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In Progress Shadowrun 2072

GarfunkeL

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SHADOWRUN 2072

This is a CYOA of a Shadowrun party, that utilizes actual 4th Edition rules. Our initial party is 7 members strong, who will be introduced via the introduction chapter. Codexers choose what jobs the party will undertake and how it will perform them. Outcome of each scenario is based on the character skills and dice rolls as per SR4 rules. Knowledge of SR rules is not mandatory though it naturally helps. Knowledge of SR in general is also helpful but I'm assuming that most Codexers have a rudimentary understanding of Cyberpunk in general and Shadowrun in particular.

Our story starts in Seattle in 2072. The Sixth World has been a reality for fifty years now and most people cannot even recall the mundane Fifth World. Metahumans, magic, spirits and dragons are all part of commonly accepted reality. Virtual and Augmented Reality are part of everyone's daily life. In many aspects the world has changed tremendously, but in other aspects it has remained the same.

I have an overall campaign roughly planned out but with the details left blank for now, to allow player freedom. Complete derailment won't be allowed to happen but there is room for plenty of leeway in how the party stumbles forward. Also, I expect there to be quite a bit of R/MA/AO level material in here, though that does depend on how Codexers vote - if they wish, the party can remain a PG-13 white hat group of Robin Hoods.

This post will be updated with an index of story chapters as they are posted.
Character backgrounds: Volva One-Horn Ka1l3e Fire-Leaf Cashmere Beast Bast
 
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lukaszek

the determinator
Patron
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deterministic system > RNG
 
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GarfunkeL

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Messages
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Insert clever insult here
CHAPTER 0 - INTRODUCTION

2067 Norway

Astrid Hansen stared at the gentle waves rolling across the fjord. While the sun was hiding behind the clouds, the temperature was still a balmy 16 degrees Celsius and the 14-year old teenager felt little discomfort. For once, she appreciated the peace and quiet of Narvik, despite the many times she had complained to her parents that there was nothing to do here. Her boyfriend Matts had broken up with her and Astrid wanted nothing more than to lie on the roof of her house and wallow in serene misery. Thus it was with great annoyance that she noticed her father's old Volvo speeding towards her. Which was fairly extraordinary as her father was usually the safest driver on the road.

"ASTRID! Come down now!" He yelled as he literally leaped out of the car and rushed inside. For once, Astrid did not complain but rushed to the ladder and slid down. Inside, her parents were throwing clothes into suitcases. She could taste the panic they were radiating. "What - what's going on?" She tried to ask, only to be immediately shushed by her mother. "No questions! Pack your bag, we're leaving right now!"

Mere minutes later, the trio got into the car and her father sped off towards downtown Narvik. There was little traffic on E6 as they crossed from Nyborg into Narvik, only stopping at Måsevejen street, in front of the Seagull Kindergarten to pick up her little brother. All the time her father kept scanning their surroundings. "Dad, what's going on?" Astrid asked but her father kept silent. Then they sped down to the Malmkaia port. Her father parked the Volvo under an enormous coal lifter and the family walked across the steeply lifted plank aboard. Her father talked in hushed tones with a rugged sailor, who shook hands with him and then ushered the family into an unused room.

Astrid was incensed. Her old life had literally vanished in a brief moment. Her brother just enjoyed the adventure and her parents were happy and relaxed. But they didn't explain anything to Astrid, who had to watch when her father threw her old commlink overboard.

Three weeks later, the cargo ship was slowly sailing past Darthmouth on Nova Scotia. Astrid had to board a rickety looking rubber dinghy, that put them to the shore. "Astrid, I will explain everything to you later, when you are older", her father said, "but not now. Now, we are Americans and we have always lived in America, do you understand me? We are not from Narvik or even Norway! This is very important!"

"Ja, far", she answered, perplexed. "And no more Norwegian! We only speak English now", her father ordered.

2068 Montreal

Astrid panted like a dog after a marathon. She'd been dancing for what felt like hours, but in reality was only thirty minutes or so - but she had given it her all. The bonfire threw vivid shadows across the beach, that made the dancers look like demons. Especially considering the decorations, tattoos and other trinkets that most of them were wearing. It was midsummer and every Asatru follower living in or near Montreal had gathered at Wigwam Beach to celebrate. Despite what godi Hilmar had asked, most participants were drunk or high. Clothes had been thrown away as naked and semi-naked humans, elves, dwarves, orcs and even a troll or two jumped, leaped, danced and tumbled around the bonfire. Astrid had taken to the merriment like fish to water, the only thing she had found joyful since leaving Norway.

"NOW! Beseech thine Lord Odin!" the screeching voice of godi Hilmar screamed, as the lanky man with an unkempt beard raised his hands. A pillar of flame rose from the bonfire, and a vaguely humanoid shape appeared. The crowd went mad - many prostrating themselves, yet others jumped around in a frenzy. Astrid saw a man's face turn into a visage of a bear as the berserker punched someone. Hilmar tried to make a speech but nobody paid any attention to him. Astrid finally stopped moving - her limbs felt like lead and the world was spinning around her. Sweat ran down her back and between her cleavage - she was one of the few people not topless. Something was wrong with the spirit that Hilmar had summoned - she couldn't explain it, she just felt it. The spirit of Odin - or whatever it was - roared and swung a giant sword that cleanly decapitated godi Hilmar. People screamed and started to run away, but not Astrid. She was rooted to the coarse sand. Watching the spirit roar again, swing its sword again, and an orc with the head of a wolf was sliced in two.

"GO AWAY!" She screamed as the spirit turned at her. Something inside her snapped and the irritating energy that she had always felt stirring under her skin came loose -

2069 Seattle

Astrid pulled the hood of her hoodie lower, to cover her eyes. She'd been watching the entrance to the Puyallup Asatru temple for an hour now. Yesterday she had stood here for four hours. The day before that, three hours. The day before THAT, well she didn't recall exactly. Her family had moved to Seattle soon after people started asking them questions about what had happened at Wigwam Beach. Questions they had no answers for and Astrid refused to even acknowledge. But she could not put the events behind her. It didn't help that she saw Thor everywhere - in her dreams, in the trideos, even in her school books. Hammer, lightning, fire - and a golden haired man wielding a hammer that could not be anything else but the Mjölnir.

"Come inside datter the rain isn't getting any warmer, and you'll catch your death if you stand here any longer", a kindly voice whispered to her ear. Astrid nearly jumped through her skin as she realized that a fox was sitting on the trash bin next to her and had just whispered to her. The fox laughed like a woman. "You have questions and I have answers but I'm too old to putter around in the rain", the fox said, as if that explained everything. Astrid knew that it was now or never - and never was not really an option. She graciously nodded her head, scooped the fox in her arms and walked inside. Where a middle-aged woman smiled at her warmly. "Thank you for bringing him in with you, the rapscallion runs away all the time", she said, as if talking through foxes was nothing. Astrid put the animal on the floor, only to gasp as it vanished without even a puff of smoke. "You're a follower of Loki", she said and couldn't keep the accusing tone out of her voice. The smile of the gydje never faltered. "I am and you're a seidman", she simply answered. "And you're here because you want to learn to control the gift the Aesir have blessed you with and become a ganner, am I right?" To which Astrid could only nod. "Then remember that the Trickster and the Dragonslayer are brothers and sit down here. I'll brew some tea and we'll talk", the lady said in a firm a tone and puttered around.

2072 Seattle

"Mom, Dad, I'm back - you'll never believe what happened at school today", Astrid yelled as she closed the front door and threw her bomber jacket on the floor. She walked across the corner, only to pull up short. Her parents were sitting on two chairs, gagged and bound. Four rough-looking men were standing around them. "Well well well", said one of them, looking at her hungrily. "Forget it Vlad, you're not fucking up another gig because your dick rules your brain", said another man and pulled the trigger on his gun. Astrid saw the brains of her mother splatter against the pristine white wall of their kitchen. "Yeah but it's not the same when they are paid for it", the man called Vlad answered, pulling his trigger in turn. Astrid couldn't believe she was still standing and silent. But her brother wasn't here. "Now girl, your timing was the worst possible", one of the men said. "Now hold on, we could sell her like we did with the boy", Vlad continued. "The old man only wanted the parents dead, nothing stopping us from making few nyen on the side", he explained, "look at this suka, she is fine!". Her brother was sold? Meaning that he was still alive. The thought gave Astrid strength. Instead of panic, she felt calm detachment. Thor's power ran in her veins. She simply raised an arm, a finger pointing at Vlad and stated: "Burn" And Thor made it happen.

While the house burned around her, Astrid still remained calm. She grabbed the Beretta 101T that her father had taught her to use, as well as the ceremonial but completely functional ceramic knife that she hid under her leather belt. The fake licence her father had bought went into a pocket on her jacket, to sit next to the emergency credsticks, her AR makeup and her commlink. Pulling her bomber jacket back on, she walked outside. The numbness was fading and grief was entering. She had no idea where to begin to look for her brother. She had just murdered four men and committed arson. Her parents had been killed right in front of her. She should probably do something about that. Maybe she should cry.

Hours later, she stumbled into a Stuffer Shack. Emotions all drained, she needed something to stave off the hunger and thirst. Even a cup of soy-caf would be welcome now.

d0nXHxQ.jpg

BOD 3 AGI 3 REA 3 STR 2 CHA 4 INT 3 LOG 2 WIL 6 EDG 2 MAG 6
Magician - Mentor Spirit (Dragonslayer) / Lost Loved One (Parents) - Phobia (Common, Moderate) (Heights) - Records on File (UCAS) - SINner (Standard) (UCAS)
Banishing 1 Binding 1 Blades 1 Counterspelling 2 Leadership 1 Pistols 1 Ritual Spellcasting 2 Spellcasting 2 Summoning 1
Death Touch (Mana, Physical, Touch, Instant, F/2-2) Fireball (Physical, Elemental, Area, Instant, F/2+5) Lightning Bolt (Physical, Elemental, LOS, Instant, F/2+3)
Street Lifestyle
"Odin's Cloak" Armor Jacket B8/I6 with Fire Resistance 4, Non Conductivity 4, Insulation 4
Beretta 101T Light Pistol 4P with Concealable Holster, Laser Sight, Spare Clips
Ceramic Knife 2P with Concealable Holster
48 Light Pistol Ammo as clips on belt, Sony Emperor commlink with subvocal microphone and Iris Orb OS in shorts pocket, Fake Licence (rating 2) for Beretta in jacket pocket, 6 Certified Credsticks (rating 50) in jacket pocket, AR Makeup in jacket pocket
 
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GarfunkeL

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Location
Insert clever insult here
2066 Seattle

"HEY TROG SUCK THIS"
The shout got his attention and Jonathan Winters turned his head, just in time to catch the brick with his face. Dazed, he fell down on his hands and knees. The bullies took that as an encouraging signal and rushed him. Even if their sneakers didn't have reinforced toes, the kicks hurt. Jonathan tried to shield his head as the kicks rained on him. Then it stopped, as suddenly as it had started. "Hey, get up now, they will be back soon", a voice said. Jonathan opened his eyes and saw a young orc boy he vaguely recognized from school. He got up and muttered thanks. "Don't thank me yet - oh shit" Jonathan looked over. His lovely classmates were back, except this time they had brought friends. Friends with pipes and planks. "We should run", he said. "Nah bro, I'm sick of running", the orc answered. "We should give them a real reason to hate and fear trogs", the orc continued. Jonathan nodded. His parents wouldn't be happy but, he could taste blood from the earlier beating. A growl came out of somewhere as the 13-year old troll spread his arms and stood up to his full height. "I'm Jonathan", he said to the orc. "I'm Roscoe", the orc answered. And then the fight began.

