Good morning all, and welcome to update #170.
This week, I’m mostly grateful to my players for taking the hint! Splitting the party is something every GM has to deal with from time to time, and having people go off on their own or in a subset of the team to do stuff is something you have to accept – especially when due to plot or presentation it really makes sense for them to do so.
In this case however, I wanted to keep the team together so they can all go off to do the rescue mission together – not have Marius camped out at the workshop doing maintenance on the engines, while Aswon is having adventures in Hong Kong completely separately, and the rest of the team then go off to take on the triads together. Not only would it make entertaining 2 of the players much harder, but they’d miss out on the potential karma awards for doing stuff, and their skills would have to be covered by the rest of the team.
So – dropping hints to Marius that he can monitor the process remotely, and then having the NPC be polite but working around him was enough to send him back to the team, and it was even easier with Aswon…his contact just had to explain that she just doesn’t trust Kai that much! And, back he came too, so now they’re all together and can have the meeting with the Triad NPC.
The actual plot drop went smoothly – the players were ready to react, but didn’t jump the gun, and events were set in motion, the backstory has been teased, hints dropped and now they have the clear objective – their hosts son has been kidnapped and used for blackmail to get their host to come out of retirement for a big fight. We’re well on the way to a cracking 80s martial art movie plot! “No Retreat Blood Kid Sport Karate. Part II.” Or something like that… 😊
They’ve started to work on some magical tracking, psychometry and on the photos and investigate possible locations for the holding cell, which may get them somewhere at the start of next week, but they’re mostly going to have to do a bit of good old fashioned leg work to find some Triad members in the know, and then interrogate / intimidate them, or finesse them somehow – I suspect Tads and her Mind Probe spell is going to feature heavily.
That should lead them up the hierarchy until they find someone who has the actual location, at which point they can get hold of a borrowed transport and plan the rescue mission – while their host Chun has to prepare for the fight, just in case they don’t get the rescue done in time.
That’s all to come of course, and we’ll see how far through that chain we get on Tuesday coming.
As usual, here are the notes from the game session:
1. Monday 13/9/2060, Location: 22.22744, 114.24966, Time: 11:15
2. Matrix site details for Marius to remote monitor. Gets impression he is in the way somewhat. Hand sewing of a seat, painting perfect line in the studio next to them. Marius spots multi-cameras and palm/iris scanners. Spots hypercars in for repairs. Marius calls Nadia to fill her in, hong kong, do you want any shopping. Nadia a bit put out...
3. Rest of team back at the dojo
4. Description of fighters - Hunter looking for speed - Simi
5. Shimazu - Hakim for tumbles and jujitsu
6. Tads goes to kitchen to help stock up after discovering no weapons training. Chuns wife. Quiet, subdued, tired - is Tads after a snack? Replenish offer, confused, Tads does food stuffs
7. Kai - any athletics training. Rudi's class. Ask about Archery - no knowledge.
8. Aswon - goes to nature reserve, meditate, practice breathing.
9. Great lunch after Tads does lots of food prep. Hunter question eyebrow at Tads - nods - piles into food.
10. Positive vibes. Break for tea time, bad guy comes in, smoke, sneers,
11. Chun - take that outside. Nah, you probably want to shut up and listen...
12. Tads - magic fingers - pinch out the cigarette. Takes a drag, ruined mojo, you need to be ready to receive visitor. Checks for psychology from Shimazu (not good), Kinesics from Kai - massive success - blagging it.
13. Hunter prepares to shoot. Quiet enough to drop a pin and hear it.
14. Kai asks if tomorrow is when the room is being fumigated. Looks at Chuns body language - tense but wary
15. Shimazu checks the aura of the room - everyone ready to kick off. Shimazu goes to buffet table for food.
16. Chun says yes to the meeting, she can come, you should go. Hunter stands, noisy scrape, hand behind back.
17. He turns to leave, lights up - Tads puts out.
18. Hunter goes to grab cigarette, he ducks back, Hunter raises gun "no". Turns to Chun - you'll regret this, Hunter grabs the fag, messenger leaves, Hunter sits back down.
19. Chun calms students down, we'll listen to them. Tads tells the team in Russian "he was an underling; he didn't know either". Kai offers to help. Chun says he thinks they are triad, but no bother. Quiet for years. No local gang war. Negotiations last time about protection money, ended up a draw.
20. Shimazu asks Hunter to apologise to Chun for overstepping boundaries. Kai asks Chun if he can speak to students about the triads / protection rackets etc.
