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2024-03-27, 05:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
The security officer turns her attention towards Hound, her demeanor continuing to sour. "The General has a right to his privacy," she huffs, adding proudly, "and we have never had such an incident occur during one of The General's parties."
Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-03-27, 07:20 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Gender
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
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2024-03-27, 07:41 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2012
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Marcella
When Pip turns and they have a couple seconds of privacy, Marcella looks at Arl and silently mouths a 'Sorry!' in recognition she should have shut up and not said anything.
Like most of the area's they had been through, this was a trip down memory lane for the Psyker. For some the idea of being encased in steel corridors as the only protection against the freezing vacuum of space was rather uncomfortable - but for Marc, it was home.
Like Arl, she too rubber-necked the place, her warm, brown eyes open in delight, a sweet an adventurous smile on her face as she took it all in. Simultaneously, she was mentally going over as much of the area as she could, looking for exits, places to hide, control panels etc.
OOC:
__________________
SpoilerGeneral Awareness for anything useful: (1d100)[58] vs TN 53
General Tech-use to notice anything useful: (1d100)[10] vs TN 53Last edited by BananaPhone; 2024-03-27 at 07:41 PM.
"Of all the words by tongue and pen, by far the saddest are "I could have been...""
"The first rule of success is to have a vision. You see if you don’t have a vision of where you are going, if you don’t have a goal for where to go, you’ll drift around and never end up anywhere...can you imagine a majority of people don't know where they are going? I knew where I was going!” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
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2024-03-27, 08:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
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2024-03-29, 06:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Pip eyes the acolytes, noticing how both of them have stopped to survey the cargo hold. He'll place both hands on his hips and say, "Very well then. I take it you have no more need of me? I trust you'll be able to find your way around then?"
Arl studies the area but identifies no clear signs of danger. The room has a somewhat musty stale odor, but there isn't even any signs that the cargo hold has been used to store any toxic or caustic chemicals.
(OOC: Arl passes his Awareness test. There is nothing uniquely dangerous in the cargo hold, though maybe there is information in that as well. If he is looking for clues, he will need to make a Search roll... I checked, and Arl does not have this skill, so you couldn't have just swapped dice pools to get the success. )
Marcella as well can't find any signs of danger, though she is less certain about her evaluations. She does find a very interesting palate that is works on anti-grav propulsion. After about a minute of looking it up and down, she has a good sense for how it would be operated... perhaps it could be useful later.
(OOC: Marcella makes a successful tech use roll, used to repair or study the inner workings of a machine)
************************************************** *************
Following the completion of their conversation with the security officer, the group is led by the floating servo skull across the garden towards the towering mansion. The entrance to the abode includes a walk up a grand flight of ivory stairs onto a porch lined with great stone columns, where several security guards march back and forth dutifully. The arched double doors are about three persons high, and swung open so that the bright yellow light and din of conversation flood out onto the porch. Ezekiel gives his companions each one last stern glare, before leading the way inside, while the servo skull remains floating at the threshold.
The group is greeted by a massive lump of flesh of a servitor, towering at least seven feet and three feet in shoulder width. Where its head should be is the taxidermized head of a bull, presumably preserved and innervate by a series of wires and tubes running up the back of its neck and sprouting from its triangular ears. It is dressed in traditional finery, all black and white robes, which stand in dark contrast to the rainbow of fiery colors worn by the guests. The servitor extends a hand and wordlessly receives the invitation proffered by the Interrogator. It raises the invitation up and drops it down into the depth of its bull throat, guzzling down the paper, with the sound of whirring motors. From a vox caster somewhere in its chest, the thing booms, "Announcing the arrival of Master Philius Jarkov of planet Carcus, and his retinue."
The party goers nearby turn around for one bored second to take stock of Ezekiel and the acolytes before turning back to their conversations. The servitor makes no attempt to recover the invitations from Hound or Orla.