2068 Seattle

"How's your day dear?" His mother asked as Jonathan came home. He didn't bother to answer. Self-learning at the community center was a poor replacement for actual schooling, but no school was going to accept him now. Not after what had happened with Roscoe. He'd barely avoided prison time. But his parents made him go to the center and browse the shitty manuals. As if he had any interest in working in a shitty factory like his parents while living in a shitty neighbourhood like Tacoma where everyone hated them. Everything was shitty. Jonathan slammed the door to his room closed and slumped on his bed. He dialled up the volume on his commlink to maximum and blasted out the insane tunes of Goat Fuckers, the latest Goblin Rock sensation. His shitty parents hated his taste in music. "Well fuck you too", he muttered. Everything was shitty.

As one song ended and just before another started, he heard it. A mob chant. He turned off the music and went to join his parents. They were looking through the one window that could be opened in their shitty apartment. A huge crowd had gathered on the street. They were chanting Humanis slogans and, more worryingly, several carried torches. "Jonathan, grab your stuff right now. We're leaving", his father stated matter-of-factly. Surprising even himself, he obeyed without a word. Carrying their meager belongings as they rushed down the stairs, the Winters were joined by many of their orc and troll neighbours. Everyone who had experienced the Night of Rage knew better than to dally in a situation like this. They used the basement fire exit to leave, avoiding the mob that had already started throwing rocks at the building.

"It'll be fine son, we have family in Puyallup, we'll be fine there", his father reassured him.

2071 Seattle

"We only take in the best! We have no room for weaklings! So all of you fuck nuggets will enter the ring and fight it out until one man is standing! The only rule is that there are no rules!" The booming voice stated. Jonathan eyed the other orcs and trolls carefully. He was pretty sure he could take most of them. Few, however, looked like they were packing 'ware. Which was certainly a concern. But then the leader of the gang banged his hands together as a signal to start, and the group of initiates rushed down to the pit. The crowd started whooping and yelling as the recruits started punching each other. Jonathan punched a short orc hard, knocking him out but that was his only victory - three initiates were augmented and they swiftly cleaned out the clocks of everyone else. One had a cyber-spur in his leg that he put to a good use, kicking Jonathan in the head and cutting his scalp open. As the trio turned on each other, a more cautious person would have stayed down and played possum. But not Jonathan. He kept standing up even as the trio kept punching and kicking him down. Only when they broke off one of his horns and the wound in his scalp had bled enough to blind him, did he fall down for good.

Few hours later, he was lying on a dirty mattress in the "great hall". The gang operated out of a derelict building in the Puyallup Barrens, and the great hall had probably been the car park before. They'd been nice enough to let the failed initiates hang around. Jonathan ran his fingers across the scar on his forehead. He was beaten and bruised and there was a dizzying noise inside his head that just wasn't going away. For some reason he couldn't sleep, despite being bone tired. Which is why he was the only one to notice when a shadow snuck through the hall. Logically, he knew it must be a person wearing a camouflage suit or something similar, but it certainly looked like a shadow that came to life. The shadow vanished into the stairs. Jonathan grabbed his boots and decided to go for a walk. Something was going to happen and he didn't want to become a witness.

Outside the night air was calm. He spotted a van in a nearby corner that definitely hadn't been there before. That just made his decision to leave seem smarter. He walked in the opposite direction. When the top floor of the building - the floor where the gang leadership lived - exploded, Jonathan congratulated himself for his excellent decision making skills.

2072 Seattle

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere? Except you used to have two horns, didn't you?"

Jonathan looked up from pile of junk he was going through. The orc did look somewhat familiar to him but his memory wasn't what it used to be. Something had been punched loose in his brain during that gang initiation. So he shrugged his massive shoulders. But the orc wasn't giving up that easily. "I got it now, we went to the same school! It's me, Roscoe! And your name was J-something... gimme a moment.... Jonathan! Man, it's been years!" The orc slapped him on the back. "Uh, yeah, it's been a while", he answered. He did remember Roscoe.

"You don't look too hot man, what's going on", the orc asked, seemingly concerned. "You got that right and I wouldn't even know where to start", Jonathan answered. "Well, let me buy you a cup of soy-caf then and you can tell me all about it. And I might just have a proposition for you that'll turn things around for you", Roscoe admitted cryptically.
They talked for what seemed hours. After which Roscoe made his offer of employment to Jonathan. It wasn't exactly legal but it was something he could excel in at. And it beat scavenging or gang-banging. So he accepted.

zEIEeh0.jpg

BOD 8 AGI 4 REA 4 STR 11 CHA 2 INT 3 LOG 2 WIL 3 EDG 1
Biocompatability (Cyberware) - Exceptional Attribute (STR) - Guts - Thermographic Vision / Allergy (Uncommon, Severe) (Silver) - Mental Handicap (Rating 1) - Poor Self Control (Combat Monster)
Clubs 1 - Dodge 2 - Intimidation 1 - Longarms 2 - Unarmed Combat 2
Squatter Lifestyle
Bike Racing Armor B4/I7 with Fire Resistance 6 and Non Conductivity 6 - Bike Racing Helmet B1/I2 with Fire Resistance 6, Non Conductivity 6, Image Link and Flare Compensation - Riot Shield
Defiance T-250 Shotgun 7P with Red Dot Sight, Sling, Shock Pad, Troll Sized
Extendable Baton 7P with Troll Sized
Meta Link commlink with Trodes, Subvocal Microphone, Biometric Lock and Iris Orb OS in trouser pocket, Headphones with Audio Enhancement (rating 3) worn, 2x Bliss and 5x Certified Credstick (rating 50) in coat pocket. In backpack: Wire clipper, medkit, insulated netting, 2x Flash-Pak, 50 Gel Rounds and 105 Regular Rounds for shotgun, 4x Smoke Grenade, 2x Jazz, 3x Novacoke.
 

GarfunkeL

Racism Expert
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
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Location
Insert clever insult here
2065 Kansas City

12-year old Jewel Fillion sighed as she sat in front of the outdated terminal that the school required her to use. She'd hoped that she was just a late bloomer but it was now becoming clear that she really was a dwarf. Her classmates were going through puberty and most of them had had their growth spurts already, leaving her 110 centimetres even more diminutive in comparison. Which meant that she was the one standing out in her class, a fate worse than death in middle school. So she might as well spend her time playing around with the computers instead of pretending not to hear the insults and snickering.

The teaching software on the terminal was supposed to block access to the 'Net but she'd already figured out a way around it. It helped that it hadn't been updated in years. She pulled up the independent news website she had found earlier and resumed reading it. She'd never heard of the Renraku Arcology siege before and it wasn't covered by her curriculum. And this version didn't sugarcoat things, explicitly stating that it was Renraku who lost control to the rogue AI Deus. It took the UCAS military almost two years to clear out the AI and the thousands of traps and drones it had controlled. The death toll, both civilian and military, had been staggering.

"Miss Fillion, if you could leave your terminal alone for the moment, I'd like to resume class", the nasal voice of her teacher interrupted her reading. Her classmates snickered.

2068 Kansas City

"Here's the money", the lanky boy said as he passed a credstick to Jewel. "Are you sure you can deliver?" The dwarf girl just nodded and left. The school node was practically open to her at this point and changing grades of any moron who had more money than brains was simplicity itself. And most importantly, her usefulness had gotten her the best friend possible: Natalie Wilden, the reigning queen bee of the school. Nobody snickered at her now, dressed as she was in the latest fashions and eating lunch at the same table as Natalie, practically a member of her court.

"Jewel Fillion to the office please", announced the intercom via her commlink. As she made her way to the offices, Natalie popped out and walked with her. "Party at Joey's house this weekend. Can you score us some party supplies", the tall blonde whispered, pretending to hug the dwarf. "For sure Natalie, no problem", Jewel answered. She had already planned it out - hack the delivery register of the local grocery store, find an order with plenty of booze in it and re-direct the drone to the party.

Her dreamy plans of a party flew out the window when she realized her parents were in the office with Principal Zimmer. They were all smiling at her. "And here is the woman of the hour", Zimmer announced. Her parents beamed at her proudly. "What's going on?" Jewel asked, perplexed. "Jewel, it's been clear to me and your parents that our school here is only holding you back. It would be criminal to make you waste any more time here, indeed it would", Zimmer looked at her parents who nodded their agreement. "And yesterday I got confirmation from the school board that you've been accepted to the Zeiss-Müller Academy at Buffalo!" Zimmer clearly thought she would swoon at the news. She certainly felt like it but for other reasons. Now she cursed her hubris at modifying her own grades so high. Sure, she was smart enough but she wasn't a genius!

"Now darling, your father and I must stay here in Kansas City as our careers are not in a state that would allow us to relocate. But don't worry, the Academy is a boarding school, and will fast-track you for college admission by your eighteenth birthday", her mother explained. Jewel nodded. She couldn't confess, she had to ride it out and pretend that she's some child prodigy.

2071 Seattle

"Miss Fillion, it was with great pleasure that we accepted you into our little family here at the University of Washington just six months ago. However, we expected to get a hardworking, exceptional student. An honest student! The university takes a dim view on cheating and crime. Manipulating your own grades would be bad enough but that you've sold your services to other students, making a profit out of it, well that is beyond pale. The disciplinary committee has no other option but to terminate your student status, effective immediately. We are also advising the appropriate authorities on what has transpired here. Campus security will escort you to your dorm and make sure you vacate the premises immediately. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah sure, whatever", Jewel answered in resignation. "You motherfuckers can keep your shitty school, I was bored anyway", she shot off as she walked outside. She had anticipated this outcome and stashed all her stuff in her van already. Flipping the bird to the rent-a-cops, she sped off the campus. Her bank account had enough money to rent out some shithole in Puyallup or Redmond.

2072 Seattle

Jewel jacked out of the 'Net. The bounty on her head was still there. Apparently some of the people who got burned thanks to her grade meddling had way more money than they had sense. It didn't seem logical to her - why put a bounty on her head instead of bribing the university to ignore any transgressions, but maybe someone's pride was hurt or something. She'd been lying low in Puyallup for months now but the bounty was still there in Shadowland. Which meant that she needed to get some serious nyuen and some friends on her side to fight it.

