Session 44 - Answers and Questions

Key Points:

• The group started the session 'held up' by Gwen and Genesis...
• The group confirmed the defeat of Hera, Zeus, and Athena. Gwen claimed she had a team in route to recover their corpses.
• Gwen claimed that she needed Pandora's Box, and that the group needed to provide it. The ROGUE Agent mentioned that her "plans" had begun to go into motion and could not be stopped. As part of her "plans", she needed Pandora's Box at all costs.
• Much to the chagrin of some of the other Runners, Setter and Roan were able to negotiate a deal. The rest of the Runners would be allowed to leave and would be removed from the situation. Then, Setter would reach out to his contact, retrieve Pandora's Box, and bring the intel on it to Gwen. Roan, in the mean time, would be held hostage by Gwen as collateral.
• Kembu claimed to see "through" Gwen and note her true, cruelness. Gwen merely thought that this was the way the game had to be played for a "greater good" and that Kembu and Aria should look to their "father" as the real monster.
• Otter attempted to frustrate Gwen, though the ROGUE Agent was quickly to threaten the Freediver after becoming annoyed.

• From there, the group split...
• Kembu and Aria went to visit Lisa Trent to ensure that she was safe. Kembu claimed that he would be rescuing her sister soon and found the girl to be in good spirits under the care of Managirl's adoptive father. Afterwards, the Kembu and Aria retired to rest at a hotel.
• Angel, Managirl, and Otter retired to a hotel. Otter worked her "magic" during this time, and ultimately found success in her endeavors. Mostly, it involved piggybacking on some information and intelligence...
• Gwen revealed to Roan that she was interested in making power moves within the corporation; first claiming the First Lady position at the side of the current President, and then taking over as President shortly thereafter. Gwen offered Roan a position within the company again under her directives, to which Roan had to think on (having not thought beyond Nacht).
• Setter found his contact: The Man With No Name. Prometheus had left a letter to Setter, thanking him for his assistance and for payment (as well as taking some delight in knowing that the Olympians would be killed). Setter acquired Pandora's Box. He then switched the information to a second hard drive, then destroyed the first hard drive, so that the original Pandora's Box was now decorative and void of useful information.
• Setter ultimately had a blank, decorative box to hand over as Pandora's Box to Rickenato, then had a fake flash drive that he could bait Nacht with (thanks to assistance from Gwen). The hard drive with the real information was given to Gwen. Setter negotiated that his "contact" could seek out employment from Gwen down the road.

• The party rested for the night, and the next morning, gathered at the Elven Embassy to deliver Pandora's Box to Rickenato...
• At the Elven Embassy, the group was cautious that some terrible event had transpired, but found Rickenato in one of the rooms boxing with the MMA Champion: Nolan King.
• Nolan King signed an autograph for Managirl, but otherwise, kept his distance from the group as he was annoyed by Rickenato and had a fight to prepare for later that night.
• The group handed Pandora's Box (sans data) over to Rickenato, who ended up just putting it on display. He had no idea what he was going to do with it besides show it off, though it is likely he'll do something crazy with it.
• While there, Rickenato informed that Managirl's signet ring belonged to the Morrisson family: making her a relative of Gwen (Heather deducing that they were likely sisters because of their age, this would result in Heather being shaken up over the news for most of the day.)
• Upon delivering the box, the group completed their mission, and removed themselves from Rickenato's presence and went to the Lucky Cat Inn...

• The group arrived at the Lucky Cat Inn towards the afternoon and were forced to wait an hour or two for the Middleman and the Watchdog to prepare their 'payment'.
• Setter and Roan had a conversation in the inn; the two having mutual respect and trust for each other. Setter hinted that his current identity (Setter Blackpaw) would "die" after the mission was completed, and that he would assume another afterwards. Setter encouraged Roan to think of a future after Nacht, but Roan grew hostile (and later apologized for it). Setter informs Roan to "think" on his offer.
• The rest of the group passes time in other ways, before eventually being called to a back room...

• In the backroom, the Middleman is waiting, and congratulates the group on their success.
• Otter studied the Middleman; figuring out his identity then and there (more or less an A.I. housed within a construct body that resembles a human being).
• The group found that Del was already there and waiting; allowing for a reunion between her and the rest of the group (Managirl in particular seemed touched to see her again).
• The group was allowed to enter separate rooms and receive their answers from the Middleman...

