[PSIGN] IC: Don't Fear the Reaper

[kinem]

Location: BOSS Command Center, Verdas City, Bellune.
Time: 0855 hours, Monday, 6/12/3098

As Major Robert Clay - a sandy-haired, slightly portly young man in a dark green uniform - waits in the briefing room for the assigned operatives to show up, he strokes a handheld tablet computer, scrolling as he reviews once again the operatives' profiles. He frowns, still unsure if he made the right selections; there are yellow flags in these profiles. Yet in these troubled times, even BOSS's resources are stretched, and these people had track records of success in the field that were impressive; he could count himself lucky to have secured them for the difficult mission ahead. He shakes his head and drinks from his coffee cup, wishing the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach would go away.

[Aeryk]

At 9 on the dot, Dagoth opened the door to the briefing room, quickly scanning it before pocketing his sunglasses and resting his eyes on the Major. He wore his black trenchcoat loosely, revealing normal, comfortable looking civilian clothing, as well as a small backpack over his shoulder. His jet-black hair was neatly and tightly combed back into a short ponytail, which matched a well-groomed, short length goatee. His face easily adopted a heartfelt looking smile, creases already worn into a clearly expressive visage, though he was only 30. Closing the door softly behind him, he strode forward and extended his hand, "Major Clay, I presume? Nice to meet you. I'm Dagoth, though I suppose you already know that," he says, nodding to the tablet. "This is the first time I've actually met BOSS personnel face-to-face!"

[kinem]

Major Clay touches the corner of his screen, minimizing the window he was looking at, and sets the tablet down. He then stands up and shakes Dagoth's hand.

"Hello, Dagoth. Yes, this will be an unusual operation. Please, have a seat.

I won't get into the specifics of the mission until the others arrive. I will say though that it's an important one, and politically sensitive. If you do well, you will be well rewarded, I'm sure. I'm not the one who negotiates terms of employment, but I understand that has been taken care of. I don't know what your fee is and I don't want to know.

But ... You may have to go alone undercover on this one. That's why you were chosen, Dagoth. I hope ... well, that you are just the man we need.

Of course you will have to plan your course of action with the rest of the team. Undercover work is not their forte, but they each bring unique skills to the task."

[Hjolnai]

Eric Carter walks into the room. Most of his clothing is quite formal - black coat and trousers, white shirt with a vest underneath - but he wears an incongruous straw hat. He silently takes a seat, and the hat dissolves into ectoplasm and vanishes.

He says only one word, in a questioning tone: "Requirements?"


Eric manifested Ectoplasmic Creation to form the hat earlier in the day. The power can be dismissed, which he did.
Power points spent: 1.
Power points remaining: 124.

[Llyarden]

Caul is the next to enter, an umbrella tucked under one arm, carefully closing the door behind him. He gives a brief glance around to the others in the room and frowns. "I presume, Major Clay, that you are aware I prefer to work alone?" he points out, voice virtually emotionless. He hasn't met this particular man before; his limited dealings with the BoSS normally went through a different agent. The fact that this Clay - or whoever was giving the orders around here - had managed to go through a different channel to get ahold of him suggested that this was important to say the least.

[byzantineblue]

Sally enters the room a minute late, dancing over to a chair. She's only a little taller than five feet, but she gives the appearance of being taller as she slides into a chair and smoothly crosses her legs. "Good morning, gentlemen." She glances from face to face, her expression half condescending and half curious.

[Aeryk]

"But ... You may have to go alone undercover on this one. That's why you were chosen, Dagoth. I hope ... well, that you are just the man we need.

Of course you will have to plan your course of action with the rest of the team. Undercover work is not their forte, but they each bring unique skills to the task."

"Certainly sir. Sounds like it's right up my alley." Dagoth manages to say, just before Eric walks into the room. He momentarily gives a blank look at the man in the strange straw hat, but recovers himself quickly and decides to join him at the table. He doesn't have an opportunity to engage in conversation before Caul also enters.
~Lively bunch~ Dagoth thinks to himself sarcastically ~Not much for conversation it would seem~
He maintains his calm, smiley demeanor and decides to just wait for the briefing when Sally walks in. Her seemingly chipper and more expressive attitude is a welcome change, and he meets her gaze, gracing her with a quick wink as she takes her seat.
~Hmm, interesting~

[kinem]

"Good morning, Eric, Caul, Sally. Help yourself to coffee or a lumzenge if you like" Major Clay says, gesturing at the coffee pot with its styrofoam cups and a nearby bowl of the nutrient lozenges.

"Yes, Caul, I know you'd prefer to work alone. So would I, on some days. It's not an option this time.

Before the briefing we'll wait for the final team member, who I think will play a vital role in this." He smiles briefly, as if at some inside joke.

[kinem]

Major Clay taps the table impatiently as the last chair remains empty.

Soon his cell phone rings. He looks at it, and presses the screen to take the call. "This had better be important! ... What? Why? ... Hmm. See that you do; you know this is top priority. ... Yeah, thanks."

He hangs up with a grave expression on his face.

"Unfortunately, the other agent who was supposed to join us today is engaged on other urgent business. I have requested a suitable replacement, but for now, the team will consist of the four of you. I believe that together you do have the necessary skills, but to be honest, until we round out the team any margin for error has been unfortunately reduced. Let me explain the assignment, and then if any of you prefer to back out, I'd rather hear that now than to send a person into the field who is not ready for the pressure.

I'm sure you've seen the stories on TV about the troubles in Histria. Though Histria is nominally independent, it's a protectorate of Bellune, and torn by rebellion. It's partly about the lume, of course; we can't let the Histrian supply fall into the hands of the Asanians.

The rebels have sometimes resorted to terrorism, attacking lume mines and Bellunians.

Recently one terrorist has become quite notorious. They call him the 'Iron Reaper', and he led the attack which killed several diplomats along with their families. That attack was a new low since it was the first to target families with children. As a result, even the main rebel group - the so-called 'Histrians United For Freedom' or HUFF - has denounced the Reaper and declared that they have no connection with him.

You may have heard that Bellunian forces have engaged the Reaper, trying to defend lume shipments from his attacks. Those battles have gone poorly for us. Our soldiers shot at him and they even tried light anti-tank weapons, but he wasn't hurt much if at all. This Reaper carries a gun, but mainly he attacks with a scythe-like force field with a long reach, as it's been best described.

Our psions have tried to locate him with remote viewing, but so far without success. That means he has access to some kind of barred mind ability, either on his own, from a powerful ally, or from a barred mind ring such as our top diplomats wear.

We have reason to believe that he also has some kind of inside information from either a Bellunian or Histrian source. In particular, he has been able to target lume shipments reliably, and those diplomats. And ... Recently his group looted a shipment of light anti-tank weapons.

Your assignment is to find and kill or capture the Iron Reaper. If possible and just as importantly, find out who he works for. Of course, while minimizing friendly and civilian casualties. I figure that a team of highly skilled and psionically gifted individuals may succeed where our regular forces have failed.

Now, maybe he is really just a Histrian rebel. But none of the other rebels that we know of have shown anything close to his level of capabilities and of violence. So I'm going to throw out some other possibilities for you to chew on while you conduct your investigation.

The Asanians are an obvious possibility. Those communists would love to kick us out of Histria. Honestly if I had to guess I'd say it's them, but on the other hand, jumping to conclusions is foolish at this point.

I mentioned he seemed to have inside information on us. Well, there are those within Bellune who think we should take a more direct role in Histria and who would even like to impose martial law here in Bellune if they could. I don't rule out that such a conspiracy could be behind the Reaper.

Who else? Well, there are violent fringe groups worldwide. For example, the Quantum Killers believe that there are parallel worlds, and since one cannot experience being dead, those that die in this world live on in other worlds. Therefore they have no compunction against killing and no fear of death. A group of them could conceivably have financed a scheme to profit from stolen lume while maintaining a cover story of Histrian rebellion.

In a similar vein, the Psi-lipcists believe that only the psionically gifted are actually conscious. More common are Psi-supremacists who think psions should rule us all. A group of these radicals might resort to any scheme that could sow the chaos they need for the political changes they hope to see.

So ... are you in?"

[Aeryk]

Dagoth stands up, saunters over to the coffee and pours himself a cup. He pockets a lumzenge and pensively mulls over the details of the briefing. The mission sounded dangerous. Likely more dangerous than anything he had attempted before, and now he would have to work with this... motley crew. But he certainly wasn't one to back down from a challenge, and to turn down employment from BOSS could have more far-reaching consequences on his reputation and future employment. Dagoth knew he would do the job of course, but he needed more details first.

"I know from your earlier comment, sir, that you aren't the one to ask, but I for one would like to know just how much is in it for us. Second of all, if we do this, what kind of resources are going to be available to us from BOSS's end? Finally, do we have any additional intel on this Iron Reaper, like a possible location perhaps? Or video footage to review? I just want to have an idea of how deep the pile **** I'm about to step in is before I commit."

[Llyarden]

Caul raps his fingers against the handle of his umbrella as Clay gives his speech, frowning more at the 'urgent business' of the other agent than anything the Major is saying with regards to the mission. Typical unprofessionalism. Perhaps it is a good thing he is otherwise engaged. Although if one member of Clay's selection has proven unreliable, how trustworthy are the rest? He nods in agreement, though, with the man who had already been here - presumably a BoSS agent himself given that he called the Major 'sir.' At least someone else in this room appears competent at first appearance.

Out loud, he says "Further to Mr...er...his -" he waved the umbrella to indicate Dagoth "- question, have any of your people theorised how he is accomplishing this little trick of not being hurt by things? It seems like something that would prove...awkward for us."

[kinem]

"I'll answer as much of it as I can" Major Clay says.

"You'll have the use of your usual special equipment, of course. Beyond that, BOSS will consider any reasonable requests.

In terms of manpower, we could assign additional troops to back you up, but I am reluctant to do so both because catching this guy requires an element of surprise - his attacks have not been against troop formations - and because I don't want to lose any more men than I have to, and most soldiers lack the level of combat skills you guys have. But if you make a case for it as your investigation proceeds, we certainly have troops on the ground you could call on.

As for where to find him, I think the best bet is to follow the lume. The most vulnerable point has been trucking the lume from the mines to the port. He doesn't attack every shipment, and sometimes other rebels get in on the act, but it's been a common target.

We don't have video and I'm not sure it would help if we did. We do have eyewitness testimony, and you're going to love this: It's contradictory. Some say he's tall, short, fat, thin, bald, hairy - what have you. Frankly this is no surprise to me; I myself own a hat of disguise and if I were a terrorist I'm sure I'd wear it on the job.

As for his not being hurt, all we can do is speculate at this point. It might just be that he has potent psionic protections - fire resistance, inertial armor, force screen, that sort of thing. It might be something else. He's called a Reaper; maybe he's some sort of weird undead monster. Your guess is as good as mine."

[Hjolnai]

Eric sits in deep thought, considering the problem.

"Possibility: Non-physical presence."

He pauses for a while, and just as it seems he is finished speaking, more words come forth.

"More information required. Observation vital. Objective... acceptable."

[Aeryk]

Eric sits in deep thought, considering the problem.

"Possibility: Non-physical presence."

He pauses for a while, and just as it seems he is finished speaking, more words come forth.

"More information required. Observation vital. Objective... acceptable."

Dagoth nods in agreement to Eric's statements, but inwardly says to himself, ~Great. He's a frickin' robot. *sigh* At least they seem interested in the job. This certainly isn't something I'd want to do on my own.~ Then a glance at Sally, ~I wonder how she is?~
He takes a sip of coffee, waiting to see if anyone else has anything to say.

[byzantineblue]

Bounty hunting missions are Sally's favorite. She gets to play the horror movie monster and hunt this iron reaper down. "Sounds fun. He's not going to have a physical presence for long, that's for sure," she grins, seeming to be genuinely amused by the situation. She finishes putting sweetener in her coffee, carefully lays the six empty packets to the side, and takes a sip, still smiling angelically.

[Hjolnai]

Eric stops examining the texture of the wall, meeting the eyes of each other team member in turn.

"Caul. Sally."

He pauses as he looks at Dagoth.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."

Another pause, as he changes focus to address the whole group.

"As I'm sure you already heard from Major Clay, I am Eric. Metacreativity is my discipline, although I have some skill across all of them. As I was trying to say earlier, incorporeality has been observed in the past, although as far as I'm aware human application remains purely theoretical - a possible explanation. Ordinary psionic defenses remain a possibility, as Major Clay said. Until we identify the defense and its counters, it would be unwise to engage."

After so many words, Eric seems to be running out of steam. He pulls a small tile from his pocket, staring intently at its every discolouration and running his fingers over it to feel the texture.

"What abilities will you provide?"

Eric manifests Broker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/b/broker), which has no Display, so it's not obvious. He doesn't actually need it to speak in complete sentences, but why make the effort when he's so accustomed to using psionics for every aspect of life?

Power points spent: 1.
Power points left: 123.

[byzantineblue]

Sally glances at Eric, remembering the autistic friend she had when she was in grade school. "I provide the ability to cut people to ribbons. Also to catch people who are trying to avoid being cut to ribbons. And to defend myself against the people I'm cutting to ribbons."

[Llyarden]

Caul looked over at Eric. "I eliminate targets. Preferably at considerable range. I can also infiltrate target locations if necessary." He paused for a minute. "Incorporeality alone is merely a limited defence; I myself can damage incorporeal targets albeit with reduced efficacy and I presume others of our skill are capable of doing so."

He turned to Major Clay. "When do we leave?"

[kinem]

"This morning. The plane's ready at your convenience, from Brennet base, which serves BOSS as well as the regular air force" Major Clay responds. "The trip should take about three hours."

[Aeryk]

"Dagoth", Dagoth replies to Eric warmly as he extends a hand to shake, "Pleased to meet you."
He listens to the others' explanations of their abilities and seems genuinely impressed.
"My ability is to appear harmless..." Dagoth says, spreading his hands open at his sides, "and then to harm. Ideally without leaving a trace."

~Okay, weird,~ he thinks of Eric, ~but he has a pretty methodical way of breaking things down, I'll give him that.~
As for this Caul fellow, Dagoth could certainly understand the desire to work alone, which he himself preferred as well.
~Even so, he can provide cover. I don't think we'll be stepping on each others' toes too much, so that's good.~
Sally on the other hand seemed to take things a little lightly for Dagoth's taste, but he'd dealt with worse.
~I think this group can use a little extra pep anyway. And she'll probably keep the heat off me with all that flair. At the very least BOSS wouldn't hire anyone incompetent. We just need a little time to figure things out and establish our team dynamic.~

Dagoth looks around the room, then says to Major Clay, "Well, now that we've all been briefed and made each other's acquaintance, I for one am ready to go."

