[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (RPG IC)

[Mazer Rackham]

LeX:

 

A handful of bystanders stop what they're doing at your imperious advance. They look at you, look where you appeared from, and spot Bardas. Then they back away, and quickly turn to flee.

 

Lecroix senior stares out, takes your measure, jaw slowly opening, and he freezes. As your demand, his name, reaches his ears, he snaps out of it and dives behind the counter, cowering with his hands outstretched. "Throne! Throne! Please don't kill anyone! Just take whatever you want! I'm begging you!"

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"Yes, I believe we can depart now, if Falk agrees."

 

Nicios looked down at the old psyker. "Perhaps a member of the Ecclesiarchy or one of my former brethern will come to this place later, to strengthen your protections. The Emperor bless."

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

"Stand up!" Reynard barked. "Investigator. You know exactly why we're here."

 

Reynard continued grimly, holding a picture of a typical Arbitrator in his mind as he spoke. Some mix of Falk and all the other lawmen he'd been interviewed by over the years. He raised his hands, gesturing at all the goods still on display.

 

"I have no interest in any of this garbage, except maybe as evidence. At best, the charge is receiving stolen tech. At worst, grand theft from the Adeptus Mechanicus. You're lucky I got here before they did. You know what they'd do to you for committing either crime."

 

He shook his head as the old man started to babble, protesting his innocence.

 

"Whatever. Maybe you'd best come back to the Precinct with me? If you're really innocent, we can protect you from the cogboys and you can help us to find the real culprits. If you're proven guilty… well, let's hope not, eh?"

 

Reynard looked thoughtfully around the shop and let his expression soften a little.

 

"Do you have someone who can look after your premises while you're… assisting with our enquiries? I think I heard one of the locals say you have a son…? Maybe you want to call him here before we leave?"

 

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

The Librarium:

 

The old man bows his head from his prone position, the best acknowledgement he can make on his knees. "And bless you, my friend. I look forward to the day when our exile ends, and we can once more stand in the Tower of Echoes, and commune with the Light."

 

"Whatever path you took here, let your feet be led away by Lady Gwynne's Sight. Meditate upon her words, for in them is the truth."

 

LeX:

 

The burbling man pulls up to his feet, his look of terror changing, as he realises the predicament. AS he stands up, he hurls the junk in front of him at your feet, and kicks over the rickety counter.

 

"Run for it, boy! It's a bust!"

 

He bursts out of the small shop through a side door. Another pair of feet slap steel, and the flashing shape of a much slighter person catches the light and legs it into the rabbit warren of streets. A clanging tumble of pots and pales signifies old man Lecroix wasn't as spry, and is currently in a heap outside the door, clogging up the alley.

 

Both Bardas and Reynard must now make a Routine (+10) Agility Test or be fouled by the action of the shopkeeper. You can hear what you can assume is Sebastian bolting down alley, and as such can follow. We now have a foot chase!

 

I'll post a map, and further instructions, shortly.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Spoiler

Ag Test, Ag45 +10=55, Roll: 51, Pass (just!)

 

As the pile of junk crashed to the floor, Reynard just barely leapt over it. Damnation! He'd thought threatening the older man would have brought the younger home to defend him, but Lecroix junior was here already! With a muttered curse on his lips, he raced after the fleeing figure, drawing his laspistol as he went.

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

LeX:

 

Have a good read of what's going on here, way before you post anything. This can be as fast or intense as you want to play it. Sebastian, or Seb is not an idiot, and neither are you. Seb's icon on the map is his last known location. I can't stress this enough - losing someone in a city is not about speed, it's about breaking LOS (Urban Survival 101), and there are other people about, so you're going to have to use brains as well.

 

MAP:

Spoiler

 

Notes: You can shoot at Seb, but ANY miss is going to hit something else. The walls down here are tinfoil, and a lasbolt will rip right through them. Note that Seb isn't bound by the same rules...If Seb gets to one of the squares with a blue line, Seb has escaped into the hive and is gone, for now.

Each square on the map is 2m across.

 

There is no requirement for Initiative, other than which one of Bardas/Reynard goes first in turn. Otherwise, this will be on an I-go, You-go.

 

Your impressions of Seb's outfit is a long, brown overcoat, and pale trousers with black boots.

 

Questions in the OOC.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

"Go north!" Reynard hissed to Bardas. "We'll circle around the edges of this maze, cut him off and work our way back inwards!"

 

With that he sped off, looking only for a moment to his left up the alleyway Lecroix had taken, then moving on past it through the warren as quickly as he could eastwards. He would turn north in a moment, hopefully trapping their quarry somewhere between the Tech-adept and himself. As he reached a t-junction he stopped, looking and listening for any sign of their target.

 

 

Spoiler

Reynard will Run 24m (7 squares east, 2 squares north, 3 squares east) and spin around to face the way he came so he can look north, south and back west.

My suggestion would be for Bardas to move north as fast as possible to try and cut off the exits in the upper left corner, but that's entirely up to you, Tro!

 

 

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

As he was leaving with Falk and Nicios, Kerr Restal pressed three Thrones into the palm of the old man.

