>>970043
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!

>>970048
>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, Rhun, 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, kind of.

>"The Idiot"/Lionel Lancester
Barbie's little bro. Demented anarchist terrorist and master hacker. Known for his unpredictable, off-kilter behavior and sick sense of humor.

>>970052
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 1
>Negotiation 2
>Professional Knowledge: Business Administration 6
>Enchanting Skill Group 1
>Arcana 2
>Assensing 2
>Blades 2 (NEW)
>First Aid 1
>Survival 1
>Professional Knowledge: Small-Group Tactics 3 (NEW)
>Street Knowledge: Magical Theory 3 (NEW)
>Academic Knowledge: Literature 3
>Alchemy 3
>Pistol 1
>Pilot: Ground Vehicle 2
>Sneaking 3

Modifiers:
>Scarred: -1 on non-Intimidation Charisma tests, +1 on Intimidation tests.
>Blurry vision: -1 on Perception tests and Firearms tests on shooting someone more than 10 meters away.
>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.

Wallet: 15516 nuyen

>>970054
Synopsis: Your running group has been working together a couple months, racking up a number of successful jobs and a good chunk of nuyen. Through all of this however, you have been struggling with strange dreams: a side-effect of your plunging into the arcane. You've linked these dreams to ancient arcane devices known as "Dream-Observatories".

Your efforts to investigate these observatories in detail was interfered with by the entry of Lionel and his terrorist plots into your life. The fact that he's surrendered himself to the police and allowed himself to be taken in without a fuss... troubles you. What's his endgame?

>>970043
>Yes
"What's Lance plan and goals in regards to why he allowed himself to be captured by the authorities?"
Still technically one question.

>>970098
2nd this
Operation: Windows Search is a go

>>970098

"What is Lance's plan and goals in regards to why he allowed himself to be captured by the authorities?"

"... Aww, you're no fun. I thought you'd want to know Lance's favorite color. He's killing The Idiot so The Idiot can be free. That's one!"

>What do you mean by that?

>How the hell is he going to do that?

>Write-in

>>970161
>>Write-in

See if we can turn the bastard off before he wipes his memory or something and scan him later.

If not possible, then ask who The Idiot is.
>inb4 Redd

>>970052
Since her player has been pestering me, let it be known that Rhun's last name is ap Maelgwyn, not map Gaelwynn.

>>970052
FUCK.

"The Idiot" should be Lancelot Lancester. Serves me right for wandering eyes when looking at my character lists...

>>970235
"If you are going to play games, I am just going to get the answers out of your memory banks."

"You sure you wanna try that? I've got an anti-tampering microbomb in my head that says otherwise. Metal shrapnel can be VERY painful at this range. Next question!"

"FINE: who is The Idiot?"

"Ooh, lots of people! Not you two though. Sudo could be!"

>What do you mean by that?

>Stop playing games, damn you!

>Here's my last question: do you feel pain?

>Enough of this. Rhun: turn it off. Permanently.

>Write-In

>>970369
Write in
How good is our Decker at hacking/disarming bombs?

>>970369
>>Stop playing games, damn you!

>>970386
He'd be rolling 10 dice and then 11 dice to spoof the disarm command as if it was coming from Lance's commlink. He's working at a -2 penalty because he's going through BTL withdraw.

>>970427

"Stop playing games, damn you!"

"Awww, what's the matter? Baby gonna CWWYYYY???!? See, that's why I don't really like you. I mean, not enough to get in the way of my sis's happiness, but still: you've got NO SENSE OF HUMOR. So, bottom of the nine, you've got one question left: let me give you a hint. You're asking the wrong question! It isn't WHO is The Idiot, dummy!"

>(To Rhun) We're done here. Leave enough intact for Sudo to try and read its memory.
>(To Rhun) We're done here. Smash it to shit.
>You know what, "Lance"? I'm going to have some fun. Rhun, hand me that greatsword.
>WHERE is The Idiot?
>WHEN is The Idiot?
>WHAT is The Idiot?
>WHY is The Idiot?
>HOW is The Idiot?
>Write-In

>>970693
What is the Idiot = an emergent behavior, like V. It's just a mask.
So most of these questions are pointless.

>Write-In: What factors into a new Idiot?
Because given what we know of the parameters, being voted into the position isn't one of them, nor is being selected.

>>970717
I'll go with this.

>>970717
So, if you think you have the answer: want to smack Lance 2.0 in the face with it? Its essentially a simulation of Lance, so it'd basically be the same thing as smacking HIM in the face with it.

>>970743
Yes. May as well.
I'm also very tempted to say, "No sense of humor? No, I've got a sense of humor, just one that you can't seem to appreciate. I'll have you know that the dogs of Thalarion found my stand-up act to be a laugh riot, and even the cats from Ulther gave me 5 out of 5 stars. Maybe if your material wasn't so obvious and memetic, you'd get my jokes. Dharma would definitely give you a duck on his head."
The most insulting thing to say to a comedian is that their jokes are stale, after all.

But no, first we should probably get the answer to the question which wasn't asked out of the way.

>>970769
I love it. Just go way over his head, and hit him where it hurts at the same time.

>>970769
>>970786
Like this:
https://youtu.be/VzmoE9SKlDg?t=7m34s

>>970769
>>970717
>>970722

"I will do you one better. How do you make a new Idiot?"

"... Very good, Redd, there's hope for you yet! Tell me to give you a sweetie next time we meet! Well, you've got to find someone willing to give up EVERYTHING, and they've got to have the right mentality, but the IMPORTANT thing is them having the right bits! Once that's the case, just stick it in and The Idiot crawls right into their head! It's genius, really. I don't think ANYONE's realized you can use BTLs like this- ohshit!"

Lance 2.0 clams up.

>What's this about BTLs?

>What's the matter? We were really connecting!"

>(To Rhun) I'm tired of this, chop off the limbs and let's give Sudo a new friend.

>Write-In

>>970824
>>Write-In
"Oh HO! No WONDER your material always seemed so...well, I don't want to be too critical here, but, derivative, if all you're doing is brute forcing personalities from old jokes instead of letting it be a memetic virus that can create new material by emergent behavior.
"I mean, I DO have a sense of humor, you know. It just seems to be a little too sophisticated compared to the audiences you cater to. The dogs in Thalarion, the cats of Ulther, they love my acts. But, that's not to say all of your material is bad; Dharma would at least give you a duck on his head."

Ah fuck Sudo is doing BTLs

>>970860
Please this

>>970860
>>970899

"Ah! This explains much. I hate to be critical here, but it seems that your plan, much like your comedy, is merely forcing the same stale joke over and over, when it was not even funny the first time, instead of doing something more subtle.

You see, contrary to your beliefs, I DO have a sense of humor: it's just rather more sophisticated than your plebeian tastes. I am the toast of Thalarion and Ulthar both with my wit! Your humor is fit to entertain Dharma, perhaps."

"HAH! YOU THINK I'M JUST COPYING MYSELF INTO OTHER PEOPLE?! I'M NOT A HACK! WHAT THE IDIOT CHIP DOES LEAVES THE REST OF THE PERSONALITY UNTOUCHED! IT JUST PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS AND BRAKES AND LET'S THEM REALIZE THAT EVERYTHING'S A JOKE, AND THAT IT'S OKAY TO LAUGH! MORE CLEARLY THAN ANY DRUG COULD MAKE THEM SEE IT! HOW ABOUT THOSE APPLES, YOU TWO-BIT LIMEY HACK!?!"

>Thank you for cooperating. Rhun, turn him off and bring Sudo the core.

>Thank you for cooperating. Rhun- make sure nothing remains.

>Thank you for cooperating. I'm going to have fun smashing you.

>Write-In

>>970914
>Thank you for cooperating. Rhun, turn him off and bring Sudo the core.

Thank you for cooperating. Rhûn, make sure nothing remains.

>>970914
>Write-In
Oh no, I'm not letting that pass.
"And that's the problem with your material! You FORCE your audience to laugh by pulling out their inhibitions with YOUR hands, instead of making them pull out the lids of their inner eyes themselves by giving them their hands. The Three Stooges would weep if they saw how low you've taken slapstick. You disappoint the Shaolin."
>Thank you for cooperating. Rhun, turn him off and bring Sudo the core.

>>970933
We do have to find the BTL's and burn them all, first.

>>970946
>if they saw how low you've taken slapstick.
Oh, change that to "if they saw how boring and pathetic you've made slapstick."

>>970946
>>970952
Lovely comeback tealanon

Seriously, is no one else worried about it mentioning Sudo directly, mentioning BTLs, and the fact that Sudo has been using fucking BTLs?

File: Spoiler Image (70 KB, 600x461)

70 KB JPG

>>970992
He hasn't used in over a month, and is currently going through withdraw in an attempt to quit cold turkey. He's safe.

>>970946
>>970952

"I think you are being lazy. Forcing the audience to laugh along, instead of letting them do it themselves? The Three Stooges would WEEP if they saw the dull, pathetic wreck you call slapstick.

Now, thank you for cooperating, but I am afraid your usefulness to me alive has run its course. Rhun, make sure not to damage the data core in his head: Sudo will want what's in there."

"Alright! Now, you sick fuck..."

As Rhun turns to the drone with her greatsword held high, you do a quick look around the room. You fail to find any stacks of BTL chips, but you do find simsense recording equipment in a corner with the regulation limiters removed.

>Try and access data off of the recorder.
>Dump the data onto your commlink and bring it to Sudo.

>Smash the fucking thing.

>Write-In

(REMINDER: I am ALWAYS away-from-thread between 2AM-10AM, often from 2AM-11AM. Good night, everyone!

The Lizard is both smart, and currently quitting BTL's. Low risk there.

>>971003
>Dump the data onto your commlink and bring it to Sudo.
>Write-In
Bring all of the equipment into our van, and also check what the drone was writing, and the video feeds it was watching.

No way are we going over simsense recordings without at least three buffers between us and the recordings, and in cold-sim.

>>971003
>>Try and access data off of the recorder.

