The Found Arcana - Chapter 9, The last Tarot card Options

[Thanee]

<< I guess, this is it. Door will open in a moment... hopefully! >>

Rachel accompanies her spirit in the astral space, in order to figure out, where the one with the pocket is. Maybe she can do something about it, once the door is open, and she can see inside.

Then she asks her spirit to materialize inside and open the door, and begin to create confusion by causing fear in the (meta-)humans inside, starting with the driver (assuming that one is mundane), and then the one with the pocket.

She returns to their own car right after.

[Gilga]

The awakened is supernaturally fast and strikes the spirit with a quick jab before the mundanes even recognize the danger. Compared to that super elegant, and precise move, the other two are sluggish to respond. The driver responds very emotionally and instinctively, and Rachel can hear the emotional echos of "Fuck Fuck Fuck!" or something along these lines. The other mundane is in complete control, and she skillfully readies a small weapon (challenging to determine which weapon from the astral).

[ Spoiler ]

Rachel identifies the one with the pocket as one of the mundanes, the one with the small weapon.

[Gilga]

While the adept attempted to send the spirit elsewhere, the spirit dodged like a martial artist. The back of the van was never so happy, and several milliseconds later, the mundane woman fired her taser on the spirit, taking the time to aim.

[ Spoiler ]

Fire Taser: 12d6t5 9
wow, she can only keep 7 hits, though, due to accuracy limitations.
Damage is 9S -5.
If the spirit survives, feel free to narrate it, opening the van's sliding door.

Simultaneously, the car speeds up through the red light as the driver pushes the gas in a frenzy, narrowly avoiding the incoming traffic. The woman is tossed back to her seat while the adept keeps his ground despite the sudden moment. The spirit seems to barely register the change.

[ Spoiler ]

We are now in a chase scene with Tamarind driving your car remotely. For simplicity, Tamarind needs to match the score of the evasive driver or they'll gain some distance from you. If you are at the same distance and the door is open, bobby can jump in with an athletics roll.


Manual driving: 12d6t5 4

[Thanee]

Rachel sticks around in the astral space for now, telling the spirit to defend himself, once the door is open, and then scare the one with the gun away first.

If that works out, maybe that person will leave the van, and it would be so much easier to get the card back.

[Jack_Spade]

That was the moment Bobby had waited for - the door opened and he went over with ape speed.

Once there, the invisible ape homed in on the described person with their biopocket and extricated whatever was inside that pocket, before throwing himself out of the car.

[ Spoiler ]

Pickpocketing: 15d6t5 6

Going full defense afterwards to get back in our car.

[Gilga]

If anyone notices the invisible ape trying to jump into the moving car once the door opens, they don't act on it when there is an obvious and visible threat in the car.

The adept continues with the kong fu, with his glowing hands and legs, while the now prone woman does not bother getting up at that speed; she takes the time to breathe in so that the taser is held as stable as possible, and fires another dart at the immense spirit.

Bobby instantly identifies the woman as Frisson, but she appears different. It is impossible to miss the genuine amusement and excitement of the situation on her face. She is wearing a cheap suit, oversized coat, and a skirt with elegant but flat black shoes. It is not apparent where the special pocket is precisely.

[ Spoiler ]

An observe in details action with astral sight would grant access to a perception check threshold 3 to identify the pocket. Without it, it is a guessing game while in combat that pocket appears completely mundane to the naked eye.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby didn't hessitate - his trained eye picked up where the coat had been modified recently. Due to the chaos around him, he let the subtle approach go and just grabbed on to the garment and ripped with all his ape strength, partially disrobing the lying little PITA.

[Gilga]

Frisson does not notice the invisible ape until it is too late. She cries with surprise at being tackled to the ground and then having her skirt ripped away. Crude but effective Bobby had the skirt in his hand, just in time the adept turned to Bobby being flagged by the garment he now carried and he said "no you don't" as he charged. He seems surprisingly accurate despite guesstimating the exact location.

[ Spoiler ]

he has -6 to hit due to invisibility, but he knows you are there due to the skirt.
punching Bobby: 10d6t5 4

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby ducked unter the surprisingly accurate strikes. His advantage was his invisibility, the fact that he was only half the size of a normal human and that his arms were disproportionally long. Having secured his prize, he went to jump out of the car, despite it accelerating into oncoming traffic.

