Heroica: Glory Amongst the Stars - Mission #9: He's Dead, Jim

[Yzalirk]

5 hours ago, Duvors said:

"Oh, nice to meet you. Before? Well, I remember walking down a part of the sewer where a lot of lights were broken and thinking it was a great place to be snuck up on. I was right. These guys in cloaks jumped me and knocked me out. Things are a little blurry after that. I remember being tied up in a small room with some other guy, and there was a lot of other junk around. I kind of remember people in dark robes wandering around. And there was this guy, I don't remember what he looked like, who told e that what was being done had to happen. That it was right and good for me and... I believed him. Must've been the condition I was in, because he kept saying horrible things but I still trusted him. Then I remember being strapped down in something, then..." he shudders, "Then I don't know. Darkness, fear."

"That sounds like you encountered Avery Mann.  He is a strange man.  Unnaturally supernatural.  The cloaked men that kidnapped you were his disciples.  They are dead now, someone or something in the sewers disemboweled them all.  We also discovered their identities, they were among the many people who disappeared around here.  The other man that was tied up was a member of the Thaumaturgic Society.  We believe he was investigating the Avery Mann phenomenon.  Unfortunately he was killed in a ritual sacrifice that resulted in you being possessed."

[Endgame]

10 hours ago, Duvors said:

"No, no it's fine." he says, pushing away the potion. "Yes, I can stand. Err, who are you?"

"Oh, nice to meet you. Before? Well, I remember walking down a part of the sewer where a lot of lights were broken and thinking it was a great place to be snuck up on. I was right. These guys in cloaks jumped me and knocked me out. Things are a little blurry after that. I remember being tied up in a small room with some other guy, and there was a lot of other junk around. I kind of remember people in dark robes wandering around. And there was this guy, I don't remember what he looked like, who told e that what was being done had to happen. That it was right and good for me and... I believed him. Must've been the condition I was in, because he kept saying horrible things but I still trusted him. Then I remember being strapped down in something, then..." he shudders, "Then I don't know. Darkness, fear."

"Decker DaCabe. We're both agents from Heroica, sent to find you. You've uh, well, sounds like you've been through a lot. We're just relieved to find you in one piece, really relieved. We found the room that you were hooked up to a machine in... damn thing was called a Helldiver, in case you had any doubts about whether or not those people were sketchy. As for he hooded disciples... yes, we found them dead, as my friend Ronin just described. And that blob of meat in the sewers is now the size of a small elephant, so, uh, tell Arno to not send any more men back there, seeing as the meatblob could've very well been the culprit."

"Do the names Avery Mann or Flatfoot mean anything to ya, friend? They were very much involved with you, well, becomin' a vessel for a horrible punchy demon."

[Duvors]

8 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

"That sounds like you encountered Avery Mann.  He is a strange man.  Unnaturally supernatural.  The cloaked men that kidnapped you were his disciples.  They are dead now, someone or something in the sewers disemboweled them all.  We also discovered their identities, they were among the many people who disappeared around here.  The other man that was tied up was a member of the Thaumaturgic Society.  We believe he was investigating the Avery Mann phenomenon.  Unfortunately he was killed in a ritual sacrifice that resulted in you being possessed."

"Oh. Gods that's awful." he looks aghast.

3 hours ago, Endgame said:

"Decker DaCabe. We're both agents from Heroica, sent to find you. You've uh, well, sounds like you've been through a lot. We're just relieved to find you in one piece, really relieved. We found the room that you were hooked up to a machine in... damn thing was called a Helldiver, in case you had any doubts about whether or not those people were sketchy. As for he hooded disciples... yes, we found them dead, as my friend Ronin just described. And that blob of meat in the sewers is now the size of a small elephant, so, uh, tell Arno to not send any more men back there, seeing as the meatblob could've very well been the culprit."

"Do the names Avery Mann or Flatfoot mean anything to ya, friend? They were very much involved with you, well, becomin' a vessel for a horrible punchy demon."

Decker Insight Check (DC 1): (4,6,6) Three successes.

The moment you say, 'the meatblob could very well have been the culprit' you realize that statement can't be true. For one thing, the first two bodies had no displaced water near them, which would've been the case if the blob had killed them. Secondly, their injuries indicate a human sized assailant of immense speed and strength, with at last some of the deaths and injuries caused by knife wounds, and the death of the Reid Catlow displaying notable sadisim. The creature displayed neither the manual dexterity to wield a knife, nor the speed to successfully pursue fleeing opponents. Finally, the creature would be far too large to enter the ritual chamber without destroying its contents, and far too heavy to pass over the bodies of its victims without crushing them. Erik Sharpey's body was probably removed by the creature for sustenance, but that could've happened after he was already dead, and none of the other bodies were treated in this manner.