[byzantineblue]

Sally takes a long sip of coffee, then slams it down dramatically as she stands up. "Right, let's go. No point sticking around here forever."

[Hjolnai]

"Dagoth", Dagoth replies to Eric warmly as he extends a hand to shake, "Pleased to meet you."
(Snip)

Eric looks wierdly at Dagoth's hand, before shaking with a surprisingly firm grip.

***

As the others seem to be ready, Eric stands without a word.

[kinem]

"Good luck to you" Major Clay tells you as you leave his office.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Brennet Air Force Base, Verdas City, Bellune.
Time: 1000 hours, Monday, 6/12/3098

The base is on a small hill, and a few clouds streak the blue sky. You see three planes flying in formation a few miles away.

After passing through security and having your identities verified, you are greeted by Mike Quick, who identifies himself as a BOSS agent. He's bald, tall, and thin, and appears to be an older gentleman, but spry enough.

"Good morning. This way" he says. "BOSS runs a research program here, you know. There have been breakthroughs recently in robotics and artificial intelligence. We're working on something that might one day help keep our boys out of harm's way. And our girls, of course, Sally! Would you like to see it before boarding the plane?" From his grin, you can tell that he hopes you will.

[byzantineblue]

"Sure we would," Sally chirps, although she's a little annoyed at being singled out.

[Llyarden]

Caul frowned, but eventually supposed that there was no immediate hurry to their mission. "Lead the way, Mr Quick." Though the lack of professionalism this 'Quick' displayed was troubling. Where did the BoSS find all these people?

[Hjolnai]

"Indeed."

This project might be outside Eric's particular expertise, but he sees no reason not to have a look to satisfy his eternal curiosity. And if he gets the chance to show off his abilities there, so much the better.

[Aeryk]

"Sounds good."
Dagoth is definitely interested, and if BOSS isn't going to rush him, he might as well take in what he can.
~It'll be interesting to see what kinds of things BOSS researches. I wonder what kind of advances they've made?~

[kinem]

"Excellent." Mr. Quick leads you through a long corridor and through a door marked DANGER - AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Inside is a large room filled with many tables and shelves full of electronic and mechanical gear and parts, as well as four people working on something making whirring noises. "Leave your luggage over there" he says as points to a nearby corner, and he tells the workers "Never mind us. Just giving these agents a quick tour."

"Look at this" Mr. Quick says as he picks a box off a shelf. Inside is a small round ball; upon closer inspection, it resembles ...

"A cybernetic eye" he explains. "It can be implanted to cure most forms of blindness, and is powered by nutrients in the body. Capable of providing infrared night vision. And it's just one of many body parts we can now replace or enhance cybernetically. We can even enhance the body much as certain psionic items do. As of yet, high cost prevents widespread use, but I'm sure you can see the potential! But that's just the start."

He puts it back and leads the way to an unmoving roughly humanoid metallic construct which has wires and gears showing in various places.

"This robot is a prototype; of course it's still being worked on. We've built several already; you might see an operational one working security on the airfield. Note here, this is a built-in sonic weapon. It can be tuned either for nonlethal crowd control or to emit a deadly focused beam. The body incorporates nanotech parts with self-repair capabilities. The artificial intelligence is the real challenge, of course; it has to distinguish friend from foe rather reliably! We've got that solved ... ah ... almost perfectly. It currently depends on a psionic item for core power. Questions?"

[Hjolnai]

Eric examines the robot intently.

"Unorthodox. A.I. controlled psionics. Raises philosophical questions."

[kinem]

"Indeed it does.

I must clarify: When I say we have achieved all this, I don't just mean the team here at the base. We collaborate with many researchers both at other BOSS facilities and at universities and private companies. But it's an integrated effort. Most of the details are classified, but I don't think it'll be long before the public begins to hear of it. I'd say Bellune is one step ahead of the other nations at this point, but some are not far behind." Mr. Quick replies.

[Aeryk]

"Well, progress is progress," says Dagoth, "Better to have the technology in our hands than in the enemy's. It's a lot easier to discuss ethics when you still have breath in your body, and it looks like BOSS is trying hard to keep it that way!" As he says this, he can't help but feel a little uncomfortable at the idea of an unreliable AI, but he pushes that feeling down inside in order to concentrate on the technological marvels around him.

Almost as an afterthought he asks, "What is the psionic item being used for powering it?"

[kinem]

Mr. Quick replies "It's an electrical crystal, basically. Based on a technique developed to add a bit of a shock to weapons, actually.

Well, I guess you have urgent business and I've kept you long enough. You know how to reach me if you want to talk about what's coming. To the plane now?"

[Aeryk]

"Certainly"

[Hjolnai]

Curiosity sated for now, Eric stands ready to go.

"I concur."

[Llyarden]

Caul continued to frown, not feeling any more satisfied by Quick's explanation. Almost perfectly will be insufficient, he thought to himself. And why do I feel that Quick is the sort of person who would send this contraption out to war without complete testing?

Out loud, he merely agreed with the others. "To the plane."

[kinem]

"Very well. Follow me." Mr. Quick leads the way out of the robotics lab and through a short maze of corridors, then finally to the airfield. "Good luck on your mission."

The airplane you are assigned is a small passenger jet. Once on board you are greeted by four people: The pilot John Stone, copilot Alice Brown, and two men dressed in camoflague outfits.

One of the latter explains "Good morning. We've been assigned to deliver that." He points to a box, about 2' cube, from which you hear an occasional clicking noise. "Secret BOSS business, much like you no doubt."

[byzantineblue]

"Going to the same place, then?" Sally assumes.

[Hjolnai]

Eric gives the box a curious look, but says nothing.

[Llyarden]

Caul frowns at the men in camoflague outfits. Apparently the BoSS cannot even spare two planes for two entirely separate missions. This frequent unprofessionalism is...troubling.

He gestured to the clicking box with his umbrella. "Is it going to do that all the way there? That will be rather...irritating."

[Aeryk]

~Hmm. Secret enough not to tell us, but not secret enough to hide it from us. That's interesting.~
Dagoth smiles and nods, "Do you know what's in it?"
~Can't hurt to ask. They left it out for us to see, and that just begs questions.~

[kinem]

"Yes ... But we're not supposed to discuss it. I'm not sure if the sounds will continue. At least on this flight we have plenty of leg room."

[Aeryk]

"Very well," Dagoth replies. He moves to take a seat and get comfortable, possibly even taking a short nap.

[kinem]

Soon the plane is ready to take off. During the flight, one of the box handlers pulls out a tablet from his bag and the two of them use it to watch a popular fantasy action flick - Mallory the Dragonslayer. They keep to themselves unless you go over to talk with them.

The box quiets down after a few minutes.

If this were a movie, the title sequence / montage goes here ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=68541&d=1432484430

Don't Fear the Reaper


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM0im3V8HlU

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Nium Airport, Nium City, Histria.
Local Time: 1300 hours, Monday, 6/12/3098

It is hot and sunny here in Histria when you deplane. All of your luggage seems in order. When the box handlers lift their charge to carry it off the plane, it resumes clicking. "Good luck, agents." "Good luck to you." They take their leave and carry the box away.

You are greeted by another man wearing the same kind of tan camouflage as the box handlers are. "Hello. I am BoSS Agent Keeth Kreery, your contact here. Major Clay filled me in by phone. Here's my card. I'll do what I can to assist you, but local resources are stretched thin already. I'm not going out in the field with you but you can call me if you need to get some backup in an emergency and I'll pass it on to the Bellunian military forces here or to the local Histrian forces as appropriate.

Speaking of local Histrians ... There is a woman I think you should meet. Her name is Istilah El-Amin. She's a bit of a firebrand, and wants Bellune out of Histria. She has some psionic power and we've kept on eye on her since she could be a problem were she to join the rebellion. But she's condemned the Reaper. I have to warn you that our main Histrian ally here, the Mayor of Nium City, Jon Spalli, doesn't trust her at all and is adamantly against the idea of working with her. But I think it's worth the risk.

We have a rental van which you can use; it should fit all of the gear you need and not be too conspicuous. If you prefer different transportation that's fine too. As for lodging, there are barracks at Theta Base, as well as several hotels in the Bellunian quarter should you prefer. You may wish to make your own arrangements though since if I understand right this is pretty much an undercover operation."

[Aeryk]

"Sounds good to me," says Dagoth. As he looks around to the rest of the group he thinks to himself, ~Wonder what the rest of the freaks are going to do?~, as he throws his bag into the back of the van. "When do we meet her?"

Dagoth will go the easy route and take the van and the barracks.

[kinem]

"I'll give you her number and you can work that out with her. Need anything else?" Agent Kreery replies.

[Llyarden]

"I prefer to make my own arrangements for accomodations," Caul said. With insufficient time to examine the barracks for blind spots, sniper nests, bugs and other oddments, at least.

"Perhaps we should arrange a method of contact," he suggested to the rest of the group, "so as to minimize the amount of time we are observed together. Incidentally, Agent Kreery, could you point me in the direction of the bathrooms? I would like to freshen up before going in search of a hotel."

[kinem]

"Restrooms are down the hall to the right" Agent Kreery obliges.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth takes the card from Agent Kreery and says,"Excellent. So, is BOSS going to give us any further guidance, or are we free to simply go about making our own plans? Are we supposed to be reporting to anyone?"

To Caul he replies, "Good idea. I have a cell you can reach me on.", and gives him his phone number.

[kinem]

"You'll largely have operational autonomy, unless you request otherwise or the situation changes" Agent Kreery says. "You should keep Major Clay and myself abreast of any major developments.

I should also tell you, that another situation of concern to the BoSS has arisen in Histria. For now we're just keeping a careful eye on it, but it may become necessary to re-assign some or all of you to that other case. I really can't tell you any more about it at this time. And on the other hand, Major Clay is still trying to get an additional agent assigned to the Reaper case. So be prepared for possible personnel changes."

OOC: If some players stop posting I will use that re-assignment to let their PCs be removed from play.

[Llyarden]

Caul tapped the number into his phone with a nod of acknowledgement, returning the favour by handing Dagoth a business card (that labelled Caul as a security consultant.) "Very well, Agent," he said to Kreery, once again remembering why he worked alone - other people were so darn unreliable. "If we have no major and immediate avenues of action, perhaps we should depart for whatever accomodations we intend on finding ourselves and wait for you, Dagoth, to arrange a meeting with El-Amin. Unless any of the rest of you are specialised in negotiations. I myself am not. I shall await your call, Dagoth."

So saying, Caul turned on his heel and headed for the bathrooms. When he emerged but a few moments later, he would have been unrecogniseable at a glance as the same person. His hooded top and jeans that he had been wearing until now were replaced by a white shirt with pale beige trousers and a matching jacket, and a pair of designer shades were perched on his nose, looking all the world like a rich businessman on his day off. His umbrella was gone, too, replaced by a walking cane that rapped against the ground as he went in search of a hotel, hoping as he went that trusting Dagoth to do something efficiently would not prove to be a fatal flaw.

[byzantineblue]

Sally brings herself back to the conversation at hand, having spaced off a little while looking at her surroundings. "It seems to me," she says, "that we need to find the Reaper before we can do anything about catching him. I have some working knowledge of electronics, so if we need to tap phones or something, I'd be able to do that. Oh, and I have a phone too, and an email address" she says, writing them down for the team members who are still here.

[Hjolnai]

Eric passes around a piece of paper with a mobile phone number written with absolute precision, almost as if typed.

"Objective summary: Find accommodation. Contact Istilah El-Amin. Contact Jon Spalli. Find and capture the Reaper.

A pause, gathering his energy for a less... efficient sentence.

"I should be part of the meeting with Istilah El-Amin."

[kinem]

Agent Kreery gives you El-Amin's number, and punches the numbers you offer into his own phone.

OOC: Probably time to move on; Agent Kreery takes his leave if there are no further questions. You can try calling El-Amin and see if Rokku responds.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth looks over the business card briefly before pocketing it. ~Professional. I like that.~
"You got it Caul. You shouldn't have to wait long. I'll be in touch."

He takes the papers from the others as well, also placing them into his pocket to be entered into his phone later.
In response to Eric's statement he replies with a grin, "Certainly. Wouldn't want all of you trusting me to get things done properly after only having just met me. Besides, it's always better to have back-up, right?"

~I wonder if there's any particular reason he is adamant about this meeting, or if it's just general interest in the mission?~

"And good call on contacting Jon Spalli, it's exactly what I had in mind."

Dagoth turns to Sally, "Yes, those skills could definitely be an asset. Tapping Spalli's line might be a good idea. Do you want to come with Eric and I first to meet this Istilah woman?"

Whatever Sally's answer is, Dagoth will move to the driver's seat of the van, inviting anyone who wishes to accompany him. Before he departs for the barracks, he will call Istilah on his cellphone, putting it on speaker for the benefit of the others.

[byzantineblue]

"Sure," Sally agrees, resisting the urge to correct Dagoth's grammar. She joins him in the van, taking the passenger seat.

[Hjolnai]

Eric opens the bonnet of the van, looking carefully at the engine block. Apparently seeing nothing of interest, he closes the bonnet and walks around to sit in one of the back seats.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth sits down and asks Eric, "Looking for something?", then dials the number he's been given for Istilah, putting it on speaker for Sally and Eric to hear and letting it ring...

Dagoth's grammar?

[kinem]

You hear the ringing over the speaker, but no one picks up on the other end. Finally you hear a generic "Please leave a message after the beep" message. Beep.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth hangs up, cutting in right at, "Please leave a message after the..."
~Cautious, away, or jeopardized. Best just play it safe for now.~

Turning to the other two he says, "No sense leaving a message. Could be that the line is compromised. We can just ask Kreery or Clay to try and get in contact with her again. I'm sure if they think we need more help they'll find it. I'm going to call Jon Spalli now."

With that he dials the number for Spalli.

[kinem]

After a couple of rings a male voice answers the phone. "Hello?"

[Aeryk]

"Hello, this is Dagoth McClennan calling on behalf of the Bellune Office of Special Security. I'm looking for Jon Spalli."
Dagoth gives a pause for the man on the other end to respond.