 

"For the children's learning. A face of the cube. May He watch over you all!"

 

 

 

Down through the door and past the shrine, further into the hive they walked.

 

"Let's make for Kelvin's Gallery and hook up with Reynard, maybe he's had some luck." suggested Kerr Restal.

[A.T.]

Falk:

 

Falk noted Restals actions, realising how quickly he had dismissed those around now as his mind raced forward trying to piece together some path from this madness. "The third daughter, the dark sister, the golem. If even they are people..." he muttered out loud, "more names and none yet connect."

 

He turned to Nicios and Restal, "Do any of them have deeper meaning to you? Some legend or title of office?"

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"I don't believe so. It may be some sort of code from an Astropath- the transmissions that they send are rarely in words, they use things like smells, memory impressions, and totemic visions to stitch together messages from each other. I will think on it."

 

Spoiler

Forbidden Lore (Psykers) test

Target- 43

Roll- 31

Result= Pass, with 1 DoS

[Mazer Rackham]

The Librarium:

 

Nicios ONLY:

Spoiler

The veil shifts, resonance lingering on the invisible threads of fate Lady Gwynne has pulled:

• The Third Daughter: An impression of three queens on a Regicide board. The first queen is the tallest, second smaller, and third smallest still.
• The Dark Sister: A nemesis, a powerful, poisoned enemy. This is a memory fragment, and such is the strongest. It is laced with genuine fear.
• The Golem: An ancient, alternative Tarot definition for servants of the Mechanicum

 

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

Nicios quickly whispers his half-remembered Astropathic symbolism to his companions as they exit the Magisters' lair.

 

Third Daughter- someone with power, but less than others? The Mechanicus searching for what we are as well...not good. The fear around the Dark Sister perhaps indicates our real enemy in all of this.

 

"Time to join the others, we have much work to do I fear..."

[Trokair]

Having just caught up with Reynard a spot of surveillance would do nicely as little rest break after the hurried journey, but alas it was not to be. Reynard was just about to outline a plan when the Shopkeeper’s action forced their hand.

 

Reynards improvised ploy did not play out as the other had expected, and now he was faced with the hail of scraps.

 

Spoiler

Ag 36+10 = 46

D100: 42, Pass, 0DoS

 

As Reynard sprinted after the lad Bardas headed up the north facing passage as directed, running would likely cause him to trip or otherwise mangle the pursuit, instead he walked as a brisk a pace as he could manage.

 

Reaching the first east west passage way that crossed his path he slowed to peer down the east facing passage. The labyrinth of passages and clutter of people where a problem, but the flimsy construction of some of the partition he had observed indicated that a scan with the Auspex was likely to penetrate the surrounding with ease.

 

Spoiler

Round 1, full action move 12m = 6 squares, should be just enough to get to the first east west junction on the first north south corridor. Square C6 (counting chessboard style).

Round 2, Tech-Use for Auspex

Int:34

D100: 85, Fail, 5DoF

Fate point reroll - I don't think we can aford to let him get away.

D100: 19, Pass, 1 DoS

 

The Auspex screen flickered but revealed nothing useful. Applying some percussion maintenance, a maintenance ritual that was not mandated in any official capacity, but every servant of the Omnissiah, and many beside, knew would work at times, Bardas tried again.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Trokair

[Mazer Rackham]

The Rat Run:

 

I've moved Bardas as per Tro's post, and then moved Seb, beginning a new 'Round', then done Bardas' Auspex ping.

Spoiler

One ping only, Vasily.

 

Green dots are your hivers.

 

Seb:

Spoiler

Full Acton: Full Move

 

MAP:

Spoiler

 

As Bardas moves into position, he spies a knot of three locals, a female and two men. They repay his looks with a hushed whisper about coggers, and people not being from around these parts. None of them are the target. They return to talking about hive trivia.

 

Reynard: [ ]

[Trokair]

++Potential targets in corridor heading north east.++

 

Spoiler

Assuming I read the pings correctly and known movment potential of Seb from starting position.

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by Trokair

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard listened intently as Bardas described what the auspex showed. It seemed there were multiple bio-signs visible, but little to show which was their quarry. The Tech-adept was right that the farthest contacts could be dismissed almost immediately… unless the boy was some sort of champion foot racer. The blips that seemed the most likely candidates were the group of five in the centre of the warren.

 

If Reynard stayed quiet, crept up slowly, maybe the boy would move cautiously too?

 

Could he risk that, though? Lecroix was almost away. Another decent sprint would almost certainly put him out of their grasp. Would Reynard be better off trusting to his own speed, running the rest of the way around the outer perimeter of the maze? Even if the boy heard him, at least he could block off the northeastern exits and keep the hunt going?

 

With a grimace of frustration, the Hiver kept running.

 

Spoiler

Run move (up to 24m) 2 squares north, 2 east, 3 north, 2 west = 18m.

 

Pass 1 blip (I don't think it can be Lecroix, but if it is, I assume Reynard will notice and stop…? )

Ag Test: Ag45, Roll: 79, Fail with 3DoF!

FP Reroll: 34, Pass with 1DoS.

