[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (OOC)

[Mazer Rackham]

1 hour ago, Trokair said:

Mazer, thanks for the expanded reply in lieu of Seb knowing, I actually had a follow on question that probably makes more sense to ask here now.

 

Once Bardas as supplies/tools he will need a double layered faraday cage in a secure (well relatively) location.

 

No worries.

 

Oof. That Faraday cage is going to be a big ask of a small machine tool shop. You're going to have to build it, ask for services, or travel where it's easier to do both. Taking into account that this is specialised stuff as per the lore etc, although Bardas would of course be aware of the device. With Rivet City defunct, your best bet would likely be to cross the heat sink, into House Tirant territory, where the real Mechanicum Temples are.

 

52 minutes ago, Machine God said:

@Mazer Rackham - Did the Old Miner have any visible tattoo's that I could mention to Bardas when Kerr Restal brings the news?

 

No, nothing visible. At the moment he's just a wacky, yet vaguely interesting GM mouthpiece.

...or is he?

 

EDIT: Just to add to this a little bit - whilst we are allowing "everyone knows everything" to prevent threads a million miles long, filled with irritation, it remains up to Players to inform each other as to what information they wish to hold back. The Rockheads are a gang, and Tro has the secret passphrase, so it is in his hands (as it is with anyone) if that is to be divulged.

 

Indeed, there may* come a time when not keeping a secret will result in death of the Party members, their allies or innocents.

 

38 minutes ago, Trokair said:

I am getting Scene 24 vibes...

 

Keep your eye out for bridges - over heat sinks.

 

*Subject to status, lethal prize guaranteed. This voucher holds no monetary value, but will likely result in death for whoever claims it. Void in Alaska, the Gulf of Oman, and WH Smith.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Mazer Rackham
T & C's

[Machine God]

Blue!

[A.T.]

Dispatch terminals - something with a vid feed/ident records that Bardas could hack, or a person that needs to be spoken to?

[Machine God]

3 hours ago, A.T. said:

Dispatch terminals - something with a vid feed/ident records that Bardas could hack, or a person that needs to be spoken to?

Or a person quoting Mail Sender Anonymity - Could be Scanned (Michael Ironside) by Niciois?

[Mazer Rackham]

3 hours ago, A.T. said:

Dispatch terminals - something with a vid feed/ident records that Bardas could hack, or a person that needs to be spoken to?

 

There are public terminals, but unfortunately, they're not that type - they're just a self-service till. You weigh your parcel, put in where it's going, pay the courier and/or storage charge. This is why they would be useful for anonymity, and appropriate to this section of the hive. Further up, you'd get more info due to ID cards, insurance, credit lines etc etc. There's also the clerk who can handle the process manually.

 

37 minutes ago, Machine God said:

Or a person quoting Mail Sender Anonymity - Could be Scanned (Michael Ironside) by Niciois?

 

He could use his powers on the screens, but he's going to get a riot of hits, as they're public.

[Trokair]

On 11/25/2022 at 11:04 PM, Mazer Rackham said:

EDIT: Just to add to this a little bit - whilst we are allowing "everyone knows everything" to prevent threads a million miles long, filled with irritation, it remains up to Players to inform each other as to what information they wish to hold back. The Rockheads are a gang, and Tro has the secret passphrase, so it is in his hands (as it is with anyone) if that is to be divulged.

 

Indeed, there may* come a time when not keeping a secret will result in death of the Party members, their allies or innocents.

 

*Subject to status, lethal prize guaranteed. This voucher holds no monetary value, but will likely result in death for whoever claims it. Void in Alaska, the Gulf of Oman, and WH Smith.

 

With this in mind I don’t think Bardas would have told the others about the password for the Rockheads, more because he would not consider it irrelevant unless the group had to go back down into their territory, than any active secret keeping purpose.

 

The Magos’s fate (and the data stack) Bardas would however have kept secret from the others for now.

I can’t think of anything else he would have reasons to not mention for now.  

 

Quote

Oof. That Faraday cage is going to be a big ask of a small machine tool shop. You're going to have to build it, ask for services, or travel where it's easier to do both. Taking into account that this is specialised stuff as per the lore etc, although Bardas would of course be aware of the device. With Rivet City defunct, your best bet would likely be to cross the heat sink, into House Tirant territory, where the real Mechanicum Temples are.

 

Given that there is potential for senior AdMech personal to be in on at least one plot I am not sure how wise it be to go into their territory for assistance.  Then again this angle dose need investigating, and Baras is best placed to be on that part of the team.

 

Is the Sector 12b what you are reffering to here or is that a smaller seperate place.

 

Anybody have any thoughts/suggestions?   

Edited November 27, 2022 by Trokair

[Mazer Rackham]

2 hours ago, Trokair said:

Is the Sector 12b what you are reffering to here or is that a smaller seperate place.

 

GM query, so - Sector 12b is where the small machine shop is located. House Tirant is across the hive.

