[Malevolence]

Etiquette [Charisma 6 + Etiquette 5]: 11d6t5 3
About average. At a start, it looks like we are delaying the trip to at least the evening. If we turn up anything that makes a run on the local office seem prudent, then we might cancel it altogether. As far as what we're looking for, anything that might indicate if he was actually there, or if not, who is creating his alibi. If he was there, was he with someone, and of course who.


Mercer will also check the status of the trackers he planted in the other vehicles. Chances are they are either removed or still in Puyallup, but you never know.


For Grotto1, I forgot what we were going to check there, but he did want to put out the word that someone (not necessarily vamps) are hiring runners and luring hunters into traps using Grotto1. If he can, he might enlist the help of the admins to point him in the direction of the owner of the account that had been used to lure him and his team. See if it is the same account being used repeatedly, or if each hit is done with a new account.


I'm not going to make any public requests on Grotto1 for info about Manhattan - don't want to tip people off to where we're going. I will, however, post Iki's picture with the posts I make cautioning people about the runners, see if maybe anyone has further info on him. It is probably more than likely that one or more of any tips we get could either be intentional misdirection or another trap, but even that could be useful.


I think that is everything. I'm open to additional suggestions.

[rednblack]

Etiquette [Charisma 6 + Etiquette 5]: 11d6t5 3
About average. At a start, it looks like we are delaying the trip to at least the evening. If we turn up anything that makes a run on the local office seem prudent, then we might cancel it altogether. As far as what we're looking for, anything that might indicate if he was actually there, or if not, who is creating his alibi. If he was there, was he with someone, and of course who.

Ok, that's going to be tough.  The hostess, and GM, if you feel like talking with her, are very friendly, but a general description matches that of a lot of people who come in and out.  Flashing a picture is likely to make them a bit nervous, and they won't let anyone take a look at the security feeds unless they're coming in with a KE badge and warrant.  Mercer gets the impression that the restaurant is likely a dead-end.

Mercer will also check the status of the trackers he planted in the other vehicles. Chances are they are either removed or still in Puyallup, but you never know.

The tags are showing up clustered in Puyallup. 

For Grotto1, I forgot what we were going to check there, but he did want to put out the word that someone (not necessarily vamps) are hiring runners and luring hunters into traps using Grotto1. If he can, he might enlist the help of the admins to point him in the direction of the owner of the account that had been used to lure him and his team. See if it is the same account being used repeatedly, or if each hit is done with a new account.

This will result in a lot of traffic, posts, and cross-posts.  This will also mean that Mercer is coming above ground, so a lot of hunters will be posting that they're glad he's alive, while others argue that this must mean some sort of false-flag attempt to to gather inside info.  The administrators will come to Mercer's defense after thoroughly checking his credentials.  Go ahead and make an IC post on what exactly Mercer is sharing/claiming/etc.

I'm not going to make any public requests on Grotto1 for info about Manhattan - don't want to tip people off to where we're going. I will, however, post Iki's picture with the posts I make cautioning people about the runners, see if maybe anyone has further info on him. It is probably more than likely that one or more of any tips we get could either be intentional misdirection or another trap, but even that could be useful.

Probably a good call on the Manhattan angle.  There are a number of hunters in that area, should you decide that any may be worth tapping when you get to the Rotten Apple.  If you'd like to do some checks on any, give me a Matrix Search Test.  I'll handle any of the Iki stuff in my response to the IC. 

[Tecumseh]

Let's inquire about Sunrise Logistics and Security on Grotto1. It would be good to get some insight as to whether they're a neutral third party (hired to frag with us, but it's business not personal) or a interested and invested party (with vampires at the helm pulling the strings). Achak would be interested in driving by their offices in Auburn but wouldn't want to go alone; going as a team in Mercer's Roadmaster would be best just in case we're wandering into the lion's den.

Given the list of Sunrise office locations, it sounds like they are UCAS-only. (This presumes that the Denver office is in the UCAS sector.)

Achak would like to do a simple Matrix Search regarding Sunrise. My goal is 1 hit to find out the basics: are they public or private, owners/shareholders, any disclosure forms, etc.

Intuition 6 + Computer 1: 7d6t5 5 hits!!!



Say what!

Achak isn't exactly an intellectual titan so he might need Mercer to sound out some of the larger words for him, but with luck we should get some answers (or at least hints) about the nature of Sunrise. If they do have dubious connections to the Underworld and/or the Infected, Achak will be ready with some quip about the irony of their name ("Sunrise").

