MIDTURN 1
WEB OF POWER
They strike from the bay. Flying low to the surf, WEB Spinners whirl upwards, helicopter blades churning as they weave through the skyline of Cobbles Cove. Along the ground, WEB jumpspider troops leap, covering dozens of meters with every jump in their power armor. And the WEB Walkers launch cables, and swing their tanklike, car-sized forms through the buildings, multiple legs clattering as they pull themselves along, gun turrets swivelling to watch for threats...
WEB is here, and their target is chillingly obvious! The heart of the Utility Stations, GC&E's Central Circuit Station! How better to demonstrate that the city is powerless against them, then by literally destroying its power?
GC&E's security forces rally in the fortified complex, but they're unprepared for helicopter offensives and the heavy armor of the Web Walker drones, not to mention the simple but effective power armor of their troops. One, Two, Three relay stations are bombarded and destroyed by rocket fire in short order... Only five remain. If the last falls, then the city's electricity will be entirely gone during one of the coldest winters on record...
Garren Gomar
Internal [PM]
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Of all the times to have to go in to contest a utility bill.
GC&E added a few zeroes to the Snake Eyes electricity bill, and weren't cooperative when you tried to resolve it over the phone. So you went in to Central Circuit Station in the Utility Stations down in Cobbles' Cove, to argue your case personally. You were making good headway when things started shaking and flashing, and realized that the building you were in was one of many under assault...
The good news is that your commando teams aren't far. They were going to pick you up after you finished up here, and take you out to lunch. Looks like lunch might be late today...
Arachne
to Sergei [e]
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You get the notice minutes before the assault above...
Hey there, Sergei! Target for the job is the Utility stations! Get those birds flying!
(Anyone you notify will be able to arrive and do stuff a few minutes before anyone who simply reacts to the headline.)
SECRET WARS, BLOODY PRICE
"Six bodies of unknown men, all mutilated to the point that identification was quite impossible, were found in the Isler University park this morning, impaled on various art objects. Parts of the park were reported to be scorched as if by fire, though no explosions or arson had been sighted the night before, and no noise of conflict was generated. Until further notice Isler University has been closed, and the MRB has been called in to investigate."
"An anonymous source reports that the words "Aequitas Nex" were scrawled in blood in the center of the park. The latin phrase means "Justice is Dead." Whatever happened here, it certainly isn't good..."
LOCAL TALISMONGER LINKED TO DEMONIC DEALINGS!
"He's up to no good in there!" Local residents, who wish to remain anonymous, whisper. "There's smells of sulfur, and weird voices! Everyone knows he deals with demons!"
They're speaking of local businessman and magician Mordecai Carter, who last month made a splash by advertising deadly magical weaponry for "self-defense" in a mail order catalogue...
MOB JUSTICE
And in the frozen month of February, as the harbor is ice, and the tourist trade is down, a mob of angry people starts to form outside of Mordecai's shop. With several of them wearing the sign of the Heralds, they're starting to work themselves up to some ugly business. Rocks are thrown, windows are broken, and seagulls wheel overhead at all hours of the night, screaming and screeching... Police lights flare at the back of the mob, but it's clear that they won't be able to quiet things in time before someone does something truly stupid...
TECH EXPO
And the CCP's technological expo and invention convention is kicked off, to the approval of the tech-heads in attendance! The Convention District's economy booms as the restaurants and hotels serve attendees from across the world, and the biggest names rub shoulders with the up and comers! Aegon Morgenstern gives two [1 cash] a plate dinner presentations for the SERIOUS businessmen, and the Young Turks are out in force, looking for the next Tesla to invest in.
The most promising inventions making their debut this year look to be Morgenstern's Antaeus construction line of robots, Securitas Inc.'s new encryption code, and newcomer Lazarus Industries Ouroborous Medical Monitoring system... Oddly enough, Helios Core barely has a presence. Their entire product line for this year has been delayed... Whatever their current project, it's certainly monopolizing their time and effort.
FEEDING FRENZY
"Breaking story! This is Ron Maple on the scene for Icon News... The Blubberco whale processing factory in Fishmarket, long since closed, has erupted in flames! Gunshots HAVE been fired, and at this point... Oh good lord, it's a slaughter! Repeat, witnesses CONFIRM automatic weapons fire, and explosives usage and... Oh lord, the Factory just collapsed. There are people screaming in the burning rubble, and, someone flying through the smoke! And... Who's that?"
The camera focuses in on a figure across the street, staring down at the flames. Tall, wearing fatigues and a black coat, his hair cut in a simple high and tight. His face is bruised and bloodied, but his eyes are blank and empty as falling snow in the night. There's an AR in his arms, and he stares directly at the camera for a long moment, before vanishing back away from the roof, as the flames from the factory billow up, and smoke fills the air.
