Finding the Author

Finding the Author
Part of Dead Gods Stir
Date 2082-06-17 GM PatGriffin Location Seattle Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven	Cult of the Horned Gods	The Heavenly Host
Lambda Artemisia Zenith Delphi	Air Spirit Jenna and Mitch Brodwhich	Hyperion Handraniel
Casualties and losses
0	Jenna's Ritual Focus	Hyperion's Pride

Summary

Teldragon hires a group of runners to steal a spirit formula from a group of cultist that he wanted. Then after Delphi receives some visions starts to see a larger problem growing within the city, and complications of the run. Ending with the runners handing over the formula to some trusted allies and only giving Teldragon a particular book.

Background

Lambda is contacted by Dollmaster to go to a location for a job. Lamdba says yes and decides and takes a few items before leaving for Century Park in Downtown Seattle.

Zenith is making frog legs with Harriet for dinner. After eating dinner he receives a call from Johns saying that there is a frog with him wanting to speak with Zenith. Zenith speaks with the frog that says that their master wants to speak with them for a job and Zenith agrees.

Delphi while working in her office recieves a call from a novacoked out Sarah Snow. Sarah Snow has a frog that is looking for runners to do a job and asks Delphi to help. Delphi agrees to take the job and sees the DA asking about novacoke before the feed cuts out and Delphi calls for a ride to Century Park.

Artemisia receives a knock on her door and looks down and sees a few small frogs. The frogs tell her that Teldragon has a mission for her and to go to Century Park. Artemisia grabs her stuff and leaves.

The Meet

The runners arrive at Century Park and begin to speak with each other. The runners speak with each other about the situation and after seeing all the frogs agree that it is weird. The runners eventually enter the park and follow the frogs until they come upon a large group of them. Emerging from a tree Teldragon greets the runners. Teldragon explains that there is a group called The Cult of The Horned God and that there was a book owned by a girl named Jenna Brodwhich who he wishes for them to retrieve her book. Teldragon also advises that they should not kill her and just steal the book as not to bring more heat down on the runners. Teldragon offers the runners some vague advice about Jenna Brodwhich and her brother. He also covers that there will be a shipment coming in late at night the next day where it would be possible to ambush the twins. Teldragon offers them 20,000 Nuyen in the form of a golden apple. Artemisia asks for information and Teldragon offers her information on her cult leader. After finishing a few more words with Teldragon they decide to leave, with Teldragon bidding them farewell.

The Plan

The runners begin to plot what they will do to take the book. The runners discovering that the Brodwhich twins are known Wizgangers who are wanted by Lonestar and that they are involved with The Cult of The Horned God.

Delphi calls upon Oracle and uses her Divination with Artemisia's tarot cards on the possible future outcomes of these actions.

Delphi draws Moon Face Up, Devil Reversed, Death Sideways, The Emperor Face Up, The Fool Face Up. With the visions being A full moon over Seattle with shadows running through the streets of Seattle, A tree with its roots running deep into the earth consuming what lies beneth, A sea of people worshiping a mysterious person, a massive throne of bones with a bovine skull on top with hands reaching for the throne, the faces of many people within Seattle including runners and contacts before cutting out.

Delphi also uses psychometry on the tarot cards and sees the previous owner, a woman who is possibly manipulative and the last image being of a fire that breaks off any possible connection with the object.

Delphi calls up Informer and asks that they begin to investigate Teldragon and his activities. Informer agrees and leaves Delphi's office.

The runners discover while investigating and looking how to hurt the shipment that the port that they would be going after is within Black Chrysanthemum territory. The runners discover that there is a trucking company that will be picking up a package at that specific port. The runners decide to head to the trucking company thinking that it is most likely where the cultist's facilities are.

The Run

The runners place themselves around the shipping company. With Artemisia on top of a building overlooking the whole facility, Lambda not running silent just watching the building, and Zenith and Delphi sitting in a car. Delphi becomes an earth spirit and is able to snoop around the place, discovering that there are only five people within the building and that there are several awakened individuals within the building along with an air elemental above the building.

While this is going on, Lambda begins to peak around the host when he starts to receive messages from someone asking if he wants to go. Lambda says "You first" and he gets an invite to a video call. Lambda joins and comes face to face with Hyperion. Hyperion says that Lambda and crew should back off with whatever they are doing. Lambda tells Hyperion to leave or he will hurt him. Hyperion leaves the call and a large amount of the security goes with him.