"Bob was telling the truth? I'd always assumed he was trying to scare us with dumb stories." He shakes his head at your question. "N-no. I don't have any idea who this 'Flatfoot' is. I guess I must've met this 'Avery' you're talking about but... I- I can't remember that name." he laughs nervously.

[Endgame]

8 hours ago, Duvors said:

"Bob was telling the truth? I'd always assumed he was trying to scare us with dumb stories." He shakes his head at your question. "N-no. I don't have any idea who this 'Flatfoot' is. I guess I must've met this 'Avery' you're talking about but... I- I can't remember that name." he laughs nervously.

"Oh, he was tellin' the truth alright. It's real and it's big and, well, supposedly it's weak to fire, but we never tested that..."

Decker realizes that he was probably blaming the blob for more than it really did, but, the alternative was that... well, there was a chance that it was whatever was possessing Greg, Decker realized. Then again, there was a lot of stabbing going on with those killings, and whatever they just banished seemed more apt to just cave people's heads in with a knuckle sandwich.

Decker bit his lip and kept his theories to himself. On the chance that Greg did kill those people under the spirit's influence, he didn't need that guilt...

"Nobody can remember much about Avery, so don't kick yourself. There may very well be some loose ends for us agents to tie up, but what do you say we get you back to Arno first? In case we go back into th' sewers I'm guessin' you aren't eager for another jaunt down there so soon."

[Duvors]

7 hours ago, Endgame said:

"Nobody can remember much about Avery, so don't kick yourself. There may very well be some loose ends for us agents to tie up, but what do you say we get you back to Arno first? In case we go back into th' sewers I'm guessin' you aren't eager for another jaunt down there so soon."

"Yes, yes. That's... probably the best thing to do. Oh gods..."