 

To clarify and boil down the essentials a bit:

• Sector 12b (Mechanicum Affiliate Machine Shop):
  • Cheaper
  • Quality of construction (Common)
  • Provides more anonymity to Mechanicus, but expose your plans to downhivers (to be fair, they will be ignorant of your purpose due to how the tech works)
  • Will take significant time to assemble, test and construct the device
• House Tirant:
  • Mechanicus will know what you're up to
  • Expensive
  • Quality of construction (Good to Best)
  • Significantly faster construction and operation, testing will be automatic.

Let me know if you need more.

[Lysimachus]

4 hours ago, Trokair said:

Anybody have any thoughts/suggestions?   

 

 

Just to check, is this just for looking at the data in the fallen servoskull, or is there more related to our mission to be gained from the bits retrieved from the overseer of Rivet City? If there is something key to the plot to be found, then of course it's worth looking into - though of course we won't know until we try...

 

I guess my gut feeling would be to use the local machine shop first, but if the higher tech is needed then go there? What was the Faraday Cage wanted for?

[Machine God]

14 minutes ago, Lysimachus said:

 

 

Just to check, is this just for looking at the data in the fallen servoskull, or is there more related to our mission to be gained from the bits retrieved from the overseer of Rivet City? If there is something key to the plot to be found, then of course it's worth looking into - though of course we won't know until we try...

 

I guess my gut feeling would be to use the local machine shop first, but if the higher tech is needed then go there? What was the Faraday Cage wanted for?

Faraday Cages or even Bags stop the electro-magnetic spectrum from entering and exiting. Put a device say a mobile phone in a Faraday Bag and it won't receive a signal.

[Trokair]

Both I guess, Servo skull and Magos stack, as there is a chance either has main story info. As I failed to get any data out of the magos when he was ‘alive’ I am unsure how much that was Mazer planting story seed and how much it was letting us bark up our own worng tree. I figure with two things to try one might be fruitful.

 

The Faraday Cages is so that the skull can’t send any signals when it gets turned on/examined, considering it was just a signal that changed it’s behaviour.   Bardas is getting proper paranoid.

[Lysimachus]

 

18 minutes ago, Trokair said:

Bardas is getting proper paranoid.

 

Not unreasonable. 

 

 

 

Maybe it would be good to sum up our options for next steps? As far as I can see, we could:

 

1. Go see Fabian Canthus and co. That might be dangerous, especially if they are the big bad guys… but if they aren't, we might be able to resolve their issues with looking for Dreyfuss, get Greyson off our backs and even get more info from them (or Lady Emilia) about the real enemy?

 

2. Or go back up to the Spire, find out why Planetary Governor Aldario is hunting us. Is it just that she was given bad intel in the vid-feeds (in which case, who fed them to her?) or is she involved? Also, it seemed from Dreyfuss' log that he had some deal with the old priest Hyronimus that we met earlier at the Templum, so we could look into that at the same time too?

 

3. Or go to look into the tech side of things, whether that's done locally or by travelling over to the Mechanicus enclave.

 

 

...are there any other threads I'm not thinking of that we can pull on?

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we need to decide if we want to split again, or is it better/safer to stick together?

 

[Trokair]

I was under the impression that 1 and 2 where the same clue line, or did I miss some details along the way?

 

There is also Tracer and the information me might hold. So we have 3 or 4 potential directions.

 

 

 

How about Reynard and Bardas stay down here, go to the nearby machine shop for what Intel can be goten that way, then circle back to try and get a more chatty Tracer. Reynard is the more likely of the two to be identified form the Vid, so staying away from the upper spire may reduce chance of capture. That would leave Falk, Kerr Restal (in disguise) and Nicios to take the up hive clue? Or do we have both vid victims stay out of the limelight?

 

 

Mazer, has enough time passed for that psychic healing test that Ikka did earlier can now be applied to Bardas?

[Lysimachus]

55 minutes ago, Trokair said:

I was under the impression that 1 and 2 where the same clue line, or did I miss some details along the way?

 

I don't think so... House Canthus is one of the Trading Houses, their part of the Hive is just above where we are...

 

Edit: or House Canthus is above House Grunberg, I'm not 100% sure of the colours on the key and map...

 

House Aldario is a Noble House in the Spire, the current Planetary Governor comes from here?

 

Good point on following Tracer, too!

Edited November 27, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

2 hours ago, Lysimachus said:

What was the Faraday Cage wanted for?

 

2 hours ago, Machine God said:

Faraday Cages or even Bags stop the electro-magnetic spectrum from entering and exiting. Put a device say a mobile phone in a Faraday Bag and it won't receive a signal.

 

1 hour ago, Trokair said:

The Faraday Cages is so that the skull can’t send any signals when it gets turned on/examined, considering it was just a signal that changed it’s behaviour.   Bardas is getting proper paranoid.

 

All that depends on the amplitude of the carrier signal, how powerful it is, what the cage/shield/bag is made of, etc etc. This is all reflected in the Quality I stated. Think of it as a bulletproof vest.

 

Ones made out of tinfoil ain't much cop against anything better than coarse language...

