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farothel
"They do, but we don't have to," Sammy said, "while a lot of families have that name, they are not used in public, so it doesn't matter. One first name and a family name is sufficient. As for a family name, there used to be a drug lord named Escobar about a century ago. Why don't we use that as last name. A family trying to get back into the drug business. First names you can pick yourself, just so long as we know. But it's maybe better if I go with Maria, as that's my real name and I might react to it if someone else took it."
SleepIncarnate
<If we are going with names we might actually react to, intentionally or not, perhaps I should be Elena?> Snow raises an eyebrow inquisitively at this. <So we will be the Escobars, with Raphael, Maria, Elena, and others?>
Thvor
Sam thought about it. "I know a guy back home who probably knows a good family name for us to use, rather than just choosing at random. Hell, we could probably use his family name, given some of the stories he's told me." He pulled out his 'link and sent a note to Dom, explaining what they were looking for. "Not sure how soon he'll get back, given the time difference."

Edit: Removed the bit about trying to speak Yoruba with a Hispanic accent, since Sam's not changing.
Crossbow
You actually get a pretty quick response from Dom, "You sure you want to kick a hornet's nest like that? Try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum and I will try to cover for you if you use the name Chavez."

"I am not trying to remember a half dozen names, it is Raphael, Elena and, thanks for the heads-up Starlet, I am Julia. You other three are who you are, hired guns, mouthpieces and" Jane grinned, "Ah...Special service providers? Be who you are to the best of your abilities, we are just clients who don't speak local. Okay?"


Clem looks particularly relieved as the ruse is explained, she is not one to pretend, and especially not one to speak. She put her gear away after taking what she needed and went to the door, "Okay, make it look good, Torley in front with our guide, you four in a close pack and me following. We are the help, so when you talk to the Face or me, act snotty, or just glare. We should know in about 10 seconds if this is going to work, so lock in your part now." She goes to Torley and takes his cane, handing it to O'Conner, then hands him one of the spare AKs, "You are security, try to be seen as intimidating, or just seen, period."


When the group files out they get to the lobby without seeing anyone. At the desk, Homie says to the person on the desk, "We need a car for all." He looks to Jane who passes him a few coins for the payment.
farothel
Sammy brought all her weapons, which is to say not many. She had an Ares predator, but it seemed like half of the world had, so that wouldn't be much of a problem. She also had a taser, again, it could be concealed nicely. But she also brought her sword. It could Always be explained as someone with more money than sense, although she knew how to use it.
""Okay, I'm good to go," she said, "where to?"
farothel
Sammy brought all her weapons, which is to say not many. She had an Ares predator, but it seemed like half of the world had, so that wouldn't be much of a problem. She also had a taser, again, it could be concealed nicely. But she also brought her sword. It could Always be explained as someone with more money than sense, although she knew how to use it. She also had a backpack with a couple of changes of clothes and some other items that could be useful, but that was it.
""Okay, I'm good to go," she said, "where to?"
Thvor
Sam wasn't sure how he'd been turned into the hired muscle, but he was willing to go along with it. At least it gave him a reason to have the Roomsweeper as well as his Self Defender. He knew he'd be useless with the AK, though he'd seen enough goons that he was able to give off a professional air while holding it. Reality's at least 90% perception, and I control that, he tried to reassure himself, though he found himself having a hard time believing it fully.
Necrogigas
O'Connor holsters his pistol on the forearm slide, and his machine pistol on his hip. He holds up his M23 rifle, "The higher up the syndicate ladder, the less weapons most carry since that's what goons are for. To stand out, I want to go with my full loadout. Want to project that I still get my own hands dirty. Lead from the front and all that." He looked namely to Clem and Snow for input on his idea since both were connected to organized crime.
Crossbow
Clem gives him a head shake, disagreeing. “Not when you have bodyguards it doesn’t, let Torley carry that beast instead of the AK. He will be close enough that you can snatch it off him if you need it.”
----------------------------
The exit from the hotel goes off without a hitch, the runners walk out looking the part and Lil Homie get a van and driver as he is instructed by Jane. Feigning casuality, but searching the area while doing so, you spot a look out that has already dismissed your group and another that is kind of strange.

