The Found Arcana – Chapter 6 [IC], Continuation of https://www.rpgplayroom.net/forums/topic/the-found-arc Options

[Jack_Spade]

[ Spoiler ]

You aren't there yet (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Gilga]

>> We found Invictus, Trouble thinks he is up on the roof where the big glashouse is. Jawsey you want to chat with him with your projection? Trouble can watch out for you.


AM notifies them, and repeats what Trouble said.

[Beta]

Jawsey started his reply <Of course I can, if you'll keep an eye on my body.>> Then he stopped and asked himself "And what would I say to him?
"

So then he asked the team <Assuming I find him, and he is willing to talk, are we asking what he saw? Or if he has had a hand in any part of what has gone down? I can play it either way, but they have different implications. I want to make sure we are agreement first. Also, order Trouble to alert you of any signs of magic or violence as the priority -- he is stronger than me, if I do anger him I can't promise I get a warning out.>

While he waited for a response, he called on a spirit that he seldom summoned, Elder Wood Shaper.

[ Spoiler ]

summon spirit 3+1=4: 9d6t5 1
spirit resist: 4d6t5 2
drain resist: 13d6t5 3
I swear my luck with summoning! 1 stun, no services.

Jawsey winced at the sudden stabbing headache, but bore down and demanded that the cantankerous spirit come help.

[ Spoiler ]

spirit resist: 4d6t5 1
drain resist: 13d6t5 3
summon spirit 3+1=4 try 2: 9d6t5 0
At least no drain this time

He shakes his head and calls again, adding your project will wait, I need you to craft me a shielf like nobody else could do.' Perhaps flattery of its abilities would help.

[ Spoiler ]

summon spirit 3+1=4 try 3: 9d6t5 3
spirit resist: 4d6t5 1
drain resist: 13d6t5 5

That finally did the trick. Jawsey instructed the gnarled humanoid -- it was hard to say anything more than 'humanoid' about the spirit's gender or race -- to "cast an astral shield about me, and maintain it until I am unconcious, the sun rises in the morning, or I release you."

[ Spoiler ]

spirit cast astral armor: 8d6t5 2
Probably not worth all the dice rolling, but at least it is done

[Gilga]

>> I am on route to the camera to look for physical evidence. I can send Tatanka, or just lock the door when you project? You can also go there physically if you insist, I thought you'll project because it is faster. It is just a roof... Invictus is in contact with humanity for a millennia so whatever you say is fine I guess. I can't imagine how etiquette changed since the Romans. Be polite, and non confrontational and tell him that something very strange is going on and that we need his help to clarify things.

[Tecumseh]

"Cheers, chummer," Mato says, toasting the merc with his cocoa. "Tomorrow will be a better day."

He goes to walk and talk with Jawsey. <<I can watch your body>> he comms, <<but let's get you inside first, somewhere logical.>>

Mato supposes he could sling Jawsey over his shoulder while walking with AM to the perimeter to check out the camera, but that seems a little suspicious.

<<I think it's safe to say that Invictus is involved, but at this point I couldn't say whether it is on offense or defense. In terms of the conversation, since Invictus is a guest, we must go in with the assumption of innocence. We know Invictus is arrogant, so we should play to its ego. Ask for its expertise, what it saw, what it knows that we mere mortals don't understand.>>

<<One thing I don't grasp is whether the magic on the ring was placed there by a third party, or is somehow connected to the ring itself. Remember that the Blue Admiral came from the horde of Alamais. Cunningham called it 'an absolutely priceless artifact'. I don't know if dragons collect pretty trinkets for their mundane merits, but it wouldn't surprise me if the ring itself were magical, or somehow influenced by its time in Alamais' possession.>>

<<Invictus may know more about the Blue Admiral, either by reputation or through direct experience, given the spirit's extreme age.>>

[Gilga]

AM comms >> He might also be very strange by our standards. So the magic tricks part may be a red herring. Let's just uncover what we can and avoid assumptions until we can connect the dots. Remember our memory molester contact - green toes was it? I agree, be non confrontational also because he is a guest.

[Jack_Spade]

Driving back to the Pike Manor took Jawsey a few minutes and some pretty fridgid air. Entering again through the back entrance he had the choice of taking the elevator to McElroy's office - the most secure and comfortable place to stash his body, or just find a quiet cupboard to flop down - less comfortable but faster.

Meanwhile, AM and Mato made their way to the looped camera. A close look revealed the residue of the looper round on the casing, suggesting that the shot must have come from high above, certainly not from the ground. The hard, frozen ground revealed no traces of anyone climbing the fence, though the dim light certainly didn't help with the investigation.

[Tecumseh]

Mato looks up, trying to see if there are any trees that would provide a suitable angle for someone to tag the looped camera. He strongly suspects that the whirring they heard from the video was a quadcopter or similar drone that plunked the camera, but he wants to cross any other possibilities off the list.

He has a low-light flashlight that he uses to enhance his metahuman low-light vision (and AM's too).

He also spends a moment activating his sensors, mostly to look for things which are out-of-place. He's not expecting a hit on his radar sensors or his cyberware (a.k.a. millimeter wave) scanner, but maybe he'll get lucky.