 

1 hour ago, Trokair said:

Mazer, has enough time passed for that psychic healing test that Ikka did earlier can now be applied to Bardas?

 

Before I say yes, let's have a sitrep. I know I can see your sheets, but for speed and ease of reference (for all of us), could ALL players drop a post in with their current:

• Wounds (in the xx/yy format)
• Fate
• Ammunition
• Wealth
• Insanity/Corruption (optional)

If you can, use the same format as above.

 

This will allow us to plan and make decisions. Ta. 

 

EDIT:

 

25 minutes ago, Lysimachus said:

I don't think so... House Canthus is one of the Trading Houses, their part of the Hive is just above where we are...

 

House Aldario is a Noble House in the Spire, the current Planetary Governor comes from here?

 

Grunberg is directly above you (pale green), with Canthus above them (pale blueish/turquoise/Alaitoc Puke contrast paint).

 

Aldario is indeed up top, and yes, the current planetary governing house.

Edited November 27, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

• Wounds: 14/15
• Fate: 0/3
• Ammo: What is loaded in the guns (each is fully loaded), plus following spares: 2 Laspistol Clips, 20 Shotgun shells, 2 Autogun Clips
• Wealth: 471 Thrones
• Insanity/Corruption: None… yet 

 

As an aside, I was thinking about sending Reynard up to the top exactly because he's already been made public? I was thinking if someone else was willing to pretend to be a courier, Reynard could be their guard and they can bluff and/or sneak their way up into the Spire and get an audience with the Governor. Then he can reveal himself as an Inquisitorial operative, and maybe get us some more help (or at least get them off our backs!) and work the case from the top down?

 

Might be a bit risky if she's a baddie though...

Edited November 27, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Trokair]

Bardas

• Wounds: 09/19
• Fate: 01/02
• Ammunition: 8 Sleeker Teeth bullets, 2 Laspistol charge packs (clip 30) (1 in pistol, 1 spare). 1 Lasgun charge pack (currently used/modified as battery, probably does not count as ammo any more)  
• Wealth: 60 (personal funds), 32 (Inquisition provided funds)
• Insanity 2, Corruption 1

Edited November 27, 2022 by Trokair

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal

 

• Wounds: 12/15
• Fate: 0/3
• Ammunition: Laspistol charge pack: 28/30, 34 Shotgun Shells (12 in Combat Shotgun, 22 in Webbing Belts)  
• Wealth: 5 Thrones
• Insanity / Corruption: Zero

[A.T.]

Falk

• Wounds: 15/17
• Fate: 0/2
• Ammo: 48 Shotgun shells (8 loaded), 75 Autogun rounds (3 clips), 3 large unidentified shells
• Wealth: 94 Thrones
• Insanity/Corruption: None

 

We also picked up some manstopper shells from the market a while back

[Lord_Ikka]

• Wounds - 8/12
• Fate - 1/2
• Ammunition -  39 stub rounds (4 stub-auto mags/1 reload for backup)/6 dum-dum (2 reloads for backup)
• Wealth - 123 
• Insanity/Corruption (optional) - 0/0

I'm fine with Nicios taking the role of courier or whatever, he looks in-between a cop and a bureaucrat, but as a warning he has very low Fellowship/social skills so any sort of test along those lines he will probably fail (and then lash out with pysker powers which may or may not rebound on the team....)

[Lysimachus]

Actually, that sounds like a good idea... if we do find the bad guys, threatening them with a psyker (daemonbomb! ) might be a way to get us out alive again...?

 

As to the Fel issue, Reynard can probably still cover that, as I reckon a courier's guard would step up and 'talk' to anyone who tried to stop them?

 

 

 

But this all depends on whether everyone thinks it is a valid plan, or if anyone has a better one? And whether we should use it to go to House Canthus or right up to the Planetary Governor... I guess, just as a trick to get us in, it should (hopefully) work on either target?

[Mazer Rackham]

Much appreciated for the snapshots gents.

 

What we'll do, is call the session and chapter closed, but before that happens, I suggest the wounded lads use Fate to heal and then may attempt the healing via medic/psychic means.

 

When the next session/chapter starts, your Fate will be replenished.

Edited November 28, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[A.T.]

26 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

What we'll do, is call the session and chapter closed, but before that happens, I suggest the wounded lads use Fate to heal and then may attempt the healing via medic/psychic means.

 

There is also a basic 1 wound per day healing rate for anyone who is only lightly wounded (damage less than or equal to twice toughness bonus)

[Mazer Rackham]

Yep, which should pop everyone back up to full spec without having to risk a bloodthirster, who would no-doubt then undo all the good work :)

[Trokair]

Fate point heal: d5: 4

Wounds: 13/19 – Lightly wounded only now.

Medicate Test on self Int: 34

D100: 39, Fail – no DoF

 

Edit:

+ 1 for passage of time

14/19, only 5 points of dmage, maybe less if I can a restrospective assist on the self medicae

Character sheet updated

Edited November 28, 2022 by Trokair

[Lysimachus]

Don't forget Bardas has a medikit, which is a +20 to Medicae tests, so you're all good!