With a sigh, she got dressed. Maybe some air and snacks from the local Stuffer Shack would help. She drove her van the few blocks distance and parked behind the Stuffer Shack. She had quickly learned that the car park in the front was a prime target for local "artists". Walking around the building, she noticed a silver haired woman wearing some fancy boots entering the Shack.

xPM1zN6.jpg

BOD 2 AGI 2 REA 2 STR 3 CHA 4 INT 4 LOG 4 WIL 4 EDG 1
Analytical Mind - Aptitude (Cybercombat) - Codeslinger (Exploit) - Thermographic Vision / Uncouth - Wanted - SINner (Standard) (UCAS)
Automotive Mechanic 1 - Computer 3 - Cybercombat 3 - Data Search 3 - Demolitions 1 - Electronic Warfare 2 - First Aid 1 - Hacking 4 - Hardware 2 - Intimidation 1 - Negotiation 1 - Perception 2 - Pilot Ground Craft 1 - Software 2
Datajack - Clean Metabolism
Middle Lifestyle
Armor Vest B6/I4
On person: Butt Pack, DocWagon Basic Contract, Custom Commlink "Nova" Sy4 Re4 Sy6 Fi6 with Armor Case 10, Biometric Lock, Customized Interface, Hardening 6, Optimization (BioFeedback Filtering), Cryptosense Module, Nonstardard Wireless Link 1, Response Enhancer 2, AR gloves, Sim Module (Hot), Subvocal Microphone, Nanopaste Trodes
Inside Butt Pack: Trauma Patch, 10 Sensor Tags (Microphone), Handheld sensor with Radio Signal Scanner 6 and Geiger Counter and Motion senor, Goggles with Flare Compensation and Vision Magnification and Image Link and Vision Enhancement 3, 2x Stimulant Patch, AR Makeup
Whole lot more gear in van and apartment.
GMC Hermes Van "Serenity" with 2x Drone Racks with Small Landing pads, Anti-Theft system, Extra Entry/Exit points, Engine Customization, GridLink and Override, 2x Gun Port, Dwarf Adjustment, Troll Adjustment, Morphing Licence Plate, Spoof Chip, Oil Slick Sprayer, Rigger Adaptation, Rigger Cocoon, Winch, Vehicle Sensor Pack
S-B Microskimmer and Lockheed Optix-X drones in the drone racks.
 
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GarfunkeL

Racism Expert
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
15,463
Location
Insert clever insult here
2067 Somewhere in the Salish Council Lands

Fire-Leaf flew excitedly between the trees. The traders were here! She hadn't been allowed to talk to them last year but now there was no stopping her. It was the most exciting thing ever! The tiny pixie hovered behind the elders as the traders unloaded their wares. Respecting tribal law, they had walked up here with pack mules carrying their items. Now the four Native men were busy rolling out mats, to better show off their inventory. In return, pixies were bringing down their goods - magical reagents, talismans and fetishes. Fire-Leaf fluttered over the displays, gawking at the strange items. They didn't hold her interest for long as she noticed a fifth man, a boy really, standing behind the mules. Fire-Leaf flew over to her to take a closer look. The boy was toying with a little box he held in one hand, using his other hand to occasionally tap it.
"What's that?" She asked. The boy, startled, almost dropped the rectangle. "What, this? It's my commlink, I was just watching something", he answered. "Let me see", Fire-Leaf pleaded. The boy looked at her for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. He placed the oversized AR goggles awkwardly on her head as well as the headphones in her ears. Then he pressed play and a cacophony of sound and colour assaulted the pixie.

It felt like a brief moment but must have been an hour or more, when the boy ended the AR show. Fire-Leaf could still hear the music. She was enthralled. "You have to bring me one of these next year", the girl insisted. "I'll get you anything you want for it but I must have more!"

2068 Somewhere in the Salish Council Lands

Fire-Leaf flew excitedly between the trees. The other pixies had expected her obsession to fade away as time passed, but it hadn't. She had endlessly replayed the show she had seen in her head, repeating every line she could remember. The traders had arrived and the boy was with them!

"Did you bring it?" She demanded to know. The boy nodded and pulled a wrapped package from his backpack. "It's a Sony Emperor commlink with a customized interface that only uses icons since I guess you can't read. These trodes will replace the AR glasses, just put them on your forehead and they will transmit video and audio directly to your brain. There's a sim module slot too. Since there's no real 'Net connection out here, I've downloaded almost every anime published in the last ten years on it, so you won't run out of stuff to watch for a while", he explained. Fire-Leaf made to grab it but the boy smoothly moved it to the side. "Now, what can you give me in trade", he asked. Fire-Leaf grinned - she opened the Butt Pack she was wearing and handed four talismans over. "These should be enough in trade, don't you agree?" The boy swallowed, handed the commlink to the pixie and quickly hid the talismans. "Uh yeah, that about covers it", he stated.

2069 Somewhere in the Salish Council Lands

Fire-Leaf felt lightheaded but she couldn't stop. Negi had finally confessed his feelings to Rias but then Demon King of the Underworld attacked their high school, interrupting the romantic moment. She HAD to know what happened next. Just as the high-pitched theme song had started playing, she felt hands on her head. Someone ripped the trodes off her forehead, causing a serious jolt in her consciousness. She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She wasn't in Neo-Tokyo - she was in the old sweat lodge. And she was surrounded by several pixies, all with angry scowls on their faces.

"Fire-Leaf! You've been gone for two weeks!" One of them shouted, making her wince. "You've neglected all your duties for even longer!" Another shouted. "This... cursed thing that the outsiders brought is driving you mad!" Yelled a third. "For your own good, we are confiscating it", announced the fourth one. Fire-Leaf gasped and tried to protest but her elders overpowered her, snatching the commlink away.

2070 Somewhere in the Salish Council Lands

Fire-Leaf was giddy with happiness. She had toed the party line, done her duties, pretended she didn't care. The others had been lulled into a false sense of security as she bid her time. The rest of the tribe had gathered for the Spring ritual and would not notice her disappearance for a while. A window of opportunity that allowed her to search the hut of the Elders. And there it was, just as she remembered. She snatched the commlink and flew outside, deeper into the woods. There was a nice dry cave nearby, whose owner - a black bear - had died just before first snow. She wouldn't be discovered.

An hour later she arrived at the cave entrance. Quick assensing of the Astral Plane to make sure nobody else had moved into the cave, and in she went. With shaking hands, Fire-Leaf plugged the trodes on her head, turned the Commlink on and dove into the dream world.

2071 Bellingham

Tachini Pete whistled as he left the pub and walked to his car amidst the gently falling snow.. The four talismans that silly pixie had given him had earned him some serious cash - enough in fact to fast-track him from a lowly tribal trader's apprentice to an independent smuggler. While it was certainly more dangerous, it also paid much better and the ladies were generally far more impressed by his smuggling tales than they would have been of talking about some fucking donkeys shitting all over the place. As he opened the door to his 4x4, a blur flew past his shoulder. "What the hell", he gasped as he tried to pull his Ruger Warhawk revolver from the shoulder holster. "You have to help me!" A desperate sounding female voice pleaded. To his surprise, he realized that it was the same pixie he had traded the old Sony Emperor to, three years before.

"What are you doing here? I thought your kind never left their tribes", he asked. The pixie looked uncomfortable. "I was banished. It doesn't matter. It happened. But I don't know where to go or what to do. You're the only outsider I've ever talked to", Fire-Leaf explained. "Okay, just, well, just sit tight. I have a place near here, I'll take you there and we can figure something out", he said as he climbed in and turned the car on.

2072 Bellingham

"Yeah man, I'm not shitting you. It's a real live pixie. It's been living with me for couple of months now, it fully trusts me. I swear I'm telling the truth! I wouldn't bullshit you man! Yeah, yeah I know. Yeah, sure. So your contact is good? I hear bad things about the Azzies man, I don't wanna get shafted. Forty? Seriously, forty a piece?! Fucking a man, that is awesome! Yeah, I'll feed it some bullshit story about seeing the big city and drive down tomorrow then. Send me meeting place via text only, I don't want any audio from you if it might overhear it. Yeah, it's crazy but it really can't read at all, just pictures. Haha, you're telling me! Man, if it wasn't the size of my arm! Hahahaha, you got it! Okay, see you soon buddy!"

Tachini Pete terminated the call and put his commlink back in his pocket. The wind was freezing his nuts but the he figured that the roof was safe from eavesdropping. His get-rich-ticket was safely downstairs, watching yet more of the retarded Jap shit that he had dabbled with as a kid. As he closed the door leading to the roof behind him, Fire-Leaf allowed her Concealment power to lapse. She didn't understand all of the things she had heard, but she understood enough. This was exactly like the plot of MUSU PANIC STRAWBERRY SUKI SUKI 5 that she had watched just two weeks ago.

The next day Tachini Pete radiated confidence as he drove south on old Interstate-5. He had explained how much Fire-Leaf would love Seattle, about all the cool shops packed with anime stuff. He'd even promised to get her some cosplay outfit. At Everett he had the pixie hide under a thermal netting he kept on the backseat. The UCAS border guards didn't pay him much attention anyway. He didn't want to risk an encounter with some overeager Knight's Errant patrol in Downtown, so he switched from I-5 to 405 and skirted the border between Bellevue and Redmond to get south. The pixie had gotten real quiet when they got inside Seattle but he figured the clueless country bumpkin was just overwhelmed by the neon lights. Through Renton they went and then into Puyallup.

"Are we close to your meeting place, Tachini Pete?" The little pixie suddenly asked, voice full of sadness. "What? Naw, don't go tripping on me now, we're almost at this nice hotel", he tried to bluff. "I think we should part ways now", Fire-Leaf said, closing her eyes and moving to open her door. "Hey, stop that nonsen-GUH-AAAAAAMM FUuuuc-", Pete had tried to pull the pixie back when the most powerful orgasm he had ever experienced blew his mind and soiled his trousers. The car had been moving slow enough that Fire-Leaf had little trouble flying away. Pete slammed the breaks and spun the wheel, still feeling the after-tremors. But the car refused to budge, the rear tires making smoke as the front tires stood perfectly still, as if glued on the asphalt. In a last act of desperation, Pete fell to his knees next to the car and pulled out his revolver. But as Fire-Leaf watched him, the gun got hot. Too hot. So hot it burned his fingers and with a yell he had to drop it. The pixie vanished between the buildings, taking his get-rich-quick-scheme with her.