He is a white dude, for one, which wouldn’t stand out much if he was in the hotel compound, but he is in the street outside. The other is that he is seemed to be more interested in Torley than anyone, who is still trying to get comfortable carrying a longarm and missed it. (He accidently dropped the magazine out of in the elevator.)
As you pull away, most of you notice the lookout becomes a tail
farothel
"Interesting," Sammy said, "probably from that guy we met at the other side of the bay. I think we best be careful if he is the tail for an ambush a bit further. If you want, I'll try to summon a spirit to crash his car? I'm not sure how good I will be at this moment, but I can give it a shot."
Necrogigas
O'Connor gave an extremely sullen look when overruled on carrying his own rifle, but acquiesced nonetheless. His mood soured even further at Torley's mishandling of his weapon in the elevator. He quickly gave the face a quick technical rundown that hopefully would help him pretend to act like he knew how to use the rifle.

[ Spoiler ]


O'Connor chuckled as the team debated on how to handle the tail, "We just make friends wherever we go."
Crossbow
Jane, who is sharing the middle couch with Starlet, eyes the driver and leans close to whisper in the orc's ear "Nah, leave him be, we lost the local guy, no reason to attract attention again just yet." She snuggles the mage a bit too, for the sake of the act.
SleepIncarnate
<Perhaps a simple false command to his vehicle if it is on the network? Telling it to shift into reverse or take a left turn. Glitches happen all the time, after all.>
Crossbow
<You are welcome to try, but I doubt that jalopy is rigged, and there ain't no GridGuide in Africa.>
Crossbow
Somebody once said that the The Dúdú Dúdú Ôjà weapons market is an astonishing place, it continues to be so at night, even more so when you consider the types of metahumanity that aren't really keen on sunlight. More than once as your group moves through you see, or brush past individuals give you gooseflesh, or just full on feelings of illness. That is not even counting a few well dressed ghouls that appear to be accepted in the community, though like you they are well guarded.

The market is not known for an outlet of high fashion, there is no House of Lagos strutting the runways, but some fairly decent clothes can be found in armored varieties, for a price.
farothel
Keeping part of her concentration on the disguise spells, Sammy nevertheless looked around as if checking out the various wares, but mostly the surroundings. She moved behind the group as appropriate for her station.
Necrogigas
O'Connor decided to take Jane's directive about being the center of attention to heart. He gravitated towards a number of armored suits that to varying degrees straddled the line between showy and outright gaudy.
farothel
"I would take something else," Sammy softly said as O'Connor took something, "if you wear that, some people are going to shoot you just to get rid of the suit. Take the one next to it."
Crossbow
You are doing an excellent job of seeing and being seen in the market, you note that there is an Area Boy presence here, but you are not hassled at all, even though Lil Homie is able to confirm that the three of you are definitely still on their list.

The South African security dude that followed you from the hotel is still hanging around, but not obtrusively so. Torley, once he is told about the tail, will recognize the gentleman that helped him to his seat.

Necrogigas
Following Starlet's advice to a point, O'Connor passed on the truly gaudy and tasteless suits. He did however buy two extremely loud suits. One a white three piece suit with a pink shirt, and the other a bright green zoot suit with a purple shirt. He wore the zoot suit out of the market, saving the far more stainable white three piece for later.

He turned to Jane, "We ready to head out to this auction?"
farothel
Sammy followed and if she looked a bit distant, it wasn't completely an act, as she had to keep up the spells.
Crossbow
Leaving the market you make it to the airport without incident, once inside Starlet drops the disguises so that Jane can negotiate your extra passenger, who will be staying with the plane.

The trip to Ife takes a few hours by air. Innocent Dobiri proves to be an excellent pilot, as you see when he skillfully evades anti-air fire from a “group of drunk idiots” below. Once in Ife, you accompany Jane to the palace, a stunning Islamic-style fortress.

[ The palace and grounds are a Rating 3 domain aspected towards Ifá. This means that any magically active runners who don’t follow Ifá will be at a disadvantage (per the rules on p. 118, Street Magic, any magic user who does not follow Ifá will suffer a magic reduction of 3 and adepts will lose 3 power points, chosen by the player). ]

Tropical vines, heavy with fragrant flowers, cling to the two-story wall that surrounds the palace. Jane speaks to a uniformed guard at the gate, and after a minute, another group of guards arrives to escort you into the palace. While you’re walking through the broad, manicured gardens, you see a helicopter landing on a helipad; it has Aztechnology markings.

