Total War - Icon City (IC)

[Lost Demiurge]

TURN 1 BEGINS...




ICON CITY INSIDER - January 2000

One Week Later, the World still Mourns

The Crusader. Schrodinger. Les Freres. Stone Cold. Has it been a week, already? A week since these and many more heroes fell in the arctic circle, giving their lives against a threat that we still know nothing about? So many heroes gone in one bloody night, bodies never recovered, entire teams gone in the space of hours. Truly, the world is a darker place for their passing...


Tesla Memorial Museum Robbed!

Late night Sunday, a watchman at the Tesla Memorial Museum responded to an alarm, to find an entire storeroom empty, with no signs of forced entry or exit. The storeroom, confirmed to be holding "Unsorted Atlantean-era artifacts", had been entirely cleaned out by people or forces unknown. The museum's curator, Professor Pyre, could not be reached for comment.


Economic Recovery!

After the last gasps of the recent recession, business is once again booming! A strong holiday season, followed by a bullish stock market, have chased away the recent economy woes.


Ancient hero arrives in Icon City!

Gilgamesh, ancient ruler of the pre-mesopotamian city state Uruk, recently arrived in Icon City last morning, borne on a flying chariot pulled by horses. He touched down in the Brownstones, and after a brief and peacefully-resolved conflict with the ICPD, has been granted a visitors visa for the length of his stay. Gilgamesh joins another ancient mythical figure, the renowned Wizard Merlin, in being open mythic heroes now dwelling within Cape City. Let us hope that he can avoid as storied a record of arrests and minor misdemeanors as Merlin, who has made quite the splash on the club scene of late...


Glowing Lights, Strange Graffiti in Woods...

Augustine State Park Rangers have been baffled recently by a number of strange occurances taking place in the tranquility of the nature preserve. Strange, wisplike lights have been reported moving around in the woods at night, and unnatural fogs are seeming to permeate the area. Hikers are reporting finding strange markings carved into trees, seemingly mystical runes. However, the heavy winter and rough trails are making full investigation difficult...

Nob Hill Hob Nobbery

The traditional New Years celebration held by the respectable and wealthy Pyre family was delayed this year, as several important guests were caught up in the business and aftermath of the Y2K tragedy. As the ghastly news unfolded, the planners of the party were forced to push it back, until the mourning time was done. But now it is over, and we face a new year... With a new party, in memorium of those who gave their all! Of course, it goes without saying that only anyone who's ANYONE will be invited to this upper class shindig...

Crime on the Rise!

The city has never needed heroes more. With the demise of two local hero teams, and the tragic loss of Schrodinger, Hellas, and Miss Tyc and many more, the petty criminals of Icon City are growing bolder. Theft and Drugs are in this season, with the north regions of the city being particularly hard hit...

CRIME REPORT

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Westmarket - Railyards: Theft ++
Dockside - Fishmarket: Drugs +
Outskirts - Fort Steyer: Drugs +
Downtown - Club Central: Theft +
Cobbles Cove - Barrios: Homicide +

Vorpal Challenge

The formerly-obscure villainess, Vorpal, has been sighted in the Brownstone area, initiating hostilities against the local "Black Bloods" gang. One couple was "Saved" by the villain, as she leaped down from a rooftop, and carved several of the Black Bloods accosting the hapless civilians into pieces in a gruesome, murderous display. According to the couple, who requested that they remain anonymous, she then began torturing the survivors while shouting questions...


Doomsday Cult's Prophet Margins grow

You may never have known his name, but you'd probably recognize his voice. Edward Maple, a homeless man who for the last five years has held a sign and harangued Grand Avenue passers by about the coming apocalypse, has gained somewhat of a following, after the decimation of the world's heroes. Maple, who has forsaken his former name and is now calling himself "Father Figure", claims that he is only a Herald of things to come. He is attracting followers from the homeless, and from those seeking reasons for the horrific fate that was so narrowly averted last month...


Raid gone Bad?

Peabody Labs, a Genetically Modified Crop research facility in the nearby Farmlands of Icon City was raided on Saturday, and no less than three officers were killed in the tragic violence that followed. Details of this violence are not yet available, and FEMA has taken charge of the case. Reporters have not been allowed within the compound's perimeter, which is still guarded now, three days later. Rumors are circulating... Was this another plot by the nefarious Professor Vector? Or were the nearby coven of vampires responsible for the horror? Stay tuned, as we ask the opinions of reputable experts...


Helios Seeking Subcontractors

With this economic recovery comes more job opportunities, and Helios Core is seeking skilled scientists and technicians for subcontracting work. Professor Gensler, the head of Helios' vast engineering division, would not comment on the specific nature of the work, only that it would be both demanding and groundbreaking.


ICPD Hiring Push

With so many heroes lost, it's up to more everyday heroes in blue to hold the line! The ICPD is hiring intelligent, respectable citizens who seek to keep the peace, protect, and serve the public. Do YOU have what it takes to join the boys (and girls) in blue?


8 Ball in the Boardwalk Corner

Local hero and technological marvel Eight Ball has been seen rolling around the Boardwalk at nights, trailed by several of his small drones. The Watchmen, a local gang, seem to have conflicted with him at least twice, but no charges have been pressed, and no hospital visits have resulted from these scuffles.


Slumside Vandalism

Vandals are no stranger in the crumbling complexes of Slumside, but a recent trend of vandalism has police baffled. Light poles, window frames, street grates, all manner of metal items are turning up twisted and warped into odd shapes. "Been in the weldin' business ten, twenny years, tain't seen nothin' like it," local unemployed technicain Ross Hokum said. "No tools I know could do this..."


Rotary Club Fundraiser

The 98th Rotary Club, which operates out of the white-collar neighborhoods known somewhat amusingly as "Yuppietown" is holding a fundraiser to support and celebrate the local police and firefighters Unions! "Just gonna be a chance for folks around the suburbs to meet an' greet, and for us to show our love and support for our local heroes! Both kinds, really, the ones with uniforms an' the ones with spandex! Ha ha, li'l joke there..."

[ArlEammon]

The Eternal Darkness
With such a catchy, but ominous name, as well as having the reputation of being blood thirsty monsters, which is half true, Father Epiphanes has thought of himself as both blessed and cursed to have the responsibility of earning his organization a good reputation. He has already had some limited success in that regard. His people are now openly and legally vampires.
In the Outskirts of the city, horrible drug running operations are being done, maybe innocent people are getting hurt and killed, while the ordinary folk's vampire neighbors dwell securely in the Farming neighborhood's only extremely rich estate, the Epiphanes Estate.
Father Epiphanes suggests to a handful of his followers to patrol the neighborhoods of the Farmingon district. He himself waits for an important interview. . . with The Superhuman Political Action Committee .
Meanwhile, surplus money from the Brotherhood's funding, from both their secret treasures, and generous donations to the Brotherhood are being half-offered and half-negotiated for those in the neighborhood. Cooperate and work with and for the Brotherhood of Eternal Darkness for double the value of their offering.

To prove they have good will towards their neighborhood, substantial funding is being offered for whomever is in need for free.

[Mabn]

Merlin
"Would you come here miss? Yes you, assuming your a citizen I want you to make a citizens arrest of this man. No I can't do it. Bull****, when I where spandex I want it to be free of idiotic associations. Now, I've probably stolen as much as any man alive, but a mugging? That's pathetic. How I do it? Well where do you think your gun went? Eh? I just saw it in the paper and looped by."

PM GM

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"You know there's a modern storytelling device where all the characters meet in a tavern. Apparently some stranger will come in and either tell everyone there about some legend or walk up to a table and hire whomever happens to be drinking there to go fight someone. Fascinating really: back when taverns were in every village and most people spent their best lives there everything in their tales began in letters and administrative buildings. Now people only make stories about government service if someone does it wrong and they romanticize places like this many of them never enter.
It's been a while Bastet. My notes on you were buried far down my journals. I thank humanity for hypertext but I wish they had thought of standardized spelling a little sooner. Pillars will rise and lock against each other in this city till the unbound fade and the weakest cracks from their shaking. I for one plan to do absolutely nothing about it, but where there are pillars there are shadows and when towers shake no one wants a hand in their footprint. So what have you been up to?"