1hJM2oe.jpg

BOD 1 AGI 3 REA 4 STR 1 CHA 7 INT 4 LOG 2 WIL 7 EDG 1 MAG 6
Magician - Mentor Spirit (Trickster) - Sense of Direction - Spirit Affinity (Beasts) - Concealment - Astral Perception / Addiction (Mild) - Bad Rep - Distinctive Style - Illiterate - Incompetent (all technical skills) - Uneducated - Vanish
Banishing 3 - Binding 3 - Counterspelling 3 - Dodge 1 - Flight 1 - Ritual Spellcasting 3 - Spellcasting 3 - Summoning 3
Detect Life (Mana, Area, Sustained, F/2) - Heal (Mana, Touch, Permanent, DV-2) - Orgasm (Mana, LOS, Sustained, F/2-2) - Glue Strip (Physical, Area, Sustained, F/2+3) - Ignite (Physical, LOS, Permanent, F/2) - Makeover (Physical, Touch, Permanent, F/2)
Whispering Wind (Air Spirit F6) with 3 services
Street Lifestyle

Smart Pack, inside: 4x Certified Credstick R70, Trauma Patch, Sony Emperor commlink with trodes, sim module (hot), customized interface and Iris Orb OS
 
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Dayyālu

Arcane
Joined
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Messages
4,465
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Shaper Crypt
Would not have been better to let the 'Dex choose the characters? I mean, it would not have been difficult considering Shadowrun's variety (maybe a bit messy in the vote phase).

Bunch of Game Master created randos never get the same.... reaction, I've seen. But the GM rules, after all.
 

GarfunkeL

Racism Expert
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
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Location
Insert clever insult here
I've tried that before and it always fizzles out quickly because someone loses interest or is busy with something else. Then you have to replace them and teach the new guy how to use Chummer and so on. Hopefully this will work out better.

2072 Cara'Sir (formerly known as Portland)

"I'm not going to marry some jackass just because you want me! AARGH YOU ARE SO FUCKING ANNOYING! I hate you! I wish I was dead - NO, I wish YOU were dead!"

Seterin Delara slammed the door shut, stopping any counter-arguments her parents could make. As she ran down the stairs, she blocked them on her commlink. They had gone through this argument so many times over the past six months. In the tight-knit society of Tir Taingire, having a dryad daughter had brought prestige to the Delara family and her parents desperately wanted to leverage that prestige to increase their social status even further, by marrying her off to a son of one of the Prince's. Even if the Prince's were no longer directly ruling the Tir, their status was on a class of its own. Seterin had other ideas. She loved being the queen bee of her school, all the eyes on her, girls envious of her and boys lusting after her. And settling down to run the household and just organize parties was far below her ambitions. She was not going to play second fiddle to someone else. They'd even made her do archery, to better fit the idea of a regal elf queen!

For once, there was no rain. Seterin called a drone-cab to take her to the bus station, since the San Francisco-Seattle train still wasn't allowed to stop inside Tir Taingire. Seattle Metroplex, she had heard, would offer her everything she wanted. Boot heels clicking on the floor tiles, she made her way through the lobby, using her AR shades and gloves to order a ticket. Except the agent refused the sale - her credit card had been declined. That was a cheap trick by her parents. She had to get out of here before they got the cops looking for her. How embarrassing would it be, to get arrested and dragged back home? Unacceptable!

Seterin rushed back outside and pulled up her contacts list. Her girlfriends were out of question, their parents would snitch on her immediately. Glorfindel, now there's a possibility. She snorted at the name - it was obvious his parents were nerds and had turned in the Awakening, if they picked a name for their son from some old book. At least her stupid parents were smart enough to pick a proper Sperethiel name for her. Seterin messaged him, asking to meet immediately at a nearby coffee shop. To his credit, the young wanna-be ganger agreed instantly.

"I'm not going to bore you with details baby, but I need to get to Seattle and my credit is frozen thanks to my stupid parents. The rumour says you have connections with Ancients, so please introduce me to them", Seterin cooed, turning her charm on overdrive. She had toyed with Glorfindel before and was now glad that she hadn't gone all the way with him. One finger toying with her cleavage and just the right amount of honey in her words. The poor boy stood no chance. "Uh, okay but these guys are dangerous", he warned her. Seterin merely nodded and stood up.

Glorfindel hailed a drone-cab to take them to St Johns. Residential zone gave way to an industrial one. Off Lombard street, the drone-cab entered a maze of little roads intersecting a variety of worn-down houses, businessess and warehouses. The docks were nearby and Seterin could hear the occasional fog horn. One house had a pink blossom tree standing at the front yard. "We're here Seterin, let me do the talking, ok", Glorfindel pleaded, as they exited the cab and walked through the open garage. The ground floor of the house had been opened up to make a single large room, with couches circling it. At least a dozen elves were lounging around, most of them wearing the black and green leather jackets of Ancients. They all turned to look at the newcomers. Seterin felt nervous but also powerful - once again she was the center of attention, and if this environment wasn't as forgiving as high school, it operated under the same principles. First, identify the boss - her eyes scanned the crowd, locking in on an older elf sitting on the best looking couch, the one made out of actual leather, with a stripperiffic hussy leaning against him. Most importantly, she was not wearing Ancient colours. Which gave her an opening. Before Glorfindel had time to open his mouth and ruin things, Seterin strutted across the room towards the gang boss, working it like she was on a high-fashion runway. She was glad she hadn't changed clothes, the sexy school girl look worked for her advantage here. Reaching the couch, she took a calculated risk and placed one booted feet between the couple, forcing the other woman to lean away - just enough room for her to slither like a cat into his lap and whisper to his ear.

It didn't take long. In less than ten minutes she had Blue Aamon wrapped around her little finger with promises of mind-blowing sex and the increase in social standing of having as magnificent piece of arm candy as she was. Glorfindel had been ushered out and the gang boss proudly showed her his smuggler-ride, a modified Toyota Gopher. The trunk was full of laés so Aamon was quite happy to depart immediately. Seterin felt excited and free as the car sped up across the St Johns Bridge. "Border security is tightest right here in Cara'Sir, so we're driving south of the river for a while babydoll", Amon explained. His Sperethiel was surprisingly good, with barely any accent, leading Seterin to believe he had been born in Tir Taingire. He stepped on the accelerator and the car practically flew north on 30. Aamon slowed down as they neared Longview and turned to cross Columbia river over the Lewis and Clarke bridge. SSC customs station was built over the old Port of Longview. Seterin was at first worried about it, but Aamon clearly had contacts here. He drove to a specific checkpoint, smoothly passed a tiny package to the Native customs agent, who performed the most cursory of vehicle checks, not even bothering to ask for their SINs. Then they were back on their way, through the mostly abandoned Long View, after which Aamon joined I-5 and stepped on it.

Their entry into Seattle was just as uneventful. Aamon pulled off I-5 just before Fort Lewis and drove down smaller and smaller roads, until he hit Nisqually. The main road leading into Seattle had been cut up, to prevent smuggling. That hadn't stopped the Ancients. Aamon drove through the Nisqually Community Garden, where a camouflage netting covered an opening in the thick bush wall. The absurdity of it all made Seterin laugh. It was past midnight when he pulled into a warehouse in Puyallup. A number of elves in black'n'green swarmed to the trunk of the car, carrying the valuable drug packages away. All activity stopped when Seterin stepped out of the Toyota. Another elf, who had merely stood to the side, now approached her: "Who's this then?"

Blue Aamon came around the car and placed an arm possessively across her shoulders: "This is my girlfriend Seterin, fresh out of Cara'Sir". The other elf looked her up and down. "So did you pay the smuggling fee on your own or is Aamon now practicing charity?" Seterin could sense the sudden tension in the air. All the other elves had slowly formed a loose ring around them. There was something going on between these two that she didn't know about and it seemed like bad news for her. Aamon stepped closer to the other elf, both of them now engaged in a staring contest. "And what if I have Balam? You're going to start something?"
"I might. I get why you'd want her as your own squeeze, she's gorgeous", Balam admitted, but then continued: "but it's not good rep for Ancients if anyone can get a free ride just by sucking your dick"
Seterin wisely kept her mouth shut. She knew enough etiquette to realize that a power play was happening right in front of her eyes. Balam was going for Aamon's position and she happened to be the convenient excuse.
"Who sucks my dick is my business, Balam. Maybe I should make you suck it too, since you seem to have forgotten your place, keeb", Aamon stated.

Balam threw the first punch, which Aamon barely managed to block. Then the two elves went to town. Kicks and punches rained against each other. It was bloody and brutal. And to her dismay, Aamon lost. Breathing hard and bleeding, Balam stepped on Aamon's neck, making sure the other elf would never stand up. "Now, let's take care of our new friend", he stated. Seterin didn't like the tone of his voice. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, we're not going to gangbang you here. No, I'll sell you to the Laésa for good nyuen. I'm sure that as the first dryad joygirl, you'll pull in top-notch money in one of their whorehouses. Maybe you'll even get some executive dick in you?" He chuckled at his own joke. "I have money, I can pay you", Seterin attempted but Balam waved her off. "I kinda doubt you have the sort of money your body will get us, so no deal. You two, take her to Laésa right away and do NOT stop to have a freebie on the way", Balam ordered.

Two gangers grabbed her arms and escorted her into the night. Things were not going according to her plan and Seterin tried furiously think how she could get away. The late-night streets weren't abandoned by any means, but she was skeptical of the value of shouting for help. The locals probably wouldn't want to mess with two Ancients. She would have to save herself. Decision made, she waited for the right moment, carefully slipping one hand into her totebag, palming the Defiance Protector her mother had made her always carry. In an busy intersection, her moment came, her guards distracted momentarily by a group of pimped out bikers from a rival go-gang. She pulled out the taser, pushed it against the side of the elf on her left and squeezed the trigger. The elf gurgled in pain and fell down, twitching in aftershocks. Without a pause, she pushed into the elf on her right and lifted her knee with as much force as she could muster. Testicles busted, he went down on his knees. Seterin ran for her life, ducking into an alleyway and hiding behind a dumpster.

Only to be rudely poked on her thigh. Seterin turned around, gripping the taser with both hands but instead of a devil-rat, her compatriot-in-hiding was a tiny woman wearing a buckskin dress and fairy wings. "A pixie!" She stated, astonished. She'd only read about them and never expected to see one in flesh, in a filthy backalley somewhere in Puyallup. "Yeah and you're the strangest looking elf I've seen", Fire-Leaf shot back. "That's because I'm a dryad", Seterin explained. Further explanation would have to wait as the duo observed the alley from their hideout, seeing first the two Ancients gangers entering, only to be met by an irate Tachini Pete. The threesome eyed each other for an eternity, before retreating back the way they had come from. As if to crown the moment, it started raining.

"Let me guess, that Salish guy was after you, just like the elves were after me", Seterin asked Fire-Leaf, who merely nodded. "Seems we better stick together then", she continued. "Strength in numbers and all that. We can fill each other in over a cup of something hot to drink. I'm pretty sure I saw a Stuffer Shack nearby, it should be safe there. Here, sit on my shoulder and pretend you're a robo-puppet, that way you won't attract attention", Seterin instructed her new friend, who merely snorted: "Says the woman with purple-gray skin whose glamour makes everyone to stop what they are doing and stare at her". Seterin had to admit the pixie had a point but the Stuffer Shack was nearby and the rain was only getting worse, so they braved the door.


