Psionic Anti-Crime Squad II: Mind Games [IC]

[Lynam III]

Lucky shoots a deadly glare at Ian as he runs past him. "He is right where you left the two of us to deal with the eight mercenaries you provoked. Now shut up and follow."

As he runs past the two remaining mercenaries: "All of your comrades including your captain are knocked out. It's time we have a word about this crazy mess. Follow me."

Lucky positions himself in the middle of the corridor, still clutching his two saps, bloodied by his wounds. The mercenaries can easily figure out that Lucky is not intending to let anyone get past him. He also motions Leo and Moira to stand beside him if they choose to do so.

If everyone enters the corridor and the Immortal does not enter

Lucky addresses the two mercenaries. "Before we begin, let me make some things clear: One, I personally knocked out four of your pals while they were busy stabbing my friend Basset, and I am rather pissed. Two, if you want to save your friends, or your own skin for that matter, your best bet is full cooperation. Now, first tell us everything you know about the crazy giant. Continue with what you were doing here and for whom. I already know you were here for the Redfangs, but not the reason."

Spoiler

Show

HP: 12/40
AC: 21 (22 against 7)
PP: 7/8

Lucky moves as indicated below.

Diplomacy: (1d20+14)[28]

[Cespenar]

Some short distance into the corridor, it becomes apparent that the Immortal isn't pursuing the group for whatever arcane reasoning governs his mind.

Lucky can see that the mercenaries are pretty fed up by all this chaos as well, and though their hands still grip their weapons, they point them downwards non-threateningly. The older, more experienced-looking one sizes up the group and sighs before replying.

"No need to snarl at us, sellsword. The situation is hairy as it is. Which band are you guys from, by the way? Never heard of your group before."

"Look, we don't know who the big fella is, nor why is he acting the way he does. The Cap only said that we had to avoid him while getting the Redfangs. We're told they are responsible for wrecking this place up, and it's probably right. What do you expect from a bunch of unwashed barbarians anyway?

"I don't know much about the client other than the fact that he's a really rich guy. The pay was more than double for something such as this, even considering the danger factors. But... it seems they didn't consider it enough.

"For more, we have to get Cap outta there. He should know more about the client, since he talked with them himself."

Spoiler: Lucky

Show

Lucky feels like the guy is trying to get a little something out of the situation, which is probably his captain's life. But otherwise, he seems to believe what he tells.

[Lynam III]

Lucky chuckles at the question about their band. "We are not an outfit; we were just paying a visit to the Arena."

"That giant goes by the name the Immortal, and I think a weirdo messed with his head and drove him crazy. Speaking of that, have you seen his friend the Saint around?" He briefly describes the Saint.

"Heh, I agree that you took a nasty job. Look, here's the deal: You two and I sneak around the long way to the south, and bring all the unconscious people one by one. The thing is, I don't want you skulking around Basset or the Redfangs. If the Redfangs are alive, do not do anything to provoke them either. Once everyone is back safely, I expect your Cap to provide more details than you did regarding the employer."

"Do we have a deal?"

Spoiler

Show

Diplomacy: (1d20+14)[33]
Lucky recharges Precognition if he has the time.

If the group starts the process of recovering the bodies, Lucky will first check the pulse on the Redfang elder. then he will check up on Basset and recover and reload his Fiveshooters. In the next run, he will visit the second corridor. In the final run of the mercenaries, Lucky will stay at the entrance tunnel and greet them with his pistols ready to convince them to disarm.

[Cespenar]

From the look on the mercenary's face it's clear that he doesn't believe the story that you're not an outfit and "just paying a visit to the arena". But he doesn't press on.

"Okay... deal. I guess we could go and renegotiate this wagonwreck of a situation with whichever moneyman the Cap talked to.

"Also, there's a second exit from the cave when you follow the middle corridor where we were fighting. So, we could just carry everyone over there, and it'd be way faster."