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Reynard:

 

As you pelt around the corner, you spot a sole hiver, an older lady by her gait and hunch, you dodge around the large, bulging panniers across her shoulders fairly simply with a bit of hive-born footwork, and continue. You dash down the empty maze, bulkhead escapes to your right, before erupting into a passageway with a gaggle of slum-dwellers.

 

Three young men of similar height and build look up at you, the furthest away tugs the sleeves down on a long, brown jacket. The man next to him, by the corner is robed in grey, hooded. The nearest slummer wears a tattered mechanic's worksuit, with a jerkin over it for extra warmth and protection. Seeing your handgun drawn, they all slowly put their hands up.

 

"We don't want no trouble, mister," says the mechanic.

 

Note that we are still in Structured Time "Lite", although not your Turn, you may of course attempt...pleasantries, exchange threats, checks etc.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard stopped dead. That long brown jacket looked about right... but the boy could have switched it...

 

He didn't holster or even lower his pistol, making sure it was covering the three young civs without pointing it directly at any of them.

 

"Me neither, friend," he replied quietly. "Seen Sebastian Lecroix? I just need to talk to him."

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

The Rat Run:

 

Reynard:

 

The browncoat stiffens, licks his lips as he looks at the other two men with him. The robed man nods once.

 

"Stuff it, Rozzer!"

 

The browncoat explodes into movement, running down the passage (map south) the grey-robed man takes to his heels as well, turning and fleeing up the corridor, then stomping down another (map west, towards Bardas).

 

The Mechanic put his hands right up, but proceeds to dally in your path in an attempt to slow you down, but he does not attack.

 

Your Accustomed To Crowds will negate any Opposed Test, just an AG to get round him, or you can knock him on his arse with a Shoulder barge (Charge Action), Dodge with a Reaction as part of a move, etc.

 

As a hiver, Juve, and possibly a man who has flirted with the boundaries of law yourself, this trick is perhaps something you've seen before.

 

Player Turn:

Bardas: [ ] 

[Trokair]

++I see two points diverging from your position at speed, intercepting southbound one.++

 

Spoiler

Full action move 12m = 6 squares, 3 squares east (past the 3 civvies), 1 south and 2 East. Square G5.

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Rat Run:

 

Bardas is as good as his word, and as he clanks and clomps his way through the steel corridors, is suddenly confronted by the fugitive he seeks!

 

MAP:

 

Spoiler

 

Bardas must now roll an Opposed Strength Test against the browncoat to avoid ending up in a heap!

 

Notes: Since the Auspex is not being used, I have left some civs on the map to indicate what Reynard remembers, or can discern from ruckus etc.

 

Reynard [ ]

Edited November 9, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

A bluster of brown rounded the corner, going at full tilt the runner was not looking where he is going. In the fraction of a second Bards had to calculate the impending collision he shifted into a defensive stance, legs braced and staff in two hands to block the runner.

 

Spoiler

S:35 D100: 25, 1 DoS

 

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Both targets took off. Only a fraction of a second to decide which one to follow. But Reynard had seen the questioning look, the nod, and the brown sleeves being pulled down. Plus, if Lecroix had gone south Bardas should hopefully be able to handle him. But if it was him going west…

 

With a quick left-right, Reynard wrongfooted the mechanic and hurled himself after the grey-clad runner. He rounded the corner to see a fleeing figure being slowed by the cumbersome, flapping robe. With a yell, he threw himself into it, tumbling them both to the ground.

 

"I mean it, fool! We only want to talk!"

 

Spoiler

Dodge as a Reaction, Ag45, Roll: 42, Pass!
Charge after grey robed target.
WS32 +10(Charge) = 42, Roll: 10, Hit with 3DoS!

(I don't want to actually hurt him, so I'll hold off on rolling any Damage, unless you say it's necessary?)

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Rat Run:

 

Reynard:

 

The grey-robed individual collapses beneath your flying tackle, and his kicking legs gain no purchase against your grapple. He goes slack, the fight gone from him. He snatches his hood down, the family resemblance to the Old Man Lecroix is striking. 

 

"Alright, Copper. Just leave my pa out of it?"

 

Bardas:

 

The browncoated slummer rams into you and rebounds, falling at your feet. He stretches his arms on the floor and chuckles. "Worth a try."

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Well, praise the damn Emperor…gotcha.

 

Reynard saw the boy's face, heard his words. He sat himself up across the alley from Lecroix Junior, keeping his laspistol in his hand to discourage any thoughts the young datacrypter might have of trying to get up and run again. He sighed heavily.

 

"I'm not a copper and we don't want your pa," he admitted with a vaguely apologetic shrug. "I just didn't think you were there and I wanted to give you a reason to come home as fast as possible. Sorry. My mother always said I was too clever for my own good."

 

Reynard grinned.

 

"Ah well, no lasting harm done, I suppose. Good chase, too. Kept me on my toes!"

 

He shook his head and let out a soft snort of amusement. Then the grin faded and he gave Sebastian a more serious look.

 

"Now, I just need to ask you some questions… about the work you did for Magos Dreyfuss. Tell me the truth and don't try to hide anything, and then you and your pa are free to stay or go as you please. Fair enough?"