21. Chun - fine, no secrets, nothing to hide.
22. Tads sends text to Aswon, talk to Spook, ask about Wa Fan. Shimazu offers to be at the meet for Chun, as protection.
23. Kai talks to students. Get details of residential stays, no students involved with Triads
24. Kai sends info to Aswon. Kai asking about area - small seaside retreat.
25. Students frothing about encounter. Team armours up and gets heavier weapons. Aswon talk to spook to ask about triads. Tells Kai not to piss off the local triads, as we're here for a week.
26. Marius - we should stay out of the way, not draw attention to ourselves, so that if it escalates we can surprise them and do the battle elsewhere.
27. Tads checks LOS for potential meeting areas.
28. Aswon talks to spook, catches up, doesn't know the name Wa Fan, too low down the food chain. Blue Lotus on the up. Aswon asks about Chun - he has pull, she wants more info. One slight racist hassling, otherwise good night
29. Vadim training with one of the teams. Nicola does a training routine with Tads
30. Hunter does blindfold training taking assault rifle apart / back together.
31. Marius - working on the photographic memory next edge enhancement - series of mental exercises.
32. Tads herds people through the wards again at a suitable time.
33. Kai asks about getting into kids room for wards, asks wife, she asks Chun, all ok.
34. Hunter computer search on Blue lotus - 2 successes. Gets basic info. Team wondering what the link is - maybe gambling den, Tads - international students, people trafficking?
35. Spook to Aswon: Spook asks you to head back and just check up on the situation. Chun is a friend, and from what she's seen of the team, Kai doesn't always think long term / clearly, it seems. She'd much prefer to have a cooler head on scene to deal with things and let her know if *she* needs to do anything. Preferably that won't put her in the middle of a triad war, but you know... friends...
36. Tuesday morning - surf run, morning training. Kai goes to workshop. Asks Marcello about Wa Fan. Body language change, not so forthcoming, only mix a little, she not into cars, she's not a member of the country club up the road - but Marcello is. He demos bag of ash. Kai offers part payment - refused.
37. Aswon appears about 11am, tells Kai that he's come back to keep an eye on things for Spook. If you make things awkward for Chun, it does the same for Spook, the same for me, so lets not.
38. Some discussion about taking the fight away from Chuns to the triad if needed, Marius pushing the idea.
39. Wa Fan walks down the beach at lunchtime - lots of assensing, unintiated phys-ad, magical tattoo - defensive trigger+spell,
40. Kai rolls on magical societies and politics - diplomatic immunity, fear of oath tattoo.
41. Team monitoring / listening in. Tads covering the wife and baby. Aswon listening but watching out.
42. Intro in chinese, swap to english, you want the outsiders to listen to the business?
43. Throws pictures of Harley onto the deck, fight in a week, you lose, 6 or 7th round, then he comes back. Or else.
44. She turns and goes, Shimazu assenses Chun - pretty devastated. Examine photos, prison environment, some sign of a beating.
45. Team offer to help, need access to samples, info etc. Chun - sure.
46. Start asking about fight location, details of Chun, history. Aswon - but why him, specifically. Kai - ruin the rep of the dojo?
47. Explain to Nicola - possible back room warehouse, she will investigate.
48. Hunter search on Chun, 48 consecutive wins, some medical accident, retired, disappeared 8 years ago.
49. Ask about Harley - adopted son for 4 years.
50. Marius analyse the photos, secure storage, carful positioning, no identifying features / faces. Analyse photos for faint chemical traces - nothing revealing. Ask if Harley has med conditions - no. Ask where he might go in HK - raves, nothing special. Does he like cars? No, but 300 quid trainers.
51. Kai asks Hunter to go do a forensic search. Tads - no - magic search first.
52. Magic team except Kai toss the room and search for stuff. Find hair and fingernails - pass on the wank rag.
53. Browsing history - rave clubs and clothes shopping, no porn, female martial artists.
54. Plan for next week - ritual tracking.
55. Shimazu - psychometry on photos, 8,7,5,1
56. Aswon ask about a safe house - Chun doesn't have one. Aswon - start thinking about it.
57. Kai back to workshop. Checks - no sign of recognition when he mentions gossip.
The session plan:
Start with Marius - cover security, cleanliness, professionalism, make it clear he can/should leave them to sort the engine, he'll only make things slower. Also explain from initial assessment, that though they will come to an "arrangement" with Chun over the labour, the parts are likely to be expensive due to the specialist nature. Normally the job will cost about 600k - give Marius a clue to go check the CMC / damage control computer.
Give the rest of the team time for training montage / introductions - better descriptions of fighters.