As the trio makes their way around the arena, they see that Immortal has gone back to his seat in the middle, which makes the sneaking at least a bit easier. And in a few minutes, Lucky and the mercenaries can pull everyone back in the middle corridor. A cursory check on the elder suggests that he's dead. His neck lies in an unnatural angle thanks to the punch from Immortal, and he doesn't seem to respond. For the rest, a bit more examination might be needed.

Still, Leolin and Ian -- the somewhat less sneaky members of the squad, remain on the other side.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Edit: Meh, mucked up the rolls.

[Cespenar]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Let's make kind of a group check for fun.
LuckyMS - (1d20+11)[12] vs. DC 13
Mon1MS - (1d20+6)[14] vs. DC 13
Mon2MS - (1d20+6)[24] vs. DC 13

LuckyH - (1d20+11)[31] vs. DC 3
Mon1H - (1d20+6)[24] vs. DC 3
Mon2H - (1d20+6)[11] vs. DC 3

Okay, you have more than 3 successes. He hears something, but it doesn't trigger anything bad.

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

Ian goes back to the stands, ashamed at how his alarm and haste had nearly gotten them all killed.
He sees Basset's form in the distance and begins to levitate him slowly through the air towards the group so that he might tend to his wounds.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Manifesting Telekinetic Force on Bassett's armor so that Ian can move him through the air silently and towards safety.

[Cespenar]

By hiding behind the benches, Ian manages to telekinetically bring Basset close enough to the middle corridor on the east side so that Lucky could get him to safety. But doing more would require Ian to stealthily circumnavigate the arena himself.

[Cespenar]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Come on, guys...

Ian and Leolin manage to follow suit and sneak around the arena themselves, and the distance, coupled with all the cover they get from the benches allow them to successfully make it to the other side. They find Lucky and the other two Mongooses having brought everyone away from the main cave and to the safety of this side corridor.

A cursory triage suggests that all of the mercenaries have somehow survived, albeit with deep wounds. The only casualty seems to be, sadly, the barbarian elder, who got a rather unlucky punch from Immortal.

Nevertheless, the Mongoose captain wakes up, and seems to be lucid enough to answer a few questions.

[Lynam III]

Lucky nods at the rest of the squad, and gives the mercenary captain some time to recover. "You guys did put up a good fight, but it looks like your quarry has already escaped. Well, all except the elder who was killed not by your men, but the giant." Lucky pauses for a bit. "I took care to knock your men out instead of killing them. In return of that and safe passage, we would like to know the identity of your employer and every detail you can tell us about the job you took. My advice would be to be truthful. This mess you got yourselves into... I wouldn't touch it for a thousand crowns; let me say that much." Lucky does not explicitly mention their advantageous position which should be obvious to a seasoned mercenary like the captain.

[Cespenar]

"Cap" Dulton, a clean shaven no-nonsense guy that could be anywhere between 25 and 45 years old, props up to a sitting position and examines his own wounds while Lucky talks. From up close, Lucky can make out a few minor details he hasn't seen before: a red bandana on his shoulder who probably signifies his rank, and a dripping-wet pelt nailed onto his shield -- could that be a do-it-yourself precaution against the Redfangs' fiery talents?

Regardless, Cap Dulton smirks as Lucky mentions the "thousand crowns" figure. "That was, uh, 1200, actually. But you're close. Damn, man. I usually try to stay connected to the merc world, but I've never heard of your posse. What were you fellas called again?"

"Regardless, you had me on safe passage. If you really mean it. Anyway. Uh, it was one of Lord Coldbrook's men, goes by Young Jon. He didn't use his lord's name, but I asked around, and yeah, it turns out he was his bodyguard or something, another ex-merc. He didn't explain much, especially about the big guy apart from just a cryptic warning, but apparently these Redfangs wrecked this place up and he wanted retaliation. So I shot up the price, took along my full crew, and thought that was enough. I didn't expect this whole battlefield of a situation, though.

"Anyway, did some checking afterwards, found that he was Coldbrook's man, and everyone knows Coldbrook's connection to Broken Arrow. What I don't understand is who this big guy is, and who you guys are. You're not with Coldbrook now, are you?"

