>>903431
Welcome to Shadowrun Occultist Quest!

>What is Shadowrun?

Shadowrun is an RPG series set in the world of 2072, 60 years after "The Awakening", the return of magic, spirits, and fantasy races into the world. Metahumanity now lives in a world of advanced technology and magic, where megacorporations are above the laws of nations and one-third of all humanity have no legal rights. Crime and corruption run amok, and mercenary operatives known as "shadowrunners" ply their services to both the criminal underworld, and to the very corporations that officially fight against them.

>How are success and failure determined?

A number of d6's are rolled equal to the relevant attribute+the relevant skill. 5's and 6's are successes, and the dice are rolled against a target threshold (1 for something trivial; 6 for a highly difficult /intricate task. 10 for something next-to-impossible). Each 6 rolled results in one additional die being rolled in the pool. Results are as follows:

Target number of successes is met: the action is a success.

Target number of successes is not met: the action is a failure.

Target number of successes is met, but more 1's are rolled than any other number in the pool: a "glitch" occurs: a minor outside complication arises that prevents success.

Target number of successes is not met and more 1's are rolled than any other number: critical glitch. Your actions fail in a way that is potentially disastrous for your long-term goals or your health.

You will have 2 points of Edge each "session" that you can spend to tip the scales in your favor. When requesting an action, you may specify that you want to spend a point of Edge to add "luck" or "effort" to a roll. "Luck" will add five dice to the roll's pool (great for situations where Redd is forced to work out of his depth). "Effort" will re-roll all failed dice on a roll if it does not meet the threshold, glitches, or critically glitches (the point will be refunded if none of these happen). This is good when you are playing to Redd's strengths, but want to make sure you don't botch something.

Good luck, and remember the fundamentals of shadowrunning:

>Shoot straight!

>Conserve ammo!

>Never make a deal with a dragon!

>>903431
>What do you mean, 'don't want them looking that dirty right now'?
>Write-in
"Any known ways that Ares handles its deniable assets, something we could do to set up a false trail leading back to Ares Entertainment?"

>>903509
This.

>>903509
>>903521
"What do you mean, 'they don't want them looking that dirty right now'?"

"Shit, were you living under a rock when that spirit was puppeting you? Ares has been having a hard time in the UCAS ever since the Excalibur debacle, and Lone Star's security contact with the CAS is set to expire next year. If K-E can snap up that contract, it would give them a massive in-road into the CAS.

"Good. Any good way to fake a trail leading back to Ares entertainment?"

"Give me an hour and I'll whip something up."

>(Contact another team member)
>(Get the group together and start the run)

>>903800
>Other:
Go through the locations we identified and try to narrow them down further for the director's hideout.

>>903800
>(Contact another team member)
Also I guess we could see if Sudo has had any luck tracking that hacker who spotted him.
It could have just been a college script kiddie, but we shouldn't be complacent.
Especially since at these big colleges Lone Star and Knight Errant like to hire college kids as interns.

>>903937
>>903879

You call up Sudo on your commlink.

"Any progress on locating that hacker?"

"Rhun found the guy who tried to tag me. Small-time scammer. Guess he thought I was smaller-fry and wanted to try and put my deck into a botnet. He's not a problem. Rhun says she'll be back shortly."

"Excellent. Keep me abreast of further developments."

Closing out of the call, you get to work analyzing the locations Sudo found during his dataheist to pinpoint the director.

>Action: narrow down locations SUCCESS

After a few hours cross-referencing shooting locations with addresses, you've managed to narrow down the director's hideout to one of three locations: a rental warehouse in the arc's only C-zone, a 3-star hotel across the street from UNC, and a three-story home in a gated residential district that apparently is frequently rented out to corporate middle management.

>research more on warehouse
>research more on hotel
>research more on house
>Call a contact
>Shop for equipment
>Write-in

>>904151
>research more on house
The security team would probably prefer either the house, if they're working with the community's security, or the warehouse, where they can set up their own security how they like it.

We'll look at the other locations too, but let's start with the house.

Research and monitor the warehouse. If it's C, it's where we want to execute this at.

>>904216
Of course, with it being a C zone, less police. But with that comes the possibility of more extra legal security, IE the go-gangs they've been associated with

>>904151
>research more on house and have Sudo research the warehouse

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>>904204
>>904216
>>904297

You send the warehouse's address to Sudo along with a request to research more on the address.

>Action: Research house SUCCESS

The house is a three-story affair located in the Diamond Towers Residential Community, a gated community on the south side of the arc. Hard Corps Security provides the on-site guards for a price well within the budget of the residents, who are mostly low-level wageslaves for single-A and lower businesses. You also manage to find a building plan for the (mass-produced) houses in the neighborhood.

>Call Contact
>Shop for equipment
>Wait for Sudo to get done with his research
>Write-in

>>904556
>Hard Corps Security
Probably not here. Hard Corps Security is a subsidiary of Knight Errant, who are owned by Ares. A simple Matrix search would have dug that up.
Given what Rex's research dug up, the director's likely not here, what with CATCo holding a grudge against Ares.

>>904556
>Write-in: Research the hotel.
While waiting for Sudo to get done, let's research the hotel, just in case the director overruled his security detail and wanted a place with amenities.

>>904556
>>904588
let's go with this

>>904588
>>905061
>Action: research the hotel SUCCESS

The hotel is a Five Phases, a low-end luxury hotel popular among middle managers looking for a discrete place to stay. Wuxing-owned, and on the lower end of the security spectrum. Uses in-house security. Said security is likely fairly minimal, with a heavy reliance on timely Lone Star backup. There are fewer rooms available than would be expected for the season: its the middle of the Fall semester, and there aren't any civic or corporate events going on that are so major they would cause people to be hunting for hotel space in Chapel Hill.

You find all of this out in a matter of around five minutes. Sudo appears to be in the middle of chasing a datastream.

>Call Contact
>Shop for equipment
>Wait for Sudo to get done
>Write-in

>>905117
>Call Contact
Let's see how Rex is doing

>>905117
>Wait for Sudo to get done

If they have a lot of rooms booked unseasonally, thats a sign that their film crew might be there. Can we get into their guest registry?

And I'd still like to try and research into the warehouse.

>>905145
>>905209

About ten minutes later, Sudo pulls out of hot-sim and starts talking:

"So I looked up that warehouse in Confessional Row-that's what locals apparently call Chapel Hill's C-zone- and the place has a pretty shady past. It used to be owned by High Point Furniture, a local A-corp that produces most of the high-quality real-wood furniture on the East Coast, but they had to dump it when a bigger fish turned its guns on them for a year or so back in the mid-50's. Back then it was used for storing lumber before it got moved to a manufacturing plant, so it had some impressive security-you'd be surprised at how much actual wood goes for on the black market, especially if its old-growth. Anyways, then it got taken over by the local chapter of the Ancients, who used it as a safehouse away from the sprawl until a couple of years ago. Chapel Hill started stepping up its nuisance laws after Confessional Row got downgraded to a C-zone, and the Ancients decided to up sticks rather than risk a head-on clash with Lone Star. So the warehouse has been standing pretty empty for a while ago. The most recent streetview images of it have East Coast Halloweener tags on it, though. Those were taken a few days ago, so I dunno if this is some kind of prank or if those greasepaint freaks have decided to move in."

