(IC) New Bedford by Night: WtF II

[Thundercracker]

Bear nods at Knowlton's words. If none else have anything to say, he'll wrap up the call. "All right then, we'll do what we can, if you don't hear from us within a few days, we're probably in no position to complain about territory. If it comes to that, I strongly suggest banding together with a few other packs to take this place by force. We don't want this mess spilling anywhere else."

After hanging up, he'll briefly look at Kara, "Be careful with that stuff, and let us know when you plan to zonk out on it."

To everyone else he'll state, "All right, so, Obliterate's bane, where are we on getting a hold of what we need?"

“Most of what we can use we can get at these places,” Blaze said, producing the list of shops, “except Tanis Root, it grows here in the Hisil. I definitely think we should take the time to get it, as it should be more effective.”

[Erulasto]

”Oh, not to worry Bear.” Kara said with a half-forced smile, ”I’ll be careful. But I’ll probably get into it as soon as possible. I’d like it out of my system before…like…we go after the Plague-King.”

[Bennosuke]

E interrupts the Uratha's conversation boldly. She puts her hands on her hips and defiantly says, "What about taking out those King's whatever punks? I thought we were hitting them now?" She turns to Bear and Solomon and says, "You promised!"

[Daishain]

"I want them dealt with too E, but we are talking about a small time gang, whose boldest members are already dead. Compare the threat they pose compared to the plague spirit King, whose minions have not only already wiped out our predecessors, but created a deadly plague and brought the region to the brink of having no gauntlet at all. We'll go after the gangsters, I promise, but right now the bigger threat must take priority."

[Bennosuke]

"They are more than just a gang," E scowls, but the outburst is tinged more with frustration and bloodlust than with anger or opposition against the Uratha in the room.

Solomon speaks up, cutting the Wolf Blooded off to move things "back on topic", saying, "Tanis Root? I would be happy to lead an expedition into the Hisil then to collect this, if you know where it can be found Blaze."

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC: On Keeping Things Moving

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Hey all, I just wanted to reach out and see what I/we can do to keep things moving in this game, and the others I am running. I notice that players are able to post in other games/threads but have not been posting as regularly here. I assume a small part is based on my recent post rate. I will admit that I have been very busy of late with family in town and my wife's Greencard hearing occurring recently. Happy to say that she got her Greencard and I expect to have a solid schedule the next few weeks that will allow me to post more regularly.

I also believe a component of this is that a few players have been MIA of late. Suffice to say I am reaching out to players individually as well to see if those who have been less present need time off, or if there is some other problem that can be addressed.

Is there anything else I/we can do to keep things moving forward? Please tell me I'm not losing everyone here. Also, while I posted this IC so that it is not missed by anyone, I would prefer we discuss this in the OOC thread.

[Thundercracker]

Blaze

“Yeah, I mentioned it earlier,” Blaze replied to Solomon, “I think we should go get the root first, the gang we can take care of whenever we want out if Lord Plagueface shows up while we’re dealing with them we’re in trouble.”

[Bennosuke]

E snarls, crossing her arms and turns away in frustration, saying nothing more as she recognizes she is outgunned.

Solomon nods in acknowledgement and says, "Very good. Then let's stop wasting time. Do we know where to find Tannis in the Hisil then?"

Michael turns to Kara and says, "I can get you... stuff. My friend hooked me up with a dealer and we can go whenever. Do you wanna come with me to go pick up?"

[Erulasto]

”Good luck, guys!” Kara said brightly as the others made their preparations to hunt their Hisil-based ingredient. ”Michael and I are going to make our own preparations. I’ll be…um…out of commission for a bit. But don’t worry about me, y’know? You guys focus on getting the root and hopefully I’ll come with some more answers.”

With that, Kara was ready to go meet Michael’s contact. The Cahalith made a mental note to approach the Reveler as well. If she were going to be…well…reveling, then it would make sense to see if she could empower their patron at the same time.

Spoiler: OOC

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Hey Benno. You’re not losing me, for what it’s worth. I pulled a few double shifts this week, and we got hit with some nasty arctic dome in Alberta. Dropped out daytime high to a blistering forty below zero (Celsius) and my home city of Edmonton was colder than the Arctic this past Wednesday.

As far as moving things along in this game in particular, I think the set-up is good. Michael and Kara can go off to work on her plan, while the rest go to find the Tannis root.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I do second TC’s notion that especially in this game there’s a heavy emphasis on pack consensus. It’s tricky when we’re missing folks, but I also think this plays a bit into the whole Pack Alpha notion.