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

Ian's brow furrowed as he thought on the information provided.
Broken Arrow? Haven't I heard that name somewhere?
"The big man is named Immortal. His ability allows him to take on several people all by himself. We came for some information from one of his associates, not for coin. Unfortunately, that looks to be out of the question as it is likely he escaped when someone forced Immortal to go berserk."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Know. (Local): (1d20+16)[24]
I'm assuming the encounter we were on has ended or at least 1 minute has gone by since then. So spending an inspiration point to boost this check by +6.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Huh... yeah... about that..."

Leolin leans against the wall as she struggles to get the words out without wincing. It's hard to stay in character while you're clutching, like, three broken ribs. "Were you guys around when the big guy snapped? I wanna find who did that to him and kick their face off."

[Cespenar]

Dulton nods at Ian as he takes everything explained at face value. He mainly looks nonplussed but there is a hint of irritation on his face.

"Figured it was something like that. All these Talents and stuff are really complicating the mercenary business. Hmph."

He looks at Leo next, and shrugs. Then he thinks about it a little longer.

"No, but... hmm. I spoke with Coldbrook's guy two days ago, so it shouldn't have been after that. Unless it was a planned thing. I... have no effin' clue."

"You did manage to wrestle with the fella long enough, though, so it can't be that big of an issue, right?"

Spoiler: Ian

Show

I dumped the info you asked in the OOC thread, if you haven't seen already.

[Lynam III]

Lucky cracks a smile at the repeated attempt to get the name of their 'mercenary outfit.' "We are on a long-term contract, and keeping a low profile is part of that. It's best if we keep it like that, but thanks for the compliment."

Upon hearing the whole story behind the mission, Lucky whistles. "Coldbrook, huh? He must either be overconfident or desperate... Two days ahead? Interesting..." He nods. "He was one of three people I suspected, so I believe you are telling the truth. I appreciate that. The Redfangs couldn't have caused this carnage; didn't have any reason to. It was probably the giant, and he looks like he is under the influence of a weirdo."

"It looks like Coldbrook simply hired you to tie some loose ends, the Redfangs. Someone didn't want them to talk. The problem is, the coverup is for a crime that could be described as... treason, I guess? Or maybe rebellion? I don't know. It is something that could cost some nobles their heads. You should have seen this coming, though. The twelve hundred number should have tipped you off."

Lucky pauses a bit to let the Captain appreciate the situation. "I have an offer if you are interested, though. You could get out of a botched mission alive, distance yourself from this mess, and get paid in full. Those remaining Redfangs; we will make them disappear. And when the City Guard come to clean this place up, they will report three Redfang corpses. This way, you can report your success to your contact, get the full reward, and walk away. You can tell him the giant downed all Redfangs, and no one will be the wiser. There is also the fact that the giant's friend, the Saint, has powers to revive people who stop breathing. I kid you not; I saw the man do it twice, here in this arena, not many days ago. So even if there is a slip, I don't think anyone would doubt the sincerity of your report."


"If you accept this offer, I would suggest not dealing with Coldbrook anymore. He is... too hot to shake hands with. And you should make sure your guys" -- Lucky points at the two mercenaries who are still on their feet -- "don't get too chatty. If you don't want to play along, that's also fine. We won't force you to. But if that's your intention, let me know so that I don't have to pull strings for the complicated coverup. We can live with both options, but my proposal would be more beneficial for both of us."

"What do you say?"

Spoiler

Show

Diplomacy: (1d20+16)[24] (added +2 via Precognition)

[Cespenar]

The mercenary captain looks like he's considering the proposition, but Lucky can tell (partly with his Talent) that he's relieved. The guy was probably thinking that they were going to be attacked anyway after giving out the information.

"That'd be... a favorable deal for us. I mean, I'd thank you if not for the fact that you guys stopped us from doing our job in the first place. But I shan't look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say."

He gives the group another once-over, still trying to figure out who you are. After a moment or two, he shrugs, apparently giving up.