[Ascaloth]

Sergei Kalinin

"Ey, brat! Yer see da news today?"

"..."

"Buncha bloodsuckers right dere, sound like wha' ye lookin' for. Na' gunna go lookin' fer dem?"

"..."

"Na' good lil' pizda..."

"It isn't the time yet."

"Eh?"

"I am not ready yet. There is still much that I don't know, and I need to be sure I'm not walking in unprepared."

"Eh, suit yerself, patsan. Wha' yer gunna do dis week, den?"

"I wonder... this 'Vorpal' interests me."

"Her, eh? Gotta bit o' data on 'e blad. Na' much, but better'n nuthin'. Remind me t'show it to ya, eh?"

"I will. And this thing in the Slumsides..."

"Eh, dun know much 'bout tha' one. Yer think it worth checkin' out, shure."

"And the Fundraiser. Something tends to happen at such events, so I might drop in for a look-see."

"Heh! Gunna raise some hell, eh?"

"Not really, no. Least I'm not starting anything."

"Haw haw haw! Very well then patsan, jus' dun get yershelf killed, eh?"

"I'll keep that in mind, Sergei."

Spoiler: Arachne [E]

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Holla, Miss Arachne! Sergei here! What's the scoop these days? Got anything for ol' Sergei to do?

Spoiler: To Graveyard Gang [E]

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Hallo there, folks? What's the news on the ground? Got anything for ol' Sergei to do, eh?

Spoiler: To Professor Vector [E]

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Ho there, Proffie! How's the villainy going? You the one hit Peabody Labs, or no? Either way, hit ol' Sergei up if you got stuff need doing, ey?

[bigstipidfighte]

Sharon Deckhart sat wearily in her office typing up letter after letter. She had only recently taken over as head of the Icon City branch, and was still having trouble learning to delegate. With the loss of so many prominent members, the PAC was still feeling is way forward, unsure of what the future held.

12:06. She’d just sent her RSVPs to the Pyre New Year’s celebration and the Rotary Club fundraiser. There was still time to get a little more work done before lunch with MRB’s agent McCartney. One of the Super-PAC’s new year’s resolutions was to reach out to the supernatural community more, rather than focusing on the traditional caped crusaders who by and large already trusted the organization. Flipping through a manila folder dedicated to noteworthy supernaturals, she picked out a likely prospect.

Merlin. Yes, that one, if he was to be believed. Apparently the British government was convinced, and that was good enough for Sharon. More importantly, records indicated he was the man to know in the magical community. He’d had some run-ins with the law, but nothing serious enough to make the PAC avoid associating with him. If anything, it might make him more interested in dealing with the PAC, considering their reputation for defending metahumans in court.

E-mail to Merlin

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Greetings Sir Merlin,

The Superhuman Political Action Committee is looking to start off the new year by getting to know the city’s magical population better. Given your reputation as a leader of the community, I was hoping you might be able to offer some insight into their interests and concerns.

In addition, I would appreciate any lore you could offer about the supernatural denizens of the city. We’ll soon be launching People First, a PR campaign geared towards reminding the city that metahumans are more than the sum of their powers, and we’d hate to misrepresent anyone due to our ignorance. Magister Barkley handled our databases on the supernatural, and unfortunately that knowledge died with him during Y2K. Rumor has it your carousing has given you insight into the gangs and neighborhoods of Icon City as well, and that information could be incredibly useful. Heroes come to us often looking for leads during their investigations, and our contacts don’t always produce useful information.

Our people can handle any necessary translation and copying work, all we ask is access to your databases and we’ll do the rest. In return, we’d be willing to provide information on the groups we have more regular interaction with. Let me know what you think, and if you have any other concerns you think we could help with, please feel free to ask.

Sincerely,
Sharon Deckhart, Regional Director, Superhuman Political Action Committee.

P.S. Any chance of running into you at the Pyre family’s New Year’s celebration?

OOC: Offering to trade Movers and Shakers 2 for Magic 2 and Icon City 1, I’ll handle all the actions involved in the trade.

12:38. Still time to write one more letter before lunch. She reviewed a file she’d gone over extensively a few days before. The Eternal Night. Vampires, apparently, straight out of a story book. They were fighting an uphill PR battle, and had deep pockets. Sharon was sure they could come to some sort of understanding. So far, the Eternal Night had kept out of trouble, and if that trend continued, they could be powerful allies in the struggle for acceptance of metanormals.

E-mail to Eternal Night

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Greetings Father Epiphanes

To follow up our earlier correspondence, I am pleased to inform you that People First, a PR campaign dedicated to reminding Icon City that metahumans are more than just a collection of strange powers, will be launching shortly. Any donation you can offer would be greatly appreciated. We have plenty of ways to get the word out, but adding to our bottom line could increase the effectiveness of the campaign exponentially.

Incidentally, have you given any more thought to being interviewed as part of the campaign? The Super-PAC can make sure you get a friendly reporter who will stick to the talking points, and a network that will present Eternal Night in the best possible light. We can set something up as early as this month, but if you’re busy we can wait. This project will be ongoing for some time.

Finally, I’d recommend you attend the Pyre family’s New Year’s celebration and mingle as much as possible. Director Carceri of the MRB might be a particularly good target if you can get a few minutes with him. Just assure him you don’t prey on humans and plan on staying out of trouble; he’ll know if you’re telling the truth. It’s a gift.

Sincerely,
Sharon Deckhart, Regional Director, Superhuman Political Action Committee.

1:07. ****, she was going to be late to her business lunch.

[Mabn]

Merlin

Spoiler: e-mail to SPAC

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I do not act as a spokesperson for the supernatural community and I don't act as a spokesperson to the supernatural community. It is a long running policy.
I can provide access to a collated database of my agents knowledge, but said knowledge indicates you have additional files. I assure you my staff would be more than willing to analyze such of their own effort.
Sincerly: Merlin
P.S. I have been invited, so you may
OOC: counter-offering to trade Magic 2, icon city 1 for Movers and shakers 3 with an even action split.

[bigstipidfighte]

Sharon Deckhart finally made it to the roof only to discover someone else had absconded with the Super-PAC zeppelin. Clearly they still had to work on inter-office communication under the new administration. Sighing, she turned back to the elevator, pulling out her phone to dial agent McCartney.

Phone call to MRB

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“McCartney? Hi. Listen, someone’s using the zeppelin. No, I didn’t approve it. It’ll take too long to arrange anything else now, I’m going to have to cancel. I know, I’m sorry. There’s still a few things I’d like to talk about if you’ve got time. We’ve lost our eyes on the street, and I’m going to have to ask you to pick up the slack a lot over the next few months while we get back on our feet. So, the question of the hour is obviously FEMA’s involvement in the Peabody Labs case. What happened out there?”

Sharon had a pretty good idea why FEMA was called in- if the rumors about Peabody lab’s latest research were true, their involvement was more than justified. Still, it would sound suspicious if she didn’t ask, and it wasn’t always wise to let on about every secret you know.

“Of course, there’s the Vorpal situation as well. Any clues as to why she attacked the Black Bloods? And what about the museum heist and the slumside vandalisms? Have you been investigating those? I know it’s a lot to ask, but if we turn up anything in our own investigations, you’ll be the first to know. Promise.”

Sharon made her way back to her office to take notes during the call- lunch could wait. When that was done, she called in Magister Fivsby, the new head of the arcane department. Fivsby was an amateur magician at best, but the PAC didn’t exactly host many proper wizards, especially since Y2K. Finally getting around to delegating some work, she instructs him to call the IC Historical Society and inquire about the stolen artefacts.

Phone Call to IC Historical Society.

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Magister Fivsby calls asking about the nature of the stolen goods. Were they known to be magical? Did any legends surround them, was there anything suspicious about the robbery? Any scorned buyers who might have wanted them? Few knew about the close relationship between SPAC and MRB, and they were not above using their status among pro-metahuman groups to get information that might have been withheld from law enforcement.
OOC: Hoping my Metahuman Rights Activist rep trait applies to these guys, since they exist to honor tesla's memory and deal in various superscience(and apparently atlantean?) artefacts.

