The Island of Dr. Moore
| The Island of Dr. Moore | |||||||||
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| Factions Involved | |||||||||
| ShadowHaven | Dr. Moore's Forces | ||||||||
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Ashford Hellhound Swerve White Thistle |
Mercenary Explorer Mercenary Goon Mercenary Rigger Mercenary Sniper | ||||||||
| This run featured agreed-upon team betrayal, PVP, and character death. | |||||||||
Summary
In which the runners attempt to kill an Ordo Maximus prospect, and instead fall victim to betrayal from one of their own.
Background
Dr. William Moore is a minor earl from the UK whose family holds title over a small island southwest of Heligoland. He is also an initiated alchemist with strong connections to Proteus AG who, until recently, was a candidate for membership in the inner circle of the Ordo Maximus. However, Moore has fallen out of favor with his sponsor Dr. Netzkriche, who has decided that he knows too much and thus needs to be eliminated - to this end, they have decided to hire Haven runners for the job after some successfully completed a previous mission (see: Harvest Season).
The Meet
Herr Schmidt, a representative of Dr. Netzkriche, sends a pre-recorded message to each of the runner's fixers explaining that he has an out-of-town wetwork job for them which will pay 30k - if they agree, they're to add their digital signature to the contact and decrypt the location where a smuggler (one Mrs. Li Ho) will pick them up to transport them to their destination. Each of the runners agrees to these terms, and are directed to a small clearing in southeastern Puyallup where their pilot waits with a helicoptor, flying them into the mountains where a cargo plane waits for them at an airstrip. The ride is a tense one as the runners size one-another up before a trideo projector broadcasting the image of Herr Schmidt (concealing his features and warping his voice) activates, allowing for two-way communication.
Schmidt explains who their target is (see above), though he leaves out details regarding why his client wants the "good" doctor dead, instead simply telling the team when asked that he is unaware (only partially true). He provides the team with a photo of both Moore and his private island, along with a dossier on his own capabilities and that of his substantive security detail. He also offers bonus incentives on payment if the team can successfully recover Moore's research from his lab, with greatly intrigues Ashford. Swerve is able to negotiate from a 30% advance up to a 50% one due to the high level of risk involved, and Schmidt provides the group with a commcode to reach him at.
The Plan
After commiserating on potential plans, the team figure that they need more information before they decide on how to proceed. Once Mrs. Li Ho lands on the northwest coast of the AGS and disembarks them, they find their way to the Corsair Panther waiting in a nearby cove at the coordinates provided to them. Though none can effectively operate a boat, thankfully the craft comes with its own pilot system, though Schmidt advises them not to attempt to use it during a storm. Once they've all boarded and gotten comfortable below deck, Swerve and Ashford discuss astral scouting options - the latter, being more proficient at astral stealth, offers to investigate on his own, so the former acquiesces and summons a spirit to keep an eye on the cove. Before he goes, Swerve performs a divination on both Ashford and herself in an attempt to predict potential sources of danger; she sees Ashford getting caught by a gargoyle-like watcher spirit, and herself potentially falling victim to bullets, astral threats, and even betrayal from her team (the tides of fate suggest that Thistle is the most likely source of this, at least currently...)
Astrally projecting from his body, Ashford's greaser-like astral form is able to navigate the turbulent astral space in the proper direction and eventually locates the glowing ward around Moore's castle. Figuring it's too strong to attempt to sleaze his way through effectively, he instead decides to note the presence of spirits and patrols; successfully managing to stay hidden from the watcher he was forewarned about, he spots a bound water spirit patrolling the cliff-side below the castle and a free plant spirit tending the garden, along with several other watchers guarding the perimeter and the approach up to the castle itself. After spending a bit of time looking for vulnerabilities, his keen astral eyes are able to notice a small gap in the rock face of the cliff carefully hidden by an illusion. Curiosity piqued, he investigates and finds a charged ward on the other side; undeterred, he manages to sleaze his way inside in search of magical secrets. On the other side, he finds what can only be described as a wizard batcave, and is immediately entranced. He manages to stay hidden as another presence enters the hidden area, and after glimpsing Moore's Igor-like flesh-sculpted servant and decides on the spot this man must live in order to ensure an Enlightened Tomorrow.
