Session 26 - Bloodied and Battered

Key Points:

• After firing on Managirl, Nacht immediately made good on his escape: taking a route through the sewers underneath the hideout.
• Manu-Nui and Roan breached from the north wall while Del and her animals breached from the south wall.
• Roan didn't waste anytime--chasing after Nacht into the basement and ignoring the men Nacht left behind.
• Roan was briefly impeded by a female gnome named Felicia (who he would later remember as someone he once apprehended while working for Genesis). The gnome got in a good stab, but Roan with the clever use of a sleep grenade was able to hinder her long enough to make good on his escape after Nacht.
• Manu-Nui helped revive the dying Managirl before turning the very environment against Ciro (a male dwarf) and several thugs.
• Managirl found that the rounds Nacht used prevented her from using her arcane powers--as a result it left her as a mundane person. Nevertheless, she teamed up with Manu to combat Ciro and the thugs.
• In the mean time, a half-elf gunmage (Jared) and a tiefling psycho (Eveni) prepared to engage Del and her animals.
• It was then a strange hengeyokai woman appeared. She seemed to be a well armed assassin of some type, as she used a chain and dagger to dispatch Jared with little issue.
• Eveni put up more of a fight, but in the end she was dispatched as well thanks to Mei-Xing, Del, and Kiki.
• Ciro would eventually be killed as well by a well-placed shot from Managirl.
• The majority of the thugs were also killed in the crossfire of the events.
• Felicia (the gnome) would attempt to dispatch Manu-Nui, but when the tides turned against her, she vanished into thin air thanks to her race's innate invisibility technique and made good on her escape.
• The group would later chase after Roan after Managirl receiving a call from him. Mei-Xing seemed unwilling to leave the group (claiming to have a vendetta against Nacht as well).

• Elsewhere...
• Roan began his chase of Nacht through the sewers. Roan knew his prey very well at this point--spending almost all of his spare time in studying Nacht in order to hunt him. The chase eventually ended at the Eight Ball Bar.
• The Eight Ball Bar is meant for Genesis technicians and mid-level businessmen who live in the lower city of the Nobility District.
• After inquiring within the bar, Roan found Nacht was hiding at a table. Either he was laying in wait for Roan, or he had been caught red handed in hiding.
• After contacting Managirl with his location, Roan sat down to have a talk with Nacht...
• It seemed both men hated each other, although Nacht claimed that the vendetta wasn't justified. Nacht said he'd stop trying to kill Roan, if Roan would only stop trying to kill him. Managirl caught bits and pieces of the conversation thanks to Roan leaving the phone on.
• Eventually, Nacht decided that Roan was stalling, and attempted to make his exit. Roan wasn't willing to let Nacht go, no matter what, and so he released a sleep grenade in the middle of the bar when Nacht moved to leave.

• Elsewhere...
• Kembu retired at the house where little Lisa stayed in--running into the Watchdog who he had asked to watch over the girl.
• The Watchdog probed Kembu's mind for information on Kembu's swordsmanship style (with the blessing of Kembu). The Watchdog also revealed the nature of his abilities (The SEED Initiative) as well as the nature of Freedivers in general. He would also share that he was an idealist--Kembu getting the sense that he was a man with good intentions.
• After revealing some startling information, the Watchdog disappeared. Kembu would settle in for the night, only to be awakened by a cellphone call from Del to meet the group at the Eight Ball In.

• Elsewhere...
• Setter Blackpaw, a male (dog) hengeyokai gunmage, is in the process of completing his second mission for the Middleman.
• Everything went south. His entire team was wiped out and in the confusion of it all, he managed to escape in the truck with the cargo (experimental drugs from the Exodus Corporation) he was supposed to collect for the employer: Mr. Johnson.
• Chased by an unmarked black SUV, Setter used a combination of perceptive eyes to make it to a checkpoint station. Then, with natural charisma, he tricked Genesis into taking care of the SUV (with Exodus goons) for him while he made good on his escape.
• Arriving at the meeting point (The Green Goblin Strip Club), Setter made the delivery of the goods in exchange for the payment promised to his team.
• It seems Mr. Johnson wasn't the cause of Setter's team being set-up. But he definitely couldn't shake the feeling that his team was set-up to fail. He'd have to look into who caused it... or maybe he just was cursed.
• The Watchdog confirmed that Setter completed his mission after Mr. Johnson reported in to the Middleman. Setter took a moment to himself in the empty strip club of the Green Goblin before being contacted to help out the team of runners he would be assigned to now that his old team was dead...
• With that, Setter set out to the Eight Ball Inn.

