Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
| Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder | |||||||||
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| Factions Involved | |||||||||
| ShadowHaven | Thurston Howell | ||||||||
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Backseat Funk Heart of the Tempest Titan | {{}} | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 0 | Opposing Runner team | ||||||||
Summary
The runners are hired to swap out a bottle of absinthe belonging to a billionaire at his high security mansion. Before they're able to conduct the run, they must deal with another runner team hired to sabotage their attempt.
Background
Carleton Moreau, a successful venture capitalist, is married to Virginia Moreau, who maintains a long-standing sibling rivalry with her brother, Thurston. Their ongoing feud is characterized by increasingly elaborate pranks.
With Thurston’s birthday approaching, Virginia devised her latest stunt: stealing a prized bottle of absinthe from his private collection and replacing it with a different bottle. Carleton, ever the supportive spouse and mischief enthusiast, discreetly sought to contract a team of runners to carry out the swap at Thurston’s heavily secured Plaissance Mansion.
The Meet
Backseat, Funk, Tempest, and Titan arrived at Carleton Moreau’s office, located in the Zephyr-South Building in Touristville. Upon arrival, the team immediately identified a potential breach—an innocuous deli delivery to the office had been bugged. Acting quickly, they tracked down the delivery driver and brought him back for questioning. Under interrogation, the runner team learned he had been paid to plant the bug by a cyberlimbed shadowrunner. This led to the discovery that Thurston, Carleton’s brother-in-law and the target of the prank, had anticipated interference and hired a rival runner team to sabotage the mission.
With the immediate threat contained and the bug removed, Carleton proceeded with the job briefing. The objective: infiltrate Thurston's Plaissance Mansion, locate and extract a specific bottle of high-end absinthe from his private collection, and replace it with a lower-quality counterfeit provided by Carleton. The bottle was to be delivered to Carleton’s wife, Virginia. The team was instructed to minimize damage and disruption to the property and, additionally, neutralize the rival runner team working against them.
After some negotiation, payment for the job was agreed upon:
¥21,000 (¥10,000 upfront)
50% discount on fake SINs
50% discount on select gear (cyberdecks, programs, skillsofts)
Free lunch at the delicatessen for one year
One-year membership at Flight Club
¥5,000 bonus for eliminating the rival team
The Plan
Following the meet, the team immediately initiated planning and reconnaissance for the operation. Their legwork focused on assessing the security profile of the Plaissance mansion, which was protected by Parashield, a subsidiary of Mitsuhama Computer Technologies (MCT). The estate employed a multi-layered security system, including drones, magical wards, and paracritter patrols.
As part of their preparation, Carleton arranged a tarot reading for the team. While unconventional, the reading offered symbolic insights into the rival runner team and hinted ominously at a forthcoming betrayal.
Continued investigation yielded security footage of the cyberlimbed runner who had arranged the earlier surveillance bug. Cross-referencing the footage with other sources allowed the team to identify key details about the composition, capabilities, and aliases of the opposing runner team.
Shortly afterward, the team received an invitation to dinner with Virginia Moreau at the Bellevue Hilton. En route to the restaurant, they discovered a hostile drone, piloted remotely by a rival decker, attempting to plant a bomb on Tempest’s vehicle. Funk successfully traced the decker’s signal to a hotel in the Ork Underground, while Tempest neutralized the drone before it could complete its task.
This close call led the team to suspect the presence of a mole—someone leaking their movements to the opposition.
With suspicions confirmed and time running short, the team quickly concluded the dinner with Virginia. Their revised plan was clear:
Neutralize the rival runner team by assaulting the hotel in the Ork Underground.
Identify and eliminate the mole to prevent further leaks.
Proceed directly to Plaissance Mansion to execute the heist.
The Run
Eliminating the Rival Runners
The team arrived at the rival runners’ hotel, a well-protected establishment situated in a high-security zone. Recognizing that a direct assault would draw too much attention and risk mission compromise, they opted for a more subtle approach. Suspecting an internal leak, the team began investigating Virginia’s inner circle. Their attention quickly focused on her chief of staff, John Vance, who had both motive and access. To confirm their theory and flush out the rival team, they collaborated with Carleton to feed Vance false intel—claiming the runners were partying and vulnerable at a Touristville hotel. Meanwhile, Backseat entered the hotel lobby, posing as an old friend of the rival team. He spun a convincing story to the concierge about planning a surprise welcome party and requested to be notified when the group checked out. With the trap set, the team relocated and established an ambush point along the route to Touristville. Not long after, Backseat received a notification from the concierge: the rival runners had just left. As their target vehicle passed along the highway, Tempest ascended into the air and unleashed a lightning bolt, disabling the vehicle and killing all occupants instantly. The rival team was eliminated with minimal exposure. The team reported their success to Carleton and immediately arranged transport to Quebec via Corf, setting the stage for the heist.
The Heist
Carleton secured accommodations for the team at a local university and provided a van for logistical support. Funk and Tempest performed initial reconnaissance on the Mansion, confirming that the estate was heavily fortified with both technological and magical security systems. Seeking a less direct method, Backseat and Tempest observed the home of a staff member, evaluating whether coercion or blackmail could be used to gain access. Ultimately, they deemed infiltration by social engineering the most viable route. The team prepared disguises and a cover story, with Tempest and Backseat posing as student journalists working on an article about historic architecture. A request for a guided tour of the estate was submitted and accepted. On the day of the operation, the two runners arrived in character and were escorted through the mansion. Upon reaching the cellar—where the target bottle of absinthe was stored—Tempest faked a panic attack, complete with nausea and vomiting, creating a distraction. While attention was diverted, Backseat successfully swapped the authentic bottle with the counterfeit provided by Carleton. With the operation completed without detection, the team exited the premises and moved to deliver the stolen absinthe to Virginia Moreau, fulfilling the primary objective.
Aftermath
The team return to Seattle to deliver the bottle of absinthe.
Rewards
26,000 Nuyen (12.5 RVP) 7 Karma (7 RVP) 1 CDP (0.5 RVP) 2 CDP (Base) 50% discount on fake SINs 50% discount on select gear (cyberdecks, programs, skillsofts) Free lunch at the delicatessen for one year One-year membership at Flight Club Optional: Backseat, Heart of the Tempest, Titan: Carleton Moreau C5L1 (-5 RVP) Optional: Funk Carleton Moreau L3->L4 (-1 RVP) Optional:Backseat Social Chameleon
Game Quotes
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
Backseat - "A big payday and a carload of dead runners. Yep, sounds like a prank pulled by the rich."
Titan - "Run was fine. But the raisins. Again. Always the damn raisins. First that... bowl of textured nightmares, then these vomit pills in bagels, and don't get me started on those cursed Sicilian raisin-balls. They haunted the entire op. It's like someone tried to weaponize dried grapes. Like—who thought, ‘Let’s dry a grape, make it look like something that fell behind the couch two winters ago, and call it food’?! What kind of culinary war crime is that? Next time I see raisins on a table, I’m flipping the table. No more compromise. It’s either them or me."