You nod curtly. "Thank you, Sudo. I have another favor to ask you: can you get into the guest registry of the Chapel Hill Five Phases?"

Sudo lowers his head a bit, and his small, fine dorsal spines raise slightly: "Those kinds of places have pretty tight cybersecurity. Might take me a while, and my scale grease is really starting to soak through my pants!"

>Judge Intentions: Sudo seems tired and irritated.

>You can wash your pants after you're done
>Stop making excuses. Can you do it or not?
>Fine. I'll wait until you do laundry.
>Do you have a friend who can do this for you?
>Write-in

>>905295
>Fine. I'll wait until you do laundry.
We have been running him pretty ragged.

>>905295
>Write in
He seems to like us, even if he is a bit irked
>Listen, if it's that tight, you're the only one of us that can do it. I know I've been running you ragged today, but this could be life or death for us in the field out there.

>>905342
We don't want him slipping up from exhaustion

>>905300
>>905342
Voting between these two. Votes will be processed in the morning.

>>905342
seconding

>>905300

"I'm sure you've earned a nice hot shower as well."
But not in a condescending way, dudes been working his scaly green ass off for us.

>>905369
He isn't tired out yet, just irked at the workload. And this could be important. He's the
only one with a deck

>>905889
This is 2072. There are no decks anymore. Decks don't make a comeback until the upgrades to the wireless matrix get rolled out.

>>905954
Er... For the purposes of this quest, assume the Wireless Matrix upgrades rolled out a few years ahead of canon (mostly because I tried to dump as much of 4e as possible down the memory hole and forgot about that).

>>905342
>>905300

"If it is that tight, you are the only one of us that can do it. I know you have been run ragged today, but this could be a matter of life and death for us in the field. If you need to take care of your personal hygiene that badly, I will not stop you, but I would prefer this to be done sooner rather than later."

Sudo sighs heavily and twitches his tail a couple times.

"Fine, fine. Just don't expect much out of me for about an hour after this, okay? You have no idea how painful dry scales can be."

Sudo shuffles back to the living room and flips back into hotsim.

As you head towards the kitchen to prepare evening repast, your commlink starts buzzing. A call is coming through, apparently from an unlisted number.

>Answer it
>Don't answer it
>Write-in

>>906102
>>Answer it

In a french-Canadian accent.

>>906102
>Answer it
Do it normally. No accents.

>Wireless Matrix upgrades a few years early
Oh. Well then.
Everything I said about GOD in the previous thread is now turned up to 13.
G-Men, now better known as GODs, are the mods of the Matrix.
And Mods=GODs=Gods of the Matrix.
Those upgrades came with a whole slew of hidden hardware back doors that only GODs and demi-GODs can use.
And while the public Matrix might only have a few Agent programs of GOD watching, the actual registered Matrix where you have to go get anything done has a demi-GOD (deputized megacorp decker) always watching.
And the new protocols have built in registering and tracking of physical locations, so any time spent doing anything of import is highly limited.

>>906220
>>906243
You pick up the commline... and are immediately greeted by the sound of an airhorn, followed by a sound like a grand piano dying of heartbreak.

The deafening roar suddenly goes silent, and a nasally voice launches into a spiel:
"You've reached the national Anarcho-Comic collective hotline! Your call is VERY important to us, so please enjoy our pre-recorded Hard Listening music while you wait. Thank you for your semi-voluntary cooperation!"

Your eardrums are subsequently assaulted by a barrage of disjointed music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qCTtshA5Qg

>Hang up
>Shout insult down the line, then hang up
>Stay on the line
>Try and get Sudo to backtrace the call
>Write-in

>>906473
>Try and get Sudo to backtrace the call
Maybe it is random, maybe it's not.

>>906473
>Hang up

>>906473
>>Shout insult down the line, then hang up

>>906473
>Try and have Sudo backtrace the call

>>906490
>>906691

You open up a second line to Sudo:

"Sudo, I'm getting this weird call on my commlink and I need you to backtrace-"

"THE ONLY THING I'M GOING TO BACKTRACE RIGHT NOW IS MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS! I'M NOT A ROBOT!"

>You have angered Sudo. That could have gone better.

>Hang up
>Shout insult down the line, then hang up
>Stay on the line
>Try and backtrace the call yourself
>Write-in

>>906740
>Try and backtrace the call yourself
Great going guys, you pissed off our overworked decker.

>>906740
>>Try and backtrace the call yourself

We need to get Sudo some beers later.

>>906842
He'll appreciate a couple months of Galactic Conquest.
250 Nuyen a month is incredibly expensive.

>>906740
>Try and backtrace the call yourself

>>906842
>>906794
>>906915

>Action: backtrace the call SUCCESS

You set a tracer program to run and try to filter out the talentless racket on the line. After a couple minutes, the same nasal voice that played earlier comes over the line again:

"Thank you for waiting~ We appreciate your patience. Please swap the file just sent to your commlink with the identically-named file on Vadim Dube's personal terminal!"

A file has been sent to your commlink: Hellriders_VII_trailer_.mkv

>Accept the file
>Delete the file
>Write-in

>>907009
>Write-in
Go tell the team about this. Since they are supposedly filming this, it might be a trap.

>>907009
>Write-in: how much for this? Don't accept until we get a price.
Also consider this commlink compromised and if we have one put it into a faraday cage.

Someone knows about the job and wants us to do a secondary run at the same time. We need to know who it is.

>>907243
>>907009
SUPPORTING

>>907009

Try to put the file on an old device we don't use anymore and look at it from there. If it's malware or something like that, it won't be that much of a loss.

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>>907243
>>907266
>>907268

"How much are you willing to pay us for this... job? This team does not do charity work."

"10,000 snackaroos! A reasonable price for an unreasonable request! Now, if you'll excuse me, this phone is about to explode!"

You briefly hear a high-pitched beeping noise, and then the line disconnects.

You cautiously transfer all vital data onto a burner commlink you have prepared for this very purpose and place your old commliink in a proxy box: a containment device you bought a few years ago off of the Russian black market. Supposedly, it creates a "buffer zone", wherein the contained device can be interacted with freely without the risk of viral transference. How true this is will be tested this day.

You hesitantly transfer the suspicious file to the second of your five burners and open it.

What unfolds appears to be a clip reel of various violent auto accidents, the footage of which was clearly extracted from various traffic cameras, edited together in the style of a conventional, 90-second film trailer. A booming voice-over's narration indicates that this trailer is for "the next heart-pounding, jaw-dropping installment of the Hellriders saga", which will apparently "be bigger, badder, and more extreme than ever before". Incongruously, a jazzy, up-beat big-band tune from the 20th century appears to have replaced the background track.

>Action: passive perception SUCCESS

At the end of the trailer, you briefly see a symbol of some kind flash on-screen. Winding back frame-by-frame, you manage to capture a screen-cap of the image (which is roughly reproduced here: I'm a QM, not an artist.)

A quick reference to your tracer program shows a Detroit area for the call, but anything more specific is vague.