We’d decided that the Pack would follow the lead of an alpha situationally. In this particular regard, I’d say that Bear would be the most appropriate leader for going after the Plague King – since he’s the warrior type. But the hunt for the Tannis root would make sense to be Blaze.

I think the Pack Alpha idea is one we’ve sort of forgotten across the progression of the game.

It might not hurt to sit down and hash the specifics out again so that we can, if necessary, just have one of us force the story along if we’re dithering too much.

Just food for thought.

[Thundercracker]

E snarls, crossing her arms and turns away in frustration, saying nothing more as she recognizes she is outgunned.

Solomon nods in acknowledgement and says, "Very good. Then let's stop wasting time. Do we know where to find Tannis in the Hisil then?"

Michael turns to Kara and says, "I can get you... stuff. My friend hooked me up with a dealer and we can go whenever. Do you wanna come with me to go pick up?"

“Yeah, I picked up the location from a helpful computer spirit,” Blaze replied.

[Daishain]

Bear nods, "All right then. For everyone else, I would appreciate it if you worked on ways to hit he who obliterates breathing with his Bane in a variety of different ways. Super Soakers, water balloons, heck, maybe even a catapult that slings mud based poultices."

If there's nothing else, he'll head out with Solomon and Blaze to the Locus.

[Bennosuke]

"Very well then," Solomon says with a nod, checking in with the others, "let's not waste any more time." Bear, Blaze and Solomon depart from the other's to make their way to the dock's locus. Though the sun is still high in the sky, they have little difficulty Reaching across the Gauntlet to arrive in the Hisil; the act a familiar but jarring shift.

On the other side, they are greeted by the floating tentacled mass of The Reveler, his whale-like face grinning placidly at them. "Welcome back," the spirit says with a dip of its head. "I was listening in to your conversation. We are going back to the ruined mansion of the Harbor Wolves for Tannis root then? Are we prepared then for battle?" Reveler was of course referring to the pack's recent flight from the sewers, which had led them through the Harbor Wolves' collapsed and Beshilu infested territory. Memories of thousands of golden eyes peering out from the ruined cyclopean tower under the light of Mother Luna's glow. Had that only been the night prior?

************************************************** ********************

Leaving shortly after the others, Michael drives Kara inland, into Dartmouth. State road is slightly heavy with traffic, but soon enough Michael has pulled off of the larger main road into the sparsely populated suburbs that lead up to the campus of U-Mass Dartmouth. The area is heavily wooded, with small cottages and trailers staking claim to a few thousand feet of grassy yard and sometimes miles between each property.

Finally, Michael pulls up in front of a small white one floor cottage that is somehow sagging on its foundation leaning to the side. A beat up black Dodge Charger is parked on the dirt driveway to the side of the house, and even from across the street where Michael parks, the Uratha can hear the pulsing rhythm of stereo bass pushed beyond its capacity. As Michael gets out of the car, he lets out a weary sigh and says enthusiastically, "Well, here we are. Uh, I guess just follow my lead."

As the two walk up to the cottage, the pounding beat gets louder and louder, and Kara can finally make out an angry Biggie number that she probably hasn't heard since the late 90s. The stairs groan and shift under their feet as the two make their way up to the porch entrance, and Michael rings the doorbell.

A white boy in a pink polo and overly baggy cargo pants answers the door. He's about Michael's age, with long greasy blond curls and cheap plastic ray ban knock offs on. "Yo, Mikey my bradda, good to see you man," he says in the saddest attempt at parroting hip hop slang. He pulls the shades down to eye Kara and asks, "Whose the lady friend?"

[Erulasto]

The drive wasn’t unpleasant – it gave Kara a chance to idly chat with Michael; a chance to get to know their newest member of their Pack a bit better. Most of it was small stuff: birthday, favorite color, taste in music.

All the while, Kara had her well-loved and timeworn notebook in hand as she worked on song lyrics in between questions.

As they eventually pulled up to the small cottage, Kara eyed the surroundings curiously. She hadn’t paid too much attention to the route they were taking, but the woods that surrounded the area seemed placid enough.

”Yeah, sure.” Kara said easily, slipping out of Michael’s care without further prompting. The Cahalith tucked the notebook back into her bag and sent a quick text off to the rest of the Pack to let them know they’d arrived.

The music that was blaring inside was definitely old school. The moment Kara saw the young man open the door and took in his appearance, the music made all sorts of sense.

Fighting back a cringe at his entire get-up and personality, Kara offered a hand in greeting.

”Kara St.Claire. Nice to meet you!”

Spoiler: OOC

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Progress on a new song?