• Del's answers...
• Del's answers revolved around the nature of Jergo (her blink dog's) existence and what Genesis was doing with those transportation trucks of animals. However, more than that, Del wanted to know how to get Genesis to listen that they were hurting and killing the planet...
• Watchdog informed Del that the president was a puppet. The best way to impact Genesis would be to approach one of two parties. The first party would be Gwen Morrisson, who is in the process of a hostile takeover of the company. The second party would be a secret cabal; the true forces that run Genesis from the shadows.
• Pandora's Box was revealed to contain sensitive intelligence on this cabal; their identities, locations, and resources.
• The cabal is compromised of monsters and monstrous humanoids that have run the progress of civilization from the shadows for a long time now; not just Genesis, but all major companies and countries.
• Gwen ultimately plans to use Pandora's Box to take out the Cabal and rule for herself.
• Del thought Watchdog and Middleman were trying to help Gwen, but rather, the Middleman was interested in his own goals (a democracy) and found the possibility of that easier under one leader (Gwen) than a hidden cabal with multiple members.
• That tied into her next question; what the Middleman was after. As a humanitarian, the Middleman ultimately wants improvement for the world, and for people to have the ability to choose for themselves rather than being manipulated and lead. He seeks peace in the end.
• Finally, the last question: Project Rebirth. Genesis is attempting to recreate and rebirth extinct (or near extinct) monsters and other creatures. Klein was briefly involved in the project, but removed herself after disagreements. ROGUE AGENT Lukas Baer is in charge of its operations, but receives support from Gwen Morrisson.
• Project Rebirth can happen due to Genesis having a Phoenix Hatchling; using the creature's DNA to allow for reincarnation of other species. The baby Phoenix was a gift from the cabal.
• In addition to having monsters for, well, monster purposes, the goal of Project Rebirth is to find a way to return one of the cabal members to normal: a dragon who has mutated into a cancer dragon and is slowly dying from mana radiation poisoning as a result of the reactors.
• The Cabal wasn't aware of the long term effects of the Mana Reactors, but don't want to destroy them as it would destroy a lot of their resources that they've created. The cabal is currently split; some of their members like the dragon wanting to tear down the reactors before more damage is caused while others want to continue production.
• Watchdog offered to work with Del in the future; as her goals likely line up with his and the Middleman's...

• Managirl's answers...
• Watchdog give Managirl the chance to ask REAL questions instead of the fake ones she had given him at the start.
• Managirl inquired why her level of mana radiation was so high compared to other manaborn. Watchdog revealed that her parents conceived her on top of a reactor core (her parents being scientists specializing in mana radiation studies).
• Managirl asked Watchdog if Gwen Morrison was her sister. He confirmed that, yes, Gwen is Managirl's sister.
• Managirl then asked the question, "where do I go from here?" Normally, the Watchdog doesn't deal in philosophy like this, but he decided to encourage Managirl to embrace her destiny and become a true superhero. Go out there and stop crime. Help people who need help. And more importantly, to trust herself and to turn her life around; to embrace lawful and good behavior rather than chaotic and neutral behavior.   

• Angel's answers...
• Angel's questions had to do with her past and her future; what happened to her family and how she could start her own.
• Angel's first question to Watchdog was to inquire about the nature of the deva's infertility. Watchdog was able to answer that Klein had begun to understand some of the issues, but sought no resolution for it because it did not pertain to her interests and research. Rather, the issue of the infertility has begun in recent years (the exact time frame was not given) and it is an abnormality. The Watchdog gave Angel in address to a library in Ramesses that'll have a tome that refers to the deva's fertility issues and what can be done to rectify it.
• Angel then asked what happened to her family. Watchdog informed her that their family lived in a town with Genesis connections. The dwarven cartel gang, the Winged Serpents, took out the towns inhabitants as retribution for a slight Genesis paid them. Angel's family (who were leaders in the communities) were among the victims of the dwarves.
• Angel didn't have a third question, so the Watchdog hinted that she can seek him out, should she ever think of another one.