Zenith uses this opportunity to sneak into the building and discover that the twins are not there. With Zenith finding a shipping manifest showing when shipments are being sent out and when they will arrive to grab the shipments.

While waiting for the twins to show up, Lambda is again contacted by another message. This time Handraniel arrives and explains to Lambda that it would be a travisty if the followers of The Horned God were to lose the acane grimoire it would be sad. Lambda says that he understands and the two leave the call mutually.

After a few hours Delphi sneaks up the mountain and discovers a small house cottage within the mountain, where a woman in her early twenty exits the cottage and beigns to run down the mountain trail. Everyone agrees that Zenith will be the one to stop her and steal the grimoire from her.

Artemisia noticing the girl opens fire on her, a split second after Delphi warns her that she going to get shot. With Artemisia dropping comms and opening fire again, Zenith runs to meet Jenna Brodwhich where he asks her for the book, which Jenna hands over the book. Artemisia fires a grenade at the girl which Zenith catches and jumps on, Jenna running off into the woods with a massive hole in her chest. Zenith telling Delphi that she has the book the runners retreat as the air spirit attempts to hit Artemisia and fails.

Aftermath

After stealing the book, Delphi and Zenith return to Delphi's office where Delphi looks over the notes within the book. After discovering that the spirit formula within the book belong most likely a powerful spirit and ancient spirit known as the Horned One. That within the journal it covers information how there are possibly two sides of The Horned One, the Holy King and The Oak King and the different qualities of each of these sides.

Delphi and Zenith invite Artemisia and Lambda to her office where they begin to speak on what they will do with the spirit formula. Delphi and Zenith say that they should hide it from Teldragon, Artemisia says that they should destroy it, and Lambda says that they should give it to Teldragon. After a short argument between Lambda and Delphi, Zenith takes a marker from Lambda for one service in the future. Lambda leaves Delphi's office and says that he is no longer involved.

Zenith, Artemisia, and Delphi leave her office and drive towards Vancouver Island, where the runners inexchange for a few favors to Wushan and Informer they are able to hide the part of the spirit formula.

The runners return to Century Park and call out Teldragon's name, from which he pulls himself out of a tree. Teldragon asks the runners for the book and they hand it to him. Teldragon flipping through it asks if that was all and the runners say yes, with Teldragon shrugging and paying them with the golden apples and giving Arti her information. With Teldragon's last words to the runners being, "As they say in Italy, Memento Mori."

Rewards

20,000 Nuyen (10 RVP) 6 Karma (6 RVP) 4 CDP (2 RVP)

Wusan and Informer know where part of the Horned God's Spirit Formula is hidden Arti knows where her cult leader is now

2 CDP

Optional Reward Teldragon Connection 5 Loyalty 1 (5 RVP)

For Lambda Handraniel Connection 3 Loyalty 1 (3 RVP)

For Arti Strive for Perfection (12 RVP) Shoot First, Don't Ask (2 RVP)

Game Quotes

Hyperion: "I'll let you leave now and pretend this never happened, aight?" Lambda: "Now you listen to me, you pathetic little shit. You're going to turn around and go back to whatever hole you crawled out from and I don't murder every last one of your kind just to make an example out of you." Hyperion: "...I'M LEAVING OF MY O W N VOLITION, AIGHT? AZAZEL WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!".

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Artemisia - Finally. FINALLY. It has all come down to this. May the Goddess guide my hand. May my aim remain true.

Zenith

Fraggin' ghostdamn personal vendettas getting in the way of the job.

I don't like personal feelings, don't like it in myself, don't like it in people I work with. The nun going off the handle and trying to kill someone when we ain't getting paid for it wasn't fun, especially not the catching a grenade thing. Don't know if that cultist lady knows or cares that I saved her life, but we got what we were paid to get and got some it to that weird tree fragger. Still don't trust the ghost, but we got what we agreed to.

Honestly, this job could have been worse, but something is still tweaking me about it. Don't know what, but it's gonna bug me.

Delphi

Well, that was something else. This Artimisia person certainly has some demons, and I'm not sure I'm eager to see where this rabbit hole leads. That Teldragon is untrustworthy and clearly Up To Something, but it's difficult to say what. Also Zenith caught a grenade like a ghostdamn idiot to save that woman, which was very brave and stupid. All in all it was a lot. I just hope that Informer and that water spirit Wusan can keep that piece of spirit formula hidden.