Soirée

Soirée
Part of ShadowHaven Shutdown Part of Burns' Coven
Date 2082-05-02 GM Mursey Location Downtown, Seattle Status Threat Level: Low to High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Mush Juliette Burns	Undisclosed
Babylon Charon Fidem
Casualties and losses
Nil

Summary

Mush, on behalf of Juliette Burns hires the runner team to pose as guests at a cocktail party she is hosting in a rented downtown mansion. Each is provided with a guest-list, a wireless mapsoft of the building, and access to the RFD ID tags issued to each guest on arrival. Their task is to provide a measure of discrete, internal security. In addition, each is given a slightly different intelligence gathering task from the others.

Background

Juliette Burns in a noted hedonist and one of the most (in)famous Black Magicians in North America. Her parties are normally hideously expensive and decadent episodes of debauchery. But not tonight. Tonight, this gathering is different, with a number of influential attendees from outside her normal circles and, consequently, the evening events are far more restrained.

The Meet

Mush summons each of the runners to a meet at the resteraunt atop the space needle, partially to assist them in "getting into character" but -mostly- as a test of their SINs. Fidem, Gamorrah and Babylon arrive together, with Fidem using her true identity at the request of Mush, and Babylon her rating 6. Charon attempts to gain entry with a rating 4 SIN but fails to even open the elevator on the ground floor. On being challenged by one of the very polite and well mannered security personnel, she manages to persuade him to look the other way while she changes her SIN to a rating 6. She finally joins the others after Mush has already ordered meals for everyone. In icy tones, he yet again comments on how in *his* day, no-one ever dared show up to a meet late. This represents the third run in a row when at least one team-member has failed to arrive on time and frankly, it's beginning to irritate him.

Mush apologises to Babylon, and explains that, due to the nature of the external security measures taken at the party location, Gamorrah would find attendance at the party uncomfortable at best and potentially lethal at worst. The Ancients' Sorceress is not pleased, but acquiesces to his request.

At this point, the runners are allowed to look over the guest list. Much, much, much cursing and sighing ensues.

Keeping the peace this evening is not going to be easy.

The Guest List

• Juliette Burns (host)

• District Attorney Mark Donaghy, his wise Alice, and son Korran.

• Asahiro Kunitoshi

• Hanako Shinoda

• Alexander-James Brodrick Johnson III

• Cecelia Cross

• Amelie and Jean-Baptiste

• Amrei Veidt

• Chloe Green

• Ace Powers

• Damien

• Dante Palmer

• Diogo da Silva

• Eveline Powers

• Hathor

• King Midas

• Lt.Cmdr Yennefer Kerrigan

• Madame Butterfly

• Mr. Herenight

• Professor Simeon Jones

• Red, The Seductress

• Robert Caldwell

• Sanev Beixidor

• Sarah Snow

• Saul Goodman (caterer)

The Plan

The plan is simple: divide on arrival at the party and speak to as many guests as possible while keeping an eye out for potential trouble in need of defusing.

Arrival

The runners arrive at the Mansion to find it well guarded by Wolverine security personnel and drones present throughout the grounds in the meat, with those on the outer perimeter dressed in SWAT armour and those closer to the actual house dressed in evening wear. Security on the Astral is no less extensive: more than a dozen patrolling watcher spirits, and a number of Spirits of Man, Guardian Spirits and Elemental Spirits. Babylon recognises the astral signatures of both Juliette and Mush on the majority of the spirits present, but a minority bear several additional signatures unfamiliar to her.

Moreover, the ground floor of the house is coated in lethal, highly illegal FABIII, with the higher stories being coated in FAB I.

The Run

A great many events of significance occur during the run, in the form of many brief vignettes and encounters. Many are summarised below.

• Charon witnessing Sarah Snow snorting Nova Coke from the wings of Sanev Beixidor and proclaiming it the best "pixie dust" ever. The two guests are later joined by Brodie J and Diogo, who also indulge. By the end of the evening, both Diogo and Sanev are so overcome with narcotics that Babylon needs to detoxify them with magic to ensure they are able to attend the finale.

• Fidem rescues Chloe Green from the schmoozing of Ace Powers, who once more attempts to convince the former actress to audition for a part in his latest project, "Nuns with Guns". Chloe gushes over the presence of Fidem in true fan-girl fashion and persuades the nun to autograph her chest with a marker pen. Fidem also provides a signed 8x4 hardcopy of herself. Chloe is esctatic.

• Babylon meets Saul Goodman in the kitchen and becomes dependent on his marvellous pastries.

• The runners overhear Robert Caldwell, Lt Cmmdr Kerrigen, Amelie Veidt and Caelia Cross discussing Caldwell Microelectronic's latest project: A Knowsoft containing detailed knowledge of Shadowrunner tactics.

• At different points of the evening, all three runners pass District Attorney Mark Donaghy and his wife in the hallway. Alice is futilely trying to persuade her husband to join the party, while he would clearly rather be anywhere else.

• Charon and Babylon both, on separate occasions encounter Red, The Seductress and Madame Butterfly. On each occasion involving the beuatiful women in question, the claws of jealousy are unsheathed and equally pointed comments unleashed.

• Charon encounters Mr Hereknight, who comments that there are more awakened and infected gathered here tonight than in any place in the city other than the Univeristy of Washington's "Magic Theory" department. The two vampires dance around one another, probing for information and Charon evidently feels that she gives away more than she gains during the exchange.

• Babylon, during a conversation with the two Talismongers Dante Palmers and Damien is overhead by an irate Eveline Powers, who recognises the mages voice and aura as belonging to the "Bitch who stole my fucking birds!" during The Dodo's Had It's Day. A magical confrontation there and then is narrowly avoided by the efforts of Fidem and the presence of District Attorney Mark Donaghy who watches intently from the doorway in the manner of someone recording *everything*. As soon as Eveline Powers departs, Babylon hastily requests that Cealia Cross take action to erase any recordings the DA might have made.

• The open presence of criminals at the gathering is the final straw for Mark, who informs his wife that they are leaving, immediately. Fidem follows to try and recover the situation, and learns that Alice Donaghy is also a fan. Like Chloe, Alice leaves the party with a signed 8x4 and concludes that the evening was not a complete bust after all.

• Babylon spots Brodie J and Diogo De Silva in one of the galleries and immediately informs Caelia Cross. The grateful woman immediately leaves the party, but not without leaving a sprite behind in case her runner friend needs more matrix support.

• Fidem encounters both Asahino xxxxxx and Shinodo Harumi in one of the manor's art galleries, this one depicting Japanese art. Fidem learns that the two Shiawase executives are present because Hirumi had a vision in which events of mystical signifiance gathered in a vortex around the mansion house. They are hear to ensure that yet another terrible threat to the safety of the world is born here tonight.

• Charon encounters Amelia and Jean-Baptiste but her attempts at conversation are prevented by the presence of Knight Errant Patrolman Korran Donaghy, the DA's son, still wounded following the events of Another Night in Hell. She intimidates the hell out the young man, who immediately not only leaves the room, but even the entire party. However, before the conversation can resume, the guests are summoned to the ballroom by Juliette.

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.