Behind the Crown [IC], Behind the crown are shadows Options

[pbangarth]

"""OK. I'll bow to your experience. """ Blue settles in to rest his head.

[Koekepan]

It's easy enough to quickly supply at shops on the way northbound. Tourism is popular for those that can afford it, and that means that the shops that supply this stuff are abundant. Even a humble corner shop will provide dried food in various forms. A popular one is a pressed krill and seaweed bar, enriched with vegetable fats. It has that characteristic seafood flavour, while promising over 500 calories per bar. Warm clothes beyond the occasional watch cap aren't really common in corner stores, but are readily available elsewhere.

The trip up is largely uneventful until north of Everett, where there's a big checkpoint across what used to be I5 running up to the canadian border, decades ago. Now it's roughly halfway between Seattle downtown and Bellingham.

[pbangarth]

The supplies are loaded in the car, and Blue is happy to have a few options in clothing to wear. Using magic to 'refresh' his one outfit has been a bit of a drain. Really.

He had checked out Everett a while back, when he was first looking for work, because Bicson Biomedical had been looking for a magician to complement their research. it didn't pan out, mostly because what they were looking for smacked a bit too much of cybermancy, and Blue wanted nothing to do with that.

"""There's Everett Mall just off of 5 near the 526. We could hide the car in the multitudes in the parking lot and get a decent meal while we wait for sundown. Then in the car I can remake my appearance, and yours if you like, and we can head across the border. That work for you?"""

[pbangarth]

Karmakaze seemed to be lost in thought, but pulled in to the mall parking lot and found a place inside an underground parking building. Hard to find us there was the agreed sentiment between the two of them.

A good, if not gourmet, meal filled them both for the long trip ahead. The two agreed that ID at the border would likely need appearances that matched the documents. Too bad they had not thought to change their appearance before Jaxx fixed them up with new IDs.

Nevertheless, Blue figured changing their outfits to look more "outdoorsey" would help on the trip into the mountains. Earth tones, lots of pockets, helmets appropriate to mountaineering, etc.

Once the sun had set, Blue set to work changing their outer layers, cut of their hair, polishing teeth, etc. This had to be done out of sight of curious passersby, so the parking garage was a good choice. People coming near would be noticeable.

[ Spoiler ]

Blue first:

Makeover F3: Spellcasting 6 + Spell Pool 6 + Owl 2 = 14 dice, target 6: 1 success
Drain resistance: WIL 12 + Owl 2 = 14 dice, target 2(M) :13 successes no Drain
Pretty pedestrian, so Blue tries again: 14 dice, target 6: 1 success
Drain resistance: 14 dice, target 2(M): 13 successes no Drain
Still not good enough: 14 dice, target 6: 1 success
Drain resistance: 14 dice, target 2(M): 10 successes no Drain'=
This is getting tedious, but only about 10 seconds have gone by, so try again: 14 dice, target 6: 2 successes
Drain resistance: 14 dice, target 2(M): 11 successes no Drain.
That'll have to do.

Karmakaze:

Makeover F3: 14 dice, target 6: 2 successes
Drain resistance: 14 dice, target 2(M): 12 successes no Drain
That'll do.

After about half a minute, the two look serviceable, if not the top-of-the-line safari hunters.

Blue comments, """Well, that will have to do until I get better at this spell. Let's be on our way, then."""

[Koekepan]

The trip through the border checkpoint is almost anticlimactic after all the preparation. The ID check is automated - but either Mitsuhama didn't put out an actual criminal call on Connor, or the tribal authorities are ignoring it. They're pretty much waved through, with a professionally cheery: """Enjoy your visit!"""

Borders are curious. Sometimes they just look like an arbitrary line on a map with no visible effect on the landscape, and at other times they are stark. In this case, it's less stark but it is definitely marked over about five minutes' worth of driving. At first things look largely like an extension of the Seattle enclave for about a kilometre or two; various trinkets and other travel necessities for sale as well as hotels and similar, but this patch of border-specific industry rapidly gives way to temperate coniferous forest, with trees looming forty or more meters over the highway everywhere. The highway itself is functional, but on the way northbound it's pretty clear that a lot of what used to be US infrastructure or construction has simply been left to rot in abandonment, or deliberately razed. If this weren't the highway to Bellingham, the capital, it would probably not still exist as a usable road, either.