OoC: If it isn't Spalli answering he'll wait, if it is, he carries on.

"Yes, I am part of a team of BOSS operatives investigating the situation with the Iron Reaper. I assume Agent Kreery has already informed you of our mission? We would like to set up a meeting with you at your earliest convenience to discuss it in person."

[kinem]

The man on the phone replies "I'm Jon Spalli. Agent Kreery told me about it, yes.

I appreciate any efforts to help catch the terrorists. If you want to meet, come to the City Hall at five PM this evening."

[Aeryk]

"Excellent, we're looking forward to it."

Dagoth hangs up and looks to the other two. "So that gives us roughly three and a half hours to settle our own accomodations and meet up at city hall. Are there any preparations you guys need to make, or can I drive you anywhere first? I'm going to go and check out the barracks."

-

After whatever exchange takes place amongst themselves, he pulls out the card given to him by Caul, programs the number into his phone (stowing the card into his wallet as back-up), then calls him.

"Caul? Dagoth. El-Amin was unreachable, but we're meeting Jon Spalli at the Nium City Hall this evening at 1700 hours. See you there?"

[Llyarden]

Caul's response is not as curt as might have been expected from him at this point. "Looking forwards to it."

Still playing the part of the businessman on holiday, he first purchased a guidebook and spent a few minutes looking through it for any cafe, resturant or similar that was nearby the city hall and therefore would provide a good view of events. Then he would try to see if the city hall had any guided tours or similar scheduled for 5pm, the better to have an excuse for being there.

And then, hopefully aided by his guidebook, he would go for a merry wander to see the sights find a seat in a cafe, order a nice tea, watch the world go by with particular interest on those around the city hall, and work out the best place to cover the meeting from. He decided not to risk arousing suspicion by asking any leading questions about the city hall; that form of subtlety was not his strong point.

Not really sure what if anything should be rolled for all this; basically trying to work out blind spots, any exploitable holes in security, good places to put a sniper (be it him or someone else) and all that. I think Profession (soldier) would be the most appropriate, so here goes: [roll0]

[kinem]

Caul soon finds that Nium City is fairly sharply divided between wealthy, gated communities and run-down apartment buildings. The 'Bellunian Quarter' is one of the few areas that does feature several hotels and restaurants, and naturally enough a high concentration of Bellunian expatriates. In order to enter it, as well as certain other areas, there are military checkpoints. There is a noticeable but sporadic police presence throughout the city.

The graffiti on the apartment buildings is mostly standard (such as tags for local Histrian gangs), but Caul notices some words in Bellunian next to the image of a skull: FEAR THE REAPER. This motif reoccurs on other buildings, along with 'Bellunians Get Out of Histria!'

City Hall is in what passes for the city center, next to the Bellunian Quarter. It's an ancient building built like a fort, and right in front of the large double doors facing out looms a 15' tall stone statue in the shape of an ancient warrior, complete with dual stone swords, as if to guard the place. Occasionally the statue turns its head as if to look about; clearly some kind of stone golem! Caul also sees several places on the roof - indeed, battlements - where snipers could be hiding.

From the guidebook, he learns that the golem is affectionately known as Old Rocky, and is a noted tourist attraction. The City Hall itself used to have a guided tour, but that was discontinued due to security concerns. It does have a back entrance, but that is off limits to the public.

The surrounding buildings are mainly office buildings. If one were intent on mischief, a sniper on the roof or one of the top floors of these buildings might be well positioned.

He does find a café with a view of Old Rocky. The patrons are mostly Histrians, but Bellunians are not uncommon, often conversing in their native language.

[kinem]

ooc: What does Sally do, Blue? Also, in what manner does she carry her chainsaw? I've pretty much assumed it is bagged and not visible so far. Also, who rents transportation?

Eric finds accommodation and then wanders for the remaining time, carefully inspecting the local environment for the many things which only he takes interest in. He doesn't find much of great interest at first, just a divided city. He does note some ancient sites, and begins to suspect some kind of pattern in the way the modern city is laid out based on the ancient one.

Dagoth finds the barracks at Theta Base to be adequate, if plain and lacking in privacy. About a hundred Bellunian military 'advisors' reside at the base, and some are shooting for target practice this afternoon. Security is tight at this base, but they know to expect him. There are a number of tanks and armored vehicles at the base as well. The soldiers seem professional.

ooc: Anyone want to do anything else now? If not we'll proceed to the meeting with Jon Spalli.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth makes a thorough search of the immediate area around his bunk, mostly avoiding conversation with others, but making small talk if necessary (though not mentioning who he's working for). If possible, he will look for a schematic of the city hall online to download and look over (if there is wifi via phone?).
He will then depart the barracks to arrive at city hall at approximately 4:45, keeping an eye out for the other hired BOSS operatives, making his way to the mayor's office itself to enter as close to 5pm as humanly possible.

Dagoth is good to go for the meeting. Does he find a plan of city hall?

[kinem]

As City Hall has been a tourist attraction, it's not hard to find a basic layout on the web, but the current configuration of offices within it is not available there.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth waits around for a few minutes to see if any of the others are around. If not, he will make his way inside city hall on his own and let the receptionist know he is here to meet with the mayor.

[kinem]

You get a text message from Sally indicating that she may not make the meeting as she has been called to another meeting by BoSS higher-ups.

As you enter the Hall, several security guards armed with AK-47s stand ready at the front entrance. A greeter inspects your IDs carefully, but lets you in, tells you to proceed to Meeting Room G, and gives you directions.

The interior of the Hall showcases several pieces of ancient art and armor, though the lighting is modern fluorescent and there are several busy offices that you pass.

In Meeting Room G, you find two men dressed in suits and ties.

"Hello" says the older one. His hair is beginning to gray. "I'm Mayor Spalli."

The other, dark and muscular, rises to shake your hands. "And I am Jern Ali, Security Chief. I understand our Bellunian friends have sent you to help us fight the terrorist known as the Reaper."

[Llyarden]

Caul is content to sit in the cafe, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious that might happen. He might be better served climbing up to one of the sniper perches, but in the daylight he doesn't entirely trust his chameleon skin to conceal him from vision with the completeness he would feel necessary. Given the lack of necessity to do so, better to stay down here and not arouse suspicion.

[Hjolnai]

Eric shakes Jern's hand with a firm grip, if more mechanically than instinctively.

"Indeed. Our objectives align."

[Aeryk]

You get a text message from Sally indicating that she may not make the meeting as she has been called to another meeting by BoSS higher-ups.
~Well that's not good. What could be so urgent as to take her away from this so soon?~
Dagoth, now somewhat troubled, sends a message to Caul informing him that Sally has been summoned to another meeting and asking him if he is coming to meet with the mayor. With a slight hesitation he shakes off his worries and pockets his phone, carrying on past the armed guards to Meeting Room G.

"Mr. Mayor," Dagoth responds upon entering, "I'm Dagoth McClennan, here on behalf of the BOSS." Dagoth then takes Ali's hand, giving a firm shake and making eye contact, "Mr. Ali"


Eric shakes Jern's hand with a firm grip, if more mechanically than instinctively.

"Indeed. Our objectives align."

"Yes, it is as you say. Unfortunately our knowledge in the matter is rather limited," Dagoth admits. With a pleasant smile he continues, "We were rather hoping you could tell us as much as you can about the Reaper and what you've been doing on your end to stop him. If we can work together in this operation, I believe it will go fairly smoothly."

[kinem]

"Please, have a seat" Mayor Spalli says. "I thought there were four agents coming."

Jern says "I hope we can cooperate as well. The fact is though, we probably don't know much more about the Reaper than what you've already been told. I can give you a list of his targets; lume shipments, a weapons shipment, and Bellunians, mostly. And I can let you speak to some survivors, but they seemed to know little."

[Aeryk]

Dagoth takes the seat and clasps his hands together giving Eric a subtle nod to the chair next to him to follow suit just in case he acts...weird about it.

"Yes, well BOSS has been on its toes as of late, as I'm sure you can imagine. Just trying to make sure all of our resources are being used efficiently, but don't worry, our team will be more than adequate to address the terrorist threat."

~Unfortunate lack of information, but I suppose that's to be expected. At least we've made an appearance though.~

Dagoth furrows his brow at Jern's comments and sighs just a little. "Alright, well a list of targets would be a start. Do you happen to have transcripts of the survivors' reports? That might be a little faster, and then our colleagues would have an opportunity to peruse them as well."

[Llyarden]

Caul was getting steadily more frustrated by the unprofessionalism of both the BoSS and his fellow agents. He sent a quick message back to Dagoth. [You and Eric can handle it, I'm sure. I'm nearby in case anything happens.]

[Hjolnai]

Eric interrupts before Jern can speak again.

"Cartographical data... might be useful. Locations and dates of attacks may reveal a pattern."

After an awkward pause, he moves on to another topic.

"Personnel disorganization hypothesis: enemy agent in command chain. Disruption cannot be allowed to prevent success."

[kinem]

Jern replies "Yes, we have transcripts. I'll provide them along with the list of attacks."

Mayor Spalli says "Eric, right? What are you saying, that we have a mole? Why do you think so?"

[Aeryk]

"Excellent, thanks" Dagoth says to Jern, then leans back in his chair and listens to what Eric has to say with a raised eyebrow.

~Yes, that's a definite possibility. That's something we'd have to find out a bit more discreetly than he is likely capable of. Not much of a people person.~

[Hjolnai]

Eric nods.

"Eric, yes. To clarify: BOSS might have a mole. Agents have twice been reassigned with disruptive timing - bureaucratic failure may be the cause, but is unusual on that scale. Enemy action is an equally plausible explanation."

[kinem]

Mayor Spalli replies "Hmm. Reminds me of the old saying: 'Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, it's enemy action.'

So what would you have us do? Stop sharing information with you? That would seem counter to your previous request."

[Aeryk]

Dagoth interjects, "That is not what we're suggesting at all. It probably is a coincidence. Regardless, we'll make our concerns known to BOSS, but in the meantime we're going to need everything you can get us on the Reaper. Can you do that for us? The sooner we can get started on this the better."

[kinem]

Mayor Spalli nods.

Jern says "Very well, I'll have that ready for you in about fifteen minutes. Anything else?"

[Aeryk]

Dagoth looks at Eric before replying, "No, I think that about wraps it up. I'll give you my number in case anything else comes up."

[kinem]

Jern asks "What do you intend to do? Will you keep us updated on your activities?"

[Hjolnai]

Eric points at himself.

"Will investigate leads, provide relevant details. Analysis of existing information."

He nods, and says no more.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth smirks and nods his head in Eric's direction, "What he said".

[kinem]

Jern says "Very well. I look forward to hearing what you accomplish. You can wait here while I get the requested information. "

Mayor Spalli says "Good luck" and stands up.

About fifteen minutes after the two men take their leave, Jern Ali returns with the promised documents.

Beep. You got a text from Agent Kreery.


Sorry that Chainsaw Sally had to be reassigned. Good news though. I got a new agent assigned to the case. Warrant Officer Roland. He was injured but was just classified as fit to return to duty. His # is attached.

[Aeryk]

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Ali," Dagoth says as he takes the documents, "Let us know if you learn anything and we'll do the same."

Dagoth reads the message and turns to leave, ~That's unfortunate,~ and writes his own message to WO Roland on the way out to talk to Caul.

Warrant Roland, this is Mr. Dagoth McClennan on behalf of the BOSS special team hired to investigate the Reaper's activities. I am told you have been assigned to our team. If you are in the vicinity of Nium City and able to arrive within the hour, we could meet with you in front of City Hall. If not, I am staying at the Theta Base Barracks and we can arrange a meeting for a later time. Please let me know ASAP. -Regards

As they leave City Hall, Dagoth scans around, looking for Caul. If he doesn't see him, he'll send him a text asking where he is.

One of Dagoth's SOP's is to enter all relevant phone numbers into his phone as well as to write down a hard copy in a little notebook he carries in case he loses his phone.

[Hjolnai]

"Thankyou."

With all his words spent, Eric turns and follows Dagoth.

[Llyarden]

Caul replied with a text message. [I'm in a cafe nearby. Did you get any relevant information?]

[Aeryk]

Dagoth replies,
Not as much as I had hoped. Transcripts of survivor's reports as well as a list of the attacks. We left them our number, and instructions to let us know if they learn anything. Also, Chainsaw Sally got pulled from the mission and is being replaced with one Warrant Officer Roland. I've just sent him a text and I'm waiting to hear back. Shall we join you and look over the documents?

[Llyarden]

[Poring over secure documents in the middle of a public cafe?

I'd rather we had another hotel room, but with that lacking the barracks you and Eric are staying in should suffice.]

[Aeryk]

Dagoth laughs to himself at Caul's response. ~A consummate professional. He must think I'm such a newbie, heh!~


Public Cafe? Of course not. Do you have a room? If not then surely we can go back to the barracks.

[brandnewb]

Warrant Officer Roland arrives into the city by train. His instructions were to enter the city and wait to be contacted. A list of names as well as the relevant pictures was provided so he could recognize his new teammates when he saw them.

After arriving in the city he went to dine at a local pub a few blocks from city hall and bide his time until he was contacted. He was drinking his third pint when the text message came in. Reaching into the pocket of his wool overcoat Roland pulls his phone out of his pocket and reads the message. He replies simply;

I will be at city hall in 10min. I will be wearing a long black overcoat. We can discuss more in person. Tell me where at the hall to meet you.

He slides the phone into his pocket and stands up. The bulk wool overcoat conceals the light duty vest that he wears underneath. In a few quick gulps he finishes his drink then stands and walks to the till and where quickly pays his bill. Then he steps out onto the street and walks to the square. He will follow whatever directions he is given by text to meet them and greet them with a simple. "I am Roland. Nice to meet you. Please lead the way."

[Aeryk]

Dagoth reads the message from Roland and sends one off to Caul before waiting for a response from the last one.


WO Roland already responded, he's going to meet us here. We'll come meet you at the cafe, then we can all head to Theta Base and find ourselves a place to examine the docs and come up with a plan.

Immediately after that he will look around for the cafe, then send a reply to Roland;


There are 3 of us, we will be waiting for you at the cafe just across from City Hall. I'll keep an eye out for you and wave you over to our table when we see you. I am likewise wearing a black trenchcoat and I have black hair and a goatee.