Once all that was taken care of, Sharon noticed Merlin had replied to her message. Well, wouldn't do to keep him waiting. Lunch could wait a bit longer…

E-mail to Merlin

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It is true that we are holding back our most classified files. They contain information told to us in confidence that could be quite damaging to the parties involved. Sharing them, even with someone of your esteem, would draw quite a bit of negative attention on both of us. I assure you understand we mean no disrespect, and sincerely hope you will consider our original offer.

Regards,
Sharon Deckhart,
Regional Director, Superhuman Political Action Committee.

[razovor]

Lantern

Sunlight. Blinding. Walls fuzzy. Vision clears. Area massive. Roof obscured with dust. No walls. Piles of rubble. Climb up hill. Look around. Area open. No people. Hears noise. Looks up. Creature flying high above. Threat? Watches. Waits. No attack. Ignores. Scans horizon. Buildings in the distance. Approaches. Ruins. Searches. No people. Confused. Waits. Hibernates. Nothing. Hungry. Leaves ruins. Searches. Small creatures. Devours. Returns to ruins. Digs. Leaves for resources. Returns. Makes new home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -

Jacob flicks the knife open, and closed. Open and closed. Looks to his left. Michael passes him the joint. He breathes deeply, relaxes. Passes it on to James.

"This is pretty good stuff. Grow it yourself?"

"Nah. ****ing Landlord took my stash. Paid good money for that, ****s just gonna use the stuff himself."

"**** him. Anywhere else you can crash?"

"Not likely. But anyway, lets not talk about it"

The band of three wander for a time through the rubble, looking for their usual spot, far enough away from civilization to feel comfortable, but still reasonably safe. They turn around a hill and spot it. A ruined four-story office block, abandoned before their time.

James stops as he spots it, bringing the others to a halt. The area looks different. Subtle things, noticeable only because they come here so often.

"Someone's been here while we were gone."

"They're probably gone now. Lets go have a look"

The three approach the entrance cautiously. A small hole in the wall, big enough to get through only while crouching. James goes in first, then Micheal and Jacob.

"Seems ...darker than normal"

Micheal reaches around his body, looking for a match.

"Nothing. oh well"

James gestures down one of the corridors and begins walking, the other two follow along slowly. As they walk down, the corridor opening out onto small blocks of offices, everything seems the same, but different. Quieter, eerier. Some new growths are visible coming through one of the walls. Leaves black with malnutrition.

A sound. The three turn around, looking back down the corridor they came. Nothing.

"What was that?"

They turn back. The end of the corridor is dark, but something can be seen moving in it. Growling.

Jacob laughs.

"Just some stupid mutt. Probably starving. Won't bother us."

The creature charges, coming out of the shadow, rushing forward before the group can get a proper look at it. Micheal moves to block it. A massive arm smashes him against the wall, he falls lamely to the floor

Jacob flips open his knife, stabbing wildly, hitting flesh. The creature rears back, giving James a chance to jump in, helping Micheal to his feet.

"What the **** is this?"

"I don't know, just run"

The three run for the entrance, the creature quickly giving chase. Jacob lets James go through first, glancing back behind him briefly, too quickly to see anything in the dark. He helps Micheal through, then begins to climb through himself, looking through the hole in time to see the creature outside, driving an arm through James chest.

James collapses, blood pouring out his chest and mouth. Micheal tries to stand, a blow to the face smashes his skull. The creature grabs Jacob, pulling him out the building, throwing him across the ground. His back screams in agony, the wind knocked out of him as the creature bears down on him. Jacob tries to roll away, the creatures claws digging deep. His arm sears with pain. He tries to lift himself up onto his feet, his right arm collapses, a bloody stump. The creature pins him down, lifts up it's pincers and..

[Thelonius]

Golden Flock

Mr. Eduard [Personal]

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[Eduard flies to the Woods, with Owl Brothers for bodyguards and intimidation. And some feed, as bribes. It’s winter time.]
[Use of [Uplift 2] to get the locals talking, and start searching for those, who know anything.]

''Why hello there, Mr. Rabbit-Friend*. Don’t worry on the account of Brothers here, they won’t bite, unless I tell them. Now I’ve been hearing things, about the place - some bad stuff going on. Do tell and we’ll see what I can arrange for you to get by this winter.''

[*Not certain what animals are active in the Park during the winter time.]

Internal [PM]

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Reading Papers
[The Media & News]: I’m curious if there is any extra tidbit of information I can gleam from the daily papers?

Peabody Labs - any connection with tidbid, that something broke out and fled to the woods recently?

[Database Movers & Shakers]: who can I expect to see at the Pyre Party?

ServiCo [Internal]

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Ms. Miranda.

Can you please forward me the report on the expected work, our employees would be freezing their butts to fix on the New Year’s Eve?*

*Any info related to mysterious metal twisting vandals?

[What locations need-a-fixing?]

[Orbiter]

The Trifecta

Man getting settled down took a lot of work to do, even when you had a giant Kaiju helping you move your stuff, the darn chase had left everyone tired and in need of a breather.

Spoiler: Email to the Goblin Market

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Heya
How are our buddies doing?
I hope everything is fine? after all those recent happenings?

Anyway we have finally arrived at the city and settled down, if you think you wanna hire me or T, just tell me k?, of course sending someone to speak with someone from you would help, as i am a busy little bee.

Also dont know if you heard about something happening....something public out there in the trees with the bees, thats an interesting matter...and legit something very big. You might have heard about it?, either way gonna go look whats there, wanna see why they got so famous.
Unless its one of your friends? or allies?, in which case i reckon we will stay away.

Hmm oh yeah sweet kisses to my old but hot friend >:D we should catch up someday.

-M

Spoiler: Internal[PM]

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Tempest&Mara go to scout for whatever is happening in the park, safety first of course.

They GOOGLE doc has details, so that no one who peeks learns about my stuff.(dont have secr 1 fer nothing =P).

[Murska]

Garren Gomar, The Hungarian Hussar

In a corner table of a small, trendy café, a black-haired man with a long coat and stylish, wide-brimmed hat sat, ignoring curious looks and sipping his drink. Slipping a hand in his pocket, he sighed and drew out a newspaper.

"Fine. Fine. Damnit."

Muttering to himself, he opened the newspaper rather violently above his head and slammed it on the table.

After looking at the open page for a moment, he stood up, stuffed it back in the pocket and left.

Internal [PM]

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So, what was the news on the page that was left open?

[Nyrt]

Virtue

Pierce leans back in his new leather chair.

"I like this chair," he comments. "Much better than that old one I had back in New Hamshire."

"It came with the space, like most of the furniture did," explains one of the office workers sifting through a mound of paperwork.

"Really? Wow. This place is fancy. Makes me feel rich and powerful. This big old desk, the leather boss chair..." He trails off and stands up abruptly. "You know what, I don't think I want to use this chair. Find me a metal folding chair or something. Something with less of a corrupting influence."

Some of the paper-pushers laugh at Pierce's eccentricity- those who were new, and unused to their new bossman, but the few who had come with him from his old office smiled as they recognized the Pierce they had come to know and love.

Pierce rolls the enormous leather chair around his desk and then stops.

"You know what, better idea. Who has the largest share of the paperwork?"

A flustered intern raises his hand. He had evidently drawn the short straw in the office lots this morning.

"You get my desk today. Here, I'll help you move the stacks."

Pierce strolls over and grabs a stack of papers, skimming the forms on the top.

"'Request for Permission to Host Political Events Within City Limits.' Huh. That goes to Mayor Tristan's office, right? I'll talk to him about this- he's a friend."

The intern just nods, somewhat intimidated by Pierce's direct mannerisms.

"And an invitation to a New Year's party? That could be interesting. I'll handle that one too."

"Don't let him take too much off of you, or he'll end up doing everything himself," remarks Pierce's personal secretary, a black woman. "There's a reason we usually don't let him see the paperwork."

"You are a saint, Darleen, but I can't let you do all the work around here."

"Oh yes you can. That's my job, isn't it? You get to do the talking, let me handle everything else. Now go make some calls."

Mayor Tristain [p]

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"Good morning! Just calling to make sure it's okay if we start holding fundraisers. I was thinking of setting one up for the Icon City Historical Society, since they recently lost some of their collection."