>Gather the team and brief them
>Research symbol on the Matrix
>Ask (teammate) about symbol
>Write-in

>>907514
>Research symbol on the Matrix

>>907514
>>Research symbol on the Matrix

Also buy some scale moisturizer for Sudo while were online as both a gift and a troll.

>>907514
>>907650
>>Research symbol on the Matrix

Also buy some scale moisturizer for Sudo while were online as both a gift and a troll.
I enjoy and support this idea.

>>907514
>>Ask (teammate) about symbol

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>>907574
>>907650
>>907664

>Action: research symbol on the Matrix SUCCESS

After exhaustively trawling the sordid depths of the Matrix, you've manged to determine that this symbol is the logo of a political ideology called Anarcho-Comedy: a radical ideology that claims that all authority figures are invalid and worthy only of scorn and mockery, and that the highest purpose of life is amusement and humor in all forms, which is practically implemented in the form of random acts of nonsensical, often violent, and occasionally lethal practical jokes. Their manifesto, "Towards a Permanent Comedic Revolution", is available for free download from their site.

A brief overview at what little you could find out about the Anarcho-Comics paints a picture of a group of erratic lunatics gathered together in a hybrid gang-policlub-cult of personality built around "The Idiot", their leader. Much of their activities seem to have been scrubbed from the Matrix, as has "The Idiot"'s actual identity. They seem to operate mostly in the old "Rust Belt" region of the UCAS, but rumors place isolated cells of them in San Francisco, Dallas, and Baton Rouge as well. You are uncertain about how large the group is, but their faint Matrix footprint vanishes when you go back more than 5 years.

While online, you also spend 10 nuyen on a specialty scale moisturizer for Sudo. You hope that buying him "Burma Balm Naga Beauty Product" isn't some kind of speciesist blunder.

>Try to research deeper on the Anarcho-Comics
>Read "Towards a Permanent Comedic Revolution"
>Ask a teammate about the Anarcho-Comics
>Check in with Sudo about the hotel
>Write-in

>>907839
>>Ask a teammate about the Anarcho-Comics

Hope the lotion has same day shipping.

>>907856
TO CLARIFY: please specify which team-mate you want to ask when selecting this option (my bad for not making this clear).

>>907839
>Try to research deeper on the Anarcho-Comics
Let's check Jackpoint to see if any other runners have opinions on these guys, and if their payments can be trusted.
I've got a feeling that they'll stiff us, screw with us somehow, or their manifesto is actually some kind of memetic attack.

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>>907905
>Action: dig deeper FAILED DESPITE EFFORT

You spend the whole night looking for any hidden data on the Anarcho-Comics- trawling Jackpoint, searching corpsec bounty lists, even, when you started feeling sleep deprivation setting in, posting ask threads on LowDown.net- all to no avail. Whoever is doing the infosec on this guys are: they are professionals.

During your trawl, you received a message from Sudo:

"Hey Redd. Managed to get the guest registry for the 5Phases. Suspicious numbers of "Msr. Martins" staying @ the hotel. Looks like it might be a good match for our guy. Before you ask, I'm not going to try and touch the camera systems from this range: 2 much of a risk of GOD sniffing me and bringing the Law down on our cozy little bungalow. Hope ur having fun doing ur alchemy experiments down there: try not to kill any goats this time, the sewer gators might try and start battering down our panic door! Takin a dip & passing out.

-Sudo"

Your exhaustion and frustration briefly melt away from the message, but quickly return.

(You are starting to suffer from the effects of Sleep Exhaustion. -1 to Intuition, Charisma, and Reaction-based actions.)
>Ask a team-mate about the Anarcho-Comics
>Read "Towards a Permanent Comedic Revolution"
>Pass out
>Write-in

>>908145
>Pass out
Don't chance things when we're at a penalty.

>>908145
Whoops, forgot an option:

>Chemically prepare a pick-me-up

>>908145
Go to sleep in a bed like a normal person.

Which is what I'm gonna do right now. Goodnight chummers.

>>908145
>>Ask a team-mate about the Anarcho-Comics

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>>908151
>>908168
You know your limits. Best not to let sleep deprivation mess with your head and throw you off your game. You head over to your corner of the hideout, brew a cup of herbal tea, and turn on your home-made recording of soothing (to you, at least) Akkadian chants, and gently fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

You jerk awake around 9 hours later, at 3 PM, soaked in sweat and with a haunting feeling of unease and fear. Vague memories of a looming, night-black edifice hang at the edge of perception.

>Chase the memories
>Get dressed and ready, then check in with your team

>>908213
>>Chase the memories

>>908213
>>Chase the memories

>>908213
>Chase the memories

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>>908219
>>908245
>>908257

>Action: chase the memories SUCCESS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aas1Qrksls

Gathering your mental strength, you desperately attempt to recall the contents of last night's dream before it can sink back into the waters of unconsciousness:

In this dream, you strode proudly across rolling hills of pale sand under a sky full of ancient and unnamed stars. Servants, both human and... not, trailed ten paces behind you, averting their gazes from falling upon your back by accident, as you knew was right and proper. Your face was different: sculpted with the imperious, cold, and noble features of the royal families of this land: those families who turned their back on the truth you spoke, for fear of acknowledging their own utter insignificance before eternal cosmic wisdom. Many sacred tattoos adorn your face, warding both body and soul against depredations by the invisible world.

In time, your footsteps took you to the site you had sought: a valley of black stones, housing a pyramid of the same, towering vast and terrible over all the lands beneath it. In your dream, its size was beyond description: enormity itself was made manifest in its immense bulk. Your servants held your ceremonial staff and the hem of your cloak as you ascended the spiraling path to the summit of this dread pyramid, secreted here, in this forsaken stretch, for fear that those who had annihilated the one buried here's name from all records would desecrate his awesome tomb as well.

At the apex, a great door of stone awaited, covered in great seals and warnings to the unwary about the cosmic evil that called the halls beyond both prison and palace. Heedless of their warnings, you bade a misshapen and dog-headed servant of yours to shatter the seals with his hammer and open the doors for you to proceed...

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>>908290
Down, down, down into the depths of the pyramid you traveled, guided by keen instinct and preternatural knowledge away from the myriad traps laid down for the foolhardy who would come to this place, through sunless gardens of aberrant foliage and rugose fungal growths, past frescoes displaying Bacchanals of the most repulsive kind celebrated between kings, sorcerers, priests, and horrid, shapeless things, along avenues of statues erected in honor of loathsome and nameless gods,until, at long last, you came to the chamber you had sought.

Here, within the cosmic center of the pyramid, a stone dais stood at the end of a lonesome bridge, suspended by heavy iron chains above a vast pit. By the light of the torches borne by your servants, you could not see its bottom, but you could hear a noise like the lapping of ocean surf and the crackling of a campfire melded into one.