At the main entrance everyone is scanned with MAD wands and cyberware detectors. All weapons and active foci kept to this point are confiscated for the duration of the stay

You’re shown into a luxury suite, where your red-robed guide informs you that there will be a viewing of the items in two hours followed by a formal dinner with the Oni. Until then, he tells you, you’re welcome to rest in the suite. You can also go anywhere in the guest wing of the palace, and he’d be happy to give you a tour.
farothel
Sammy declined the tour. After dropping the illusions, she had kept her foci off, so she still had them, even if her magic would be next to useless while here. She decided to do some meditating and playing around with her magic in the privacy of her room to find ways around the special power she felt in this palace. She wasn't sure if she would be able to, but now she felt quite useless.
Necrogigas
O'Connor wasn't a fan of the palace. The area felt weird and oppressive, and he chaffed under it's restrictions. Then to add to his vulnerability, he was stripped of his weapons.

Once they were sequestered in their suite, he turned to Starlet, "What's going on here? It doesn't feel as awful as some places in Redmond, but my Talent is still being restrained here. I feel sluggish, like I'm walking through syrup." He then throw a flurry of punches and kicks to demonstrate. While he was slower than normal, only those with enhanced perception of some form would truly notice the difference. To the naked eye, he was still an inhumanly fast blur.
SleepIncarnate
Snow's first thought to the mention of a formal dinner was to think of what to wear. Once they got to the suite, she would look through her bags to find something to make the right impression.

At O'connor's comments, she idly shook her head. "I am not sure I can properly understand your situation there, but the comparison to a barrens is fitting. The Matrix here is more like in a barrens, which leaves me feeling a bit... frustrated." She continues rifling through her bag, looking for something just right. "Perhaps we shall have to rely more on our charms and hope it does not come to a situation where our more typical skills are needed?"
Thvor
Sam felt...weird...as they entered the palace grounds. At the same time, he noticed Con and Samantha reacting--the ork, especially, seemed almost queasy. What the drek was that? he wondered to himself, but figured it had to be some sort of security barrier. He couldn't identify what, specifically, had changed, but he made sure to keep his discomfort hidden. When the guide offered a tour, he decided to accept--it never hurt to know where things were, and he didn't really want to sit around idly for two hours.
farothel
"We are," Sammy said, "this is an aspected domain and if you're not trained in that particular aspect, your power is reduced. It's a real embuggerance."
Necrogigas
O'Connor really wasn't a fan of this place. He looked over Starlet and Torley to assess how they were dealing with the restrictions on their magic. Though Clem was nominally the tactical lead, during most of this run she'd retreated within herself if he wasn't actively needling her. It might be an Japanese thing with Jane, an overriding boss, on hand to give out order. Regardless, they didn't have time for that.

He turned to Snow, "Do a sweep for bugs, then you should take the tour with Torley. The rest of us will keep this place on lock." A layout of the palace, even a limited one, would be good to have. O'Connor wanted Snow with Torley since she wasn't affected by the magic drain.