The foyer of the mansion is a massive expansive room, that puts Drimmle's own to shame (though that one was blown to bits during their last encounter). This was large enough for the nearly 100 party members, lavish furniture, and various exotic tropical plants and statues. Servants carrying refreshments move swiftly between party goers. In its own way, the party is like the busy streets of the midhive during worktime, the noise and crush of bodies. But the wealth here, both of the mansion and its current occupants is the greatest difference. Men are dressed in crisp military uniforms or robes of silks and linens and fibers that Orla and Hound have never seen. Jewelery of glass and gold and gems sparkle from the temples and throats and ears of every female, and some of the men. Many of the women are garbed in dresses so exotic and shamefully revealing that it would make an average person's face blush. One gets the sense that a single party member could afford to pay for the home and food of a single family of the midhive for a year without any significant damage to their wallets.
No one of note is immediately noticeable, though there is so much going on, it will likely take some effort to get anywhere within the massive entranceway alone!Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-03-29, 08:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Orla will take a good look at the bull headed servitor on the way inside. Rich people were weird.
Inside the party proper it was hard not to look impressed. Speaking quietly to the others, 'Imagine coming in here as one of this lot. Must be nice.'
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2024-03-29, 10:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2012
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Marcella
Marcella offers a sweet smile and wave to Pip as he announces his departure, her voice remaining silent as she watched him leave the area, resigning both Arl and herself to the privacy of the cargo hold.
Once she was sure he was out of ear-shot, Marcella moved close to Arl and whispered, "So, what's next?" she asked with audible excitement."Of all the words by tongue and pen, by far the saddest are "I could have been...""
"The first rule of success is to have a vision. You see if you don’t have a vision of where you are going, if you don’t have a goal for where to go, you’ll drift around and never end up anywhere...can you imagine a majority of people don't know where they are going? I knew where I was going!” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
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2024-04-01, 10:35 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Gender
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2024-04-03, 02:22 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Gender
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
"Wealth has its advantages," Hound agrees, "but it is a fact that most of the people here will be living in constant fear of losing their wealth and privilege. Consequently, persons of high status are frequently abusers recreational pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and other vices which ultimately lead to corruption of the body and spirit. They often end their days far from the blessed light of the Emperor," he states matter of factly, as if in no doubt that Orla will agree that this is a singularly undesirable outcome.
"We should perhaps begin by working our way around the outside of this throng. I doubt it will be acceptable for either of us to immediately attempt conversation with any of the guests, so we should scout the area first and see if an opportunity presents itself," he suggests.
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2024-04-03, 07:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
'When you're rich enough I'd say you can fall pretty damn far without anyone being that bothered.' Orla responded. 'Might be easier to talk to the guests when they're drunker, but I can always talk to the staff in the meantime. It's not like they're going to say no. We splitting up? Given I'm supposed to be the bodyguard and all.'
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2024-04-05, 02:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
(OOC: Though the place is massive, I won't make you roll to find empty crates in a cargo hold)
In the back of the hold, Arl is able to find a series of crates that are empty. They are big enough to comfortably hold a human if they curled up in a ball. Of course, who knew when the ship would be taking off, and then you'd have to worry about food and water and all of that. There was also the possibility that the crates would be used at some point before take off to stock up on supplies.
************************************************** *************
The Interrogator listens to the acolytes discuss before taking a deep sigh. "Well I am going to start socializing. You can follow me if you want, otherwise, split up... just don't draw too much attention to yourselves." He gives the two a stern glare, then turns and starts walking slowly into the room. Several steps in, he makes eye contact with a pair of young women in beautiful costumes and in a jovial voice, arms raised, calls out, "Greetings ladies. My name is Philius. I only just landed. Would you be so kind as to show this stranger around." Even from behind, you can imagine the friendly grin on his face as he approaches the two tittering women.
(OOC: If you are breaking off, feel free to start with a Search, scrutiny, inquiry or other roll based on how you want to start off your participation in the party scene)Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-04-05, 07:53 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
'Then everyone feel free to call me if anyone's being a ****.' Orla didn't expect anything of that sort to happen but felt like she ought to be prepared anyway. She will get a drink from the nearest waiter. She does intend to sip it at least, but it's mostly to help her blend in.