"Oh good lord, that was Devil Dog. He did this. He did all this... Devil Dog is here..."
HARDLINERS
Factory Fight [pm]
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It was a good setup. They didn't even have to fake transactions, they just shifted business to the factory. Junkies showed up, got their fix without noticing the snipers and security, and moved on.
If the bad guys had come into the killzone, it would have worked perfectly.
They didn't.
They crashed a truck through the fence, through the back gates. Stormcrow barely managed to warn folks inside. The SCK guys filled it full of lead to no avail, as it skidded, flipped over, and started spilling barrels of gasoline everywhere.
Gasoline, plus the decades of whale grime all over the place... Major Disaster saw where this was going. He and the Orrus Drones barely managed to get clear before whoever was outside started firing honest to god White Phosphorous grenades into the building, which went up like a torch. After getting the place burning, the shooter switched to assault rifle rounds and regular grenades, picking off the SCK guys as they panicked and tried to escape.
Major Disaster caught a few rounds, before Stormcrow was able to triangulate, and rush the shooter. 'Crow managed to bruise the guy, tie him up long enough for Major Disaster to get into position with the Orrus drones...
Then the guy pulled a taser and jammed it into Stormcrow's neck. Must've been overcharged, because 'Crow twitched and dropped, the volts taking him down even despite his armor.
The man ducked and evaded Disaster's punches but the Orrus drones landed some voltage... Sadly he's got a milspec vest, that manages to weaken their strikes a bit, as he gets to a safe spot and triggers a Claymore Mine, dropping most of the Orrus drones.
Standing, he empties a magazine into Major Disaster, then frowns as it just staggers the paragon for a second.
"Hm."
He pulls a grenade out of his pocket and flips it toward Stormcrow, before hopping off the roof, catching a preset zipline and sliding down.
Major Disaster's blood is up... But it'd mean Crow's death, if he ignored the grenade. He goes and kicks the explosive away, shielding Stormcrow with his own body.
When he gets a chance to look around, the man's long gone, the cops are screaming in, and the news crews are all over the place.
He could try to pick up the man's trail, but it'd be tricky with all these people crowding in, and he'd definitely draw attention...
GILGAMESH: CLEANING UP THE TOWN?
More and more of the homeless and unemployed throughout the Brownstones are flocking to Gilgamesh's banner... The ancient lord is promising work and a better place to live, when all is said and done.
"Good luck to him," a local businessman was heard to remark. "Unless he's got a hell of a budget to work with, all he's going to end up with is shattered dreams and hard feelings once those workers of his start getting hungry and cold..."
Nonetheless, a number of abandoned buildings are slowly being converted into liveable areas, thanks in no small part to three tireless robots of unknown make, which appear to be under Gilgamesh's command. No one's really quite sure where they came from...
ICPD VICE HITS DRUG HOUSES
With the Black Bloods gone from slumside, ICPD moves in, supported by the Knight of Blades. They raid six different drug labs, most of which are abandoned, but two of which are full of rogue chemists packing things up. Hundreds of
pounds of product are seized, and twenty-two arrests are made. Public confidence in the police force, recently shaken by rumors of scandal, is growing again...
Lazarus
Internal [pm]
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Yeah, you can do the facechange for free when it's on Lazarus himself.
In the media backlash, they didn't really disprove what was put out.
Your men are in position to watch what goes down, and get good footage of it down in the Fishmarkets... (You may read the various sub-parts of FEEDING FRENZY above.)
Leyline
Internal [PM]
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See your sheet for results...
Family
Internal [pm]
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Some of your gangers notice the Watchmen poking around around Slumside and Blue Collar Blvd. The Watchmen aren't DOING anything, just looking around and, well, watching...
Mordecai
Internal [pm]
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Looking over the list the Hardliners sent you, it's more a matter of what COULDN'T you do with all those ingredients. Though Mordecai does note that a lot of them are pretty dark, or have infernal connotations.
In other news, your shop's power and water are off and on at random times, and those DAMNED SEAGULLS won't stop screaming at all hours of the night and day. Your nerves are starting to frazzle, and the mob out front is about to do something horrible at the drop of a hat...
ICPD
to Garren Gomar [P]
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"Hmmm, I see. At this point, this is starting to get a bit big for us. We'll pass your report on to the MRB. Recommend talking with them about disposal of the dangerous artifact, we really don't have facilities for such."
Knight of Blades
Internal [pm]
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The Steampunks are a newer villain group, with a victorian/anachrotech theme. They're flashy, but rarely fatal in their methods.