>>971003
>Dump the data onto your commlink and bring it to Sudo.

>>971003
>>Dump the data onto your commlink and bring it to Sudo.

>>971012
>>971019
>>971298

You dump the memory of the bastardized simrig onto your commlink, to give Sudo something to work from if Lance has left any nasty surprises.

You then go over to the massive jury-rigged host in the center of the room and examine the document and video feeds currently open on it:

>DOCUMENT
"Hellooooo Dayton! Gotta say, it's GREAT to be back in the good ol' UCAS! Now, I know everyone here is DYING to know how things went back down in (Hillbilly land? no, too obvious. Find better joke later.), and I've gotta say: it went GREAT! I got a free tour of Charlotte's SCENIC jail system before getting released, we woke a LOT of people up to how their most cherished tradition is a bunch of garbage, and- best of all- I've come up with a brand-new plan! I call it: (Operation Village Idiot? An Idiot in Every Arc? Everybody Gets One?!?!?! FIND BETTER NAME!!!) and let me tell yo-"

The document ends here.

>Video Feeds

A couple of them appear to be playing footage of high-traffic intersections and back alleys (sticky notes near them say "LET'S HOPE FOR SOMETHING GOOD!"), but most of them appear to be...

Internal security footage of the Greensboro Coliseum. With a group of a couple dozen"S-K" guards gathering around a wall and pulling aside... a facade of a wall to pull out A-C outfits. You see the one in the lead has the same pin-prick eyes as Lance, and is opening a silver case with "馬鹿" written on the cover.

>Japanese: 馬鹿 means "Idiot".


>SHIT!

>Rhun, call the rest of the team. We need to go. NOW.

>(Continue to watch the footage)

>Write-In

Immediately call the team and SK.

>>971404
>SHIT!
>Rhun, call the rest of the team. We need to go. NOW.

>>971404
Rhun call the team, sudo get Rex calling SK, I'll call the coliseum and tell them there is a bomb, that will quietly clear out the stadium quickly

>>971469
2nd this

>>971469
Third.

>>971441
>>971469
>>971418
>>971469
>>971536

"SHIT!"

Rhun looks over as she pulls the severed head of Lance 2.0 off of the body.

"Wha's going on?"

"Rhun, call the team and get Rex to call S-K. Their security detail is compromised, and they have someone using an Idiot Chip leading them! I'm going to phone a bomb threat into the Coliseum. That should clear out the stadium."

You quickly dial the Greensboro Coliseum number.

"There's a bomb in Greensboro Coliseum. Basement hall 23-J I didn't place it there. Evacuate or people will die."

>Action: convince employ of bomb threat SUCCESS

"JESUS A BOMB?!!"

The line immediately switches to a busy signal.

"Awwright, S-K's got their remaining staff sweeping the area fer 'em. Wha' now?"

>We leave this to the professsionals.

>We go in there and take them down ourselves. We can still get that bounty for The Idiot.

>We help S-K set up a perimeter, make sure the bastards don't get away.

>Write-In

>>971570
Second

>>971570
So, do we go after the Idiot or let SK handle that?

>>971581
Whoops, forgot to make it a write in. The idea was that we go after the Idiot while Rex works with security forces to prevent escape or sabotage by the infiltrators.

>>971559
>Write-in
We have someone familiar with both military and SK corporate security. Have Rex coordinate with on-site security and flush out the turncoats.
The rest of the group can go after the Idiot

>>971616
This sounds good

>>971570
>>971573
>>971631
>>971616

"Tell Rex to work with the S-K security team to establish a perimeter. We're going to get that 30k nuyen bounty."

You meet up with the rest of the crew outside the stadium. Rex is busy talking to a man in a grey suit, who you assume is the head of the sea of grey that is the S-K security perimeter.

"My guy's intel says they're in the tunnels under the stadium, heading up. The stadium's 90% evacuated, but there's still a risk of civvies getting caught up in crossfire if they sit the surface. On the other hand, if you engage them down in the subterranean segments, things are going to get hairy, especially if they have explosives."

"Yeah, and I'm, like, not great at hitting people through several layers of concrete! It's REALLY HARD!"

>Let them come to the surface and hit them there.

>Take them on underground.

>Write-In

>>971665
>>Take them on underground.

>>971665
What's our gear like? Do we have explosives? Shotguns? Sniper rifles (besides Barbie's)

>>971680
I know we have a mix of SMGs, handguns, and a shotgun. I want to say Rhun has a sniper/DMR.

>>971665
Above Ground, a few civvies who stick around are collateral.

We should take our cut of the bounty and take barbie out to a very fancy date and shopping spree, seeing as we are taking out her brothers op.

>>971680
Redd is armed with a clip-fed Flechette pistol, a 2-shot holdout pistol, 2 tranq pistols, 1 tranq rifle, and a number of knives and saps.

Rhun has an SMG, a pistol, and her greatsword.

Tizona has a pistol, a shotgun, and THE POWER OF HER FAITH!

Barbie has a pistol and her HIGHLY advanced sniper rifle. She also has some unarmed CQC training.

>>971694
We can also direct choke points depending on where they come from.

>>971689
How do you know that?

>>971696
And what does Rex have? Besides the Railgun?

>>971720
I'm Rex's player that's how I know. Rex has a shotgun, ares silver gun and an Ares executioner SMG.

Yeah Rhûn has a Barrett sniper rifle. It's probably in the van though.

>>971726
>>971742
Confirming these.

>>971665
>Take them on underground.
S-K really can't afford to have civilians caught in a crossfire; the PR damage will simply cost more than the lives of some security personnel.

File: Turn 1.jpg (93 KB, 674x739)

93 KB JPG

>>971675
>>971803

"Let's hit them underground, before they can put any more civilians at risk."

Your team loads up and heads into the tunnel.

A few minutes later, as you approach some kind of intersection, Sudo's voice buzzes over your commlink:

"Enemy coming around the bend. Marking on AR. Prepare for contact."

Enemy and ally positions are located on map.

>Directly engage

>Attempt to set up ambush (Intuition + Small-Unit Tactics roll)

>Write-In

>>971909
Ambush

>>971909
Ambush

>>971909
>Attempt to set up ambush (Intuition + Small-Unit Tactics roll)

>>971909
>>Attempt to set up ambush (Intuition + Small-Unit Tactics roll)

File: Turn 2.jpg (99 KB, 682x739)

99 KB JPG

>>971911
>>971915
>>971923

>Set up ambush SUCCESS

"Rhun, get near where they're going to come out so that you can attack with your sword on the spot. Barbie, Get up that passage there so that you can pick off any that try to split. Tizona, get into a blind spot and take out their eyes when they round the corner. Then, we pile in. Remember, we have to capture The Idiot alive to take the bounty: leave that to me. Dispose of the rest."

As the anarchists round the corner, you see their lineup:

The Idiot is in the back, flanked by two muscular orks in a thumbs-up and thumbs-down mask, respectively. One of them is carrying an RPG launcher, and the other a minigun. The remaining 5 A-Cs are armed with assault rifles and dressed in thick leathers.

As they round the corner, your team is ready to spring into action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWmvbxGpra4

>COMBAT START

>Ambush Tactics succeed: +4 on all weapon attacks during ambush turn.

>Initiative:

A-C Thug 1: 0 (does not act this turn) (surprised).

A-C Thug 2: 1 (0 next round) (surprised).

A-C Thug 3: 1 (0 next round) (surprised)

A-C Thug 4: 1 (0 next round) (surprised)

A-C Thug 5: 7 (0 next round)

A-C Minigunner: 10 (0 next round)

A-C Rocketeer: 1 (0 next round) (surprised)

The Idiot: 12 (2 next round) (surprised)

Rhun: 14 (4 next round)

Tizona: 8 (0 next round)

Barbie: 11 (1 next round)

You: 8 (0 next round)

Rhun's blade slices the first mook around the corner in half, sending his upper torso rolling down the hallway with the momentum of the strike.

>A-C Thug 4: dead

The Idiot giggles in glee as he unloads his pistol on Rhun, to no avail.

Barbie starts drawing a bead on the hallway, waiting for the next target to round the corner.

The minigunner quickly levels his gun at Rhun and starts spinning it up.

Tizona's spell soars out from her door
opening... and fizzles out.

The rest of the A-Cs fall back and spread out into firing position.

>NEXT ROUND

>INPUT ACTIONS: 30 MINUTES REMAINING.

>>972002
We need to take out the Rocketeer. I suggest we use our narcojet gun.
As an ork, he'd be harder to put down than a human with regular bullets, but narcojet will work all the same.

Gah, I wish we had narcojet gas grenades; another thing to put on our shopping list.

Move Rhûn out of fire and ready any AOE weapons we might have. Does anyone have grenades?

File: Turn 2 Round 1.jpg (89 KB, 675x735)

89 KB JPG

>>972015
>>972082

>Initiative:

Rhun: 4

The Idiot: 2

Barbie: 1

Rhun dives back into cover up the hallway, bringing her greatsword back to rest as she moves.

"IS T-T-HEE-ISS HOW YOU WANNA PLAY IT, KIDDIES?!?!!!!! WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE AND GIVE UNCLE A H-H-HUUUUUUUUG?!"

The Idiot swings his hand cannon around and fires on the coolant tank in the vending machine, raising a cloud of supercooled mist in the hallway.

"I, like, can't see anything in this cloud, Freddy! Wait! Maybe I can aim by sou-"

"DON'T, YEH DAFT GEL! YOU MIGHT HIT SOMEONE ELSE!"

>TURN 1 COMPLETE

>TURN 2 ROUND 1 START

>INITIATIVE:

The Idiot: 15 (5 next round)

Tizona: 13 (3 next round)

Rhun: 13 (3 next round)

A-C Minigunner: 13 (3 next round)

A-C Thug 2: 12 (2 next round)

You: 11 (1 next round)

A-C Thug 1: 11 (1 next round)

A-C Thug 3: 9 (0 next round)

A-C Rocketeer: 9 (0 next round)

A-C Thug 5: 9 (0 next round)

Barbie: 8 (0 next round)

INPUT ACTIONS: 45 MINUTES REMAINING

>>972180
Can Redd get line of sight to The Idiot if he switches to astral perception?