• At the Eight Ball Inn...
• Everyone more or less arrived at the same time to the unfolding clusterfuck of events.
• The patrons of the bar screamed and tried to get out of the cross fire.
• The majority of the party rushed in--either attempting to deal with Nacht or to deal with the three henchmen that Nacht had in hiding there.
• The henchman's combined gunfire from their pistols was enough to leave Roan bloodied and dying. He would later be revived thanks to some healing from Del...
• Nacht would unload his pistol into Manu-Nui, literally splattering him and leaving him dying on the floor. Roan's sleep grenade took effect, though, knocking Nacht out.
• The henchman and the party exchanged blows...
• Setter arrived on the scene with a splash--firing on one of the henchmen as well and assisting the party.
• However, just as the round of combat ended, things took a bad turn for the party. Felicia arrived along with a small army of dwarven cartel members with the sigil for the Mixtli Coatals...

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.

Session 25 - Barrel of a Gun

Key Points:

• The group gathered in the lounge of their inn for breakfast...
• On the news, the group heard that the Genesis Foundation Parade would be taking place within the next couple of days.
• Klein explained that she would try a detox treatment for Kincaid once they got back to Babylon.
• Manu-Nui offered his services and amazingly enough managed to absorb some of the saturated radiation in Kincaid. It turned him to a healthier shade, though the shock of it kept the man unconscious all day.
• The display did garner some unwanted attention from the (freaked out) locals and tourists.

• While avoiding the screaming people who saw Manu-Nui walking in his 'unique' form, the group exited the Kasai Caravan...
• On the outskirts, they found a tiefling musician playing at the entrance of the caravan. He sang an anti-Genesis song.
• The group found a parking ticket with a hidden message in it: THE EARTH QUAKES. JOIN BEFORE THE FALL.
• Del asked the musician who left the note for them. He told her that it was a woman wearing a Genesis security uniform who headed for the town of Raske.

• The group left for Babylon...
• ...but on the way stopped at Raske.
• Before arriving in Raske, the group heard that Babylon was experiencing power outages as a result of an unknown issue with one of the remote power facilities.
• In Raske, the group stocked up on gas, food, and other goodies. Manu-Nui went a little overboard, spending 500 GP worth at the gas station in misc. what nots.
• The group stopped at the tailor to pick up Managirl's costume.
• The group found that Ruby (The EARTHQUAKE member who could steal and grant life, as well as alter her own age) was inside the butcher shop. There, they confronted her about the note...
• The note was left for them on behalf of Macklemore. She revealed that she was no longer with EARTHQUAKE (having been 'fired' after her last debacle) and that leaving the note for them was her last mission. She gave them a contact to which to get in touch with EARTHQUAKE by at the Treant Theater in the lower city of sector four. She exchanged this information in return for leaving her alone in the future.

• The group got to Babylon in the late evening...
• There they discovered a whole host of people trying to get in for the parades. From the largest hengeyokai caravans to representatives of the dwarven cartels to high elven nobility.
• Roan knew one of the guards stationed at the gate. Randy. A nice family man. He was willing to turn a blind eye to all the strange misgivings of the party due to his past comradeship with Roan.
• Once inside the city, the group parted ways with Dr. Klein at her makeshift labs. She expressed her sincere gratitude for what the party helped her accomplished and allowed them to know that her services would be open to them should they ever have need of them.
• Kembu was dropped off at the Monorail Station. He took the monorail to visit Lisa in the sector five slums. There, the Watchdog had been watching over her. In exchange, Kembu allowed the Freediver to roam around in his memories for the events that occurred in the past year.
• Del, Roan, Managirl, and Manu-Nui decided to check out the hideout of Nacht. Managirl had the address (she was supposed to deliver a package there, after all).
• Managirl went in alone where the package was delivered. Nacht didn't honestly suspect a thing. His external cameras didn't pick up on the group hidden outside nor could he pierce through the lies Managirl was telling. However, the information that she let slip--the name Roan--was enough to set off the man into knowing that something was wrong. Despite having offered her a job to perform a very specific, very fishy task, he decided to turn his gun on Managirl to see if he could draw out the hidden Roan...