[Hjolnai]

Through this furious exchange of electronic communication, Eric does little but examine the documents, building a mental map of the times and places of attacks and trying to extrapolate some useful lead. He will of course meet with Warrant Officer Roland - assuming someone tells him about it.

[Llyarden]

Caul was halfway through writing another message ('I would rather keep my room private') when Dagoth's second message arrived. He raised a slight eyebrow at the next message before deleting what he had written and writing a new reply.

[Noted. I'll order another tea.]

This, perhaps, was the first sign of anything other than pure professionalism that Caul had demonstrated. Minor, perhaps, but a notable sign all the same that he was starting to trust at least Dagoth if no-one else.

Caul would perhaps immediately stand out amongst the others as someone who was not wearing a black trenchcoat.

[Aeryk]

With everything settled for the moment, Dagoth stows his phone into his pocket and turns to Eric and says, "Kreery texted me. Chainsaw Sally got reassigned and they've filled her place with a Warrant Officer Roland. He's in the city and due to meet us in about 10 minutes at the cafe where Caul is waiting. Once we meet up, the plan is to find a private room somewhere on Theta Base to examine these documents more thoroughly and figure out what to do from there."
Seeing that Eric has already taken the liberty of looking through said documents he goes on to say, "Perhaps we should keep that stuff closed up and out of sight until we're behind closed doors, eh? Notice anything interesting yet?"

With that he proceeds to the cafe and, spotting Caul, takes up a seat beside him and orders a regular small coffee. "No suspicious activity from your vantage I trust?" Dagoth asks with a raised brow.

[Hjolnai]

Eric looks up from the documents.

"Understood."

He puts the documents back in their folder, carefully examining its texture. He follows Dagoth wordlessly to the cafe. Without speaking, he buys a muffin by pointing to it and presenting his debit card.

[brandnewb]

Roland arrives at city hall and heads directly to the cafe across the street. When the others wave him over he nods and gives his greeting. "Hello, I am WO Roland. Please lead the way."

Roland will follow the group to the base. And take a look around along the way to spot anything suspicious or anyone following them.

[roll0]

[Aeryk]

"Nice to meet you Warrant. Dagoth McClennan. This is William Caul and Eric Carter. We have some documents provided to us by the mayor that we want to look over with regard to the Reaper's recent activity. We'll head to Theta Base and find ourselves a private area to do so."

Dagoth finishes off his coffee and offers a ride in the BOSS provided van to Theta Base. Once there he'll look around and inquire after a room to use where they won't be interrupted or watched in order to look through the documents.

So we'll look through the information looking for patterns and clues as to perhaps a central location of activity, direction of attack, tactics used, times, numbers of attackers, preferred targets and anything else we can possibly glean. Let us know what we find.

Also, based on what we can find out, we'd like to make some educated guesses on potential future targets.

And holy crap, +36 preception; that's nuts!!!

[kinem]

In addition to the obvious security guards in front of the City Hall, Roland notices that there are guards on the roof of that and other buildings. There are also a few people in plainclothes who are likely security agents from the way they look around and maintain position while having a calm demeanor, but they don't seem particularly focused on your group.

The BOSS van is allowed back into Theta Base without any trouble, and you are given a key to a small office; this is clearly not the first time that BoSS agents have used the base. There is a small table in the room as well as a desk with a computer on it (currently turned off). There's a window but the shade is drawn.

As Eric first sees, it looks like the only things that have been redacted from the documents are the names of the Histrian agents who conducted the interviews.

So far the Reaper has been definitively implicated in at least 9 attacks; it is suspected that he may have participated in many other attacks as well but in those cases there is no proof. Since he appears to be just another gunman of various guises until he uses his strange 'force scythe' or shows himself seemingly impossible to kill, there's no way to rule out his involvement in cases where he may not have revealed himself.

Of the 9 attacks, 6 were raids on lume shipments. On low traffic highways, armored vans and their escorts have been approached by a group of about a dozen armed 'Histrian rebels' riding either in cars or on motorcycles, who come in with guns blazing. When the armed escorts offered heavy resistance, the Reaper began to slay them. It is noted that Histrian malcontents are politically opposed to the export of lume (seeing it as a resource that should be saved for local use, or perhaps sold to a wider market than just Bellune) and that the seized lume shipments were valued at the equivalent of millions of Bellunian dollars. The stolen armored vans were later recovered near the same highways, with the lume removed. There have also been 4 similar attacks, but in which the Reaper's involvement was not proven.

Two attacks were terrorist attacks on Bellunian civilians, including the assassination of four Bellunian diplomats along with their families including young children, and the murder of several Bellunian businesspeople. These attacks were carried out by a similar group of motorcycle-riding gunmen. Although in these cases little armed resistance was put up by the victims, the Reaper chose to use his scythe and to make sure that surviving witnesses knew that he was the lead terrorist.

The final attack was similar to the raids on the lume shipments, but the target was a delivery of light anti-tank weapons from Bellune, meant to supply Histrian forces.

Although many lume deliveries have been attacked, the lume trade continues; there have been about 100 successful deliveries in the same time period in the affected areas.

Counting the four suspected raids on lume shipments, the attacks have been anywhere from two to twelve days apart. It's been seven days since the last attack, which was the seizure of the anti-tank weapons.

[brandnewb]

WO Roland follows the others to the office. He glances about the square as they leave taking note of the guards in the square.

When they enter the base WO Roland relaxes. Not normally a cloak and dagger type his normal experience in war is hostile action, often deep in enemy territory. Now arriving at the base and being "behind the wire" so to speak he feels more comfortable and secure. Domestic counter terror operations may be a difficult transition for him.

Once back at the room he begins going over the case with the others, trying to piece together the details. In particular he is looking for similarities between the shipment robberies, or diplomats killed.

Are there any survivors that could be interviewed?

[kinem]

All of the attacks were within 100 miles of Nium City; this is unusual because most rebel activity has been in the countryside further away.

The attack on the weapons shipment occurred when the shipment was outbound from the city. While the convoy could have been mistaken for a lume shipment, the actual lume shipment attacks were all on inbound convoys; outbound convoys tend to be empty trucks returning to the mines after a shipment.

The attacks on civillians took place on roads just outside the city.

There are several survivors who were interviewed. These include thirteen Histrian convoy guards, six adult Bellunuian citizens from the attacks on civilians, and four children.

[Llyarden]

"So it can likely be summarised that the Reaper has insider information on the shipments," Caul remarked, as they looked over the documents. "How else would he know to attack what would normally be an empty convoy?"

"Barring any further information we can gain from questioning witnesses, it seems that one possibility for a next step would be to insert ourselves into lume shipments and wait to see if the Reaper shows up again." He tapped his fingers against his cane for a few moments. "As far as the witnesses go...children often make good witnesses, if anyone here feels confident that they can get information out of them. They tend to be less predisposed by the conventions of society."

[Aeryk]

Dagoth reads through the docs, listening to the comments and opinions of the others, and trying to digest it all and considering the possibilities. ~This is not going to be easy...~

"Ok, well, judging by the frequency of these attacks, I would guess that the next attack is imminent, so we'll have to act fast. Let me bounce some ideas off you guys. We should see if we can get shipping manifests of lume shipments as well as info on the schedules of any diplomats in the area. Caul, I like your idea of inserting ourselves into the shipments. With the increased activity of the rebels, security has likely been increased around all such transports, so the Reaper may be growing wary. Or maybe he's growing bolder with the weapon seizure. Regardless, we might see if we can make a 'bait' shipment or even several. If we can influence some higher ups to change their shipping routes last second without telling anyone else and send an empty shipment instead with slightly lower security, perhaps we can hide ourselves in the cargo. Or maybe leave it empty and track the shipment as it goes. We should get some GPS tracking devices and plant them in every shipment of lume or weaponry. Maybe we can even requisition satellite imagery for the times and places of the attacks to get a clue of where these guys came from and where they went.

Prominent business people and politicians should be advised to keep a lower profile. Motorcades just attract attention. We should also advise them to keep their travel plans close to the chest or maybe use air transport; as far as I know no planes or choppers have been targeted yet.

Whatever the case may be, I think you're right, there must be insiders. Working with kids might be tricky, but worth looking into." Dagoth looks around uncertainly for a moment before saying, "If no one else is up to it, I think I might be alright for questioning some of these kids. Maybe the rest of you can hammer out a more solid plan and I'll contact Jern Ali to try and have a conversation with the victims. Unless someone else wants to do it, that's cool."

[brandnewb]

Roland shakes his head, I am no good at question people, but I have a bit of a nack for seeing through a lie. If someone else wants to do the questioning I can listen in and discuss what was said after. But to be honest I don't think we have time right now. That next attack will be soon. If we can not catch the next attack then we may be able to question people after. Depending on the frequency of shipments we may be able to get them to let us ride with the shipments every time they leave the city then fly back afterward. If multiple shipments are enroute at once maybe we can convince them to change the scheduled. Otherwise we will just have to pick one.

[Hjolnai]

Eric speaks his piece.

"Must contact shipping company. To find a mole, spread disinformation - three decoys, no real shipment, tell each organization that a different one is real. If no attack, enemy do not rely solely on inside information - unless it is from the shipping company itself."

"Plans for other matters: Seem viable."

[Aeryk]

"Alright then," Dagoth goes on, seeing that everyone has more or less said what they've wanted to say, "Caul and Eric, how about you guys make some calls and try to get shipping manifests and schedules so we can see what the potential targets might be, then talk to the shippers and make arrangements to set up decoys. I'll contact the parents of the children involved in the previous incidents and see if they can be persuaded to talk to us. Roland, you can come with me to listen in. We should be able to take care of that part fairly quickly and be back to help with the planning.
If we aren't back by the time you two have hammered out some details with the shipments, maybe you can make the appropriate calls to diplomats and their offices to give them our advice with regard to travel plans. We won't be able to force them, but we can warn them at least."

Dagoth will give a pause in case anyone has anything else to add, then make some calls to Jern Ali and the parents of the children to try and arrange meetings ASAP, preferably here at the base, but if they are more comfortable in their homes, we can oblige.

[Hjolnai]

Eric wordlessly returns to the documentation, looking for contact numbers for the shipping company. Soon it will be time for him to spend even more words, after entirely too many for one day - perhaps he will need to lean on psionic crutches once again. Of course, at this time in the evening, it's quite likely that no one will answer his calls.

[kinem]

Calling parents:

You find out that of the four child witnesses, one boy (Frank Baker, age 12) has returned to Bellune; his parents were killed in the attack. A second boy (Ram Deef, age 13) is Histrian; apparently he was just a witness; you are unable to contact his parents right now.

The remaining children are Susan (age 8) and Samuel (age 6) Constanzo. Their Bellunian father Jimmy Constanzo was killed in the attack, but their Histrian mother Julia was not present that day. You are able to contact her, and she's willing to let you speak to the children, but prefers not to bring them to the base. She gives you her address.

Shipping companies:

There is a shipment of lume planned for tomorrow. The company, Histria Industries Premium, is worried and is willing to let you set up a decoy shipment instead. They seem to have a monopoly on the shipments in the area. Though they've been hit several times and took large losses, the attacks did have a small side benefit of driving their already weak competition out of business.

The shipment leaves tomorrow from a town called Cobbe about 60 miles from Nium City, and was planned to leave about noon.

ooc: So if I understand correctly, the plan is to interview the children tonight, then probably you'll want to be with the decoy shipment tomorrow morning. Who goes to the interview?

Regarding decoy shipments: Do you try to arrange three, and who do you tell about decoys, assuming you want to try Eric's idea?

[Aeryk]

Satisfied that they've gotten at least one lead, Dagoth says to Roland, "Alright Warrant, we've got a brother and sister whose father was killed in one of the attacks. The mother is willing to let us talk to them. The others didn't work out, but we'll do what we can with what we've got. Let's go."

Dagoth heads out to the van and depart for the given address with Roland who will accompany as an observer and offer his insights.

Assuming that Histria Industries Premium gives us autonomy in making our arrangements with the shippping containers, I think it would be wise to make 2 decoys and 1 real shipment. If there is an insider and we send out 3 decoys, the insider will just tell the Reaper and he will know that it's fake and won't strike. If the insider knows that the shipment is definitely going out, he'll tell the Reaper which one is real. I say we tell them shipment A is the true shipment, but it's actually a decoy with us waiting inside. We tell them that we will personally be in shipment B and that it will be a decoy and we ask for a slightly beefier security detail to accompany that shipment to give it the appearance that it is the more high value target. The lume will be in shipment C which will be least desirable because first of all, the insider thinks the true shipment is in A, and if there is no insider, outward appearances would hint that it's in B. All 3 shipments should have a GPS tracker hidden in them in case something goes wrong, which is practically inevitable. Does that sound agreeable to everyone?

[brandnewb]

Roland will accompany Dagoth for the interviews. And roll sense motive when the time comes.

I don't care what we do. But let's do something. We are done discussing, any more discussion is just blowing time. The ABC plan may have room for improvement but I don't care. It is not worth another month of RL time discussing.

[kinem]

The interview with the Constanzos:

Dagoth and Roland take the van to pay a visit on the Constanzos. They find the address they were given to be a house in a neat-looking gated community. The security guard questions them, then opens the gate.

Julia Constanzo, a dark haired woman, nervous woman, greets them. She explains that the children are upset that they have to talk about this again, but willing to help do what they can to catch their father's killers.

Susan and Samuel are quiet at first, but at their mother's urging, they tell the investigators about the day their father Jimmy was killed. It was during the Reaper's first attack on civilians. The report shows that several Bellunian businesspeople were murdered in that attack.

He was a businessman, and after he'd picked them up from school, he took them to a picnic where he talked business with people. They were on the way home along with a group of other cars driving home from the picnic when a car blocked the road, and four gunmen got out. The gunmen shot with rapid fire guns in the direction of the car they were in and the other cars, shooting out the windows, but everyone ducked and the bullets weren't what killed their father. One of the gunmen - a tall one with a black cap on - slung his gun back over his shoulder. Then somehow, a big long scythe emerged from his hand and he swung it at the car, smashing it up. He chopped open the driver's door, and then killed their dad. The kids were in the back, ducking; they were very scared but say they didn't scream, so maybe the bad man didn't know they were there. On the other hand they did see the man coming so they probably peeked up enough to be seen by him. They heard him laugh "Ha!", and heard him say "Fear the Reaper, fools!" His voice seemed strange but they can't explain how.

