>>1042958
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!

>>1042962
Cast:

>Rhun "Hela'R Dryw" map Gaelwynn
A short, toned, and angry Welshwoman who serves as your crew's close-combat expert and recon gal. Has enough chrome and bioware in her body that she could probably tank a fall from the 10th floor of a skyraker into an acid vat. Against all odds, holds a Master's degree in Welsh History. Likes: Parkour, sex, narcotics, alcohol, swordfighting, Welsh autonomy from the UK, Lofwyr (The CEO of Saeder-Krupp), Saeder-Krupp. Dislikes: The English, the Irish, the Scottish, Tir Elves, "wankers", people who don't like Lofwyr or Saeder-Krupp. Is trying to quit Bliss.

>Rex Stirling
A Chicago native and former cleaner for Saeder-Krupp, now demoted to shadowrunning due to a series of unwise decisions that started with a decision to do a hit-and-run on the leader of a major street gang. A veteran of the Sinai Shadow Operations of 2065. Consummate professional (apart from the hit-and-run) and a hard, hard man. Likes: clean runs, gray suits, the Chicago Shatterers Urban Brawl team, and "Pacey Rae", his Gauss rifle. Dislikes: Messy runs, being double-crossed, "wizard bullshit". Has some unresolved trauma from the Sinai.

>Sudo Morphus/"N0b0dy"

The crew's decker. Used to just be an IT nerd, until S-K got leverage on him for redirecting spam-mail from one of their subsidiaries back to said subsidiary's servers. You have the closest relationship to him our of anyone on the team. Suffers from Sudden Unexplained Resurgent Genetic Expression (SURGE), which gives him oily, bright-green scales instead of skin, along with a tail. Likes: MMO gaming, decking, the occult, "me time", you (in a platonic way). Dislikes: violence, being overworked, Lance, himself. Mildly depressed.

>Tizona Cortez

An ex-pirate technically-nun, Tizona Cortez is your group's mage. She channels the power of God to smite your enemies and bring down the heretic government of Aztlan (formerly Mexico). Lives apart from the rest of the crew, in a convent in Charlotte. Likes: Jesus, helping the unfortunate, low-riders, sangria, Marlboros, fire, killing Aztlanti. Dislikes: heresy, blasphemy, apostasy, hangovers, Aztechnology, The Aztlanti, being ordered to spare the Aztlanti.

>"Barbie"/Lenore Lancester
Not a part of your crew, but a close associate. A total ditz when it comes to anything but fashion, smoothies, and calculating the thousands of variables needed to make the perfect sniper shot. Over 40 confirmed kills. Color-coordinates her duffel bags with her outfit. Suprisingly nice for a professional sniper. Does her work to help out her large family. Likes: fashion magazines, shopping, smoothies, small animals, her BFF Rhun, killing "bad guys", you. Dislikes: white after labor day, socks and sandals, unnecessary violence, reading. Your girlfriend.

>Andrea
Capo in the American branch of La Cosa Nostra. Runs a restaurant as a legitimate front for his work as a fixer. Connects your group to clients and then takes his 20% fee.

>>1042970
Attributes:
>Body 3
>Strength 3
>Agility 3
>Reaction 3
>Logic 6
>Willpower 6
>Intuition 4
>Charisma 6

Skills:
>Magic 3
>Computer 7
>Academic Knowledge: History 7
>Academic Knowledge: England 1
>Artisan 1
>Leadership 2
>Interest Knowledge: Conspiracy Theories 2
>Language: English (native speaker)
>Language: Mandarin 2
>Language: Japanese 2
>Chemistry 4
>Etiquette 7
>Software 3
>Academic Knowledge: Magical Theory 6
>Academic Knowledge: Biology 5
>Language: Spanish 2
>Academic Knowledge: Ancient Languages 7
>Academic Knowledge: Philosophy 6
>Academic Knowledge: Religion 7
>Instruction 2
>Professional Knowledge: Wondertainment Industries 3
>Con 2 (NEW)
>Negotiation 3 (NEW)
>Professional Knowledge: Business Administration 6
>Enchanting Skill Group 1
>Arcana 2
>Assensing 2
>Blades 2
>First Aid 1
>Survival 1
>Professional Knowledge: Small-Group Tactics 3
>Street Knowledge: Magical Theory 3
>Academic Knowledge: Literature 3
>Alchemy 4
>Pistol 1
>Pilot: Ground Vehicle 2
>Sneaking 3
>German 2
>Russian 3 (NEW)
>Automatics 1 (NEW)
Modifiers:
>Scarred: -1 on non-Intimidation Charisma tests, +1 on Intimidation tests.
>Social Stress (Gangs, Personal Intimacy): -2 on all Charisma-based tests when dealing with gangers or in a situation that demands emotional honesty or vulnerability with someone close to you.

>>1042958
>Check Jackpoint feeds for Occult, Magical Theory and Technology.

>Hang out with Tizona
Haven't really spent much time with her.

>Hit Andrea up for work

>>1042958
Apologies about this thread's numbering being wrong: I am sleepy.

>>1042958
>Check Jackpoint feeds for Occult, Magical Theory and Technology.

>Hang out with Tizona
Haven't really spent much time with her.

>Hit Andrea up for work

>>1042958
>Check Jackpoint feeds: All listed topics
Also see what the Anarcho-Comics have been up to, dig into the Red Hand, and see what's the latest at Miskatonic.

>Hang out with Tizona
What does she do besides help the homeless?

>Discuss the fashion merits of AR Glasses vs Contacts with Barbie
Now that our eyes are fixed and we're supposed to go after Red Hand, we should probably get a smartlink.

>>1042958
>>Hang out with a crew member (choose from Barbie, Sudo, Rhun, Rex, Tizona)
Rhun

>>1042958
>Hang out with a crew member (Rhun)

>>1043060
>>1043492
>>1043702
You log into Jackpoint and begin sorting through the feeds for personally interesting data:

>/O/ccult:
Bobby Tables:So, guys: looks like that guy talking about how tensions between the nature spirits from the Amazon and Aztec To Nal (animal twins) associated with de la Rosa were bad news was right! The Azt-Am war is one month in now, with no signs of resolving like the border scuffles Aztlan loves to prosecute every other year. With this in mind, I'm posting a 2000¥ reward for each person who posts a 24-hour observation of the behavior of spirits in a local Astral Rift! Let's see if we can use spirit-watching to beat the Seer's Guild's accuracy record!

Ravenpin: Are you slagbrained or something? 2000 is way to low for someone to track down and observe an Astral Rift, jackass! Those things are unstable as hell, and you never no what might come through! Try 10000, AT LEAST!
>/mt/: Magical Theory
Sfinks: Hey lads, just got back from a trip to the Vatican, testing my neo-Kirlian method of spirit photography! Starting to make real progress here: chemical treatments are starting to make serious differentiation between aura levels! Pics attached.

KingPhisher: Wait; are you seriously using a 20Cen FILM CAMERA for this?! Why don't you just paint a picture of the Pope while you're at it?

Sfinks: Because, as you would know if you kept track of this project, my film is treated with the same FABI bacteria used in an AMP, which, during the photo-taking process, should react to the magic throwoff from the camera subject to create a photo of the aura. It's still in the prototyping stage, but I predict that by 2075, I'll have a working "spirit camera" capable of reliable mass production!

Serpentine: Thanks for the update. Where do you live again?
>/T/echnology:
Whizzzard: Strange things are afoot at the Stuffer Shack, people: and I mean that literally: [external link: Aztechnology announces plans to fully automate over 1000 Stuffer Shack locations by 2074]

N0body: Finally! I always get really hostile glares when I come in at 3AM for a light snack. No idea why: I just try to be pleasant and polite to the cashier, and they look at me like I killed their dog! Automated service will be a lot better.

Fabian: Maybe they're surly because it's fucking three in the morning, N0body: not EVERYONE is nocturnal like you. How's the soykaf addiction going, BTW?
You close out Jackpoint and start browsing the general Matrix.

>>1044005
>Keyword Search: 'Anarcho-Comics': no results
>Keyword Search: 'The Idiot Terrorist Newsfeed Recent': 12 results. Top result (dated 4 days ago): "Cincinnati in Chaos as 'The Idiot' Releases over 20 Tons of Stolen Jellybeans From Hijacked Airship Onto Downtown Freeways 10 Minutes Before Rush Hour: Cincinnati's freeways are in absolute disarray tonight as the international terrorist known as 'The Idiot', previously believed dead after a failed mass shooting in the CAS, hijacked a transportation airship with unknown accomplices 10 minutes before the evening rush hour. He proceeded to redirect the airship to pass over several of the most high-traffic areas of the city while releasing what experts calculate was a total of over 20 tons of jellybeans into the streets below. 8 people are dead, several dozen are in critical condition and many hundred more are injured from jellybean-related injuries or traffic accidents. 'The Idiot' then proceeded to deliver another one of the manifestos for which he has become known, including a complaint about the discontinuation of the 'Raspberry Ripple' flavor of ice cream by Baskin-Robbins, accusations against the Seer's Guild as being complicit in the death of Dunkelzahn, and the promotion of underground rapper Flawdust. Flawdust has been taken in for questioning by Knights-Errant authorities, who vow to renew their hunt for 'The Idiot' effective immediately."

>Keyword 'Miskatonic University': most recent result: "Miskatonic University gears up to celebrate '300 years of scholarship' in 2073. Celebrations will include open-house tours of the Orne Library and public events celebrating noted alumni and staff'.

>Keyword 'Red Hand': No results.

You log out of your terminal and call Tizona:

"Wassup, Rojo?"

"I... was wondering if we could spend some time together?"

"... You know how to play bridge? Because Father O'Leary's spending the winter doing missionary work in Spain, and there're only three of us in right now."

>Sure, I'll come over

>On second thought, never mind.

>>1044073
>Sure, I'll come over

>>1044073
>Sure, I'll come over
We should arrange for Lance's death and make it look like one of his jokes blew up in his face.
Or we can just take him to the meta planes and leave him there.

>>1044073
>Sure, I'll come over

>>1044101
We seem okay with our resident decker ego-killing and fucking around with minds, so I don't see why 'the idiot' should get our panties in a twist aside from the blowback it might have on our girl and her family. Is her brother even still a prime suspect in this?

Speaking of ego-killing, don't we have a mind rewiring A.I. lying around? It, along with generous applications of Laes, does open up a whole lot of options for us.

>>1044160
The Idiot might be displeased that we stopped his earlier plot despite being with his sister. Lance is a ticking time bomb that is going to explode.

>>1044375
Maybe. It's just that this whole thing gives off a strong stench of 'somebody else's problem', for now at least.

>>1044092
>>1044101
>>1044160

"... Sure, I know how to play. Just let me come over there."

You drive over to the St. Sylvester priory of South Charlotte: a converted floor of an apartment complex, purchased in perpetuity by the Catholic Church. You scan your decoy SIN to unlock the door, climb up to the fifth floor, and knock on the door. A cheerful-looking dwarf with bright crimson hair opens the door.

"Ah, ye must be Mother Cortez's friend! I'm Father O'Neil, my child. Please, please, come in, and I'd advise you keep your shoes on: it gets chilly in here during the winter. Do yeh drink scotch?"

You follow Father O'Neil through the sparsely-decorated hallways of the priory (well-maintained tan wallpaper with the occasional cross or holo-pic of some saint or another are the primary decoration) to a common room dominated by a large plastic table with a bridge setup and several bottles of alcohol. Tizona is seated at this table, along with an elderly ork, wrapped up in a blanket and gently dozing in his rocking chair.

"Hola, Rojo! Que pasa?"

"Eh, nada. These must be some other members of your order?"

"Yeah! We tend to be pretty empty: we got beds for 12 but only got 4 people here, but that's the modern day for you. You've met O'Neil, and the old man here is Padre Ramirez- Hey, Padre! Despierta, tenemos a ese otro socio del puente!"

The ork jerks up in his chair: "¿Qué? ¿Que dices? ¿Está mi manta en llamas otra vez?"

Tizona looks up and smiles. "Padre Ramirez don't speak a lick of English: he does mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe church on 23rd Street, above the mosque. So, you partner up with O'Neil?"