Tizona shouldn't have a problem aiming her spells with astral vision through the mist.

>>972216
Yes, he can.

>>972241
Switch to Astral Perception and line up a shot with the dart gun to take down The Idiot.

Tizona to switch to astral perception to target the minigunner through the mist with a fireball spell. Try to keep the area small so that she only hits him. We might be able to get his gun's ammunition to cook off and blow up in his hands.

>>972277
Wouldn't it be better to target the rocketteer with that? His ammo would absolutely blow

>>972292
There's no line of sight to the rocketeer unless Tizona moves and becomes vulnerable to the massed fire of the thugs.
Sure, they'd be shooting into the mist, but they've got assault rifles and don't need to aim much.

>>972277

"HOT POTATO!"

You hear a clattering noise, and then the cloud of coolant warps as something explodes within it.

"Corre al diablo, SINNERS!"

Tizona's fireball goes scything through the mist and detonates on the other side. You hear tortured screaming and the heavy, brittle thud of metal hitting ceramic tile.

One of the thugs starts spray-firing wildly through the mist, punching many holes through the drywall across the way.

You breathe for a moment, and switch from your two normal eyes to your third one. the Anarcho-Comics's life-forces pulse ugly and purple in the hallway in front of you. One of them is rolling on the floor, his purple tinged with veins of red: that must be the minigunner. Across the way from him is a crazed technicolor spiral: The Idiot. You quickly line up a shot with your darter... and tag him clear in the neck. He goes down like a stone.

The rest of the thugs panic, falling back towards the way they came. Judging by their cries, they believe their boss is dead.

"AW, COME ON! AH ONLY GOTTA KILL ONE!"

"You could give the basuro on fire over there the only peace he'll ever have, pagan."

"MY NAME'S RHUN. And tha's just NO FUN."

Rex's voice chirps in your earpiece.

"Nice and professional, Redd. S-K is coming down for mop-up duty. What's the plan now?"

>We get paid.

>Let's see if we can score some tickets to the next game and free beer for taking down a terrorist.

>Don't know about you, but- (looks at Barbie)- next thing for me is a date.

>We find the next job. No rest for the wicked.

>Write-In

We get paid. We don't joke around about Barbies brother right next to her

>>972416
>>We get paid.

Dating sim mode please.

>>972567
Well in all fairness, Lancelot is safe in custody. The guy on the ground is someone else. Speaking of which...
Write in
Check the Idiot. Let us see the face of our enemy.

File: images-1.jpg (11 KB, 219x230)

11 KB JPG

Breakout the banners.

>>972567
>>972600
>>972607
>>972666

"We get paid. Not yet, though- I want to check something."

You head over to The Idiot's crumpled form and roll him onto his back. You peel off the black-and-white smiley-face mask...

The high cheekbones and snub nose of an elf stare back at you, teeth crushed together in a manic grin, eyes so constricted that they are practically just whites. A face tattoo on his right cheek says "April Fool".

"Ugh. Rhun, please remove this piece of human refuse from my sight. And call the Grid Overwatch Division."

>Run 2: Laff Riot COMPLETE.

30000 nuyen payout (5000 each).

6 Karma gained

1 Insight gained

Relationship with Barbie significantly improved!

Relationship with Sudo improved!

Relationship with Rex slightly improved!

1 Public Awareness gained! (team-wide)

2 Street Cred gained!

It's the next day. Unfortunately, the public credit for your capture of The Idiot has gone to "the brave men and women of Lone Star© and Centurion Security©, a subsidiary of Saeder-Krupp." You still got paid, though, in an under-the-table way. S-K raided the warehouse the Anarcho-Comics were holed up in, and were greeted by the blast of the abomination Lance had been using as a cyberterminal going critical, destroying all the data on it.

Not an hour before that, Zachary Thomas (the real name, apparently, of "The Idiot") was taken into custody, half-conscious and spouting a constant stream of muttered invective. Apparently, Thomas had an established criminal record as a decker, was a former Halloweener, had wired reflexes, and known ties to anarchist groups. Between this and Lance's non-stop confessions for everything from the TerraFirst bombing in 2000 to the assassination of Dunkelzhan, his proclamation that he was "King of Candy Island", his persistent referral to the interviewer as "Doctor Sassafras", and an attempt to eat his own shoes, Lone Star released Lance from custody as "just some crazy looking for a warm place to sleep at night." Lance has since booked a plane to Dayton, much to your relief: he may be free, but at least he's decided to be an unstable psychotic SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Most of last night was spent helping S-K mop up the stadium: a deed that all but you and Sudo were tired for. Thanks to your Long Haul, though, you feel terrific, and ready to take on anything! You start planning out your day:

>Plan a trip to one of the dream-observatory sites (work at double speed for next three days due to Long Haul).

>Go on a date with Barbie

>Call Andrea for a job

>Write-In

>>972682
>>972682
>>Go on a date with Barbie

>Write-in
Go to a bar and celebrate with the team

>>972768
Seconding This

File: christmas.jpg (19 KB, 480x360)

19 KB JPG

>>972768
>>972806

You head upstairs, where you find a bleary-eyed Rhun under a blanket, eating a bowl of cereal while watching some kind of history documentary.

"Well, Rhun, who feels like having a nice fun night of drinking, in celebration of our score?"

"Yehhh... wheee..."

Rhun's head gently tips down into her cereal. You politely lift it OUT of her food and rest it nearby. You forgot that the rest of the team were burnt out from last night's cleanup. You decide to write the team a group text instead, inviting them out.

As you hit SEND, Sudo calls you in from the family room.

"I finished decrypting the data from the simsense recorder and just disarmed the bomb on the Lance drone! I'll crack open the little creep's memory in a few hours, and I'll see what I can find."

"Excellent work, Sudo!"

"I try."

With nothing better to do today, you decide to put your feet up and relax until party time.

(Not gonna lie: don't have the energy for writing any more today. Instead: Christmas AMA time! Ask me anything about myself, my players, our IRL Shadowrun sessions, Redd, the Shadowrun universe in general, ANYTHING!)

>>972888
If you have questions for Sudo or Rhun's players, feel free to ask them as well!

File: 1481571153730.gif (999 KB, 250x251)

999 KB GIF

Yeah, I'm here til I pass out, so AMA about anything Rhûn or her backstory stuff.

>>972902
Aight, I'm going to bed. If you want to post questions, will be back some time tomorrow afternoon, probably. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Was Sudo originally employed by an S-K subsidiary, or by S-K itself?
Does he still have his corporate SIN, did he never have one, or was it revoked?

>>972933
>Rhûn
So she has a social media feed that watches her acrobatics?
I hope it's turned off during actual runs.

>>973018
She turns it off when there's confidential stuff going on, but whenever there's a fight or something noteworthy there's usually a Jackpoint feed of it over a secure channel.
Most of the time it is streaming the physical running part of actual runs.

File: Nobody.jpg (135 KB, 1024x1433)

135 KB JPG

>>973018
You want the long version or the short version Tealanon?

>>973052
Eh, I'll take the long version.
Did Sudo get noticed by GOD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ5rI461KNE

Merry Christmas

>>973018
>>973069
Alright then.
Well to start off with, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you're dealing with an unreliable narrator. And I don't mean that in a bad way, you're just seeing the world from Redd's perspective. And Redd made the incorrect assumption that Sudo worked for SK. And that's not true in the slightest. Sudo never worked for SK, until two months ago, when he became a runner.

>>973081
What Sudo DID do was make a very, very bad decision one day. In all fairness, it hadn't been a good day for Sudo, and watching his email fill up with Spammail from Hermes (a subsidiary of SK) finally caused our lizard to snap.
And by snap, I mean he decided it was time for some ironic punishment. He hacked into Hermes and input a command that caused every spam email (and I do mean all of them) to be re-routed into their own servers. Sudo thought some computers might melt, and some heads might roll (not literally), but that would be the extent of the damages.
Boy was he wrong.

>>973094
If I remember right, Sudo thinks part of his punishment was being lined up with Rhûn.

>>973094
By the time the servers stopped burning, and by the time the crisis for Hermes (which never recovered, btw), the damages totaled somewhere around 1 million Nuyen.
Yep. Six zeroes.
So, after a quick chat with both the hacker gang he was a part of (the Reality Hackers) and his parents, he decided that decking maybe wasn't for him, and went to pursue a career in Medicine.
Unfortunately, the Universe had other plans.

>>973098
Maybe in a cosmic sense, though after the events of Detroit and what led up to that, far less so.

>>973101
Fast forwards five years, and Sudo gets a call from one Hans Brackhaus. Or more accurately, a letter. It informed him that SK knew everything, and to meet with them at a local restaurant.
Sudo was told that he could either work with Rex and Rhun as a decker for SK, or be sent to prison for the rest of his life. And that is where this all began.

>>973018
TLDR: Sudo has never had a corporate SIN, nor worked for SK before being a runner.
He does however, still posses his old SIN. It's one of his last connections to his old life.

>>972888
And I'm back, at least.

You pass some of the time looking up some local bars to take the team:

>Our Place

Andrea's legitimate business that IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM is used as a meeting place for local shadowrunners or to smuggle money for the LCN. Provides high-quality (and no-substitutes) Italian food prepared by three-star chef and former legbreaker Vinny "The Vice" Venturo. Serves beer, wine, ouzo, and grappa, all Mediterranean imports. 75 nuyen per person for food, before tips. Very secure, courtesy of the muscular troll guards at the door and a weapons check preventing the kinds of brawls that can break out at less reputable runner bars. Possible risks: you may be suddenly cleared out due to a "family meeting", Andrea may attempt to press you for a "favor" while you're there.