The kids are shaken up after their story and Sam starts crying; their mother says they've had enough.

ooc: As far as you can tell the kids are being honest. Is there anything else you want to ask or try with them? If not, we'll move on to tomorrow's lume shipment from Cobbe.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth will listen quietly giving empathetic nods in the appropriate places, being able to relate to just such an incident with his own parents when he was a child. He offers a gentle pat on Sam's shoulder when he starts to cry. Periodically he'll glance back at Roland for a signal that everything seems to be kosher. Afterward he asks if they remember any other more specific details about what the man looked like, what his weapon looked like and if they noticed anything else unusual or unique about him (eg, clothing, equipent, vehicle, etc).
Once that is done, he concludes by offering his condolences to Mrs. Constanzo and thanking her for her cooperation. He tears out a page from his pocket notebook and in an untidy scrawl, jots down his name and number for her and says, "I understand if you don't want to force the subject on them, but if they happen to recall any other details about the incident please don't hesitate to call. Thanks for your time."

So if Dagoth learns an additional information he will of course disseminate it amongst his colleagues upon returning to the base. Other than that, he's good to go for tomorrow.

[Hjolnai]

While Dagoth and Roland are visiting the Constanzos, Eric spends half an hour manifesting Major Ectoplasmic Creation three times. With each use, he produces a substance which more closely mimics the colour, density and texture of lume; by morning, he hopes to be able to create something almost indistinguishable, apart from lume's psionic properties of course.

(27pp spent)

[kinem]

The only other things the children can remember is that the gunmen wore dark clothing and rode in a white car.

Julia Constanzo sees the investigators out, with a wish for good luck and a warning: "Be careful."

Delivery decoy A

The next morning, the investigators arrive at the lume depot near Cobbe. After passing through security, you are shown the trucks of the planned convoy. It consists of two armored vans which would carry the lume, and which are to be escorted by a pair of armored trucks with external guns mounted on them. The armor of the trucks is meant to withstand small arms fire; the Reaper's blade has been able to penetrate such armor.

The convoy normally would include two drivers and ten security guards. These seven men and three women are introduced to you, and they seem nervous, but know they will be well paid if the delivery succeeds.

[Aeryk]

As Dagoth stood in the depot and looked over the delivery vehicles he hoped the plan would work. 4 pallets of lume sat at the docking bay with a forklift nearby, 2 of which were very convincing fakes and 2 were the real deal, though the security team didn't know which were which. 2 more pallets were hidden in another area of the warehouse, but they had nothing but sand in them.

Addressing the nervous security team he says, "Alright guys. You don't need me to tell you what's at stake here. As you also know, BOSS has a vested interest in the security of this lume shipment. As such, we will require your cooperation and discretion as we make our own preparations with the shipment. One of these shipments will be a decoy. For your safety, we cannot tell you which one. We are going to load the vans ourselves. You are not to open them once they've been closed. You are dismissed for 15 minutes while we prepare. When you return, one team is going to depart immediately. The other team will depart 20 minutes later. You decide which goes first. We will not be present at that time. Does everyone understand?"

Beforehand, I would like to block the view of all security cameras in this facility and call in the third delivery to Nium City to arrive after the first 2 leave. The way I see it, a shipment still needs to be made, right? We send one shipment out with the fake stuff Eric created as an outer layer surrounding cases of sand, or something that is similar weight to lume. We wheel out the pallets of sand into the second shipment, and hide the real stuff until the vans leave. The third real shipment goes with the vans from the other town, with us riding in back. We plant GPS receivers into each shipment, inside the containers. Hope that work for everyone ;)

[brandnewb]

Roland follows Dagoth as he addresses the staff who are manning the shipments. He chooses not to say much but instead observes the individuals. While Dagoth speaks he casts detect psionics to see if any on the guards are gifted with the ability, or have the effects on them. He then stands still and manifests touchsight (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/t/touchsight), once the power is active he begins walking around the area, carefully searching out anything that is not right with the surrounds.

[roll0]

Warrent Officer Roland (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=250620)
m LE Human Vitalist (SoulThief), Level 10, Init 3, HP 90/90, Speed 40ft
AC 21, Touch 13, Flat-footed 18, CMD 16, Fort 13, Ref 8, Will 16, CMB +3, Base Attack Bonus 5
Walther PPK (.32 auto) 8 (2d4, 4)
Light duty vest (+8 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 7, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 24, Cha 7
Condition None

Power Points: 120/123

Edit: that was a perception roll.

[kinem]

OOC: Will you use Dagoth's plan?

"Yes, I understand." "Very well." The other Histrians all agree to your proposal as well.

Roland does not detect any psionics among them or find anything out of place. There are cameras in the room but you obtain permission to obstruct their views.

[Hjolnai]

Eric carefully inspects the shipments, making a last minute check that the decoys match in texture, colour and weight. This morning, he has already spent a great deal of power, manifesting Major Ectoplasmic Creation a total of 5 times - while this would normally be enough to fill only one van, the pallets holding the fake were first partially filled with sand as well.

Character sheet updated with the new day's pp total (note: Sustenance already manifested). Character sheet also updated for previous night's Psychic Reformation - Eric now has Shatter Mind Blank instead of Hail of Crystals.

To answer the above question: I agree, we should use Dagoth's plan.

[Llyarden]

Caul, too, said very little, content to lurk in a corner and watch the comings and goings of the guards, at least until it was time to load the vans. Chances were that at least some of these guards were being sent to their death to protect crates of sand. There wasn't much of an alternative, but it still grated on him a little.

[kinem]

Following the plan they have established, the BoSS investigators send off the decoy shipments while waiting in the depot.

About half an hour later a security guard man comes to you with a frantic report:

"The first convoy was waylaid! This time the terrorists blocked the road, then blew up a hillside to show they had anti-tank weapons. Our men ... Well they just abandoned their vehicles and fled without even trying to put up a fight. I asked if anyone saw the Reaper, but no one could confirm that they did, given the limited opportunity. The second convoy has turned back."

[Aeryk]

"Alright. What was their location? Also, I want you to confirm whether there were any casualties and gather all the survivors back here. Go!"

Dagoth turns to the rest of the BOSS operatives, "Ok, we have to monitor the GPS signal. Time is of the essence, and they likely won't take the time to check through the cargo until they get it back to where they are going. We should go to the scene and see if we can follow. Now might also be the perfect time to ship the real lume, since they will most likely be trying to run and hide again. The other escort from out of town should be arriving soon. I say we load them up with the real stuff, and see if we can convince the team that's returning to go out again, that way they'll have twice as many numbers, and we can accompany them at least part of the way. That's all I got off the top of my head, but we've gotta do something fast, so if you've got a better plan say it now, and say it quick, or else let's get a move on."

[Hjolnai]

Eric has only one word to say: "Agreed."

He appears distracted for a few moments, clearly manifesting something.

Overchannel+Talented (to avoid damage) on Inertial Armor, augmented to 11pp. Total AC bonus: 9. Chose to make the Inertial Armor invisible, which is an option in the power. Next round, regained psionic focus.

AC: 20. pp: 69. Active energy type: Electrical.

[Llyarden]

"If we can't follow or distract them and they realise what we've done, chances are they'll go after the real convoy," Caul remarked. "But I don't see a better option."

[kinem]

"Route 17, near Munno. Yes sir." The security guard heads off.

Soon you are able to check the GPS trackers. They show that the convoy trucks remain near where they were stopped but the crates are still moving towards Nium City.

OOC: It appears that you will wait for the 2nd & 3rd convoys to arrive at the depot, then send out a combined convoy with (just?) the real lume, which you will ride with. Any other actions during that process?

[brandnewb]

Roland watches the preperations, and when the others begin loading the trucks he lends a hand. He says to Dagoth, "I should take the rear, I am decent in a fight but my primary skills are in healing. I can watch the rear of the group." Roland will agree that we should go with the real shipment ASAP and simply double or tripple the escort.

[Aeryk]

"If we can't follow or distract them and they realise what we've done, chances are they'll go after the real convoy," Caul remarked. "But I don't see a better option."

Dagoth weighs that in his mind and sees that the guards are reluctant to go out. "On second thought, we'll make better time and look less conspicuous if we just go ourselves. The lume will also be at less risk if we ship it at another time."

Dagoth calls Jern Ali to come to the depot and informs him of the on-going situation and lets him know also that the party must depart right away in pursuit. His intent is for Jern to interview everyone who was in the convoy during the attack if they can all be rounded up.
Dagoth gives instruction for the security teams to stay put until Jern's arrival, and then get moving ASAP to track down the Reaper.

[kinem]

Jern Ali tells Dagoth "Good work. Do you want backup? Also, I'd prefer to know those GPS tracking receiver numbers. We won't move in, for now, until you give the green light. But I understand if you're worried about a mole on our end. My view, to be frank, if your team is captured or killed I at least want to know where that lume is being taken. I doubt this trick would work twice."

From the GPS data, it appears that the crates are now traveling along Route 17 at about 50 miles per hour south (in the direction of Nium City).

Though the guards think there were no causalities from the abandonment of the convoy, it is reported that one of the convoy guards named Tom Riger is not answering his cell phone and the others don't know where he is.

ooc: What will be the manner of your pursuit? I assume you will take the van you've been using. The posted speed limit on Route 17 is 50 mph. Traffic is light, though the road does have a few bumps and turns. The containers have about a 30 mile head start and you are 70 miles from Nium City via Route 17. At what speed will you go? Also, do you intend to try to overtake them on the road, or to track them to wherever they are now headed, even if they don't stop in the city?

[Aeryk]

"I think backup is probably more liable to just get in the way. I'll have the GPS numbers in a file ready for you when you get to the depot. Also, we have word that a Tom Riger from the security team has disappeared and isn't answering his phone. If you have time while we're gone to look into that, please do. Incidentally, can you call police dispatch and let them know that BOSS is conducting a mission along Route 17, and that if they see our vehicle, they are not to interfere? Time is of the essence."

I think we'll pretty much go as fast as possible until we get close. If we come to any slow spots, we can just ride the shoulder. Also, if I say anything that any of your characters would object to, go ahead and make it known. I don't want anyone to feel like I'm 'taking over' or anything.

[Llyarden]

"When we get closer we will need to slow down and try to remain unobserved," Caul remarked. Which was probably obvious, but he still didn't entirely trust everyone. "Otherwise they could just drive somewhere else and make a stand against us, which wouldn't get us anywhere."

[Hjolnai]

"Fortifications can be bypassed by psionics. Delays acceptable; minimal risk of decoy discovery."

[kinem]

Traffic is light enough on Route 17 that you are able to drive 90+ mph for much of the distance. The local cops seem to have gotten the message, as when you pass a police car, it does not give chase.

You pass the vehicles of the looted convoy. They are pulled over onto the shoulder of the road. Though the back doors of the vans are open, the vehicles don't appear to have sustained any notable damage.

About half an hour into the chase, you are rounding a curve; until you are nearly upon it you can't see that a log that has fallen onto the road is in the left lane ... your lane.

ooc: I assume that Dagoth is driving the van. Driver, make a DC 13 Reflex save.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth sped along, worried more about making good time than anything else. It wouldn't do for all this planning to go to waste. He was wrapped up in his thoughts when he took the corner, perhaps a little too fast. He didn't see the log til the very last second, and swerved to avoid it.

[roll0]

[kinem]

Dagoth is just able to avoid hitting the log and to realign the van back to the road before it hits the bushes alongside the shoulder.

After the close call, though you are all on edge and Dagoth has to slow down just a little, you are able to catch up with the stolen crates. It's a bit tricky to try to remain unobserved ...

The unmarked tractor-trailer truck which carries them has turned off of Route 17 onto Route 253, which passes through some towns on the outskirts of Nium City. A couple of other cars seem to keep pace with the truck; a white four-door and a green minivan. These vehicles begin to head into an industrial area with several warehouses around ...

ooc: How do you try to remain unobserved, and what do you plan to do when the vehicles park or try to enter a warehouse?

[Aeryk]

After he recovers and catches sight of the convoy, he keeps slow, and if possible, keeps one or two other vehicles between him and them. Once they turn into the industrial area he'll try to keep out of sight around corners and any other obstacles, inching forward just enough to see them take the next turn. If they slow down or stop, Dagoth will also stop and try to stay around a corner. If anyone dismounts, he'll park in the nearest convenient hiding place and observe by foot.

[kinem]

The tractor-trailer pulls into a lot near a warehouse, and so do the two cars that seemed to be keeping pace with it. The warehouse has a couple of large metal garage doors and after a short while they begin to open. As far as you can tell your group has not been noticed, but soon the suspects you've been tailing will be inside the warehouse.

[Llyarden]

"Perhaps we should continue on foot," Caul suggested quietly. "Less noticeable that way." From a pocket of his suit, he produced a blob of ectoplasm that he held over his chest; a moment later it jumped from his palm and spread over him, the translucent material mimicking the colour of the van's exterior.

Once the van stopped, still clad in his smart suit beyond that, and taking his walking cane with him, he slipped out of the van and peered around the edge of their vehicle.

Activating the chameleon skin, and then a pre-emptive Stealth check (assuming that we do actually stop the van; Caul's not going to jump out of a moving vehicle):

[roll0]

[Aeryk]

Dagoth sees the convoy come to a halt, then looks for a likely hiding spot, out of view of the other vehicles. He also gets out of the vehicle, staying behind Caul. "What do you see?" he asks.

[roll0]

[kinem]

You watch as the vehicles begin to enter the warehouse. From what you can see of the inside of it, it's mostly empty but with numerous crates and some motorcycles.

The place appears windowless, but with small cameras mounted on the corners of the building.

Assuming that you take no other action at this point: The cars and truck enter the warehouse and the metal garage doors slide back down.

[Aeryk]

"Alright," Dagoth says, observing the cameras, "We'll have to be careful where we tread here, and watch the angles of those cameras. Maybe there's a back door?" He looks to Caul for advice, "What do you think the best approach would be?"

[Hjolnai]

With the suspects now inside the warehouse and unlikely to notice, Eric disembarks from the truck and interrupts.

"Teleport in. Can take up to four with me. Surprise is critical."

[Llyarden]

Caul tutted. "I would prefer to personally be somewhere up high, though the lack of windows renders that plan rather fruitless. This sort of thing is hardly my forte." At Eric's suggestion, he paused and raised an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose that works too. I will try to find a secluded spot to provide covering fire once we are inside."