Resting upon the dais was a sarcophagus, cut from the same queer black stone that dominated this valley and embossed with gold and rubies. Rather than the normal idealized human face, this sarcophagus bore the image of a beast from nightmare, with twisted vulture's claws for hands and a jaw filled with serpent fangs lined by a wild beard whose hair seemed to writhe in the flickering torchlight. Upon gazing on this hideous vision, you knew that the figure resting (and, in truth, ONLY resting) within was the one spoken of in the blood-inked scroll that, even now, you bore upon your back, forbidden to even your most trusted of servants. You idly brushed away the dust obscuring the name of the unholy lord this supreme monument had been erected for, and gently, almost sensually exhaled his name:

"Nephre..."

>>908326
And then you awoke.

You start to worry about what these dreams may mean for your mental health, but set this aside for now. You wash yourself off, get dressed, and head upstairs to meet with your team.

(Continued tomorrow)

>>908329

Coming out of the secret door hidden in the butler's pantry, you prepare an easy repast for yourself and steel yourself for what remains of the day. First order of business:

>Touching base with the team about the run
>Asking team-mates about the Anarcho-Comics
>Getting new gear
>Write-in

>>908755
>>Asking team-mates about the Anarcho-Comics

>>908755
>>Getting new gear

>>908755
>Touching base with the team about the run

>>908785
Why are you getting new gear when we don't even know the security layout o the place we're going to hit?

>>908758
>>908785
>>908790
Next vote decides.

>>908755
>Asking team-mates about the Anarcho-Comics

>>908790

Why are you trying to touch base about the run without providing all of our team mates with the new information we have?

>>908917
Because touching base with the team about the run IS informing them of information that has been collected since the last meeting, including what we have about the Anarcho-Comics. And it would allow for us to ask the entire team at once if they have any information about the Anarcho-Comics instead of going to ask each one separately.

>>908908
>>908926

The nonsensical call you received yesterday and your subsequent inability to dig up any substantial leads on the organization behind it is still bothering you; proceeding on a run with this variable undealt with is an unacceptable risk. You send a message to the entire team, Tizona included: "Meet in living room for mission briefing."

It takes 30 minutes or so for Tizona to take the bus from the Charlotte rectory to your safehouse. In the meantime, Rhun regales you with the story of how she managed to seduce one of the more athletic ork history professors at UNC after she ran the scammer chump who tried to backtrace Sudo to ground. And by "seduce", she means "pulled into a closet after 20 minutes of conversation".

Eventually, your group's mage comes through the front door, smelling of a mix of frankincense and cigarettes.

"You better not be wasting my time, Rojo. Padre Ruiz was about to lose his bottle of Lourdes water in bridge, and you KNOW that shit's got crazy powerful holy mojo! So, we find the frog director yet?"

"Maybe, but first, please sit down with the rest of the group."

Grumbling and cursing in Spanish, Tizona took her seat on the living room couch.

You took a quick once-over of your troops before launching into your speech. Barbie is busy painting her toenails in a recliner, Rex is performing maintenance on his gauss rifle, Rhun is cleaning her fingernails with a dagger of some kind, Sudo... appears to be half-in, half-out of the Matrix as usual (a casual check of his open windows shows that he is currently shitposting on JackPoint's Gaming board), and Tizona is currently lighting up a cigarette off of her fingers.

"Alright, team. Thanks to Sudo's daring efforts, we currently have a lead on where our target- Vadim Dube- is hiding from Mafia reprisal. He-or, at least, his film crew- appears to be taking shelter in the Five Phases hotel located across from UNC's campus. Security should be light, so I don't believe that we will be in too much immediate danger if we have to go loud, BUT its adjacency to UNC means it has A-zone coverage, so going loud will force us to resolve things VERY quickly.

However, another matter has arisen that requires our immediate attention. Have any of you heard of a group calling themselves the Anarcho-Comics?"

"Ai ain't heard of none like that. They some kind of theater group?"

"Are they Azlatni, Rojo? PLEASE tell me they're some Azlanti you found! I've been BURNING to lay down a good smiting on some pendejos!"

"The name suggests that they're some form of anarchist movement, and that they consider themselves comedians. Sounds like some talentless piece of street garbage is trying to start up a knock-off Halloweeners."

"Oh, shit, I've heard of these guys! They're kind of a Matrix legend, like ghost hosts and how you can predict the day you die using the serial code on the first deck you own that gets bricked! What I've heard, they're some kind of chaos cult!"

>>909036
Barbie is the last to speak:

"I know those guys!"

"... how, Barbie?"

"They, like, totally used to hang out in this old warehouse downtown from where my folks used to live! Only, I think they were called something else back then? And they didn't have that weird sign thingy."

>Press her on the issue
>Continue on
>Write-in

>>909046
>Press her on the issue

>>909046
>Press her on the issue
If the pay is real, then we'll do the job. But if we aren't going to get paid, then we won't do it.

Though the fact that they tracked down our commlink shows that they've got a pro decker on their member roster. Or they've got the money to pay for talent/enough warez to pass as one.

>>909046
>Press her on the issue

>>909036
Seriously, we need to set up a VPN for Tizona, because a 30 minute drive for a briefing when we could have done this in a virtual conference room is just so old-fashioned.

>>909051
>>909067
>>909080

"What are they like? Do you know who their leader is?"

"Well... there were, like, 15 of them, and they had HORRIBLE fashion sense. Like, just, ew, stop! And they all went to Regal Acres High, and they weren't, like the popular kids or anything, I guess they got picked on a lot? And my little bro Lancey was, like, their ring-leader? He was SUCH a dork back then, I mean, just LOOK!"

Barbie pulls up a screen, and there, you see an image of terminal dweebishness: a 14-year old boy with buck teeth and Arin Hanson hair, dressed in an ensemble that included high-water pants, a hideous striped tie, a white, be-breast-pocketed shirt WITH pocket protector, and a sweater-vest. The poor child had "bullying victim" written all over him.

"They would, like, just hang out in the warehouse after school and make these dumb videos and stuff. Then Lancey got into MIT and I went to West Point and then I dunno?"

>Do you know where "Lancey" is now?
>Thank you for sharing, Barbie
>Well, that didn't go anywhere
>Write-in

>>909115
>Do you know where "Lancey" is now?

>>909115
>Do you know where "Lancey" is now?
>Other: do you keep in touch at all?
He went to MIT&T? That would explain the high-level decking skills needed to track us down.

>>909115
>Do you know where "Lancey" is now?
>Thank you for sharing, Barbie

>>909124
>>909125
>>909159

"And do you know where your brother is now?"

"Like, yeah, DUH. He's only, like, the biggest MeFeed personality in the UCAS!"

Barbie quickly pulls up a MeFeed window and shows the team:

The channel is tied to a "Lancelot Orville Lancester", listed as a "Former IT guru for Hermes Matrix Services". The channel is a comedy channel, with a mix of stand-up material, skits, prank videos, "cut-ups", or humorous edits of other videos, and aggregate footage of funny real-life footage (such as an intoxicated troll trying to order a chicken pot pie at a McHughs).

No location is listed on the MeFeed profile.

"We haven't talked in a while, because... I don't talk to my folks a lot, because... you know, the job..."

Barbie closes the screen and looks away, and a cloudfront rolls over her sunny demeanor.

"Thank you for sharing, Barbie."