>While playing bridge, you learn more about Tizona and her fellow-priests. All of them are mages, as the Order of Saint Sylvester only accepts members who are magically-active. They spend most of their time split between helping with the magical needs of the Catholics of Charlotte- warding at-risk homes against demonic influence, breaking curses and hexes placed by wiz-gangs on disadvantaged youth, subduing recalcitrant spirits, and so on- and playing bridge or finding other ways to kill time. The fact that Tizona works on the side as your group's mage is apparently known by the other three, but not too much of a problem: the other members of the group apparently share Tizona's more flexible view of what qualifies as "Christian behavior". You spend a pleasant time with the group, playing bridge while the others drink and begin regaling you with tales of non-metaphorical spiritual warfare.

You return home late in the evening, in a biting, lashing -16C cold. You come in to Rex decorating a Christmas faux-tree set up in the living room, and Rhun nailing up holly and pine sprigs on a beam.

>Help Rex and Rhun put up decorations

>Talk to Sudo about Angel's brainwashing

>Talk to Andrea about jobs

>Write-In

>>1044384
True, the QM might be leaving Lance's fate to his actual shadowrunner game.

>>1044392
>Talk to Andrea about jobs

And also this suggestion
>Discuss the fashion merits of AR Glasses vs Contacts with Barbie
>Now that our eyes are fixed and we're supposed to go after Red Hand, we should probably get a smartlink.

>>1044392
>Help Rex and Rhun put up decorations

>>1044392
>Help Rex and Rhun put up decorations

>>1044407
Change mine to
>Help Rex and Rhun put up decorations

And also this suggestion
>Discuss the fashion merits of AR Glasses vs Contacts with Barbie
>Now that our eyes are fixed and we're supposed to go after Red Hand, we should probably get a smartlink.

>>1044524
>>1044519
>>1044434
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DlD7-TykIU

>You spend the evening helping Rex and Rhun make the house look festive for Christmas/Yule: stringing up lights, adding holo-decorations onto the windows, helping Rhun set up the traditional Yule Shrine in the front yard, and hanging decorations on the tree. The air is as full of warmth and joy as it can get for people in your profession. In this environment, you ask Barbie over and talk to her about the merits of AR glasses versus contacts: apparently, the contacts are more stylish, but cannot host smartlink technology, among other things. As the night and cold roll in over your home, the two of you take your rest in the basement, and the two of you spend the night enjoying the pleasant warmth of each other's company.

You wake up with Barbie's head lying on your shoulder, her hands gripping the covers tight and a small smile on her face. You start to think about this holiday season, and how you want to spend it:

>Hit up Andrea for a Christmas job

>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand

>Spend the holidays researching Armitage, the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, and the black stone

>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand

>Spend the holidays relaxing

>Write-In

>>1044644
>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand
>Spend the holidays researching Armitage, the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, and the black stone
We've just done a job, so let's focus on what our dragon boss wants for now.

>>1044644

>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand

>Spend the holidays researching Armitage, the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, and the black stone

>>1044644
>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand
>Spend the holidays researching Armitage, the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, and the black stone

I could have sworn that AR contacts could now host smartlinks. I'll have to check it again.

>>1044644
>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand
>Spend the holidays researching Armitage, the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, and the black stone

>>1044644
>>Spend the holidays researching the Red Hand
>>Spend the holidays researching Armitage, the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, and the black stone

>>1044855
Okay, I checked the SR5E core rulebook, and contacts can have a capacity of 1 to 3.
Smartlink circuits take up 1 capacity, and there's nothing saying that contacts can't be used.

Admittedly, glasses provide more capacity for cheaper, and if we know we're going into a fight we should actually switch to goggles that provide the most capacity for the cheapest cost.

So, just to stat out the costs:
>AR contacts with Smartlink
Contacts (Capacity 3) = 600¥
Flare Compensation = 250¥
Image Link = 25¥
Smartlink = 2,000¥
Total = 2,875¥

>AR Glasses
Glasses (Capacity 4) = 400¥
Flare Compensation = 250¥
Image Link = 25¥
Smartlink = 2,000¥
Low-light vision = 500¥
Total = 3,175¥

>AR Goggles
Goggles (Capacity 6) = 300¥
Flare Compensation = 250¥
Image Link = 25¥
Smartlink = 2,000¥
Low-light vision = 500¥
Thermographic Vision = 500¥
Vision Magnification = 250¥
Total = 3,825¥

Of course, there are other modules we could add, such as ultraviolet vision and ultrasound (which does require an ultrasound emitter, but defeats magical and technological invisibility and most cloaking powers).

>>1045116
(I have nothing to say besides: Mea Culpa)

>>1044979
>>1044973
>>1044855
>>1044704
>>1044672

You decide, with a healthy amount of cash in pocket, to grind away on the problem of Armitage and the Red Hand.

The days fly by in a haze of historical references and cross-references, commcalls, and checks on data feeds. Sudo and Barbie leave at some point to visit their families: Barbie made sure to give you a lovely Christmas sweater before she went.

Your research on Armitage finally reaches a breakthrough on Christmas day:

The Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination, from what you have uncovered, was more than just a skeptical society with a grandiose name: you have teased out wide-ranging connections binding the group to shadowy activities. One of the group's most prominent members, Howard Philips Lovecraft, made a sudden turn away from his career as a pulp horror author and launched a successful bid for the United States Senate with backing from a wealthy benefactor- who was this benefactor, and why? Why did Lovecraft, upon assuming his Senate seat, immediately maneuver himself onto the DOI Oversight Committee and campaign so aggressively for an expansion of protected historic lands in certain areas of Texas, Oklahoma, and the Dakotas? Two other members, August William Derleth and Donald Albert Wandrei, controlled a small, but influential, publishing house in Arkham that, even today, has a borderline-unseemly influence on UCAS publication of archeological, anthropological, and thaumatological research. The four major Institutes funded by Armitage and the Brotherhood all are situated on top of mana wells- coincidence? And why the locations they chose?- Providence and Arkham were decent-sized cities in their day, but Wilbraham and Newburyport were backwaters. And, when the Orne Library was rebuilt, why was the area housing the collection Armitage made private sealed off, along with his office?

This is as far as you can get with research. A field trip may be needed.

>Plan to visit Arkham, Massachusetts (home of Miskatonic University, Arkham House Publishing, and the Armitage Institute for Anthropology).

>Plan to visit Providence, Rhode Island (Home of the HP Lovecraft Memorial Home, Lovecraft's grave, and the Robert E Howard Institute)

>Plan to visit Wilbraham, Massachusetts (home to the Lovecraft Foundation for Historical Preservation)

>Plan to visit Newburyport, Massachusetts (home to the International Skeptics Society's North American headquarters)

>>1045192
>Plan to visit Arkham, Massachusetts (home of Miskatonic University, Arkham House Publishing, and the Armitage Institute for Anthropology).

>>1045192
>Plan to visit Arkham, Massachusetts (home of Miskatonic University, Arkham House Publishing, and the Armitage Institute for Anthropology).
We, legally, purchased the Skorpion as a self-defense weapon.
Can we legally get a smartlink mounted on it, and have it pass through customs?

>>1045192
>Plan to visit Arkham, Massachusetts (home of Miskatonic University, Arkham House Publishing, and the Armitage Institute for Anthropology).
This was always inevitable.

Yes, obviously Arkham

>>1045693
>>1045367
>>1045289
>>1045203
You begin looking into flights into Arkham Regional Airport from the CAS and plan out reservations. Looking up UCAS gun laws, you see that possession of smartlink systems is restricted from the civilian population: only security, soldiers, and licensed and accredited bounty hunters may legally own smartgun tech in the UCAS.

A text from Andrea interrupts your planning.

ANDREA: YO, MERRY CHRISTMAS. YOUR BOYS GONNA BE IN TOWN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS? GOT SOME NEW JOBS LINED UP FOR YOU!

>Text back "sure, hit me"

>Text back "I'm busy these next couple of weeks"

>Write-In

>>1045799
>Text back "I'm busy these next couple of weeks"

>>1045799
>Text back "I'm busy these next couple of weeks"

>>1045799
>Text back "I'm busy these next couple of weeks"
>Write-In: "I won't be available, but the others may be."
While we have a specific job from the Big L, the others should be able to take a job or two.

>>1045809
>>1045822
>>1045886
RRH: I AM BUSY THESE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT THE OTHERS MAY BE AVAILABLE.

You return to planning out your trip. With flight plans arranged, only one thing is left: choosing someone to travel with. Like before, bringing more than one team-mate may be a bad idea.

>Take Sudo

>Take Barbie

>Take Rhun

>Take Rex

>Take Tizona

I'd like to bring a mage because of what we might encounter, but the occult and Catholicism don't mix too well.

Sudo is sort of our student, and his decking skills could be useful, but he's not much use if we're dealing with abominations.

Rex and Rhun do bring combat expertise if we end up fighting Red Hand, but they shouldn't be operating this close to the Draco Foundation and Arkham.

Barbie, doesn't really bring much to the table, except that her behavior and personality would help with our cover of just a couple (academic and his ditzy girlfriend) going to Miskatonic for their anniversary (the university's, not the couple's).

>>1046001
How likely is it that Tizona goes all 'burn all the heretical books, and everything else just to be sure'. But seriously, we're getting deeper and deeper into some seriously strange magic shit so we'll need to bring magical firepower of our own.

I'd have to say Sudo would be my number 1 choice.

Otherwise Rex or Rhun. And I only Rex if he has a SIN that would allow his firepower.

>>1046049
>>1046076
Some points:

1. Tizona WILL get VERY aggressive about anything she sees as "heresy", which can be a double-edged sword.

2. Barbie actually has good skills in lockpicking, sneaking, and general combat (not to the level of Rex or Rhun, but she's far from defenseless: she DID do active duty work fighting terrorists in Africa with a mercenary group).

3. A refresher on the special bonuses and penalties for each team-mate:

Rex:
Pro- he has access to an S-K discretionary account, which can be used to acquire more difficult gear (although S-K WILL want it back later)
Con- Rex doesn't blend in well in social situations, with his mix of a military man's bearing and his grey skin.

Rhun:
Pro- She's good at dealing with gangers and lowlifes, and helps to negate your social stress around them.
Con- She's a screaming berserker in combat who often won't stop until her enemies are dead.

Tizona:
Pro- Her Catholic faith and reliable personality keep you grounded when dealing with the Horrors.

Con- Surprisingly moral for a Shadowrunner, won't tolerate you doing wrong.

Sudo:

Pro- Can act as a support when doing occult actions, is willing to aid you in highly morally ambiguous magical acts.

Con- Emotionally shuts down and turns into a sociopath when under stress.

>>1046076
In reference to that: you may be able to end this trip with some extra magical firepower if things unfold a certain way.

>>1046172
>>1046181
Bringing Tizona and smuggling in as much Laes as we can get away with seems like a pretty good plan to me. As to her views, that's why we put points in Negotiation and Con for.

Yeah take Sudo.

>>1046203
We aren't going to drug our mate.

>>1046206
Do we really want both people there useless in a fight. I least one of us has to be able to hold their own from whatever it is we'll encounter over there.

>>1046172
>lockpicking, sneaking, and general combat
Speaking of which, we should still pick up, or somehow arrange to have us pick up in the UCAS, a lockpicker and maglock scanner, maybe a pair of cellular gloves.
Things to help us get past security.

>>1046212
Laes is very good for making security guards forget we were ever there, you know.

>>1046001
>Take Barbie

>>1046241
I was also planning on dosing her if it came to that. Her losing a few hours would be better than her losing her shit, and it's now established that we're kinda fine about the whole mind-whammy thing.

>>1046264
>>1046264
That's fucked.

>>1046370
Hey, we're fine with Sudo and his experiment. Using it on a 'losing their shit' team member (who may attract a dragon's wrath down on everyone's heads) is far less fucked in my opinion. We can likely talk her down from most things anyways (hopefully).

>>1046370
Well if option A is dumping a few hours to days down the memory hole, and option B is indefinite psychiatric hospitalization, things get a bit more blurry. Remember, Redd was strong-willed, and staring directly at a fully-manifested True Horror was enough to almost turn him into a raving lunatic (and making unprotected psychic contact with a Greater Servitor resulted in him being a flesh-puppet) BTW, you have around a dozen doses of Laes and Galak to work with: for some reason, there doesn't seem to have been a drop in your supply...

>>1046411
>there doesn't seem to have been a drop in your supply...
That is concerning. If Sanguine's memories haven't been wiped, then we could be facing an Aztechnology hit squad in the very near future.

