5punk

Right, im going to be picking up the Ghost Cartels story again, now that the fallout from the bughunt is mostly sorted. I thought, as it has been a while, it might be an idea to have a little catchup, TV series-style. So here is, the story so far:

Previously on Ghost Cartels...

A stripper called Dae employed the team to investigate two First Nations Lieutenants.

The First Nations are a reasonable sized gang, mostly concerned with the docks to the north of the ACHE, and some of the Everett waterfront, but they have almost total control over an area called the Verge (a rather nasty Z-zone, covered in shit from the Redmond lava flows, crappy wireless coverage, almost non-existent sanitation). They are led by an amerindian elf called Blood-of-the-buffalo. Until fairly recently, they were used as grunts by the Shotozumi-rengo in exchange for large amounts of money and gear, but apparently they have recently broken ties with the Yakuza to make a name for themselves.

The first one, Xa Firebird, turned out to be an undercover cop, spying on a meet between some First Nations guys and a thin troll, at a KondOrchid warehouse. At Daes request, the team "dealt" with him, and fed the remains to a ghoul gang. The other, Alec Littletree, was making deals with another gang called the Ragers. The Ragers are mostly Trolls and Orcs, and rock a cyberwear and motorbikes theme. They are lead by a large human called Caine, and his mildly hyper friend Twitch. Whilst observing Alec and Caine making a deal, the team observed a couple of Yak goons observing Alec too. Much fun is had when Caine and pals surprise Nik in his van, and give him a terrible case of the scaries.

Dae was pleased with the teams work, and paid them well. Some time after this first job, she sends the team a message to meet for more work at a posh restaurant. On arriving, they are met by Kaz Yakamura, the thin troll from the First nations meet the cop was watching. He is the second in command of the Komun'go Seoulpa Ring (kinda like the Korean Mafia), and bankrolled the previous job. He hires the team to find and dispose of the body of a small time news reporter, Jania Shields. She had died, and he was worried that it was due to an overdose of the drug he is dealing in, which would be bad press.

The team track the body down to a DocWagon clinic in Tacoma, and manage to bluff their way inside, down to the morgue, and scare off the coroner. They find two bodies, their target and a horrible burnt half bug person (which lead to jolly japes later on!)

The bodies are both taken out via the van, past the Docwagon HTR team, and some heavily armoured Firewatch. Nonchalant whistling is the order of the day. Smooth. Kaz is pleased, and tells the team he has some more work for them in a few days. In the meantime, the team goes bughunting...

Pornomancy. Loving it. Time to spend some of that karma.

So, we were hired to spy on some Amerindians working for the upstart Yak house. First Nations probably don't care about us, Shotozumi-rengo might hate us.

The Ragers are involved with the First Nations, but probably don't much care about us either.

The Komun'go Seoulpa Ring probably hired us. They also probably like us.

Joose, I'm going to gently massage my contacts to try to find out how much of my assumptions are true, and any hints on what they might be wanting.

I'll just cover the assumptions for the moment, as I know them off the top of my head. I need to get back home and check the notes for the rest so, gentle fact checking with your contacts:

Dog Pants wrote:So, we were hired to spy on some Amerindians working for the upstart Yak house. First Nations probably don't care about us, Shotozumi-rengo might hate us.

The Shotozumi as a whole seem fairly nonplussed, it's likely that the people you stumbled on were a smaller faction, and you didn't do enough to them to shake higher up the tree. First nations probably don't even know who you are at this point.

The Ragers are involved with the First Nations, but probably don't much care about us either.

Seems pretty much the case.

The Komun'go Seoulpa Ring probably hired us. They also probably like us.

Almost detonate. Kaz checks out as the second in command of the Ring, and he certainly seems pleased with you so far.

I'm going to start the next run towards the end of next week, presuming everyone gets their downtimes to me. do so, if you haven't already. Couple of things to note:

It's month end time! If you have some prepaid lifestyle months, deduct one. If you haven't, pay for it. If you can't, time to worry

I realised at beard bash a few things that we have been doing mildly wrong, but I will make a separate post for that.

yay pre-paid lifestyle! Too bad I only have 5 months of it left now.