Upper Crust [m]

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Pierce Honnete will be attending the New Years party, along with possible guests. We will contact you with details on the guests once details are finalized.

Thank you for your invitation. Pierce is looking forward to your party.

Pierce, done with the call, peers over Darleen's shoulder as she pens the letter.

"Anyone want to go to a party?" he asks the room. Darleen sighs.

"Pierce, you can't just bring anyone. These guys are really big into the pedigree and class."

Pierce turns around and looks at her curiously.

"What? I can bring whomever I like. They invited me, and my parents were ventilation technicians."

"For the love of all that is holy, please don't tell them that."

"Why not? It's the truth, isn't it? Say, do you want to go?"

Darleen sighs again. There's no reasoning with the man once he gets an idea like that fixed in his mind.
"I guess I do need a break. It's been work nonstop since we arrived. I guess I could pretty up for a party."

Pierce smiles, and Darleen can't help but smile back.

Historical Society [e]

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You didn't lose anything... dangerous, did you? If you need to press charges on anyone, give us a call.

Internal

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Can I get any information from my Kindness or Temperance traits about Helios Core's work or and Peabody labs' research?

[Lost Demiurge]

Eternal Darkness

Neighborhood watch meeting (Public)

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The meeting goes well, and though the farmers are wary of the vampiric nature of the Eternal Darkness, the suggestion of a neighborhood watch program is well recieved. Particularly given the drug trafficking problems in the Fort Steyer vicinity, and the recent tragedy at Peabody Labs. The offer of funding for it, seals the deal. The Darkness puts up [2 cash], and a passing around of the hat picks up enough to match it. The Vampires still aren't completely trusted, but they won some approval tonight.

(Eternal Darkness gains 1 Influence for the Farmland.)

Merlin

Cult of Bastet
To Merlin [PM]

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You find your way up to the second floor of the Strays Welcome bar. It looks like a crazy cat lady exploded in here... Felines everywhere, watching you and pretending not to watch you as the case may be. Inside a room lined with gold foil and handcrafted cat representations (Everything from ages old stone sculptures, to kitty drawings that look like they were made by five year olds), Bastet sits court. You ignore the lady wearing the cathead mask, and focus on the black and white cat in her lap, who promptly hops to yours once you take a seat, and purrs as she speaks.

"Why Merlin, it's simply been AGES. Do you have any of that herring you used to... Ah, you do, I smell it in your pocket."

"At the minute, I've been watching for trouble. So many new magical faces moving in, yourself among them. Rather hard to keep them all sorted, dearie. And then there's the mundane issues, too..."

"But there's a lot going on, and well, a girl's gotta earn her dough, goddess or no. Did you come to chew the fat, or ask about specific things? Pleasureable conversation is cheap, but secrets are business and business costs money..."

(You can devote some of your 8 free influence to Bastet if you would like.)

Sergei

Arachne
to Sergei [E]

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How's my favorite Russian today? As it turns out, we might have something. Nonlethal, flashy, might draw some ire. If that sounds interesting, meet a rep at fifth and vine downtown. Privacy is expected, here. (Luxury Lofts.)

Graveyard Gang
to Sergei [E]

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Heya Sergy! Grim here. Things are quiet right now, SCK's learned their place, and we got nothing major in the pipe. That said, if you need backup, we might be available for hire.

Professor Vector
to Sergei [E]

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Rude Russian! I've warned you before about calling me by needling nicknames! Mind your tongue, Tovarisch... Now, as to your question, Peabody was neither my doing nor my misfortune. However, I must admit to some curiousity about the doings there. If that was a crop-research lab, then I'm a monkey's muzzle. If you know someone who can investigate the place without being caught by FEMA, I'll pay you for any information unearthed.

SuperPac

MRB
to Sharon Deckhart [P]

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"Ah, hello Sharon. Peabody... Mmm. Not much I can say over unclassified lines. Let's just say that it wasn't a crop research facility, and that Peabody itself didn't call the cops in. Passers-by noticed a disturbance, and things escalated from there."

"That's all I can say, legally. FEMA's in charge now, and they're not happy one bit."

Historical Society
to Super-Pac [P]

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"Well... The goods may or may not have been magical. To be honest, they were turned in half a year ago from a private collection, and they were slated to be catalogued this March. I'm not sure how much else I can tell you... The police are investigating now. Do you know any private investigators, or have any people who might be able to aid the investigation? I suppose we could put in a word if so..."

Lantern

Internal [PM]

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You kill them easily, taking no wounds in the process. This was a small group though. The packs of black bandana gangers tend to be larger in number through here, so engaging more groups might have some actual risk to it.

Golden Flock

Mr. Eduard [PM]

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Mr. Eduard makes his way to the park. It is cold as heck, not doing wonders for his tropical nature. Still, he endures. The rabbits that he uplifts are happy for the feed, but the deer are the real gossips.

First something started happening a few nights ago... Weird floaty lights, and scribbles on trees. It seems to be centered around a hill near the center of the preserve... The old trees there have arranged themselves into a circle, and there's an indescribable feeling there. The thing is, the Deer don't seem to mind the lights, signs, and feeling. To them it feels natural, like it's something that should be.

They DID mind when a bunch of white-clad humans showed up on foot, and started poking around. The humans did that one night, then oddly, vanished. But the deer and rabbits can still smell fresh human scent around in parts, and one of the bigger caves is jam-packed with that scent. And there's machine noise from in there sometimes. They steer clear of it.

Also, right now, there's some people poking around. One of them smells BAD. The squirrels quietly lead Mr. Eduard to a high point, where he looks down to see a man and a woman moving through the snow, searching around.

As Mr. Eduard watches, a gust of snow blows down toward the group, and the man lifts his hand, and the snow abruptly blows away from the group.

Mr. Eduard hasn't been spotted yet. The pair seem to be searching, and after a while they find the hill with the trees the deer told him about.

Internal [PM]

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Well, with his media influence Mr. Eduard could easily follow up on specific stories, talk to the reporters, check on facts and get details that might have been left out. But if he's just reading the paper, then what you see is what you get.

At the Pyre Party? Well, invites have likely been sent to Superpac, Virtue, the Mayor, the Police Commissioner, the head of the MRB, the Eternal Darkness, yourself (Duh), Aegon Morgenstern, Dr. Gensler, Professor Pyre (His family hosting it after all), the CCP, Tomorrow Force, and probably a few noted individuals. As to who's likely to show, it's hard to say. And some of those showing will probably have guests.

Servico
Internal [PM]

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Miranda says that Slumside needs a little work from the vandalism, probably light as it goes. [Chance to earn 2 cash for one action of repairing.] She also notes that the Railyard theft is a lot of metal stripping, to the point of damaging the tracks. The city's currently discussing contracts to fix that, once the thieves are stopped. Could be a chance to land some business if you can get on the bidding list, but it'd definitely be a lot of work.

Goblin Market
to Trifecta [E]

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Heya, this is Squig! They let me play on the PEE CEE TODAY! OMG! :D

I learned emoticons an' stuff! :) ;D >.< }:)

Anyhoo, we're setup in the Boutiques this month if you wanna come find us an' talk private.

When I asked boss about the lights an' stuff he laughed. He said that someone's going to get quite a prize. And to tell anyone who asked that we'd pay [3 cash] for the location of the Locus, so we could auction it off.

So that's that. I guess if you find out more you can come and talk private and stuff. Or maybe you find a locus and keep it yourself? What's a locus anyway, is it like a bug?

(A locus, as Mara well knows, is a center of power tied to an area.)

A Walk in the snow [PM]

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Tempest and Mara trek through the great outdoors, with the Cultists and puppies on call back near the park entrance. It's big and empty out here, but Tempest uses his powers to keep the worst of the wind at bay.

Mara definitely feels POWER stirring here... She follows the source of it to a hill, with a perfect ring of pine trees crowning it. In the center of the clearing, she feels power thrumming like a wire in the wind... And she knows what is going on.

A leyline shift has caused a mana node to spring up in this location, and its Locus is on this hill. Anyone who bonds with the node by spending enough time here over the course of several weeks will be infused with the power of the surrounding land.

