Murder Most Fowl

Murder Most Fowl
Date 2082-05-04 GM OrionsRequiem Location Snohomish, Seattle Metroplex Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven BinChicken	The Nova Riche
Iceland Frank Davis Absolute Zero Vip3r	Quintin
Casualties and losses
	Quintin's Hand
During this run, Vip3r became addicted to Psyche

Summary

In which runners are hired to solve the murder of a cockatrice

Background

BinChicken has been taking care of a rundown nature conservatory in the Snohomish area of the metroplex, the shaman had befriended one of the security animals there, a cockatrice she has affectionately named Tug'ernuts. While on a dumpster-diving mission, BinChicken left the conservatory alone and came back to find Tug'er dead. Unknown to the shaman it was done by a group of Nova Riche gangers trying to get the cockatrice's tail to create a focus for their resident Red Mage.

The Meet

After being contacted by their shared fixer Sarah Snow in a group call, the team met up in Snohomish and found that the location data they had been sent was not a place, but rather a person, and they find the Australian shaman diving into a dumpster outside a McHugh's. The team question why she's in the dumpster, and Absolute Zero asks for some food. She is rewarded by a half-eaten burger.

BinChicken explains that someone broke into the conservatory and killed Tug'er while she was out, there was a 24 hour window in which the cockatrice was killed, but they left the body, the only thing that they took was the cockatrice's paralyzing tail. The runners do not ask questions about what BinChicken wants done or about their payment, and instead head right off towards the nature conservatory.

The Investigation

The team go to the nature conservatory in Snohomish, where they find a bunch of vultures surrounding the body of the cockatrice. Frank Davis and Iceland spend some time investigating the fence around the conservatory. They find that the fence has been cut with a monofilament chainsaw, as has the cockatrice's tail. Vip3r does some searching on the Matrix and finds out that the tail of the cockatrice is valued at a hundred thousand nuyen as various magical components and foci. They also notice that the trees have been knocked over nearby.

Zero calls her talismonger and learns that there was some kid who came around her store asking about foci. She also suggests that if they were turning pieces of paracritters into foci that the team were looking for a Red Mage. She also sends over a video of the kid who came into the store, who is wearing a blue and black synthleather jacket. Thanks to the gang knowledge of Frank and Vip3r, the team learns that the figure is a member of the Nova Riche, a street gang of corporate kids that are trying to get their thrills from the ganger lifestyle. The team learns through Frank's former captain David Squire that the Nova Riche spend most of their time in the warehouse district of Snohomish.

The Run

The runners get to Eastern Snohomish and find the Nova Riche as they are not exactly subtle. They also find a street corner tagged in AR with the Nova Riche gang sign over the Ancients Gang sign over a second, older Nova Riche gang sign. Curious about why the Ancients have been expanding up into Snohomish, but putting it off for another day, the runners decide how to assault the warehouse. Iceland sneaks forward and finds a grate that she slips into while Vip3r takes care of the matrix security, taking control of the sensor array that controlled the cameras and microphones, and finding out that the Red Mage is a young man by the name of Quintin. The Nova Riche are talking about how they drugged and then killed the cockatrice, as well as how they drove their Ares Roadmaster into the fence.

Sneaking back out of the grate, Iceland takes up a position while Absolute Zero stays out of sight across the street. Vip3r spoofs Quintin's commlink to make the ganger think that his drug dealer is outside, causing Quintin go to the door and check to see if he could get his fix. Frank attempts to impersonate the dealer, which causes confusion while Zero summons up an ice wall behind Quintin, cutting him off from the gang. Iceland knocks the foci out of his hand while Frank tackles the door, closing it on Quintin's free hand and crushing it horrifically between the metal door and the plascrete wall. Iceland acrobatically grabs the staff and the team leave the site to return it to BinChicken.

Aftermath

While Granny Kosmic is disappointed that Zero can't get her the foci to resell, she'll take the two hundred nuyen for the information that she came them.

BinChicken thanks the runners for the returns foci and pays them the 10k that they never asked about before returning to her dumpster diving.

Rewards

• 10k Nuyen (5 RVP)
• 6 Karma (6 RVP)
• 2 CDP
• Optional Contact: BinChicken (3/1 Aussie Dumpster Diver) (3 RVP or 6 CDP taken from Nuyen or Karma)

Game Quotes

"Does this cache of dick pics trigger my Data Liberator?" - Frank Davis, thorough investigator

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Frank Davis

Look, you got this dumpster divin' Ork out in racistville, UCAS whose pet got killed...I didn't think she had a bunch of scratch to rub between her fingers so I didn't try to charge her a bunch of money. Sue me. I mean--don't, because I don't fraggin' got a lot of money to rub between my fingers, but you know what I mean.

Turns out the tail o' that pet was worth like a hundred large. She passed some of that on to us, but I didn't take my whole cut because we just went and punched a door on some small-time kid. I felt like--ya know, I'd want someone to help me out if I got into that shit. I'm not divin' yet, but I ain't too far from it, either.

Got a pair of whacky roommates pretendin' not to be roommates, or pretendin' to be more than roommates. I'll be honest, it wasn't completely clear what they were goin' for. They'll figure it out. And then got the young lady who basically ruined my career--which is fine. I mean, really, I ruined it. I don't know. It's fraggin' complicated. But she seemed nice, I guess.

I could use a drink.