"Whoever you are, I think I understand enough that I think we'll be better off away from Arknian politics for a while. I've heard that the weather is pretty fair in the city states these months. What do you think, guys?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Whatever you say, cap."

"Then we accept. And I think it's high time we get going. These wounds aren't going to stitch themselves."

Unless the group has anything to add, the eight mercenaries begin to hobble their way out of this place via the eastern corridor. After they've gone, Basset similarly hobbles to the front while nodding approvingly.

"Nicely done there chief. The commander would want to hear about this Coldbrook situation."

Is the squad ready to leave?

[Lynam III]

Lucky is relieved to hear the mercenary's decision. "Great choice. I myself might visit the Free Cities after our business here is done. Good luck on your next job."

Once the mercenaries are gone, Lucky proposes a plan to search for the barbarians right away. "We should find the Redfangs right now before their trail goes cold. Let's send one person back to the headquarters to ask Anton to meet us here while we split up and ask around. When we find them, we cannot parade them back to the headquarters either, so Anton will be key to find a location where they can lay low."

If Moira or Basset agrees, Lucky asks one of them to go to the HQ, inform Anton, telling him that he should bring a few men that he would trust not to be in any noble's pocket.

Spoiler

Show

Gather information: (1d20+3)[9]

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Yeah, about that. When you said we'd make them, 'disappear,' what was your plan there exactly? It was pretty dumb of the Redfangs to come here, but they're looking to get justice for Iwar, same as us."

Leolin looks over her shoulder to see if Immortal has moved. "We should keep someone here too. The big guy probably won't remember any more than Iwar did, but we can at least get him out of here if the mind control wears off."

[Lynam III]

"I was thinking of finding some place they can stay at and recuperate for a few days so that Lord Coldbrook's people lose track of them. After we learn what they know, we could help them sneak out of the city, or provide them with a more long-term place if they want to stay in the city until they see justice delivered. If some nobles were willing to spend so much money and send a small army after them, they must know something incriminating."

Lucky nods. "You're right. Let's do that."

Spoiler

Show

Cespenar: Perhaps one of Basset or Moira can do that?

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

Ian was still unhappy with how this whole situation had turned out, but then when has Ian ever been happy about a situation?
"I'm going to check on the room they were taking shelter in, perhaps there are some clues. I doubt that they will be waiting for us since there is another exit."
With that, Ian floated across the Arena, making sure to steer clear of the recently calmed Immortal.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Manifesting Telekinetic Force on armor and going across to the room mentioned.

Spoiler: If Ian makes it without incident

Show

He barely takes a moment to duck his head as he floats through the shattered remains of the door.
Now let's see if we can find anything useful here.

Spoiler: Rolls

Show

Taking 20 on Search and spending an Inspiration point on it to bump it up to a grand total of:31
Honestly not sure if Touchsight will do anything but just in case it's dark in there or someone's trying to ambush Ian, I'll put it out there.

[Cespenar]

Upon listening Leo and Lucky's ideas, Basset suggests he can stay behind while Moira offers to return and get Anton.

Meanwhile, Ian enters the storage room (which they were standing right next to), and examines the various crates and barrels therein. He realizes that giving the room the "perfect" rummage would take him something like 15-20 minutes, so he (probably) does a cursory check at first.

Spoiler: Search

Show

(1d20+9)[27]

Ian finds out that there are a lot of common storage items in the room, as no one apparently cared about fully moving them during the crisis. Besides food, tools and racks of common weapons, Ian discovers a small yet clean and expensive looking chest, containing not only top notch medical ingredients, but also five red-colored poultices of some uncommon origin.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

First, the ingredients let Ian upgrade his Healer's Kit to Masterwork.

By taking 10 on both Heal and Psicraft for 20 and 25, Ian can make a Sherlock Holmes deduction that these are "prototype" poultices containing a mixture of medical herbs and Saint's blood.

They take 1 minute to take effect, and heal 10 damage. It can't bring someone above %50 HP.

If/after the planning is complete and the group is done here, does the squad split and try to find the Redfangs as Lucky suggests, or do something else?