>The Mushrooms

Troll bar located in "The Bridges" a "goblin ghetto" C-zone neighborhood within a six-block walk from Little Sicily's zone-border. Serves a variety of appetizers (due to this being a troll bar, these are the size of an entree for smallfolk), most of which heavily feature a suspect meat substitute of unknown origin. Serves sake, vodka, whiskey, an alcoholic form of kombucha known as "mushroom wine", and hurlg, a potently alcoholic drink similar to incredibly hoppy beer mixed with a intoxicating level of nutmeg. It is illegal to sell hurlg to non-dwarves or trolls, due to the other races of metahumanity lacking the microflora (or, for that matter, the stomach) to properly ingest it without getting violently ill, as well as the documented effects of ingesting large quantities of nutmeg. 24 nuyen per person for food, before tips, half-off to all trolls and orks. Possible risks: surly orks and trolls.

>Bloody Cheeseburger Diner

A favorite stop for truckers, bounty hunters, and other persons whose jobs require lots of traveling, the Bloody Cheeseburger is built like a traditional truck-stop diner in an elevated lot on the Seven Arcs Overpass (surface access by elevator). Surface access located just outside of "The Bridges". They serve traditional diner food made using actual meat and cheese, which more than makes up for the increased cost, as well as a selection of beers and alcoholic sodas. Known for their friendly service. 21 nuyen per person for food, before tips. Possible risks: may be recognized by a bounty hunter (if you have a bounty on your head, of course).

>Troll, Cow, and Swine

A traditional British pub located in Wessex Square. A bit of a drive, but well worth it for the pub experience. 22 nuyen a head for the food, before tips. Serves beer, wine, brandy, whiskey, and scotch. Possible risks: Wessex square is a B-zone that, unlike Little Sicily, ISN'T controlled by organized crime. Unruly behavior will likely result in a call to Lone Star.

>Dave and Busters

Eat, Drink, Play, and Watch Sports!© Fast food, full bar service, an arcade providing the latest in traditional, AR, and simsense gaming, and sports.

>>974157
(Cont.) sports shown on the holoscreens include football, soccer, baseball, Urban Brawl, and Mixed Cybernetic, Adept, and Martial Arts (MCAMA). 12 nuyen a person for food, before tips. Possible risks: this is a place for wageslaves and other "normals". Hard to blend. Also, the food kind of sucks and the bar selection is shite.

>>974163
>Take the group to Our Place

>Take the group to The Mushrooms

>Take the group to the Bloody Cheeseburger

>Take the group to the Troll, Cow, and Swine

>Take the group to Dave and Busters

>Look for somewhere else (specify what you are looking for)

>>974167
Do we know if Rhun would make a scene at an English pub, or will she keep it down if fed enough Shepherd's Pie and Fish & Chips?

I've got this mental image of Rhun being an ork, but she's human, right?

>>974167
>Take the group to The Mushrooms
Appetizers the size of entrées, count us in. Hopefully no drunk orcs or trolls hit on any members of the group.

>>974200
The answer to your first question is: probably.

As for the second: yes, despite her violent, surly disposition, low likelihood of living past her 40th birthday, and love of violence, Rhun is a human. A human with an endurance that would put most trolls to shame, thanks to her cyber and bioware (the greatest testament to this is her ability to drink hurlg while ONLY throwing up a little bit), but still a human.

>>974219
>(the greatest testament to this is her ability to drink hurlg while ONLY throwing up a little bit)
Huh. Having her drink the stuff might get the orks and trolls to grudgingly accept our presence.

And with Sudo's SURGE, they don't know his original metahuman type so they probably won't give him too hard of a time.

>>974167
>Take the group to The Mushrooms

>>974200
Eh, unless there's a GOOD fight around the corner I couldn't see her doing it. Half of the fun of violence is getting rough with it. And to be fair her endurance leads to enough drinking contests that usually she doesn't have to pick one. Also being a ganger gives you enough fights.

Call Andrea about a PAYING job first, then go to Our Place.

>>974267
We just got 30k from the Idiot's bounty, I think we would be good for a few days rest. We were running ragged to stop a terrorist attack.

File: Rhûn's Map.png (791 KB, 2000x2428)

791 KB PNG

>>974251
I would say that it would be regionally dependent on the gang there. Rival gangs and blood feuds and all that good stuff.

Here's a map I made for the campaign of some local gangs that are Rhûn's idea of what the toughest gang is in each region.
Some of them are actual historic gangs, others are just inspired by it and some are just made up to fill space

>>974287
Also to note the colors are regional affiliates and gangs Rhûn believes to be "regions" that reflect what gangs belong to what regions.

>>974213
>>974249

You enter The Bridges area around sunset. Tizona, unsurpisingly, refused to come, citing "a need for a lot of fuckin' prayer after dealing with those heretical scumbags." Cheaply-made apartment complexes loom overhead, themselves dwarfed by the massive set of overpasses that give the ghetto its name. The stores here have names like Trog Tats, Grukk's, and Smash-head's Pawn. The street life is a sea of muscles and tusks, with a greater-than-usual number of trolls looming, politely or otherwise, out of the crowd.

The Mushrooms Bar and Grill is located across the street from an abandoned department store. Some card has spray-painted something in the constructed Orkish language on the front.

The bar itself is located in a basement, and smells of mold and damp. You can tell this is a troll bar from first glance: almost all of the chairs are reinforced, a foot taller than normal, and so wide that two people could sit on them if they didn't mind snuggling up close.
Some Goblin Rock is blaring out of a radio set nearby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL95qPQ4x7k

A mean-looking group of trolls in thick synth-leather vests glower at your group from the back. One of them lifts a massive paw to his lips and blows a wolf whistle at your group.

"This pit smells like a foxhole after three days of rain. You sure you wanna eat here, Redd?"

"GOD, Rexy, stop being so JUDGEY! These trolls look like... nice... people?"

>Sod this, let's go to the Bloody Cheeseburger
>Come on Rex, it won't be that bad!
>Sure it stinks, but the food's supposedly good.
>Write-In

Choose where to sit:
>Bar
>Table

>>974397
>Come on Rex, it won't be that bad!
>Bar

>>974397
>Sure it stinks, but the food's supposedly good.
>Table

>>974397
Rhun speaks up:

“Well, I think we oughta see both the bar and our options, no problems getting a pint or a bit of bite and heading out, yeah? We could get one or two bites and head out for a proper dinner... unless this place has good stuff and something good to drink.”

The list of drinks above the bar all appear to be low-price-point stuff, save for the hurlg. The food is fatty bar tripe: cheez-n-bacon fries, meat and chips, peanuts, that sort of thing. You notice the peanuts are apparently provided in pounds.

>>974397
>Come on Rex, it won't be that bad!
>Bar

>>974471
>>974412

"Come ON, Rex, it will not be that bad, I am... fairly confident of that! Now, let's get a seat at the bar!"

You head up to the bar and clamber up onto the bar stools. Due to the troll-sized proportions of the bar, this results in the bartop coming up to your chest.

The bartender snorts at you. "Lemme get you smallfolk some boosters."

Said boosters are actually rather comfortable, although they look uncomfortably close to a scaled-up version of the boosters used for children at ordinary restaurants.

"Now, what can I get for you folks?"

"Whiskey straight, on the rocks, and a steak. A HUMAN-sized steak. I refuse to eat some appetizer garbage just because this place is used to catering to trolls."

"Uh-huh."
>Perception; you notice the bartender writes down "1 beef medallion" on her card.

"I'll have a chopped steak and some hurlg, thank ya very much!"

"... You sure you can handle that, sugar?"

"Trust me, she can."

"Alright. Now, what about you, sweetheart?"

"Um... do you, like, have a salad? No? Then... I guess I'll just have some hurl-ug, too!"

"Eh... you nae wanna do that, Barbie. Jest put her down for some sake."

"I... um, I... eh... w-what do you recommend?!"
>Judge Intentions: Sudo's scales are caked in his lubricating mucus: something that only happens when he's under stress.

"Just have some fries, dear."

"Okay!!" Sudo spits out in a fearful tone.

"And what about you, Mr. Scarred and Handsome?"

"I think that I will have your... 'meat' and chips with some of this... mushroom wine, I suppose."

The bartender serves you your drinks and heads into the back to give your order to the chef.

>Chat with Rex
>Chat with Sudo
>Chat with Rhun
>Chat with Barbie
>Remain silent until food arrives
>Write-In

>>974511
>Chat with Rex
"So. I know that we're in the South, but still, it IS the East Coast. Deep-dish or NY-style?"

Redd, as properly English, would prefer vindaloo.

>>974527
2nd this

File: Oh boy.gif (1 MB, 350x191)

1 MB GIF

>>974527
>>974540

>>974574
Chicago style is the best! Anything else is fighting words

>>974594
https://youtu.be/ySsRhopHnaQ?t=20s

>>974527
>>974540

"So, I know that we are in the South, but still, this IS the East Coast, so I suppose it must be asked: Deep-dish, or New York style?"

"Tradition demands that I answer 'Deep-Dish', thereby provoking a comical argument, but I don't actually like pizza, Redd. It's greasy and needlessly fattening."

"Well, have you ever tried Vindaloo pizza, or Italian-style flatbread pizza?"

>You spend the time before your food arrives chatting with Rex about the relative benefits of pizza.

Eventually, your food and drinks arrive.

You take a drink of the "mushroom wine". It tastes mostly of herbs and cellar dirt, with an alcoholic aftertaste. It gives your skull a pleasant buzz, however. The 'Meat' and chips turns out to be some kind of soy-based meat substitute and potato crisps.

>Talk to Barbie over dinner

>Talk to Rhun over dinner

>Talk to Sudo over dinner

>Talk some more with Rex over dinner

>Remain silent during dinner

>Write-In

>>974686
>Talk to Barbie over dinner
Ask about her other brother, and the rest of her family.
We know one, we saw the second (but didn't interact with him), and there's supposed to be a third.
Any sisters? Cousins? Second-cousins?

>>974707
2nd

>>974686
>>Talk to Rhun over dinner
Ask her about her other family members.

>>974849
*Barbie

Merry Shitscram, everybody!