[Aeryk]

"Alright Eric, that seems to be our best option here, though we may find ourselves surprised as well. We don't know the layout of the building. How will you know where to teleport to?"

[Hjolnai]

"By distance and direction, just inside door. Low probability of obstructions - teleporting into objects is painful but not disastrous. Alternative: teleport to roof, reshape section into trapdoor and enter."

[Aeryk]

Dagoth seems uncertain, but can't think of a better plan. "Alright then, let's teleport in. If we can find a good cover position, Caul can take it. Other than that, we'll just have to keep a low profile and play it by ear. We have no idea as to what's inside."

[brandnewb]

On the drive over, and realizing that stealth may be key WO Roland switches out the skill chip that he has active in his skill slot. He pulls the one augmenting his preception and and replaces it with his one that increases his ability with stealth. He spends several minutes where he has not skill enhancer active during the drive while he waits for the new one to come online. On the way in Roland comments, "If I can get close enough to a guard I can possess his body and have a look around."



Once they arrive he steps out of the veh and joins the others. He attempts to remain hidden, he can quickly tell that he is not as stealthy as some of his companions and is thankful he switched his skillchip. However he prides himself on having a keener set of eyes than anyone he knows, generally even without his skillchip active.

Stealth [roll0]
Perception [roll1]

[Aeryk]

Dagoth considers the situation for a moment before deciding, "Ok, let's do it through the roof. Less likelihood of being detected. From there we can see if we can find a likely guard for Roland, and a good spot of overwatch for Caul. Bring us up Eric."

[Hjolnai]

"Yes. Gather."

When the group are all ready, Eric concentrates and manifests Fold Space, headed for the roof.


Fold Space has a visual display, which can be suppressed by a DC (15+power level = 19) concentration check. Failure doesn't stop the power working, but allows the display to occur. Since Eric has Manifester level 10 + int bonus 8, he automatically succeeds on a DC 19 concentration check, but I'll roll it anyway.
[roll0]

In addition to the manifester, Fold Space can take up to 1 extra medium creature per 3 manifester levels. I think there are only 4 of us, so that's no problem, but if I've miscounted and there are 5 (4+Eric), he'll have to Overchannel to get an extra 2 manifester levels (3d8 damage).
[roll1].

[kinem]

Following Eric's plan, the group of four vanishes and reappears on the roof of the warehouse, about 20' high. The roof seems standard enough for such a building, sporting a few ventilation fans and a stairway door.

Concentrating, Eric modifies the matter comprising a section of the roof, shaping a hole through which you can see inside the building. You are near the rear of the tractor-trailer truck but not quite over it.

Below are the three vehicles you saw enter the warehouse, plus a small silver car and half a dozen motorcycles. Some men have begun to use a forklift to unload the stolen crates from the truck. A few are milling around, while another few are drinking beers.

There are a total of ten men (and they do all appear to be male). Each is armed with an automatic weapon (AK-47) and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. If there is a leader, it may be the one standing near the forklift; his stance indicates that he is paying close attention.

The men see the sudden flash of sunlight from above and scramble to draw their weapons ...

ooc: You have a surprise round.

[Llyarden]

Caul raised his walking cane to his shoulder, and it...flowed, almost...until suddenly it wasn't a walking cane any more but a sniper rifle, with which he took careful aim at the apparent leader with and fired.

And then suddenly he was gone.

Standard: Vital Strike the leader with Deadly Aim. This ignores any concealment or other miss chance.
To-hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] (+6 from Deadly Aim, +1 from Ambush Training)
Crit confirmation if needed: [roll2]
Additional Critical Damage: [roll3]
Swift: Use Unseen to turn invisible.

[Hjolnai]

Eric leans over and manifests yet another power, pulling even more from his rapidly diminishing reservoir. He unleashes a powerful Psionic Blast, aimed at the closest significant group. This particular manifestation is augmented, as he heads on a rapid path toward complete psionic exhaustion.


Psionic Blast is a 30ft cone. Given that the ceiling isn't that high, it should reach some but it won't spread out to its full width.

Augmented to 9pp, so it's DC 23 Will or be Stunned for 3 rounds. Power Resistance also applies if anyone has it.

Now on 46/128pp. Those Major Ectoplasmic Creations were very costly.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth stands over the hole, reaching up with 2 hands where a shimmering energy forms into the shape of a greatsword, which he hurls downward with all his strength, and a loud shout, at the one who appears to be the leader, crouching down as he does so to stay out of sight of the hole from the enemies below.

Ok, thought we would have a moment to collect ourselves once we got on top of the roof. I would've liked a round to meditate to gain psionic focus, so I hope that's fine. I need it in order to take advantage of my sneak attack.

Free action: Form mind-blade (Quickdraw)
Attack: Two-handed throw (Blade skill, 10ft range increment): [roll0] (BAB +10, Str +4, Wpn Foc +1, Enh Bon +1, -2 for 20ft range, +2 for attacking from higher ground)
Damage: [roll1] (2d6 + 2d6 Vital Strike, +6 Str 2-handed, + 5 Collision, + 1 Enhancement)
+[roll2] Bleed damage (Rending Blades blade skill)
+[roll3]Sneak Attack
Free Action: Drop to Prone

*Not sure why I wrote +18, I think I was going to do a power attack but changed my mind. Should be +12, so subtract 6 from the total I guess.


Dagoth McClennan (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=185374)
Male Human Soulknife (Cutthroat), Level 10, Init 3, HP 94/94, DR 5/magic, Speed 30
AC 15, Touch 13, Flat-footed 12, CMD 27, Fort 5, Ref 10, Will 5, CMB +14, Base Attack Bonus 10
Desert Eagle .50AE Autoloader (8 rd magazine) +13/+8 (2d8+3, x4)
Keen (+1), Collision (+2) +1 Mindblade (2 handed) +15/+10 (2d6+10+1d6 bleed, 17-20/x3)
Light Undercover Shirt (+2 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 7, Cha 15
Condition None

[kinem]

Psionic focus lasts until you use it or become unconscious, and can be gained at any time throughout the day, so I assume that all psionic characters maintain focus all day until they use it.

Caul's shot from his walking cane turned rifle strikes the man he aimed at, and when it does there is a sort of metallic pinging sound. The man flinches but remains standing and does not scream.

Eric's psionic blast catches in its area the forklift operator, two other men, and the 'leader'. Only the latter seems unaffected; the three other men reel helplessly.

Dagoth's psionic blade flashes downward, striking the enemy 'leader'. It comes very close to the man's neck - indeed it might have beheaded a typical man in such a position - wounding him no doubt but it seems to be deflected as if by some kind of armor and the man still remains standing. (ooc: Not quite a critical hit.) Despite these wounds and even with Dagoth's careful aim, there is no sign of bleeding from the leader-man!

ooc: brandnewb said he has limited internet access, so for now I'll run Roland. Free free to join in if you can, brandnewb.

Roland stretches forth his right hand and some kind of crystal flies from it and strikes the leader-man, then explodes! Numerous shards of crystal fly out in all directions, nearly reaching back up to the hole in the roof. The three stunned men are now down, unconscious or perhaps dead, along with two other men.

That leaves the leader still standing, and the four beer-drinkers further away.

The leader is able to react before your group can do any more. Suddenly a huge gray scythe is in his hand, no doubt a manifestation of psionic force much like Dagoth's hurled blade. It stretches forth - rather than throwing it, he is able to lengthen the handle of the thing in the blink of an eye so as to attack you who are on the roof!

Despite the cover Dagoth has from the roof, the scythe slashes into him (its curvature enabling an attack despite line of sight being blocked), causing a nasty cut (ooc: 28 damage). Dagoth feels a sense of fear wash over him but resists the temptation to flee. Nevertheless, he is shaken by it. (ooc: -2 to most d20 rolls.)

The Iron Reaper then calls to his remaining men "Get the LAWs!" Rather than attack with the scythe again, he retreats deeper into the warehouse, and you lose sight of him behind the tractor-trailer.

ooc: Your group can now act before the beer drinkers do.

[Hjolnai]

Eric begins to manifest Astral Construct. He spends a minimal amount of effort, not augmenting the power in the slightest. As a master of Metacreativity, he can still make even so small a construct somewhat more powerful than others could.


Astral Construct takes a full round to manifest, and so the power will not be unleashed until just before Eric's next turn (provided he isn't interrupted before then). From the Summoner's Call discipline feature, he chooses an extra ability for the construct and it will last 13 rounds. It shall have the Buff and Celerity abilities (+5 hp, +10ft speed). Anything further can be defined later - once the power is completed.

1pp spent. 45pp left.

[kinem]

Roland reaches out and touches Dagoth; suddenly, Dagoth is feeling physically fine once again! However, he is still shaken from the effect of the scythe.

(ooc: Dagoth is fully healed; Roland spends 10 pp)

ooc: Caul and Dagoth to act.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth felt his stomach knot up as a sense of dread threatened to wash over him when the scythe impossibly slashed at him. Roland's touch brought him back from the brink, and he nodded to his colleague before standing up to throw another of his blades before the remaining enemies could react.

Move Action: Stand up
Attack against nearest enemy, same as before: [roll0] (includes shaken penalty)
Damage:[roll1]
+[roll2]Sneak attack
+[roll3]Bleed
Free action: Prone (he doesn't really want to drop prone, more just crouch, but I can't find anything like that in the rules, so I guess it'll just have to be prone.)

In case of crit (17-20 threat range for Dagoth)
Attack:[roll4]
Damage:[roll5]

[Llyarden]

"LAWs sound unpleasant," Caul's voice said from out of the air, before he invisibly dropped into the hole Eric had created. If the Iron Reaper thought he was unobserved, he might let his guard down.

Move: Jump into the hole. Caul has feather fall on him, so no falling damage.
Move: Stealth into cover inside, moving at full speed. +20 for being invisible, -5 for full speed: [roll0]

Still invisible for one more round.

[kinem]

Dagoth's blade of force strikes dead the man he targeted, as blood and beer spill onto the warehouse floor.

Invisible, Caul drops into the warehouse and follows the Reaper. He sees the man - if such he is - heading to a door towards the back of the warehouse.

Four men now remain in the large room - the three remaining beer-drinkers, and another man similarly dressed and armed as the other terrorists, near the back, who you did not see from your perch on the roof.

The beer bottles are those of the Histrian brewery Sandworm - a fairly cheap brand, though it does have its fans.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The three glass bottles smash against the floor as the men race to the rear of the room.

The remaining man is ahead of them as he reaches into a large crate and withdraws a metallic cylinder, and extends the tube to arm the LAW. Only Caul can see this, as the view from the roof is blocked by the truck.

ooc: PCs to act.

[kinem]

http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=69877&d=1440209551

key:
1 = hole in roof
2 = forklift
3 = tractor-trailer truck (about 60' long)
4 = two cars
5 = 6 motorcycles
6 = crate with LAWS (diamonds are crates)
7 = the Reaper
8 = the other men (circles)
9 = Caul

[Aeryk]

Smiling to himself, Dagoth pulls out his pocket-watch. It was a strange watch indeed, not conforming to any standard timings. "Good luck b*tches! See ya down there!", he says with a toothy grin as he clicks a button, whereupon a small timer is activated. Suddenly the warehouse comes to a serene halt. Dagoth rolls to the edge of the hole, and hops down to the floor with a *whumph*.
~Ooooh, that tickles!~ Dagoth thinks to himself as the impact blows the wind out of him, ~Though not as much as a LAW I suppose~, then he sees the guy with the armed LAW at the crate, ~Ah, speak o' the devil. That looks like fun!~
Spying several such crates, Dagoth jogs over to the one in the northwest corner that is both furthest from the hole, and fairly far from the enemy. Seeing that it is screwed shut, he forms another of his greatswords and quickly gives it a couple of slashes to open, and grabs a LAW. He then crouches down behing the crate. He a has a split second to glance at his watch as the last of the time runs out and action resumes as normal.

Dagoth simply disappears from sight from Eric and Roland's perspective. No one can perceive Dagoth's action as it takes place.

Round 1/3
Standard: Activate Tempus Fugit Watch
Move: Drop to ground. DC 15 Acrobatics check to convert second 10 feet fallen to non-lethal damage, which he automatically passes with a +16 modifier. [roll0] non-lethal damage

Round 2/3
Double move (I assume based on Caul's position. Not sure of distances in here) to north-west crate of LAWs

Round 3/3 (See OOC post for attack and damage)
Standard: Cut open the crate with mindblade
Move: Draw a LAW from the crate.
Free: Prone/Crouch behind the crate

1% Tempus Fugit Watch failure chance, 1=Failure
[roll1]

If opening the crate and drawing the LAW each count as a move, then I can have him arm it next round instead. Let me know. Also, how long does the shaken effect last?

[kinem]

ooc: The sketch isn't quite accurate in regards to scale and positioning. Basically, the room is roughly 200' long and 120' deep. It takes Dagoth two rounds to get to the crate.

When Dagoth gets to the crate, he discovers that it is screwed shut; he can't open it in a hurry.

Caul could catch the Reaper and the three other terrorists within a 20' radius web, while Dagoth would not be caught in it.

[Llyarden]

Caul blinked into existence for a moment, gripping the hem of his cape, which seemed to flow and twist eerily of its own accord, as a small web appeared by the Reaper's foot, and then grew exponentially, covering both him and his goons. Then the sniper was gone again.

Standard: Using the cloak of arachnida to cast web on the Reaper and his men. Spell DC is 13. Since this is an attack, Caul becomes visible. (If this doesn't include the LAW man, I'll just shoot the guy instead.)
Swift: Go invisible again.
Move: Move to another bit of cover. Stealth: [roll0]

[kinem]

The Reaper and his three men are all entangled by the giant web.

ooc: The Reaper rolled a 1 on his Reflex save :smallredface:

Eric to act.

[Hjolnai]

Eric's new Astral Construct forms and charges at the closest drinker. Even a slight distraction may be useful.

Eric himself calls upon his discipline, concealing himself within ectoplasm. He then jumps down clumsily.



Astral Construct attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Eric uses Ectoplasmic Protection, providing concealment for 10 rounds (not that he's going to be able to make any stealth checks well, but miss chance isn't bad).