Items Found:

• 500 GP each. (Accumulation of various knick knacks and rewards from Quiet Mountain)

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.

Session 24 - Escape From Quiet Mountain

Key Points:

• The group woke up early in the morning to the sounds of gunfire...
• Genesis had sent in a clean-up team to the mana reactor facility after it went offline. The group needed to escape before they too were cleansed by the efficient and no-questions asked soldiers.
• With Klein wheeling Kincaid in a wheel chair and Roan at the lead, the Runners proceeded to try and escape...
• Soon, the group found themselves running afoul with one of the Genesis Scouts. Rather than risk being seen, Managirl hacked a nearby door panel to open up a door and unleash a horde of vegiepygmies on the scout--providing the Runners with the distraction necessary to continue on unseen.
• The group was being stalked by a displacer beast. To throw it off their tracks, Kembu cut a series of pipes to unleash a blast of steam at it. It worked like a charm.
• Near to the elevator that would lead them to the car garage, a patrol of security robots were seen. Rather than risk being noticed, Roan took the group on a slightly longer maintenance route that got them to the elevator while avoiding the robots.
• Using the elevator, the group soon ended up in the parking garage. There were numerous vehicles to choose from, but there was an issue of the group of ettercaps (spider-men) that had made their home there. Del had a six sense about their intentions and so by avoiding their staked out territory, the group managed to appease the ettercaps.
• Manu-Nui tried to use one of the snow mobiles, but found it not agreeable with him. The machine broke as soon as he tried to use it.

• The Runners climbed into a humvee and decided that would be their escape vehicle. Upon opening the garage doors, they found a Genesis security team had been left behind to watch over the outside. Not only that, but an attack helicopter piloted by a ROGUE agent (the Poker) was overhead.
• Rather than risk being spotted and attacked, Roan decided to be a distraction. He got into another humvee and drove off--letting the helicopter and security team give chase to him.
• Before a missile blew up the humvee he was driving, Roan managed to drive it off a cliff (and escape somehow). This distraction was enough to throw Genesis off for awhile...
• With the distraction in mind, Klein took control of the group's humvee and used it to drive back to their pick-up truck. There, they loaded Kincaid into the back of the trailer and everyone piled into the pick-up truck. Once Roan returned, he took the driver's seat and drove off.
• Del used her druidic magic to conjure winds and snows for cover while Manu-Nui wildshaped into a swarm of albino locusts to provide additional cover. Finally, Roan's intimate knowledge of Genesis call signals allowed the team to escape from Quiet Mountain. Luck was on their side as they ran into no yetis or other monsters...

• Back in the town of Quiet Mountain, everyone gathered up some belongings from the inn before piling back up in the pick-up truck. Sarah Bloom also seemed to be leaving and she hitched a ride with the Runners...
• The Runners made it all the way to the Kasai Caravan (it having recently moved further north). There, they decided to split up for the night and rest...
• Managirl finished her "job" with the arms dealer.
• Roan made a purchase and got a back massage.
• Kembu visited the temple of the Dragon for guidance as well as leaving a message to try and reach out to his master.
• Del ran into a little boy-fox who seemed to be having fun with Jergo and Kiki.

Items Found:

• **SMART SCOPE (LEVEL 3 WONDROUS, 680 GP)**
• Gain a +1 item bonus to ranged basic attack rolls.
• Provides intel such as distance to target, wind resistance, etc. and calculates the best shot possible. It does not have higher functions such as infra-red or night-vision.

Current Objectives:

• Return to Babylon.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.