[pbangarth]

Once they are clear of potential witnesses, Blue summons a spirit to aid them. He figures movement and concealment might be priorities, so he tries a mist spirit.

[ Spoiler ]

F4 mist spirit, target 4 , 6+2 dice: 3 successes

Drain resistance: target 4(M), 6 dice: 3 successes 1 box of Drain

Heal Drain 12 dicem target 2 + 1 =3: 8 successes => 60/8 = 8 min/box => 8 min to recover

Blue speaks astrally to the spirit: ::: Thank you for answering my call. Please Guard me and my friend and the vehicle in which we travel and stay nearby. :::

To Karmakaze he says, """ We have a pretty strong spirit guarding us against mishap and with a couple of more services if required. I'll just rest for about ten minutes to clear my head."""

[Bastard]

"""Rest all you need, it isn't far to Bellingham."""

Karma hadn't gotten into the forest for years, and now two separate trips in a matter of days.

[Koekepan]

Fortunately, unless there's some other plan involving Bellingham, they should be turning off the highway well before then. The road up to Concrete starts in the valley of the Skagit river, perhaps halfway on the road to Bellingham.

[pbangarth]

Blue reviews the route after he has rested enough. """In Burlington we need to turn east onto the Cascade Hwy. which eventually becomes the North Cascade Hwy. Once we turn off the Interstate, it's about 45 or 50 kilometres to Concrete.

""" I'll review our intel to see what we know and we can figure out how to proceed. I have a spirit of the air with us, so it should stay as we pass through towns as long as we don't disembark into a structure."""

[pbangarth]

Blue speaks after some thinking. """ Well, near as I can figure out, Concrete is a node for commerce and distribution into the larger Cascade Ork territory. I don't know why Daisy got swept up, but it could be she is targeted for being sent onward in some kind of human trafficking ring. Or there might be a place in town for the good old boys to have some fun.

""" The town itself is likely to be pretty run down. It used to be an industrial town, so there should be lots of warehouses and factories available to turn towards that kind of use. I don't know where in town to start looking. Seeing as it is a node, there are probably places to stay overnight, should we want to."""

[Koekepan]

The road up to Concrete does quite a lot of winding, with the folds of the foothills of the Cascades mountain range. After just a little rise in the ground, broadleaves are almost unknown except for the occasional giant maple or alder.

The road surface itself is poorly maintained, but not unmaintained. Roots have buckled asphalt, but potholes have been patched. Apprently the opinions of truckers keeping trade alive do matter - speaking of which, the other traffic on the road is mostly the occasional 18-wheeler. If one were to include furry traffic, wheeled vehicles would be a tiny minority. Small creatures such as squirrels and jays predominate, but Blue would swear that his heat-sensitive vision shows him an elk.

Aside from the road itself, there are very few signs of metahuman civilisation, until they pull into Concrete, which is clearly a new settlement built on the bones of an old. Quickly assembled prefabricated warehouses and dwellings collect moss on old, broken foundation pads.

[pbangarth]

"""Well, Karmakaze,""" Blue asks, """ How do we find her in this without getting ourselves killed?

""" I have a spell-on-a-stick that can locate her if she's within about 30 meters, and I can keep it up for an indefinite amount of time. But it would be good if we could get an idea of what building to check first. Otherwise I would be walking around with a spell on and weaker if I have to do other magic. """

[pbangarth]

Blue thinks a bit and adds, """Yeah, so let's drive around town a bit to get the feel of it, and maybe on a second sweep limit our search to places that look interesting. I've still got my spirit around to cover us. If inside a building is a likelihood, I can summon one in there.

""" If it comes to some talking or negotiation, you are probably better at that than I. I suppose I could be one of those who gets his henchwoman to do most of the talking.""" He chuckles and winks at Karmakaze.

[Koekepan]

The town is small, and obviously broken down into two main segments: what used to be, and what is.

What used to be is like a tiny slice of barrens-like structural wreckage, torn up by the action of plants and weather. The roads are still there, if lumpy with roots and potholes, but there's little reason to travel them.

What presently is, is a small hub of industry perhaps six blocks in extent. It's a trans-shipment hub, there's a warehouse, there's a hotel, a small cluster of dwellings and a small cluster of shops. It's quite obvious that if the tribes hadn't wanted a hub in this area, there would be nothing but the trees and the bears.

