RR 1-13: Into the Sewers

Mission Report

Tue, Jan 29, 2019 ((2022-03-19))
Team: Delly (Cael), Fonn (Dragon), Ikhilzis (Schizo), Lae'eni (Aslene), Lottie (Basil), Smokes (Aunne), Ulthane (Sielic), Zenovi (Dae)

The team negotiated with Marcos Martí. You agreed to investigate a mysterious black oil in the storm sewers. In exchange, Marcos will negotiate your formal residency in DC with whichever spirit attacked you in Starbucks. You returned to the Bunker to gear up, then ventured into the sewer. You found Frayed leapers sneaking around as guards. Just as you attacked, Aedin interrupted. He slowed down time to talk with you in Adinzar. He explained that Nicol Bolas is aware of the creation of Raptor Red and may be communicating with his Death Dragon followers. If you free some Amonkhet gods from Adinzar, they may reward you by restoring your original bodies. Aedin is applying to the group of gods who call themselves the Covenant of Chainbreakers, partly based on his support of the Raptor Red project. Aedin declined to remove the Illithid tadpole from Ikhilzis, but will connect Ilhilzis with a Talnoksi. When time resumed, you fought the leapers on Grid and Swift. Aedin briefly interrupted one more time to permanently empower you, unlocking Level 2.

Details

• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw seems very energized as the storm rolls in - bouncier, energetic; there's something about the wind and weather that apparently gets her spirits up - and makes her a /bit/ giddy.
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood glares at the snow. Bah. Cold. Snow. He hates it, precious. The crunchy white stuff is his bane.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw pats his arm, reaching up to do so. "Don't worry, my dear friend, I won't let the mean ice storm get you."
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood grunts.
• Fonn Razorenth: is cautious of the weather, but also enjoying it. "You can get away with a lot in a storm."
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): Snow the Woolpertinger seems DELIGHTED at the weather, sniffing the air eagerly. "Yes, yes, dear. You can romp in it later."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "of course, but the best thing is just the storm. This is how the green plays - and roars. I don't know - I just... there's something about actual weather and open skies that never ceases to be a thing of joy."
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): "I prefer being outside. Both the Great Cat and She Who Claims the Last are not one for confinement. I'll adapt, I suppose, but."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "Mm. I can teach you some meditations I know - and lavender helps. The smell is soothing. Oh! We could do a cleansing dance to metaphysically open your space in the bunker!" She bounces a little at that.
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood grumbles and looks for any possible of those shadows that might decide to ambush them. Happened once, might happen again.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): "Hmmm. Perhaps- it certianly can't hurt, at any ways."4
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "I found the perfect music. It's from the 1980's by a band called Depeche Mode. You're going to love it!"
• Fonn Razorenth: "I wonder why the shadows ally themselves with him." Fonn muses in the chain. "I've always had to work /in/ the shadows."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw snickers. "I like him."
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood: C: :Keep it generic. Hunters. We'll be hunting things."
• Marcos: Water, it goes everywhere. Touches everything. Feels everything. Sometimes it's liquid, sometimes it's vapor, sometimes it's even ice. DC was built on a swamp, y'know? If you make friends with water, you can learn a lot.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: ".... Skyhunters."
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood: C: Works.
• Ulthane Stonebeard: "Water is fine, so long as ground is under the water." Ulthane grumbles in the background.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "C: Water may know everything - but, it's only a piece of the whole. A very useful piece! But only a piece. I think, however, cultivating him is a truly wise choice - I /do/ like him. But, more than that? He's right. There's not much in the city he /won't/ know about, at least in a gross sense." A pause, and a snicker. "Ha! Gross sense."
• Marcos: The Unraveler is one of the Eternals. The Unraveler is the natural end to all things. They are the turning of the leaves, the wear of the millstone, and the final sleep of the elderly.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): "It's nice to meet another servant of the Unraveler.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw perks up at /all/ of that.
• Fonn Razorenth: Fonn seems intruiged. "I enjoy his mindset. If you want to know a city, ask the rats, and all. Though the 'rats' here is... sewage..."
• Marcos: (Storm Culvert 5, stop the source of biological flammable oil, maybe undead there)
• Marcos: You should check out the Dark Forest theory. David Brin said some smart things.