"This hard ground is garbage for tracking," he says, scuffing the frozen ground with his foot. "Might as well try to find a footprint on pavement."

[Beta]

Jawsey thinks about going up to McElroy's office. The wonderful chairs are one draw, but telling McElroy what he is doing is another reason. On the other hand he's exhausted from the day and he doesn't know how critical time is.

So when he notices the cupboard used for storing rain gear for guests he squeezes in, settles himself down to the floor, grips his sword, then goes astral.

From there he flies free, heading out the door then shooting up. Hopefully in the manner of someone seeking altitude in order to get a better view. Once at a good height he scans the grounds quickly for anything obviously out of place. Then, presuming that he doesn't see anything else which is calling for attention and that he does see Invictus, he makes his way to the spirit.

He approaches at a slight angle to make it clear that he is not charging the spirit, and stops at a moderate distance. He bows to the spirit, then says "Good evening. Merry Christmas I suppose, or perhaps happy Saturnalia? Anyway there are a few things which have been odd tonight, and we were wondering if you would be willing to compare observations and conclusions on the night's happenings."

[Gilga]

AM frowns, Feels like another dead end, so a rotor drone shot a camera to help someone get in or out. The only rotor drone here is Kurt's which was sleeping. Can you check if any of the guards saw any form of flying drone in this time frame? Perhaps it did not look suspicious at the time, a pizza delivery drone or something."
She says and then scans the area for traces of spells.

[ Spoiler ]

Assensing: 12d6t5 3

[Jack_Spade]

AM looked in the astral, but found no trace of anything - not even the departed watcher - just like Jawsey had done before her at this location.

Jawsey meanwhile had entered the glas house - or rather green house. The glas pavillion was filled with exotic plants of all kinds and appeared in a riot of colors on the astral, bursting with life and energy. Some of the plants were even awakened. Jawsey found Invictus standing there, apparently admiring the plants.
He was manifested and turned around with a condescending smile, though that changed into a surprised frown:
'What are you doing here?'
Upon hearing the question, he appeared angry: 'Quite impertinent. In my time you'd have received 20 lashes for such an insolent request.' The spirit sighed and visibly got himself back under control:
In a loud, clear voice he said: "What is it then that you want to know? And make it quick, you are already going on my nerves."

[Tecumseh]

Mato nods to AM's suggestion. While out of earshot of any of the others, he reminds AM: "Cunningham hired us because he was concerned about conflicts of interest at the larger firms. Not to say that this is some giant conspiracy, but let's keep that in mind as we navigate things."

Then he starts the long trek back to the house. As they cross the grounds, he keeps an eye open for Zeus and the hell hounds. He's not sure if the hounds are out while MET2K is here, nor how long MET2K is staying.

Once he crosses paths with the nearest MET2K patrol, he gives a slight bow - his uniform seems to make him do it - and asks, "We are investigating a whirring noise on the outer perimeter. Has anyone seen or heard any small- or medium-sized drones, especially rotodrones?"

[Jack_Spade]

The two mercs looked at each other and shrugged: "Not me, but I can ask the team."
A few seconds went past, while the man looked inward, then he answered: "No, no drone sightings or hearings since we arrived with the cargo or since we took position outside. Our own drones are currently not in operation as requested by the security consultant."
The merc nodded indicated a salut and continued his round with his colleague.

[Tecumseh]

"Thank you. Much obliged." Mato gives another bow in lieu of a salute, and then exchanges a look with AM.

<<When did the looping take place? Before or after the mercs arrived?>>

Then he leads the way back to the Hall to reunite with Jawsey once he's back in his mortal coil.

[Beta]

Jawsey assumed that the spirit could read him easily enough, but he did his best to present an unconcerned aura.

"Simple enough. There have been signs of magic used at several places tonight where there should have been no magic used. We are aware of spells on the wedding ring, magic which had been used on the mercenary who carried the ring, magic along the perimeter fence -- where a camera was also tampered with -- and magic used just outside the duke's bedroom, in the adjoining crawlspace. We wonder first if you observed any other magic where you would not have expected any, second if you were the source of any of that magic, and third if you otherwise know about any of those magics. As a guest of the Duke we assume your motives are beyond reproach, but we don't want to spend time investigating something which you caused in all innocence, nor spend time chasing after information which you might have and be willing to share."


He took a moment to indulge in a thought about his own state of being [color="#00FFFF"]Thank goodness you can't sweat astrally or I'd be dropping my focus by now. And then he tried to carefully present the possibly saving point of his questions, hoping that the spirit wouldn't be insulted at the concept of being paid. "Of course, it would not be fair to expect you to volunteer everything for free, after all we simply work here, we are not directly your host. I'm willing to discuss fair value for these answers."

[Jack_Spade]

Invictus had a good pokerface, but his aura flickered for a moment.
"You want to make a deal?" Yes, it definitely was a flicker of greed. His voice was now a lot lower than the previous sentence he had spoken.
"Yes, I can see you already have made deals with my kind. Curious. Yes, I think I can help you. But not right now. There are certain bonds and proprieties that must be observed first. I'll meet you in an hour in your chamber. Make sure to lower your ward. And now, if I may, depart from here at haste if you do not want to lose your immortal soul."