Orla intends to get a look at General Parniple from a distance if their host is actually here already. Perhaps Durchesse would show up in his orbit eventually.
Spoiler: ooc
I don't think it's come up but do we know what Durchesse looks like?
Search vs. Per 39
(1d100)[33]
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2024-04-06, 04:57 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
It doesn't take Orla long to scope out the mansion. She moves through the party with purpose, eyes mostly sliding off her. She pads out of the foyer and into an even larger living, large enough to be dotted throughout with full life-size marble statues, couches long enough to seat a small underhive gang, and to comfortably entertain another hundred guests. As she enters deeper, Orla spots a group of men, most in military uniform, gathered in a corner. Their posture, their even spacing, their gestures, all would betray their background even if their blue and orange uniforms didn't. And all men stand at attention toward one. The General towers over his compatriots, a billy goat of a man with a massive burn scar covering his forehead and extending down to one side where the ear has been replaced by the mechanicus. Despite the jovial atmosphere, Parniple seems absolutely humorless, and very uninterested in the rest of the party.
Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-04-06, 05:26 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Gender
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Hound heads off in the opposite direction from Orla, thinking to rendezvous with her once he completes the circuit from his direction. As he moves along the edges of the gathering he keeps an eye out for other servants to chat with in order to find out who's in attendance and whether or not Lord Durchess has been seen yet. If questioned, he makes no secret of the fact that his own master is attending in the hopes of meeting Durchess.
Spoiler: Inquiry testTrying for Inquiry using Seen This Before talent, so rolling vs. Int 60.
(1d100)[30]
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2024-04-07, 01:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Orla will watch the group around Parniple for a few moments to see if they were talking to anyone who wasn't in uniform. To the microbead quietly, 'The General doesn't seem to be enjoying himself much.' Maybe rich people only put on parties like this for clout? There was probably no point in hanging around watching the man in case Durchesse showed up. Orla will watch the rest of the party for anyone that looked important. Most of the people here looked wealthy if they weren't working for the General, but presumably the most important people at the party had their own retinues.
Spoiler
Going to wait to hear the result of Rax's Inquiry test
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2024-04-07, 07:36 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
At first all that Hound finds are the servants handing out catered hors d'oeuvre. These individuals, dressed in dark formal attire stick out sorely from the brightly attired party goers, but they move about with too much intention seeming to ignore Hound's inquiries. But moving in a little more deeply, Hound finds a second group of servants moving about, mostly clearing away drinks and cleaning up spills. These servants, young and anxious and hairless, seem to have more time, and docilly answer the man's questions without hesitation. Lord Durchesse was indeed in the building. He was reportedly with his retinue and others in what the servants described as the upstairs public study, according to a particularly sallow looking boy-servant. The boy points a skinny chicken finger towards an enormous stairwell, decorated with an ornate foreign rug that runs the length of the case.
Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-04-08, 10:08 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Gender
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2024-04-10, 06:07 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Gender
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
"My thanks, boy, you do your master proud," Hound thanked the young servant.
Taking his time to complete the circuit, he observes the party goers carefully as he moves to meet up with Orla, trying to commit as many of them to memory as possible. Finally, he finds Orla on the other side of the foyer. "I have discovered that Lord Durchesse is currently in the upstairs public study," he reports, nodding towards the stairwell that the serving boy had indicated. "Do you wish to investigate or shall we alert 'Master Jarkov' first?"
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2024-04-10, 09:29 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Orla is doing her best to try not to be noticed by anyone in the party, which mostly looks like giving the impression that she's always on the way to somewhere else. She is glad to see Hound.
'Does he want to meet the guy? Maybe we can have a look around upstairs first. If all goes well, maybe we can get a look at the people Durchesse has with him. If not, we just ask the nice security man to show us where the toilet is.'