Chatlog from a downtime RP thingy between Al and his Lonestar contact Donna:

[20:18] [5punk] Joose: So, shortly after the bug run, you get a message from Donna, your cop mate, asking to meet up, as she has something she wants to talk to you about.
[20:18] [5punk] Joose: She suggests a bar downtown. It’s out of the way, but no to backwater that you meeting a cop there would be weird.
[20:19] [5punk] Dog Pants: Righty hoo, I'll put on a dab of cologne and step out.
[20:20] [5punk] Joose: she is sat in a booth near the back of the bar, drinking a pint
[20:20] [5punk] Joose: she waves you over
[20:21] [5punk] Dog Pants: I'll grab a drink from the bar and join her
[20:22] [5punk] Joose: "Evening. You keeping busy?"
[20:23] [5punk] Dog Pants: Hmm, a little too busy at times. How about you? Streets clean yet?
[20:24] [5punk] Joose: "Hah, no. This city gets nothing but worse."
[20:24] [5punk] Dog Pants: "Yeah, well we each do our bit I guess. Could be worse. "
[20:25] [5punk] Joose: "Yeah." She fidgets a bit, and looks at her pint.
[20:25] [5punk] Dog Pants: "You okay?"
[20:25] [5punk] Joose: She looks around a bit, to see if anyone is listening. They don’t seem to be.
[20:26] [5punk] Joose: "Ok...You know about cost-benefit analysis, right? Well, did you also know that Lone Star uses that on cases? Stuff that’s easy to solve, or that has lots of press get put to the top of the list, stuff that will take a lot of resources but won’t get good coverage gets buried in the "we'll take care of that later" category. Its shit, but inevitable with privatised law enforcement."
[20:26] [5punk] Dog Pants: "Yeah sure. Some people rely on it. It's business."
[20:28] [5punk] Joose: "Yeah, and some people get fucked by it. For example, there’s the Brighteyes killer. You won’t have heard of him, the star has been burying the story as we have no leads. This guy is a piece of work. 29 bodies so far. He gets in past cameras, scanners, door locks, a couple of times even gate guards and spirits, all without being picked up. He starts by cutting the victims tendons in their arms and legs, so they can’t move, and puts an almost surgical stab to the throat, cutting the victims vocal cords. He then cuts strips off the victims skin, and uses it to tie their hands to light fittings, pipes or whatever, to keep them upright. He plucks out their eyes, and uses household chemicals as accelerants to light small fires in the eye sockets. Hence the name. Forensics say they are awake right up to the point of death, probably as part of some sort of magical ritual. Presumably blood magic. A big case, would be great PR to solve, so it’s high on the list, but we had no leads."
[20:28] [5punk] Joose: She shudders a bit whilst she is talking.
[20:29] [5punk] Joose: "Then there’s a case you might be more...aware of. Suspected shadowrunner, probably a physical adept. Been connected to a number of incidents on corporate property, as well as some minor disturbances in bars and the like. Making quite a lot of noise, but you know what corporate cases are like, they don’t share a god damn thing. It wouldn't be a lot of work to catch him or to press charges, but at the end of the day we would get what? A minor character from the shadows? Hardly headline news. Not enough payoff, so it’s way down on the list."
[20:29] [5punk] Joose: She stops, and gives you a look.
[20:30] [5punk] Dog Pants: I'll neck my drink.
[20:30] [5punk] Joose: "Until a few days ago."
[20:31] [5punk] Joose: She stops again, and takes a long sip on her pint.