This needs to be investigated now.
Ask Sudo on Angel's progress, check on how the rehabilitation is going. Use assensing to determine if Angel's soul has suffered the damage we expect from massive Laes dosing.

>>1046428
Well, either that, or Sudo found a supplier and has been buying some.

>>1046431
Which has implications

>>1046411
>>1046428
Maybe Sudo's just gonna use the A.I. to reprogram Angel instead of the Laes?

>>1046428
RRH: HOW IS YOUR PROJECT WITH ANGEL DOING?

N0BODY: IT'S FINISHED, WOULD PREFER TO NOT EXPLAIN OVER PHONE.

>>1046446
Are you retarded? I'm seriously asking you.

>>1046455
Elaborate please.

>>1046453
Okay, then let's meet up with him and have him explain.

And to make it clear, this isn't because of any concern for Angel's well-being. This is to make sure that there isn't any trouble from the Big A's direction because of this.
And we're not wasting S-K's, and therefore Lofwyr's, time with a surgeon that can't operate.

>>1046463
You sound like you're retarded so I'm just checking.

>>1046557
No more retarded than everyone else I imagine.

>>1046492
Wait, wasn't Sudo's plan ego-death followed by a 'second chance'?

>>1046585
Well you could imagine, but you'd be wrong.

>>1046613
Look, I appreciate debate, but please refrain from making personal snipes at other anons in this thread.

>>1046001
>>Take Sudo

>>1046455
>>1046557
>>1046613
The only retard in this thread is you bub.

>>1046644
Sick burn Cochise.

>>1046644
Look, we can just move on from the retard thing unless xDllTKEb wants to just spell it out for me.

>>1046492
You meet Sudo at a roadside diner halfway between Charlotte and Asheville.

Sudo looks... different, when he comes up to your table. His scales seem to have... faded in color, from the swamp-water green they usually are to a mossy green with grey specks and streaks.

"Ah... are you... all right? Your scales..."

"I'm fine, not sure what this is about. Maybe something in these past two months... hm. It's worrying, but I seem to be fine."

"Ah, good. Now, about that matter you refused to discuss over the phone..."

"Still Angel. Didn't need to... do anything."

"Good, good... is he a danger?"

Sudo orders a milkshake and waits for the waitress to leave.

"Far less of one than you think. He wasn't twisting those villagers for himself, Big A had his number, and were 'commissioning' those. Trust me, there was no love lost between him and them. That Mage was his jailer. Saeder-Krupp has him now."

"Ah, yes, very good..."

>That's all, Sudo. Sorry for this

>I need your help. It's to do with Armitage...

>>1046811
>That's all, Sudo. Sorry for this
I'm still for bringing Barbie along.

>>1046832
Seconded

>>1046811
So again, do we want two non-combatants going to spooky central? We can handle most of the occult stuff, but we really do need someone watching our backs.

>>1046811
>That's all, Sudo. Sorry for this

>>1046848
We need a better commlink and cyberdeck if we're going to be doing any decking of our own.

>>1046881
To be fair, we can't magic or deck for now. We're getting better at shooting though.

>>1046832
>>1046845
>>1046853
You're all fucking blind

>>1046832
>>1046845
>>1046853
"That is all, Sudo. Go back to your family: I am sorry for pulling you away from them."

"Alright. I have some news for you. I set up surveillance on Lance after our last 'incident' with him. Four days before the Idiot drops the jelly bean bomb, they all fail. As well as the rest of the cameras on the block. Thought you might like to know."

"Thank you, Sudo."

>Perception: As you walk out, you see Sudo's milkshake arrive. As he smiles at the waitress nervously, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bag. As she walks away, he pulls out a handful of- is that sand?- and quickly and guiltily stuffs it in his mouth.

That image occupies your thoughts the entire drive back.

You ring up Barbie to help get your mind off of things.

"Heeeyyy, Freddy~~"

"Hello, Len. I hope things are going well with your family?"

"Yeah, things are, like, super good! Everyone managed to come back to Mom and Dad's, except for Lance, and I literally don't think that anyone is too hurt by that, and I got to see everyone, which was super great and awesome and Lionel actually beat Landon in a sparring match, which has literally NEVER happened, so that was super awesome, and then Lucas-"

You let Len excitedly jabber about the anarchy of a Lancester family Christmas until she finally runs out of steam.

"So- what were we talking about?"

"Well-"

>I think we should take a vacation to Arkham!

>I need your help with something important. It has to do with stopping a very bad thing from happening.

>I need you to aid in an investigation into a secret society based in Arkham. It's a nice area of the country.

>Write-In

>>1046938
>I need you to aid in an investigation into a secret society based in Arkham. It's a nice area of the country.
>Write-in: Text our contact at the S-K regional branch, and get a status update about Angel. Also text Rex and ask him to follow up at S-K about how Angel is being used; tell him to be discreet, and check that it hasn't been compromised. Then text Tizona and ask if she has a few hours to spare. Drive to her place, pick her up, and then drive back to Sudo's place and check on him in the astral. Make sure to turn our commlinks off so that he won't know we're in the area.
We should have assensed him when we had the chance.

>>1046932
I see that you don't suggest anything of value.

>>1046938
Do we want to drag Barbie away from her family on Christmas?

>>1046965
I thought the trip was happening after Christmas?

>>1046972
You are correct. We've found the info on Christmas day, and Barbie had just told us about her family time in Christmas. I assume >>1046965 mistook 'Holidays' for just 'Christmas'.

OK let me make this clear. Sudo just lied to us. He didn't turn Angel over to SK. He's using him to try and change his own SURGE appearance, but it's having some unforeseen consequences.

>>1047014
Yes, that's obvious, but a public diner was not the place to confront him about it.

>>1046964
"I need you to aid in an investigation into a secret society based in Arkham. It's a nice area of the country."

"Sooo.... is this, like, a date thing, or a vacation?~ I need to know how to dress! You know, for when we aren't doing sneaky thingies! Also, if it's a vacation I totes bet Lilith would LOVE to come! She, like, LOVES New England! She's, like, SO AWESOME, and I bet she'd LOVE to help! But wait, that'd mean she'd find out about me? Ah, but I bet she'd be cool with it! Just floating that out there!"

"I... will consider it."

Barbie squeals and hangs up.

You text Rex and your S-K contact (a 'Mr. Andrew'), inquiring about Angel, before texting Tizona asking for a few hours of her time.

As you pull off of the Charlotte Overpass, narrowly missing a collision with a group of go-gangers on motorcycles, you get a response back from Rex:

SINAISHOGUN: STORY CHECKS OUT. ANGEL'S BEEN RELOCATED TO 'THE MEAT MARKET'. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION IN CAS. IT'S WHERE S-K AGENTS IN NORTH AMERICA GO TO GET THEIR BIOWARE- OR THEIR FACE CHANGED. GIVEN HIS TALENTS, I'D SAY HE'S AN INVALUABLE ASSET.

Tizona calls you up in the middle of reading the text. "Hey, Rojo. I can give you a few hours in a couple days maybe: orders came down from the Vatican that we gotta look into an outbreak of curses in Appalachia. They think it might have to do with some old mountain hoodoo artifact that got loose called the Ulun'suti Gem. We're supposed to bag it up and put it in the archive. Gonna lose you soon: we're driving into this gorge and there's this buzzing- ¡LA MADRE DE DIOS QUE LA VESPA ES ENORME! ¡TIRÁNLO ABAJO, TIRÁNLO ABAJO!"

The signal cuts out. You trust Tizona to handle herself, after what she told you about her OTHER "running crew".

>Wait for her to return

>Head to Arkham and greenlight Barbie inviting Lilith

>Head to Arkham with just Barbie

>Write-In

>>1047164
>Write-In
Write up a message to Tizona and Rex that we're a little worried about Sudo, mention the change in his scale color, and ask Tizona to do a quick assence of his astral form. Make it sound like just a friend concerned that Sudo might have a cold or something.

>Head to Arkham and greenlight Barbie inviting Lilith
While metaknowledge says that we'll encounter violence and complications, in-character we wouldn't know that.

>>1047395
>While metaknowledge says that we'll encounter violence and complications, in-character we wouldn't know that.
I doubt we're that optimistic. We are fully aware of the nature of what it is we're trying to dig up, and if a dragon is interested in it, you can bet his enemies are as well.

Do we have an idea of what Lilith's skills are?

>>1047461
Yep! We know that Lilith Awakened at 6, and is a follower of the Voodoo tradition finishing up her basic training under a Bokor in New Orleans, Black Hat Jones. She plans on being a professional medium/mortician.

>>1047395
We're in Charlotte right now right? Why not just ask them? And tell them we're taking a little Holiday vacation with our girlfriend, and not to worry.

>>1047481
>Head to Arkham and greenlight Barbie inviting Lilith
Well magical support that's not gonna go all Deus Vult! on us sounds good. Plus, having an extra person watching our backs, both physical and astral, is very welcome.

>>1047164
>Head up to Arkham and greenlight Barbie inviting Lilith.
Let's meet more of the family, shall we? Hopefully this one's not as crazy as the last one.
Also
>Inform our crew that we'll be gone with the girlfriend for a bit, and express a bit of concern for Sudo

>>1047164
>Head to Arkham and greenlight Barbie inviting Lilith

>>1047164
>>Head to Arkham and greenlight Barbie inviting Lilith

>>1048241
>>1048055
>>1047512
>>1047501
>>1047395
RRH: SURE, LEN, YOU CAN BRING LILITH. MEET ME @ ARKHAM REGIONAL IN TWO DAYS TIME.

You start packing for your trip, loading up your legally purchased slivergun and Scorpion into your baggage claim, along with several camouflaged reference books (you determine the Black Book, Pnakotic Manuscripts (abridged edition) and Book without Words will provide a wide enough net of reference material for anything you encounter), a pocket knife, and the more ordinary fare of travel. As you leave, you mention your concerns to Rhun and Rex, hoping they will keep an eye on Sudo while you're away.

The flight to Arkham occupies almost an entire day: weather delays eat into a couple hours, you have to transfer planes at Boston, and you end up in a holding pattern for over an hour at the airport itself due to inclement weather. You feel burnt out by the time you finally land and clear customs, but you still need to decide how to spend the night:

>Sleep in the airport waiting area (free, really shitty place to sleep)

>Sleep in the airport coffin motel (5 nuyen, basically just a bed in a box)

>Sleep at a Rent'N'Rest (20 nuyen, minimal amenities)

>Sleep at The Blazing Star Historic Coaching Inn (50 nuyen, decent amenities)

>Sleep at the Hilton (100 nuyen, full amenities)

>Sleep at the Golden Dawn Luxury Resort (1000 nuyen per night, highest possible amenities, must reserve at least a five-night stay)

>>1048423
>>Sleep at a Rent'N'Rest (20 nuyen, minimal amenities)

>>1048423
>Sleep at The Blazing Star Historic Coaching Inn (50 nuyen, decent amenities)

>>1048423
>Sleep at a Rent'N'Rest (20 nuyen, minimal amenities)

>>1048423
As a reminder:

>Wallet: 29,792¥

>>1048446
Correction: minus the flight cost, 29,492¥

>>1048446
I think we can spare the extra 30¥ for decent amenities.

>>1048440
>>1048427
You check into the local Rent'N'Rest (one bedroom, toilets on the end of the hall) and settle down for a night's sleep.

You awake feeling remarkably well-rested, and head into the airpot concourse, your commlink marker keyed to Len's commlink all ready.

A couple hours later, you see Len, in a bright green-and-red dress so covered in microscreen accents that it makes her look like she's wearing a very fashionable Christmas tree. A pale-skinned girl in a black ski cap, white hoodie, black jeans, and a shirt that says, in flashing holoscript, I <3 DYING AND BEING DEAD follows in her wake. A set of hologlasses obscures her eyes.

>Hey Len, missed you

>Have a nice flight?

>This must be Lilith! (extend hand to Lilith)

>Write-In

>>1048548
>Hey Len, missed you

>>1048548
>Hey Len, missed you
>This must be Lilith! (extend hand to Lilith)

>>1048548
>>Hey Len, missed you

>>1048548
>Hey Len, missed you
>This must be Lilith! (extend hand to Lilith)

>>1048548
>Hey Len, missed you

>>1048655
>>1048812
>>1048635
>>1048584
(Sorry for the gap: back at my apartment!)
"Hello, Len! I have missed yo-"

Len rushes up and pulls you into a big, tight, squeezy hug.

