The Fire Undying

The Fire Undying
Date 2085-04-17 GM Sarcarian Location Hells Kitchen, Puyallup Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Lord Emberrage	Explosive Special Reapers	Olympia Mining Company
Artemisia Catharsis Saint Zan Zan	BarrensBorg Explosively-Tempered Gangers	Olympia Mining Guards Olympia Mining Rigger
Casualties and losses
	BarrensBorg (exploded)	All (knocked out and left in their heat-proof roadmaster)

Summary

In which the runners recover True Fire from the Hell's Kitchen lava vents, and keep it from the clutches of a pair of dragons.

Background

The runners are all enjoying their own lives -- Zan Zan is training, Saint is with her girlfriend, Catharsis is appeasing her spirit companion Loyell and Artemisia was having as nap. As far as the runner's know, all they need to do is to go to Hell's Kitchen, steal something from a mining corporation and return it. Why Arti still has Ace Powers as her fixer after attempting to kill her is unknown.

The Meet

Catharsis was told to look for a specific transponder code--Looking for it, she finds a data chip. A quick deencryption later, she has further instructions to enter the garage, enter the keycode and continue. Doing so, they group notices what appears to be some sort of armor being forged, the room behind the armor scrubbed clean of the astral. As they all climb into the back room, the trideo set is turned on and the mysterious Mr. Johnson appears, laying down his terms. Olympia Mining Company station, approximately 2km away, found a rare element known as True Fire. In exchange for 20K Nuyen, they are to take the container, tongs and retrieve it. There's some confusion from Saint as to what *True Fire* is, and Artemisia explains it is a piece of a form of Orichalcum. After some back and forth between ZZ and Saint, Cathy pushes her button. As ZZ ponders on burning her fixer, Arti and Saint push their button, leaving just ZZ. After a moment more, ZZ pushes the button.

Upon receiving four positive answers, they are giving a map, some recon photos and a code for their money. Taking a closer look at the tongs distracts Artemisia, allowing ZZ to see her parasol contains a signature laden rapier. The tongs are made of Ithium, and as Arti holds them it glows brightly. While they discuss doing recon, Saint is looking around the room for who hired them, and ZZ simply G-Mod ragdolls into the astral without warning or sitting down. Catharsis confirms that ZZ does actually need to be able to find their body, and Arti suggests leaving directions behind in astral powder while Cathy sits down. Saint finds a hidden wired camera that leads to nowhere, while ZZ follows the course of a minor leyline, noting how it seems to bend under a large building with a ward around it (The Iceberg Hotel). Distracted by this, ZZ ends up getting lost. ZZ asks the wild fire spirit Ash for some aid, takes her to Lord Emberrage. The camera snaps back to the rest of the gang as Catharsis explains Loyell is stubborn but friendly while beginning to dive into the Olympia Mining Company. Saint gets to pet Loyell, and both get to pretend they are begrudgingly doing this. Meanwhile, ZZ is introduced to the large spirit, and shows no fear, but the astral heat is getting to her. Explaining she seeks the true fire of the Olympia Mining Company, to which Emberrage responds the company 'Stinks of the Dragon', enraged that such would be stolen from the earth.

Catharsis' search points the chain of ownership to Crimson Wings LLC, the holdings company for Urubia, the dragon of Redmond. Spreading out the data on her homeroom's table, the decker remains oblivious to Saint approaching a member of the Explosive Special Reapers, getting ready to pick a fight over who Mr. Johnson really is. Things escalate as Artemisia puts the dwarf in a box, preventing him from letting go of the HE grenade. As he calls for aid, Artemisia tries to deescalate, but ends up encouraging the gangers to be violent. Eventually, Saint chooses to back down. After a successful astral recon, ZZ makes it back to her body safely. As Saint finally leaves, the rest of the group discusses what they've found. There's a discussion of some of the runner's history with the dragons in the area, and how they're hesitant to turn the True Fire over to a mysterious figure. Catharsis goes out to apologize to the reapers. In exchange for the information on where the last of the Hellraisers are (her old apartment, long since turned over), she finds out who the Johnson is: Barracuda, the gang's former leader.