5ED4ygM.jpg

BOD 2 AGI 4 REA 4 STR 2 CHA 9 INT 3 LOG 2 WIL 3 EDG 2
Bilingual - Exceptional Attribute (CHA) - First Impression - Glamour - Latent Awakening - Low-Light Vision / Combat Paralysis - Distinctive Style - Low Pain Tolerance - SINner (Standard) (Tir Taingire) - Symbiosis
Archery 1 - Con 2 (Seduction 4) - Dodge 1 - Etiquette 1 (Elven 3) - Gymnastics 1 Negotiation 1 (Bargaining 3) - Palming 1 - Perception 1 - Unarmed Combat 1 (Carromeleg 3)
Street Lifestyle - 6 Tee Urban Fashion with Fire Resistance 6 and Non Conductivity 4
Defias Protector Taser 6S(e)
Worn: Purple AR shades with Image Link, Vision Enhancement 3, Vision Magnification and Flare Compensation, Women's Modez boots, StimTouch Hosiery, HandySack Totebag
Inside HandySack: 4x Tranq Patch, Taser darts, 7x Bliss, 7x Cram, 6x Long Haul, 6x Aisa, 6x eX, 8x Certified Credsticks R100, 10x Plastic Restraints, 4x Stim Patch R4, AR makeup, 2x StimTouch Hosiery, 5x NanoFixx, Spectrum Perma Polish, Erika Elite commlink with Iris Orb OS, Biometric lock and AR gloves
 
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GarfunkeL

Racism Expert
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
15,463
Location
Insert clever insult here
2066 Seattle

Roscoe Lorne heard the humans shout something about trogs. He could guess what was happening. At 12, he was already a head taller than his classmates and had faced his fair share of bullying. He sprinted across the corner and saw a troll on his knees, a bleeding gash on his face. A bloody brick nearby told the story. The four boys who had gathered around him fled as soon as Roscoe shoved one of them to the side. He recognized the troll, they went to the same school. "Hey, get up now, they will be back soon", he told him, trying to pull the larger kid up, who muttered his thanks as he regained his footing. "Don't thank me yet - oh shit", Roscoe cursed as the kids returned, having gotten reinforcements. The older kids were armed with pipes and planks. The troll muttered something about running away but Roscoe had had enough. "Nah bro, I'm sick of running", the orc answered. "We should give them a real reason to hate and fear trogs", he continued. The troll nodded and introduced himself. They briefly shook hands and then the melee was on.

2068 Seattle

Roscoe sighed as his mother berated him once more. "I have seven hungry mouths to feed and you dropping out of school is not going to help! What the hell were you thinking?" She laid into him while simultaneously feeding his youngest brother who was barely six months old. "They are all super racist there and I'm fed up with having to take that shit", he explained. "You're lucky they didn't jail your ass two years ago, like your father! And the one who stabbed you did go to juvie, so what was so terrible now?" Her mother switched hands, made his baby brother to burp and went to put him to the crib. "Why can't you be more like your sister, she's studying to make something out of herself and to leave this shithole. But you're like your father, too angry and too proud, and- " Roscoe tuned out the rest. He had heard it all before. "I'm going out mom, later", he shouted and left.

As a 14-year old drop out, his options were pretty limited. Joining a gang seemed like the best bet. He knew how to handle himself in a fight. But his mother wouldn't approve. He walked up and down the streets of Puyallup, deep in thought. Finally he was hungry enough to stop. Munching on a soy-burger Roscoe noticed a stream of sweaty, bruised men coming out of the building next door. Curious, he walked over and found a worn down but functional looking gym. Men were punching and kicking each other in a number of rings, wearing padded gloves and helmets. "You're interested in the noble art of Muy Thai my green friend?" Roscoe turned around and saw a wiry middle-aged man of some unfathomable Asian ethnicity. "I guess", he admitted. "Excellent. Put on those gloves and join me", the man ordered, gearing up. Roscoe did so - if the geezer was so eager to get pummeled to the ground, who was he to stop him?

Three minutes later, as Roscoe's legs refused to get him from the floor and his head wouldn't stop ringing, his opinion on the "art" had changed. "I don't have much money", he started once he could speak, "but I'd like to join, I can help out here, do whatever you need". The old man merely smiled.

2071 Seattle

"The kobun will see you now", the Japanese-looking man announced. Roscoe wiped sweat off his forehead. He'd dressed up in his best clothes, which in this case meant blue jeans and a gray hoodie, but they were clean. He'd had a haircut and polished his tusks. The Japanese man pulled open the flimsy paper door, motioning for Roscoe to enter. The orc teenager did so and carefully knelt down as he had seen in the Yakuza trideos. The local kobun was surprisingly young, a testament to the turnover rate in the syndicate. He stared at Roscoe long and hard, before speaking:
"You wish to make an arrangement with us?"
Roscoe nodded.
"Yes. I wish to appeal for a loan, to augment myself. In return, I will perform jobs for you, jobs that are beneath your station", he explained, speaking slowly and carefully. The Yakuza boss merely nodded.
"Agreed. Ten-thousand nyen will be deposited in a special bank account that we are opening under your name in our institution. My kohai will introduce you to a cyber doctor we have used in the past. The terms are simple, you pay us the loan back with fifty percent interest. Each month you either repay us fifteen hundred or perform a number of jobs equal that worth. These terms are non-negotiable", the kobun explained and waved his hand in dismissal. Roscoe bowed and left. Outside, the same man who had introduced him, opened a car door for him: "The clinic is nearby, we might as well do this right away".

2972 Seattle

Roscoe flexed his muscles, forcing himself to first tense up and then to relax. The increased agility and strength were definitely useful but it was the wired reflexes that really crowned the deal. It might have been second-hand discount 'ware, but he was a beast now. The first gig the Yakuza had had him do was a milk-run, just rough up some shopkeeper and bust his inventory. Except that there had been another worker in the back who carried a shotgun. Only the wired reflexes had saved Roscoe from a face full of buckshot. He knew he should get backup, which led him to reminisce about the stubborn troll boy he had went to school with as a kid. The one who had been expelled since, unlike Roscoe, he had done some real damage to their bullies. Where Roscoe had given them bruises, Jonathan had broken their bones. And as if to prove that destiny was real, his eyes spotted something familiar in the shape of a troll going through a pile of junk behind a Computer Exchange store.

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere? Except you used to have two horns, didn't you?"
The troll turned around and sure enough, it was Jonathan, all grown up and having lost one horn. The troll didn't want to acknowledge him at first, but Roscoe insisted. He knew a lucky strike when it appeared and eventually Jonathan admitted that he was going through a rough patch. Something about a botched gang initiation. "Hey look man, I'll sponsor you a cup of soy-kaf and some food, you must be hungry. And once you've eaten, I might just have a proposition for you that'll turn things around for you", Roscoe explained. They walked to the nearest Stuffer Shack and made themselves comfortable in the kitchen corner. Jonathan ate a fifty creds worth of crap, but it was fun reminiscing with him and at the end of it, he agreed to join up with Roscoe. Things were looking up for them! He'd barely paid any attention to the human woman who had entered the Shack and was standing close to them, trying to make the soy-kaf machine work. Neither did the dwarf girl or the punk-rock couple hold his interest. But when the strange looking elf came in, with some Indian doll/puppet/toybot perched on her shoulder, he perched up and stared. There was something unreal about her, ethereal like. As if the act of opening the door to a Stuffer Shack was the pinnacle of elegance. Roscoe could almost hear some cheesy muzak playing in the background as she glided inside. Jonathan muttered something unintelligible. "Me too buddy, me too", he whispered.

Qn8W2i0.jpg

BOD 5 - AGI 5(6) - REA 6 - STR 6(7) - CHA 2 - INT 4- LOG 2 - WIL 2 - EDG 1
Ambidextrous - Biocompatability (Bioware) - Low-Light Vision - Sensei / Dependent (Inconvenience) - In Debt (15k¥) - Prejudiced (Common, Biased) (Humans)
Blades 3 - Clubs 3 - Dodge 2 - First Aid 1 - Gymnastics 1 - Palming 1 - Perception 2 - Pistols 3 - Unarmed Combat 3
Kickboxing R2: Set-up - Finishing Move
Boosted Reflexes R1 Standard Second-hand - Muscle Augmentation R1 Standard Second-Hand - Muscle Toner R1 Standard Second-Hand
Low Lifestyle
Lined Coat B6/I4
Stun Baton 6S(e)
Colt Manhunter 5P with Quick-Draw Holster and Laser Sight
Worn: Sony Emperor commlink with Vector Xim OS, Certified Credstick R25, backpack
 
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GarfunkeL

Racism Expert
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
15,463
Location
Insert clever insult here
And the last pre-created character. You always need one mysterious stranger with amnesia, so this will be short.

2072 Seattle

She woke up with a start. There was a foul taste in her mouth, like a dead rat. She was drenched, lying as she was on a rickety fire-escape on the side of some red-brick building. Her head felt heavy. Her fingers running on autopilot, they opened her ButtPack, pulled out a Stim Patch and slapped it against her thigh under her skirt. In moment, the fog cleared from her head and she clambered to her feet. She was wearing party clothes, like a slutty Egyptian princess or something. Except for the ButtPack, which gave her a surprise. Inside were grenades, throwing knives and all sorts of tools. Plus a tightly packed and folded body suit. She packed it all away in a haste and checked the commlink, which was registered to one Mona Abanoub. Which was probably her.

The rain didn't seem like it was going to end and her robe, blouse and skirt were all wet through to her underwear. She wasn't going to solve this mystery by catching pneumonia - could elves get sick anyway? She noticed a Stuffer Shack in the corner and walked over. Inside, three people were already crowding the little kitchenette corner, so she queued up behind the human woman fighting with the soy-kaf machine. "Wet out there", said the young orc man in a long coat. Everything about him screamed wannabe shadowrunner. The troll next to him, licking his fingers clean, looked more like your run of the mill homeless. Though the duffel bag between his feet looked heavy. Appearances could be misleading. "Yeah, got caught in the rain", she answered the orc.

8PsVEvh.jpg

BOD 3 - AGI 6 - REA 6 - STR 4 - CHA 3 - INT 3 - LOG 2 - WIL 2 - EDG 1 - MAG 3
Adept - Catlike - Low-light Vision - The Athlete's Way / Amnesia (Past) - Scorched - Sensitive Neural Structure - Sensitive System
Climbing 1 - Dodge 2 - Escape Artist 2 - Gymnastics 2 - Infiltration 3 (Urban 5) - Locksmith 1 - Palming 1 - Perception 1 - Shadowing 1 - Throwing Weapons 1 (Knives 3)
Attribute Boost 2 - Combat Sense 1 - Flexibility 1 - Freefall 1 - Missile Mastery - Sustenance - Cloak 1 - Iron Lungs 1
Street Lifestyle
Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit B6/I2
Throwing Knife 4P
In clothes/worn: ButtPack, MetaLink commlink with Vector Xim OS and Subvocal Microphone
Inside ButtPack: FFFBS, Goggles with Flare Compensation, Image Link, Vision Enhancement 3 and Vision Magnification, Earbuds with Audio Enhancement 3 and Spatial Recognizer, 2x Certified Credsticks R50, Tag Eraser, Lockpick Set, AR makeup, 20x Throwing Knife, 6x Flash-Bang, 5x High Explosive, 4x Thermal Smoke
 
Last edited:

Dayyālu

Arcane
Joined
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Messages
4,465
Location
Shaper Crypt
I've tried that before and it always fizzles out quickly because someone loses interest or is busy with something else. Then you have to replace them and teach the new guy how to use Chummer and so on. Hopefully this will work out better.