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2024-04-11, 03:03 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2017
- Gender
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
"Your jobs will be to gather any information you can on Durchesse and his dealings. Figure out who might be involved with him in whatever this illicit xenos trade is, and figure what exactly they are up to. Anything goes, as long as you don't blow your cover or draw too much attention to yourselves. I will be around, but you should feel free to act on your own impulses and follow any leads you think worthwhile. Are we clear?" Hound quotes their leader verbatim.
"Given our instructions, it would be within our mandate to take stock of the situation without disturbing the Interrogator's socializing first. We should ascend, observe, and report," he agrees.
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2024-04-11, 08:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
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2024-04-13, 04:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
To Arl's dismay, the empty crates are mostly unlabeled. Milling about the rest of the vast area, he finds some crates with scrolls pinned to them for various exotic items; spices from foreign planets, seeds, dried grasses, and bolts of fabric. But no matter where he looks, there is nothing particularly incriminating or useful.
************************************************** ******
The two make their way up the impressive stairs, which are wide enough for several small groups of party goers to be stopped chatting idly, and wide enough for Orla and Hound to pass by without bothering anyone. Once upstairs, the two find themselves staring down an impressively long and open hallway, with doors exiting off on either side for what seems like nearly a kilometer. Treading down the hall however, it becomes clear where the public study is. Rather than passing a closed door, they find a thrice wide unobstructed frame, into which they find sumptuously decorated study, again large enough to entertain at least 50 guests. However the space is mostly empty, except for a group of maybe ten men huddled together in the back, smoking cigars, and a handful of personal security, all of whom are standing at the doorframe, staring with guarded suspicion at Hound and Orla.Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-04-13, 07:36 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2012
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Marcella
Marcella peered and looked about the docking bay, her mind racing with the possibility of actually boarding the transport and heading straight to the heart of Casimire's little xeno-smuggling empire!
She could just see it now.
Land aboard. Covers intact. Make their way through the ship. A few close calls. Gather the incriminating evidence they need. A fire fight. Running. Boarding a ship and making a daring escape. Landing back in the Hive to gushing applause from the Inquisitor and Ezikiel.
Ahh...if only.
Marc knew better than anyone the...challenges, such an approach would encounter. And so, dutifully, choosing the safer and more efficient option, the psyker put her knowledge of ships and space-docks to use as she swivelled her head around in search of the flight tower.
"Psst, Arl!" she'd whisper to her companion, drawing closer to him.
"We should look for one of the control towers that controls and monitors landings and departures; they'll have all the flight logs and data we need to have a good idea of where Casimire's ship is, where he sends transports to make delivers outside the Hive and the flight transponder codes of all his transports so we can track them in real time."
OOC:
______________
Spoiler
All of these rolls are for gauging where a flight control tower should be and how to access it:
Awareness check for Marc: (1d100)[6] vs TN 53
Substitute tech-use check for Marc: (1d100)[65] vs TN 53
Substitute Pilot (Civilian Craft) check for Marc: (1d100)[16] vs TN 43Last edited by BananaPhone; 2024-04-13 at 10:03 PM.
"Of all the words by tongue and pen, by far the saddest are "I could have been...""
"The first rule of success is to have a vision. You see if you don’t have a vision of where you are going, if you don’t have a goal for where to go, you’ll drift around and never end up anywhere...can you imagine a majority of people don't know where they are going? I knew where I was going!” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
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2024-04-13, 09:38 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Orla considers taking Hound's hand and leading him further down the hallway as if they had a destination in mind. But, since the guards were already looking, she decides to lean into it. 'A lady downstairs said there was a place to smoke up here somewhere.' She points into the room where the group of men were clearly smoking. 'Are we allowed in there?'
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2024-04-13, 10:00 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
- Gender
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Arl nodded. "I don't want to leave here empty-handed, although, if nothing else, we know where he docks and how to get into the bay in a pinch. "
Arl gives the nearly-empty cargo hold one last look of annoyance.
"Let's get going -- I don't trust Pip as far as I could spit the Golden Throne. I suspect he'd sell his clanmates out for the price of a drink."
With that, Arl makes an "after you" gesture to Marcella.