[20:31] [5punk] Dog Pants: "There's a connection then, I assume?"
[20:34] [5punk] Joose: "Not to start with. Brighteyes is a natural. He is cold, calculating, never slips up or gives us anything useful to ID him. The runner is sloppy, arrogant, leaves a hell of a mess everywhere he goes. He's got some skill, sure, but if it wasn’t for his crew he would have fucked up terminally by now. There was nothing to link the two. Then this new case came in."
[20:36] [5punk] Joose: She flicks a couple photos of a burnt out apartment block to your PAN, along with a photo of a guy in Lone Star uniform.
[20:36] [5punk] Dog Pants: I reckon I know who that is
[20:36] [5punk] Joose: "A Lone Star officer from one of the east side precincts died in a house fire. At first it wasn’t that big a deal, it seemed like an accident and hey, the guy was an asshole. He had a file bigger than some of the people I’ve taken in, getting drunk and assaulting people, mouthing off to superiors. Forensics were sent in, standard procedure. They found that it was no accident, the guy was dead before the fire started from blunt horse trauma to the head, and the fire was started intentionally, to cover it up. It would have just been put down to him finally pissing off the wrong guy if it wasn’t for a fortunate coincidence: the Shaman assigned to the forensics team was the same guy that is assigned to the Brighteyes case. He saw that there was an astral something or other, and read it. It was the same astral pattern as was present at each of the Brighteyes killings. The way I understand it, those things are like fingerprints: there are no two alike. The MO might be completely different, but it was definitely the same guy."
[20:38] [5punk] Dog Pants: "So our killer is a runner. Blood magic. Funny what weird shit you get mixed up in when you're in that line of work. There's a connection to me too though isn't there?"
[20:40] [5punk] Joose: "I’m not stupid Al. You try and keep things on the down low, but I’m a cop. I can put 2 and 2 together. Some of the stuff you have asked me about, case files I’ve read..."
[20:40] [5punk] Joose: she pauses again
[20:41] [5punk] Joose: "I think I know who the runner is. And I think you might know too. The astral forensics shows the link between Brighteyes and the cop killing, but the physical forensics shows a link between the cop killing...and the runner. You know what bureaucracy is like, no one but me has linked it all together. Yet. But they will."
[20:42] [5punk] Dog Pants: "Course you're not stupid. I wouldn't ask questions if you were. See, that's what I like about you. You're a good cop, but you were born too late Donna. "
[20:42] [5punk] Dog Pants: *sigh*
[20:42] [5punk] Joose: she smiles
[20:43] [5punk] Dog Pants: "I'll look into it for you. I figure I owe you that much. Damn, I was all ready to tell you I don't work for free too. Don't tell anyone."
[20:46] [5punk] Joose: "I trust you Al, and I know you wouldn’t get mixed up with stuff like this knowingly. Don’t do it for me, do it for you. And if it is what it looks like...well, you might want to think about what you guys like to call an 'out'."
[20:49] [5punk] Dog Pants: "Yeah. Okay. Look you might not hear any more about this, but if all this stuff stops then you owe me a drink. And maybe dinner. Any chance I could get those files?"
[20:51] [5punk] Joose: "Not a chance." She grins, and a handful of case files pop up on your PAN.
[20:51] [5punk] Joose: "Anyway, enough shop talk. You see the game yesterday?"
[20:52] [5punk] Joose: aaaaaaaand, fade to black. End scene. FIN.