Garren Gomar

Internal [PM]

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The paper flips between several pages when he puts it down. The museum theft, the lights in the woods, The Eight Ball thing in Boardwalk, the Nob hill Party, and the Peabody labs thing all seem to catch his eye.

Virtue

Mayor Tristan [P]

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"Absolutely! You're a registered and validated organization, you may hold all the fundraisers you please!"

Upper Crust [M]

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You send the response off, RSVPing with grace. Probably not gonna recieve confirmation, but eh, you've got the invites already so you're set.

Historical Society[p]

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"Hello, Pierce? Professor Pyre here. We appreciate your interest in the case, though any details would be best discussed face to face. Can you or one of your people spare some time for a private meeting?"

Internal [PM]

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Kindness gets you not very far, as both Helios and FEMA are officially no comment on the recent happenings. Temperance, however, turns up some rumors. Rumor is that Helios Core is devoting all their profits and much of their savings to whatever they're working on. As to Peabody labs... Rumor is that illegal experiments were being conducted there... Something positively HORRIBLE, if it got turned over to FEMA.

[Eldan]

Gilgamesh, 9:44 AM

"AHOY, FRIENDLY PEASANT!"
Gilgamesh was running across the street, leaping over a car in the middle to approach the one pedestrian on the street. A man in his forties in a raincoat, looking rather nervous as a seven-foot giant with a plaited beard and a musket over one shoulder came running at him.
The former King gave him his warmest smile.
"GOOD EVENING! I require information. Where can I find the nearest library? Who commands this... township? Quarter? District. District, I mean. And how can I reach them? Who rules this nation? Oh, and explain the internet."

Gilgamesh, 14:53 PM

"You are not talking sense, woman."
Books where carefully stacked all around Gilgamesh, as he sat cross-legged on the floor. A World Atlas. The Constitution of the United States. The Oxford English Dictionary. A Brief History of Time. The Internet for Dummies. A History of Spaceflight. Hitchhiker's Guide to Europe. The Encyclopedia Britannica, open on "Automobile". Grimm's Fairy Tales. The Art of War (Rommel's, not Sun Zi's). How to learn the Piano in 30 days.
"Sir, I'm just asking you to be quiet. People..."
"This is a library, isn't it?"
"Yes, Sir, and..."
"So, it is for reading. People come here to read."
"Yes, Sir, so..."
"So I'm reading, dammit. How do you expect people to be quiet when they are TRYING TO READ!"

Gilgamesh, 16:27 PM

"I do not like this mouse thing. It is too small for my hands. But thank you for letting me use your computer. Now, explain how I make public announcements with it."

"Public Announcement" on the internet, 16:39 PM

"These are the words dictated by Gilgamesh of Uruk, as relayed by the List of Craig and many public Fora.
Gilgamesh has chosen to undertake a mission of great charity. Every week, he will take one person or packaged good from anywhere on Eart and bring it to any other place on the Earth, in less than 24 hours, by use of the magnificient Sky Chariot and he will not demand money nor service in exchange. If you wish to make use of this charitable service, send a letter of application describing your situation in much detail and fine prose.
So spoke Gilgamesh of Uruk."

Gilgamesh to the Watchmen

"Hey, you! Are you with the watchmen? No? Where can I find them?"
A lot of people soon heard those words, as Gilgamesh made his way across the districts, putting out the word that he wanted to talk to the Watchmen.

[Orbiter]

The Trifecta

Spoiler: Goblin Market[M]

Show

Let me show you a table flip instead Squig
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)

Hope you enjoyed it.

Now back on business tell your boss i have the location(it was easy) and the price is fine, i am coming to sell it, or perhaps trade it if he knows something specific i wish to know.

Spoiler: Crossroads Club[eMail]

Show

Greetings
I seek to meet and perhaps make a deal with a certain someone in your Club, you could say we are kindred flames, now you wouldn't happen to have a time and a place for a meeting would you?.

-M

Spoiler: Internal[PM]

Show

Mara goes to the Goblin market with one or two cultists helping.
aaaand after much discussion i got 1 cash in the end.

[ArlEammon]

Pyre Family NewYear's Celebration

The Brotherhood looked over it's records. So far, the year had gone somewhat better than expected. Sadly, some vigilantes tried every once in a while to kill one of them, and sufficient self-defense measures ended in sadness for all involved. However, people were beginning to see that the Brotherhood weren't monsters. They weren't entirely trusted yet, but oh well.

Father Epiphanes donned his tuxedo and made the way to Pyre's celebration.

[Lost Demiurge]

(as a note, the New Years celebration will be held at the midturn. So not quite yet.)

[bigstipidfighte]

The Super-Pac offices were busier than usual. Word had gone out that investigsting the museum heist and lab assault were being added to the already long list of tasks facing the organization. Fivsby was still on the phone with the Tesla museum, while another representative was drafting a letter to IC Insider. Deckhart, meanwhile, was composing a letter to the city’s known superheroes, seeking their counsel on current events. The majority of the office, however, was busy with the planning stages of People First, a PR campaign that was set to take the public by storm starting next month.

Icon City Insider [M]

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[Media influence 6]
We were wondering if we might field a few questions about the daily headlines. About the strange graffiti in the Augustine Park, could we possibly get pictures of the markings? The more the better. While everyone knows you have the best investigators around, if there’s a metanormal explanation for this, we might have access to resources you don’t to identify these markings. Oh, and about how far from Peabody Labs is this happening? Any chance they might be related?

[If we get pictures, I’d like to make a quick comparison to the latin-like graffiti discovered along with the armor-clad corpses in Cobble’s Cove last year. If that doesn’t check out, I’ll consider spending an action analyzing them properly.]

Also, any information you could provide about the museum heist would be appreciated. Is there any evidence of superhuman involvement, or perhaps an inside job? Considering how little is known about the stolen goods, we’re going to look into this ourselves. Letting unknown, possibly magical artifacts remain at large is simply not an option in the wake of the Y2K conflict.

IC Historical Society [P]

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Actually, sir, we are planning to look into the matter. With the citywide crime surge, the police have too much on their hands already, and this can’t be allowed to fall through the cracks. If you think of anything else that might be of use, every little bit of info gives us that much more of a chance to recover the artifacts. If we send a caped crusader to check it out, would you be able to allow them access to the crime scene? Oh, and before I let you go, could I trouble you for the name of the previous owner of the collection?

Icon City Heroes- Knight of Blades, Gilgamesh, Lightning Centurion, The Ideal, The Hardliners, Tomorrow Force, Torchbearers. [E-mail] [Plus a craigslist message?]

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Greetings, Heroes of Icon City.

I know we haven’t spoken as a group since the New Year’s tragedy, and for that, I apologize. To the Tomorrow Force in particular, please accept our condolences for the loss of Schrodinger. Once we reconcile our own losses, the Super-PAC intends to host a vigil for the fallen.

But this isn’t only a day for mourning. I would like to welcome Gilgamesh to the ranks of the IC Heroes, if he’ll stand with us. We’re not a formal organization by any means, Gilgamesh, but if you’re willing to stay in touch, we’re happy to keep you in the loop.

Now to business. Two recent news stories are of particular concern to us. With so many of our brothers fallen, and a wave of crime rising in the city, now more than ever we need to work to prevent disaster and support the police.

First, the Tesla Museum robbery. There’s a good chance some of the Atlantean artifacts stolen were magical. In the interests of preventing the possibility of another Y2K disaster, I feel locating these artifacts should be a priority. This collection has been sitting in the museum undisturbed for half a year; the timing is definitely suspicious. We’re working on getting more info about this, and getting you guys access to the crime scene.

Second, the Peabody Labs incident. I don’t know much about what went down here. Multiple sources indicate what they were working on was dangerous; I can’t go into details in this message. What I will say is if you go near there, be prepared for a fight, just in case. Oh, and keep your head down around the labs. FEMA has taken over, they’re pissed, and we don’t have the connections to get you out of trouble if you get on their bad side.

If any of you can spare the time to look into these issues, it would be a great help. I have my people doing what they can to investigate these matters, and will keep you updated as we learn more. As always, if you’re looking for a helping hand in your own struggles, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
Sharon Deckhart, Regional Director, Superhuman Political Action Committee.

P.S. And if any of you wanted to attend Pyre’s New Year’s celebration and didn’t receive an invitation, let me know and I’ll arrange one for you.

