A Corpus for Gutian

A Corpus for Gutian
Part of The Royal Death Pits of Ur
Gulliver tries to beat up Titan
Date 2086-06-27 GM Villiers Location Mannheim, AGS Status Threat Level: Deadly
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Naomi Fisk	Salzburg Underwriters
Titan Gulliver

Summary

A historian needs pictures of an ancient artiffact in order to prove a hypothesis that a forgotten language is related to another ancient language. She hires runners to get her the pictures.
The runners kidnap a person on the security team tasked with the security of the collection to which the desired artiffact belongs and interogates the security person to find crucial information that would help them produce the pictures.
The runners don't find out any seemingly helpful information. After the assistant / manager of the runners is kidnapped, they negotiate a prisoner swap including additional services provided by the runners in exchange for the pictures.

Background

Thalia Sandival is interested in artiffacts owned by Sheikh Mustafa Al-Saadun. It is unknown why she is so interested that she is willing to pay for pictures of the daggers- and bronze collection.

Prof. Marjo-Riita Lehtisalo is interested in a picture of a stone tablet containing text from Guitan, a forgotten language. She wants to use the information to prove the relationship between Guitan and Sumarian.

The Meet

Titan and Gulliver get called to meet Thalia Sandival at a bar. She explains that she is willing to pay 5 000.- Nuyen for pictures of bronze artiffacts and daggers that belong to Sheikh Mustafa Al-Saadun. She knows her offer is below market value and explains that another person is interested in pictures of another part of the Shaikh's collection and that said person would be willing to pay signifficantly more money. To meet that person, the runners are instructed to visit Carleton Moreau in his office in the Zephyr-South Multi-Use building, in Redmond.

On the way to Carleton's office, the runners see "flashbacks" and realize that they are part of an ongoing divination and guess that opposing forces have already noticed that they will cross paths.

At Carleton's office, he introduces the runners to Marjo-Riita Lehtisalo. Prof. Lehtisalo wants a picture of the ancient stone tablet from the tomb of Queen Puabi in order to test (prove) her hypothesized relation between Guitan languagage and Sumerian language. The tablet is a part of Sheikh Mustafa Al-Saadun's collection which is scheduled to be evaluated together with the other artiffacts that Thalia is interested in by Salzburg Underwriters, an insurance company. This could be a good opportunity to get the necessary picture of the tablet.

Professor Doctor Andrea Al-Laham of the Univeresity of Mannheim, History & Zentrum für Wirtschaftsforschung, is a licenced magician specialized in arco-archaneology and price dynamics in thin markets. She is has been hired by Salzburg Underwriters to value the Sheikh's artifacts. She will do this remotely from Mannheim, AGS, where she lives and works.

After some negotiations, Prof. Lehitisalo and Carleton offer the runners 17 000 Nuyen, some expenses covered, and the assistance of Naoimi Fisk to help with disguises.

After meeting with Prof. Lehisalo and Carleton, the runners go next door to visit Maryann Clay for divination. The divination reveils a possible future involving.
Situation: King of Wands: A strong decisive leader with big picture overview, vision and energy. Once decissions are made, they are adhered to and implemented. Obstacle: King of Cups: Idealist, charming, artistic, tactful, diplomatic, mediator, negotiator. Seuducer. Solution: Five of Wands: Conflict, competition, arguments, aggression, tensions, rivals, clashes of ego. Competition will have similar strengths like us. Choose path carefully.

Pictures: Professor Doctor Andrea Al-Laham (Name found later), The Social Adpt (Skill found later), Matrix Specialist or Cyborg, Ifrit / Deamon.

The Plan

Get laid to get paid: Travel to Mannheim, seuduce Professor Doctor Andrea Al-Laham, get access to her files, copy files, get them to the Johnsons, get paid.

The Run

Titan, Gulliver and Naomi arrive in Mannheim and find out that Professor Doctor Andrea Al-Laham is widowed and has a new boyfriend who turns out to be on the opposing team responsible for the security of the artiffacts. The reason for the opposing team surveying the professor is that they are worried about the professors integrity and thus want to keep an eye on her every move.

Not knowing what the task of the opposing team is, Titan and Gulliver kidnap their social adept = the Professor's boyfriend to find out what their task is and how to get the desired pictures.
Gulliver interrogates the Professor's boyfriend who resists sucessfully by autorotively convincing Gulliver to attack Titan. Without an other weapon than Titan's shoe, Gulliver is not able to cause Titan any physical harm.
When the interrogations resume, the boyfriend realizes what misserable position he is in and gets so scared that he doesn't understand what Gulliver is asking him eventhough his life depends on cooperating. He does however reveil a phone number to his group leader and establishes connection.
Thtan finds out that the opposing forces have Naomi. A prisoner swap seems like a good idea.

Gulliver bombs the negotiations, first with the boyfriend who is dying by now, and then with the group leader.

Titan takes over and strikes a deal with the group leader after finding out that Gulliver can replace the Boyfriend who is too injured to efficiently keep an eye on the Professor. In exchange, the group leader is willing to share all the needed pictures of the collection of artiffacts. - This fulfils the run-objectives.

Aftermath

Sheikh Mustafa Al-Saadun contacts Professor Marjo-Riita Lehtisalo who deciphers the Sumerian tablet in his collection. The tablet does describe the location of Queen Puabi's scribe Siuuma. Together, they decide to mount an expedition to the tomb. Flavia Sandoval is intrigued by the metallurgical properties of the weapons in the sheikh's collection but even more intrigued by the prospect of an un-looted tomb with ancient artifacts suitable as telesma. She begins spinning her web in the shadows...

Rewards

Deadly TL 18x1.17 23 RVP

20,000 Nuyen (10 RVP)

2,500 Nuyen (Negotiation)

10 Karma (10 RVP)

6 CDP (3 RVP)

2 CDP (Base)

Optional: Naomi Fisk C6L1 (6 RVP/12 CDP)

Game Quotes

Spill the Beans I don't have any beans Spill the Beans ? A few stim-patches later: OOC: GM pulls a common sense: This isn't working. You'll have to ask preciesly what you want to know. OOC: Thunder That's OK. OOC: Thunder thinks to himself: I'll continue until the victim gains Sapient power... IC: Spill the Beans

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Gulliver Nice to go to europe. The beginning of the run was stressful. Babysitting the prof, sleeping in a warm bed, eating good food and going to high society parties was very nice. I would have done this free of charge.
Titan Nice to be back home. First time with Gulliver we ended up hugging in some random hotel hallway in Quebec — now he goes full nerdrage and spends literal minutes hitting me with a shoe.
Kinda like when girls want to hit you, y’know? Not really painful, but emotionally confusing. Anyway... job was okay.