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2024-04-14, 06:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
A man who looks ex-military, but in a uniform of satin and silks steps between the two and the room. His thin lips pull back in a rather unfriendly grin and he shakes his head in the negative. "This is private," the man says through tobacco stained teeth, "find another room." He nods his head towards the long hallway, "try the saltwater pool about five doors down."
(OOC: Feel free to make some sort of social or other roll if you want here)Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-04-14, 08:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2012
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Marcella
Marc nods once in Arls direction, before giving a quick look at the huge transport ship to their side, then back to the dock as a whole, before back to Arl.
"I think we can get the flight logs, data and transponder codes from this ship," she gestured to the cargo vessel, "with that, we can calculate where Casimire is sending his ships to drop the xeno-artefacts off to, and we can use the Hive's radar systems to track them!"
Turning around, Arl in tow, Marcella inhaled the warp unto herself in what was becoming an easier effort - her image shimmering and seemingly blending in with her surroundings. For Arl it was relatively easy to follow her, given his proximity and knowing what to look for. But for those not in the know, the pskyer had fantastic camouflage as she led the assassin around the perimeter of the cargo ship towards an entrance port they could both pass through, and make their way to the cockpit to download the data they needed, before high-tailing it out of here."Of all the words by tongue and pen, by far the saddest are "I could have been...""
"The first rule of success is to have a vision. You see if you don’t have a vision of where you are going, if you don’t have a goal for where to go, you’ll drift around and never end up anywhere...can you imagine a majority of people don't know where they are going? I knew where I was going!” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
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2024-04-14, 10:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
'Thanks.' Orla will pull a packet of lho sticks from her jacket and take one out to light. 'You boys the bodyguards then? How's your guy to work for? Mine's a little pushy.' She said the last part fully thinking of Ezekial. She'll offer the packet to the man who had spoken to see if he wanted one.
Spoiler: ooc
Charm to put up with Orla being nosey
vs. Charm 41
(1d100)[7]
A good roll when I needed it, thats odd
Last edited by Haval; 2024-04-14 at 10:08 PM.
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2024-04-16, 03:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
Marcella leads Arl through the ship, doing their best to soften their echoing footsteps as they make their way toward the ship's cockpit. It was Marcella's assessment that the vessel's navigation cogitator and travel logs would be held there. As they draw nearer, the hallways begins to narrow, and the lights dim further. Then they hear the sound of footfalls drawing closer, though there is no door or hallways to duck into.
Marcella finds an area of the wall dressed heavily in shadow to slip into, but Arl is not as fast and does not have the benefit of warp powers. A pair of malnourished men lumber into view, both dressed in the coveralls of the dock workers. One man is hairy like an ape but damp with sweat, and carrying a metal toolbox that must weight nearly 20kg. The other one is hairless and skeletal, his sallow face half hidden under a fire-protective visor. The two catch sight of Arl, not yet noticing Marcella. The big one with the tool box nods his head in greeting towards Arl, but says, "We got everything repaired over here. Lookin' for something?" There is only a hint of suspicion in his voice.
************************************************** *******
The man stiffens as Orla reaches into her coat pocket, and the several bodyguards behind him all twitch, ready for action. But his reaction softens as Orla withdraws the lho sticks. "Somethin' like that," the man says, relaxing enough to attempt to flatten out a crease in his satin jacket with his hands. When Orla offers him a lho, he turns over one shoulder to check on the group of wealthy nobles deep within the study. Waving away the offer, he replies, "That's okay." His stern expression is broken by a friendly grin, before he adds, "We get paid enough at least."Spoiler: Games I am Currently RunningSan Francisco by Night (Vampire the Requiem 2E)
New Bedford by Night (Werewolf the Forsaken 2E)
New Orleans by Night (Changeling the Lost 2E)
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2024-04-16, 08:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2017
Re: IC II: DH The Purity of Sacrifice
'Oh really.' Orla grinned as she looked for a lighter. 'You ever need extra bodies? Just in case your guy decides to go somewhere dangerous.'