Investigator 3 finds a few likely areas for their lair, but realizes that further investigation will likely draw attention if he is unlucky.
Poking about on the rumor, Jim finds that the police chief's son's membership in Die Kriegers is an open secret in the halls of power. Even with NNI slapped down, rumor has it that the Mayor may have to ask Chief Rackham to resign anyway...
The Caretaker of Emberlane Cemetary doesn't seem to be answering his phone now, for whatever reason... Poking about onsite, your investigator finds a group of Graveyard Gang toughs, who unceremoniously run him out of the place.
Limpeza Chama
Strays Welcome [PM]
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The bar isn't much to look at, but after a half-hour or so of quiet drinking, a young lady escorts him upstairs. The lighting is dim up here, with covered windows in all the visible rooms, and cats padding through the place, watching him pass with wide, lit eyes.
And soon he enters into a central room, decorated with depictions of felines ranging from golden temple statues to crayon drawings made by 5-year-olds. In the midst of it a woman reclines, wearing ancient garb and a cat-headed mask.
A voice speaks, in Brother Lieutenant Moreno's mind.
"Hello, soldier. Welcome to my temple. You stand in the shadow of the goddess herself, and... Huh. Speaking of shadows, that's a strange one you've got there."
"Well, at any rate, welcome. What brings you here?"
Die Kriegers
to Limpeza Chama [p]
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"Well, we see someone recruiting on our turf, for reasons we don't know, we get a li'l concerned. Why are you trying to build up an army?"
Order of the Hand and Eye
Internal [PM]
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Your newly designated stealthywizard does what he can, but apparently the Banker's Dozen have pretty good security. He's not able to get into any of what he THINKS are the earthshaking meetings, and he has to take pains to avoid being caught on camera.
Trifecta
Internal [PM]
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Well, it's a bit difficult recruiting in Silent Lake. Most of the locals are retirees or hermits. Still, Mara is GOOD, and resorting to her succubus wiles helps lure in enough for a new coven. Not a LOT, and they're a little raw, but
Samantha helps.
(.5 Cultists restored to 1 full cultist.)
Strider detects no one watching or messing with you. Neither does Tempest.
Gilgamesh
Internal [PM]
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You train the Watchmen. It's clear it's going to be an uphill effort there. The spirits are willing, but it's going to take time.
You start getting the general mood of things... In Public Housing, people are glad to see the Black Bloods gone, but unsure of what happens next. Slumside, they're wary of the Family, but so far the Family hasn't DONE much yet besides show their presence. Blue Collar Blvd. is peaceful, doesn't look like anyone claims it.
Limpeza Chama
Observing... [pm]
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You keep watch over the mini mart... And are rewarded. Several of the employees close up shop early in the middle of the night, one week, and depart.
The next you see of them, they're battered, bruised, and bloodied, being lead out of the SUV's they departed in, back into that house on the edge of the district that you saw before. They look heavily wounded, burned, and they should be
hospitalized, but they're bearing their injuries in silence. A few of them are wearing white tunics.
As you observe, your initiates suddenly feel a presence, as two white-clad men step out of the shadows near their positions, and level crossbows.
"You're the south american order. Why are you spying on us? Speak quickly, if you want to live through this, we don't have time for much mercy."
Limpeza Chama
Internal [pm]
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You find a handcrafted wooden cat statue, that seems interesting, if not overly expensive. It is purchased for a song.
Duarte starts research. He has a pretty good idea of how to go about it, but it'll take time.
Charlie
Internal [pm]
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You find a likely looking building, and start to work. It's gonna take a LOT of clearing. Penny's not much help, as the Rustbelt clearing is taking most of her attention...
But at least the Centurion hasn't shown up there. Penny gathers 5 units of scrap. She could keep going, or break off here, to be safe. Your call...
Family
Internal [pm]
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The guns and foam show up, as ordered. You spend some time having your men train with them, handy having a big underground base around to practice without drawing notice...
Your men assisting the Graveyard gang report that a PI showed up, poking around the remnants of the caretaker's house. No clue who he was working for.
The Golden Flock
Internal [PM]
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You start to work on Mordecai. Your seagulls report some significant success in harassment, though he's a pretty cool customer. Probably take more to wear him down.
Merlin
Internal [pm]
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Hm. A cursory check of the library reveals nothing labelled "Mordecai's catalyst." You may need more information, here.
Hardliners
Internal [pm]
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Belladonna does her best to suck up to the Father, and handle things with the cult. He doesn't seem to mind the help, and her influence grows...
INFLUENCE GAINED: HERALDS +1