Eric jumping down:
Acrobatics vs DC 15
[roll2]
On success, he takes only 1d6 nonlethal damage. On failure, he takes 1d6 lethal as well, and falls prone.
Nonlethal: [roll3]
Lethal: [roll4]

Statblock for the Astral Construct:
1st-Level Astral Construct CR ½
XP 0 (included with master)
N Small construct
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception -
DEFENSE
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +5 natural, +1 size)
HP 20 (1d10+10+5)
Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +0; Immune construct traits
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee slam +4 melee (1d4+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 15, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 10
BAB +1, CMB +2; CMD 14
Feats -
Skills -
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Buff, Celerity (+5hp, +10 speed)
Construct traits (I won't list them here).


Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I had a few distractions come up and kind of forgot.

[kinem]

The astral construct that Eric created charges into the webbing, but fails to strike its target.

Roland jumps down from the roof hole as well.
ooc: acrobatics [roll0] vs DC 15, possible fall damage [roll1], [roll2]

The Reaper decides to retreat further into or behind the webbing, tearing through it but still slowed by the sticky rope-like strands.
ooc: He now has total cover from your side of the web.

The other three men try to follow suit, but only the middle one is able to make any progress in trying to move through it.

ooc: PCs to act.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth glances over the LAW briefly before arming the unfamiliar weapon. Peeking around the corner of the crate, he took aim at the men caught in the sticky mess that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and fired. The weapon felt awkward in his grip, but the basic principle was the same as any other firearm; point and shoot.

Shooting at the centre-most guy of the bunch.
Attack:[roll0] Includes -4 non-proficiency penalty
Damage:[roll1] to all within a 10ft radius

*Well, that's not very promising, but they are entangled by the web, and I believe that's vs touch AC. Do I get a bonus since they weren't aware of me? I suppose even if I miss the weapon will hit something nearby...

[Llyarden]

Caul cursed quietly as Dagoth blew up his web. This was why he worked alone. Nonetheless, he invisibly moved at a swift but cautious half-crouch, half-jog, intending to keep up with the Reaper and leaving the others to deal with the

Move: Stealth an effective 30ft. Caul can't be grappled by the webs, but he does still move at half speed within them.
Standard: Stealth another effective 30ft.

Stealth (still invisible): [roll0]

[kinem]

The rocket is more awkward to handle than Dagoth anticipated, but it shoots into the webbing and explodes somewhere in the middle of the webs; two of the men are caught in its burst and go down, perhaps killed. The one near the crate is far enough to avoid damage from the blast, as is the Reaper; however, the webs begin to burn.

ooc: Does Caul move into the remaining webs?

[Hjolnai]

Eric stands, seemingly unconcerned by whatever injury he may have suffered in the fall. Unable to see details of the events behind the truck, and thus intervene, he moves quickly to get around it, sacrificing the time it would take to manifest a power. He approaches the edge of the web, trying to gain full awareness of the situation.

The astral construct, assuming it hasn't already been destroyed in the explosion, futilely pushes at the web. It will have little chance of getting at any enemy, but it can at least make some noise and perhaps have a chance to attack once more.


Very little to put here. Standing up was move-equivalent, standard action converted to move.

I don't know whether to interpret the Astral Construct "failing to strike its target" as having got stuck in the web, or simply missed. If the former, it's not likely to get anywhere. If the latter it might still be in reach of the previous target. Hence I'll make an attack and damage roll for it.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[kinem]

The astral construct is stuck in the web and can't reach the enemy just now.

Roland flows Eric.

The Reaper makes his way out of the web and right for the far door. He flings it open and enters the room beyond.

The sole remaining man is burnt by the flaming webs but still stands. He drops the LAW and raises his hands in the air. "I surrender!"

ooc: PCs to act.

[Hjolnai]

Eric announces,

"Reaper escaping. Gather."

He prepares his mind, and once everyone has acted he manifests Fold Space, headed into the next room along with anyone else who reaches him in time. The Astral Construct is directed to move toward the door, but is unlikely to make much progress until the whole web is burnt; most likely the fire will destroy it.

Talking is a free action, even out of turn, so this can be considered as Eric acting last. It does leave enemies at our backs, but Eric isn't as much of a tactician as he is a psion; furthermore, the risk may be acceptable.

[brandnewb]

Roland pulls close to Eric when the fellow instructs it. He looks around at the others assessing each quickly then reaches out through the collective network he has with his companions and uses the network to manifest Physical Acceleration (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/p/physical-acceleration) in Dagoth.




Dagoth spends 7pp casting that spell. Normally it is only personal but I can cast it at range onto anyone in my collective. Also anyone in his collective can spend a standard action to get healing if desired. You spend the standard action, I spend the power points. I don't have to touch you.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth dashes back to Eric.

[kinem]

ooc: I'm going to assume that Caul also takes a ride with Eric.

After running back to Eric, in the blink of an eye, the party re-appears in the next room.

The room is a large office with several chairs, desks along the walls, monitors, and computers in it. There is also a back door, which is swung open, letting in the sunlight and out the Reaper.

[brandnewb]

When Roland enters the room he immediately spots that they are too late and the Reaper has already left. Without any hesitation he manifests Fold Space and teleports the group out the door.

Have we seen the part of the building out there when we were scouting it? If so I will pick a location to fold space too beside and veh or other mod of transport we may have seen from the roof. If not then just 30ft past the door in the direction Roland can see through the door.

7pp used.

[kinem]

ooc: At this point the Reaper is next to act.

The BOSS group had not yet seen the backside of the warehouse. There's a small parking lot, a low fence, and another warehouse beyond that.

Seeing that he's having trouble escaping the party, the Reaper decides to turn and fight!

The huge scythe of silver force reappears in the Reaper's grip. He swipes it down towards Eric, and then towards Roland!

Both men feel a shallow cut as he scores a wound on their flesh ... and also the iron grip of fear!

OOC:

20 damage to Eric; 26 damage to Roland. Both must make a Will save (DC 18) or be frightened and run. Even if you save, you are shaken for 1 minute.

The Reaper is currently about 30' from your group. His scythe has no trouble reaching that far even as he makes melee attacks with it.

PCs to act.

[brandnewb]

Roland looks the Reaper in the eyes and smiles, "We are a match for you." he says simply. With a effort, expending his pyionic focus he manifests Unwilli Participant on the Reaper.

As soon as he is done he concentrates to regain his focus

Standard action: unwilling. DC 24 will save
Psionic meditation: move action to regain focus.

[kinem]

ooc: Eric, Caul, & Dagoth to act.

Reaper's Will save [roll0]

[Hjolnai]

Eric takes several steps backward before manifesting another power. Strands of ectoplasm swell from nothingness, closing around the Iron Reaper - not an easy thing to avoid.


Move backward 10ft. Manifest Ectoplasmic Cocoon (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/e/ectoplasmic-cocoon) augmented to 9pp (Reflex DC 23). Power resistance does not apply.

[kinem]

ooc: Reaper's Reflex save [roll0]

The Reaper leaps out of the way of the enclosing strands.

[Llyarden]

While the others busily manifested powers, Caul went for the slightly simpler method of just shooting the Reaper again, flickering into sight momentarily and away again just as quickly.

Standard: Vital Strike the Reaper.
To-hit: (+1 for Point-blank Shot, -3 for Deadly Aim, crits 18+): [roll0]
Damage: (+1 for Point-blank Shot, +6 for Deadly Aim): [roll1]
Swift: Turn invisible, again.
Move: Stealth 30ft (+20 for being invisible, -5 for full speed): [roll2]

[Aeryk]

Dagoth chases after the Reaper, materializing a new sword into his hands as he draws near. He feints with a false lunge, hoping for the Reaper to react and lower his guard.

Move: Catch up with Reaper
Move (Improved Feint): Feint
Bluff Check: [roll0]

[kinem]

With the help of his 'second chance' ability, Caul's shot strikes the Reaper with the sound of a metallic ring, but you can see that it hurt the Reaper.

The Reaper doesn't seem to fall for Dagoth's feint.

You hear one of the large garage doors on the far side of the warehouse roll open.

Desperate, the Reaper considers his next move. He tells you "Four on one you may beat me. Not if you'd fight like a man one on one. Guess I'll see if the Quantum Killers are right!"

With that, he swings his elongated scythe towards Eric, this time putting maximum power into his stroke though perhaps at the expense of some accuracy.

Yet the swings are on target. The first strike clips Eric's neck while the second stabs into his torso. Eric drops like a stone!

OOC:

The first hit was a crit. Total of 82 damage to Eric; I think that puts him at -10 hp. (Death is at -Con, i.e. -20 in his case.)

He must also make a DC 15 Fort save or die from massive damage, and two DC 18 Will saves or panic (which could matter if he regains consciousness).

PCs to act.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth grips his mind blade in both hands, moving with incredible speed he makes three attacks in quick succession.

Making use of Roland's manifestation of Physical Acceleration on Dagoth (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/p/physical-acceleration) with a Full-Attack action.
Attack 1: [roll0]
Damage 1: [roll1]
+Bleed damage: [roll2]

Attack 2: [roll3]
Damage 2: [roll4]
+Bleed damage: [roll5]

Attack 3: [roll6]
Damage 3: [roll7]
+Bleed damage: [roll8]

Dagoth McClennan (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=185374)
Male Human Soulknife (Cutthroat), Level 10, Init 3, HP 94/94, DR 5/magic, Speed 60
AC 16, Touch 13, Flat-footed 12, CMD 27, Fort 5, Ref 11, Will 5, CMB +14, Base Attack Bonus 10
Desert Eagle .50AE Autoloader (8 rd magazine) +13/+8 (2d8+3, x4)
Keen (+1), Collision (+2) +1 Mindblade (2 handed) +17/+12 (2d6+12+1d6 bleed, 17-20/x3)
Light Undercover Shirt (+2 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 7, Cha 15
Condition Physical Acceleration (+1 AC, +1 Reflex, +1 Attack, +30 movement) 7/10 rds

[kinem]

Dagoth's three strikes feel to him like his mind blade is hitting and sliding off of something hard, armor perhaps, but they didn't seem to wound the Reaper.

[kinem]

Roland regains focus and then spends the focus to attempt to force the Reaper into his collective again.

ooc:

DC 24 will to negate
Reaper Will save [roll0]

Caul to act.

[Llyarden]

From his invisible position, Caul watched as Eric was hacked into. That was the other reason he worked alone. That way you didn't lose anyone.

Another rifle shot cracked out as Caul flickered in and out of view for a heartbeat once again.

Standard: Vital Strike the Reaper with Deadly Aim. Incidentally, I am assuming the Reaper is flatfooted against all these attacks since Caul is attacking from invisibility; is that correct? Also apparently I should have had a +2 to hit for being invisible all these times. The more you know and all that.
To-hit (+1 for Point-blank Shot, +2 for invisibility, -3 for Deadly Aim, crits 18+): [roll0]
Damage (+1 for Point-blank Shot, +6 for Deadly Aim): [roll1]
Swift: Turn invisible again.
Move: Stealth 30ft (+20 for being invisible, -5 for full speed): [roll2]

[kinem]

Caul's shot ricochets off of something metallic on the Reaper, but doesn't seem to do any real damage to him.

With Eric down, and Caul invisible, the Reaper next chooses to focus his attacks on Roland, hoping to bring down a second foe quickly.

ooc:

Reaper's attacks vs Roland:
to hit [roll0], damage [roll1]
to hit [roll2], damage [roll3]

2 hits; each requires a DC 18 Will save vs panic, and cause Roland to be shaken for 1 min even if the save is made.

PCs to act.

[Hjolnai]

Eric lies on the ground, unconscious and with his body struggling to hold onto life.


Stabilization roll:
Constitution vs DC10, with -10 penalty for negative hitpoints.
Per RAW, being Frightened means that he should take another -2 penalty, but he's unconscious and I don't see how fear could affect stabilization. I'll include the penalty anyway; the result can always be adjusted after clarification.

[roll0]

[brandnewb]

Roland Will Save: [roll0]

Warrent Officer Roland (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=250620)
m LE Human Vitalist (SoulThief), Level 10, Init 3, HP 6/90, Speed 40ft
AC 21, Touch 13, Flat-footed 18, CMD 16, Fort 13, Ref 8, Will 16, CMB +3, Base Attack Bonus 5
Walther PPK (.32 auto) 8 (2d4, 4)
Light duty vest (+8 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 7, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 24, Cha 7
Condition None

[brandnewb]

Roland trips backward when he takes the violent impact of the Reapers blade. Blood pours freely from his wounds and he knows he is in trouble. With only a moments hesitation he manifests Fold Space and warps himself back and up onto the roof of the building just above the door they exited from overlooking the combat below.

As soon as he arrives he uses his impressive psionic abilities to regain his compose, re-establishing his psionic focus. Once complete he then uses his abilities to heal himself and Eric.


Standard Action: Manifest fold space (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/f/fold-space) and moves himself back on top of the building.

Move Action:Psionic Meditation (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/feats/psionic-meditation-psionic) Regain Psionic Focus.

Swift Action: Fast Aide (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/feats/fast-aid-psionic) to heal himself 9 hp and Eric 21 hp. He can split the healing as he sees fit across the collective.

Spends 17 pp

[Aeryk]

Seeing as things are going down the tubes, Dagoth pulls out his pocket watch again, and time seemingly freezes. Reaching down to his trench-coat, he rips off one of many patches, not visible to anyone else. As he detaches it from the coat, it transforms into a roll of duct tape which he proceeds to wrap around the Reaper's head a few times at eye level, effectively blinding him. He then steps around the Reaper and time resumes its normal flow.

Round 1: Std: Detach duct-tape patch
Round 2: Std: Wrap a bunch of duct tape around the Reaper's head at eye-level
Move: Step behind Reaper. Dagoth would seemingly disappear from view and reappear directly behind him.

[kinem]

When Dagoth wraps the tape around the Reaper's head, something seems off to him. The Reaper's head seems to be different than it appears, rounder in shape.

ooc: Caul to act.

[Llyarden]

As the Reaper suddenly acquired a ream of duct tape around his head, Caul couldn't help but give a slight smile. Fortunately, no-one there could see his mometary lapse in professionalism. While the Reaper was seemingly tied up, the sniper took a few moments to focus.

Full-round action to regain psionic focus.
Stealth (+40 for not moving while invisible): [roll0]

[kinem]

The Reaper has tape wrapped around his eyes, but doesn't miss a beat. Whatever kind of senses he is using seem to work just fine as he shortens his blade and spins around to attack Dagoth, though he still can't seem to see Caul.

You hear a motorcycle leave the far side of the warehouse. No doubt the sole survivor among the Reaper's men is making his escape.