iiiiiinteresting
Doggers said to post this for you all to read, but im guessing he will let you know how much Al tells the rest of you. Unless he says otherwise, presume you know nothing.

Oh Fuck. Where did we leave Chopper?

Oh, also: when you guys send me your downtimes, can you send me your most up to date character sheets too? I had a drive fail, and lost a few things. I've got everyones sheets, but im not convinced they are all up to date.

So, do we have any leads on who this guy might be?

No idea. Now you just sit tight.

And stay awake. In a room that has lots of anti-magic barrier stuff crammed in the walls.

Chopper blearily opens his eyes

Chopper wrote:I think I may have been wearing women's underwear.

Well, none of you seemed surprised by Chopper's first words after he woke up after his nap time. Maybe you've caught a sight of some lace before now?

Anyway, update! I may have forgotten some of Chopper's excursions into the spirit realm because I forgot to save the chat log.

Chopper wrote:Oh god I hate spirits. I mean I really, really hate them. When did we get back to Frank's? How fucking long was I under? Aaargh, get me a beer.

And where's that god damn mage? Give him a pint of blood he said, what's the worst that could happen he said! I just hope you never introduced me to your mother, that's all.

Oh yeah, so it turns out I've been possessed by a spirit or a demon or something.

Some faggy dude who has been using my body when I'm asleep. He sounded a bit kinky, so yeah, best check in with your wives, sisters and mothers. Maybe brothers too. And house pets. Shit, I have no idea what the fuck he was up to. "Pleasures of the flesh" he kept going on about, so I've probably fucked my way through half of Seattle by now. Christ I hope I haven't got crabs.

Oh yeah, and that's not even the worst of it. I've had to agree to do some future favour for him, whatever it may be. Like that fella that made a deal with the devil - Proust? Someone foreign anyway.

On the plus side, I may have got to fuck your Orc chick, Frank!

Chopper looks at his hands

Chopper wrote:Yeah, I'm totally claiming that Bug Queen as my kill - these babies ripped some shit up!

He looks at the others

Chopper wrote:So, did I miss anything interesting?

Frank, having been informed by Al of the problem earlier will merely grunt. Those of you with him at the armoury will have seen him head into the stockroom and return.

If Chopper moves his head to one side he'll discover a large bore shotgun about a foot away in Franks slightly twitching hands, if he looks down he'll see big sturdy bracelet type things on his wrist and ankles.

frank wrote:Do yourself a favour and don't move or think about punching things like a ninja. The shit you're wearing right now are designed to zap the funky shit out of anything magical occurring within their grasp.

Just so everyone is aware: The rules are a bit ambiguous when it comes to magecuffs and adepts. They are really designed for mages. I figure they will either:

1) Not work at all, so they are no more effective than normal handcuffs.
2) Work as expected, with a nice shock effect if Chopper tries to use his skillzors
3) Pick up on Choppers "always on" magical abilities, and just shock the shit out of him as soon as they are turned on.

I told Pete that as Frank wouldn't know either, he could stick them on and I would decide later. Ive decided. All you guys know for the moment is its not option 3

Good ol' Chopper. If we were taking bets, I definitely would have had you as the one to sell your soul.

Off the top of my head, I'm guessing that Xa dude might have been the guy, but other than him, I don't know who we've encountered that would fit that description even a bit.

Chopper wrote:The fuck? I kill an insect spirit queen and you want to lock me up for it?

Wait, wait, wait - this isn't something kinky is it? Look, if I made a pass at you at some point over the last few months, it wasn't me! And if I slept with your mothers, ditto!

Man this sucks.

You could at least help me track down that fuck who did this to me - you know, that creepy dude out in the barrens.

I'll try and describe the spirit realm scenario as best I can:

After passing out in the insect cave, Chopper wakes up in strange place. The ground is featureless and stretches on forever. No matter which way he looks it's just more of the same.

Deciding that walking even one step will be pointless, Chopper shouts out for who/whatever it is controlling things to stop fucking about and show themselves (I don't want to be like that dude pushing a rock up a hill - Sissy something").

There is a cough from behind him and a dapper looking chap is sat there in a chair. He has black eyes. After some discreet questioning ("who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want?"), Chopper discovers that the creepy dude in the Barrens who took his blood sought favour from this spirit/demon and that Chopper was the down payment.

The dapper demon reveals that whenever Chopper has been napping, he has taken over his body to indulge in"pleasures of the flesh". Chopper assumes this to have been fucking. How wrong he seems to be.

It would appear that the confrontation with Insect Tashima caused the demon to take over to preserve it's host body (Chopper dying wouldn't have killed it, just left it bodiless for a while). Now that Chopper is aware of the spirit's presence, he is given a choice: agree to do a favour for it at some point in the future, or don't agree to the favour. The latter option being the "then I kill you" one. So not really much of a choice.

So, who's well versed in banishing?

The only thing I'm not clear on is if the spirit/demon is still actually inside Chopper.