GM: *Marcos gives Lae'eni Level 1 access to DC Water and Sewer's network

• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw siiiiighs. Overdramatically. "... you people and /always/ wanting light." She winks, though. "Sun is /uuuugh/."
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): "Lisette, RJ- I'd ike to request, whenever possible, suits of the kind we have as REM operatives sized for Snow. He operates as my companion, after all."
• Team returns to bunker, gears up for hazmat in the dark
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood serves eggs benedict, as well as biscuits and gravy for those who would like it. The eggs can be vegetarian/vegan as requested.
• Fonn Razorenth: "That was delicious." Fonn compliments, eating a large portion. She likes fighting on a full stomach.
• Z asked Marcos to invite a connection with New England dryads
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): Snow eats two whole biscuits and Delly eats her entire eggs benedicts.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: Topi *devours* brekfast, goes back for seconds, and eyes Delly's until it's finished with a sort of hopeful acquisitiveness. She whines about it later, on the drive - "Uuuugh. So much fooooooood."
• Ulthane Stonebeard: "It is important to have a warm meal before heading underground. It helps ward off some of the natural gloomy feelings. Good thinking, Razas."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "... hey! Since when is undeground gloomy? that's an unfair stereotype."
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood gives a quiet nod of acknowledgement to everyone's thanks. There's a little relaxment in his body language.
• Ulthane Stonebeard: "I lived underground for much of my life, it is definitely gloomy. The gloom isn't inherently bad, mind you. But warm meals help with it."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "Despite the faults of them -- to me, the warrens always meant family, companionship, and a certain comfort. But then, the warrens are hardly dark and drear - there's warmth and enough light, and - however fleeting - affection and care. Perhaps it is all just in the experience of it? No matter how horrid it became, and no matter how much I never fit - I cannot help but remember the first years with fondness."
• Fonn Razorenth: "I haven't been underground often, but I have been in a /very/ cramped city. I prefer the city, you can always go up or through a wall."
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood collects dishes as folks finishes the meal, and goes through cleaning what can be done.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): Delly lights a stick of incense for the Great Cat as well, and murmurs, "We hunt an unknown malfeaseance; it is sure to be a challengeing hunt. I dedicate the kill to You."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw casts a ritual in the corner of the kitchens (near everyone, it should be noted) where she draws a complicated little circle in chalk - labelled neatly in draconic - while dancing counterclockwise around it. It takes five times 'round to make the circle proper - then she calls, "Come along then, Gregory! There's work to do, and work to be had, so come and be the dream of work made real." Something shows up. There's definitely a faint, weak and wan presence .. that proceeds to follow her about.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): In the Chain: "I rather wish I was on the beach as the storm rolls in. There's a power there, despite the danger, and I'd like to feel it on my skin and in my hair."
• The team puts on WIVERNs* Lae'eni: Lae'eni says while everyone is eating, I have this theory that whatever has happened to us is at least somewhat influenced by Bellica, Lady of the Second Chances... so one of the names I rather like is the Lady's Hunters. Or the Lady's Hounds."
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): "This may be true, but, politely put, The Lady of the Second Chance isn't my god. I'd feel odd dedicating the team name to it when we arent all... hmm. Believers? I'm not being rude, I promise, it just.,. would be odd."
• Lae'eni: She laughs a little, and adds, "Though of course, we're also the Inquisition."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: ... "Damenjager?"
• Lae'eni: Swift partners are: Zenovi and Lae'eni / Smokes and Khilz
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: (Catching this for later:) Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw is, in the swift, largely.. herself. There's a faint aura of power around her; she is limned iin the images of flower petals and her personal .. currently orchid... has an incredibly vibrant presence here. But.. she is firm in her own conception of who she is, golden, scaled, and standing tall and firm. (for her)
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood 's form in the swift is unstable. There's a version of him that's smaller, svelte, and sleeker. Then there's the physical form that's normal. Every few moments he switches from one form to the other. It is only the materials and equipment that stays similar.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw , it should be noted, seems perfectly content to exist in the dark - and is largely relying on her native night vision and a tiny point of light from her shoulder-mounted P3. In fact, she seems far more comfortable *here* than she ever has on the surface. Daylight, it seems, is not friendly to her.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): "Stay together, everyone, and keep each other oinformed. Fonn, you're point; kep a sharp eye for anything strange." Delly presses something under the brim of her had, and the HUD display flips down and out in front of her face. She's clearly integrated her helmet functions into the battered headgar.
• Fonn Razorenth: "If it all drains here, it'll be somewhat safer if we set the water on fire."
• Lae'eni: Lae'eni is a faceless helmeted figure in a flight suit, and she doesn't walk in the swift, she flies. Her suit is a dark, opaque surface sheaned in rainbows like oil slicks. Along it's surface is laser colored tracings in circuit board patterns, and across her back it looks like the wings of a bird. Stretching up from each shoulder is a cibernetic wing, a dark metal rib with cyber lazer film trailing off into feather like flickers at the base. From time to time a vivid eyed shrike's head lifts from between her shoulder blades and looks around over the top of her helmet.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): ....There is something of the hunter in Delly, now, here, with a prey in sight. She's generally content to let others lead, but the influence of her catlike patron is evident in how she moves and how her blue eyes gleam in the semidark. She's eager and ready.
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood has the Moonlight Greatsword out and lit. The soft glow in the Swift is of a comforting, gentle light.
• Ulthane Stonebeard: As Ulthane first surveys the technology, he has a Homer Simpson moment and thinks back to the cooking Ikhilzis prepared. "Mmm..."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw humms softly to herself - is... is that the Dora the Explorer theme?
• Fonn Razorenth: Fonn notices Ulthanes moment and raises an eyebrow
• Team takes a sample of the oil and starts superficial analysis
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood: C: "Hostile?"
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw 's eyes are half-closed - she seems to be listening to something. Or for something. It's hard to say.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw then shifts to 'look' behind - a glowing ameythist materializing over her clawed hand.
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood: "Eyes up, Smokes."
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "I am prepared." Soft, that - C: "Delly. Should it be necessary, if you hear a horn? It is a warning from me."
• Fonn Razorenth: When Fonn lifts her Rapier, she grimaces a bit. There's sewage on it. That'll take /forever/ to clean out.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw HISSES and shades her eyes, muttering - "/always/ bright. It's /always/ bright!"
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood snorts. The understanding doesn't understand. Hah.
• Topi "Smokes" Smokeclaw: "C: If the Death Dragons are active, if they still exist... then that of course will bring out *ugh* the Wyrm Princes. Something to consider. I wish we knew more about the Frayed. Freeing that monster - Bolas - would be ... terrifying.
• Fonn Razorenth: Fonn nods. She'd shudder if she wasn't in combat-mode.
• Lae'eni: Lae'eni attempts to fist bump Zenovi after the 'not so good' comment and misses that too.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): Delly displays a keen sense of hunting in a pack, pulling enemies pout of position to make them vulnerable to her allies. The claws of her catlike paw leave deep furrows with blackened edges in the concrete of the tunnel.
• Delly (Delsari Orist Nym Galadant): Delly, perhaps recklessly, doesn't seem deterred at all by being crowded with enemies....
• Ikhilzis Poisonblood sprays a good number of metaphysical bullets into the Leaper in a fit of bloody rage.