[kinem]

ooc:

Reaper's attacks vs Dagoth:
to hit [roll0], damage [roll1]
to hit [roll2], damage [roll3]

Looks like Dagoth needs two DC 18 Will saves vs panic ...

PCs to act. Eric is now conscious, but prone and panicked.

[Llyarden]

And once again, a rifle shot flew into the Reaper, Caul appearing and then disappearing again. This really wasn't his usual method of doing things, but it seemed to be working. More or less.

Standard: Vital Strike Deadly Aim on the Reaper.
To-hit (+1 for Point-blank Shot, -3 for Deadly Aim, +2 for invisibility, crits 18+): [roll0]
Damage (+1 for Point-blank Shot, +6 for Deadly Aim, +1 for Psionic Shot which I've been forgetting up until now): [roll1]
Swift: Turn invisible.
Move: Stealth 30ft (+20 for being invisible, -5 for full speed): [roll2]

[Aeryk]

Dagoth doesn't react fast enough to avoid the blows in his shock at the Reaper being able to act as though nothing had happened. As the blade bites deeply into his flesh, he cries out in pain and fear as the panic washes over him. Losing all hope and courage, he flees from the Reaper as fast as his legs can carry him, all thought of his allies gone from his mind.

Full Round Action: Run 120ft, presumably triggering an AoO :(

[kinem]

With Eric and Dagoth fleeing in panic ... and Roland nowhere to be seen ... Caul's shot strikes the Reaper and brings him down with the clang of metal on cement. The scythe of force instantly vanishes.

What now lies unmoving on the ground no longer appears to be a man. It is metallic, and looks skeletal.

On closer inspection it indeed looks as if it was an actual human skeleton coated in metal. It wears clothing, with an undercover vest underneath. It also carried an AK-47 and there's a ring on the right hand.

[brandnewb]

From his perch on top of the building Roland says over the telepathic link. "He is dead, you can stop running." He then address his invisible companion, whom he can only sense due to his connection through the collective. "That was some impressive work. I knew I needed to get away after he nearly killed me. I think I am the only one of us who can revive a dead companion. So I am the only one whom we cannot afford to die."

He looks around the roof for a way to climb down manually, not interested in spending unnecessary psionic reserves. Provided no-one attacks he will begin walking among the group using his transfer wounds ability.


If he gets to using the transfer wounds. He touches the target and heals 4d6 hp, then takes an equal amount of non-lethal damage. Non-lethal damage is separate from lethal normally. Let me know if you want to handle it differently because he is already so injured. If you do it will make my primary ability useless since I cant afford to take the non-lethal damage then.

[Aeryk]

Once Dagoth calms down, he returns to investigate. "Whoah! What is that?" He nudges the skeletal thing tentatively with his foot to see if it's actually dead, then leans down to remove the ring from its hand. He holds it up in front of his face and takes a close look at it to see if there is any insignia or other identifying features on it. He then turns about to look at his companions, "We should get out of here asap. That last guy may bring back help. We don't know for sure if this was the only 'reaper'. Seems to me all the power was in this fancy suit of his. By the way, good work Caul. I think I'll call Jern and let him know what went down her, unless anyone has an objection?"
Dagoth does his best to show a cool, confident demeanor, but he was still coming down from the high heart-rate and skittish behaviour induced by the Reaper's fear effect.

[kinem]

The ring is a plain silvery torus, with no marks on it.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth says, "Humph" and places the ring on one of his fingers.

[kinem]

Dagoth can feel that the ring is having some kind of psionic effect on him, but can't tell what it is.

[Hjolnai]

Eric stands from where he was cowering, and brushes himself off with a sheepish look. With the unnatural terror gone from his mind, he seems almost uncaring at the pain of his near-fatal injuries, at least so long as he doesn't move. Every step, however, shows that he is clearly still at death's door, or close by.

He limps over to Dagoth, looking curiously at the strange ring. Wordlessly, he activates Detect Psionics as any Psion can.

Assuming Dagoth keeps it visible for 18sec (3 rounds), Eric tries to interpret the nature of the psionic energies flowing around it.

Then, he will go over to inspect the Reaper's corpse both through Detect Psionics and through his technological and mechanical knowledge.


As far as I can tell, it's DC 15+half manifester level of the item to identify its discipline, 15+manifester level to fully identify the item (Detect Psionics references Spellcraft, which is DC15+Caster level to identify items).
Spellcraft:
[roll0] (I'm assuming that the Shaken effect wore off along with Frightened once the Reaper died)..

Spellcraft check for any psionics on the Reaper:
[roll1]
Not sure whether the physical inspection is Knowledge (Engineering), Knowledge (Technology) or Craft (Mechanical), and he has other skills which also might apply. I'll just roll the basic d20, with +14 for Engineering, +15 for Technology, or +21 for Craft (Mechanical).
[roll2] (+relevant skill)

[Aeryk]

Dagoth sees Eric approach him and notes his curiosity. He holds his hand up so Eric can examine the ring, "Can you tell what it does? I can feel some kind of force, but I'm not as gifted in psionics as most of you guys."

[kinem]

Eric doesn't detect any psionics on either Dagoth or the fallen Reaper. Which is unusual, since Dagoth is certainly carrying some psionic items. Based on what he's read about such things, and the fact that divinations to find the Reaper failed, Eric guesses that the ring gives Dagoth the equivalent of a personal barred mind (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/b/barred-mind) effect.

[Hjolnai]

"Complete silence of psionic resonance. Most probable: Barred Mind. Very advanced."

Eric stops his inspection and looks Dagoth in the eye - rather unsettling given his usual unwillingness to do so.

"Never do that again. Dangerous to wield unknown psionic equipment. Potentially fatal."


So Eric couldn't determine anything about the physical properties of the metallic skeleton, based on his extensive knowledge of materials, technology and engineering?

[Aeryk]

When Eric tells Dagoth what the ring does he thinks to himself, ~Now this could be quite useful in my line of work!~

"Yeesh, alright, settle down! Don't worry, I won't do it again," Dagoth replies. Indeed, he does seem a little unnerved by Eric's eye contact. "Anyway, thanks."

Dagoth walks paces a short distance away to call Jern on his cell, informing him of their successful trapping and killing of the Reaper. He'll also let him know that one of the guys got away.

So Dagoth just went ahead and took the ring for himself without consulting anyone. He kept it since it would be useful for him, but if he would have deemed it more suited to someone else, he would have given it to them. Feel free to challenge him if he steps on anyone's toes in the future. Either way, I know the possibility for danger by just blindly using psionic/magical items, but it's the kind of thing Dagoth would do, though Eric's warning seems to have given him pause for the future ;)

[brandnewb]

Roland watches and listens to the exchange quietly. While the other are talking he reaches into his bag and pulls out his perception skill chip. With the need for stealth past he pops out the one he is currently wearing and pops in the new one. Roland shakes his head when the usual effects of switching start taking effect.

His character sheet has the skillchip active, but that will take 10min where he will have -2 to skill checks

[kinem]

The metal coating the skeleton looks like some alloy of iron. It seems to be about half an inch thick.

On the phone, Histrian Security Chief Jern Ali tells Dagoth "That's great! Good work from your team. I'll send a Histrian team to the site right away to gather evidence. In the meantime, I'd like you to stay and guard the place. If the Reaper was part of a larger organization, I don't want to risk letting someone remove the evidence before we get there."

[Aeryk]

The metal coating the skeleton looks like some alloy of iron. It seems to be about half an inch thick.

On the phone, Histrian Security Chief Jern Ali tells Dagoth "That's great! Good work from your team. I'll send a Histrian team to the site right away to gather evidence. In the meantime, I'd like you to stay and guard the place. If the Reaper was part of a larger organization, I don't want to risk letting someone remove the evidence before we get there."

"Roger that. We'll keep a sharp eye out til your team gets here"

Dagoth returns to the group and lets them know that Jern is sending an investigation team to the site, and that we are instructed to just wait out.

[Aeryk]

Dagoth will take a look at what everyone else is doing, and suggest to Caul to take a high position where he can see the approach of anyone, friendly or foe, and give everyone warning. After that he begins perusing the warehouse to see if he can find anything else of interest while he awaits the arrival of the Histrian crew.

[Hjolnai]

Having fulfilled his curiosity by examining ring and Reaper both, Eric limps over to Roland.

"Further healing requested."

[brandnewb]

Roland nods and channels a pulse of energy healing Eric. He distributes the healing over the three injured members 10hp each.

10pp to heal 30hp 10 per injured member. If we are in rounds still, next round he will use his transfer wounds ability. But I need to look up the details for mechanics when I'm n on the phone.

[kinem]

Dagoth will take a look at what everyone else is doing, and suggest to Caul to take a high position where he can see the approach of anyone, friendly or foe, and give everyone warning. After that he begins perusing the warehouse to see if he can find anything else of interest while he awaits the arrival of the Histrian crew.

ooc: There is much of potential interest in the warehouse: Computers, sealed crates, and the dead gunmen being perhaps high on the list. Does Dagoth look for anything in particular?

[brandnewb]

Once that healing is complete Roland walks up to Eric and touches him, using his transfer wounds ability. He pauses for a moment after using the ability, struggling to suppress the tax on his own system.

Robert heals Eric [roll0] health and takes an equal amount of nonlethal damage.

Warrent Officer Roland (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=250620)
m LE Human Vitalist (SoulThief), Level 10, Init 3, HP 25/90, Non-lethal 11hp Speed 40ft
AC 21, Touch 13, Flat-footed 18, CMD 16, Fort 13, Ref 8, Will 16, CMB +3, Base Attack Bonus 5
Walther PPK (.32 auto) 8 (2d4, 4)
Light duty vest (+8 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 7, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 11, Wis 24, Cha 7
Condition None

Edit: adding in non-lethal

[kinem]

Dagoth checks the gunmen and collects their wallets and cell phones. He then checks out then the sealed crates, and then the computers.

The dead gunmen do have driver's licenses and credit cards in their wallets, along with some Histrian currency. All appear to be Histrians. Each has a cell phone as well (password locked).

The Reaper had a wallet in his pants as well. It contains not one but many driver's licenses, with different identities, along with Histrian cash. He too had a cell phone.

Some of the crates contain lume, but the total amount here is about half a shipment - much less than what was stolen in the Reaper raids. The crates with the LAWs in them contain about half as many as the stolen shipment would have had. There is also one crate which contains iron bars, and some which are empty.

There are three desktop computers in the warehouse, in the back room. One runs the security cameras. Another has a shooter game running on it, waiting for a player. The third requires a password to log on. There are also notes on the desk with the latter relating to shipments, some printed out from a nearby printer.

[Aeryk]

As Dagoth rifles through the men's belongings he takes pictures of their license cards with his phone and pockets the cash. He gathers all the licenses and phones together to give to the investigation team upon their arrival, making sure to keep the Reaper's stuff separate. He also grabs up all the shipping notes and printouts and stows them away for later research.
He takes a look around to see if there are any disks or drives he can copy the security footage onto and study later. Once he gets to the password protected computer he tries a couple really lame passwords (Reaper, 12345678) before giving up. He also tries out the shooter game for a minute, since they're just waiting.

Dagoth returns to the group after his search. "Most of the lume and the LAWs are missing. They must have a main base of operations elsewhere. I got their phones and licenses, and there are some computers, but I'm no hacker."

[kinem]

Each of the eight fallen gunmen had on average the equivalent of about $100 in his wallet, while the Reaper had double that.

About half an hour later the Histrian team arrives at the warehouse. It consists of four men and three women, dressed in dark outfits, and is led by Bernard Ali.

"Hello! Yes, I am Jern Ali's cousin, but I assure you that there was no nepotism involved. We are a patriotic family and have had several role models in the family who did good work for the government, that is all."

They offer first aid to any who wish it, but at this point Roland has you sufficiently well patched up that you don't need it.

The Histrians take photos of everything, as well as blood samples from the dead gunmen. They confiscate the wallets and the computers. "Did you find anything else of interest?

What, they had no cash on them? Really? Yet it must be so, for surely you famous Bellunian spies can not be corrupt, can you? Not the great BOSS men which Histrians are supposed to learn from as if Bellunians are so much better? Surely it cannot be!"

[Aeryk]

"Who carries cash on them these days?" Dagoth replies, evading the question, "Nice to meet you Bernard. I'm Dagoth. I gathered all their cellphones for you, but I checked and they're all password protected. Also, I checked the crates and it seems most of the lume and LAW's have been taken elsewhere. One of the minions fled, so he is likely going to warn the others. We should check the security footage and see which way he went and if he took a vehicle we could run the plates. We'll have to follow up at the addresses and identities of all these guys. As for the Reaper, it'll take forever to figure out his ID. But check out that suit! Could be that there is more than one so-called 'Reaper'. Any idea where something like this could've been made?"

~Brennet Air Force Base comes to mind...~

Dagoth crouches down beside the Reaper suit to take a closer look. Now that he is seeing things up close, the scythe weapon piques his interest. He looks to see if there are any symbols or other defining features on it. He'll check the suit as well.

[brandnewb]

Roland watches the exchange between the too but says nothing out loud. Instead over his telepathic link he tells Dagoth, "Be careful would you, trouble is not worth a few hundred bucks."

Out loud he does say, Think there is any chance we could catch that bike. Can we get a license plate off a video feed? Either from this building or one on the street he went up.

Roland will begin looking into that on his own if no-one replies.

[kinem]

"Dagoth, isn't it? Well, that's who I'd say! Heh heh. Fine, whatever, but I know the tricks.

Checking the security footage is a good idea. If we can get a plate that could be a big help in finding him." Bernard Ali orders one of his men "Rogerto, you go work on that.

The phones we can crack.

The Reaper ... wow. A skeleton coated in metal! I guess there could be more than one but it would surely be difficult make such things. It would take much money and psionic power. I am getting an idea and not liking it. The missing lume, it could supply those things.

Well, good work after all I admit. We'll contact you when we learn more. Until then, you can go and get a bit of R and R."

ooc: Though it can be referred to as the Reaper's 'suit' with a bit of poetic license, what remains of the Reaper is indeed just bones covered in metal. Oh, and his clothing, but there doesn't seem to be anything special about that.

The scythe is no longer present; it was a manifestation of psionic force which vanished as soon as the Reaper was slain.

ooc: Do you want to do anything else here or should we fast forward to when the Histrians contact you again?