"OMYGOSHIMISSEDYOU!!!"

"Ech!"

"And hey, this is my lil' sis, Lilith!"

The little girl removes her hologlasses and gives you a big smile, hazel eyes sparkling.

"Hey man, thanks for taking me out to here! There's so much radical history in this place! So, where we going first?" She starts fiddling with her commlink, and her shirt's holoscript flickers to a picture of a squid grasping a variety of pistols in it's 12 limbs, with GO FIGHTING CEPHALOPODS! blinking beneath it.

>Let's decide where to stay first

>You do know why we're here, right?

>Downtown (POIs: Independence Square, Financial District, Arkham Psychiatric Hospital)

>Rivertown (POIs: The Black Cave, Green Moss Cemetery, Arkham Mall)

>Northside (POIs: Shopping District, Arkham House Publishing, Arkham Regional Airport)

>Easttown (POIs: Entertainment District, K-E Arkham HQ, Hollowpoint Barrens)

>Southside (POIs: Miskatonic Valley Historical Society, Old South Church, Sargasso Barrens)

>French Hill (POIs: Armitage Institute for Anthropology, The Old Town)

>Miskatonic University

>Merchant's District (POIs: The Docks, The Unnameable Barrens, Curwen Island)

>Uptown (POIs: St Mary's Hospital, Miskatonic Valley National Forest (road to it runs out of Uptown), Mage's District)

>>1049824
>French Hill (POIs: Armitage Institute for Anthropology, The Old Town)
We're going to have to hit up all of them eventually, though.

>>1049824
>Southside (POIs: Miskatonic Valley Historical Society, Old South Church, Sargasso Barrens)
Find out a little first before going directly.

>>1049824
>Southside (POIs: Miskatonic Valley Historical Society, Old South Church, Sargasso Barrens)

>>1050276
>>1049968
"We should go to Southside first. Get a feel for the area."

"Rad. You know, Southside was part of the original Arkham settlement area back in the 1600's. The Sargasso Barrens still has a lot of the old buildings intact- I think they do tours of the area with armed guards if you hit up the right agencies!"

You take a taxi to the Miskatonic Valley Historical Society office.
>Wallet: 29,460¥

The MVHS building is a crumbling brick edifice with reinforced windows and doors located on the edge of the Sargasso Barrens. You can tell that the area is Barren-adjacent by the fact that the door has a SIN-scan slot mounted on it, and only lets you through once your SIN has been validated. The interior is decorated in a 20Cen Recreation style, with a filament-light chandelier and genuine wooden chairs. A hologram representation of an elven secretary flickers to life behind the desk in the back.

"Ah, good day! Welcome to the Miskatonic Valley Historical Society! Are you interested in one of our tours? We offer guided tours of historical areas of Arkham, constructed around various periods of our humble city's illustrious history!"

A screen listing the tours pops up besides the secretary.

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!"

>Take the 'Legends of Arkham' tour

>Take the '1934: Sea Change' tour

>How do I get access to the data archive?

>Do you author any tours related to Henry Armitage?

>Write-In

>>1050505
>Take the 'Legends of Arkham' tour

>>1050505
>>Take the 'Legends of Arkham' tour
>>Take the '1934: Sea Change' tour
Porque no los dos?

>>1050527
>>1050572
"You have selected the 'Legends of Arkham' tour: basic package! An hourly charge of 50¥ will be billed to your credstick while you are on the tour! For an additional 250¥, you may purchase the deluxe service package, which will provide an armed detail to allow you to visit the more dangerous locations on the tour without fear of molestation. Would you like to add this charge to your account?

Lilith perks up. "Oh, can we do that? PLEASE? Some of the really cool sites are located in the Barrens these days!"

>Go with basic package

>Upgrade to deluxe package

>>1051216
>>Upgrade to deluxe package

Well she did say please.

>>1051216
>Upgrade to deluxe package
Though I suspect we'll need to come back alone if we want to actually do research.

>>1051216
>Upgrade to deluxe package
Might as well try to get in good with the rest of her family.

File: Albert N Wilmarth.jpg (19 KB, 288x435)

19 KB JPG

>>1051322
>>1051530
>>1052251
"You have upgraded to the deluxe package! Your security service experience today is provided by Wolverine Security™! Nothing's Fiercer Than Wolverine!© Your custom-generated password for access to your tour has been added to your commlink! Have a nice day!"

You check your commlink and see that access has been granted to the Legends of Arkham tour program. You boot it up, which instantly brings up a preferences screen. You tap on "AR", and the image of a solid, square-jawed man in small glasses flickers to life in the middle of the hallway.

"Good day, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Albert N Wilmarth, former Chair of Folklore at MU, and I am here to guide you, curious and intrepid explorers, into the dark, mysterious heart of beautiful Arkham! For, you see, this fair city, famed by many for its great natural beauty, thriving ports, and splendid university, is no stranger to the bizarre and curious! In fact, this very building was originally my family home, and is the first stop on the tour! Please, come into my parlor, so we may discuss this further."

The figure confidently strides to a door on the left and "pushes" it open: the AR figure's action synced perfectly with some automatic opening mechanism. The room beyond is decorated like a typical early 20Cen parlor, with old print posters of rolling forested hills.

"Here we are! Please, sit down and relax for a while, if you so choose! Now:

In my long and storied life as a folklorist, I accumulated many curious artifacts from many New England cultural groups, both Amerindian and Appalachian, which I kept on proud display in this very room-" (In response to this cue, the lights dim and AR models spring to life in every direction, transforming the sparse parlor into a display room filled with curios. Lilith and Len almost spin themselves dizzy trying to take it all in) "- and would proudly display to any guests that showed curiosity. But there was a single item of my collection that was only found after my death. You see, in my mid-thirties, I went on an expedition into the mountains of Virginia to track down a rather persistent tale of dark, mysterious forest gods who dwelt on the high peaks and rained death on interlopers. Despite over three weeks spent in those high mountains, I officially returned empty-handed. BUT, after my death,the executors of my will, going through the attic, discovered something... incredible."

'Wilmarth' produces a complex geometric structure made of oily metal from nowhere. "This unique artifact, nicknamed Wilmarth's Star by contemporary folklorists, was an incredible find: a structure made of an unidentified metal, covered with markings alien to all known local cultures, hidden away in the attic! This object was shaping up to be the find of a century... until, just as mysteriously as it was found, it disappeared without a trace a week later from a safe-deposit box in the First Bank of Arkham."

>>1052308
"Who made the Star? What was it's purpose? Who was responsible for its theft? Was it stolen at all, or did it simply vanish through some unknown mechanism? These questions, and many more, are lost to time..."

The hologram of Wilmarth pauses, clearly priming for questions.

>Ask a question (Write-In)

>Remain Silent

>>1052316
>Remain Silent

>>1052371
"No questions? Alright then! Let us continue to our next stop, in the French Hill area! We will take my motorcar!"

'Wilmarth' ambles out of the room, and your little tour-group follows.

"Yeah, Wilmarth's Star is pretty basic if you're big into the New England Weird scene. Most buffs I know think that it wasn't a real object: just something drummed up by the penny presses- that's like the gossip streams today, Len- to sell papers. Still, it's nice that- OHMYGOSH IS THIS A REAL REPLICA FORD?!"

Indeed, the vehicle in front of you resembles an old-school Ford motorcar, with seating for five people, counting the driver. 'Wilmarth' walks up to it and 'opens' the driver's-side door to get in. You internally wonder how many devices needed to be slaved to the same host to create this elaborate illusion.

>Perception: you can spot an unmarked black car parked behind it, in a spot with an AR tagged showing it as "Reserved for Security": that must be your detail.

'Wilmarth' 'drives' the Ford through the winding streets of Southside and into the scenic upper-class neighborhood of The Old Town. The buildings around you are well-maintained, but give off an aura of age and stability. You notice virtually no AR or holoscreen technology in the area:everything seems to be using old flatsign and flatscreen technology.

The Ford comes to a halt in front of a charming, white-and-blue high-street apartment complex. A flatsign outside declares the building as being Paisley Apartments.

"This site, now home to a charming residential complex, once was home to New England's most haunted house: the Mason House!" AR effects flicker around the site, melting the charming complex away and replacing it with a deteriorating three-story house. "According to local legend, this house was once the home of Keziah Mason, a village elder who, at the end of the 17th century, was accused of being a cruel and vile practitioner of black magic who sacrificed children to Satan himself! The people of Arkham, fearful and superstitious, tried Mason for witchcraft and sentenced her to death- but, the night before her execution, she vanished from her cell without a trace! Her old home was eventually converted into apartments, and accumulated a reputation for being accursed, with many renters- especially those who stayed in the old attic space- dying mysterious deaths over the years. Legend has it that when a massive windstorm forced the original structure to be torn down, the skeletons of over 30 children, a ritual dagger, and Mason's own body were found within the walls. The black reputation of the Mason House hangs over this area, even to this day..."

>Ask a question (Write-In)

>Remain silent

>>1052539
>I imagine various magical groups have combed these apartments and grounds looking for the strange and unusual?

>>1052539
Have there been any awakened activity here?

>>1052539
What was done with the ritual dagger and Mason's body?

>>1052308
>Wolverine Security™
Aw fuck, these guys. The rejects from Knight Errant and psychos that even Hard Corps won't take.

>>1052583
>>1052727
>>1053324

Lilith interjects quickly "So what was done with the dagger? And Mason's body?"

'Wilmarth' pauses a second, as the response is queued up.

"Excellent question, young lady! The truth is, no one knows if the story about the Mason body has any validity. Unfortunately, almost all town records from 1926 were lost during the first Crash. All we have left is hearsay and rumor."

You speak up. "I imagine various magical groups have combed this apartments and grounds looking for the strange and unusual?"

"Well, when the land was first purchased for development around 30 years ago (it was left undeveloped ever since 1989, when the landowner burned down his house, proclaiming the property "completely uninhabitable"), several groups of mages, including the Miskatonic Valley Hermetic Brotherhood, the New England Shamanic Lodge, and a local Onmyoji, were all contracted to assense and cleanse the area of any unwholesome energy. This effort was reported as a rousing success, with nothing significant present astrally besides the aura of fear that allegedly 'haunted' places tend to accumulate. Ever since its opening, Paisley Apartments have reported no occult incidents on the premises. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a tour of the apartment grounds, as solicitors are banned by Paisley Apartments policy. Now, the next stop on our tour is farther to the north, in the Rivertown area!"

The faux-Ford trundles its way though a series of ground-level streets into the significantly lower-class area of Rivertown. The tributary of the Miskatonic that gave this area its name has long since been buried under infrastructure, marked only by AR tagging on the streets. The car rolls to a stop outside of a large plascrete wall. A flickering holo-sign by a secure metal gate says 'WELCOME TO GREEN MOSS CEMETERY". "Our next stop is the beautiful Green Moss Cemetery, home to, some claim, the first ghoul outbreak in the UCAS!" The walls around the cemetery dissolve, replaced with a much smaller brick wall with rolling green fields with beautifully-carved gravestones. "During the early 2030's, this lovely cemetery- the oldest still functioning in Arkham- was placed under seige by unknown parties! Graves would be found ripped open, their contents ripped to shreds or missing altogether! For three long years, these mysterious grave robbers would desecrate the graves of thousands of the departed, partially or wholly devouring them. The curious thing about all of this? It occurred almost 20 years before the first recorded case of the Krieger Strain in the world! A sick crime carried out by necromaniacs? The activity of an unidentified Awakened animal? Or the freak appearance of ghouls 20 years before even scientific experts knew of them?"

>Ask a question (Write-In)

>Remain silent

>>1053634
Has there been any further development of the area in or around the cemetery?

>>1053634
>And have there been any such incidents since?

>>1053683
>>1053726
"Have there been any such incidents in the area since 2033?"

"Ever since the installation of an advanced security system and the contracting of Hard Corps Security™ to provide nightly patrols, Green Moss Cemetery has never had a body desecrated, and today provides the ideal environment for ensuring an undisturbed eternal rest! Now, on to our next stop, in the Entertainment District!"