>>974707
>>974740
>>974849

"Ah... Len. Care for some of my non-specified meat substitute and crisps? I would hate to see you go hungry, and besides, this is a... troll-sized portion."

"Um, yeah, sure!"

"So... I have met Lancelot, and I saw Lucas at the concert, but... you mentioned another brother? Do you have any sisters? More distant relations?"

"Well, there's me, Lorelei, Lucas, Lancelot, Lionel, Lilith, Landon, the twins, and Lexus. Lorelei literally works as a lawyer for The Colbert Group: you know, the firm? Yeah, she moves around a lot, doing cases for them. Lionel's, like, training to be a Knights-Errant officer and protect people and stuff, which is SO him, he used to literally get beaten up SO much at school for standing up for us! He's just 18. Landon's a year older than him, and he's playing college Brawl for the U of Michigan, and I'm CERTAIN he's going to go pro, he is just BRUTAL! He's why I, like, watch Urban Brawl and stuff. Little Lilith Awakened at 6, and, wouldn't you know it, she's studying Voudou down in New Orleans! She says she wants to be an exorcist when she finishes her training! The twins are still in high school, there's Liliana and Lorraine, Lili's, like, TOTALLY into all that MeFeed and Persona stuff, she has, like, literally over a million followers! And Lorraine's planning to go to technical school to become a professional drone operator for construction, which is okay, I guess. Lexus, she's our little comet child, like Sudo! Only she got really smart and has grey skin. She's only 14 and is already a Junior at Harvard! I worry that she's lonely sometimes, though. So, what's YOUR family like?!"

>(Lie) I don't know, I was a foundling

>I don't want to discuss that

>Troublesome to me.

>(Tell her the whole truth about yourself)

>Write-In

>>974866
>>(Tell her the whole truth about yourself)

File: images-2.jpg (6 KB, 246x205)

6 KB JPG

He played college brawl ya know

>>974866
>Write-In
"Complicated. And admittedly, disappointed in me. Father wanted me to be corporate upper-management; I wanted to go into academia and be a professor of magical history. We didn't part on good terms.
"And my sister became the corporate climber that Father always wanted. We were never really close."
Close enough to the truth without going into details.

>>974866
>>974866
>>(Tell her the whole truth about yourself)

>>974900
>>974880

>Composure: prevent Social Stress from activating SUCCESS

You choke down the tidal wave of panic rising from your gut.

"Well... my father is Howard Chesterfield von Wondertainment. He owns the Wondertainment Corporation, which is a single-A company specializing in the manufacture of children's toys, sodas, and candies."

"Wow, that must have been literally SO MUCH FUN growing up!!!"

"Hah... I rather suppose it would look like that from the outside. Father always made sure I never lacked for new toys: on the contrary, sometimes I had to invent excuses to NOT get toys: he viewed me as a sort of 'quality control' for his product.

He was... a good man, I suppose, but rather absent from my life. The company, I would say, was his first love, and I was only his second. I was raised by a succession of nannies and tutors, as well as the good Doctor's business partners: I was quite close to Mr. Moone in accounting, and Mr. Thembley in Marketing: I used to call them "Uncle Nick and Uncle Howard", when I was young.

I had no friends to speak of within my own age group: most children either shied away from me, intimidated by my status as a CEO's son, or rather transparently faked friendship in the hopes of a windfall of toys. Mostly, I had my books.

In time, I went off to college. My father wanted me to study business, as he fully expected me to take his place one day: in a pique of defiance that has defined the rest of my life, I chose magical theory. I spent the next decade, I am not proud to say, hiding in an ivory tower, accumulating PhDs in Esoteric Occultism, Moral Philosophy, and Sumerian History, as well as a Master's degree in English Literature."

"But I thought you were in college."

"Figure of speech, Len. Now: eventually, my father managed to lure me into a position as Head of Toys. For eight years, I managed to work by day managing my department, while secretly pursuing my occult researches. Unfortunately, the stress of this eventually began to take a toll on my mind and soul, and Father cottoned on. He gave me an ultimatum: drop my life's work and fall in line, or be sent to an asylum. I called him a bullying, pompous prat who felt more for his business than for his only child. He called me delusional and had me locked up. I then went through a... complicated period I would prefer not to discuss, and here I am now!

Oh, I almost forgot. I technically have a sister by adoption: Father had her brought in during my defiant period in college, and started raising her as the heir HE thought he deserved. So: that's my family relation."

Barbie is silent for a while.

"Wow... you sound like you need to get a lot off of your chest."

>Perhaps I do.

>I'm fine, really.

>Write-In

>>974997
>>Perhaps I do.

>>974997
>I'm fine, really.
"That's all in the past, and the condition the team found me in kind of put things into a slightly altered perspective."

Being brainwashed and then having said brainwashing erased via acute explosive to the face tends to alter one's perspective on life.

File: boom.jpg (14 KB, 480x360)

14 KB JPG

>>975032
I wouldn't call it acute exactly...
It was a Wondertainment mini-nuke™. Redd's sister is not a stable individual.

>>974997
>Perhaps I do.

>>975022
>>975174
>Composure: keep it together SUCCESS

"I... well, I suppose I do have some grievances that I have been keeping... deep down inside... for too long. BUT I feel that this is not the appropriate setting for such a conversati-"

>Perception: You notice one of the trolls from earlier walking over to the bar. You can smell the hops and nutmeg on him from here: he's drunk on hurlg. He is advancing on Barbie with an expression of intoxicated lust.

>Excuse me for a second, Barbie, I have something to deal with.

>Ignore him

>Write-In

>>975237
>>Excuse me for a second, Barbie, I have something to deal with.

>>975237
You receive a text from Rhun.

"If you need help in scarin' off or thumpin' that sauced trog bastard, I'll lend you my skills."

>>975237
>Write-In
Send a text to Rhun and ask if she can divert the approaching troll.

I think we should learn sleight of hand to be able to attach narcojet slap patches on people.

>>975309
Text Rhun back:
>"Challenge him to a Hurlg-off, I'll pay for the drinks"

>>975273
I say we approach this troll like a gentleman and try to see what he is up to. Have Ruhn behind us and out of sight, so if a peaceful end of future hostilities, Redd shall rely on the tactics of his forefathers: throw the welsh at a problem until said problem is resolved.

>>975309
>>975330

"Rhun, please find some way to divert the inebriated and amorous troll currently advancing on our section of the bar. I would deal with it myself, but I am enjoying this date, and would prefer not to have my face plastered on the floor."

Rhun gets up and heads over towards the troll.

"Hey big fella~ That's some nice ink you've got there."

Apparently, the troll is fairly indiscriminate in his tastes, and has been drinking enough that the next round of Blackstaff's XXX Brew puts him asleep at the table.

"Sorry about that, Len. Where was I? Oh, yes, my self-centered father."

>You spend the rest of the night unloading on Barbie about your dad.

Eventually, your group has their fill and leaves.

>Wallet: 15492 nuyen

Barbie turns to you as you leave.

"That was a... really fun night, Freddy! See you soon!"

She starts heading off towards her apartment.

>Convince her to stay the night

>Let her go

>Write-In

>>975433
>Let her go
We have an expedition to plan.

>>975433
>Let her go
We can't exactly go to sleep, can we?

>>975436
>>975439

You arrive home and start planning for bed out of routine, before remembering that, thanks to Long Haul, you don't have to sleep for 2 whole more days! As a result, you start planning out your night:

>Night-time: all contacts except Sudo are unavailable.

>Hang out with Sudo
>Start planning expedition to (Dream-Observatory site)
>Write-in

LIST OF SITES FROM PREVIOUS THREAD:


>Tunguska Site: N/A. Site directly maps with site of Tunguska Event.

>Amazon Site: 5. Pros: Almost certainly untouched and unguarded. Cons: Located 400 miles into Amazonia territory, in the heart of the Awakened Amazon.

>London Site: N/A. GPS data places site in the Spill: never going back there again if at all possible. Most tunnels collapsed in "The Incident".

>Shakotan Site: 4. Pros: Isolated, unlikely to be heavily defended by IJN. Cons: Likely over a hundred meters underwater at this point, rental of advanced dive equipment mandatory.

>Bavaria Site: 3. Pros: GPS data puts it in lightly inhabitated area of preserved Bavarian forest, within a couple days from small outpost town. Cons: area is isolated and rural, high chance of paracritter run-ins during hike.

>Empty Quarter Site: 3-4. Pros: VERY isolated location by land, but can be reached easily by boat: site is apparently known as "Irem" and has been mapped before. Cons: Site is likely looted and may be of limited usefulness.

>Zimbabwe Site: 3. Pros: Isolated, area is relatively verdant and survivable. Cons: Site is located in Victoria Gorge.

>Himalayas Site: N/A. Has already been located by Atlantean Foundation.

>Atlantic Site: N/A. Has already been located by Atlantean Foundation.

>Antarctic Site: 5. Pros: Supremely isolated. Cons: is located in Antarctica.

>Moscow Site: Unknown. Potential Pros: is only known viable site in an urban area, Moscow is high-traffic region making travel there less suspicious. Cons: apparently is being "utilized" by unknown faction.

>>975493
For a Shadowrunner of our caliber, we could shrink the choices down to these:
>Bavaria
>Empty Quarter
>Zimbabwe
Since there'll be a good chance that no big governments or corps would be there. No big hornet's nest that we could trigger, corporate or government type of hornet's nest at least.

Which will let us focus on the possible astral/magical/secret society hornet's nest on these sites.

>>975508
Each of those has to be further refined.

Bavaria is Troll Country, literally.
The Black Forest Kingdom does not take too kindly to people like us, i.e. humans.

Zimbabwe's Victoria Gorge is a natural beauty, so long as you stay away from the edges. And it's Africa; paracritters are real concern.

Irem is an actual place called the Lost City of Pillars, and features in a Lovecraft story. So we have to be prepared for a potential Lizardpeople city and defenses.

