor, "I think that causing fear might actually be the best way, maybe coupled with the illusion of an attack squad. If you could then snipe one or two, not necessarily to kill but to have them scream and add to the confusion, that could work, no? And I can ask the spirit to make the illusion look like the guards of the king. We've seen them in the palace, so we know their uniforms."

[pbangarth]

Torley could see the tension in the room as if it were syrup dripping down from the ceiling. What to do before it boiled over between O'Connor and Silence? Yeah, O'Connor could be a hothead sometimes, but everybody on the team owed him their life, times over. They all owed him some respect for that. People reader that he was, Torley quickly figured out what to do.

"Listen, O'Connor, while the infiltration wizzes figure out the details of infiltration and distraction, why don't you and I and Li'l Homie go for a shopping trip to fill out that list you've been making? Homie can find the right places, you can pick the right stuff, and I can do the haggling. I'm getting a little antsy just sitting around."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor nodded along with Starlet's plan, "From there, I toss in thermal smokes to hide that the illusions can't get shot. Then liberal usage of flashbangs will keep them off balance. Did you notice any mages or adepts among the guards?" He turned to Torley, "Yeah, sure."

[farothel]

"Some low level adepts," Sammy said, "and the one person who has created the wards. That's a mage of some talent and he might have some apprentices, but that's about it."

[Necrogigas]

"Well, hopefully the spirit can keep the mage occupied. Oh, and since I'm planning on using smoke grenades, an air spirit is probably not ideal. Looks like the distraction plan is set.

Just got to get a few pieces. Torley and I'll go take care of that. Lil' Homie, you should head over to the compound and give Gramps our message." He turned to Torley to instruct the guide further on the matter.

[pbangarth]

Torley leans in to O'Connor's description of the list as they walk outside. Once out of earshot of allies and enemies, he puts a hand on O'Connor's shoulder and points at an interesting piece of architecture, as if commenting on it to O'Connor. He does not speak about construction techniques, though.

"Listen. You are far and away the best shot we have. Sometimes you do miss, though. I'm the best reader of character. I miss sometimes, too. You seem to have picked up on something about Silence that I missed. As far as I can tell, he is straight up. What do you see that I don't?"

[Necrogigas]

"It's a number of little things. He joined our team without issue. He just had a close call with the army. He should be scrambling for his nearest bolt hole. During the planning, he claimed to want a quiet stealthy approach, but kept pushing for an attention drawing chaotic fire. He then backtracked and tried to gaslight us about not wanting the fire.

While he could just be a pure mercenary, it seems off that he played a pivotal role in a political power play, and then switched sides two days later. I can't imagine we offered him near enough to make enemies of both sides. Nothing about his behavior or statements have added up. He plans on betraying us to his original employeer, I can feel it."

[pbangarth]

" My sense was that he is indeed mercenary. With his skills he could have given us the slip already, and gone to warn the compound. Or whoever else he might be working for. Your arguments carry some weight. So, what should we do about it? How do we protect ourselves from potential betrayal?

" It would appear that his skills are important for extracting the idol. If he is going to betray us, then Sammy is in the most danger, as she is the one who would go in with him. I don't discount her abilities, but she can't outfight the whole compound.

" I keep coming back to the sense that he isn't working for the people in the compound any more. I think he would have betrayed us already, letting them know a threat is out here. They would secure the idol even more, and do it in tomorrow anyway. Maybe he is working for himself, looking to get the idol and return it to the King himself? If that is the case, he would cooperate with us until the idol is out of the compound.

" That's where I think we have to be on the highest alert for any treachery. Does any of this make sense to you? "

[farothel]

Back in the hotel, Sammy was looking at the map of the compound and trying to figure out how and where to go.
"So, what do you think," she asked Silence, "what way are we least likely to encounter anybody who has astral sight?"

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor shook his head, "Giving us the slip and warning the Compound still leaves us as loose ends and forces us to make a quick attack plan based on violence of action. Pretending to work with us gives him more options in eliminating us while limiting the damage we do.

While he does have a skillset we need, I doubt he's the only person in the city with those skills. I'm thinking that the plan goes forward as discussed until Starlet has the safe in sight. She then releases the spirit working with me and summons an earth spirit to her. She and it incapacitate Silence if possible, eliminate if necessary. Then the spirit gets the safe and Silence out of the area.

From there, we hire a safe cracker for way less than Silence's cut. If Silence is still alive, we turn him over to the Army as a peace offering for my rope-a-dope stunt and then get the idol back to Jane.

While we're on the subject of things I see, but you don't, we really need to eventually loop back to a discussion on Englebrecht. That's for another day though."