I do not mean a play-by post Shadowrun session (I doubt there would be the will), I simply meant to let people vote on the party. Dunnow, we are in a RPG forum, everyone has a passing knowledge of Shadowrun and it's easier to get attached to forum personalities built through the lenses of the writer (like the insane Grimwulfian LPs) than Text Dump Character Number Six.

You still got a reader though. Try not to follow the steps of my LPs and of the Aurora games :lol::lol::lol:
 

GarfunkeL

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Joined
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CHAPTER 1 ACT 1 - FOOD FIGHT!

Great tracts of neon and fluorescent lights that leech away color to make everything a uniform, dull gray indicate that you have arrived at the home of synth-alcohol, soykaf, porno-simchipds, Holohayo 3D greeting cards, pneumatic fluid for your bike, cheap fetish trinkets for the magical wannabes, soygrits, and a full line of stuffers with no redeeming nutritional or social value. Yep, the good ol' Stuffer Shack, home to a smell you can't recognize (and probably don't want to) and thousands of nuyen worth of stomach-rotting chow. As an added benefit, it's open 24-7-365. The store clerk is flipping through a holo-zine as his girlfriend sits on a stool next to the counter babbling incessantly about her completely uneventful day. A young couple in full punk regalia is shopping sullenly for cat food. A thin nervous man searches the ice-cream cases frantically as though his life hung in the balance. In other words, everything is normal a Stuffer Shack, even at 4 am.

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Astrid and Mona are at Area E using the soy-kaf machine. Roscoe and Jonathan are at Area F, leaning against the table, having finished their drinks and food. Jewel is at Area K looking at frozen pizza, near Aisle 18. Fire-Leaf and Seterin are at Aisle 13 pretending to look at herbal teas while whispering to each other.

A mildly attractive elf woman enters the store with a wailing child in tow. Everyone i the Stuffer Shack wrinkles their noses at the offending noise, which is spoiling the mood. Suddenly a violent explosion erupts from the parking lot spraying glass and Stuffers across the room. The wall caves in and dangling fluorescent lamps spray sparks as they sway precariously. After a moment of shocked silence, two large figures step through the gaping blast hole that used to the front of the Stuffer Shack, guns drawn, faces tense. The uglier of the two shouts, "None of ya's is gonna get hurt if ya keep yer yaps shut and stay outta the way. Now tell me where the lady with tha baby is and you all is gonna live to see sunrise". The clerk has been knocked senseless into the cigarette display and the counter is blasted apart. His dwarf girlfriend is lying on the ground, whimpering. The thin man is trying to crawl inside the freezer shelves.

Combat Round 1 begins.

Initiative: Mona 12 Roscoe 17 Seterin 8 Fire-Leaf 9 Jewel 8 Jonathan 9 Astrid 8 Stooby 11 Crank 6 Joeby 12(delayed) Fornis 6
Order of Action: Roscoe - Mona / Joeby - Stooby - Fire-Leaf / Jonathan - Jewel / Seterin / Astrid - Crank / Fornis

Roscoe is not going to take any orders from some nutcase Human gangbanger. His boosted reflexes ensure that he acts first. He quickdraws his Colt Manhunter from under his coat and points it at Stooby, the uglier of the two gangbangers. His Quickdraw Holster reduces the target number from 3 to 2. Roscoe rolls Reaction (6) + Pistols (3), getting the required 2 hits: 4, 4, 1, 4, 4, 6, 5, 4, 3. Roscoe is roughly 20 meters from Stooby making it a Medium range (-1) shot. With no other situational modifiers, Roscoe rolls 9 dice (Pistols 3 + Agility 6 + Laser sight 1 - Medium Range 1), getting 4 hits: 2, 6, 3, 5, 6, 2, 2, 5, 3. Stooby defends with his Reaction only, meaning rolling four dice and getting 3 hits (lucky him!): 6, 5, 2, 5. Roscoe hits Stooby with 1 net hit, which increases the DV of the Colt Manhunter from 5P to 6P. Stooby's Armor Jacket has Ballistic Value 8, reduced to 7 by the Armour Piercing value 1 of the Colt Manhunter. Since the modified DV (6) does not exceed the modified AV (7), the damage is converted from Physical to Stun. Stooby tries to resist the damage, with Body (4) + Modified AV (7) roll of 11, getting 1 hit: 1, 3, 2, 1, 3, 5, 2, 4, 4, 4, 2. Very poor luck. This reduces the modified DV of the hit by 1, from 6S to 5S. Stooby takes five points of stun damage, giving him a -1 modifier to every action.

Since Quick-Draw is a Simple Action, Roscoe can does shoot at Stooby again. He gets 3 hits. Stooby defends with only 1 dice due to his damage modifier, and this being the second attack in this initiative pass against him. He gets 1 hit. Roscoe hits and the modified DV is 5P+2=7P. Still does not exceed the MAR of 7 and thus Roscoe deals Stun damage again. Stoody attempts to resist, getting 4 hits and reducing the MDV from 7 to 3. He takes three more points of damage, giving him a second damage modifier of -2 that overwrites his first one. Roscoe's turn ends.

Mona dives behind the remains of the counter that was right behind her (Free Action). She pulls out the knife-holster-bandolier from her ButtPack and ties it around her left arm (Complex Action).

Joeby is still outside the Stuffer Shack.

Stooby suffers pushback of 3 in his initiative score, moving him from 11 to 8.

Fire-Leaf decides that enough is enough and flies one meter up to see over the aisles (Free Action), spotting Crank but not Stooby. She casts Orgasm to distract the ganger, using default Force 6. As Orgasm is an Illusion spell, her Mentor Spirit automatically assist in the casting, adding 2 dice. Fire-Leaf rolls (Magic 6 + Spellcasting 3 + Mentor Spirit 2) 11 dice, getting only 2 hits. Crank rolls his Willpower in an attempt to resist the spell, getting zero hits. This means that Crank gets a -2 modifier to his every action but since the hits do not exceed his Willpower, he is not completely incapacitated. Fire-Leaf rolls 14 dice to resist the Drain value of (Force 6 / 2 - 2 + 2) 3, getting 3 hits, which is enough to completely negate the drain of the spell - she suffers no ill-effect. As Crank's face is twisted in pleasure, Fire-Leaf yells: "one baddie down!"

Jonathan drops to a knee (Free Action) behind the table, giving him Partial Cover. All of his gear is hidden inside the duffel bag. Not knowing whether the other customers will be of any assistance or how many more gangers are still outside, he decides to prepare for the worst. Using a Complex Action, he dons his helmet, puts his extendable baton on his belt and readies the riot shield on his left and his shotgun on his right hand.

Jewel is a lover, not a fighter. She drops prone at Aisle 18 (Free Action), then activates her Commlink in AR mode (Complex Mode).

Seterin pulls out her taser and readies it (Simple Action). She then walks to the edge of aisle (Free Action). This allows her to see both gangbangers, not just the one Fire-Leaf had warned her about. Knowing that she is a poor shot and taser is a close-range weapon, she takes aim at Stooby. (Simple Action).

Stooby is having a bad day. His Armour Jacket has barely stopped the two bullets shot at him and if he survives this, he's going to have some magnificent bruises. Might have a broken rib as well. There are multiple targets available but he focuses on the orc with the pistol who had shot him. Knowing that he has nearly been knocked out, Stooby takes aim at Roscoe (Simple Action) and only then shoots at him (Simple Action). After all modifiers, he rolls six dice, getting no hits. The shot goes wide, hitting a shelf and making orange, fizzy, liquid spray all over Seterin, giving her a -1 modifier to all actions.

Astrid is not fucking around. She has already killed two Vory hitmen mere hours ago and she didn't even get the damn soy-kaf before this happened. It's tempting to throw a Fireball at the two gangers, but there might be innocent people in the nearby aisles, so she flings a Lightning Bolt at the ganger waving a pistol, making him look like the leader. She casts it at the default Force 6, rolling 10 dice and getting 3 hits. Stooby has little chance to resist, as he suffers -2 to all actions and his Willpower is only 3. He gets no hits. The damage value of the spell is thus increased to (Force 6 + Net Hits 3) nine. Two points are enough to fill out his stun damage monitor, knocking him out and causing him to fall down. The remaining seven points overflow into the physical side, seriously incapacitating him. Astrid then resist the drain value 9 of the spell (Force 6 / 2 + 3 + 3) with ten dice, getting only 2 hits. She takes seven points of stun damage due to drain, causing her to nearly fall to her knees in agony. She now has a -2 modifier to all actions. If only she had known that Roscoe had almost incapacitated the ganger already, she could have scaled the spell down in force.

Crank is having a strange day. As his erect dick spews semen inside his faux-leather pants, he considers which target to hit. The troll is scary but is only gearing up. The orc has shot at his buddy twice. The human is probably the reason for the lightning bolt but she seems to be in distress. He's not sure if the pixie hovering over the aisles is an actual metahuman, or a toy-bot, or a drone - so he ignores it for now. Instead he takes aim (Simple Action) at Roscoe and shoots a Short-Wide Burst using 3 bullets and decreasing Roscoe's defense pool by -2. He rolls 5 dice by default but Orgasm drops that to 3 dice and the range of 20 meters drops it to 2 dice. Recoil from burst fire drops it to 1 dice only as the AK-97 carbine he is using has 1 point of recoil compensation. To make matters worse, he rolls a critical glitch. Instead of putting holes into Roscoe, Crank manages to eject the magazine of his carbine and in his clumsy attempt to catch it, he drops the whole gun to the floor, leaving him empty handed.

Fornis had been slow in following the other two inside. However, he clearly saw what happened to Stooby and Crank. He walks up to Stooby (Free Action) and casts a Manabolt 4 at Roscoe (Complex Action). Rolling seven dice, he gets 4 hits. Roscoe resists and gets 1 hit. Manabolt damage is upgraded from 4 to 6 but as a mana spell, it causes Stun damage. Roscoe now has -2 modifier to all actions as he shudders in pain.

Combat Round 1 ends.

Combat Round 2 begins.

Initiative:
Mona 13 Roscoe 13 Seterin 7 Fire-Leaf 11 Jewel 7 Jonathan 11 Astrid 5 Crank 4 Fornis 7
Order of Action: Mona / Roscoe - Fire-Leaf / Jonathan - Jewel / Seterin / Fornis - Astrid - Crank

Mona stands up from behind the remains of the counter (Simple Action), runs to the other edge of the counter near to the gangers (Free Action) and throws a knife at Fornis (Simple Action). As she is only four meters away, the range is short for throwing knives. She gets a -2 modifier from running, allowing her to roll 5 dice, and she gets zero hit. Embarrassingly, the knife sails past the head of the wiz-ganger who hardly even notices it.