>>975516
A minor correction: the Black Forest KINGDOM is no more. Due to the death of the last king, it is now the Black Forest REPUBLIC. The disgust towards us soft-skinned 6-footers remains more-or-less the same, however (although they are very accepting of Orks)

>>975493
>Write-in
Assemble research material/travel brochures to Bavaria, Zimbabwe, and the Empty Quarter.
For the Rub'al Khali (original Arabic of the Empty Quarter) we'll need desert survival gear.

For Zimbabwe, while there are likely tours and such to Victoria Gorge because of its fame, trying to search there without running afoul of park rangers is going to be a pain.

Bavaria...do we have any troll or ork contacts that we could rope into coming with us?
Also has the same problem as Zimbabwe; local police and other authorities will be watching us.

>>975550
>7 HOURS LATER

You have compiled as much data as possible on traveling to each of the three sites you have targeted as prime marks:

>Bavaria
NEED:
Passport accepted by AGS (UK passport fine)
Team-mate (ONLY 1! Andrea/S-K liable to spook otherwise!)
Alpine Hiking Gear

>Discovered Pros: vacation rental cabin located within a day from site: provide a base of operations/cover for trip.
>Discovered Cons: Nearest town is near state borders. Townsfolk, while not openly hostile, will likely be distrusting of me. Town is ALSO a hunting outpost for Bavarian Alps paracritters.


>Rub'al Khali

NEED:

Desert Survival Gear
Native Guide or other reliable form of desert navigation
LARGE reserves of drinking water and nourishing food.
Some man-portable excavation gear (probably)
Breathing masks (stale, dead air of ruins under sand likely dangerous)
Team-mate (ONLY 1! Andrea/S-K liable to spook otherwise!)

>Discovered Pros: the "City of the Pillars" is apparently remarkably well-preserved: little risk of collapse and bodes well for condition of Dream-Observatory.

>Discovered Cons: Irem is shunned by desert nomads in region, who say it is "cursed", "haunted by evil djinn", and, in one colorful case, "forsaken by all things: man, beast, crawling insect, and even the ghosts of the dead fear even glancing towards it." Native beliefs unconfirmed.

>Zimbabwe:
NEED
full arsenal of immunizations
Jungle survival gear
Rappelling equipment
Team-mate (ONLY 1! Andrea/S-K liable to spook otherwise!)
HEAVY FIREPOWER TO WARN OFF MEGAFAUNA.
Local guide or other way to navigate the Gorge area.
Fan boat?

>Discovered Pros: Area around Lake Victoria and Victoria Gorge well-settled: no lack of creature comforts here!

>Discovered Cons: Victoria Gorge is also tourist destination: investigation has additional risks of exposure.

>Decide on who to bring as partner
>Decide on Bavaria
>Decide on Zimbabwe
>Decide on Rub'al Khali
>Write-In

See you guys tomorrow. Grabbing some sleep.

>forsaken by all things: man, beast, crawling insect, and even the ghosts of the dead fear even glancing towards it.
According to Lovecraft (who was a real author in Shadowrun, just like in our world, but potentially got hit by a mana spike in 1910 leading to his "dreams" being actual astral journeys so his Cthulhu Mythos is partially real), this city was one of, if not THE, center of the Cthulhu Cult.
There may be more than just stale air and darkness in that city.

>and even the ghosts of the dead fear even glancing towards it
This is an interesting quip since the Shedim were very active in the Middle East. Their recent jihads were caused by a Master Shedim puppeteering one of the region's most influential religious leaders.

>>975630
AND I'm back! Let the voting on the previous topic begin!

>Decide on who to bring as partner
>Decide on Bavaria
>Decide on Zimbabwe
>Decide on Rub'al Khali
>Leave it be for now
>Write-In

>>976306
>Bring Tizona with us to Rub'al Khali
Her magic should help us with whatever spooky shit we come across.

Also it would be funny to troll Tizona by bringing her to a 'Beyond Fucking Heretical' site with just a (possibly) Protestant as her only companion.

Rex to Bavaria. Not too bad all around and sill relatively close to SK Germany.

>>976324
Redd has no real religious affiliation. While he ACKNOWLEDGES the existence of beings that were worshiped as gods in the past, such as the deities that can serve as mentor spirits, he does not see them as being beings deserving of worship, but rather merely as beings on the top of the spiritual food chain. Familiarity breeds contempt, I suppose. As a side note, Tizona has a Mentor Spirit that manifests as visions of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the first Doctor of the Church and author of the Summa Theologia, at the time THE end-all-be-all list of theological questions and answers.

>>976343
>>976324

Voting between these two.

>>976343
2nd this. The Catholic nun traveling to the Middle East and going in the venisity of a lost city could raise more suspicion than two guys going on a "hunting trip" .

>>976306
Sudo and Bavaria.

>>976628
Interesting choice. As the QM, I actually want to ask what your rationale is for it? Just out of curiosity.

>>976343
seconding

>>976650
Bavaria, because in terms of environment and support, it's the easier than Irem.
Sudo, because of his burgeoning interest in the occult.

>>976429
Voting closes @ 9:30 EST. Giving the thread plenty of time, due to this being an important decision.

>>976725
I was actually thinking something very similar, when it comes to the occult we would probably scare of Tizona, after our last dare Barb probably thinks we are super weird and this won't help, Rhun and Rex would be good assets but it may push the boundaries of our friendship.

>>976743
Sorry autocorrect on phone

**scare off tizona
**last date

>>976743
For security purposes, Rex is the better option for Bavaria, as he's good with a gun and we will likely need his help to fend off paracritters.

From a social standpoint Sudo is likely better since he's the one actually interested in this stuff, unlike Rex who has a marked dislike for "wizard shit".

>>976755
That's a good point. Rex doesn't like the occult, and may straight up decline. He's also a loyal SK employee, meaning he'd likely tell them what we're up to.

>>976755
What about Rhun? Aside from the amazing physical stats, she also is good with history. This skill set could help us out in the field. Then again, the stuff we're looking for is more esoteric in nature along with any negative social traits she has might hinder us.
I'm assuming Rex is more knowledgeable with the mundane world such as politics military intelligence and gear, and corporate info.

>>976735
What is the ranking of durability in the group?

>>976816
DURABILITY RANKS:
1. Rhun (9 Body, 9 Agility: you can't hit her, and if you hit her, she doesn't die)
2. Power Gap (yes, really)
3. Rex (Military training and body fitness)
4. Barbie (Fast reflexes make her hard to hit, but not particularly tough)
5. Tizona (Squishy, but can self-heal and self-proc with her spells)
6. Redd/Sudo (Sudo having slight superiority due to his slime/sweat making him more difficult to restrain/grapple)


COMBAT POWER RANKS:
1. Rhun/Rex (If CQC, Rhun wins; if ranged, Rex wins)
2. Barbie (has some CQC training, but excels in environments where she can use her longarms.)
3. Tizona (Would be #1, but the Drain magic costs makes her unsuited for long-term engagements).
4. Sudo (His ability to engage in AR-enhanced Matrix sabotage during combat makes him deceptively dangerous.)
5. Redd (for now.)

UTILITY POWERLEVELS:
1. SUDO (He almost got a Medical degree, which makes him excel at conventional medical techniques. His talent at decking also makes him incredibly useful in today's connected world)
2. Redd (Passable skills in most fields of social interaction, but when it comes to the niceties, there's no one better. His multiple degrees and alchemy background also ensure his ability to converse in-depth on a MASSIVE array of subjects. He also knows how to prepare some POWERFUL magical drugs, although he needs a lab and access to ingredients for them.)
3. Tizona (Detect Lies, Healing, Enhance Limits; truly, a force multiplier. Her Drain limits her usefulness, however.)
4. Power Gap
5.Rex (Knowledge of military tactics, S-K corporate culture, and is fluent in Arabic, German, and Cantonese. His stand-offish nature limits his value in social situations.)
6. Rhun (her monster Gymnastics score lets her to anywhere, but beyond that she has few utility skills that you cannot use at an equivalent or superior level.)
7. Barbie (her knowledge of fashion and pop culture, sadly, is not very useful. She does know how to pick locks with a bobby pin, though!)

I guess I'll change my vote to Rhun in Bavaria, cause her history knowledge might help us find the observatory, and if any trolls give us shit, she can uppercut them in the dick, out drink them, or both at the same time.

>>977058
(Redd has equal History knowledge compared to Rhun. Both have 7 ranks.)

>>977058
Can we take Rhun and Sudo? If we can't then Rhun because Sudo is too squishy.

>>977069
The mob/sk might get suspicious if we take more than one person. If one is going along, they might assume it's something personal

>>977005
>UNIQUE PROS AND CONS TO EACH COMPANION

Rhun

>Pro: Anrhydedd a Brawdoliaeth
Rhun's combination of an easygoing nature and a deep-seated loyalty to your group helps put you at ease when dealing with her sort of people. Lets you ignore your Social Stress penalties when interacting with gangers.

>Con: 1v1 Me IRL M8
Rhun is violent and tends to escalate things to blows quickly, and won't back down from an undefeated opponent easily.

Rex

>Pro: One Step Ahead
Rex is used to working missions that require specialized equipment, and has an in-line with S-K for gear. If you take Rex as your companion, you will have a 10,000 nuyen account that can be spent on equipment ONLY. Said equipment will always be from S-K or one of its subsidiaries.

>Con: The Mole
Rex is a loyal S-K employee, even though he's on probation. Everything you say and do on this job will get back to them (and, given the nature of this trip, will likely rise through the ranks all the way to Lofwyr himself).

Tizona:

>Pro: Si Deus Pro Nobis, Quis Contra Nos?
Tizona's unflappable faith in God makes her an anchor in dark times and places. Add +2 to all Composure rolls to avoid falling into insanity or despair due to Insight.

>Con: Omni Specie Mala Abstinete Vos.
Tizona's strong Christian morality forbids her from aiding you in dark deeds. You will not be able to rely on Tizona's assistance in clearly heretical or blasphemous acts.

Sudo

>Pro: Eager Student
Sudo is a willing apprentice to you in occult matters, and has a curiosity that burns like a bonfire. He will be willing to assist you in acts and deeds that the others might shy away from.