>Can you try and get in contact with your brother?
>Has anyone found anything new about the other two sites?
>(teammate), I need you to scout out (location) (please specify both teammate and location)
>Who's ready to make some money? (defaults to giving you a chance to buy gear from the black market, then starts the run proper)
>Write-in

>>909188
>Has anyone found anything new about the other two sites?

>>909312
"Alright, now has anyone found out anything new about the other two sites?"

"Actually, I have. I circulated around the streets a bit and managed to bribe an informant into talking. Looks like there have been a number of people in dark suits going in and out of the building at odd hours. Didn't look like gang types. Seems suspicious."

"Thank you, Rex."

>Barbie, can you get in contact with your brother?
>Proceed to Scouting
>Buy equipment
>Write-in

>>909486
>>Barbie, can you get in contact with your brother?

>>909486
>Barbie, can you get in contact with your brother?

Doesn't need to be immediate, it sounds like the two events aren't actually connected

>>909507
>>909609
"Barbie, can you get in contact with your brother? As a favor, please."

"... I'll try, sure! We haven't talked in a while, so I'm sure he'll, like, love to catch up and stuff!"

"Thank you very much, Barbie."

"LE'SS STOP DANCIN' 'ROUND THE POINT AN' GET TO ROBBIN THA PANSY, YOU LIL' NANCY BOY!"

>FINE, Rhun, we'll get going
>Shut up, Rhun, we need to talk about scouting
>We need to talk about scouting first, Rhun
>Write-in

>>909889
>We need to talk about scouting first, Rhun
"THEN we can get to your favorite parts of the murder-pillage-raze triangle."

>>909900
>>We need to talk about scouting first, Rhun
Shouldn't rape be in that triangle?

>>909889
>We need to talk about scouting first, Rhun

>>909938
I figured that would be a part of pillage.
Murder for death.
Pillage for taking things by force.
Raze for sheer destruction.

>>909958
Always heard that triumverate formulated as "Rape, pillage, burn", but I guess yours works too.

>>909889
>>We need to talk about scouting first, Rhun

"Then you can proceed to burn the women, rape the crops and salt the houses."

>>909953
>>909938
>>909900
>>910013

"We need to talk about scouting first, Rhun."

"Feck scouting. I can scout... all the things... everywhere!"

>Perception: you notice that Rhun's speech is slightly slurred and she looks paler than usual, and keeps reaching down to rub her left forearm, which has a bandage on it.

"Considering that there are six of us total, we should scout each possible location in pairs. That way, all bases are covered."

"Weh only've got... like, two carseses... I think... and that house seems clean. So it should be three to a place... right?"

"I don't see why we can't just have one person go to each location, and the rest of us can take the night off, or go shopping for gear, or something."

>Go with Rex's idea (teams of two at each place)
>Go with Rhun's idea (teams of three, one at hotel and one at warehouse)
>Go with Sudo's idea (one at each place, other three recover)
>Submit own plan (write-in)

>>910031
>>Go with Rex's idea (teams of two at each place)

Pair up with Ruhn, then have a little chat with her about her drug problem when were alone.

>>910031
>>Go with Sudo's idea (one at each place, other three recover)
Sudo is probably tired, and Rhun is high.

>>910031
>Go with Sudo's idea (one at each place, other three recover)

>>910031
>Go with Sudo's idea (one at each place, other three recover)

>>910056
>>910071
>>910077

With that decided, now you must decide who to send where! Write-in your suggestions!

Places:
>Suspicious Warehouse ("Confessional Row", Sayward Drive C-Zone)

>Rental Home (Diamond Towers Residential Neighborhood, Falconridge B-Zone)

>Five Phases Hotel (UNC Campus, Chapel Hill A-Zone)

Team members:
>Rhun
>Sudo
>Barbie
>Redd (You)
>Tizona
>Rex

>>910157
>Rex
>Suspicious Warehouse ("Confessional Row", Sayward Drive C-Zone)

>Tizona
>Rental Home (Diamond Towers Residential Neighborhood, Falconridge B-Zone)

>Redd (You)
>Five Phases Hotel (UNC Campus, Chapel Hill A-Zone)

>>910157
>Suspicious Warehouse ("Confessional Row", Sayward Drive C-Zone)
Tizona
>Rental Home (Diamond Towers Residential Neighborhood, Falconridge B-Zone)
Redd
>Five Phases Hotel (UNC Campus, Chapel Hill A-Zone)
Rex

Remember what each member looks like and their backgrounds.

>>910227
>>910210
Voting between these two.

>>910210
Let's send the combat vet into a potential danger zone

>>910210
Seconding this.

File: Spoiler Image (110 KB, 379x596)

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Hopefully this won't happen to rex

File: lobby.jpg (34 KB, 525x350)

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>>910210
>>910545
>>910560

"Sudo's right: some of us deserve a break. Rhun, Sudo, Barbie: you have tonight off."

"Yay! Rhun, we should, like, totally go to that one place you talked about!!"

"Dante's Inferno?... Maybe... in a couple hours..."

Sudo simply walks out of the room after smiling (or baring his teeth, at least) at you.

"Rex, I want you to check out the warehouse. Don't be seen."

"Understood, will not bring Sweetness."

"Tizona, check the rental house. Say you're... trying to raise money for the orphans, or something."

"I got you, Rojo! ... so, can I take the low-rider we snagged from those gangers? That thing's got KILLER wheels!"

"NO. We're trying to be inconspicuous!"

"Sorry, that was a dumb question."

"I'll handle the hotel personally."

...

The lobby of the Five Phases gives off a warm, comforting feeling, with tasteful lighting, a cheery faux fire burning in a virtual fireplace in the corner, and swirling, river-like patterns playing across the ceiling. The concierge's desk is currently being attended by a bored-looking youth in a long-sleeved official uniform. They straighten up slightly as you approach.

"Welcome to the Five Phases, sir. Do you have a reservation?"

>Judge Intentions: You can tell that the concierge is bored out of their skull at the moment. Their eyes flicker up to the clock on the mantelpiece over your shoulder every couple of seconds.
>Perception: The concierge appears to be a Hispanic female human in her early twenties.

>Yes, I do. Russo, Vincent.

>No, I don't. Is there a vacant room?

>I'm actually looking for a friend of mine. His name's Vincent Dube. Which room is his, again?

>Write-in

>>910697
>No, I don't. Is there a vacant room?
Should've made a reservation first.

>>910697
>Write-in

Is it possible to say we're doing some reviews for the Matrix and get ourselves a tour of the Hotel?

File: Sudo's reaction.gif (525 KB, 250x250)

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>>906740
Considering out character's name, I'm surprised no one has made this joke yet.

>>910703
You can try.

>>910724

I would like to try

>>910703
>>910702
Voting between these two.

>>910703
>>910697
Let's do this

>>910852
>Social action: pass self off as reviewer SUCCESS

You quickly internally review your knowledge of the local accent. Nasal tone, slight lilt, plenty of contraction, soft voice...
"I'm here on behalf of Wanderlust Reviews, ma'am! It seems like we ain't gotten around to this here hotel recently, and my superiors wanted someone local to take a look- for the site, you know?- and, well, here we are!"

The girl looks taken aback.

"My boss didn't tell me about this!"

