Oasis of the Soul
| Oasis of the Soul | |||||||||
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| Part of The Arrival | |||||||||
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| Factions Involved | |||||||||
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ShadowHaven West Coast Monolith | The Monolith | ||||||||
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Bleach Blackhawk Astrid Ty Vallynn |
Character1 Character2 | ||||||||
Summary
Worrying readings are being detected on Mt. Rainier. The runners are called in to do Recon - and told that if they're caught, they're surely dead.
Background
The West Coast Monolith is aware that the Monolith is up to something on Mt. Rainier. Long range scans indicate a buildup of both military security and of toxic magic - concerns over what will happen next have driven them to take action, but they need to know what's waiting for them first.
The Meet
In a battered Barrens camp, the runners gather around the fire. Cooked rat (cleansed of the local pollution) is provided to the team as hospitality while Bolt comes out to discuss the plan. He outlines the party's role: "Strictly Recon. Do not be discovered." Discovery is not only instant death, but a failure of the run as well. Their goals are straightforward: get a count of spirits, manpower, and military equipment present.
The Plan
The team travels across the border separately, meeting back up in Eatonville to do legwork and prepare for an expedition into the woods. A little digging and the party learns a few important things: Awakened, toxic magic-corrupted bears are roaming the woods and a Salish ranger has holed up in his home, refusing to eat or speak to his neighbors after coming back from Mt. Rainier. Concerned, the party elects to start there.
The Run
A knock at the door of the ranger's home, and when there's no answer the team elects to break in. The background count spikes alarmingly within seconds, the team finding insane writings scrawled across the walls in blood. With Blackhawk taking point, clearing each room and finding no hostiles the party is able to find a rotting corpse: the ranger's, a victim of blood magic cast upon himself. The horrified party moves on to the other room, finding a dead toxic mage with radioactive foci and depleted-uranium tipped bullets inside of a lead-lined case. Taking additional information from the mage, the party heads for Mt. Rainier, taking a careful route to avoid both the bears and the roving patrols.
The approach is cautious and slow, the team getting within visual distance. Staring up at the compound ahead, the team elects to send in the pair of adept infiltrators first. Invisibility and concealment spells coat the pair, and they enter, tracking along the mud tire tracks of the truck the cultists have in their compound. Progress is slow and measured outside, with Bleach making occasional hand signals to her invisible comrade Blackhawk to ensure that they can maintain connection with their LOS comms. After clearing the outer compound, the team presses on into the bunker the opposition has present.
Within, they first find multiple barracks of troops and VTOL aircraft - along with a tech geek who Blackhawk has to physically resist the urge to kill. Slowly, they work their way down - finding a mantrap which is left for later, and on the bottom floor - laser grids and a decontamination room. Their part complete, Blackhawk and Bleach start a slow exfiltration, slipping out as the mages come in. Astrally projecting, Astrid and Ty check the areas which the adepts physically could not - first checking beyond the laser grid below and finding a terrifyingly strong Nuclear Spirit. Suitably afraid, the pair pull back and check the rest of the compound. On the second floor, beyond the mantrap, Astrid and Ty discover something more frightening still: a second spirit, and one that spots them.
The party immediately flees, terrified of being turned into irradiated craters. A quick mana barrier is enough to buy the pair of mages time to escape, and the party flees into the woods.
Aftermath
At the end of things, Bolt takes the news on the opfor with a suitably grim expression. The entire WCM knows what they're up against - and that they'll have a hard time handling it, not that they have a choice.
Rewards
(High, 16 x 1.17 Runtime Multiplier = 19 RVP)
13 Karma (13 RVP)
12,000 Nuyen for accomplishing 3/4 run objectives (6 RVP)
2 CDP
2 West Coast Monolith Reputation
Optional Quality: Exceptional Attribute (Agility) for Blackhawk/Bleach at Chargen Price
Optional Gear: 8 Hand-Loaded Depleted Uranium Bullets at Gear Rates
Optional Gear: F1 Radioactive Counterspelling Focus Focus at Gear Rates
Optional Gear: Monolith Machete (Ares Monosword) w/ R6 Plasteel Components, Custom Look & Personalized Grip at Gear Rates
Optional Quality: Rad-Tolerant at Chargen Price
Game Quotes
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
LHOG (Bleach)
I've not dealt with anything this serious in a long time. I'm going to be taking anyone and anything I care about far, far away from Seattle on any 26th of the month.
Blackhawk: "I knew that they had power... resources... and tons of other shit at their disposal but that much man and firepower... I gotta be ready. The monolith already has done a lot for me. Guess this is how I outta repay the favor. Let's just hope it aint too late."