And with your minds filled with distressing suspicions an unanswered questions, you manage to hotwire the main door open and make your way back to where all this started.

~~~

Arriving back at the central maintenance building, you have no need to go back inside. Arno is out front, conversing with a robed person you haven't met before. The moment you come into view, Arno starts in surprise, before running over to you with an effusive grin.

"Greg! Y' bastard, you're alive! What the hell happened t' ya?"

"I- I think these gentlemen have a better idea than I do. I'm afraid I don't remember much sir."

"Hey hey hey, that's okay. If what mister... er, wassyername again?"

"Szizekh." the robed figure says, stepping forward so the emblem of the Thaumaturgic Society is plainly visible on his robes.

"Right, Zizek. I what he's been tellin' me is even halfway related to what happened, you've been though some nasty stuff."

"I- yes sir. I think I'll be taking some time off for a while."

"Take all th' time you need. But what happened t' your hair?" he turns to face the two of you. "An' what happened t' you two?"

[Endgame]

"So his hair DID used to match his beard," Decker muses aloud. He had wanted to ask about it, but it felt kind of rude, considering the circumstances.

"Ah, well, it's kind of a helluva story. I'd be curious to see if this lines up with what your society knows, Szizekh, maybe y'can fill in some blanks for us too. The long and short of it is, well, the sewer plans were missin' because they got nabbed. A group of cultists, led by some sort of... specter of a fella named Avery Mann, were conducting their business through the sewers. Avery had business with, or maybe enthralled, a local gangster and contraband dealer named Flatfoot Thompson. They smuggled a bunch of tech and occult whatsits into the sewer, enough to build some sort of horrible machine called a Helldiver."

"Our guess is that Greg got bonked on the head during his work, got dragged off and hooked into the helldiver, where they did some sort of... awful ritual to channel some sorta demon into Greg. However, we recovered the belongings of an investigator, going by Machen, and were able to use his stuff to conduct an exorcism and get our boy Smiles here back in one piece, albeit with a new hair color."

"As for us, we've uh... waded through a lot of sewage. A lot. And I think Ronin got punched in the face like, at least four times? It was... uh, unclear. Otherwise, though, the situation got resolved, without us having to fire a single bullet." Decker pats the gun on his back. Unless I see Avery Mann. Then that might change.

"Oh! And there is actually a meat blob down there. Lots of eyes. Uh, you may wanna kill th' thing with fire."

"Am I leaving anything out Ronin?"

[Duvors]

As you mention Avery's name, Szizekh's hands visibly clench. When you mention Machen however, he leans in slightly, pressing his hands on a nonexistent railing. When you finish talking, he and Arno look at each other before speaking to you.

"That's about what I expected." he says, miming the act of taking off and cleaning a pair of glasses. "When we learned about Mr. Milver's request for Heroica's assistance we immediately connected it to our missing man and his quarry. Unfortunately however I didn't arrive until you had already left, otherwise you would've had far more information to begin with than you did. Still," he puts the nonexistent glasses back on, "You did remarkably well. But what happened to Machen? You have his effects - the journal and the ghanta - where did you find them?"

[Endgame]

20 hours ago, Duvors said:

As you mention Avery's name, Szizekh's hands visibly clench. When you mention Machen however, he leans in slightly, pressing his hands on a nonexistent railing. When you finish talking, he and Arno look at each other before speaking to you.

"That's about what I expected." he says, miming the act of taking off and cleaning a pair of glasses. "When we learned about Mr. Milver's request for Heroica's assistance we immediately connected it to our missing man and his quarry. Unfortunately however I didn't arrive until you had already left, otherwise you would've had far more information to begin with than you did. Still," he puts the nonexistent glasses back on, "You did remarkably well. But what happened to Machen? You have his effects - the journal and the ghanta - where did you find them?"

"Dead, wouldn't ya know it." Decker says, casting his eyes down. "We were too late for him. They captured him when he was hot on the trail and used his blood for the ritual. He's in the same secret room that the Helldiver an' the sewer plans are... We can show you to him if you'd like, I s'pose. I imagine he'd want to be buried and such..."

[Yzalirk]

22 hours ago, Duvors said:

As you mention Avery's name, Szizekh's hands visibly clench. When you mention Machen however, he leans in slightly, pressing his hands on a nonexistent railing. When you finish talking, he and Arno look at each other before speaking to you.

"That's about what I expected." he says, miming the act of taking off and cleaning a pair of glasses. "When we learned about Mr. Milver's request for Heroica's assistance we immediately connected it to our missing man and his quarry. Unfortunately however I didn't arrive until you had already left, otherwise you would've had far more information to begin with than you did. Still," he puts the nonexistent glasses back on, "You did remarkably well. But what happened to Machen? You have his effects - the journal and the ghanta - where did you find them?"

"Machen unfortunately was used as a sacrifice.  For what it is worth, I am sorry for your loss.  Initially our mission was to find Gregory but I feel it is the righteous thing to pursue this Avery Mann phenomenon.  He must be killed."

[Duvors]

The man sighs. "We suspected the worst, but it is still depressing to have it confirmed. I would be glad if you were to show me the location of his body, but I'll let that wait until you've concluded your business with Mr. Milver. One thing though, I would like to have Machen's effects retuned to the Society. I won't force you to give them up, but it would be appreciated."

"Well, with that outta th' way, guess it's on to your payment. I'm 'fraid you won't get ta keep those outfits I lent ya, but you might get t' hang on to those flashlights if nothin' else on offer suits ya."

Leading you into the building, he take you into the locker room where you first acquired the gear Arno lent you. After helping you remove the encumbering outfits, he give the both of you 60 credits and gestures you to an array of items laid out on one of the benches.

"Since you managed t' bring Greg back alive, y' get to take one each. Just like the poster said."

Exo Suit: (Tool) Grants +1 Acrobatics or Athletics Success

Utility Belt: (Tool) Grants +1 Engineering or Medicine Check Success

 Flashlight: (Tool) Reduces non-magical darkness Obscurement by 2 steps, -3 Stealth successes when equipped.*

 Structural Scanner: (Tool) +2 to Engineering Successes

 Wrench: (Standard Kinetic Melee Weapon) Reduces Engineering DC's by 1

*MM Note: I decided to increase the stealth penalty for the flashlight. Reducing Obscurement by that amount is a big deal.

[Endgame]

"That's fine by me, sir," Decker says, rooting around his person until he finds the notebook, passing it to the masked man. "He was a damn good notetaker, if some schmuck like me could pull off an exorcism with jus' what he wrote."

Decker strokes his chin, perusing the selection of tools on display. "Hmmm... I don't s'ose you'd mind parting with that structural scanner? As long as you weren't eyeballin' that one, Ronin, of course."

[Duvors]

Just to be clear, you can both choose the same option if you want.

[Yzalirk]

I am thinking the Structural Scanner too just because it is not in the shop. 

[Duvors]

7 hours ago, Yzalirk said:

I am thinking the Structural Scanner too just because it is not in the shop. 

Are you also returning the ghanta to the society?

[Endgame]

On 4/20/2022 at 1:53 PM, Duvors said:

Just to be clear, you can both choose the same option if you want.

Lock me in for the scanner in that case, then!

[Yzalirk]

"I would like a Structural Scanner as well."

He turns to Szizekh and hands him the Ghanta.

"May this serve you well and save many lives."

[Duvors]

Arno hands both of you the equipment you requested.

"Again, thanks. We'd almost given up on seein' Greg again. We're glad y' were able t' get th' job done."

Retuning to the front of the building, you see Szizekh waiting for you. Upon seeing you, he nods and mimes opening a door, holding it open for you. You notice the digital clock on the screen by the door reads 01:30 - everything that's happened to you has taken place in a single night.

"After you, gentlemen."

And with that, you head out into the city to fulfill the various commitments you've made. Still, there are unanswered questions: where is Avery Mann? what happened to Flatfoot Thompson? did Greg kill those cultists? what was the point of all this? With these questions swirling about your brain, you make your way onto the streets of Ebria.

CP: Final Tally
1x victorious battle - +1
Sewer fully explored - +1
Returned Machen's effects - +1
Mission successful - +3
Final - +6

Mission Successful

Party Please check stats thoroughly

 Ronin (Yzalirk)
[REDACTED] Male [REDACTED]
Character Points: 6/25
Vitality: 7/7
Velocity: 3
Strength: 1
Skill: 4
Smarts: 3
Spirit: 0/0
Proficiencies: Athletics 1, Artillery 1, Deception 1, Melee Weapons 2, Perception 1, Stealth 1, Survival 1
Known Spells: None
Credits: 222
Equipment: Hard Light Katana (Calibrated Energy Melee Weapon)
Inventory: Gator Tooth (Can be converted into either a Kinetic or Elemental Standard Melee Weapon by a craftsman), Ion Laser (Calibrated Energy Artillery Weapon), Haast Flamethrower (Substandard Short Range Elemental Weapon) Overcharge: Once per battle, add +2 to next attack, all subsequent attacks have -2, Rocketpack - Armor Attachment (+1 to Velocity when wearing this armor), Cloaking Generator, Structural Scanner (Tool) +2 Engineering Successes, Frozen Blood (Consumable) deals Stunned, Lamplight (Consumable) deals Blinded, Æther Shroud (Consumable) deals Silenced, Cytherian Salts x2 (Consumable) Restores 5 Vitality, deals Enamored with a random enemy, Plasma Potion.

 Decker DaCabe (Endgame)
24 year old male Human
Caracter Ponts: 6/25
Vitality: 7/7
Velocity: 2
Strength: 4
Skill: 3
Smarts: 1
Proficiencies: Melee Weapons 1, Short Range Weapons 2, Medicine 1, Perception 1, Athletics 1
Credits: 52
Equipment:  Double Barrel Voltaic Shotgun (Calibrated Energy Short Range Weapon), Telescopic Stock - Weapon Attachment (Spend an action to change this weapon's optimal range by 1 category)
Inventory: Unloaded Pistol (Calibrated Kinetic Melee Weapon), Sandblasted Cuirass (Standard Kinetic Armor), Old Wolfclaw Veteran's Shield (Substandard Kinetic Armor) Dented Iron: the first three upgrades to this are half price, and this quality disappears afterward. Structural Scanner (Tool) +2 Engineering Successes, Plasma Potion, Holy Candle 2x, Shuelj Shroom: (Consumable) Restores 10 Vitality, deals Stunned.

MM note: @Endgame, @Yzalirk, thank you for playing through this chaotic mess. I hope you enjoyed yourselves as I did.

 

