Midnight Disappearance

Midnight Disappearance
Part of The Midnight Hands
Date 2085-09-24 GM LHOG Location Ork Underground Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Skraacha	The Midnight Hands
Wraith White Thistle Alkali Rogozhin	Character1 Character2

Summary

A group of 4 runners try to get to the bottom of a string of disappearances that ended with one of the missing returns as a walking corpse. The group deals with toxic spirits, doomsday cults, religious sermons, feral ghouls, and a Mutaqua, while simultaneously wondering if their coworkers are somehow more unhinged than all of the above.

Background

People have been disappearing in the Ork Underground. While this is not breaking news, coming back as a walking corpse is, or at least is enough to warrant shelling out money to have the issue investigated by shadowrunners.

The Meet

The group meets with Ghaz, an Ork Sheriff who is VERY committed to the bit. Ghaz explains the details in the background, and reveals to the group that they have the corpse in cold storage. Unfortunately the corpse was not able to communicate much before being put down, but the corpse is relatively intact. Ghaz also provides a list of the recent missing. Ghaz offers 12k per person for a direction on where to go next for clues, with more rewards depending on how thorough and detailed the report on what they are dealing with. The crew agrees to the terms, and Ghaz offers some basic gear to help out members that lack underground exploration gear.

The Plan

The group plans legwork, intending to reveal more clues and then chase them down. Wraith will search on the Matrix for the missing people, while Rogazhin, Alkali, and White Thistle look at the corpse for medical and magical hints. After that, the plan is to be flexible based on what clues are revealed.

The Run

The crew finds out that the corpse is a Corpse Cadavre, the result of reanimation magic. More specifically, a Grand Zombie that has escaped its creator's control. On the corpse's hand is a tattoo of a black hand and star. Wraith does a threshold 3 search on the corpse and the other missing people, finding out that although the missing tended to keep to themselves without much of a social media presence, they frequent the same areas, showing that the kidnapper tended to grab people from the same area with the intention that they did not except to be investigated. The corpse viewing team corroborated this when they revealed the corpse surfaced after breaking free from the master, indicating it was an unintentional mistake. The crew looked deeper and realize that the tattoo is tied to a cult that has frequented a church deep in the Ork underground. The group stakes out the church, and a variety of things happen that requires a split party. Rogozhin uses his rat army to scout the church and finds a cat also manipulated with magic moving pamphlets at the church. White Thistle tries to tail the cat but fails. Alkali attends a sermon to learn more about the church goers, while Wraith stakes out the outside. Eventually an Ork armed gunman tries to shoot up the church as doomsday cultists do, but is knocked out by Wraith. White Thistle returns, and interrogates than man, while Rogozhin asks his carcass spirit to Search for the lost cat in question. The Ork is of the same cult, the Midnight Hands, a Doomsday cult that follows La Sienta, a self proclaimed god of death. The crew learns that the corpse was like that because some do not take to the indoctrination as well as others and must be "made pliable". White Thistle tries to break his indoctrination, but fails, and the man is send to his god via bullet to the head. At least the man was able to give the location of one of the bases before dying.

With the location of one of the bases (of many according to the cultist) Wraith and White Thistle infiltrate with Alkali accompanying as an Astral Projection. They sneak through a group of feral groups and enter the entrance to a cavern village. Unfortunately they attract the attention of a Toxic Spirit, and Alkali has to fast talk the spirit in the astral while the others slip away. Wraith climbs up to a vantage point and records the cadaver pens and the layout of the village. On the way back, White Thistle decides to look for the leader, she does not see one but instead sees a Mutaqua and choose to just take a photo and leave. Alkali convinces the Toxic Spirit that he will come back to taste the Alkali Heavy Metal water. And the crew leaves and tells Ghaz the great(?) news of their success.

Aftermath

Ghaz now has doomsday cults and an infected ploy to bring death and destruction starting from the Ork Underground. Joy. White Thistle, Alkali, and Rogozhin all express interest in continuing this investigation for various (unhealthy) reasons. Wraith is also happy to continue doing work...as long as she's paid and continued to be paid.

Rewards

Rewards for "Midnight Disappearance" (High, 16 RVP):
14,000 Nuyen (7 RVP)
7 Karma (7 RVP)
6 CDP (2 RVP + Base)
+4 Skraacha Rep - Ghaz is grateful you were thorough.

Optional: Ghaz (Skraacha Sheriff), Connection 2, Loyalty 2 - 3 RVP/6 CDP.

For Alkali - +1 Choson Ring Rep (way to be a good diplomat)

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Wraith

"Frankly, I could have likely done this by myself. Though I suppose the magical concealment made my life almost too easy in the infiltration. Well, the others contributed and did not get in my way. I suppose for my first assignment in Haven, that is a win."

Rogozhin

"Midnight will be unsatisfied with these results, I think, as long as there are others like them hiding in this underground. It would be helpful having more of his favor, and their technique. I should look further into this."