Session 23 - The Reactor (Part 6)

Key Points:

• The fighting continued...
• Managirl used her new form to add extra oomph into her attacks. She wounds the Oni and the Intellect Devourer.
• The dolgaunts miss Kembu, but one bites into Managirl.
• Roan stuns the Oni with a well placed shot, but he misses the Intellect Devourer with his action point.
• Klein informs Del on how to shut down the reactor. Due to the dangers, though, it is on a time, and the group must hold out a little longer before the shut down can be completed. Del in the mean times has her team of spirit animals kill some wretches and dolgaunts.
• Manu-Nui finds the Oni's fortitude too tough to pierce.
• More wretches arrive onto the scene...
• The Intellect Devourer attacks Roan, but it proves ineffective.
• The Oni breathes its hypnotic fog upon Kembu, Del, and the team of animals. He then wounds Kembu with his sword.

• Another round...
• Kembu refuses to back down and he bloodies the oni with an attack. The oni in retaliation attacks everything nearby it--wounding just about everyone nearby with a festering, rotting attack.
• Managirl misses the Oni, but blows up two wretches with her magic.
• Kiki and Del tag-team the Oni quite effectively, but Del succumbs to the hypnotic breath and passes out.
• Manu-Nui heals Kembu with a strange rain, then throws the Intellect Devourer away from Roan.
• Klein, startled by the Intellect Devourer being thrown her way, kills the beast with The Claw.
• Roan unfortunately finds his gun jamming this round.
• The wretches look for their own targets. Some are effective; others not so much.
• The Oni nearly kills Kembu and finishes off Kiki. This leaves Del only with Jergo left.

• Fighting remix, unt, unt, unt, unt, dubstep.
• Kembu and Managirl both land powerful hits against the struggling Oni.
• Jergo is the one to finish the Oni off-lunging at the monster's throat.
• Manu-Nui, Klein, and Roan help dispatch a few of the remaining wretches.
• An army of wretches soon threaten to overwhelm the group and the Oni seems to be awakening--but thankfully, the shutdown protocol takes effect, and the group leaves the Shadowfell.

• With the power out, the group seeks to complete their mission.
• Roan copies the information on the hard drives, then wipes the hard drives for the facility clean.
• Most of the group struggle to heal and recover.
• Managirl and Manu-Nui open up the reactor core to find Klein's protege, Elias Kincaid, still intact.
• Del discovers that the Owlbear Cub Ghost has moved onto the other side.
• Through some difficulty, the group manually climbs up the anti-grav lifts, traverse through the artificial jungles, and winds up back on the first floor with the MED-BAY.
• During this time, Manu-Nui is officially accepted into the group and is encouraged to leave the facility with the Runners.
• Klein ensures that Kincaid is properly taken care of and treated.

• Deciding that it was too risky to traverse the mountain while wounded, the group decides to take an extended rest in the medical facility of the Quiet Mountain Reactor. During the extended rest, the group recovers from all wounds, diseases, and mutations.
• The group reached level 5. YAY, YAY, YAY!

Items Found:

• **ONI HEADBAND (LEVEL 7 UNCOMMON, HEAD SLOT, MANU-NUI)**
  Power (Illusion) Encounter (Minor Action)
  You assume the appearance of a member of any humanoid race of the same size category as you. Your clothing and equipment alter appearance as you desire. The illusion doesn't alter sound or texture, so a creature listening to you or touching you might detect the illusion.
   
• **SECRET OF LIFE'S PERSISTENCE (LEVEL 6 UNCOMMON, BOON, PARTY)**
  Property: You gain a +1 item bonus to Fortitude.
  Power Daily (Free Action):
  Trigger: You make an Endurance check or Nature check and dislike the result.
  Effect: You reroll the check and use either result.
• **GREAT HUNGER ENCHANTMENT (LEVEL 3 UNCOMMON, WEAPON, KEMBU)**
  Property: When you score a critical hit using this weapon, the damage of the next critical hit you score with this weapon scores increases by 1[W]. This effect is cumulative until the end of the encounter.

Current Objectives:

• Return to Babylon.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.