"Well, it wouldn't be an honest review if we gave y'all time to pretty up for us, now would it, hahaha!" You affect the nervous laugh of a suit fresh off a promotion and uncertain of his new position.

>Judge Intentions: It looks like the girl is uncertain of your story, but not uncertain enough to call security straight away. You'll probably need to work the angle a bit more before she'll agree to give you a tour.

Social Combat stats: Influence 1 (need 3 to get the girl to give you a tour), 0 failed attempts (at 3 failed attempts, girl calls security).

Possible angles:
>This review is a big deal! (Con or Negotiation based)
>How about you tell me a bit about this hotel? (Etiquette-based)
> A good review could give you a shot at climbing the ranks! (Con-based)

>>910942
>>How about you tell me a bit about this hotel? (Etiquette-based)
Our stats are:
Etiquette 7
Con 1
Negotiation 2

>>910942
>How about you tell me a bit about this hotel?

>>910946
>>910950
>Action: Break the Ice SUCCESS

You make a great show of producing your commlink and turning a recording app on.
"Well, for starters, how about you tell me more about this hotel? I'm certain the public is interested in an insider's opinion!"

"*Sigh*... The Five Phases Chapel Hill was opened in 2059 in response to the requests of parents looking for a place to stay while visiting their college-bound children that could provide quality service while not breaking the bank..."

The wageslave goes on a spiel about the location while you nod and look attentive.

"...And there you have it."

The girl's eyes narrow.

"Why is Wanderlust so interested in this place, anyways?"

>Judge Intentions: Damn, she's getting suspicious! Did we not nod convincingly enough? Whatever: we'll just have to throw her off the scent!

Social combat stats: Influence 1.5, 0 failed attempts.

Possible angles:
>Exaggerate importance (Con or Negotiation-based)
>Level some veiled threats (Con or Intimidate-based)

>>910991
>Exaggerate importance

>>910991
>Exaggerate importance

>>910991
If I could write-in:
"Honestly? We got paid to see if the place was ripe for a second hotel in the market. If you guys don't get that good a review, other corps were thinking about trying to take over the hospitality in the vicinity. Big industry, especially for people who are trying to get a temp job, like a student."

>>910998
>>911003
>>911018
(No write-ins, but I like this bit)

>Action: Exaggerate Importance SUCCESS

You put on a stern face:

"Listen, darling, don't you get what kind of a deal this is for this hotel?! I'm here representin' WANDERLUST! AAA-material! We reach tens of millions of people EVERY DAY! This place gets a bad review from us, other corps might start muscling in..."

"Okay, okay, I get it! Sorry I asked. Its just... this work is kind of out of my pay-grade, and I was just about to clock out..."

>Judge Intentions: Almost got her. Just need to give her the right incentive...

Social combat stats: Influence 2.5, 0 failed attempts

Possible angles:
>Your boss will definitely want to give you a raise once this is over! (Con-based)
>Here. Buy yourself something nice once we're done here (pay 200 nuyen).

>>911045
>Here. Buy yourself something nice once we're done here (pay 200 nuyen).

>>911045
>>Your boss will definitely want to give you a raise once this is over! (Con-based)

>>911058
On the one hand, I understand not wanting to part with money. But on the other hand, I don't want her to check in with her boss later, asking about that raise, and therefore raising questions about our presence here.
We're in the lobby of a hotel; even now they're covered in security cameras, and we're not wearing any kind of face-hiding equipment or running face masking AR software.
It could be a security risk.

>>911045
>Look, I just got to doing this myself, so it seems like both of us feel like we're outta our depth. Y'know what? Here. Buy yourself something nice once we're done here (pay 200 nuyen).

>>911045
>Here. Buy yourself something nice once we're done here (pay 200 nuyen).

>>911053
>>911064
>>911081

>SOCIAL COMBAT RESOLVED

You know that this is the make-or-break moment for your con. You can't risk any plays that might raise questions later.

"Ya know what? I'm new at this, you're new at this, let's just get it over with quickly and save the embarrassment. And here: go buy a new simsense or whatever it is the cool kids do these days."

You send her 200 nuyen over to her Personal Area Network.

"Thanks!... This doesn't count as a bribe, right?"

"Not if you don't count it as one!" you say in a joking tone.

"Okay then! Come this way, Mr..."

"Richard Montebank, ma'am."

The concierge starts giving you a tour of the facilities.

"We boast some pretty sophisticates security measures for not being a real ritzy place! An 8-man security team is on staff 24/7 to respond to any criminal activity that our security network picks up. All hallways and rooms, save for bathrooms, are also monitored 24/7 by an off-site security spider. Said spider can activate a remote lockdown and deploy a three-drone strike force in case of emergencies. And, finally, our penthouse suite on the 5th floor is protected by a presence-tripped defensive summoning ward!"

>Perception: During this talk, ou pass by a suite just as a member of hotel staff pushes a trolley up to the door. She begins knocking on it and shouting a name: "Monsieur LeBlanc? Monsieur LeBlanc?"

>Can I see this penthouse?
>Off-site spider? Impressive.
>How well-armed is this security team?
>Remain Silent
>Write-In

>>911106
>>Off-site spider? Impressive.

>>911106
>Off-site spider? Impressive.
You weren't kidding when you said that you had some impressive defensive measures.

>>911106
>Off-site spider? Impressive.

>>911106
>Off-site spider? Impressive.
>Write-In
"So the security team, is it in-house or a Lone Star contract? The Star gives some customers peace of mind, and I might be able to play up that as an amenity."

>>911126
>>911116
>>911115
>>911111

"An off-site spider? Impressive, that'll definitely give the discerning consumer some peace of mind!"

The girl seems to take a brief look around, then leans in and whispers "Well, to be honest, the signal they get is kind of crappy, especially during storms. I can't remember the number of times I've seen one of those drones come whipping out of its nest and up the hall for a false alarm. Its a miracle that asshat hasn't gotten us sued yet!... Just don't mention I said that."

"I got ya, ma'am. Now, who's the security? You got the Star, or some more local boys? Knowing the brand probably will help bias the customers towards your a bit."

"They're local. Some single-A security group called Stone Mountain Security. They work alright, but they're a bit... rural."

>Well, it takes all sorts.
>Can I get a chance to interview them?
>Remain Silent
>Write-In

>>911157
>Write-In
Make a strained smile

>>911157
>Well, it takes all sorts.
>Write-in
"Rustic charm it is, then."

>>911157
>Well, it takes all sorts.

>>911166
>>911179
>>911181
You smile in a strained fashion. "Well, it takes all sorts, don't it? I'll just write this up as 'rustic charm' and 'a chance to soak up the local flavor.'"

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Montebank?"

>No, thank you.
>Yes (Write-in)

>>911191
>No, thank you.

>>911191
>No, thank you.
Thank you for all your help. Hope you will see me on the byline.

>>911201
>>911205

"I think I got everything I need. Thanks a lot for your help, ma'am. Hope you'll see me on the byline!"

You walk out of the hotel feeling confident, and are in a good mood when you roll on back to the safehouse at 8.

You find Rhun sitting on the couch, legs crossed, intently reading out of an old hardcover book.