Stunned, ZZ helps Cathy finish the con before carting her off to head to the job site. Saint and Arti discuss the results of their last duel, and as Arti is spotted by the op for, she accidentally psychometrizes Saint's cyberarm. Visions of terrible violence and destruction both inwards and outwards.

Combat ensues. Chaos reigns. Arti accidentally shoots Saint. The team retrieves the True Fire, with ZZ leaving with questions about why the inner warmth... Feels familiar. Arti fails to keep her composure, and psychometrizes the True Fire. Stoic, she recalls the creation of the True Fire, feeling the mana of the Gaiasphere, then the loss of the magic in the world, and then turmoil and pain, Arti verbally muttering lowly in High Therian.

Entering the room again, they return the True Fire and discover who really wanted the True Fire: Tyranthoth. Releasing an anti vehicle rifle at the group, due to the quick thinking of Arti, a barrier is raised and the principle is protected. Arti isn't doing well physically (being dead-dead and all), and Saint is being hunted down by a C4-maul wielding barrens cyborg. The insanity of combat begins again while it dawns on Catharsis; the description of Barracuda is missing some key details that only a Hellraiser would know, confirming to her that this is a fake. ZZ pulls Arti out of the wood dust and brushes her off at the decker's request, allowing Arti to regenerate and begin to imbue both street sams with lightning. In the mean time, both street sams learn the value of running for their lives, and dodging explosives. In a rage, Catharsis seeks to honor Barracuda, and to find the fake and get rid of it, cleaning the enemy decker's deck out of files while ZZ finally puts the poor Barrens Cyborg to rest.

Aftermath

The team decides to bring the the True Fire to Lord Emberrage, who rewards them handsomely.

Rewards

REWARDS for "The Fire Undying" (1.33x duration modifier): 20,000 nuyen (in precious metals and gems)

6 karma

12 CDP

Optional Contact: Lord Emberrage (C5/L2 Fire Spirit) for 6 RVP or 12 CDP

Optional Gear Rewards: Radical Gold, Copper and Cinnabar

Optional Gear Rewards: Weapon Foci (forged in True Fire)

For Saint and ZZ:

Optional Quality: Lightning Reflexes @ chargen price

For Arti:

Rank 2 of A Terrible Fascination after psychometrizing True Fire and seeing the (possible) origin of dragonkind.

For Cathy:

Driven (Put an end to the Ghost of Barracuda)

Narrative Consequences:

-Tyrenthoth and Urubia are both denied the True Fire, which goes to Lord Emberrage instead; the free spirit's mastery over flame grows.

-BarrensBorg exploded with his CCU inside the shell - BarrensBorg 2.0 will sadly have to be built from scratch with a new brain donor.

-Hell's Kitchen is racked with turmoil as the Explosive Special Reapers are sent on high-risk work as punishment for their failure.

-The Ghost of Barracuda is out there, waiting to be found.

Game Quotes

He is large and hot. - ZZ about Emberrage

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Catharsis: This run sucked. First the job was shakey, then I found out Barracuda was alive. The job wasn't hard. Then I found out it was a fake Barracuda, and the J was Tyranthoth and the stupid fragging lizard tried to kill us after we did the job, and tried to finish us off with some awful Barrens made Cyborg. I sent the decker who told me Barracuda was the J to hell, and cleaned their deck out for information to look over later. I will find this fake, and burn their life to the ground before ending it.

Artemisia: Oh, very funny. We all find your penchant for dramatic irony hilarious, you accursed lizard. Go eat a grub, why don't you. Bastard. Eugh. Everything hurts and I grow more and more hungry with each passing day. My nature is revealed to another who may hunt me down one of these days. Good, let her. And ... there are explosive special reapers who need to die. There are many things I can forgive ... but wearing the skin of an old friend of mine is not one of them. I will be seeing you soon enough.