[Murska]

Garren Gomar, Hero of the Orient

Internal [PM]

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Mysterious arcane symbols in the woods? Nope.

Nobles and their ilk partying in their finest? Might be worth it to see their faces. But no.

Tragedy, violence, three dead, raid on a laboratory... Nope.

Eight Ball seems prominent, but getting involved with heroes and their business tends to end badly.

So yeah, I'm sure you know where I'm headed. Let's look at the museum theft, hope it's nothing more than someone wanting a quick buck. Though I guess you'd know.

After ensuring his men had sufficient accommodations, Gomar walked to the Tesla Memorial Museum. Museums tended to bore him, but he found boring things to be generally more enjoyable than the alternative.

Passing through the display halls, he took a random turn, entered the first door he came across - incidentally marked 'staff only' - and immediately collided, literally, with a very busy-looking woman carrying a bunch of files.

Picking up a fallen piece of paper and handing it over to the woman, glancing at the headline to see what it was about, he made a small bow in apology. "My apologies, miss, I was not quite watching where I was going."

[Forum Explorer]

Knight of Blades

Another night of patrolling, another few muggers stopped and some petty thefts thwarted. Sure it was good work, and in comparison to what happened just a month ago it was easy work as well. Still there was only so much he could do and the recent rise in crime was making things even more difficult. Not to mention he still had to deal with the more mundane aspects of life.

"Alright, I spend one hour getting through these bills and orders and then I can check out the news," KoB promised himself as he set a timer.

-1 hour later-

"Hmm, a villain targeting the Blackbloods. Well she's crossing a line regardless of who her targets are. Still I guess I can talk to her first."

Paranet Request

Seeking: Contact info 4 Vorpal

Reward: Nothing

Contact kob via e-mail at [email protected]


E-mail to Watchmen

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There's been a weird series of crimes in the neighborhood recently, Buildings are being stripped of metal, and there are even some rail tracks missing. Has similar events been happening in your territory as well? Any ideas on why and who is doing it?

E-mail to ICPD

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Hello,

Got some weird news lately, someone's been taking all the metal they can get their hands on. But I'm more worried about Vorpal. Anything you can tell me about her?

Best of luck,

Knight of Blades

KoB sighed and rubbed his eyes. There was more to do, but first he needed a nap.


Internal

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Alright I've got three investigators and I want one on each of these three tasks

1. What are the Blackbloods up to right now? Where are their drugs being kept?

2. Who is stealing the metal and why?

3. Why is Vorpal targeting the Blackbloods? Where is she now?

Also what does KoB know about Vorpal?

Do you want a list of some of the various stuff I expect KoB to have already made?

[Imperial Psycho]

James Edison
EEC

To Super-PAC Re: Icon City Heroes [E]

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From: [email protected]

This is James Edison here. Inventor and head of Edison Electric. For what it is worth, I would like to offer you my support. As an inventor and a powered individual, I feel I must do my part.

That said, my co-operation would be on the understanding that we are not police. We should be citizens working for the public good, nothing more.

Looking forward to working with you in the future.

J. Edison
CEO, Managing Director
Edison Electric Company

[The_Admiral]

To Gilgamesh

Spoiler: Conversation in the street

Show

A man wearing a suit passes Gilgamesh in the street with a leather jacket on his shoulder, bumping past him.

He abruptly stops in his tracks. Looking up in the air, he says, "So you're Gilgamesh, nice to meet you,"

[Mabn]

Merlin

Spoiler: Bastet (PM)

Show

"I am of course prepared to pay, although neither of our conversations should ever be billed as cheap. I can give [income 3] right now, but feel free to keep talking, I don't mind sending more."
OOC: I will spend one of my free influence on Bastet, but I wont expend it now.

[Ascaloth]

Sergei Kalinin

Spoiler: The Golden Flock [E]

Show

Hey there, Mister Eduardo! Sergei here, I'm your man in Icon City for anything and everything you need!

So, I was thinking, and there might be some quick bucks to be earned from folks wanting to know what's up with Peabody Labs. Any of ya little fellows up for the sneaking in?

Spoiler: Arachne [PM]

Show

The man who turned up at the meeting spot was an unkempt individual, with an unshaven face and clothes that were casually maintained, to put it politely. That was simply who Sergei Kalinin was, for the guy was never especially particular about being neat.

Finding the rep, he casually strolled over to whomever it was.

"Fine day, eh? 'E lady say dere might be sumthin' flashy to pull?"

Spoiler: To Graveyard Gang [E]

Show

Awesome! If I need your group for a job, rest assured ol' Sergey here's gonna hook you all up to it.

In fact, I'm looking into something right now. You guys up for something attention-grabbing, without hurting no one?

Spoiler: To Professor Vector [E]

Show

Ho, so it wasn't you, and you'd like to know as much as anybody else, eh Mister Professor man?

Will do! I just might have someone in mind for that! Say, how much 'pay' are we talking about here, eh?

Spoiler: Internal [PM]

Show

Can I assume that I have contact information for every faction listed in my Database?

[Nyrt]

Virtue

Mayor Tristan [p]

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"Good, good to hear. You're a good man, Tristan. After the last mayor, I was worried about this city, but you're really pulling things back together. So how's the family?"

Pyre [pm]

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Pierce strolls casually into the curator's office.

"Pyre, so nice to see you. Good to get away from the office for a while. The paperwork is nuts. I suppose that comes with the job."

Pierce smiles warmly, but seriously.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about? I know you have some artifacts here that would be terrible to see in the wrong hands, so I will do everything I can to be sure you can get those back, if that's what you need."

[Cognimancer]

Mordecai Carter

"I think I've got it!"

Mordecai yelped and nearly fell out of his chair as he started awake. Scarlet was staring at him, eyes gleaming with pride, as she thrust a sketchbook in his face. There was a diagram of some kind, all circles and arcs. Mordecai blinked, unclenched his fists, and wiped the sleep from his eyes. As he relaxed, he dispelled the arcane energies that he had subconsciously drawn to his fingertips. He had been this close to incinerating his brightest apprentice.

Never startle a wizard when he's napping.

"See? That's a ward of protection against flame, right? I went back and re-drew the symbols, just like you said!"

Mordecai sighed, examining the illustration. He frowned. "Scarlet? What's wrong with these spirals, here and here?"

"They, uh... they're... too small?"

"They're clockwise. That means evocation, not protection. You'd ignite whatever you were trying to fireproof." He handed the sketchbook back. "Remember: counterspells go counter-clockwise. A couple exceptions, but that should help. Now try again, from scratch."

Scarlet blushed, embarrassed, before nodding and getting to work. She was smart - reckless, maybe, but lots of potential. It had been a few years since Mordecai first "met" Vrin and got a crash course in the arcane arts, but while he had proven himself surprisingly adept with magic, he was not nearly so skilled with teaching. So far he was just happy that none of his accidental apprentices had blown themselves up.

"Scarlet? Man the register, if we get any customers. I'm gonna take care of some business."

Classified Ad [Public]

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Several readers notice an interesting box in the Icon City Insider - a classified ad posted by one Mordecai Carter, alone in a section labeled "Services - Magic."

Mordecai Carter - Wizard
Enchantments On Demand. Lucky Charms, Magic Mementos, Arcane Accessories.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.

Goblin Market [P]

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Hey, it's Mordecai. Might come by and take a look at the wares pretty soon. What's hot on the market this week?

Internal [PM]

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Sending [2 Apprentices] out to the Nature Preserve to investigate that magical phenomenon. Mordecai gives them a long metal stick, which he describes as a sort of magical dowsing rod, and tells them to try to attune their minds to nature and follow the rod to where the magical forces are strongest. The rod is in fact an antenna from Mordecai's broken TV set, but hey, you'd be amazed how much confidence a good placebo can bring.

[Eldan]

Gilgamesh

Spoiler: Conversation on the Street

Show

"Yes, yes I am!" Gilgamesh gives the man his brightest smile. "Who would you be and how can I help you?"

Spoiler: Icon City Heroes

Show

"Well, I'm not particularly heroic most of the time, but I'd be delighted to join.