Messenger arrives at tea-time to tell Chun they have Harley, and he will receive Wa Fan tomorrow, to find out what is going on. Messenger is low level flunky, unenhanced, bully boy, knows very little, chosen as an expendable asset, very unsure of themselves and trying to put a brave face on it. Has a badge with 49 on it. Also a flowering Blue Lotus neon tattoo on the breastbone
If interrogated, he works for Wa Fan, the local 415/Accounts master at the golf course. If Chun is involved he would favour listening to her at the meeting first, before getting heavy.
NPCs
Chun - small town of 'Shek O' on the east side. (instagram, looking over the ropes)
https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDi...ajie_Hunan.html
Three sided building, training hall, living accommodation, central courtyard - just big enough for the tilt-wing to land in (very restricted terrain, mountain downdrafts, +6 TN)
Tilt-rotor value= 3million. Damage = 20%, so a book repair cost of 600k i.e. more than the team have. Chun can call in some favours to get some parts, access to tools etc. Pitch is as expensive, though if the team are willing to help out with some stuff around the temple, that would help.
Jobs on site - rewire, cleaning, plumbing, roof repairs, cleaning outside.
Gym is clean, but run down - lots of little jobs needed doing. Keeps meaning to, but always tomorrow. Too busy training.
Chun B6 Q7 S6 C5 I5 W3 R6 Init 4D6+6, CP 7. Human, mid 40s, friendly face, easy going, wheeler-dealer, positive energy, forgetful, slightly disorganised.
Kickboxing 10, all moves, Centering 8 (Counting), TKD 6, Wing chun 5, Instructor 8, Weight training 6, Athletics 8, Biotech 5, Mysticism 5, Tattoos 4
Phys-ad, Grade 5 (Masking, Improved Masking, Advanced Masking, Centering (S+A, Kickboxing), Improved ability Kickboxing 6(3), Increase reactions 3(5), Quick strike (3)
Married, two older children, newborn in the house. Quite westernised, but strong streak of historical culture / mysticism, covered in tattoos with "virtues" e.g Honour, Integrity, Fearlessness
Academy students:
• Harley, Human, Male, Anglo, early 20s, Chun's protege / adopted son
• Nicola, Human, Female, mid 20s, Anglo, senior PT / assistant instructor, A squad fighter / competitor with multiple competition wins. Mundane with top line physical stats
• Simi, Human, Male, late 20s, Carrib, A squad / assistant instructor. Physical adept with boosted fitness / martial arts
• Ismael, Elf, Male, mid 20s, Indian, A squad. Mundane with top line physical stats
• Rudi, Human, Male, late 20s, Kenyan, A squad. Mundane with top line physical stats
• Mikey, Troll, Male, late teens, Bulgarian, A squad. Physical adept with large physical boosts - B13, Q7, S16,
• Hakim, Dwarf, Male, early thirties, Nubian, A squad. Mundane with top line physical stats
• Anna, Female, late twenties, Korean, tall, A squad. Mundane with top line physical stats
• 24 assorted martial arts / K1 / boxing students, mostly very fit and several year veterens in their respective areas, on a 1-4 month residential stays
Blue Lotus Triad
Fe Wang - 49, initial messenger. Human, Male, 19, unenhanced, nervous, inexperienced.
Wa Fan - 415, accountant, runs Shek-O area, has been told to deliver the message that Chun needs to be ready to compete in a fight in a weeks time, and needs to make his loss convincing, or else. Works at the mini-golf as the manager.
Lo Han - 438, Shek-O senior member, commands the forty to fifty strong 49s in the area, and runs various trades/crafts. He told Wa Fan to sort out the meeting, but has not explained all the details yet. Works at the country club, where security is fair-good.
Lee Kee - 483, day to day manager, Lee Kee Store in Big Wave, next village north - 2km. Has a Force 4 hearth spirit bound to protect him by ritual
Blue Lotus in Shek-O, BTL trade, counterfeiting, prostitution are the main vices, with gambling around HK city.
Day 1 - welcome to the gym, examine the craft, arrange for experts to come. Chance to train, relax, explore a little. Nicola with a broken arm - get Tads to heal?
Day 2 - local fabricators come - agree to take the engines to their shop to work on them. Arrange students to carry the engines down the path to town to the workshop. Workshop has good security, should be safe to leave them there (also do luxury car repairs, some expensive cars from around the island).
Day 3 - Harley discovered kidnapped, Triads inform Chun about the fight, Chun stressed about the forthcoming Kumite / Harley / Family. Team encouraged to help find him. Local Blue Lotus Triad member leaning on Chun is Wa Fan, 'works' at the mini-golf