Easttown is, by far, the dingiest location you've yet seen in Arkham. Spillover SINless from the Hollowpoint Barrens roam the streets outside of your car window, hollow-faced and desperate. They thin out significantly once you roll into the Entertainment District proper- mostly because of the Knights-Errant patrols you occasionally see working the beat. You pull off outside of a dolled-up simsense parlor off of Broadway. The AR filters quickly transform it into an old, 20Cen theater. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Lilith bouncing up and down in her seat.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, was once the site of the Old Highlands Playhouse- a centerpiece of town life until 1924, upon the premiere of-"

"THE TRAGEDY OF THE PALE KING AAAAAAA!!!!!"

"-yes, the Tragedy of the Pale King. This experimental play, written by the playwright Arthur Pickman, was a surrealist work incorporating more contemporary themes and unsettling elements into the conventional structure of an Elizabethan revenge play. Over the conventional elements of the revenge play hangs the shadow of the Pale King, the mysterious, supernatural force that rules the fictionalized version of Milan in which the play is set. The play was never performed-"

"BECAUSE THE CAST WERE ALL FOUND DEAD THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PLAY IN A MASS SUICIDE, SAVE FOR THE ACTOR PLAYING THE HANGED KING, WHO VANISHED!"

"Er, yes. Indeed. It seems that we have a very well-informed young lady on the tour. The playhouse was, of course, closed after this incident."

>Ask a question

>Remain silent

>>1054063
>Ask a question
Have there been any further attempts to put on the play?
Where can a play of the copy be found?
What happened to the theater after the closing in 1924?

>>1054088
>>1054063
Oh, and who were the Playhouses biggest benefactors and donators?

>>1054088
>>1054094
"Have there ever been any further attempts to put on this play? Is there a copy of the script avalible for public viewing? What happened to the playhouse afterwards? Who were the largest benefactors and donators to the Playhouse?"

"Information about the playhouse's donators and benefactors are publicly available in the MVHS data archive. The playhouse itself, along with all of its assets, were sold off by the owner within a year: the playhouse was converted into a movie theater shortly thereafter. As for the script: the only known full copy was gifted to the Orne Library by Mr. Pickman, who stated that he "wanted nothing more to do with it". Said script was damaged in the fire, with parts of the third and fifth acts lost. The play has been performed since then with no repeats of the tragedy of 1924, although a number of accidents associated with it over the years has given it a reputation similar to Macbeth in theatrical circles."

"Our next stop is Independence Square, in the scenic downtown area!"

The square itself is scenic and well-preserved, built around a park with hardy trees arranged around a tall basalt stone. 'Wilmarth' pulls the car over and gets out, motioning you to follow him into the park.

"This is Founder's Rock, the oldest mystery of Arkham! This enigmatic stone has stood in this very spot for as long as mind can remember! The native tribes of the Miskatonic Valley believed this basalt monolith to have been the tooth of an ancient god, and that all who touched it were fated to perish within a year. Even today, this stone baffles geologists- how did this large basalt stone get here?-, archeologists- the subtle carvings on its surface do not match any known language- and arcanologists- the stone is magically active, yet lacks an active aura. Leading scholars at MU have ruled it safe to touch, if you are so inclined."

>AR highlights indicate a series of carvings on the surface of the stone.


>Touch it

>Ask a question

>Remain slient

>Examine the carvings

>>1054312
>>Examine the carvings
Nothing ventured, nothing gained

>>1054312
>Examine the carvings
>Assense the stone

>>1054312
>>Remain slient

>>1054063
>Examine the carvings

>>1054342
>>1054350
>>1054872

>Knowledge: Ancient Languages: These carvings bear an... uncanny similarity to Iremite carvings... without some kind of translation key, you have no hope of deciphering them, however.

>Assense: Strange. There's a clear magical aura AROUND the stone, but on the stone itself... it's almost like a sucking void.

You see Lilith touch the stone lightly, and recoil backwards.

"OW! That's really fraggin COLD!"

"That has been a reported side-effect of Awakened individuals touching the Stone. Apologies. Now, if you will come back to the motorcar, it is time to travel to our next destination: the site of the most recent legend of our fabled town, only accessible through your purchase of the Deluxe tour package!"

The motorcar briskly rolls down the streets away from the success of the downtown area, deeper and deeper into the shadows of the city. At a certain point, your commlink buzzes: WARNING! NOW ENTERING HIGH-RISK URBAN AREA! INSURANCE WILL NOT COVER ANY INJURIES OR DEATH SUFFERED BEYOND THIS POINT!

"Welcome to the Unnamable Barrens. This region of the city, one of the most dangerous and lawless communities in Arkham, is, according to legend, home to a mysterious beast called only the Lurking Horror. Stalking the streets at night, the Horror strikes without discrimination, slaughtering and mutilating all who cross its path. Worst of all, those who have survived the attack of the beast have said that the beast is utterly indescribable, a nightmare made flesh! Many paracritter hunters have combed through the warren of streets in search of the monster, but to no avail..."


>Ask a Question

>Remain Silent

>>1054932
When did the reports of the Lurking Horror start?
Are there still reports of the Lurking Horror made even to this day?

>>1054932
>Ask a Question
Is there any vid evidence of the Horror?

>>1054958
>>1054974
"When did these reports start? Are they still made to this day? Any trid evidence?"

"The earliest reports of the Lurking Horror may date as far back as the middle of the 20th century, but the first reliable reports occurred around 2024. And yes, there have been reported Horror attacks on people into the modern day: three murders of SINless were attributed to the Horror just last year. As for video evidence, none has been released to the public.

This brings us to the end of our tour. I shall bring the car back around, and you fine folks may be on your way."

>Wallet: 29,192¥

"Eh, that was pretty cool and stuff, but it was so... curated and lame! I wanna check out these sites up close and personal! I mean, that's what we're here to do, right? So let's DO it!"

>Relax, we'll check it all out later. For now, let's get settled in somewhere.

>(Give Lilith 500¥) How about you hire a guard for the day and look around yourself? Barbie and I are going to (The Armitage Institute/Arkham House Publishing)

>Don't you want to check out MU with us?

>I want to take a look through the MVHS's data archive first

>Sure! Let's investigate (Neighborhood)

>Write-In

>>1055317
(To clarify: select a neighborhood from this post >>1049824 )

>>1055284
>Don't you want to check out MU with us?
as well as
>I want to take a look through the MVHS's data archive first

>>1055319
I deletd because didnt paste name into field
>Sure! Let's investigate Downtown

>>1055284
>>Sure! Let's investigate (Neighborhood)

>>1055503

>>1055319

>>1055526
Southside (POIs: Miskatonic Valley Historical Society, Old South Church, Sargasso Barrens)

>>1055636
>>1055323
>>1055322
Tiebreaker vote between these three, first vote decides.

>>1056700
Southside (POIs: Miskatonic Valley Historical Society, Old South Church, Sargasso Barrens)

(Sorry for the delay, first day of class. Shouldn't have any more delays today, though: have everything readied)
>>1057228
"Sure, let us start by taking a look at this area. We should start by..."

>Sneaking into the private areas of the MVHS

>Investigating the Old South Church

>Trawling through the Barrens

>>1057642
>>Sneaking into the private areas of the MVHS

>>1057642
>Sneaking into the private areas of the MVHS

>>1057642
>Investigating the Old South Church

>>1057669
>>1057754
"I think we should take a closer look at this building. Something about this place just does not sit right with me..."

"Cool! So, like, spy stuff, right? Hm... Oh, I brought something for this! Well... I guess it's actually for, like, lifting reagents, but still, it should work! Just point me at the door!"

You, Len, and Lilith crowd around one of the doors. The fine faux-oak of the door is broken up by an electronic lock gleaming in the place of the doorknob.

"Hm..."

Len gets out her compact and starts touching up her cheeks.

"Uh, it looks like there's like four camera thingies facing this door, so I'm not sure? If we should do this?"

"It's cool. I got this."

Lilith pulls out a small bag, whispers over it, and hurls it on the ground. Pieces of a shattered mirror scatter over the ground around you, and the air fills with subtle glints.

"It's an image-scrambler hex! None of the data from this area will process properly, so we should be safe!"

Len shrugs and pulls out an autopicker from her purse and attaches it to the door.

A half-minute later, the lock clicks open.

"Okay, like, we're good!"

The hallway beyond is dimly-lit, with modern office doors lining either side. This hallway has an HR office, server access, a storage room, and a cubicle farm. All of these appear empty.

"Woah. Like a ghost town back here. AWESOME!"

>Investigate HR office

>Investigate Cubicle Farm

>Investigate Server Access

>Investigate Storage Room

>Write-In

>>1057899
>>Investigate HR office

>>1057899
>Investigate Server Access

>>1057899
>>Investigate Server Access

>>1057954
>>1057980
You open the server access door and take a look inside:

The on-site servers hum in their racks, arranged in neat lines in the freezing-cold room. An access terminal is situated at one end of the room.

You head over to the terminal and examine the side: it's an old Renraku model, which means that it has an emergency override built into it.

>LOGIN

>User: Izano Aneki

>Password: ommanipadmehum

>ACCESS GRANTED

Searching through the servers with admin permissions on, you see that this server runs the entire MVHS building: the tour agents, the secretary, the cameras, the data archive, the cleaning drones... all of it routes back to here.

Lilith suddenly leans over your shoulder.

"WHATCHA DOIN?! Just checked out the cubicle farm: it's empty, man! All the terminals are back to factory standard and the desks are cleared out. Don't think anyone's been in here for at least four months!"

>Delete camera footage for the past 24 hours

>Search data archive (write-in search parameters)

>Search internal servers for payroll list

>Write-In

>>1058064
>Search data archive
Any email that went out from the servers in the past 5 months.
Also any references to the Orne Library, Armitage, or the Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination.
>Search internal servers for payroll list
Do we have a dead drop email address we can be relative secure in sending stuff to and accessing later?

>>1058167
>RECALLING EMAIL DATA FOR PAST FIVE MONTHS... 3 EMAILS FOUND...DOWNLOADING TO REMOTE STORAGE DEVICE...

>INTERNAL SEARCH: [PAYROLL]: 0 RESULTS FOUND.

>MVHS ARCHIVE SEARCH: [ORNE LIBRARY]
>COMPILING... 120 RESULTS FOUND... DOWNLOADING TO REMOTE STORAGE DEVICE...

>MVHS ARCHIVE SEARCH: [HENRY ARMITAGE]...684 RESULTS FOUND...DOWNLOADING...

>MVHS ARCHIVE SEARCH: [BROTHERHOOD OF CELESTIAL ILLUMINATION] PROCESSING...
The terminal screen suddenly goes black and is replaced with a simple red display

>UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED. SYSTEM ON LOCKDOWN. CONTACTING SECURITY FORCES...

You rapidly pull the anonymous storage device from the terminal.

"Uh oh."

"Len, can you find us an exit?"

"Uh, I think I saw an exit going up to the roof? Also some windows in the cubicles?"

>We go out through the roof.

>Try and shoot out those windows!

>We have to go out the way we came in.

>Write-In

>>1058657
>We go out through the roof.

>>1058690
How do we get down from the roof?

>>1058657
Were there any adjoining buildings that we could get to from the roof?

Did we wear gloves while doing this?

>>1058821
1. Yes: the Wilmarth house has been built around and onto by nearby businesses.
2. You did, at least. Redd always wears gloves, for reasons of style and practicality.

>>1058657
>We go out through the roof.
Wolverines are not known for their intelligence, but they ARE known for shooting first, and shooting again, and using explosives to be sure.

>>1059067
>>1058690
"We need to leave via the roof. Wolverine is known to make Knights-Errant look positively RESTRAINED."

The three of you rush through the narrow passages of the home, up an installed flight of stairs, and out onto the roof, where you go pouring across the rooftops like a tide.

After an hour, you feel safe enough to stop running. The three of you are all okay, save for a number of cuts and bruises on you from bad jumps (Cumulative damage penalty: -1)

Lilith speaks up first:

"That. Was. AWESOME! Just like in the trids, running across rooftops, security hot on our tails, alive and free... this shadowrunning stuff is the tits!"

>... I suppose you could see it like that...

> In the trids, the guards aren't shooting live rounds.

>I'm sorry for getting you dragged into all of this. Len, send her home.

>How did they catch me? I was using an administrator access code, there was no way the system would register that I wasn't authorized...