Intelligence 2 + Expression 4 (+2 Singing Specialty if applicable)

(6d10)[8][8][2][2][1][2](23) + (2d10)[10][3](13)

[Thundercracker]

“I think it’s best to be prepared for anything,” Blaze said, “who knows what we’re going to find in here...”

He led the way to the location the computer spirit had indicated where the Tanis root grew, changing into a giant wolf as he moved.

[Bennosuke]

Kara manages to scribble down a series of verses that could make up a very short song, though she would likely need a bit of time to expand on and refine the lyrics.

Back at the Jason's
"You too," the drug dealer says, eyeing Kara's punk outfit with both humorous curiosity and disdain. Turning his attention back to Michael, he invites the two inside.

Jason's apartment looks like the emptied contents of a month old trash bag. The dealer invites Kara and Michael to sit down on a worn out couch stained with the smear of ash and meals that no one bothered to clean, while he sits himself down at a small work bench. Jason rummages through a couple of drawers before pulling out a something that looks like a piece of paper wrapped in tinfoil. He turns back to Michael and says, "How many tabs did you want again?"

Michael shrugs and looks to Kara for input.

************************************************** ***********************

Bear's recommendations encourage a few chuckles and some excited responses from the Wolf Blooded Anchor Wolves, and he receives their promises to get on it.

In the Hisil, Blaze leads the group back towards the towering and crumbling structure that was the Harbor Wolves' fortress. They move through the forest of strange trees and decaying cyclopean structures cautiously, stopping to sniff the air or a tree base for the stench of rot that accompanies the Beshilu. The smell of corruption builds as they approach the damaged tower, as does the faint but growing smell of long ago placed Uratha marking.

The signs of Beshilu infestation grow long before the Uratha reach the clearing around the tower that they remember from the night prior.

(OOC: Please give me Wits + Survival. I'll roll for Ladorak)

[Thundercracker]

Blaze sniffed the air.

“I hate these rats,” Blaze muttered in the First Tongue

Spoiler

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Wits 2 survival 1: (3d10)[6][5][6](17)
+ 3 Urshul if this counts as a perception roll: (3d10)[2][9][2](13)

10 again: (6d10)[1][3][8][2][1][5](20)

[Daishain]

Bear growls slightly, "You're not the only one. In any case, Blaze, this is really the best place to get this tanis root? Not exactly a meadow full of flowers to pick at our leasure."

Spoiler: OOC

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Wits+survival (4d10)[4][1][4][5](14)

[Thundercracker]

Bear growls slightly, "You're not the only one. In any case, Blaze, this is really the best place to get this tanis root? Not exactly a meadow full of flowers to pick at our leasure."

Spoiler: OOC

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Wits+survival [roll0]

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Blaze replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the old pack was cultivating them for use against HWOB.”

[Erulasto]

Kara shuffled into Jason’s apartment, and when it was offered she took a seat on the stained couch; though she sat as close to the edge of the couch as she could to minimize her contact with it. A short skirt and ripped tights meant far too much bare skin on such a nasty surface.

”How about…like…three?” Kara answered, pulling some cash from her bag and flattening the crumpled bills out a bit as she did so. ”How strong is it?”

[Bennosuke]

As the Uratha creep closer to the property, they can see the faint glow of golden rat eyes flickering in and out between the trees and shrubs. The nonsense hisses of Nihilith and the sound of their scuffling bodies grows closer. It may be hard to find a path past the infestation of rat Shartha without some impressive stealth, or having to fight your ways through.

Spoiler: OOC

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So the Beshilu's perception beats out the team's survival rolls by 1 success right now. Does anyone want to give up a WP. If the Anchor Wolves "Fail" they can still go for a stealth roll but this is going to be penalized given the number the how badly infested this property is. Conversely, there is always fighting your way through, or doing anything else you guys/gals can think of.

************************************************** ***********

Jason chuckles through his nose, the noise creating a disgusting snort. "A tab's a tab man," he says as if it were obvious to everyone, and shooting Michael a look as if to say 'where did you get this goth girl'. He opens up the foiled package to reveal a sheet of what looks like thickly pressed paper, perforated into quarter inch squares. Each square has a little cartoon vulture's head on it, sending Kara flashbacks of the Death Spirit she met in the Hisil just a few days prior.

(OOC: Feel free to roll Int +Medicine/Streetwise to see if Kara knows anything more about LSD)

[Erulasto]

"That's a cool logo." Kara said idly, pointing to the vulture logo. "Where's it..like...come from?" Then, the Cahalith took her cash and handed it over to Jason to pay for the three tabs she wanted to buy.