[ Spoiler ]

Going Full Defense, use my remaining movement to get out of the car.
Full Defense: 24d6t5 11

[Gilga]

Jumping out of the car is relatively easy. Not getting accidentally run over while invisible is another thing entirely. Drivers would not slow down or move away because they did not see the ape. None of the passengers feels compelled to jump out of the moving vehicle. They are content to deal with the spirit and get away.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby dodged a passing delivery van that had likely not activated it's ultrasound sensors. Then he was back at the car, still parked at the red light. With one long arm, he pulled himself back into the open window and let the transformation drop.

"Alright, let's see if the little trouble card is still here, of if I just sexually assaulted a runner for no good reason."

[Tecumseh]

Mato, retreating from his victims, tries to keep an eye on the assembled Halloweeners.

Mato's does not hold the mental powers of the Halloweeners in high esteem, so his guess is that the passcode is something simple. He tries a few obvious candidates to see if he gets lucky. Among others he will try 1031 and 3110, hoping that they are unoriginal enough to use the date of Halloween.

If that doesn't work, and if it seems like he has time before the Halloweeners do anything, he'll return to Tamarind to see if she has any computer tricks up her sleeve.

He's annoyed that Tiny went back inside. If Tiny were still outside, then the Halloweeners would think that the (fake) card is still in his pocket. Now that he's gone inside, they might think that he's passed it off to someone else. That makes it harder to "destroy" the card publicly. For now he'll keep the pulse of the situation and try to ride the wave of violence if and when it crashes. He also waits to hear an update on "the prisoners", should Tiny return.

[Thanee]

Seeing that Bobby is getting out, Rachel asks her spirit to disengage and dematerialize. His task is done, and he can go home. She also thanks him for his help, of course. They couldn't have done it without him.

She spends a moment to erase any astral signatures left by her magic.

Heading back into the car herself, she 'wakes up', just a few moments after Bobby also gets back.

"Yes, that worked out really well. And without harming them, other than their pride a little, I suppose. I appreciate that."

[Gilga]

Once in the car, Bobby searches the pocket for his prize. The biofiber pocket contains a thin cartbord envelope with arcana symbols; inside it, four regular-sized envelopes contain four smaller letters with elaborate arcane symbols suitable to the Shinto tradition. There is a title on each smaller envelope "invisibility," "magic fingers," "influence," and "mask."

Raven identifies the big envelope as a vault of ages, the stabilization runes are unmistakable, and the inks to create one are very expensive. It takes a true alchemist to create this item, and the preparations appear professional work.

[ Spoiler ]

The vault is R6 and able to contain 12 preparations indefinitely.
It has numerous F6, P4 preparations. (10 dice to activate the spell).
2x improved invisibility.
2x magic fingers
2x influence
and 2x mask
There are also spent preparations indicating that the vault had initially had 3 of each.

[Jack_Spade]

"Drek. So the card is somewhere else."
<<The Op was a bust, no tarot only preparations.

Tamarind, we take control over the car again, we can't follow them anyway. Maybe a spirit or a drone can.>>

[Gilga]

@Mato cannot crack one of the devices, but the other has the most imaginative 1234 password. There are a few message back and forth, but the one that registers "... Go wild in Touristville until they surrender the card, make sure the populace know that Big Stank has gone too far. "

Tamarind can see a convoy with Big Stank and all of the Crimson Crush forced amassed at a nearby building; a delegation of the crimson guard joins them in red hooded uniform. As the convoy approaches, the Haloweeners are hesitant to fire due to the magical crimson crush and the prisoners which are heavily beaten are connected to wooden polls with massive amounts of industrial grade duct tape.

As they arrive Tiny exits with the card at hand, he is very loud without an effort, and his low base voice is easily heard across the entire scene. Your "prisoners" have confessed to working for Inferno. This means that Inferno and anyone that sides with him has broken their oath of fealty and are now considered traitors. Choose the right side, or be consumed by the fire you like so much " - he says, waving the card like a trophy or a tool to get everyone's attention.

Then augmented listeners can hear him saying to himself , "I wonder why they like that ugly card so much."

The Halloweeners seem to be confused, they did not expect that. Some of them look for Inferno for an explanation while others are quietly setting away from the siege. There is a moment of hesitation and confusion as the bikes and Morgans park and the Crimson Crush takes their positions.