>Write-In

>>1059169
>How did they catch me? I was using an administrator access code, there was no way the system would register that I wasn't authorized...
>Write-in
"Did you touch anything? Did you leave any hairs, fibers, anything that could be traced back to you or Len? Most of the trids ignore the fact that forensics is so easy and ubiquitous nowadays that even a SOS ganger can use one."
The last thing I want is for Barbie's little sister to get the impression that she can actually run the shadows competently.

>>1059254
"Lilith, this is IMPORTANT: did you leave hair, fibers, anything that could be traced back to you or Len? Most of the trids ignore the fact that forensic tech is so user-friendly and affordable nowadays that a smack-happy thrill-ganger on Nitro can buy and use a basic analysis kit."

"Um, ah, well... shit, am I going to go to jail for this?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Now, if your Voudou charm worked right, the camera system didn't catch us, which is a small blessing: at least our faces will not be IMMEDIATELY plastered onto every bounty board in the Miskatonic Valley. Len and I both have well-established false identities that can be used to throw Knights-Errant off of the scent, but I suspect that YOU lack that. I suppose we have no other choice..."

>We need to find somewhere safe to lay low until the search dies down

>We need to get you a fake SIN

>We need to get you out of the country. I have some friends in the CAS who you can stay with

>Write-In

>>1059584
>We need to get you out of the country. I have some friends in the CAS who you can stay with

>>1059584
>Write-In
>>1059584
>We need to find somewhere safe to lay low until the search dies down
We may need to muck up the investigation, hack in and alter the evidence.

>am I going to go to jail for this
Hahaha!
Oh, she's serious, let me laugh even harder!
But no, seriously, if Wolverine is handling security and the investigation, then they'll just kill her.
Assuming, of course, that the Brotherhood doesn't try to send a cleaner squad.

>>1059649
I disagree. We need to know if she's going to even be able to return to her education before we send her packing to the CAS.
Also, letting her get out of here won't let her see the full shadowrun experience of a run gone bad because someone forgot to wear gloves and a hair net.
Which reminds me that we need to do an RFID scan of ourselves to make sure there's no stealth tags on us.

>>1059584
>We need to find somewhere safe to lay low until the search dies down
and
>We need to get you a fake SIN

I'm all for giving Lilith the full run-gone-complicated experience to snuff out any shadowrunning ideas she's got in her head, or at least get her to turn to us for advice on the matter.

>>1059675
>>1059909
"We need to find somewhere safe to lay low until the search dies down. And by 'safe', let me be clear: I mean 'beneath privsec radar', not 'free of danger'. Wolverine does not take prisoners, Lilith: unlike Knights-Errant, they do not care about the optics of killing SINners like you in broad daylight. If they track us down, we end up in a firefight and probably dead. Now, we are going to need a full RFID diagnostic scan, to make sure we are not being tracked by stealth tags. We did not stay long enough to leave any astral residue of note, but the signature from your camera-jammer might make things more complicated... Getting in contact with a SINmaker will be a tricky proposition as well... and as for places to stay, our options are limited to the Barrens or wilderness preserves, privsec tend to give those areas a wide berth..."

>Judge Intentions: You can see what little color Lilith had has drained from her face.

>Pulling up the local GridGuide shows that there are three Barrens (defined as an area consisting of at least three adjacent plots of land rated E or lower) in Arkham proper: Hollowpoint, known to be controlled by a variety of drug and arms dealers who frequently clash with Knights-Errant; Sargasso, which is mostly abandoned and overgrown; and the Unnameable, with its legendary monster. You could also try hiding in the Black Caves (a large cave system running underneath the Rivertown area), the Miskatonic Valley National Forest, or on the uninhabited Curwen Island in the middle of the Miskatonic. There are also three town within the range of the seedier class of taxi: Wilbraham, Newburyport, and Kingsport.


>Hide out in the Hollowpoint Barrens

>Hide out in the Sargasso Barrens

>Hide out in the Unnameable Barrens

>Hide out in the Black Caves

>Hide out in the MVNF

>Hide out on Curwen Island

>Skip town and hide out in (choose one: Wilbraham/Newburyport/Kingsport)

>Hide some other way (Write-In

>>1060013
I know I've used information about Wolverine; would it be alright to post what's generally known about them from a simple Jackpoint search?

>>1060013
Sargasso sounds good because it's got a low population, but that also means that we'll stick out even more.

The Unnameable has the monster; only seems to attack people not actively hunting it, though. It could just be because hunters are prepared and ready, and that's why it doesn't attack them.

The Black Caves sounds like a prime place to encounter ghouls, and the Krieger strain gets more virulent every year. And eventually that shit gets airborne.

The MVNF could have paracritters like bandersnatches and hellhounds.

Curwen Island is uninhabited for a reason.

The problem with the towns is that they may be watched.

>>1060013
>Hide out in the Sargasso Barrens

>>1060049
Yeah!

>>1060013
Well, since I have some free time, might as well do a minor loredump:

THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO: NA PRIVSEC

In our lovely, privatized-everything world, less than 30% of urban areas have their own municipal police forces. For everyone else, there's the private security corporations (or "privsecs", as they're called on the street). These groups are contracted by the city to act as the law, given full police powers in exchange for maintaining law and order. Now, there are more privsec groups out there than you can shake a stick at, so we'll be covering the major corps that operate on the North American continent, in descending order from most to least competent:

FIREWATCH: The best of the best of the best, Firewatch is the SEAL Team Six of privsecs, recruited from the ranks of Knights-Errant. Every member is magically active, with a wealth of combat and law enforcement experience. Fortunately, the average runner will never, EVER have to butt heads with these guys: given their elite-ness, they are only ever mobilized to take down major terrorist groups and similar threats.


KNIGHTS-ERRANT SECURITY SERVICES: Ares's flagship security brand, and (as of 2070) majority holders of security contracts in the UCAS, Knights-Errant are well-armed, well-trained, and ruthlessly efficient. Runners tend to hate these guys, due to the fact that the law they like to enforce is of the martial variety: So long as there isn't a live tridcam pointed at them, most K-E officers will shoot first, and shoot to kill. Known for their slick armored uniforms with face-obscuring helmets.

LONE STAR: This AA corporation is the majority contract holder in the CAS, as well as the largest minority holder across most of NA. Lone Star Security are the most "police-like" of the privsecs: they like to bring in criminals alive and (usually) won't shoot to kill unless you escalate things to that level (although, if arrested, you can expect 50/50 odds of "falling down the stairs on the way to the cell"). Lone Star officers are usually dirty enough to know when to play nice with the underworld or look the other way, while clean enough that their officers don't operate like another gang themselves.


SAKURA SECURITY: Mostly players in the naval industry, these guys are who you're shooting at when you hit a boat. Yakashima, their parent company, are major players in the "aquatic free-borne trade" industry (read: piracy and smuggling), which means that if you can somehow lie, cheat, or steal your way into the possession of a "letter of marque" from Yakashima, Sakura will never touch you again if you play it smart. If you DON'T have one, though, expect these guys to try and blow your boat into the stratosphere.

Wolverine is a security company that publicly clashes with Knights-Errant, and even Hard Corps, with the Knights calling the Wolverines "dangerous psychopaths", a public menace, and other less savory terms for wild guns for hire.

But if you do a quick search, you'll find that all three companies are Ares subsidiaries; the apparent bad blood between the three is just marketing done at the upper corporate levels to cover the entire market:
Professionals and Upholders of the Law (with extreme prejudice) = Knights-Errant
Bull-headed tough guys with heavy firepower and not afraid to use it = Hard Corps
Rabid, foaming at the mouth mad dogs who you let loose to kill everyone who so much as looks at your property wrong = Wolverine

In the shadows, it's an open secret that if you were too hot-headed for Lone Star, you go to Knight-Errant.
If you're too trigger-happy and eager to pull enhanced interrogation on suspects, then you go to Hard Corps.
And if you're too burnt-out, too psycho, too into killing for any of the above, then you go to Wolverine.

Wolverine's marketing and PR department work hard to project the bat-shit crazy aggressive image of the company's namesake, but their employees make their jobs pretty easy.

Because of this, Wolverine is disliked in the shadows because of their disproportionate response (especially in the New England region, where discreteness is highly valued and a sort of 'Masquerade' is valued among both megacorps and runners), and popular with a certain type of clientele.
Clients who don't want any witnesses left.

>>1060013
>Hide out in the Unnameable Barrens
I want to see what this Unnameable Lurker is like.

>>1060013
>Hide out in the Unnameable Barrens

>>1060649
PETROSKI SECURITY: Go far enough north in NA, and you'll start tripping over MCT's cold-weather police force. Their parkas and ilgaak make them fit right in up in the lands of the midnight sun, although one of my chums has said he can't shake the feeling he's fighting some 20Cen comic villain when he runs up against them. All of their guns are cold-weather adapted and they use IR vision and smartlinks in their high-tech ilgaak to compensate for the arctic environment. Fortunately, they tend to guard power stations in the middle of fucking nowhere, with only a handful of city law contracts.

CENTURION INDUSTRIES: These guys used to be a weapons manufacturer and part of the grand CATCo empire. When the latter fell, the former got passed around among the Big Ten for a while, until Saeder-Krupp fell on it and tacked on a security wing for field-testing kit. Centurion has two big slices of the market: The California Free State (thanks to some cunning finagling with Yakashima by the King of the Rhine) and Quebec (their traditional home). In terms of general operating procedure, they're like a more trigger-happy version of Lone Star. Most of their gear is experimental, so their overall efficiency can vary wildly.

EAGLE SECURITY: The big name in the NAN (especially the Souix and Ute nations), Eagle Security banks on its reputation as "security by Amerindians, for Amerindians" to seal the deal on its contracts. Eagle Security is infamous for being... eccentric, even by small-scale privsec standards: the fact that all members must know how to hunt and track with a compound bow is the least bizarre thing about their internal corporate culture. They mostly operate in the West and the CAS region of Texas.

HARD CORPS: If you can't hack it in Knights-Errant, you become a Hard Corps man. Infamous for their non-standardized equipment and low hiring standards, Hard Corps security mooks tend to make up for their lack of brains in their willingness to roll out heavy weaponry against anything more dangerous than a kid spraying graffiti on the side of the building. They control Las Vegas's security contract, which may explain why Las Vegas's criminal underworld goes through cycles of extreme subtlety, followed by the underworld moving city blocks as the old one gets leveled by a bunch of rednecks with rocket launchers.

WOLVERINE: as PrimeRunnerAnon said, these guys are the worst of the worst: essentially a mercenary group operating under the guise of a security company. You hire Wolverine when you want those gangers who keep trying to pull a racket on your store shot full of holes, blown up, diced, and mailed in a box with a pipe bomb back to their loved ones.

>>1060680
>>1060686
You slip onto the local bus service to the Merchant's District (Wallet: 29,191¥), carefully keeping your face turned away from any cameras. You get off at a stop outside of the local dockyards and head towards the Barrens.

You've seen your fair share of Barrens in your days: The Spill in London, with its rivers of chemical runoff pouring down the dirt-and-trash streets and rolling clouds of noxious or caustic mist driving the SINless of the Spill into their crumbling squats; Hangman's End in Manchester, with its street lamps adorned with the gently-swinging bodies of police officers and bounty hunters foolish enough to pursue their charges into the nightmare labyrinth of condemned tenements and abandoned office complexes; Montezuma Turnpike in Dallas, where Lancelot had set up his crude CAS fiefdom and turned four disused warehouses into a cathedral to nihilistic glee. Compared to those places, the Unnameable (which, you discover with a quick search, is named such because of the natives stealing all of the street signs to flog for scrap) isn't so bad: the streets are cracked, but paved, the local power grid seems only to be mildly buggy, and the gangers standing guard outside of certain buildings and alleyways seem to be of a relatively higher class. But, with your Awakened senses, you can feel an undercurrent of nameless terror in the bustling crowds of the underclass that surround you: something has the residents of this Barren scared, something more than just the normal, everyday fears of the SINless or destitute. The shadow of the Lurking Horror hangs over this place. Lilith draws closer to you, eyes wide with anxiety, and Len keeps one hand in her purse (doubtlessly resting on her bright-pink Super Warhawk). You start to roam the streets, looking for a place to stay:

>Shelter in an alleyway, sewer mouth, or broken-down car (free)

>Try and find free room in a squat or moleslum

>Rent a room in a local "motel" for the night

>Try and find a ganger hostel to shelter at

>Try and shelter with some local Shadowrunners

>Petition local orgcrime for safe haven

>Write-In

>>1060914
>Write-in: Find a local shadowrunner gathering place, pay whatever the cover charge is, and use it to discretely find out from the local runners good places to lay low.
We can choose from the places that the locals agree are semi-safe and won't rat us out for extra money.

