RB 6-3: Preparing to Strike Caterina

Mission Report

Fri, Feb 2, 2018 ((Jul 12, 2020))
Party: Lyndi Fletcher (Aslene), Jane Irwin (Cael), Proud Flame (Aunne), Shiro (DragoN), Kromrak (Sielic), Isabelica (Basil), Sylvena (Daewendriel)

The heroes return to the Tower of Brass Leaves and rest. They meet Skyblue 9: a platoon of newly-graduated T'Aramont soldiers. The team prepares for the operation Striking Caterina. Lyndi dispatches different teams to different tasks. Kromrak and Bron surveil the Hall of Records. Jane and Shiro get a software package for calculating Hornwood Solutions. Lyndi and Belica create teleportation beacons. Proud and Sylvena negotiate with Nasha Pogray for a lead on someone to frame for the attack. The team shares what they've learned and move towards final preparations.

Back to the Tower

• Jane gets her tentacle tattoo. Uhoshi helps her remember the image of Dolmodeen's tentacle
• The team returns to the Tower, and Lyndi returns
• Jane gives the Gauntlet of Redemption to Kromrak
• Team takes a long rest aboard the Tardigrade above the Eagle's Tower

• Lyndi met with allies in the Unbroken Tide
• If Raptor Blue wants to take Marlene's Citadel, the Tide will provide a commando force
• Lyndi asks Max to confirm that the Tide should ready a force, which may or may not be necessary

Skyblue 9

• Max explains that someone wants to meet with the group, who has House Skyguard covert credentials
• Lt. Selni Skyguard (elf, she/her)
• Sgt. Crag (goliath and human, he/him)
• Skyblue 9
• We're from the Tanyth Aramont Grand Imperial Navy
• We finished our academy training and we're on our final training tour
• My uncle Delanos told me about the good work you did in our home system. When I shared your story with the platoon, we decided to name ourselves Skyblue 9 in honor of Raptor Blue. It's 9 because we're the ninth cadet platoon sponsored by House Skyguard.
• We're in Sigil to study the Sixth Reset and magitec tynkering
• We report to Shiro.
• We also have a letter of command for Proud Flame
• Private Octavia Sonoda is the Technical Specialist for Skyblue 9
• Max says that Skyblue 9 could hack the Tardigrade but privately shares that she's closed those backdoors

Readying for Stabbing Caterina

• Team meets and makes a plan
• Lyndi tasks different teams to different objectives

Site Intel

• Bron detects a Change in Kromrak
• After some experimentation, they figure out that the Gauntlet of Redemption lets Kromrak merge with Bron
• Bron mentions that dwarves were taught how to make metal-and-stone exoskeletons to rescue miners in trouble, and that graven hulks may be an iteration on that
• Kromrak and Bron scouts the Fated HQ, including identifying structural weak points and a location for a teleportation beacon
• They also use the backdoor on Goblin TV to monitor people
• Kromrak gets extra good intel (n20)

Hornwood Equation

• Getting the Hornwood Equation
• Jane and Shiro try to connect with Sarii Hornwood
• At least for now, access to SigilNet is through DABOS terminals
• These points of access can be iterated on but not duplicated. (So the screen in Victor's Secret is piggybacking a nearby terminal.)
• Jane uses details from her visit to the Project Stratonix lab
• Saree connects and bargains
• Shiro gives Sarii a black box to connect to the new spirit messaging system
• Shiro gets a software package for calculating Hornwood Solutions

Teleportation Beacons

• Lyndi and Belica need to create teleportation beacons
• Belica needs to learn the spell Contingency
• They ask Oskar. He doesn't have it but he directs them to Grandfather Brass
• Grandfather Brass questions their motives, then directs Belica to the ritual room on the 13th floor
• Lyndi communes with Grandfather Brass
• Belica learns the spell
• Lyndi and Belica create the beacons
• 2 pairs of teleport pieces. Holding 1, you can teleport a small group to the other piece
• The pieces are vials of glitter
• The focus is actually a glitter snow globe marble, the vials are the keys

Finding a False Flag

• Proud and Sylvena negotiate with Nasha Pogray
• Nasha wants to help hurt Caterina
• Nasha suggests using Skardromri Wormbeard, an immoral weapons dealer
• His shop in the Guildhall District: Flint & Powder
• He has secret warehouses around the city
• Nasha gives them a secret sign to show in the shop
• Nasha expresses interest in leading House Pogray away from Lolth to another god

Pooled Intel on the Fated HQ: Hall of Records

• The heroes reunite

• Hall of Records
• Was Sigil University
• Polished blue marble walls and floors, aquamarine chandeliers, faint aroma of apples
• Public spaces in the main building include the Hall Lobby (including Announcement Boards), Inquiries, Filings, Forfeiture
• Private spaces in the main building include the City Mint and Archives
• Surrounding district includes copyists, tax mediators, bodyguard services, parchment dealers, pawnbrokers, other businesses
• Caterina has begun modernization and expansion of an abandoned outbuilding, the Livestock Registry and Assessment Building
  • Bringing some Earth corporate sensibilities
  • Calls her department the "Adaption Group"
  • She pitched it like a futures planning group, to help chart a course for the Fated into the Sixth Reset
• Rumor: the Fated secure their most valuable stuff in their Vault, on another plane: somewhere awful, possibly a Lower Plane or the Negative Energy Plane
• Their space is in the Hall of Records compound, but not in the main building
• Guards on the Adaption Group building
  • Guards are Mercykillers and LRC
  • Some guards armed and armored with mythic tech
  • Some guards have Earth tech, including assault rifles
• Like most of the factions, the Fated are lead by a Factol. Caterina is a Factor, the next-lower rank
• Caterina's agents are also paying well for intel on the Black Pyramid in the Astral Plane

Remaining Tasks

• Obtain LRC weapons and explosives (from raiding Skardromri Wormbeard's warehouse?)
• Steal a wagon (LRC or Mercykillers)
• Build hologram projector and record hologram message: Shiro will do this, with help
• Prepare shaped charges: Shiro will do this

* Proud plans to take a rogue from Skyblue 9, Dia (from the Last Word), and Lyndi's apprentice Vyn, to temporarily steal Adaption Group credentials to counterfeit some