Depending on what we learn, it might be wise to send feelers through Mercer's contacts, including Raven (via Grotto1) and possibly Nori Koizumi (the blogger/reporter).

[rednblack]

Achak is able to hack himself back in time to the tender year 2036 with the founding of Sunrise Elite Security in the still fledgling UCAS.  The story goes that founders Raul Chechik backed Anthony Spurrs -- a former NYC policeman -- on a game of chance in Atlantic City.  The winnings were a deed to a rundown estate in Pennsylvania that contained a veritable trove of early American artifacts.  Given the nostalgia of the times, these were worth a great deal, and the now-partners rolled their capital into the incorporation of a full-service security company dedicated to the complete and round-the-clock protection of a limited number of corporate and private clients.  The firm was able to secure six contracts its opening year, but only remained nominally successful afterward.  Spurrs died in an automobile crash in 2047,and Checkik passed away at the age of fifty-nine in 2060. 

The firm diversified sharply in 2061, and now boasts matrix security and cargo shipment as added services.  It maintains a close relationship with Steinem and Tsukino, a law firm based in Japan that focuses on streamlining business relationships through the murk of extraterritorial, local, and national jurisdictions.  Steinem and Tsukino have satellite offices in most major nations and corporate states, including one in Manhattan and five in Denver.

Sunrise offices are usually small, and Achak would guess that most have twelve or fewer full-time employees.  Client lists for Sunrise Logistics and Security are, of course, highly privileged and not available outside of the Sunrise Host.  The Seattle branch President is named Maria dePalma, and the President of the Manhattan branch is named Inigo Calderon-Spurrs.

[Malevolence]

IC up. Sorry to hold up the game, but I don't expect to have much time to post until after the Holidays (including New Years). And the time I DID have was ambushed by the release of Rigger 5.0, so there's that. But come January, I should have a much more active posting schedule since the wife and kid will be out of town starting mid month, then I'll be on vacation where I'll have plenty of free time through mid February. Then it'll probably be hell again, but that's a good month of time where I should be able to be much more active.


Anyway, I hope the post covers all the bases you needed, rnb. I shied away from actual dialog because that takes more effort/time. But I think I covered a fair amount of ground, and once I hear back from my contacts, I should hopefully have what I need to determine if we will leave for Manhattan tonight, or at all, and be able to make the call to Iki's Johnson. Then we decide whether or not to take a crack at the Seattle offices of Sunrise.


Oh, and excellent rolling there Hackerman. I love the GIF (and the movie) BTW.

[rednblack]

@Mal, nice work with the IC.  It covers the necessary bases.  The moderators of Grotto1 will indeed be outing Mercer.  From their perspective, they couldn't in good faith release the info otherwise. 

The contacts will also have their bits to add.  This is the busy time of year with the day job, so it may take me up until or just after Christmas to get my next IC up. 

[Tecumseh]

I'm not in any rush. I'm out of the office until the new year, and the office is where I get most of productive posting done.

[Tecumseh]

A ha, there we have it: the post where the GM NPC points out all the things the PCs are too dense to pick up on their own. I should have gotten the antiquities connection for sure, although I could argue that Achak is too much of a meathead to figure that out ICly. As for the size of the Sunrise offices (and being too small for logistics) and the extraterritoriality disconnect, those inconsistencies are closer to the "what is your understanding of a fictional world and how it works" department.

From the Attention to Detail department, Flechette has switch to the DD/MM/YY date format for inscrutable reasons of his or her own.

I especially liked the writing for Koizumi's article.

Should Mercer ask, Achak would be happy to supply a quote for Koizumi. This could be a good opportunity to send a message via Grotto1, perhaps to misdirect our adversaries.

Achak will reach out to Lola Lustytush, his stripper contact, and ask about the "particular Hungarian man, oafish in appearance and demeanor". Lola is in Loveland (Puyallup), not Redmond, but perhaps she or her friends are aware of the man and/or his threat and/or something that could lead us toward him. Hold that thought. Achak and Sister Rebecca geeked a fat, doughy, balding vampire. His ethnicity was never specified. Is there reason to believe (from his appearance) that he might have been the Hungarian man in question?

[rednblack]

A ha, there we have it: the post where the GM NPC points out all the things the PCs are too dense to pick up on their own. I should have gotten the antiquities connection for sure, although I could argue that Achak is too much of a meathead to figure that out ICly.