>>1060945
Second.

>>1060945
>>1061074

You tail a man in a three-piece suit and mirrorshades that has "Mr. Johnson" written all over him to a reinforced basement-access door. You slip the doorman his cover charge (Wallet: 29,179¥) and head into the moderately nice-looking (if sparsely decorated) drug den on the other side.

Hanging around the groups of third-string runners smoking, snorting, shooting, or slotting away their troubles discreetly, you manage to pick up some good hints:

-"It's getting around that time of the year again, man. Horror time. Bastard thing only crawls out of whatever hole it lives in during the dead of winter and the height of summer, seems like. Wouldn't want to be a bum in the next couple of weeks, that's the chip truth. Thank gods I got wunna dem new electronic locks put in on my bolthole's door."

-"Shit, pass me some of that, man... ah, that's the stuff. Haven't gotten my dose of Cram ever since the Nuclear Atheists got ran out of the biz. Heard they've converted their old drug lab into a hostel for runners rolling through town. Prolly a decent place, I mean, compared to the rest of the shitholes around here."

-"Your cousin still, you know, lurking in that by-the-night place, trying to sing her way out of this shithole? Tell her to get out of that pit: Puppetmasters are back again. Looks like K-E leveling their old HQ wasn't enough. Keep her on lock or send her outta town, 'cause otherwise, she'll end up locked in her own head while her body's sucking off dockhands and sailors like those other poor bitches."

-"-ious, man! The Clouded Eye's real! The reason every weird thing that happens in this town spirals off into a buncha deadend slag? THEM. Cover it all up. Kill people, burn evidence, everything. Why? Fuck if I know, maybe they're controlled by the tourist traps. Now give me the fucking tripchip, you know I'm good for it."

>Lilith has gone quiet, and is currently fiddling nervously with one of her bracelets.

>Shelter in an alleyway, sewer mouth, or broken-down car (free)

>Try and find free room in a squat or moleslum

>Rent a room in a 'safe' local motel for the night

>Shelter at a 'safe' ganger hostel

>Shelter with some reliable local runners

>Petition local orgcrime for safe haven

>Write-In

>>1061141
>Rent a room in a 'safe' local motel for the night
Is this one of the motels that the runners around here agree is relatively safe?

Redd doesn't want to deal with gangers, but if we want to scare Lilith straight about shadowrunning, shacking up with the Nuclear Atheists might be the way to go.

>Shelter at a 'safe' ganger hostel
On the other hand, apparently some of the motels are getting turned into bunraku parlors, and that's not something I want to have to deal with.

Definitely stay off the streets, though. Not just for security, but because the Lurker will be prowling around.

>>1061163
You've overheard enough that all of the options you have avalible are 'safe' (and by 'safe', once again, I mean 'won't sell you out to security forces')

>>1061184
That include the threat of becoming a meat puppet by a motel-turned-bunraku parlor?

>>1061184
>>Rent a room in a 'safe' local motel for the night
We wont need to worry about rent a cops and gangers here

>>1061191
You know these hotels are CURRENTLY safe, but whether or not the Puppetmasters will try to kidnap someone staying there by force is unknown.

>>1061234
Ugh. That's a chance we'll have to take.
On the positive side, it'll be a chance for Redd to blow off some stress and acquire some very hard to acquire telesma, such as cerebrospinal fluid and a few other things needed in Mythos recipes.

>>1061193
>>1061163
The motel doesn't have a name. It barely has a street address: the building it's built in used to be a clinic of some kind: the patient rooms have been converted into one-bedroom suites, with toilets scattered throughout the facility. The weathered trolless working the "front desk" takes a look at you.

"Rooms are 3 nuyen an hour, 11 for the night. We barricade up at midnight, so either you're out with your girly friends by then, or you kick up the nuyen for the whole night and hope your shithole doesn't get broken into. Got it?"

>I think you misunderstand what we're here for.

>You don't have to worry about us: we're here for the night.

>I don't like what you're insinuating, ma'am: care to repeat that?

>Write-In

You start thinking about how to divide up sleeping arrangements:

>Have all three of you sleep in the same room

>Have two sleep and one stand watch: Len and you alternate

>Have Len and Lilith sleep in one room while you sleep alone

>Have Lilith and you sleep in one room while you sleep alone

>Have you and Len sleep in one room while Lilith sleeps alone

>Have the three of you sleep separately

>Write-In

>>1061422
>You don't have to worry about us: we're here for the night.
>Have two sleep and one stand watch: Len and you alternate
Can never be too safe or paranoid.

Operation 'scared straight' is going pretty well so far. Even if Lilith starts getting ideas, she'll at least come to one of us for advice and the like.

>>1061422
>You don't have to worry about us: we're here for the night.
>Have two sleep and one stand watch: Len and you alternate
>Write-in: once we're in the room, assense it and sweep it for RFID tags, cameras, and barricade the door and windows.

>>1060707
OH yeah. Calling Wolverine a merc company will get you beat up or shot by real mercs. The mercenaries and soldiers-of-fortune on Jackpoint have made this abundantly clear.
Even hired killers are insulted by being associated with these guys.

>>1061466
>>1061452
"You do not have to worry about us: we're here for the night."

You rent out a room (Wallet: 29,168¥) and head into the room.

>Assense: the room radiates faint traces of loveless sex, isolation, and hunger. The astral traces of someone walking through to change the sheets every month has congealed on the floor.

"Okay, the room is safe from spiritual monitoring. Len, help me sweep this place for tags and cameras. There's no windows in here, that's good... Now, we'll need to sleep in shifts, so let's-"

Lilith speaks up, suddenly: "Do we need to be doing all of this? How important or powerful can a bunch of nerds even be? You're just... trying to freak me out or something, aren't you?!!?!"

>You want the Shadowrunner experience, Lilith? This is it!

>These people aren't a bunch of nerds: they're very dangerous men.

>I'm trying to keep you alive and free, Lilith, but I cannot make that happen unless you work with me.

>Write-In

>>1061809
>You want the Shadowrunner experience, Lilith? This is it!
>These people aren't a bunch of nerds: they're very dangerous men.

These are honestly shadowrunning standard operating procedures and while we're making it a point to be direct about the dangers and what we're doing to mitigate them, we're not really exaggerating all that much. That this also happens to be freaking lil sis out is a bonus(don't tell her this).

>>1061809
>>You want the Shadowrunner experience, Lilith? This is it!
>These people aren't a bunch of nerds: they're very dangerous men.
It's the survival of the fittest when you are out running. There is always someone better than you out there. Rhun, Rex, and Barbie are some of the best, but there are people that can trounce them easily.

>>1061809
>You want the Shadowrunner experience, Lilith? This is it!
>These people aren't a bunch of nerds: they're very dangerous men.
"Runners who aren't careful have a very flashy and very short career."

>>1061843
>>1062083
>>1062255

"You want the Shadowrunner experience, Lilith? This is it! Unless you are looking over your shoulder at all times, you WILL get caught, and you WILL either die or spend the rest of your life rotting in a corporate detention cell! This is not the trids, Lilith! This is real life!"

>Lilith jerks back at the force of your voice, then lowers her head and eyes.

"...These people, Lilith. They are not just 'a bunch of nerds'. The Brotherhood of Celestial Illumination are dangerous, dangerous people. They... had access to knowledge most people in the Fifth World had no idea existed. You can help us with dealing with them, but I cannot afford to have you help with us unless I can trust you to work like a real Shadowrunner. Understand?"

Lilith nods once, despondently.

A sweep of the room shows no cameras or tags present. Len and Lilith settle in for the night, and you take first watch. Besides the faint creaking and clanking of unknown devices elsewhere in the motel, nothing disturbs the silence of the night.

Four hours later, as you start considering waking Len up for her shift, you see the shadows ripple out of the corner of your eye. SOMETHING rolls out from the shadows, its body obscured by a rolling cloud of night-black fog.

>Assense: A lesser spirit of some kind, manifested in the physical plane

The fog starts to roll towards you.

>Call out to the spirit

>Fire on the spirit

>Wake Len and get her ready

>Write-In

>>1062304
>Wake Len and get her ready
>Call out to the spirit

>>1062304
>Call out to the spirit
Can we tell if it's a Spirit of Man?

>>1062304
>Wake Len and get her ready
>Call out to the spirit

>>1062332
It's... some kind of Deep Metaplanes spirit. A weak one, but still.

>>1062343
>>1062329
>>1062332
"What do you want, spirit?"

The fog pauses for a second, before spewing forth a cloud of smog at your feet. The smog rapidly clears, leaving a piece of paper.

>Pick it up

>Attack the spirit

>Run like hell

>Write-In

>>1062924
>Pick it up
After taking every precaution we know of, even if it just amounts to wearing gloves.

>>1062982
You put on your gloves, analyze the paper for hexes, and pick it up. Written on it is a short message:

"You risk much by seeking what is not for the world to know. Unless you are willing to lose all, turn back now and never return to this accursed city. If you would know this city's true face, then at midnight tomorrow come unarmed to Curwen Island."

There is no signature. When you look up, the spirit has departed.

Len takes up her shift, and the next day rolls around while you sleep. You wake up and discreetly check the local news streams on your commlink: no mention of your break-in. You aren't sure if that's good news or bad.
"I hope this is all over. Never realized how much I like comfortable beds."

>Try and get Lilith a fake SIN.
>Investigate Downtown POI (POIs: Independence Square, Financial District, Arkham Psychiatric Hospital)

>Investigate Rivertown POI (POIs: The Black Cave, Green Moss Cemetery, Arkham Mall)

>Investigate Northside POI (POIs: Shopping District, Arkham House Publishing, Arkham Regional Airport)

>Investigate Easttown POI (POIs: Entertainment District, K-E Arkham HQ, Hollowpoint Barrens)

>Investigate Southside POI (POIs: Miskatonic Valley Historical Society, Old South Church, Sargasso Barrens)

> Investigate French Hill POI (POIs: Armitage Institute for Anthropology, The Old Town)

>Investigate Miskatonic University POI (POIs: Orne Library, Dorms, Campus)

>Investigate Merchant's District POI (POIs: The Docks, The Unnameable Barrens, Curwen Island)

>Investigate Uptown (POIs: St Mary's Hospital, Miskatonic Valley National Forest (road to it runs out of Uptown), Mage's District)

>>1063129
>Try and get Lilith a fake SIN.
This one isn't really negotiable and frankly the bare-minimum needed for running.

>Investigate Miskatonic University POI (POIs: Orne Library, Dorms, Campus)

Does Lilith know any spells to mask and/or erase her astral signature?

>>1063129
>Try and get Lilith a fake SIN.
It's always good to have.

>Investigate Miskatonic University POI (POIs: Orne Library, Dorms, Campus)

>>1063166
>>1063354
You know that Lilith is just dead weight without a fake SIN to help keep the law off of her trail. And to get a fake SIN, you need to skip above and beyond the local three-nuyen gang operations of the Barrens: when it comes to forging a SIN, orgcrime's the only way to go: which is good news for you, since the only difference between orgcrime and a corp is the nature of the business suits. Your skill at playing the business game manages to get you from a seedy Irish pub by the dockyards into a meeting with the Irish Mob's local forging firm (in the charmingly antique setting of an empty warehouse) in just more than an hour.

The forger is an ork, all beady eyes and scowling jaw, looking down every five seconds at his commlink. After the perfunctory greetings, the ork turns his eyes to Lilith.

"Ya want that the girl gets a fake SIN, sassenach? What she on the lam fer- pinching a wee bit too much whitening powder from her ma's makeup kit?"

"I'm almost eighteen, you fucking-"

"Ach! Temper, temper, lassie- ye don' want me ta haf ta call up Knights-Errant fer ya beatin on a poor old Ork like meself, now, do ya?"

"Enough banter. How much do you want for the SIN?"

"How good do ya want?"

"Good enough for someone interested in getting into the business."

"Alright, then. I got one good enough fer the lass in stock, fortunately: 20,000¥. All the data can be made to fit, although the supports only match casually. Still good fer most'a the checks you'll be making."