~~~

 

Somewhere far away -

The light from the window is the blue-grey of rain-laden clouds in the afternoon, illuminating a dusty attic filled with various bric-a-brac - old furniture, crates, bottles, and barrels of all sorts. In a green armchair an indistinct figure sits, so still that they can only be a mannequin - or dead.
As the first drops of rain begin to fall on the window, there is the sound of a door opening and footsteps on floorboards - someone has entered the attic. There is a moment of silence, the air heavy with ozone and intent.

"Well." the still figure suddenly says, "Have. You. Dealt. With. The. In. Ves. Ti. Ga. Tor."
It speaks in a jerky, forced fashion, hammering out each syllable like blows against a solid surface.

The person who entered the room makes a banal answer in the affirmative.

"Good. Then. They. Are. No. Lon. Ger. Tail. Ling. You."

Another affirmative answer. The entrant waits for a moment as if to receive further instructions. Finding none, they make as if to leave.

"Did. It. Have. To. Be. So. Dra. Ma. Tic."

The other person starts to say something in their defense.

"Si. Lence. You. Drew. To. Much. At. Ten. Tion. To. Your. Self. It. Is. A. Mir. A. Cle. The. Trail. Went. Cold. Leave."

The other person bows and backs out of the room. There is a quiet in the room, the only sound being the pattering of rain on the roof.

"Mo. Ron."

[Endgame]

Thanks, Duvors! I had an awesome time. I'll be sure to get my thoughts put together in the Mission Master's lounge.

[Yzalirk]

Thank you for having me be part of your Mission, @Duvors!  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am craving for a sequel Mission.  I will post my thoughts to the Mission Master's Lounge soon.  Stats look great but it appears you forgot to add the 60 Credits Arno gave us to our balances.