>What's the book?
>Didn't know you could read, Rhun
>Ignore her and wait for the others to arrive
>Write-In

>>911224
>What's the book?

>>911224
>What's the book?

>>911224
>What's the book?
>Write-In
"We need to talk about earlier..."

>>911227
>>911233
>>911235

"What are you reading, Rhun? Some bodice-ripper, I presume?"

"Point of fact, its the Mabinogion, you withered old prune." Rhun responds, but you can tell her heart wasn't in it. You recognize the name as belonging to the written record of the Welsh oral histories, the oldest form of British prose extant.
"Putting that degree of yours to good use, I see!"

"Yeah... 'S'right..."

"...Listen, we need to talk about earlier."

"What about earlier?!" she says, suddenly defensive.

>Judge Intentions: She seems angry and... hurt? by the tone in your voice.

>I just want to help, Rhun.
>You need to get off the Bliss.
>I'm not going to have you damaging this team with your excesses!
>...Never mind
>Write-in

>>911254
>...Never mind
Honesty, if she wants to get high or whatever, it's none of our busyness

>>911254
>I just want to help, Rhun.
>You need to get off the Bliss.

>>911254
>I just want to help, Rhun.
>Write-in
"I'm not gonna tell you to stop; that's too hypocritical of even an Englishman such as myself. But I think you should lay off of it when we're about to go on a run.
"You can get into it once the run's over and we're clear of pursuit."

>>911265
>>911269
"I just want to help, Rhun. I am not going to tell you to stop using Bliss, even though I would prefer it- there IS a limit to English hypocrisy, after all- but I think you shouldn't indulge before a run. Save it for later."

"The dreck barely gets me numb for an hour, anyways! And it ain't 'cause of burnout, neither! My body's jest too strong for it. Yeh wouldn't believe what they have to pump into me for surgeries!"

"I am certain I wouldn't, Rhun. So long as we are understanding each other about this, I see no reason not to leave it be."

"Right... Yeh care to sit with me and talk a spell?"

You spend about an hour discussing the Mabinogion with Rhun.

Around 9, Tizona returns from the residential district, cursing to herself under her breath.

"Those arrogant basura! Think they're so much better than me, I'll show them..."

"I take it things didn't go well?"

"They threw me out for 'panhandling' and 'being a public nuisance'! All because I tried to save some poor girl's soul by preventing her from giving her money away to those Aztlanti herejes! Threw me in the jailhouse like San Pablo! Lone Star fascistas only just released me. Got to see the house you wanted me to scout, though! Lights are off and there's no car parked near it: looks pretty empty."

"Thank you."

"No problema, Rojo!"

Eventually, the clock strikes 11. Rex has yet to return.

>Call him
>Send (teammate) out to check up on him
>Wait for him
>Write-in

Votes will be processed tomorrow.

>>911284
>Write-in
Check Rex's commlink, see if his vitals show any signs of him needing help.

>>911284
Copying >>911291

>Write-in
Check Rex's commlink, see if his vitals show any signs of him needing help.

>>911284
>>>911284
>>Write-in
>Check Rex's commlink, see if his vitals show any signs of him needing help.
This. Perhaps prepare a QRF if he is in trouble.

>>911284
>>Call him

>>911284
>Check Rex's commlink, see if his vitals show any signs of him needing help.
>send message to him asking for an update

>>911291
>>911293
>>911297
>>911708

A quick check of Rex's commlink shows that his vitals are within normal ranges, except for a slightly elevated heart-rate. You send him a message over your channel:

"Rex, status report. Situation normal at base, house clear, hotel security slightly harder than expected."

"Roger that. Just got out of warehouse. No civvies or sec spotted, but film equipment is present and there are signs of habitation. Also, I'm thinking of renaming the rifle. 'Sweetness' is a cliche. I'm thinking 'Pacey Rae'. Currently hiding in public restroom in strip club across street in case of pursuit. Will return to base in an hour."

>Thats... nice, Rex
>Copy that
>Come back now
>Write-in

>>911884
>Copy that

>>911884
>Copy that

>>911884
>>Copy that

>>911884
>>Copy that
"We'll see you and Susan in an hour then."

>>911893
>>911938
>>911941

"Copy that."

You close out the line.

It is currently 11:10 PM.

>Go to bed
>Spend time with (teammate)
>Make drugs at basement drug lab
>Buy gear on black market
>Write-in

>>911962
>>Spend time with (teammate)
Tizona

>>911962
>Spend time with (teammate)
We should get to know Tizona

>>911962
>>Go to bed

>>911962
>Spend time with Tizona

>>911962
>Spend time with
Tizona.
We can talk about the power of faith and the new information coming out in the academic circles that there are selective conditionals on background count related to a person's traditions.

>>911991
>>912006
>>911967
>>912025

Tizona seems to have been pretty bothered by being thrown out of that gated community. You decide to go talk to her to help calm her down.

"Hey, Rojo. What's up?"

"Nothing, really. I just thought you might be interested in hearing about some research that has been conducted on selective background counts..."

>You engage Tizona in an in-depth conversation about magical research.

>You feel closer to Tizona than you did before.

It is now 2: 10 AM. Rex has returned from the warehouse and submitted a report. There isn't much in it beyond what has already been said. Rhun, Barbie, and Tizona have gone to bed.

>Go to bed
>Spend time with (teammate)
>Make drugs at basement drug lab
>Buy gear on black market
>Write-in

>>912045
>Go to bed

>>912045
>>Go to bed

>>912045
>Go to bed
We'll need to decide if we want to hit the director at the hotel or enroute.
We also need a way to get to his personal terminal, which is likely at his hotel suite.

>>912045
>Go to bed

>>912128
>>912057
>>912056
>>912052

You decide to head to bed before sleep deprivation starts to claim you once again.

Your sleep is unsettled, full of ice-cloaked mountains and forbidden glaciers shimmering under the antarctic stars. You awaken with the sounds of the indifferent polar wind echoing in your ears.

It is now 8:30 AM.

>Try and remember more details
>Get up

>>912187
>Try and remember more details

>>912187
>>Try and remember more details

We need to get a dream diary next to our bed for this stuff.

>>912187
>Try and remember more details

Open up a note pad app and start recording the dreams

>>912187
>>Get up

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61 KB JPG

>>912199
>>912200
>>912257

>Action: remember the details SUCCESS

The cold bit at your face as you climbed up the side of the mountain. The thick furs the university had provided your team kept your body as close to warm as possible in this land of frost and death. Looking back, you can see the remainder of your team caring for the sled dogs at the base of the mountain, some 50 meters below you. The going on this last stretch, you know, would be too hard on them.

Up, up, up the mountainside you climbed, the labor driving sweat out of your pores to almost instantly freeze when exposed to the dread antarctic chill.

After what seems like an eternity, you reach the summit to which you took this dangerous journey to the bottom of the world to see.

From here, you walk forward, in an exhausted trance, to look down into the yawning crevasse that lay before you.

What you saw in the chasm was exactly as the poor fool, half-mad with frostbite and the horror of the poles, had spoken of on his sickbed.