[Beta]

Jawsey was curious about what Invictus could possibly mean, and he didn't think he had a soul, immortal or not. But he did have a life, and he did value that. It took him only a moment to decide. "In an hour then." He bowed, emoted respect as best as he could, then fled the greenhouse.

Once he was back in his body he took a moment to battle a sense of deep fear, then contacted the other two. <<Something is definitely up with Invictus, and I think something is about to go down in the greenhouse. But, well, look here is the whole conversation as best as I can describe it.>> and he recounted the brief encounter.

<<After that I fled with all the dignity of whipped cur. There was something about his words that I believed. I don't think try to eavesdrop through spiritual means is apt to be a good idea. But technological, I doubt he's strong on that front. AM, are there eyes and ears up in the greenhouse? If not, is there any way you could hijack a drone to watch?>> He wish they'd brought the good camera with them, they might have been able to position it somewhere from where it could zoom in to watch. The camera on a link would have to be a lot closer to record anything, which would make planting it more likely to get caught. They really needed to invest in a few spy drones ... as soon as debts were cleared enough. Let's survive to collect on this job, and then we'll see.

[Tecumseh]

"I'll go," Mato says simply once Jawsey is done recounting the situation.

"I'll go up to the roof, see what I can see, hear what I can hear. I've spent most of my soul so I'm not that worried about what's left of it. If Invictus wants to dig around in my pockets, there might be some lint, but there's not much to risk."

He looks to AM and Jawsey. "Can something provide astral overwatch? At a distance is fine. Let's just see if Invictus is conducting a meeting. I presume the greenhouse is to help prevent astral snooping, but maybe you can catch someone or something coming or going."

He waits to hear if AM or Jawsey have any refinements to the plan. If not, he makes sure that his Walther is loaded with the purple rounds and then heads to the roof. The plan is to approach quietly, with as much stealth as he can muster while simultaneously maintaining an air of authority and propriety.

[Gilga]

AM says "I have no drones, but the greenhouse is no problem for me because while it blocks the astral line of sight, it does not block passive detection spells, and I mastered the Astral Clairvoyance spell for the detective job. I should not be detected as long as I am out of an astral line of sight. "

If nobody objects, AM would seek a relatively hidden place in relative proximity to the greenhouse where she may not be detected with her spell.

[ Spoiler ]

If she finds some place she considers reasonable, let me know how powerful she needs her spell to be.

[Jack_Spade]

Just as AM was about to cast her spell, she remembered that she wasn't cleared for most of the wards around the house. Finding a spot outside was uncomfortable and took another precious minute.
Just as she was about to project she received a call from van der Bloom: <<Three of the sensors outside just picked up a muffled noise that the computer tells me could have been a silenced shot. Get your Chasseur buddy and take a look at it. Triangulation puts the source at the greenhouse.>>

[Gilga]

AM sends Troubles to sneak to the greenhouse to tell her what is going on. She'll follow Mato to inspect.

[Tecumseh]

Mato gives a nod to AM. It's more formal than usual; the uniform seems to have that effect on him.

He leads the way to the roof. He no longer feels the need to be quite so stealthy. His approach is somewhere between being in investigation mode and crisis response. He's not going to sprint in but he wants to move quickly before the situation evolves too much further. He'll keep his eyes and ears open to see if he can learn anything before anyone or anything is alerted to his presence.

[Jack_Spade]

As the two investigators turned the corner, Mato became aware of another figure in the corridor through his radar, although his eyes hadn't yet spotted it.
In front of their eyes, the bodyguard Katya decloaked. Her face was stony and alert. Mato saw her hand twich towards her hip, where she most likely was wearing a weapon. Though she seemed to have great selfcontrol as she relaxed, apparently having recognized their uniforms.
"You heard the shot too? Give me cover, I'm going to check this out." Her voice was as gruff and raspy as before and her Russian accent was clearly audible.

[Beta]

Mato wanted astral oversight, but Invictus had asked him to leave.... but that was inside the greenhouse, and the greenhouse would block asensing. So he could go topside and watch over Mato while Mato used his sensors through the glass. The only thing was that he was approaching astral exhaustion, he likely wouldn't be able to manage the full hour. He'd have to provide periodic coverage, and perhaps Trouble could provide the rest.

He gave his team mate a minute to get close to the roof, then projected out the side of the house and then up to about twice the height of the house. From there he had a good downward view.

[ Spoiler ]

he hasn't heard about Van de Bloom's call and the change of plans of the other two

[Tecumseh]

Mato gives an automatic nod to Katya.

He thinks it's suspicious that she 'heard' the shot. Sure, she was a cybernetic monster like himself, but how could she have heard the shot - which van der Bloom said was a muffled noise like a silenced shot - from down here in the house, in the corridor? That seemed like a stretch.

But she wants to investigate rather than interfere, and this isn't a time to measure cybernetic capabilities, so he lets her take the lead. He'll provide cover as requested, while simultaneously trying to figure out what's going on himself.