I've wondered if 3 being an average for Attributes applies to sixth world averages or our own.  I would say that the average American in 2015 is probably quite a bit more educated than the average sprawl-dweller in 2074, but honestly it probably doesn't matter that much.  LOG 2 is below average, but his high INT probably goes a long way toward bridging connections, should they be about things he knows.

As for the size of the Sunrise offices (and being too small for logistics) and the extraterritoriality disconnect, those inconsistencies are closer to the "what is your understanding of a fictional world and how it works" department.

Definitely.  Agreed.

From the Attention to Detail department, Flechette has switch to the DD/MM/YY date format for inscrutable reasons of his or her own.

That was rednblack the GMs way of trying to do the standard international date formula.  I've corrected it.

I especially liked the writing for Koizumi's article.

Thank you.  That was fun to write. 

Should Mercer ask, Achak would be happy to supply a quote for Koizumi. This could be a good opportunity to send a message via Grotto1, perhaps to misdirect our adversaries.

Cool.  You can give the quote either ICly or here, and just make mention of it ICly.  She's looking for confirmation from a hunter who was there that there were indeed vampires at Century's Peak.  Achak would also be asked for some corroborating evidence to prove that he was really there, but any details that he could provide would count for that. 

Achak will reach out to Lola Lustytush, his stripper contact, and ask about the "particular Hungarian man, oafish in appearance and demeanor". Lola is in Loveland (Puyallup), not Redmond, but perhaps she or her friends are aware of the man and/or his threat and/or something that could lead us toward him. Hold that thought. Achak and Sister Rebecca geeked a fat, doughy, balding vampire. His ethnicity was never specified. Is there reason to believe (from his appearance) that he might have been the Hungarian man in question?

He looked central/eastern European.  Of course, he might just have been pale because he was a vampire.  The young girl did have a bit of an accent, so Achak -- and Sister Rebecca if she did any of the reading on Grotto1 -- would maybe draw that connection. 

[Poindexter]

This whole time, I keep thinking "Red is trying to tell us something. What the hell IS it?"

heh.

[Tecumseh]

Happy New Year, all. Let's get this one back off the ground.

Oh, and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Rednblack kicked us off one year ago tonight, holy crappola.

Before I write up an IC for Achak, I want to confirm with Malevolence that Mercer would share the results of his Grotto1 inquiry and/or request a quote regarding the Century's Peak raid.

Here are some or all of the details we could include:

1) Three zekes, all newly turned, now eliminated
1a) Two adults and one repentant child
1b) One Eastern European type that generally matches the description of the oafish Hungarian

2) Confirm the general misery of the top floors
2a) Confirm the pithing needles and the buckets positioned to collect blood

3) The local security seemed generally unaware of the situation upstairs and retreated once confronted with the truth, which suggests that the zekes' presence was not a bottom-rung decision (i.e. the foot soldiers making some money on the side) but rather a decision from higher in the chain (i.e. "Dear foot soldiers, please stay away from the top floors, thank you." -Management)

4) The tip about the presence of the vampires came from yaks.
4a) Per my IC post here, there's the possibility that this is a Kanaga-gumi holding (confirmed) and that the Kenran-kai are making a play for it (unconfirmed but still possible).
4b) Alternatively, the tip could have come from the building's staff, who needed a way to address the threat without going through proper channels (i.e. management, see #3 above).
4c) Speculation then to why management would ally with vampires. Money? Newborns don't have any, unless they're given it. An alliance? Perhaps, but who makes alliances with newborns? They're psycho.

In regards to 4c, I presume that the any money/resources the newborns had came from Sunrise, along with the painting, but we'd need to confirm that. Achak would ask Mercer (figuring Sister Rebecca would pass on the question) whether he wanted to go pay a visit to the local Sunrise offices in person.

[Malevolence]

Yes, Mercer will share everything he finds. I've had an IC post in the editor for about a week, but I started it at work and so didn't have access to it through the long weekend (I usually copy them to Evernote before leaving work so I can continue from home but completely forgot). Monday was a bust, but I hope to have it completed and posted tomorrow sometime with a reply to the board operators and Nori. Getting your approval to post details will also simplify the post. You can write up something for Mercer to pass along on that front. He can keep your name out of it, simply mentioning that it was Stake's team, or he can put your name on it, whichever you prefer.