[Tecumseh]

Mato updates Raven and Bobby - and Tamarind too, he's not sure how much she can see - about the situation at the dilapidated office building.

<<Big Stank just showed up with the prisoners that the Halloweeners asked for. Hey, I recognize those guys! Those were the Humanis goons hassling us outside the bank! The ones that chased Stank but got ambushed!>>

<<Oi, here's the bombshell: Stank says that the prisoners have confessed to working for the Halloweeners. Looks like the Halloweeners were looking to take Stank out but have some plausible deniability at the same time!>>

<<Stank has some Crimson Guards here from the Funhouse. Bobby, you'll know them better than any of us. Looks like Stank is leveling a J'Accuse at the Halloweeners. Drama, drama.>>

He takes the unlocked commlink (and the locked one too) back to Tamarind.

"Is there anything you can do with these?" he asks her, dumping them onto the passenger seat. Then he goes off to keep an eye on the proceedings.

The prisoners have elevated this encounter into something more than just a standoff. But would the Halloweeners back down?

They're psychotic, Mato thinks. You can't depend on them to do anything sane.

He decides to take a "watch and wait" approach, morbidly curious about the dramatic outcome. He tries to sneak into a position where he'll be in range to throw a Molotov. A rooftop will do, if there's a suitable one available.

[Thanee]

Hearing, that the card was not in the pocket, after all, Rachel sends another text to the rest, while she takes a look at the envelope, that Bobby liberated. It could still be a useful asset for them in the future. So, at least, they got something out of this whole thing.

<< Since the card wasn't with them, it might still be where it was before. Let me quickly check, if I can find it there. I will be back in a moment. >>

Accompanied by her brave spirit, Rachel takes to the astral space once more, in order to check on the last known location of the card.

[Gilga]

@Mato finds a nearby high position on the roof of a container home. Though, to be fair, he can also toss a grenade to the balcony from the street.

Inferno looks amazed; he and his devil-themed gang look confused and off balance as they watch each other in outrage and doubt and are uncertain about where the center of attention should be.

Inferno eventually says, "You ambushed my people; we gave you a quick taste of hell as is our right. I thought you, of all people, would get an eye for ten eyes. You couldn't handle us, so you came crying to the dragon?! is that it?"

Big Stank explains , "First they attacked me, second and much worse - they did so wearing these clothes, and lifts two Humanis jackets dramatically, making sure that everyone can see them. After a short while, he tosses them on the ground and spits on them.

He scornfully stands on the clothes and ensures they are submerged in mud. Humanis scum!
Then he stands a head taller and walks toward Inferno, looking menacing as he is twice as big as the horned demon costumed - human. Make up your mind, Humanis scum. Die in a blaze of glory, or walk peacefully in shame, letting the entire world see that the famous Haloweener's insanity is nothing but a mask." Mato can swear that Big Stank provokes him to attack.

Inferno rebukes, "We would not be caught dead in that outfit. That is bull-drek!" To his lieutenant, he hisses, "Get Nightmare now!"

His men seem to be calculated rather than mindlessly charging, the forces are more balanced now, and the prisoners are crucified right next to them; the Humanis outfits lay a pond next to Big Stank. To say that they are distracted would be an understatement.

Mato can see Tiny's wary crew getting into positions by the broken glass windows.
Their guns point at the Halloweeners; Big Stank crew also raises their guns in anticipation and takes positions with cover unopposed by the confused and outraged Halloweeners. Tiny tapes the card to a small flying eye drone (via duct tape). He is the only Crimson Crush that does not seem ready for action.


Inferno looks at the Crimson Guard. "Urubia declared US traitors?" he seems offended by the suggestion. The crimson guard nods but does not speak or directly look at him.

[ Spoiler ]

I'll stop here to give Mato a chance to interfere.

Raven's trip to the building is swift, but once there, she is greeted by six spirits of fire that deny her access to the building or its surroundings. "Nobody enters," one of them comments. She can spot Mato in his position. The little she can see includes Mato on a nearby high ground, Big Stank, the Crison guards, the prisoners, and a dual-natured entity, with some spell wrapped around it that stands next to Big Stank.