>Con: Mom's Spaghetti
Sudo is a clinical agoraphobe and tends to panic during social situations, often accidently creating a mess when doing so,

Barbie:

>Pro: Born Spotter
Barbie is a mathematical savant capable of calculating things like height, weight, distance, and jean size in a single glance. This gift is ALSO what makes her a good sniper, as she can intuitively calculate firing solutions.

>Con: Preciously Naive

Barbie isn't stupid, but often sees things in her own way, leading to occasional misunderstandings.

Sudo would be cool to take, but ultimately he'd be as much of a liability as us.

It's got to be Rex or Rhun. So which is more of a help? I'd have to lean towards Rex.

Potentially we could keep the truth of what we're doing from him, coming up with some cover. But even if he did find out and disclose to SK, that makes for a good story.

So I have to go Rex to Bavaria.

>>977290
I agree Rex is the most likely choice and presents the best story potential with his sudden, but inevitable betrayal.
Sudo, while helpful and willing to follow Redd to hell and back, is far too soft to be much of use in a fight (you can't hack awakened animals). Barbie would've been lost the entire time and Tizona will not aid us with the dark arts.

>>977333
Yes

>>977148
Hold on a moment. If we take Rex, SK will know what we're doing anyways. So if we do that, why not take the others as well?

>>977466
It would feel like a cop-out.

>>977484
Yes. And from a story point, Redd could try real hard to get Rex not to "tell Dad". Even if he does, again, great for the story.

>>977509
Great for the short term story but we would lose a good assets for the long term and possibly get an enemy, lose the safe house and dissolve the party. We are working for a dragon so I am just thinking worse case scenario.

I would choose Rhun for safest bet

>>977518
Boring bet

Alright, we're decided on Bravaria, but there seems to be some debate over who to take. So, one last quick voting session:

>Take Rhun
>Take Tex
>Take Sudo

Voting closes at 10:15.

>>977727
>Tex

I'm a moron. REX.

>>977727
>Take Rhun

>>977727
Rex

>>977727
>>Take Rhun

>>977727
>Take Rhun

Rex

>>977753
>>977770
>>977808

You decide that Bavaria is the safest option: not completely isolated, like Irem, but not a tourist hotspot like Victoria Gorge. Rhun would be ideal security: she can be relied on to be quiet about this trip, and her personality may even help when dealing with trolls. It's 3 AM in Charlotte, which means that it's the beginning of business hours in the Allied German States. You start the arduous process of arranging the travel of two people under fake visas into the Black Forest Republic (You see no reason for more than a handful of people to know about this trip, ESPECIALLY the Atlantean Foundation or the dragons. Although you suspect that Lofwyr already knows about your trip and tacitly approves by the mere fact that there hasn't been an attempt on your life by this point...)

1 WEEK LATER...

It's taken many phone calls, a number of bribes, and several trips to government offices, but, at long last, everything is in line for your trip to begin. You've talked to Rhun about the trip and found her agreeable to it. You spent the downtime in-between work honing your skills:

How? (pick 2)

>Conducting alchemical research

>Practicing at the firing range

>Using psychedelics to expand your mind

>Honing your hand-to-hand skills

>Write-In

>>977727
Rex

>>977982
Adding to this:

>Learning German

>>977986
German and research alchemix

>>977982
>Practicing at the firing range
>Learning German and getting a good English-German translation app for our commlinks in case our reception is bad and we can't access HorizonTranslate.

>>977982
Will we get a chance to buy gear before going?

During our research, did we find that bringing our weapons or procuring weapons in Bavaria would be easier?
By weapons, I'm specifically referring to "sport" rifles and hunting rifles; things that wouldn't be looked at too closely if we're going to a hunting lodge.

>>978010
Buying weapons in the states will be easy (everything's getting fake clearence provided by an easily-bribed inspector). Buying stuff in the Black Forest Republic will be easier in theory, but hard in practice. And yes, you will.

>>977982
>>Conducting alchemical research
Maybe create some smoke bombs to use in battle.
>>Using psychedelics to expand your mind
Have Rhun join us on these 'trips' for shits and giggles.

>>978062
>>978003
>>978006
So, as a compromise, with two votes each:

You spent your down time experimenting in alchemy and learning some basic German.

You've also looked into obtaining some firearms that would pass muster for your "hunting expedition". To acquire them, you:

>Went to Weapons World (above-board, retail)

>Went to the mob (below-board, criminal)

>Turned to a private dealer, Marion Moon (above-board, gun dealer)

>Write-In

>>978170
>>Went to the mob (below-board, criminal)

Gotta get hunting gear for the most dangerous game of all.
Velociraptors.

>>978170
>Turned to a private dealer, Marion Moon (above-board, gun dealer)

>>978230
>>978258

Voting between these two.

>>978170
>Turned to a private dealer, Marion Moon (above-board, gun dealer)

>>978413
Moon was an agreeable, polite dwarven woman who, apparently, "retired" as a licensed arms dealer after a long period of service in the CAS military.

"Well, Mr. Russo, what kinda gun're ya looking for?"

" Eh, something nice for a meat salesman goin' on a little paracritter hunting trip. I got some firearms experience, but nothing too fancy."

"Well, the Remington 990's always popular if you're on a budget. Semi-auto, 8-round clip, pretty bare-bones. I can get you it for 1187. Now, if you like Winchesters for the name, you've got the 2066, now I know it's a lever-action, but its parts are self-lubricating, it has a tensile-steel receiver, the whole thing is fully adapted for the modern day. 5-shot mag, single-shot only. 1000 nuyen.

Now, you wanna play with something that can hit a critter from across state lines, even in the hands of an amateur? That's the Pioneer 60, made by the Kentucky Long Rifle company. Sniper-sporting rifle, lots of folks down here in the South have them if they live in the sprawl or in one of the rural areas. 400 nuyen for the one I've got on the shelf over there: I've got 10 others.

Now, there's a TON of sporting rifles out there For 5400 I can get you a replica Springfield 2003 bolt-action: only one gunsmith makes them anymore, and he's a drunk up Tallahasee way. Hits hard, fairly accurate, and can punch through the hide of most sumbitches that would come your way. You want something with bells and whistles, the M1A by Springfield's scope does practi'cly everything but pull the damn trigger for ya. Lot of mercs use it as a poor man's sniper rifle, too. 3400 nuyen: its in pretty high demand. Of course, if you want the classic, nothing wrong with a good M1 Garand. Nice, solid, old-school hunting rifle, can get you one for 770. Now, if you're going after BIG-ASS game, only one gun for that: Marlin X71 Bolt-Action. Built to function in temperatures of -50 Celsius, and with a handy-dandy targeter that works in almost any lighting condition! Normally, this is hard to come by, but I like the looks of you, so I'll give you a special price: 900 nuyen. You aren't gonna get a deal like THAT at Weapon World!

So what'll it be?"

>Remington 990

>Winchester 2066

>Kentucky Pinoeer 60

>Springfield 2003

>Springfield M1A

>M1 Garand

>Marlin X71

>A combination of the above

>Nothing, thanks.

>>978546
>>Winchester 2066

A classic gun for a classic gentleman.

>>978546
The Marlin, don't need to be fancy, need to be alive

>>978556
>>978627
We should probably get two rifles and a sidearm (maybe a machine pistol).
One for distance in the case that we can see the paracritter coming or want to set up an ambush, and can hit really hard (to keep up the story of being an amateur paracritter hunter).
The second, a semiauto or lever action that we can fire off quickly in case it's the animal that gets the drop on us.

>A combination of the above
>M1 Garand
Semiauto, solid build so that our rough handling as an amateur won't break it, easy to use.
>Marlin X71
We're going to be up in the mountains, so the temperatures can get pretty low. And as she said, it's good for really big game, which we might end up encountering.

Awakened bears are a real threat after all.

>>978861
"Let's leave that aside for now. I'm also looking for a.... whaddyacallim... machine pistol, or whatevuh. Ya know, for self-defense."

"Well, if it's for personal defense, you're looking for the Ceska Black Scorpion, nothing fancy, but capable of semi-auto and burst-fire, and talk about affordable! Market's flooded with these things, so I'll give you one for 337. If you're looking for something with a little more POW!, that's the Cavalier Evanator, comes with integrated folding stock, electro-firing, and laser sight. Isn't very concealable, unless you're a troll, but SCARY to any ganger that tries to jack your ride! Can fire in bursts or full auto, 20-round clip, yes, I know that's 15 smaller than the Ceska, but they needed to compensate for the extra weight SOMEHOW. 1937 for the one I have, this baby's in high demand.

Hope that cleared things up for you? Now, you come to a decision? Got a special deal going on right now, throw in 100 rounds for whatever you buy for a special cost of 100 nuyen, that's 1 nuyen per bullet!"

>Ceska Black Scorpion

>Cavalier Evanator

>Remington 990

>Winchester 2066

>Kentucky Pinoeer 60

>Springfield 2003

>Springfield M1A

>M1 Garand

>Marlin X71

>A combination of the above

>Nothing, thanks

>>979147
Ceska and Marlin go for the bullet deal buy 100 of each

>>979147
Hey, doesn't the Black Scorpion have an integral folding stock?

And does Moon carry a laser sight module accessory for the Scorpion?
Anything that can help us with our poor Pistol skill and the fact that we're hunting paracritters that can be as intelligent as they are vicious.

>Combination of the above
Ceska Black Scorpion
M1 Garand
Marlin X71

And take the bullet package, with extra ammunition for the Garand and Scorpion (50 rounds each).

Oh! Something to remember: modern and higher-end guns come with electronic systems, RFID tags, and GPS integration.
We have to be careful.

>>979198
Yes, the Black Scorpion does! My bad for not listing that. Important side note: the M1 Garand is a vintage weapon, just like the old one, so it's completely hack-proof!

"Yeah, I do have a laser sight for the Scorpion. 113 nuyen if you're interested."

>>979238
I'll take the laser sight.