Nightmare frescoes adorned the sides of the gap, imperceptible unless one was looking close for them: images of vast, amorphous figures writhing under the claws of vast, scaled beasts whose inhuman faces conveyed, somehow, expressions of nobility, grace, and completely alien intelligence. Beneath these carvings, the ice gleams with countless lines of text in a language wholly forgotten by modern science.

Your head swells with the promise of scientific accolades and personal glory, and you desperately wave the heavily-burdened assistant you brought with you to this point over and instruct him to take a photograph of these carvings.

"History is being made here, dear boy," you say to him. "Evidence of a civilization of great power and influence- right here, at the bottom of the world! And judging by the lettering, this race of people may predate even the mighty Pharaohs! The monograph I'll write on this will secure my place among the great scholars of archaeology! And who knows, there may be a pretty penny in this for you, lad!"

As your aide begins setting up the tripod and preparing the flash mechanism, your ears become aware of a sound, slowly but insistently growing louder over the howling of the antarctic winds. A sound like a tongue probing a hollow tooth mixed with the roaring of a hearth. Out of the pit, it grew quicker, and you swear you could see writhing movement in the shadows of the chasm's depths...

Shaking off the memories of last night, you wash up and head upstairs.

>>912316
You're greeted in the living room by Rhun pinning Rex's arm to the table with little effort.

"Christ on a bike, Rhun!"

"HELL YES! Ah, g'mornin', Redd! How ya doin'?"

>Fine, just fine.
>Been better, been worse
>(Tell her about the dreams you've been having)
>Write-in

>>912350
>>(Tell her about the dreams you've been having)

>>912350
>(Tell her about the dreams you've been having)

Might be time to get some outside opinions

>>912350
>Been better, been worse

I love me some mountains of madness

>>912364
>>912357

"Well..."

(You recount your dreams to Rex and Rhun)

"Jaysus, and you're going ta lecture meh about drug abuse?! ...Sorry. I jest dunno what to say, really."

"... Sounds like some kind of cheesy 20Cen science-fiction movies. Maybe you should talk to Tizona about these dreams. You know, in case this is a sign of demonic possession."

>Well, you guys were a bunch of help.
>Just needed to get that off my chest.

The time is now 8:25 AM
>Tell the rest of the team about these dreams
>Get the team together for pre-run prep

>>912461
>Just needed to get that off my chest.
"It's probably leftovers from whatever drek the cult put into my head, but yeah, I should get it checked out just in case there's something trying to keep its claws in me."

>Get the team together for pre-run prep
We can get checked out after this run.

>>912461
>>Just needed to get that off my chest.
>Tell the rest of the team about these dreams

>>912486

Seconding this, the dreams can wait until after the run

>>912486
>>912525

"I just needed to get that off of my chest. I think it is most likely some residual effect from my psychic victimization, but I will get it checked out later. Now, if you'll please assemble the rest of the team, its time to draw up the plan for the run."

The entire team manages to assemble by 9 AM.

"Okay, here's the plan:"

(Write-in your plan submission)

>>912623

First I think that we should hit them en route for roughing up the director, while I think we could deal with hotel security the fact that it is inside such a speedy response zone puts a time crunch that I am not comfortable with.

The second should be to make at least a token effort to hit some of the production equipment so that to outside eyes it looks like a corp hit instead of a mob hit

>>912623
Ah, crap, we should have tried to assence the hotel to see if it has magical wards or spirits.

I think we should first hit the hotel while the security detail and the director are out.
We get in under cover of magical invisibility, pick the lock, get into the suite, and make the switch of the file on the director's personal terminal, and get out without raising any alarms.

Then we hit the director on the way back from the shoot, try to damage but not destroy the film equipment.
We're going to want things that can help obfuscate our identities, both physical, technological, and magical.

>>912623
Oh, right, since Redd is English, is he Anglican or atheist?

>>912678

The hotel does have a ward that can be tripped, the assistant mentioned it

Not a bad plan, honestly completely forgot a huge part of the goal here

>>912742
The penthouse suite on the 5th floor does have a presence-tripped ward, but is that the same suite that we passed where room service was asking for Monsieur LeBlanc?
I don't want to assume that it is.

>>912738
Atheist, of the "There are things that look like gods, but they don't deserve to be worshiped" school popular among post-Awakening atheists.

>>912678
>>912645
Voting between these two, I guess. Also, votes will be processed when I'm not drunk, so feel free to come up with other plans as well.

>>912645
>>912678

We should probably hit him en route, rough him up and if we manage to do it quietly with him we drop by the warehouse and destroy some equipment.

as of tactics, we don't exacly have a deadline hanging on us, so we can wait for him to go to the warehouse and hit him on the c-sec where the response is considerably slower.

disable his car via wi-fi or good ol fashioned pinning manuver on a tight street, depending how thigs go we hit the warehouse after extracting everything we can from him about the inside

>>913310
>so we can wait for him to go to the warehouse and hit him on the c-sec
But the thing is he's the director, not the equipment manager.
If they're just using the warehouse to store the equipment, then the target will just go straight from the hotel to the filming site and back, and not go to the warehouse.

We should also consider getting a directional jammer to prevent the security detail from calling for help.
Their mage may still be able to send a spirit, but it'll still be slower than a radio signal.
The jammer can also help if they've got a rigger with drones.

Also, we should consider how we're going to break into the hotel room.

We'll need Tizona along to help break the magical ward, if he's in the penthouse suite rather than the regular suite.
We'll need Sudo to sleaze our way through the security, either by intercepting the security camera feeds so that we look like other guests or erasing us entirely.
Another thing we could do is, since the concierge mentioned that the signal to the off-site spider gets interrupted, cause one or two false alarms to happen, and then slip through once the security thinks that the next signal interruption is just the weather again.
It'll also let us see what their response time is.

>>914302
I really like the idea of false alarms

Hey guys, will probably update this thread later. 8AM exams don't combo well with alcohol and insomnia. Sorry!

>>915286
8AM exams don't combo well with anything, but they are more important than updating this thread.

Thread will officially re-start at 11 AM tomorrow! See you guys then!

>>916137
(Sorry for the late restart, some jackass crashed his car into a power line and the power just came back.)

"Here's the plan:

We're going to deal with this side run from these anarchist lunatics first. We'll stake out the hotel and wait until Mr. Dube and his security detail leave. Slip in under the cover of magical invisibility, pick the lock, hit the director's suite, switch the files, and get out without raising any alarms."

"That's a great plan, Rojo. Just one problem: I don't know how to make people invisible."

>We'll sneak in some other way, then.
>Why do we keep you around again?
>Just find a formula on the internet.
>Write-in

>>919249
>We'll sneak in some other way, then.

>>919249
>Write-in
Can we blind them some how?

>>919249
What about just making a reservation under one our team's names (fake SIN of course), go in, get a room. Set up a loop so that it looks like we're doing business/resting in our room while we actually slip out to do the job?

Or, we look on the Matrix for a spell formula for Invisibility/check in with our fixer, with an eye towards the Christian tradition and protection from the eyes of evil or something.

>>919459
Gonna second this.

>>919394
>>919356
>>919459
>>919502

Thread continuing here: >>919515