Roscoe thinks the elf woman must be nuts, running in heels like that but he remembers the stories told at the gym by the old guys: always geek the mage first. He takes aim at Fornis, wanting to make the shot count and fires. Rolling six dice (9 positive, 3 negative) he gets only a single hit. Fornis defends with Reactions, getting 2 hits, negating the shot. The wiz-ganger leans back slightly and the bullet flies past his head, hitting one of the wrecked cars outside.

Fire-Leaf can see the trail of the Manabolt and how it affected the aura of the orc. Unfortunately her Heal spell only cures physical injuries so she cannot help the stun damage that the orc suffered. She doubts whether her Ignite can affect the whiz-ganger quickly enough, so she decides instead to shield the others fighting the attackers, deciding to Counterspell. As she needs line of sight to everyone that she wishes to protect, she levitates one meter higher, reaching the ceiling and thus having good visibility around the Stuffer Shack. Sustaining the Orgasm spell on Crank is simple since she isn't casting anything else.

Jonathan walks fifteen meters ahead, putting him at the same level as Aisle 5 - just few meters from both Fornik and Crank. As a troll, he can shoot shotguns with one hand (-1 modifier) so he keeps the riot shield pointed at Crank while he takes aim and then fires at Fornis. He gets 3 hits with his eight dices. As this is the second attack Fornis is defending against, he rolls only a single dice, getting no hits. The shotgun damage goes to 10P. Fornis isn't wearing any armour so he rolls 3 dice for resisting damage, getting one hit. The blast nearly kills him, the shotgun slug ripping his side open and causing him to fall on his knees (-3 modifier to all actions).

Jewel
attempts to hack the Stuffer Shack local node to access the cameras. She has no access ID, nor does she have time to spoof the clerk's ID. She rolls out an old exploit that should still work since it's unlikely Stuffer Shack has spent money upgrading their systems (Complex Action). She rolls eight dice (Hacking 4 + Exploit 4) and gets 3 hits. The exploit works and Jewel gains access to a Security Account, allowing her to view the cameras. To her dismay, they have been turned off.

Seterin lost her aim on Stooby when the ganger fell down, so she instead takes aim at Fornis and then fires her Defiance Protector. She rolls 3 dice getting 1 hit. This is the third attack that Fornis is defending against, and his reactions are out. The taser inflicts 7 stun damage though Fornis manages to resist with one hit, reducing the damage to six. This gives an additional -2 modifier to Fornis which stacks with the earlier -3. The wiz-ganger writhes in extra pain and tries to resist the electro-shock, but nets only one hit and fails. He passes out and is incapacitated for 5 Combat Rounds. The lanky man falls face first over the unconscious Stooby.

Fornis cannot act.

Astrid is tempted to hurl another lightning bolt but the strain might knock her out. Instead, she readies her Beretta 101T (Simple Action) and fires it at Crank. She gets one hit as well as glitches. The shot goes harmless wide, hitting the ceiling instead.

Crank is getting worried but there is a big fucking troll right in front of him, so he takes aim and fires. His penis is still spitting in his pants, so he has a -2 modifier to all actions. The range being short, he rolls four dice and gets 2 hits. Jonathan defends with 4 Reaction dice and also gets 2 hits. Tie always goes to the defender, so the AK bullet merely grazes the top of his riot shield and ricochets away.

Combat Round 2 ends.

Combat Round 3 begins.

Initiative:
Mona 11 Roscoe 11 Seterin 10 Fire-Leaf 11 Jewel 8 Jonathan 9 Astrid 5 Crank 4
Order of Action: Mona / Roscoe / Fire-Leaf - Seterin - Jonathan - Jewel - Astrid - Crank

Mona pulls out another throwing knife (Simple Action) and throws it at Crank. She gets 3 hits. Crank doesn't get any hits for dodging. The DV becomes 7P. Crank's Armour Vest has Impact rating of 4 - as the knife does more than that, the damage remains Physical. Crank tries to resist the damage with 7 dice, getting only 1 hit - he takes six points of damage. The knife embeds itself in his chest, finding a weak spot in the vest and while it does not kill him outright, the serious wound gives him a -2 modifier to all actions.

Roscoe takes aim at Crank and then shoots, getting only 2 hits despite of rolling 8 dice. Crank cannot even attempt to dodge as his Reaction is lower than the combined negative modifiers. The hits are enough to push the pistol damage above the Ballistic rating of his vest. Crank tries to shrug it off but gets only 3 hits, still taking 4 physical damage. The -2 damage modifier goes to -3 now, for a combined -5 to all actions. Weaker men would have succumbed to their wounds already.

Fire-Leaf keeps maintaining the Orgasm spell on Crank and, in case there are more caster hiding outside, remains ready to Counterspell.

Seterin wipes the sugary liquid from her face and walks closer to Crank, pointing her taser at the ganger and ordering him to "DROP YOUR WEAPON!"

Jonathan isn't in the mood to take any risks. With the wiz-ganger out of the picture, nothing stops him from walking right up to Crank, sticking his shotgun against his head and pulling the trigger. Crank has no change to dodge nor to resist - his head explodes as the 12 gauge slug enters through his nose and exits through the back.

Jewel turns the cameras back on. Seeing no attackers left standing, she quickly scans the outside camera, which shows a fourth gangbanger lying prone at the far edge of the parking lot.

Astrid puts her pistol away and leans against the table, catching her breath. She is exhausted.

Crank is dead.

Combat Round 3 ends.
 
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GarfunkeL

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CHAPTER 1 ACT 2 - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

As the smoke cleared and the noise of the gunshots faded away, everyone inside the Stuffer Shack awkwardly looked at each other. The punk couple ran out post-haste, tins of cat food falling from their hands as they vanished into the rain. The dazed dwarf girl, grillfriend of the clerk, crawled to her boyfriend and tried to shake him awake. The nervous man from the ice cream shelf scooped two tubs under his arms and followed the punk rockers into the night. That left the seven who had swung into action.

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I don't know about you guys but I personally would prefer to be far away from here by the time Knight Errant arrives. I have a van ready to go at the back. And since I would also prefer that you don't try to jack it, I'm willing to give you guys a ride.

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Hold on - I'm sure we all appreciate the offer but before we go, we should find that woman with the baby. They were clearly after her.

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YES! We can be heroes like Negi-sensei!

Everyone aside from Seterin stared at Fire-Leaf, this being the first time they had ever seen a live pixie.

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I really thought that was some highly advanced toy. Never thought I'd see one with my own eyes.

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Whatever we are going to do, we should do it. I hear sirens. I'll take care of these two.

The troll stepped on the necks of the two unconscious gangers, his body weight easily crushing their windpipes and killing them.

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Uh, there's a fourth one in the parking lot. I think he's knocked out cold. Can someone help me with the backdoor?

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Allow me.

The elf in party girl outfit goes to work with the lock.

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I found the mother. We better bring her too.

The human woman drags the terrified elf mother who is carrying the infant in her arms, to the backdoor.

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I'll go fetch the passed out ganger from the front, we can interrogate him later.

The dryad wordlessly hands the orc a pair of handcuffs from her bag.


The GMC van drives away from the Stuffer Shack just in time as two KE patrol cars screech to a halt at the parking lot. Jewel manually drives the van south on 161, entering the Barrens side of Puyallup. At Howe intersection, she steers into the trashed out lot of an ancient wrecking yard. As her sensors show nothing alive around them, Fire-Leaf casts Detect Life to make sure they are alone. Once the pixie had confirmation, the group exited the van.

The mother's name is Brandeen Mettlinger and her son is Cody. Between fits of crying, she tells her story. She had been the mistress of one Mel Cozi, a senior Vice-President of Alliance Designs, a local mini-corp. She got pregnant and gave birth to their son, of which she has DNA proof. But she got greedy and blackmailed Mel, threatening to reveal the existence of his bastard son to his wife. Mel paid up for six months but when this month's money didn't show up, Brandeen feared the worst. Rightly so, since it seems Mel has decided to take care of the problem for good. She has saved two thousand ¥ in a certified credstick, that she is willing to hand over if they can make this problem disappear.

The fourth ganger is more than happy to tell all the moment he can. His name is Joeby and Stooby was his brother. He's an amateur hacker, Fornis was a friend of an friend, and Stooby and Crank are in some no-name gang. He doesn't know how Mel Cozi got in touch with Stooby, but he had offered them five hundred a piece to kill Brandeen and her son. They had intended to do it with a car bomb but at the crucial moment, Joeby had hesitated long enough that Brandeen had managed to get inside the Stuffer Shack. Stooby had knocked him out and the rest is history.

The ad hoc team discusses this information. They are all in need of money, though their reasons are different. This seems like a milk run, an easy way to net ¥2k.

A) They could kill Brandeen, Cody and Joeby right here and then get in touch with Mel Cozi to get the reward money. He might not want to pay since he didn't know them.
B) They could convince Brandeen to stop blackmailing Mel and then convince Mel to call-off the hit.
C) They could assassinate Mel, which would fix Brandeen's problem. If they did it at his home, they could make it look like a home invasion gone wrong, maybe lift some valuables from it. Though killing him while he was commuting between home and work might be easier and safer.
D) They could come up with an outside-of-the-box solution.

Opinions are divided between the seven of them.
 
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GarfunkeL

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I do not mean a play-by post Shadowrun session (I doubt there would be the will), I simply meant to let people vote on the party. Dunnow, we are in a RPG forum, everyone has a passing knowledge of Shadowrun and it's easier to get attached to forum personalities built through the lenses of the writer (like the insane Grimwulfian LPs) than Text Dump Character Number Six.

You still got a reader though. Try not to follow the steps of my LPs and of the Aurora games :lol::lol::lol:
Oh well, opportunity missed! For some reason, I didn't even think of that middle-ground between what I'm now doing and what would be a play-by-post game of SR. Hopefully few people can get immersed in this and vote.
 

GarfunkeL

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1hJM2oe.jpg
We should help the poor woman. Sure, she blackmailed the corp guy but with good reason! The right thing to do is to help her!

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I don't really care what we do. Let's just make a decision.

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Hold up. We don't need to make it either or thing. We can get a double payment on this. Let's tell her we agree and get the money. Then we'll fake her death, contact the executive and got the money from him as well. Double payday, no murder!

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That is... well, I was going to say it's crazy but - it actually isn't. It might work. And two k is better than one k.

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I don't give a shit which way it's done. I don't even understand why I'm still here. Whatever.

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It wouldn't be my first choice but it might work. I can probably sell it to the fat fuck with little collaborative evidence. Can you make it happen?

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Yeah, I think I can. I'll have to hack the commlink to get his number and then fake the death certificate as per KE rules. But if you can talk fast enough, it should work and I agree, 2k is better than 1k.