Session 22 - The Reactor (Part 5)

Key Points:

• While being guided by a group of shambling mounds, the Runners used their various skills and abilities to help navigate the artificial jungles of the Quiet Mountain Mana Reactor. Eventually, they came upon a river...
• Who knew a river could be so challenging? Kembu leaped across impressively; Managirl not so much. However, the young girl was able to carry across the majority of the group--leaving only Manu-Nui behind.
• Too bad for Managirl that she landed in the river and not the other side. Kembu and Del helped fish her out.
• Manu-Nui (and Managirl) were nearly attacked by something under the water. Roan drove it off with a (nat 20) hit from his sniper rifle.

• Upon arriving at the end of the jungle, the group parted ways from the shambling mound.
• Instead of taking the (potentially dangerous) anti-grav lift (which lead to a laser grid security entrance), the group used the secret lift they saw in the security video. This was accomplished through using one of their acquired keycards and Managirl hacking the terminal.
• While waiting, Del discovered the tracks of an animal. Later, it was determined that the tracks belonged to the intellect devourer (brain-lion).
• Upon taking the lift down to the core of the mana reactor, the group witnessed the onslaught and carnage caused by the oni. The remnants of the security team nearly made some members sick.
• While in the secret holding cells, the group came upon an owlbear cub ghost (seen only with the use of a cell phone camera). Jergo (Del's blink dog) seemed either familiar with the spirit or with the facility.
• Despite wanting to help it, the group seemed at a lost, and decided to deal with it after shutting down the reactor.

• When everyone was ready, the group entered the mana reactor's core. There, they discovered that Dr. Abel (self-named Dr. Nightmare) was performing experiments within the safety of the control room.
• Kembu attempted to shatter the glass, but it held up long enough for Dr. Abel to turn on his nightmare machine--bringing the entire facility into the nightmare world of the Shadowfell.

• Swearing their deaths for their interference, Dr. Abel and the Runners came into conflict with each other. At Abel's command were numerous nightmare creatures they had seen from the security videos. Most of these monsters simply wanted to feast upon the group. At Abel's side was his faithful 'pet', the intellect devourer.
• Kembu shattered the glass keeping Dr. Abel safe in the control room. He hesitated entering though upon seeing the intellect devourer.
• Managirl's obsession with the reactor's energy startled her into an evolution of sorts (taking on a mana-raditation form).
• Del busted out her wall of fur (Jergo, Graal, and Kiki) along her best friend: Toad.
• Monsters attacked; either effectively or ineffectively, depending on how awesome or sucky they were.
• Manu-Nui blasted some of the monsters, but accidentally destroyed Graal in the process. Whoops.
• Roan shot a bitch. Because that's how he rolls. Klein gave him a lot of combat drugs too.

•  The fighting advanced...
• Down the hall, out of sight, the group could hear the oni approaching. Wow. Much fear. So scare.
• Dr. Abel attempted to escape!
• I said attempted because Roan blew his brains out with a well-aimed sniper shot.
• Abel is dead! WHY! I HAD SUCH PLANS FOR HIM!
• Only half true.
• Ahem.
• Kembu had to action point to finish off one of the monsters because he learned they had this bullshit mechanic that lets them survive being killed if they roll a 15 or higher on a d20.
• Managirl fried some minions. TOASTY! She then whiffed against the intellect devourer.
• The intellect devourer stunned Del and attempted to infiltrate her body. Lucky for her, it didn't succeed.
• The monsters kind of just sucked this round.
• Manu-Nui wiped out a minion and wounded a couple of other monsters.
• Klein tried to get into the control room, but there was this huge problem of a giant combat going on and blocking her way.

• The oni showed up in the battle (still supported by a few of the surviving monsters.)
• Everyone pooped themselves.
• Not literally, I mean like figuratively.
• The oni attacked Kembu and he luckily managed to block the first strike. He attacked back, but found it to not be very effective.
• We finish the battle next time...

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Dr. Klein.
• Recover Klein's research data.
• Delete the files at the Quiet Mountain Facility.
• Discover the condition of Elias.
• Put an end to Dr. Abel.[He's Dead, Jim.]
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.