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Spoiler

Show

Leolin is keen on finding the Redfangs again.

[Lynam III]

Lucky prepares to leave the arena and search for the Redfangs. Before leaving, Lucky passes his whisky flask to Basset. "Thanks for standing your ground with me in that mess, Basset. If it weren't for you, we would most likely end up dead. I owe you one."

[Cespenar]

Basset looks pretty worn out and covered with small wounds, but he takes the flask and tries to grin. "No problem, chief. It was, uh, a tactical decision, you know."

Spoiler: Finding the Redfangs

Show

If you have any methods you want to try in order to find them, you can describe them along with two skill checks of your choice that are reasonable. Lucky already used one on Gather Info, for example.

This should be reasonably easy though.

[Lynam III]

Lucky asks around whether anyone has seen a barbarian woman carrying a wounded person.

Spoiler

Show

Diplomacy: (1d20+16)[25]

[Tsunamiatunzen1]

Ian honestly wasn't sure if there was any point to trying to find the Redfangs but he followed the others, making sure to tuck the newly acquired medical supplies and resolving to actually invest in a dedicated medicine bag.

[Cespenar]

In the time that Moira returns with some of Anton's men, Lucky manages to find the Redfangs by simply asking around. It turns out they headed for the first surgeon they could find to stitch themselves up. They don't take the death of their elder lightly (if Lucky tells them), and swears and death-threats are uttered in droves.

Soon, however, all is ready for the group's plan, and some of Anton's men help move the Redfangs to a secure location while others cordon off the various entries to the sewers and contain the situation, and hopefully wait for Immortal to come around.

Back at HQ, considering the medical condition of the squad members, Commander Maela postpones the standard-length debrief for tomorrow, and lets everyone get a good rest and proper patching up.

[Lynam III]

Lucky explains the situation to Anton, and asks for his help in covering up Redfangs' escape. When the situation in the Arena is wrapped up, everyone in the Watch must hear all Redfangs died in the Arena.

During the meeting with the barbarians, Lucky asks Azwar and the other Redfang to share everything they know with the group.

[Cespenar]

The Redfangs, spiteful about the loss of their elder, tell everything they can to the group and Anton. From their explanations it looks like they didn't really find out much about Iwar that the group already hadn't known. But they apparently did their investigations much more conspicuous than the squad -- multiple visits back to the Arena, asking around in a lot of shifty taverns, etc. that it eventually drew someone's attention. They continue to describe a certain "Young Jon", who asked them to come to the Arena for some "information" about Iwar's disappearance. The squadmembers recall that he was the right hand of Lord Coldbrook who also the point of contact with the Mongooses.

The squad can also reflect that they might have inadvertently triggered all of this when they had told the Redfangs about Iwar's disappearance back in their first visit to the Arena, agitating them enough that they started doing their own investigations. Though this, admittedly, would have been hard to foresee.

***

The next morning, the scouts around the Arena report that Immortal is still in his sentry-like state, occasionally resting, but still under the influence.

The group finally does their debrief with Commander Maela, and with every word she becomes visibly more and more angry to the point of her lips becoming just a thin line on her face.

"Right, we move on Coldbrook and Renlon."

Lieutenant Rhon is quick to counter. "Commander, they are high ranking noblemen, not to mention they would just let their henchman take the fall-"

"I know, Lieutenant. I mean, we move on their assets. Broken Arrow. This Young Jon. Renlon's Talented bodyguards. I want full eyes on them."

Anton clears his throat. "Ma'am, as you know, since that event with Marshal, I already planted a few guys into Broken Arrow. We know the whereabouts of most of their safehouses in the Duchy."

"Right. I want a last full report on these safehouses before we pick our strategy. If we can take in most of their top guys all at once, there would be just too many fingers pointing at these 'Lords' for anyone to ignore."

"That will take a few days, ma'am."