>Take it

>Unacceptable. 10,000.

>Show some mercy, will you? The girl NEEDS this!

>There's no way the SIN is worth that much! You'll have to go lower.

>Leave it

>>1063570
>Other: Does it cover magic licenses? If it does, then we'll take it.
I'm willing to shell out an extra 5,000¥ if it'll help her get past any cursory magical examination, which she does not help making look unnecessary.
But don't let him know that; try to get a mage's SIN for 20,000¥.

>>1063570
What rating is the SIN at. If we're going with price equals rating x 2,500¥, it would be rating 8. So what formula are we using for this so we can kinda know how to play this?

>>1063633
4. The initial Negotiation check to set base price for haggling on the black market came up with 8 successes, which means that the initial offer is base price x2. Formula is: Base price +(25% for every success that the initial Charisma + Negotiation check falls short of Availability: if this would be 300% or higher, or the roll is a glitch, the item is off the market. Critical glitch, and you get temporarily blackballed.) After this, you can go into haggling, which influences the price point by 5% in the favor of the winner of a contested Charisma + Negotiation check for every net success.

>>1063633
Also, fake SINs go from Rating 1 to 6.

Of course, this is just a base cost and it doesn't include the markup from being from an underworld contact that has no need to give us a discount, especially when they know they have us over a barrel.

>>1063570
>>1063673
>>1063682
Well, let's put those Face skills to use then.

>There's no way the SIN is worth that much! You'll have to go lower.
I'm torn between this and going for 10,000. I pick this one cause it doesn't let the forger know our minimum price.

>>1063698
"There is no way this SIN is worth that much! You will have to go lower."

"Ya think ya in any position to negotiate, pal?.."

"I think I am. 8,000 or I walk."

"Ya funning me? Try 18,000"

"10,000."

"16,200, then."

"10,000."

"You're KILLING ME! 12,150!"

"Do you really think that is fair?"

"You tell me, Mr. Ten Thousand."

"You want more? 14,000, and you throw in a legal magic license."

The Ork throws up his hands. "GAH! Fine, have it your way! Take the skin off my back too, why don't you?"

>Wallet: 15,168¥

Lilith gives you a dull look when you come away from your meeting.

"That's shadowrunning? It looked like my dad in a meeting. Except, you know, with less tattoos and muscly dudes with guns."

>That's because corporations are just a better class of criminal.

>That's MY part of Shadowrunning. Everyone does something for the crew: I'm the negotiator and info guy. I think the trids call it "being the face".

>If you want to talk about brutally murdering people like in the trids, I have some friends back in the CAS you could have a chat with.

>That's how a GOOD Shadowrun meet goes. No one gets shot and you walk away with as much nuyen in pocket as possible.

>Write-In

>>1063833
>That's because corporations are just a better class of criminal.
Anyway
>That's MY part of Shadowrunning. Everyone does something for the crew: I'm the negotiator and info guy. I think the trids call it "being the face".
And
>That's how a GOOD Shadowrun meet goes. No one gets shot and you walk away with as much nuyen in pocket as possible.

>>1063833
>That's MY part of Shadowrunning. Everyone does something for the crew: I'm the negotiator and info guy. I think the trids call it "being the face".
>That's how a GOOD Shadowrun meet goes. No one gets shot and you walk away with as much nuyen in pocket as possible.

>>1063860
>>1063868
"That was MY part of the Shadowrun. In a team, everyone has a part to play, and my part is networking and handling the negotiations: I believe this is called a 'Face' in the trids. Besides, if you want to learn about the profession, you should pay attention to things like this: you want all of your meets to be boring and end with as much cash in pocket for as little trouble as possible. Now, we have a good deal of time left today: let us head over to good old MU and..."

>Investigate Orne Library

>Poke Around Dorms and Administration For Leads

>Investigate The Science and Magic Departments

>Write-In

>>1063908
>Investigate Orne Library

>>1063908
>Investigate Orne Library

>>1063934
>>1064210
"...take a look at the Orne Library."

Walking out onto the quad of Miskatonic University, you feel an intense sense of deja vu. Of course, you HAVE been to Miskatonic University before: in a prophetic dream, but nonetheless. The grass is some gene-engineered super-resiliant strain now, and the wooden sign bearing the label H. WEST MEMORIAL QUAD has been replaced with a holosign bearing the subtitle QUAD MAINTAINED BY GREEN THUMB GARDENING SERVICE™, but other than that, surprisingly little seems to have changed from the 1930's. The charmingly Gothic edifice of Orne Library towers, lone and remote, at the other end of the quad from the Administration building. Students hustle by in thick winter coats, fighting off the chill New England winter as best as possible. The three of you rapidly cross the quad and head into the library.

"Dude, this looks like some 20Cen horror film set!"

"Yeah, like, why do they have little creepy men on the pillars? I know I can't read when people are staring at me!"

"Those are what are known as gargoyles, Len. They are a decorative piece of architecture employed in the Gothic and Art Deco schools. Arkham has always prided itself as being a city with many Neo-Gothic building designs: that's why half the buildings here seem to tower or loom and are full of shadows in the corners. Now, let us start investigating here. Point out absolutely anything that looks suspicious to me, but do not draw attention to us! We must work with utmost secrecy."

Len nods. "OK!"

"God, you're paranoid, but whatever."

>1 hour later

You've spent most of this hour combing through the second-floor shelves, chasing down a peculiar pattern in which books are consistently misfiled (started when you took a history book out of the chemistry section, only to find that its space in the history section is dominated by a mathematics book, whose own section is filled with a parazoology book, and so on). As you pull a copy of "Encyclopedia Brittanica, E-F" out of the Philosophy section and fill the missing space with a copy of "Irony in the Age of Empire", you overhear chanting in an archaic, but vaguely familiar language emanating from a nearby study room.

Taking a peek inside, you see two students in front of an electronic whiteboard, writing down phonemes while listening intently to an old CD player. Unfortunately, as you take a closer look, the Encyclopedia slips from your grasp and falls heavily on your foot, and your involuntary yelp causes the students to look through the glass and spy you.

>Introduce yourself and ask what they are doing

>Edge away and continue chasing the pattern

>Write-In

>>1064299
>Introduce yourself and ask what they are doing
>Write-in: use our academic knowledge, and our London accent, to appear to be a researcher from Cambridge or Oxford, whichever Redd is more familiar with
Note: let's make a fake SIN of an Oxford research fellow, so we can start publishing papers again, and so we have a fake identity we can use when researching that's better than Vince Russo, meat salesman.

>>1064309
Crap, never mind, don't use our London accent; our Vince Russo SIN is probably on our commlink and will get pinged when they look at us.
Just go with our academic knowledge and be a hobbyist.

>>1064309
>>1064311
You clear your throat and adjust your facial features, slipping into "vincent Russo":
"Hey kids- sorry for creeping up on you like that! Name's Vincent Russo, Top Shelf Meats. The Mrs. and I are up here doing a tour of the university, and I just happened to overhear that recording! Sounded interesting: what language was that?"

"That's actually what we're trying to figure out. We're going through a lot of the old disk storage backlog, and we found this weird recording of some kind of ritual chant. We can't recognize the language, though..."

"Hmm... I might be able to help, I was a linguistics major... ah, sounds like an Atlantean dialect! Let's see... 'Glory to Azubrath Silver-Eye, who slayed the howling goat-boar of Dzumath, conqueror of..."

>You translate part of the recording, which turns out to be a fragment of an epic poem about an Atlantean hero, and refer the students to a translation guide.

"Thanks! This'll really help our project out, man!"

>You feel good about having helped those students out: Good Vibes gained.

You go back to sorting through the strange chain of misfiled books.

>1 hour later

At the end of the chain (in the Fiction section) you find that the misfiled copy of "Hunter Spector: Spectre Hunter" appears to have a twin on its space on the shelf! You remove the errant second copy and refile the original.

>Perception: This copy feels noticeably heavier than the other, and you can see flecks of glue around the binding. Looking at it from the side, the pages look more yellowed and aged than a 15-year-old physical copy of an e-novel should.

>Assensing: The book has no intrinsic magical properties.

>Read the second copy

>Chuck it in the Book Return bin

>Write-In

>>1064382
>Read the second copy

>>1064382
>>Read the second copy

>>1064382
>>Chuck it in the Book Return bin

>>1064418
>>1064455
You cautiously open the book to its first page...

>1 hour later
You close the book, hands trembling. Another book on the lost race of Yith! In your dreams, you saw the five lost chapters of the Pnakotic Manuscripts, and now, here, with a self-professed translation of the Eltdown pottery shards, you have even more of their history- including a claim that they dwelt on the continent of Australia! Your mind reels from the accounts of their mastery of magic, their strange customs and experiments, and at the significance of the ritual and incantation inscribed upon the Nineteenth Shard...

>2 Insight gained

>The book doesn't seem to have a rental or tracker tag on it. Looks like this book doesn't belong here...

"Oh! Like, Lilith and I have literally been looking everywhere for you!"

Len daintily takes a seat beside you, while Lilith flings herself onto a nearby seat and starts reading a copy of "The Sword of Wisdom".

>Lilith looks like she's recovered significantly from the events of last night

"The people here are so helpful! I only got lost, like, three times! And did you know they archive FASHION MAGAZINES!?"

"I took a look around the public-access section of the magical studies wing. They've got some of the normal stuff: Hermetic texts, the Zohar, Wu Xing, but a lot of their texts are from obscure magical traditions: Inuit, Druidic, Pharonic Egyptian, Pre-Islamic Arabian, Zorastrianism... I think I even saw an introductory text for Aboriginal mysticism. This place really is a storehouse for magical texts. So, what did you turn up?"

"An alleged translation of the Eltdown Shards. Hand-written and disguised as a godawful piece of pop fiction. There was a sort of hidden trail leading to it."

"Freaky. Must've been leaving it as a dead drop for someone, right?"

"I am not quite sure. Still..."

>We should investigate this library further.

>We should check around the dorms and Administration building for anything suspicious

>We should see what's happening in the Science and Magic departments

>Write-In

>>1064508
>We should see what's happening in the Science and Magic departments

>>1064508
>We should see what's happening in the Science and Magic departments
We should scan the book's contents so that we have an electronic version.
Perhaps even sending an electronic copy to Lofwyr (though he probably already has a copy) would show him that we're making progress and he doesn't have to kill us yet.
And it would reinforce to him that yes, Redd really is just that lucky/unlucky to have Mythos artifacts land in his lap.

>>1064527
Of course, we shouldn't do it here; I suspect that the copiers/scanners all have aftermarket reader modules with certain triggers for specific words/text that will set off an alarm.

>>1064527
>>1064515
"... We should head to the Science and Magic departments. I am certain you would be interested in the Magical Research building, Lilith..."

The Magic and Science departments share a series of linked buildings. To save time, you assign Lilith to the Magic area, while you deal with the Science.

>1 hour later

Another suspicious mark! You've noticed a pattern of eyes in paintings and cameras facing strange agnles, easily slipping beneath the radar of someone who wasn't looking for it, weaving through the department. You have followed their gazes into the biology labs.

Suddenly, you hear shrieking coming from one of the nearby labs, and the sound of something smacking against a table!

>Look through the observation window

>Walk along, averting your eyes, and follow the pattern

>>1064625
>>Walk along, averting your eyes, and follow the pattern

>>1064625
>Look through the observation window
Could be a chance to save another student and get a contact.

>>1064625
>>Look through the observation window

>>1064663
>>1064766
You look through the window... and see a researcher desperately washing beneath a chemical shower, as two more fight with... what looks like an immense leech with writhing tentacles ending in mouths sprouting all over its hideous trunk of a body. The sight of the beast's turgid, pulsating flesh makes you sick to your stomach, and you just manage to fight down the urge to vomit. You spy a dribbling stream of something steamingly acidic falling from one of the mouths. The fourth member of the team lies on the ground, clutching his eye. A syringe of fluid lies on a nearby trolley

>Grab the emergency medkit and try to treat the fallen researcher

>Help the other two researchers pin the monster

>Inject the monster with the syringe

>Walk away and follow the tracks

>>1064869
>Help the other two researchers pin the monster

>>1064869
>>Grab the emergency medkit and try to treat the fallen researcher

Get our pistol ready in case the thing goes for us or the wounded guy.