Mercer, the suspicious old coot that he is, will keep to himself his suspicions that the church might be involved in some way after hearing from Rebecca that the church wants to take over the hunting business from Hunters. They have access to vast stores of valuable relics to use as bait. He might be inclined to suspect that there might be a vamp infestation in the church and that the elimination of Hunters is a cover for a plan to simply reduce the pressure on the Infected - i.e. the Church will take over from the Hunters and only go after token Infected in order to allay suspicion that the Church isn't really doing anything. Or like corrupt cops that only arrest the criminals that stand against the criminals that pay their bribes they might go after Infected that don't toe the party line.


But thoughts like that are above his pay grade, so he'll just take what he sees at face value but treat all parties with suspicion. Wait till more of the pieces fit together before risking making an enemy of a respected and ancient institution.


As an aside, I'm not sure whether Mercer knows of Raven's true nature. I'm thinking not, but either way, I think that with the Ghoul Rights movement and stuff that he's limiting his hunting (and hatred) to the soul-suckers (those with the Essence Drain power). I mention it in case it ever comes up since he's spent a lot of time talking about Monsters and the general impression might have been that he was including all Infected under that umbrella. He makes his living killing things, and he sleeps at night because he can convince himself that they are not human. The Ghoul Rights stuff has him thinking that they are victims and that they can exist as regular people with somewhat disturbing diets, but their diet doesn't have to hurt anyone. Those thoughts give them some humanity in his mind, and so he would be hard pressed to kill one unless it was a clear and present danger (or through its actions revealed that it is a less literal monster). Vamps and their ilk (the soul-suckers) require a living victim, and so that's going to be a much harder sell. That said, he'd probably be okay with someone like Katsina if he ever got to know her, though putting off killing (or trying to in Katsina's case) a vamp long enough to get to know one would require some pretty out of the ordinary circumstances.

[Tecumseh]

@Rednblack, what's the etiquette on Grotto1? Do hunters take credit for their jobs or is there a tight-lipped professionalism about things? In the world of vampire hunting, I'm not entirely sure what's quotidian and what's noteworthy. The repentant child vampire, for example. Are children vampires unusual? Are repentant vampires interesting or significant? I'm not sure if the child is indicative of the depravity of newborns (who would bite and infect a child) or a conscious decision made by cold, calculating adult vampires (for nefarious purposes of their own).

I'll write up a statement for Nori. That said, I'm guessing that what Achak would say to Grotto1 differs from what he would say to Sprawl-ites.

[rednblack]

Oh, nice meaty posts like that just warm my GM heart.  I'm working on the information that Koizumi will be able to provide, and should get that up in a day or so.  In the mean time, @Mal and @Tec, take a Karma.  We'll be doing regular karma awards here soon, as the next plan of action is established.

@Rednblack, what's the etiquette on Grotto1? Do hunters take credit for their jobs or is there a tight-lipped professionalism about things? In the world of vampire hunting, I'm not entirely sure what's quotidian and what's noteworthy. The repentant child vampire, for example. Are children vampires unusual? Are repentant vampires interesting or significant? I'm not sure if the child is indicative of the depravity of newborns (who would bite and infect a child) or a conscious decision made by cold, calculating adult vampires (for nefarious purposes of their own).

I'll write up a statement for Nori. That said, I'm guessing that what Achak would say to Grotto1 differs from what he would say to Sprawl-ites.

You can think of it kind of like fishermen and their fishing holes.  Fishermen love to talk shop, tell you what bait is working, do a little bragging, but they tend to not want to give just anybody the location of their favorite hot spot.  In general, the hunter community is more of a marketplace where ideas can be shared, new tech discussed, services and intelligence bought and sold; but hot spots and specific locations of vampires are generally not shared, and paydays are usually not discussed -- nobody wants to pay taxes on that biz, chummer. 

Achak's choice of details to Ms. Koizumi is not going to earn the ire of any hunters.  A bit sensational perhaps, and maybe it could even pull some more yahoos with guns looking for their next get-rich-quick-scheme, but Ms. Koizumi has a symbiotic relationship with the hunter community in Seattle, and this kind of exclusive isn't rare.

What is rare is the child vampire, both for being a child and for being repentant.  For your question, Achak would likely assume the latter -- "nefarious purposes."  I'll also reiterate -- as this didn't factor into the IC posts about her -- that she had the same eastern-European accent as the oafish zeke.   

Any other info or clarification that I can provide?

ETA: somehow I missed Poindexter's last post.  Take a karma as well, chummer. 

[rednblack]

1. Not-quite-bad-news, I'm enjoying the IC exchange so much that I'm going to put off my post until this is resolved.

2. Good news, I'm really enjoying the IC exchange, and taking some more time will only increase the level of detail that Nori K is able to provide y'all with.