"Okay, get on it. And don't stare your eyes out at me, Rhon. Fine, let's talk alternatives instead, just in case. Oh, and great job, guys. Good thing you avoided a carnage there. It's sad about the elder, but you can't save everyone. Anyway, you earned a break. Try to get some rest and have those nicks and bruises looked up, eh? But don't venture out too far, in case something goes wrong with Immortal again."

With that, the group has a good-earned day of rest. Also, a long-awaited visit to the quartermaster nets you your 20 crown pay, with a 20 crown bonus to boot. The quartermaster's assistant winks at Lucky as he hands over the crowns, whispering under his breath that he heard Samir got some new items.

"Do let me have a peek if you buy anything interesting, though."

[Lynam III]

During the debriefing

Lucky considers whether he should keep his theories to himself or not, and then decides to share them with the commander anyway. He clears his throat. "The most straightforward explanation for this mess would put Coldbrook and Renlon behind the attack against Duchess Glaucia. However there are some problems with that. From my interactions with Lord Coldbrook, I could tell that he was no fool. If he was behind the plot, it would be very uncharacteristic of him to leave a link that directly leads to the viscount and himself like Iwar. There is a possibility that Iwar was brainwashed by a Talented without the consent of the two -- or at least Coldbrook. In such a case, it would make sense for him to try to tie loose ends and kill the Redfangs in desperation. Attempting to have the Redfangs murdered is a crime however you look at it, but we do not have conclusive evidence of treason until we find out what their relationship to the mind-controller was. Finding out how they became aware of the Immortal's situation might help."

"If my hunch is right, the goal of the mind-controller might be to start open conflict between the nobles close to the Temple and the Duke by using one group's man to attack the other."

"To find the mind-controller, we need to think harder. I first thought it could be Madhouse from the Breaker's crew that we met in the past. But that guy's talent was to make us see things, not wipe memories and command people around like what happened to Iwar and the Immortal. There was another Talented criminal that Silvas had mentioned back in the day: the Whisperer. Maybe this could be the person behind all these events. We might want to contact the Academy to learn more about him."

Shopping

When collecting his pay from the quartermaster's assistant, Lucky counts the coins and adds. "Hey, do not forget the extra crown! I am Senior Watchman, now, remember?" He winks. Lucky thanks him for the tip, and decides to pay a visit to Samir's emporium.

"Hey, Samir! It's your favorite Watchman. Do you have anything new for me? Any luck on a fast reload solution we talked about the last time?"

[Cespenar]

Debriefing

Anton nods. "I expect not only just Coldbrook but also de Renlon to have enough of a mind to not plan an open assassination against the Duchess. They were probably taken by surprise by this as well, but we have no idea of the connection this mind controller has between de Renlon and Coldbrook to theorize who was using who and through which means. Though if you have any ideas..?"

When Lucky speaks about Whisperer, the mechanics of telepathy, and asking the Academy for help, Maela waves a hand. "Ian, you keep in touch with the Academy, correct? You can handle this?"

"Oh, and speaking about the Academy, I almost forgot. People, let's bring in our new members to the squad."

With that, two men and one petite woman walk into the room. Maela confers to her notes by each one, greeting the new members with a nod and reading off the info.

"Theophilus. Can physically change shape, turn into animal-like forms. It also writes here that you're in absolute control of your Talent, unlike one incident with a certain 'Beast' that we had to deal with. Welcome to the team. I am positively sure that you will be of great help."

"Archibald Strain. Goes by 'Ghost'. Can alter, recall and implant memories, and make people forget him. If you didn't have an alibi, we'd have you in for questioning now," she jokes. "I expect you to be of great help since we established we're dealing with a mind controller. Still, I hope I don't need to remind you about reining in your power, now that you're working for Duke Aldhard and his law."

"And... Minnie Ratjakowski, also known as 'Mouserat'. I believe some of our men already know of you. Before anyone says anything, though, let me underline that Private Mouserat is here on probation. Her 'deeds' aren't forgotten, but she supplied (and continues to supply) the Watch with enough information that Duke Aldhard has issued a pardon for her past crimes. It will probably be in her interest, though, to not fall back to her old habits. Anyway, welcome."