O'Connor spoke to Clem next, "Starlet, Torley, and I are going to need a bit of time to get use to this place. Stick close to the boss lady while we work this out." He found the most open area in the suite and began shadow boxing to acclimate himself to his slower reaction speed and lowered agility.
SleepIncarnate
Nodding to his suggestion, Snow opens up her scan program, running it as she walks around the room. "I am not seeing any signals around. If there are any bugs, they are beyond my skills to find." She turns and looks to O'Connor, giving him a slight nod. "I will go on this tour then. I can figure out dinner clothes after." And with that, she cleans up her pack and joins Torley on the tour.
Crossbow
Palace Map
Crossbow
Jane, Torley, Clem and Snow are shown around the building. The rooms in the runners’ wing opens into a courtyard, with access to the rest of the outside grounds. Although you are no allowed to wander, you can see in the central part of the structure you are staying in is an ancient mosque. The palace in Ife is the center of the Yoruba faith as well as the Yoruba kingdom. As such, it holds immense cultural and spiritual significance for the Yoruba people.
The palace itself is a sprawling affair of white marble, built in two concentric circles with a large circular wall surrounding the entire property.
Inside all of the buildings, your guide tells you, priceless artwork decorates the walls and bronze statutes, recovered from archeological digs sponsored by Oni Adegoke, are displayed prominently.
Around you in your wing you note several distinct groups. A severe looking group of elves dressed in the style of Tir Tairngire, a tall Nubian wearing Celtic robes, a Chinese delegation led by a 40ish aged woman who looks like a college professor, and Sam’s South African friends. Various security people are present, including uniformed personnel bearing the logos of Aztechnology and the APEP Consortium who are housed in the other wing.
Crossbow
After a few hours several guards arrive to escort you through a twisting maze of hallways and corridors, down several flights of stairs, and finally into a vast internal room—the converted mosque, Jane tells those of you that didn't take the tour.

The door to the vault is big enough for a large truck to drive through it, and as you walk in you realize the walls are a good two meters thick. Four armed and armored guards stand at the door, and the room is wi-fi inhibited. The showroom inside is like being in Aladdin’s cave of wonders—if you’re an antiquities buff, that is. Artifacts and antiques are carefully displayed on shelves, on the walls, inside glass cases, and even in tanks of what you guess is seawater. You see gemstone-encrusted masks sitting beside shards of ancient pottery. One table has a climate-controlled glass case filled with sheets of
papyrus, Egyptian hieroglyphics on the fragile sheets.

Masks and statuettes from across Africa stand on pedestals and glass cases. Another large table has a sizable map stretched out along it, with a small AR tag labeling it the “Piri Reis map.” You realize Samriel is in the vault. He’s lingering near the Piri Reis map and speaking in what sounds like Sperethiel to a red-haired elven woman, and he doesn’t appear to notice your group's entrance.
farothel
Sammy couldn't do much there, as she didn't know much about antiquities. There was not all that much antique stuff, at least not this kind, in East LA where she grew up. Old and battered stuff yes, lots of it, but not antique. So she just kept a look-out for the other groups, trying to figure out who they were. When she noticed the humans they had met on Victoria Island, she nudged Sam to make sure he was aware these guys were there. Then she went on the team comms.
"The one we're looking for is here," she said, painting an AR Arrow over him to indicate him to the rest of the group, "how do we proceed?"
The last was directed to Jane. She had hired them to find the guy, which they had done now.
SleepIncarnate
Snow nods, taking note of the ARO. <It would seem our job is complete, unless Jane has something else?> She also turned her gaze to Jane at this.
Necrogigas
O'Connor eyed the target and then the various bodyguards and site security. He did what little he could to ready himself for what may come. He wasn't expecting a confrontation here and now, but knew better than to be anything less that alert and prepared. The small part of his mind reserved for non-adrenaline junkie thoughts really hoped a fight didn't break out here.

He was barely coming to grips with the physical toll the palace's domain took from him. He could barely imagine how Torley, who would be drained mentally, and Starlet, who would be drain spiritually, were coping. Their team's Awakened majority has gone from a great boon to crippling weakness. He made a mental note to talk to Starlet about all this advanced magic drek later. They'd need someway to counter this in the future.
Crossbow
“Samriel was just the first step, remember? That golden sphere/sextant thingie? That is the prize. Spread out, look around, maybe it’s here somewhere. It could have been his admission to the auction, which we still don’t have yet, so mind your manners.” In spite of her statement Jane seems locked in on Samriel, or what he is looking at anyway. She moves up to Starlet, “I know you guys are hurting in here, but can you get a scan of that thing he is looking at, my people seem to think there might be something special to it.”
farothel
"I can give it a try," Sammy said. Slowly she drifted towards the object Samriel was looking at and when she was close enough, she opened her sight to the astral. She also tried to get a look at the elf as well, just in case.
Crossbow
STARLET

You look at the map with your Sight. You are used to the printed—or in this case, handwritten—word not being discernable, but are surprised to find that not only are certain markings on the map clear, but there are symbols/glyphs around the edges and strange notations everywhere.