[pbangarth]

" I see some good points in your plan. No need to trust Silence any more than we have to. I'm a little worried about taking the safe wholesale. There may be other things in there that are of value to the family, or the old man in particular. After all, I suspect the safe was there long before the idol. Getting his help, or at least getting him not to interfere, might be compromised if we take something he doesn't want to get rid of. If he sees us walking off with family heirlooms, all bets might be off. If our wording of the note guarantees we only want the idol, he is likely to be more cooperative.

" I'm also worried about taking Silence out too soon. If his skills can help get him and Sammy in without detection, then he can do the same on the way out. As soon as he is taken out, Sammy is on her own. Yeah, with spirit help, but still more vulnerable, with possibly a whole compound of guards hunting her. No matter how good she is, superior numbers win.

" Once they are on the outside, then there's three of us who can each react in their own way to Silence taking a left turn when we want to go right: you with bullets, me with my Voice, and Sammy with her magic and spirits. Any one of those three succeeding, and Silence is stopped in his tracks. Superior numbers again. Then, having shown his hand, we are free to take him out without losing reputation. "

Torley strokes his chin a moment. " Yeah, my Englebrecht thing needs some adjustment. I like a little thrill now and then, but it isn't fair to put you all in jeopardy for my fun. I'll be a little more careful, a little less leap-before-you-look, with the likes of a nation- or world-wide organization. You've kept me alive despite myself before. I'll try to repay the favour. "

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor dipped his head, conceding to the points made, "You're not wrong, but I'm more worried about stopping Silence before he turns on us, rather than getting all the use out of him we can. Besides he plans on betraying us, I doubt he ever intends on opening the safe.

When Starlet turns to take out Silence, I should have most of the Compound engaged. If we do take the safe wholesale, whatever we can get Gramps to do, should already be done. But we'll need to talk to Starlet about all of it. She's the one that's going to be alone with the thief. She should be the one to decided what risks she takes."

[pbangarth]

"Makes sense. How about we get those materials you need?"

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor nodded in agreement and motioned for them to continue onwards to the market.

[Crossbow]

Back in the hotel, Sammy was looking at the map of the compound and trying to figure out how and where to go.
"So, what do you think," she asked Silence, "what way are we least likely to encounter anybody who has astral sight?"

"Well, unless someone has arrived since you did you surveillance I would say very small. Not to toot my own horn, but up until last night, I have never been seen as magical when I was trying not to be detected, so even if someone were to be on site, they would be very strong indeed. With you making us invisible as well, we should have free run of the place.

[pbangarth]

Torley considers the message to the old man as he and O'Connor head to the markets for gear. He bounces ideas off O'Connor.

"The grandfather doesn't want the idol to be in the compound or to be destroyed there, as he fears this will bring retribution from the King's men. He's probably right in that regard. So, our message to him should feed into that fear and offer him a way out that doesn't require direct betrayal of the family, or even implicate him.

"I do my best face to face. Writing doesn't do as much for me, but I figure something like,

'Grandfather, you value the safety and traditions of your people and your family. The King's idol you possess threatens both. The King's men are near. If they come to your compound, there will be death and destruction. We too seek the idol, but wish you and your family no harm, and have the ability to remove the idol without your family knowing we were there or how we did it. If we can do that, the King will know and the King's men will have no reason to come after your family. All we ask is that you allow us to get in quietly.

If you can send a message back about how the guard shifts work, it will make it easier for us to enter without a fight. We believe the idol is in your safe. We can take the whole safe if we have to, but fear there might be other things of value to your family in it. if we can open it, or if it were open when we come tonight, then all we need to take is the idol.

The idol is important to us, but not for any reason that affects your family. Please allow us to serve our need, and yours.'

"What do you think? I hope Li'l Homie can clean up my broken Igbo to make this sound good."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor nodded, "It's a good pitch, but you're right the wordy bits will only work face to face. You're saying what he probably wants to hear, but he doesn't know you. If you got something like this in a text from some rando, you'd think it was a scam. Send Lil' Homie to just set up a meet, and then in person give Gramps the ol' razzmatazz."

[pbangarth]

"Yeah, that makes sense. I am a little worried though about whoever might be watching us. Englebrecht's goon down the hall from our room may not be the only eyes on us. And, " Torley chuckles. "I kinda stand out in this crowd. Anybody I talk to would also be marked by any observer.

"I guess they could watch us as we set up for the operation, but talking to the old man hours before would give those eyes a heads up and time to plan. On the other hand, talking to the old man face to face I could suss out exactly what he is willing to do, and what he expects from us. Hmmm. He also might be able to give us some insight into the character of Silence. Alright, that benefit outweighs the risk of showing our hand early. How about this:

'Grandfather, I am one who wishes to foil the plans of the King's Guards who are coming for the idol. They are near and may come before the idol is destroyed tomorrow night. I and my friends offer a chance for you to free yourself and your family of the idol and the danger it bears. Please, name a place where we can meet in private this day so you can look into my eyes and see my truth.'

"How's that sound?"