So, it seems like the thread, for the most part, is agreed on the Marlin and Scorpion, which leaves one question: do you want the M1 Garand?

>Yes
>No

>>979318
Yes

>>979318
Votes will be tallied at 3.

>>979318
No

>>979318
Yes

>>979320
>>978861
" I'll take the Black Scorpion, the M1 Garand, and the Marlin X71, the Scorpion with the laser sight option, 100 rounds for the Marlin, 150 for the Garand and Scorpion."

"Sounds like you know what you're after! Total comes to 2520, Mr. Russo!"

>Wallet: 12972 nuyen.

"Have fun on your huntin' trip, ya hear?!"


... So, at least, you have several firearms secure.

You and Rhun pack your gear into a set of suitcases which you mark with stealth RFID tags, as you and the inspector agreed. You also leave him his 2000-nuyen bribe in the first case.

>Wallet: 10972 nuyen

You and Rhun get onto the plane. It occurs to you that you haven't formally briefed Rhun on the nature of your trip, beyond a visit to Fourth Age ruins.

"Now, we'll be landing at the Freiburg Airstrip after an interchange at Paris, which means we'll be in the capital of the Trollrepublik Schwartzwald, but our actual SITE is in the Freistaat Bayern."

"So we'll be headed to... Baden before Bayern?"

"Yes, which means we'll be driving through Wurttemberg. Which means that you had better not have any drugs packed in your bags and should hide any pagan symbols you have on you. Wurttemberg is not a... tolerant country. Fortunately, we have an 'in' on passing through the area. We'll just have to make a brief stop to pick up some forged diplomatic papers."

"Ah... I have permits for the stuff I have? And that's a shame, I have two tattoos."

"Your permits only apply to the States, Rhun. Wurttemburgers will just burn them while laughing at you before you get thrown in the labor camps."

"So I should flush 'em? It's two patches of Woad."

"If you don't need them, lose them before we pass through the Western Wall checkpoint."

"Ya know, this reminds me of the other time I was in the AGS..."

>Rhun kills some of the time during the flight telling you an outrageous story about herself, a pro gamer, and a werewolf super-soldier descending through the tunnels of Berlin to hunt a secret Shiawase project. The story is so outrageous you half-think Rhun hallucinated it.

You're halfway through the Charlotte-Paris leg of your flight.

>Make some more conversation with Rhun (Write-In)

>Watch the in-flight entertainment

>Go to sleep

>Write-In

>>979501
>Make some more conversation with Rhun
Discuss some of the paracritters we might encounter, and their possible relation to old Welsh mythology.

Also, weren't we getting gear, like mountain climbing gear, survival gear, and arranging for transportation? Also things like extra cameras, solar chargers, and lights for use in our exploration of the ruins?

Or are we expecting to procure those things in-country?

>>979537
You already bought that stuff. Climbing gear, a survival kit, rappelling gloves, a gas mask, two flashlights, 4 light sticks, and 10 magnesium tortches. Sudo has provided you with a gas mask (plus three hours of filters) and a medkit (he's the only one besides Rhun who knows about this.) He also gave you a video camera with low-light vision, flare compensation, and image enhancement 2.

>Wallet: 9122 nuyen.

"So, Rhun... how familiar are you with cave bears?"

"I've wrestled them!"

"...Oh..."

>The rest of the flight and the Paris transfer pass without a care, and you soon land in Freisburg. Your SINs clear the checkpoint, your bags come through unmolested (and sans credstick), and your rental car is waiting at the station.

>Wallet: 9072 nuyen.

You have one hour before an arranged meeting with a member of the Canoretti family of the Mafia for forged diplomatic passes (to avoid search and seizure in Wurttemberg).

>Take a tour of Freiberg
>Grab some shut-eye
>Arrive at the meeting place early
>Write-In

>>979615
>Arrive at the meeting place early
>Write-In
Grab some currywurst, too. It can't be as bad as English food.

>>979627
You decide to be punctual, and arrive at your meeting place well ahead of time, picking up some currywurst and chips along the way.

The meeting was arranged to take place in the Bertholt I Gedenkgarten, a grand plaza built around a statue of the founder of the then Trollkönigreich Schwarzwald, and who reigned from 2045 until his mysterious disappearance 11 years ago. With the official transition of the Trollkönigreich Schwarzwald to the Trollrepublik Schwarzwald, this gave him the suspect honor of being the ONLY King of the Trolls in the Sixth Age.

The plaza is quite beautiful- and also imposing, given that everything in the Trollrepublik was made for the proportions of the race who gave the country its name.

You watch the crowds as you eat your currywurst. The entire race of trolls was represented here: most of the crowd are lumbering trolls, 10-feet tall, with rough, grey, stony skin, jutting horns rising from their temples like their tusks rise from their gumlines, strolling around the plaza (many fiddling with commlinks the size of small tablets), but you could also make out others: a pair of Cyclops builders, all muscle and pride, with their solitary baleful eyes bulging from their skulls beneath similarly lonely horns, work on repairing a generator nearby. A Fomori businessman chats on the phone in Irish, his soft, pale flesh bristling with tattoos that run over his hornless head and paint a pair of lines down his face to his mouth, right in line with his barely-noticeable tusks. The ground shakes slightly as a 15-foot-high Giant lumbers by, a weary expression on his bearded face as he carries a dwarf-sized rickshaw on his back. Nearby, as trio of Minotaur tourists giggle like naughty children as they take a photo of themselves with Bertholt's statue.

"Pardon me, sir, I'm trying to find the Royal Post Office?"

You look up at the stranger talking to you. He's an ork; the largest minority here in the Black Forest. Well-dressed, too, although you have no doubt the Gucchi slacks (thanks for teaching us how to recognize brands, Barbie) are doubtlessly fake.

"It's next to the Cathedral."

"Good, just wanted to make sure it was you, friend."

>Do you have the passes?

>Do you have what we agreed on?

>Sit down. It's a nice day.

>Write-In

>>979887
>Sit down. It's a nice day.

>>979887
>Sit down, it's a nice day

>>979887
>>Sit down. It's a nice day.

>>979920
>>979925
>>979944

"Sit down. It's a nice day."

"Why, thank you, old friend, how generous. You have come alone?"

"Yes, but I have a friend who is expecting me."

"Ah, good, good. Now, I have those books you ordered, but..."

"But what?"

"I am afraid the price we agreed on earlier was insufficient to feed the family back home. They want 6600."

>Understandable (pay him)

>You bleed me dry!... but I will take them (pay him)

>Is this a joke?! I won't pay that!

>Trying to renegotiate so high when we've already agreed on a price? Poor form. I will pay 2200 for them, just like we agreed.

>You tryna screw me, here? How about I call my Godfather, and he calls YOUR Godfather about this!

>If you want to cut my throat, let's drop the petty pre-fight negotiations and go already (flash him your machinepistol).

>Write-In

>>980085
>>Trying to renegotiate so high when we've already agreed on a price? Poor form. I will pay 2200 for them, just like we agreed.
Look, an extra hundred or two would be within reason, but tripling the price?
No.

>>980085
>Tripling the price on me after my long trip here? There better be a damn good reason for this.

If it's an understandable reason, try to get it down to 4400, it still DOUBLE the price agreed upon. If he's just scalping us, get Rhun to help us 'negotiate'.

>>980158
We should really only go 150%.

>>980141
>>980158

"I just flew across the ocean to get here, and you triple the price? Start talking, now."

"Look, we ran into some complications, okay? A lot of our old ins got thrown out during the reforms. And besides, my anniversary's coming up and I need to get the husband something nice."

"Sell your wristwatch, then. I'll give you 3300. Last offer. Try to negotiate any higher, Hell, don't answer yes quick enough, and I walk and report you for fraud to whatever goon squad passes for law enforcement in this hayseed country."

>Action: Negotiate down SUCCESS

"Okay, okay! No need to get the cops involved. 3300, and may it bring you much happiness."

>Wallet: 5772 nuyen

>Key item gained: Forged diplomatic papers

The mafioso hands you a brown envelope, you hand him the credstick, and he walks.

You call up Rhun on the commlink:

"Handoff's good. We're rolling in 5."

"Awww... I wanted ta tour the Parliament building!"

"I am certain we can see it on the way back."

You get in your rental car (a Jeep Trailblazer, by request: you figured that something offroad would be useful, and the fact that it has a multifuel engine powered by a plasma furnace makes it excellent for mileage: just throw the furnace large quantities of any material, and it will convert it into fuel) and head toward the militarized checkpoint that divides Wurttemberg from the Black Forest Republic.

The great Western Wall looms dark and imposing over you as your car rolls up to the checkpoint. A guard in yellow and black raps on your window with a truncheon.

"Guten Tag mein Herr! Gibt es ein Problem?" (Good day, my sir! Is there a problem?)

"Zollkontrolle. Wir haben Probleme mit Pistolenläufern, Terroristen und feindlichen Sympathisanten aus den Trollländern." (Customs check. We have been having a problem with gun-runners, terrorists, and sympathizers with the Enemy coming from the Troll lands.)

"Das wird nicht nötig sein. Wir haben diplomatische Papiere, die zeigen, dass wir mit der Konföderation der amerikanischen Staaten auf einer diplomatischen Mission zum Freistaat Bayern sind." (There will be no need for that. We have diplomatic papers showing that we are from the CAS on a diplomatic mission to the Free State of Bavaria.)

"Warum hast du nicht einfach in München gelandet?" (Then why did you not just land in Munchen?)

You shrug. "Wer weiß? Wahrscheinlich Bürokraten." (Who knows? Probably bureaucrats.)

"...Papiere, bitte. Auch Soziale Identifikationsnummer."

"Genau hier, Sir."

"...Sie sind frei zu gehen."

"Danke."

You roll through the gate and onto the highway.

"Well, this has been alright!"

>So far.

>Indeed it has.

>I'm worried about that guard.

>Write-in

>>980379
>>Indeed it has.

>>980379
>Indeed it has, but I'm worried about that guard.

>>980379
Don't jinx us, Rhun!