Ashford soon makes contact with Dr. Moore, confessing everything - he tells the man that he's part of a team of assassins sent to kill him who has had a change of heart, providing him with descriptions and skill-sets of his teammates as well as ample blackmail material on himself to prove his sincerity. Moore, naturally suspicious, asks for proof, and Ashford shows him chat logs and directs his goons to the location of his team and his physical body. Moore has his explorer investigate and confirm Ashford's story, and the two mages quickly find common ground to bond over their mutual interests in being weird hermetic experimenters. A plan is soon concocted to lead the rest of the team into a trap, whereby Ashford will report back with news of a hole in the perimeter security and lead them into a pre-prepared killbox.
The Run
Reporting back to the team several hours later, Ashford tells them that he has found a way past the security perimeter by scaling a relatively easy passage up some side cliffs and going through a forested section of the island. The plan sounds convincing enough to Hellhound and Thistle, though Swerve is somewhat suspicious and decides to perform another divination; she once more sees visions of potential danger - this time herself being shot by a sniper, attacked in a spirit ambush, and betrayed by a mysterious figure whose face she can't quite identify. Putting together that the opposition may have forewarning of their arrival, the banshee advises caution in private to the ghoul and the loup garou, telling them that something is up and to keep an eye on Ashford.
Night falls, and the boat's auto-pilot is able to navigate its way to Moore's island - thankfully there's no storm, and the signature masking evidently is enough to conceal it from the security team's sensors. Anchoring just off-shore, the team suits up and heads to the cliffside that they intend to make their way up - Ashford leads, with Hellhound close behind, Swerve in the middle and Thistle bringing up the rear. Unfortunately for the rest of the team, things go according to Ashford's plan: they're detected on the way up by members of Moore's security team, who conceal themselves in the trees with gheelie suits while a sniper and a rigger provide overwatch from the castle's parapets.
The trap is sprung once the team emerges into a forested clearing, with only a fraction of a second's forewarning - Swerve, identified by Ashford as the other mage and therefore biggest threat in his mind, is immediately taken down by a sniper's bullet to her vitals. While her armor protects her from dying outright, she is unable to regenerate the damage and lies unconscious on the ground; her summoned air spirit is immediately released, while her bound fire spirit materializes to protect her. With the mage down, Hellhound and Thistle spring into action while Ashford makes a break for the security team with his hands up. The loup garou and the ghoul are near-hopelessly outgunned however, and despite a strong initial showing both are quickly worn down by shotgun blasts and attacks from the astral plane by Moore's spirits. Moore's explorer meanwhile makes Swerve's fire spirit an offer to take the mage alive if the spirit stands down, which they accept.
Thistle, thinking quickly, realizes that Ashford betrayed the team and moves to take him hostage, prompting a standoff and coaxing Moore to astrally project out to negotiate (read: use mind control on the duel-natured hostage taker, rather than risk the frail Ashford's life with a through-and-through-and-into shot). Hellhound, sensing an opportunity, charges Moore's astral form right as he compels Thistle to release his new BFF, clawing him viciously and apparently disrupting it (though Ashford notices him returning along the thread connecting his spirit to his body). Thistle lets Ashford go, who immediately fries Hellhound with a F16 lightning bolt (!!!) and runs to Moore's aid. Thistle, freed of Moore's brief influence, goes to Swerve's side and attempts to stall for time while getting a message out to the SH chat before her signal is squelched.
Aftermath
While Thistle briefly considers making a run for the boat with Swerve's body, the banshee stirs enough to weakly convince her to surrender them both into Moore's custody in the hopes that they'll be either bargained back to their employer or rescued by fellow runners (and thank her fire spirit for not leaving her side). Hellhound is, tragically, very dead, while Ashford manages to make it to Moore in time to heal his wounds, earning the doctor's undying loyalty and a place as his new research partner.
Rewards
Deadly -> Extreme Failed Run (.5x 30 = 15 RVP)
5 karma
22 CDP
Narrative Consequences:
-Ashford betrays the team, leading them to a trap - he retires from running to work with Dr. Moore after saving his life.
-Hellhound is killed by Ashford's F16 lightning bolt. RIP.
-Swerve and White Thistle are heavily injured and captured by Dr. Moore's security after getting a message out to the chat.