[pbangarth]

When driving around to find the occupied area, Blue tries to determine whether it would be possible to drive up and down streets in such a fashion that his Detect Individual spell could cover all the occupied area from one street or another. Range is 36 meters, so if the streets are 50m apart, then up one and down the next covers the area in between.

[Bastard]

"""Lets cruise through this hub and see if there might be a truck stop of sorts in there. Maybe some 'semi-permanent' residents or employees will have knowledge of a bus full of new vagrants came in. I'm sure a little cash might jog their memories."""

[Koekepan]

The streets are not quite a reliable 50m apart, but he could certainly achieve decent coverage if not 100%.

There is a truck stop visible next to a sort of warehouse with loading bays and what looks like attached offices. The truck stop offers the usual - mechanical services, fuel, charging facilities, a couple of restaurants, a small hotel garishly marked as The Gateway to the Cascades and so on. Nearby there's also what appears to be a trucking dispatch centre marked with the emblems of the cascade tribes.

[pbangarth]

"""This looks like your purview, Karmakaze. What looks like the best place to start? If we can narrow down the likelihood, I can start my spell. Otherwise, we will have to cruise with it on.

"""Come to think of it, I could eat.""" Blue's tummy grumbles a little.

[Bastard]

Karma nods in agreement with Blue's belly.

"""Let's get some legwork in real quick, then get something to eat. Then we can make a second pass and see if anything has turned up."""
 
She scans the area as she drives through, looking for the best people to start their questioning, if there are any at all.
 
"""I am not quite sure what you need for your spell, but I think we should look for people who are here the most. Maybe there are a few homeless people around who aren't chipheads."""

She continues to drive through the connected lots looking for such people, someone down on their luck, but not spaced out.

[Koekepan]

The results are a bit of a mixed bag; there are a few people who may be transients, but they don't look as if they live here. A half-forgotten flyspeck on the map doesn't afford the kind of comfortable shelter that is typically welcoming. There are a few encampments visible in the wreckage of what Concrete once was, but they're also off the main drag enough that it's doubtful that they would have seen anything meaningful.

On the other hand, it does strike Karmakaze that there's one person who probably sees everything that rolls through: the supervisor of the fueling station. Nothing comes up the highway that isn't visible to her, and the open area around that office means a good field of view, not only over the fueling posts and the maintenance bays, but all over the truck stop and attached buildings.

[Bastard]

With that thought, Karmakaze pulls into the fueling station. She locates the manager near the payment kiosk.

"""Excuse me, ma'am. Could you please assist us?"""

After quick pleasantries, she gets to the point.

"""I am looking for someone who has fallen on hard times and was shuttled out here on a bus. Her family would like her safe return. Do you know where they bus people into and who I have to talk to bring her home?"""

[Koekepan]

The manager, a human in a hooded jacket with tribal patches, nods casually as Karmakaze speaks. """Yeah, I can help you."""

She folds her arms and leans them on the frame of the window of the kiosk, and listens before answering: """Oh yeah, they all got loaded in that old dorm back there.""" She points a finger at a building that looks halfway between a hotel and a block of studio apartments, with many broken windows and other evident signs of neglect. """Guess she's lucky she has a family. Most of 'em just got dumped here, and offering whatever they got to hitch a ride out but most of the truckers ain't taking 'em out. A couple tried walking out, spirits know where they are now. We try to tell 'em no."""

[Bastard]

Karmakaze hands the manager 50 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) .

"""Thank you for your help.

"""So they are just dropped off there to fend for themselves, and they are not being trafficked in any way? If they are, I would like to negotiate terms rather than make it an altercation."""

[Koekepan]

"""Trafficked? Not as far as I know. Maybe they're trafficking each other. Haven't asked, not gonna ask. Most of 'em seem to want to get out. I guess they're on the losing end of some fight in town, got dumped out here to be out of the way."""

It's pretty clear that while the manager observes what's going around, she doesn't know much more and isn't really involved beyond seeing. It's not clear that she thinks that anything untoward happened; her tone is very matter-of-fact.

[Bastard]

"""Thank you so much for your help. Hopefully we can find our 'friend',""" Karmakaze makes the inflection clear.

"""Besides the building, if she has already moved on from there, are there any other shelters or encampments we might want to search."""