Now, you mentioned Atlantean artefacts being stolen. I know a thing or two about Atlanteans and their magic from earlier clashes. Is there a list of what was stolen?"

[Lost Demiurge]

Gilgamesh and Foundation
A meeting on the Street

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As the ancient king regards the man in a suit, the two of them notice pedestrians hurrying out of the way. Six young men wearing blue bandannas with white eyes painted on them make their way through the traffic, which is thinning out.

"Hey. You Gilgam- Naw, stupid question. What you want with the Watchers, man?"

Goblin Market
to Trifecta [PM]
Deals most Dazzling

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You exit your meeting with [1 net cash], and new information. Good times!

Crossroads Club
to Trifecta [E]

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Well hello there! We're always happy to talk with community members! If you'd care to come round (Schedule a PM) with our low master of protocol, at the east street temple, we'd be happy to have a chat.

Trifecta
Internal [PM]

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Your cultists at the state park report that they've witnessed a few people drive in from the east, and start poking around. They're waving staves and using mystical gear, and apparently trying to figure out what's going on here. After a bit of poking around, the hidden cultists see one of the people return to their car, pull out a cell phone, and have a long conversation with someone.

Icon City Insider
to Super-Pac [M]

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The media services are happy to provide pictures of the markings on the trees. They're strange, vaguely celtic designs, all curves. They don't seem to involve any language that the media could tell, and don't match the latin graffiti from last year. Oddly enough, the graffiti doesn't look cut or painted, it's almost as if the bark simply grew that way. The reporters who worked both this and the Peabody case can't rule out the two being related, but the rangers who patrol the park saw nothing that night, and Lake Silence lies between the Peabody labs and the nature preserves. Too, the lights and signs started BEFORE the Peabody incident.

As to the museum heist, the papers can provide little clarification. Professor Pyre is in charge of antiquities, and he's taken the ICPD's advice to keep the details quiet until an investigation can be conducted. They advise talking to the professor or someone else on the Historical Society if you want more information there.

Icon City Historical Society
to Super-Pac [E]

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"Mm. Well, tell you what, if you can find someone with sufficient investigative skills they're more than welcome to come look at the room in question. You're not the first to ask about this, so I doubt it'll hurt anything at this point."

"The previous owner was a man named Boothsby. Acquired much of it during his travels in the 19th century, by all accounts. Passed from the Royal British museum to us, after a trade for some of Tesla's surplus minor works."

Super-Pac, Knight of Blades, Gilgamesh, James Edison, Lightning Centurion, Ideal, Hardliners
Icon City Heroes [Temporary Forum]

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There's a lot of discussion and trolling, before someone goes and pulls some white-hat hackery and cleans up the list. The Craigslist ad is removed, and replaced with a mailing list with a few addresses you don't recognize. In fact, most of the addresses you don't recognize, and you can mask your own...

???? - This is an idea that's been tried before, but Craigslist? LOL. That will have attracted some attention, and this might not be secure for long. I'm pretty sure I caught Arachne sniffing around earlier, so you might not be secure at all. Be careful what you say over this. Someone with the money or skill might want to set up a private server, heroes-only.

[email protected] - Why dont u do it? U not good enuf?

???? - Please. I don't have the time and the hardware costs money. Which I don't have either.

Two topics are set up on the Museum Robbery and the Peabody Labs incident. About 4-5 unknown addresses drop comments on the topics.

General consensus is that it couldn't hurt to have somebody check out the Tesla Museum robbery, and that a little magic could be useful.

Peabody Labs gets a bit more concern. ???? is concerned about FEMA taking it over, and says that they usually only take direct control of a case when it involves national or international-level threats. ???? feels this could be both big and bad.

Someone called [email protected] requests some help investigating the waterfront. Says he'll go into more detail if anyone shows up on the scene.

Garren Gomar
And the Room of Riddles [PM]

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Carefully, Garren looks the room over. Looks empty. The lighter patches on the floor yield nothing. The floor seems solid enough wherever he checks it, so he moves his investigation to the walls... And on the back wall, he turns up an anomaly. Four of the close-set metal bars are slightly warped... They sit unevenly, though the concrete around them is untouched. One of the metal bars has a silver streak of some sort on it that disappears into the wall, almost as if someone dripped mercury on it....

Garren Gomar And Foundation
When Suddenly! [PM]

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A man and a woman wearing leather jackets enter the empty museum storage room. They find a stranger already there, examining the walls!

Foundation
Hark the Heralds sing [PM]

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"THE BEASTS SHALL RISE AND DEVOUR THE EARTH!"

Good lord, he does go on. But somehow, the agents watching him can't look away. This Father Figure fellow is the most commanding orator they've ever seen. Though after the speech, they realize that his line is much cribbed from biblical catastrophe, save for a few parts. Now how did they go? "From a stone egg the doom of the earth shall grow! From a coral fish, shall come the seeds of watery ruin! From a diamond blacker than night, shall come the firebringer! From a mirror of the sky, shall come the great bird!"

All that nonsense aside, the Father's patter seems to be aimed at getting people to give him money. He's collecting quite a bit, and getting no small number of followers, but so far doesn't seem violent.

They call themselves the Heralds.

Foundation
Swordpoint [PM]

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Your agent asks around Slumsides about Vorpal, to find most people unwilling to talk to him. They are obviously skittish about the whole affair, and tell him to mind their own business.

He's about to give up and go home, when he hears a noise behind him on the street. Turning, he sees nothing, save for an old storefront that miraculously has its windows still intact.

Another noise behind him. He starts to turn, when something SLAMS into him, whirls him around, and puts him in a half-nelson hold. Battered and confused, he sees his reflection in the plate glass. A wiry blonde woman wearing a grey outfit similar to a fencer's jacket, with a domino face mask, is holding a knife poised near his throat. There's a pop and a hiss, and the blade of the knife bursts into flames, not QUITE burning him yet.

"You haf caught my attention," the woman says in a slightly germanic accent. "Vy are you looking for me, who sent you?"

FEMA
to Foundation and Ideal [E]

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You're new in town, as such we should have a meeting to discuss boundaries and responsibilities to minimize conflict and settle the hierarchy. Send a representative to the MRB offices in the civic center. (Asking for a private meeting)

Knight of Blades
Paranet Request [E]

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You get a few of the usual spam mails, but one is a bit more interesting than usual.

*****@***.***: I might be able to pass on a message, but it'll cost you. [1 cash], and no guarantee she'll listen.

Interested?

Watchmen
to Knight of Blades [e]

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Hey KOB-man! Don't know about the railyards, that's out of our turf. But we've seen some kid in metal armor, like scraps stuck together poking around the Brownstones at night. Kid keeps messing with metal stuff, but isn't stealing it. Like bending it back and forth and crap.

Kid runs when people show up, so we're not too worried about him. But if you wanna come out and have a look around, we don't mind. Just let us know aforehand.

ICPD
to Knight of Blades [E]

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Hello, Knight! We're looking into the metal stripping now, but it's slow going. Looks like the same group doing it, for what it's worth.

Vorpal... She's flagged as dangerous/short-tempered/do not engage. No known immunities to conventional weapons. From what we understand she's an ex-hero, the MRB probably has files on her. She's a suspect on several counts of murder and manslaughter, wanted on numerous counts of assault, and has occasionally been seen in the company of other powered perps.

Wish we could tell you more, but we haven't run afoul of her too much, just her works after the fact. 8 Black Bloods in the morgue lately, all carved up with cauterized wounds.

(The KOB doesn't know a lot about vorpal, beyond the fact that she's got a trick that lets her empower her blades with energy.)

Knight of Blades
Investigation 1 [PM]

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The Black Bloods are conducting a low-key war against the Watchmen at the minute, trying to push the Watchmen out of the Brownstones. They've got numbers and viciousness, so it's not going well for the Watchmen. Vorpal turning up and laying into them seems to have slowed them down some, they're worried about her, and possibly taking steps there.

As far as drugs, ever since SCK took over the pushing business, their traffic has died down. They're not too happy about that.

Rumor has it that their main stash, and their main headquarters are somewhere in Westmarket, though you'd need more investigation to turn up exactly where, and it could get dangerous for your investigators if they catch wind that you're looking.