[Tecumseh]

<<Tamarind!>> Mato comms. <<Tiny is taping the card to a flying eye drone. Can you intercept??>>

Mato is ready to light the powder keg. Despite the fact he went to some effort to steal some Molotovs, he doesn't want a flaming bottle arcing through the air giving away his position. He prefers a nice, dark grenade for this, one that's good and loud. He opts for his flash-bang and aims it at the back of the pack, where nobody will see it coming and the others won't realize that it isn't a gunshot. Mato isn't expecting strong powers of perception from drug-fueled gangers, but there could be some clearer heads - like the Crimson Guard, or watchers - that require a modicum of discretion.

He grabs the cylinder marked with blue tape, pulls the pin, then lobs it toward the back of the assembled mob.

[ Spoiler ]

The exacting targeting is largely arbitrary. Here's the roll just to make sure I don't glitch: Agility 10 + Throwing Weapons 5: 15d6t5 6 hits, nope, he's accurate

[Beta]

Tamarind has been watching through the Flying Eye she'd sent to help Mato. She messages him <<if that drone goes anywhere I'll see if I can intercept it. Won't be easy, the tasers in my Flying Eyes makes them a bit more sluggish, but I can three to one, and try to zap it out of the sky at the right place. Failing that I might be able to drop it from the matrix side, but I'd need to get lucky there.>>

[Thanee]

"Oh, sure. Privat property. I get it. Moving on."

Rachel will then head towards Mato and manifest next to him.

"Hi! Building is guarded by six fire spirits. Can't get inside. Uhm... so, what's the plan here? If you need any help, I have my spirit friend with me."

She will also take a moment assensing the spirits and that dual-natured entity, as well as the spell.

[ Spoiler ]

Asssensing (Assensing Table)
Spirits 6 hits
Entity 3 hits
Spell 1 hit (it's a spell!)

[Gilga]

@Raven -
1. The spell is an illusion spell.
2. The dual-natured entity seems like an astrally perceiving awakened.
3. The spirits are F6 bound spirits, all tied to the awakened person (the Crimson Guard, but she does not know exactly what happens).

@Mato Once the grenade goes off, the carnage begins. Six fire spirits materialize next to the Haloweeners that cheer up for the unexpected reinforcement. Unexpectedly, the spirits use their auras and fire-throwing ability to light up all the Molotovs stacks in their vicinity, causing a chain of explosions that leaves the Haloweeners in complete chaos. The spirits dematerialized as quickly as they came.

Burning and screaming Haloweeners run around in the rain in disarray while dozens of Crimson Crush control the area with automatic fire. Despite inferior numbers, it is a massacre rather than a two-sided combat. A brief second from triggering the scene, tens of Halloweeners in costumes lie in the mud, and whoever is still standing runs away or toward the building in a suicide-by-orcs kind of feat.

Inferno is safe from the initial onslaut due to being so close to Big Stank. The orc himself freazes and seems surprised it takes him a few precious seconds to respond to the situation and reach for his sidearm and by that time Inferno runs away. He manages to shoot a few rounds from his pistol in Inferno's general direction - but these are more for the protocol than to actually hit the man.

Tiny pilots the little drone away from the scene in the general direction of the lake. Perhaps to deter Nightmare from intervening in the combat by providing a more attractive target.

@Raven - From her perspective, she is uncertain what happens but the entire astral space becomes aspected with violence and death to the point where it is unpleasant to exist. There is fires and hate, and fear and pain and suffering and all of them collide to a big chunk of background count that would cause most spells to fail. The fire spirits leave very quickly, leaving the way to the building open. The spirits would only return to protect the astral once they finish consuming the stacks of Molotovs prepared by the Haloweeners.

[Thanee]

Rachel will make use of the confusion, to quickly head into the building (using existing cover and staying close to the ground to make it not too obvious) for a swift check (looking for the card mostly).

[ Spoiler ]

Stealth 3 hits
Assensing 3 hits

Afterwards, she heads back to the van.

<< Back here. @Bobby: Just a reminder, you are still invisible. It is getting very heated with the gangs. Six fire spirits were guarding the house and just attacked the Halloweeners. >>

[Gilga]

@Raven, from a quick several-second look, you do not see the card in the building. Either it is well hidden, or it is not there.

@Tamarind The flying eye is piloted manually without any significant sophistication. A Sony Emperor comlink controls it.