After this quick negotiation, the team informs Brandeen that they accept the job and will take care of Mel Cozi. While Seterin discusses this further with the ragged elf woman, Jewel sneakily takes several pictures of Brandeen from different angles. These pictures would help her create the fake death certificate. Seterin gets her commlink contact information while Roscoe and Jonathan escort Coeby behind the decrepit building, out of sight from the others.

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I guess you can guess what's happening next, Coeby. Sorry about this, it's nothing personal but we can't leave a loose end like you hanging around. Do it quick One-Horn.

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Nighty night.

Jonathan grabs the young gangbanger in a choke hold, crushing the life out of him. They join the others.

Brandeen transfers ¥500 to Setarin, who thanks to her legal SIN has a personal bank account available. The woman promises to transfer the other five hundred once assured that Mel Cozi is no longer after her and her baby. They drive back to the relative safety of Puyallup's more civilized corner and drop her off. Then they get to work.

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I can't find his commlink on the 'Net. Either it's turned off or it was damaged in the firefight. We have to retrieve it from the Stuffer Shack so I can get Cozi's personal contact information off of it.

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It doesn't have to be that complicated. Just check his details on the company node and ring him up.

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Dumbass. His personal commlink won't be listed in public anywhere and if we call the company switchboard, they'll just put me in on hold forever. No, we have to get Stooby's commlink somehow.

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Drive us back to the Stuffer Shack while we come up with a plan.

On the drive back, the team formulates a plan. Since it's extremely likely that the area will have been secured by Knight Errant, Seterin will slip in pretending to be a citizen-journalist doing an investigative piece into gang violence. Mona would pretend to be her assistant/camera guy, and while Seterin distracted the rent-a-cops, she would snatch the commlink they were after. Jewel would then hack it to get Cozi's contact information as well as create a fake death certificate. Once Cozi paid them for the deed, she would transmit the certificate plus doctored pictures of dead Brandeen. Roscoe, Jonathan and Astrid would provide support if needed, though there shouldn't be any trouble. With Cozi's money in bank, they could return to Brandeen to get the other half of her reward. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
 
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GarfunkeL

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CHAPTER 1 ACT 3 - DOUBLE DEAL

Jewel drove her van as close to the Stuffer Shack as she dared. She wasn't sure if KE had pulled her van's appearance from street cams. Just for safety, she had switched plates. Unfortunately she had no elf-sized clothing in her van, so Mona had to go out again in her slutty Egyptian princess costume, though it complemented the backstory Seterin had come up for them nicely - that the two of them had been in a fancy dress party before hearing the explosion. The dryad took a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself. The two young women departed the van and Jewel took off around the block.

The Stuffer Shack was still a mess but, contrary to what she had expected, there was no crowd of spectators nor was there a sea of red-and-blue lights. Two vans were parked at the parking lot of the ravaged Stuffer Shack, one in Knight Errant colours, the other a DocWagon. Last of the bodies was being lifted into the meat wagon. Two KE officers were standing around, chatting up the DocWagon guys. All four were humans. A handful of spectators were hanging around. There was no tape to cordon the crime scene. It was so different from what she had seen in trids! Fluffing her hair, she strode towards the four men who all paused and stared at her as she approached, her Glamour working as usual. She noted their faces, how their eyes ran across her, how their body language switched from bored to interested. Luckily her parents had spoken English as well as Sperethiel at home so she was essentially bilingual, fully fluent in both languages. Just before reaching them, she looked around with a critical eye - as did Mona behind her.

Perception roll. Seterin rolls 4 dice (1 skill + 3 int) for 3, 4, 6, 3 - one hit. Mona rolls 4 dice (1 skill + 3 int) for 3, 2, 2, 1 - no hits.

Seterin spots the evidence bags lying in the open trunk of the KE van and discreetly points them out to Mona. She then launches a million watt smile at the men and launches into them, trying convince them that she is a freelance reporter and distracting them from Mona.

Con roll. Seterin rolls 18 dice (2 skill + 9 cha + 3 glamour + 2 seduction specialty + 2 first impression) for 6 hits. Senior rent-a-cop resist with 5 dice (2 cha + 3 group members) for 4 hits (fucking hell what an amazing roll).

As the bullshit flows beautifully from her lips, the dryad has all four men enthralled, convinced that she is indeed a reporter and eager to answer basic questions and trying their best to impress her. Mona slides near the KE van, pretending to take wide shots of the scene. Once close enough, she spots two bags with commlinks in them. She has to steal both. Luckily they are small.

Palming roll. Mona rolls 7 dice (1 skill + 7 agi) for 1 hit. The KE officers make a joint perception roll to spot her, rolling 1 dice (2 skill + 2 int + 1 group member - 2 distraction - 2 distance) for 1 hit.

A sixth sense warns Mona and, instead of putting the evidence bag in her ButtPack, she turns and pretends to photograph Seterin with the officers, noting that one of them was looking at her. After few moments, the man turns back to the dryad and Mona attempts a second time.

Palming roll. Mona rolls 7 dice for 1 hit. The KE officers roll 1 dice for 0 hits.

Mona successfully steals the first commlink, hiding it in her ButtPack. She then goes for the second one.

Palming roll. Mona rolls 7 dice for 4 hits. The KE officers cannot succeed with only 1 dice.

Feeling more confident, the amnesiac elf pockets the second commlink and signals Seterin she was successful. The dryad thanks the men for their time and the duo depart.

*

Safely back in the van, Jewel does her thing, plugging optical cables into both commlinks and clones their memory chips. While the others make small talk, the decker-rigger cracks their almost non-existent firewalls in short order and lifts the contact information of Mel Cozi, creatively named under PAYDAY. Jewel sends the info to Seterin who had convinced the others that she was the best choice to negotiate with the executive who finally answers the call, sounding sleepy and groggy.

Negotiation roll. Seterin rolls 12 dice (+2 bargaining, but glamour and first impression do not work over phone lines) for 5 hits. Cozi rolls 4 dice (3 skill + 4 cha - 2 blackmail material - 1 intoxicated) for 1 hit.

"Who is this and how did you get this number", the drunk sounding man demanded angrily.
"Mister Cozi, listen carefully. An hour ago, the goons you sent to kill Brandeen failed miserably. All the goons are dead and their target, your baby-mama, is in our custody in a safe location. But I'm not calling to threaten you, I'm calling to make a deal with you Mel", Seterin alternatively barked and cajoled.
"I'm listening", the man answered.
"You promised one thousand to a street ganger. I can make your problem disappear, forever, but for double the price since I'm a professional, not some street thug. And you can afford it easily enough.
"..... very well. I will prepare a credstick certified for two k but I will only hand it over in person and against clear proof that the bitch is dead", Cozi acquiesced.
"I will contact you in the morning. Good night mister Cozi", Seterin said and cut the line.

Jewel announced that she didn't need the others hovering over her shoulder while she worked on the multiple forgeries. Which led to an awkward silence as four of them admitted that they were, for all practical purposes, homeless. Roscoe lived with his family and expressly denied entry to them. Jewel didn't have room. So the foursome turned at Jonathan, who shrugged his massive shoulders and asked Jewel to drop them off at an address in the middle of Loveland. Roscoe jumped out at the same time, preferring to walk home. The pixie, the dryad, the elf and the human stood side-by-side as the troll took them to the basement of a worn-down wooden two-story house via an external door. They could hear the music coming from the various clubs of Loveland all around them. The few windows were all barred and there were clear signs of moisture damage on the walls. The bathroom was a hole in the ground with a bucket covering it. Two stained mattresses were pushed together at one corner, forming an troll-sized sleeping pit.

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This looks cozy. And my commlink is being bombarded with porn spam.

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Oh yeah sorry, I forgot to mention. You should switch your links to hidden mode. The spam is insane here, with so many clubs competing for clients.

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Please tell me that there is an actual shower here and a proper bathroom, not just a bucket. And that you have clean sheets!

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Uh, that's a negative with the sheets. There's a shower upstairs but the ladies don't let me go up there, they're afraid that the house will collapse. I usually take a dip in the nearby pond when I feel grimy enough.

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Ladies upstairs? Your neighbours? Let me guess - whores, strippers and waitresses? Or all three?

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It doesn't matter and you shouldn't judge them anyway. Not to mention, that will give us some cover as well, people are less inclined to pay attention to few new women in such a house.

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True enough. Astrid and Jonathan, we need to do some shopping for bare essentials. Probably for the best if the pixie and the dryad stay here and not draw any attention to us.

Since the others were practically broke, Astrid splurged ¥100 for some household essentials and the fivesome bunked down.

*

Meanwhile, Jewel made it back to her studio apartment and got to work. She had never done any forgeries before but how hard could it be? She jacked into hot sim and watched a slew of trideos of people making fake documents as she practiced photoshopping the pictures and a copy of a real death certificate she snatched off the 'Net.

Creating document template roll. Jewel rolls 9 dice (3 skill + 6 program) for 3 hits. Forging the document to look real. Jewel rolls 1 dice (defaulting) for 1 hit.

"Well, it won't stand up for much but let's hope he pays more attention to the pictures", Jewel announces out loud as she finishes. She then shoots an message to the others before crashing to sleep.

*

Grumpy after sleeping between Mona and Astrid, with One-Leaf literally lying over her torso, and being routinely woken up by noise from upstairs, Seterin is more than happy to arrange a meeting with Cozi for late afternoon. Jonathan dug up four painter-masks and passed them to the women: "If the ash rain starts up, you're going to want to put these on. We'll swing by a diner to get some grub before Jewel picks us up for the meeting"

*

The meeting place was a forest clearing on the border of Puyallup and Fort Lewis, near the Spirit Focus club. The team arrived there two hours before the agreed time. Fire-Leaf and Astrid went hiding in the trees. Jonathan, fully geared up, did the same but on opposite side. Jewel parked his van off the clearing and hid herself inside the Rigger cocoon, using her two drones to keep aerial surveillance of the area. Mona remained with her, making sure nobody would sneak up on the van. Which left Roscoe and Seterin standing at the middle of the clearing, the orc fingering his Colt Manhunter as they waited.

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I'll let you do the talking elf, but if shit hits the fan, you hit the dirt and stay down.

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Does that make you my knight in shining armour then?

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Whatever, dandelion-eater. Get yourself killed if you want.

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Cut the flirting and get your gameface on. We got coming.

A black limousine drove to the clearing. Two men in suits and guns stepped out, scanning the clearing. Seemingly satisfied, one of them opened the backdoor and Mel Cozi arrived to the scene. He was was obviously bio-sculpted to the generic handsome middle-aged man look. His guards remained several meters behind him as he approached Seterin and Roscoe. "Let's see the evidence", he commanded. Wordlessly, Seterin linked their commlinks and uploaded the forged death certificate and the manipulated photos, showing a dead elven woman. Cozi looked them over on his commlink.

Perception roll. Mel Cozi rolls 4 dice for 2 hits.

"What the hell are you trying to pull, this is obviously a forgery!" The angry VP yells. "KILL THEM!"
 

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