In fact, it seems even better defined than what you saw with your physical senses. Glowing lines crisscross and meander across the map and strange ideograms mark additional features. As you study it, you get the impression of great age; in fact, it seems to be the oldest item in the room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Starlet is quite distracted by the map, but the rest of the team takes note of Samriel, who notices the mage's observation, then kind of starts the slightest bit before a rather confused grin comes over his features.
farothel
It's definetely magical, she texted to the rest of the team, it's a map of some kind and it's old. Really old.
"Oh, hello," she said to Samriel, "good afternoon, sir. Do you know anything about this? It looks quite old. I've never seen something that old before."
Babbling like an airhead came easy to Sammy, as she had quite a lot of experience being on the recieving end of it.
farothel
It's definetely magical, she texted to the rest of the team, it's a map of some kind and it's old. Really old.
"Oh, hello," she said to Samriel, "good afternoon, sir. Do you know anything about this? It looks quite old. I've never seen something that old before."
Babbling like an airhead came easy to Sammy, as she had quite a lot of experience being on the recieving end of it.
Crossbow
Samriel actually laughs at the act. It is a somewhat mean thing, his laughing. It grows to an uncomfortable volume, but it doesn't seem forced.

"You are really going to try and pull THE SAME airhead bit months later and half a world away? AMAZING." the elf actually doubles over holding his belly.

The two of you are attracting an unusual amount of attention from the mostly quiet folks circulating among the lots.
Necrogigas
O'Connor and Clem side eyed each other and moved into position. Clem interposed herself between Starlet and the target, while O'Connor moved closer to cover Jane.
farothel
"I'm quite sure I've never met you before, sir," Sammy said, "I would remember I think. Unless someone gave me a shot of that…. Laes was it I think."
The memory of waking up on a hill without memory on how she got there was poking her at that moment, but if that was the case, there was little she could do about it right now.
SleepIncarnate
Magic was not something Snow knew how to do anything about, so instead, she mingled around the edges of the room, looking over this and that. And then Samriel and Sammy start making a scene, and her attention is clearly on them. Thankfully, it seems most others in the crowd are watching as well, so she's not standing out for that.
Crossbow
"I see your ugly sister is still as protective as ever, and is that the little speed freak that wouldn't keep his mouth shut? He is looking a bit worse for wear. Amazing, I figured the way you were snapping at each other if the beasts didn't kill you surely you would have killed each other." Samriel looked around the room, completely missing Torley (natch) "Or were you the only ones who made it off that mountain?"
Necrogigas
*Ah, drek. I just fraggin' knew that Tir run would frag us in the hoop at just the best time.* O'Connor really hoped Samriel hadn't kept close tabs on them since the mountain, keeping Snow an unknown. He whispered to Jane, "So apparently he recognizes us from a bit of biz we did a few months back. We all got hit with Laes, so I can't tell you how he was involved. Drek, this is bad." O'Connor started scanning the room to check for any security forces or bodyguard moving in on them.

Intuition 3 + Perception 3 + Visual 2 - CM 1 = Pool 7
Perception: 7d6t5 2
Crossbow
"Calm down." Jane says, putting a hand through his arm. "He is affected by the same magic that is hitting you and Starlet, he is not going to start something here. This kinda thing can happen at times in the shadows, you never know when you are going to see an operator again, or if they will be on the same side next time."
farothel
Sammy put her hand on Clem's shoulder so she wouldn't go hitting him for the 'ugly sister' comment. But clearly he did know something about that mountain. She filed that away under the 'good to know' category.
"It seems you know quite a bit more than I do," she said, "maybe we should have a chat later so you can fill in the blanks as it were."
Crossbow


"If you are interested in the map, I am betting we are going to have much more than 'a chat' later. I have seen what I need to see here, excuse me...ladies." Samriel purposely and nonchalantly walks past them, closely as possible to Clem, as he takes his leave.

When he does Jane moves herself and Con over to the two orcs. "If Samriel is interested in this map, that is something my employer will want to know, I should make a call or two." Jane will leave them unless she is stopped.
Necrogigas
O'Connor kept back at a great enough distance to give Jane privacy, but he wasn't about to let her out of sight.
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