Spoiler: OOC

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Kara doesn't have Medicine or Streetwise. It then defaults to a chance die, no?

(1d10)[4]

EDIT: Kara has likely taken drugs before. Which is probably why she doesn't remember anything about them.

[Daishain]

Bear looks about, "Okay, so, I doubt that even Solomon on his own would stay undetected in there for long. No offense brother. What I suggest is that we try to guess at from out here the most likely place to find the Tanis root, then go for it. Solomon and I will make it look like we're just there to cause damage and kill the important ones like the last time we hit their nest, keep their attention on us. If it works, Blaze should be able to gather what we need in relative peace. Sound good?"

[Thundercracker]

“Let’s do it,” Blaze said.

[Bennosuke]

Jason shrugs as he pulls out a swiss army knife and begins cutting free three tabs for Kara. "What, the vulture? I don't know man. I mean most chemists put some sort of logo on their stuff to identify it as their's... so you'd have to know my source, if you know what I mean," Jason says with slight annoyance, and Kara can tell that the dealer isn't too keen on telling her where he is getting the drugs.

Unfortunately, Kara just doesn't know that much about LSD. Other drugs are probably more her speed.

************************************************** ***********

Solomon nods and with a grin says, "No offence taken. Let's just see if you can keep up with me." He transitions into Dire Wolf form, bones audibly crackling as they grow into their new form.

Spoiler: OOC

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So lets do this. Blaze will need four successes on an extended action using Int/Wits + Survival/Investigation to track down the Tannis Root. To keep the swarm of Beshilu distracted, Solomon and Bear will need to beat out the Beshilu in a contested roll of Presence/Dex + Athletics/Brawl for each round that Blaze rolls to hit his four successes.


Beshilu roll (12d10)[9][4][3][8][2][2][4][7][3][1][9][8](60)

Solomon's roll (8d10)[6][1][7][3][8][3][2][1](31)

[Daishain]

Bear shakes himself to settle the last changes as he takes dire wolf form as well. He grins with anticipation before howling in challenge to the Beshilu and charging in.

Spoiler: ooc

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Dex+presence (5d10)[8][6][2][5][1](22)
Str+brawl (10d10)[1][8][4][2][6][3][7][1][6][4](42)
Wow, that was below potential. Oh well.

[Bennosuke]

OOC: Sooo... do you want to spend a WP point, otherwise this may be over before it started? Solomon had a strikingly bad roll as well)

[Thundercracker]

Spoiler

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Int + survival: (5d10)[8][3][1][7][10](29)
10 again: (5d10)[8][4][3][2][9](26)


Int + survival: (5d10)[9][4][5][1][7](26)
10 again: (5d10)[7][2][4][10][10](33)


Int + survival: (5d10)[8][5][5][9][5](32)
10 again: (5d10)[10][4][3][7][4](28)


Int + survival: (5d10)[9][5][6][10][1](31)
10 again: (5d10)[6][7][4][8][9](34)

[Bennosuke]

Bear and Solomon dive headfirst into the field, bounding towards the sagging and crumbling cyclopean structure. As the Uratha charge forward, they can pick up the lingering odors of the the pack who had once called this area home. The ground is heavily pocked with burrowed holes, making the charge sligthly more challenging. The two don't make it very far before the very field itself becomes alive with wriggling bodies of fur and wormy tails.

Solomon and Bear begin tearing through the gathering swarms of Nihilith, leading the rats like lupine Pied Pipers, clearing a path for Blaze to begin his search of the property. Moving down the field, the Ithauer darts from clod of dirt to pile of stones, stopping to bury his nose in the ground and snuff. Blaze picks up on a pungent herbaceous smell that reminds him of licorice and cough syrup, and begins making his way around the tower.

(OOC: Blaze will get to the tannis root in round two based on his rolls. I rolled for Solomon and the Beshilu in round two, and now we just need Bear's last roll. He only needs one success. Bear is down to 4/5 WP)

[Daishain]

Bear fights to keep his focus. It would be all too easy to just give in to the slaughter. But there was a purpose to this.

Spoiler: OOC

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dex+presence (5d10)[9][4][6][6][10](35)
str+brawl (10d10)[8][3][9][1][7][6][6][2][6][8](56)

10agains from dex, 9agains from brawl (10d10)[4][10][8][10][9][5][6][9][5][8](74)

[Erulasto]

”Sure, sure. That’s…uh…cool.” Kara said a bit awkwardly. It wasn’t common that she was uncomfortable around people, but something about the drugs and Jason – and how her plan hinged on this – wasn’t sitting well with her.

”So…like…thanks? Really appreciate it!”