Knight of Blades
Investigation 2 [PM]

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Your investigator asks around about the metal stripping, but it's slow going. The big businesses of Icon City own the railyard assets that were stripped, and they're coping by beefing up security. They're a little leery to discuss matters with outsiders.

Knight of Blades
Investigation 3 [PM]

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After interviewing a few witnesses, and doing some checking, the investigator finds that Vorpal seems to be ambushing Black Bloods, and questioning them on the whereabouts of someone named Rick Brady. A check in the police records shows a Richard Brady, age 17, going missing from Blue Collar Blvd after an apartment breakin. a few days ago. Richard's parents hired a PI but dropped him after a day.

Your investigator also finds out that some stranger in a suit has been asking questions about Vorpal in slumside, and getting nowhere. Backtracking his trail, he finds the guy in question currently being held at swordpoint by Vorpal herself, on an empty street in the Slumsides... Staying hidden, he phones it in to the Knight...

Cult of Bastet
to Merlin [PM]

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The cat miaows laughter. "Oh Merly, right now we're just chatting. But it's much appreciated dear. I've got a nice little comfy niche as a keeper of secrets is all. Why-"

You're interrupted by an acolyte bearing an envelope. Bastet has her read it, and her tail flicks with concern as the words are spoken.

(See the magic database I mail below.)

"Oh. Oh sweet ME. Bad enough we have a new Node, but this, now? Oh, this is like Eris' apple, everyone and their grandfather is going to jump for it. Damn Lucianos, anyway, he's going to sit back and snigger about this, as he rakes in the money."

She rolls a golden eye up to Merlin. "The auction might be a good place to keep an eye on who's who in the scene. And you KNOW that there's going to be one heck of a struggle for that Locus. Mortals are always hungry for power, and a Node's a rich price... If you want to get involved with this business I might be persuaded to lend a bit of help, for old times' sake."

"Or if you're not interested, there's another issue. There's a hero snooping around my Waterfront, chasing a villain. They're probably going to cause some property damage. Think you could scare up some champions to help the hero without tearing the place to shreds? I'd be EVER so grateful... Miao..."

Arachne
to Sergei
Business Lunch[PM]

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Sergei finds himself in the company of a young businessman, who happily treats him to lunch at a trendy downtown cafe.

"Flash, yes. Here are the details." He hands over a folder.

The folder's contents are several photos of a fancy Nob Row mansion and grounds. And a tersely typed note.

-Pyre Hill's upper crust are going to be holding a New Year's party in a few days. We want a disruption there. Some light violence, a fake robbery, an attempted kidnapping, something of the sort. Enough to keep people busy. It doesn't have to succeed, but if you can find a way to make money off of it, that's fine with us. There must be no significant fatalities, though if someone's butler gets taken out accidentally, we won't cry. Now fair warning, there are likely to be heroes in attendance. We don't know who, but Tomorrow Force and the Torchbearers usually send a token rep.As such, we're offering [10 cash] for this job. If you wish, we can drop it down to [7 cash], and offer the service that anyone captured and turned over to the Police or MRB will have a "mysterious escape" on the way to the station.The bearer of this file can answer any questions that you may have. The price is firm, do not attempt to haggle.

Graveyard Gang
to Sergei [E]

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Eh, attention's not usually our thing, but we might be up for it if the pay's good. And nonlethal means less fuss later. Got details?

Professor Vector
to Sergei [E]

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Pay shall of course be proportionate to the value of the data retrieved. I'll not promise hard numbers without confirmation of value. That said, I expect that whatever information is there to find shall be worth at least [4 cash] to me.

Mayor Tristan
to Virtue[P]

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You chat with the Mayor for a while. He's an amiable sort, and confirms that things are going relatively well. "Lots of little happenings in the city, but nothing major. Well, yet. I'm sure our local do-gooders and hardworking government organizations will take care of things, they always do."

Professor Pyre
to Virtue [PM]

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"Ah, hello Pierce!" Professor Pyre is a husky, bearded man in a good but rumpled suit. He shakes Pierce's hand, and indicates his cluttered desk. "Well, I've been letting the police and various investigators examine the storage room, and using the time to go over the records." He offers a file folder, with pictures. It looks like about six crates were stolen, most of them bearing small stone statues, mostly of shapes and creatures. One crate held statues with gems encrusted upon them, but the rest were fairly plain. "The statues were from the collection of a fellow named Colonel Parker Boothsby. British adventurer who toured the coast of Africa back in the Victorian era. His memoirs are a bit of a pulp fiction novel... The man refers to skirmishes against strange and deformed tribes, in the heart of the jungle, ancient temples and forgotten horrors. Bit of a loony, in the end, died in an asylum and the collection bumped around his heirs for decades before arriving here. Traded a few surplus Tesla knicknacks to get it."

He strokes his beard. "Looking them over, though... I'm convinced that they were misfiled. These are Atlantean era or older, but they're not Atlantean. Some other culture, and the work's finer than normal for that era. I'm regretting not having them checked for magic beforehand, but they arrived at a busy time, and we never got to them."

He shrugs. "I can show you the room where they were stored, if you like. Not entirely sure what your interest in the case may be. I suppose it's possible that superpowers were used to extract them, but I couldn't say..."

Goblin Market
to Mordecai Carter [P]

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"Oh, have we got a DEAL for you! In addition to the usual fair, there's going to be an auction in a day or two! We just got ahold of coordinates to a no-fooling mana node nexus! You should get a mail about that, love." (You did. See below.)

"Now as to other things of note... Well, there's the usual charms and supplies, favors to trade, and... Hm... Someone's selling an acceleration enhancing spell, good for getting out of danger fast. There's also an amulet of teleportation on the market, though THAT one's going to be pricey, I tell no lie."

Mordecai
Internal [PM]

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His apprentices call back, and say that it's cold, and they've been trekking around in the snow for days. But there's definitely SOMETHING going on out here. The information they give you, combined with the mail from the Goblin Market, confirms it. Mordecai and Vrin are certain that the mana node is located somewhere in the Wilderness Preserve. There should be a locus somewhere in there... Anyone who finds it and stays within the area of the Locus for a few weeks will bond with the node, and gain access to its power.

Mordecai relays this to the apprentices. They don't report having found anything like a Locus yet, but they can keep looking if Mordecai wants. They do report that one of them's managed to see a green bird flapping around, looking quite out of place against the snow.

Everyone with Magic Database 1 or Higher

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An envelope arrives in your mailbox, or false drop box, or rumor winds around through the usual channels... A mana node has surfaced in the area, and the Goblin Market is holding an auction for the coordinates of its Locus. The Market has cordially invited anyone interested to the back room of Argyle's Antiquities" in the Boutiques district, and gently reminds all participants that the Market, the neighborhood outside, and the district around it are to be treated as neutral ground for all participants. Violaters will be toad. (The auction will start in the next update, and end just before the mid-turn.)

[Eldan]

Gilgamesh and the Goblin Market

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"So. Auction, I heard? What does the Goblin Market accept as payment? Only goods, or also services and favours?"

Gilgamesh on the Street

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"You are watchmen, then? Splendid! I wanted to ask what the requirements are to join you."

[Zemalac]

Order of the Hand and Eye

The old man wakes up, and for the first time in months he can see again.

Mordecai Carter [M]

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The letter has no return address or stamp.

Mr. Carter,

I have an interest of sorts in magical trinkets to add to my collection, and after seeing your ad in the paper I think you may be able to assist me in servicing that interest. What are you selling, young man? And what are your rates?

Sincerely,

Mr. Eie

Tesla Memorial Museum [P]

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"Mattias? This is Eie. Solomon wanted me to ask what was stolen from the museum the other night. No, it wasn't us, he just wants to know."

OOC GM Note

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Using my traits Secret Wizards and Man Was Not Meant to Know to try and get the information subtly.

Crossroads Club [M]

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Good day, sir.

A gentleman of my acquaintance has expressed interest in joining your fine society, and was wondering what the entrance requirements might be. Being an upstanding and discreet friend, I agreed to inquire with you.

Regards,

Mr. Day

Argyle's Antiquities [PM]

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A man steps into the back room, with dark hair and a tailored suit. He looks like any businessman off the street, with his only concession to originality being the silver eye on his tie clip.