• Roan's answers...
• Roan sought out the Middleman because while in the line of duty, he had accidentally shot his love interest (Kimberley Meyer, a recon member of his security team) when trying to take out Leonhardt Nacht (who was using Meyer as a human shield). His questions mostly had to do with his quest for revenge, though it did satisfy his cat like curiosity as well.
• Rather than give Roan an address and tell him to have it, the Watchdog offered Roan a 'deal'. The Watchdog would deliver Nacht to a location of Roan's choosing (that Roan could set up in advanced for an ambush). However, this would require 'releasing' what Nacht wants, and if Nacht acquires it, then slips away... he'll be gone forever.
• Roan then inquired as to why Genesis protected Nacht. Watchdog revealed that Nacht was a former, off the books agent for Genesis. Nacht was well liked in the company by some and hated in the company by others. Nacht had no qualms getting his hands dirty with what Genesis needed. Nacht's main directive towards the end of his career involved human trafficking in order to acquire unique specimens for Genesis projects (Genasi, Apex, Rebirth).
• Nacht eventually came to a disagreement with Genesis when Gwen Morrison took over as his handler. Gwen threatened Nacht by using Nacht's wife as leverage against him which set Nacht over the edge. Nacht and Gwen decided not to act against one another because each had information (or a hostage) that would ruin the other; creating an uneasy stale mate between Nacht and Genesis.
• Nacht had gotten along with his previous handler, but the handler had been killed, and Gwen took over the duties of advising Nacht. Nacht had been involved in human trafficking under that handler, but he had been trying to remove himself from those type of missions and Gwen wouldn't let him.
• Finally, Roan wanted to know about the Middleman's identity. The Watchdog revealed that the Middleman is a complex Artificial Intelligence that the Watchdog helped design. The core identity and personality of the Middleman came from a colleague, a father figure, that Watchdog looked up to. The process to create the Middleman resulted in his colleague's death; the goal of the project being to imprint a person's personality into cyberspace. To protect the Middleman and to prevent this from happening again, Watchdog killed all the other scientists involved in the project, then escaped Genesis and cut all ties with their organization.
• Ultimately, Roan was left more confused and twisted up over his answers than he was happy with them.

• Setter's answers...
• Setter's goal for working with the Middleman was to get revenge against the people who ultimately ruined his life by killing the team of mercenaries he had worked so hard to build.
• Setter inquired why his first team of mercenaries had been killed. They were killed in revenge against their primary employer (Daichi the Crane) who was cutting ties with dwarven cartels while trying to muscle in on their turf.  The cartel team was able to hit and take out Setter's team in mid-transport thanks to Leonhardt Nacht being leveraged and used to acquire sensitive intel from Daichi.
• Watchdog revealed that the nature behind the hit was also done for Genesis to acquire Daichi's cargo: a live dragonborn. Nacht went out of his way to ensure that the dragonborn would be captured, unharmed, when Setter's team was hit.
• Watchdog then gave Setter a list of names of the people responsible for the hit. It included: Leonhardt Nacht, Gwen Morrisson, and Lukas Baer. Carlos Rodgersias (cartel member who ordered the hit), Sofia, Juan, Javier, Jazmin, and Dante (the five man dwarven hit team).

• Kembu's answers...
• Kembu originally sought out the Middleman on a whim; having discovered a little girl named Lisa Trent whose old sister Brittany had been kidnapped by the Winged Serpents Cartel.
• The Watchdog revealed Brittany was being held in an apartment complex that the cartel used as a base of operations in Babylon. The Watchdog warned to bring friends.
• Kembu then inquired what the Middleman's ultimate goal was. The Middleman wants to see Babylon transition into a democracy. The Watchdog believes that this is possible under the Middleman's guidance, and supports the cause.
• Watchdog then revealed that Leonhardt Nacht was ultimately behind the kidnapping of Britanny Trent, and one of the main leaders behind the Winged Serpents. And without saying it directly, Watchdog confirmed Kembu's suspicions that Nacht is his and Aria's father.

• After the answers were shared...
• Death Otter attempts to recruit Managirl to help her steal a counter-encryption unit, but Managirl actively declines, and insists that Otter should not conduct criminal activities and that she might face off against Managirl someday if she continues that route. Otter eventually leaves the group; having more than she could've wanted when she first joined the group at Mei-Xing's behest.
• Setter made a phone call to Gwen Morrison in order to see what role she had in the events that have plagued Setter's life. Setter seemed to deem Gwen innocent of purposeful intent, though he managed to arrange a meeting between him and her associate, Lukas Baer, so that he could vet him out.
• Kembu informed the group that he would likely part ways from them and take up wandering again; though it seemed that his "beef" with some of the other party members might've at least been settled for the time being; settled enough that he trusted them enough to use their help in his goal of rescuing people kidnapped by the Dwarven Cartel.
• Roan and Kembu briefly talked regarding the nature of Leonhardt Nacht; Kembu asking that Roan not assassinate him until he and Aria have had a chance to talk to him.
• The group wanted to discuss some of their answers and revelations, but that would have to wait until next time...

Loot:

• N/A

Current Objectives:

• Receive the Middleman's Answers. [COMPLETED]
• Pursue Personal Goals.
• Roan: Defeat Nacht.
• Setter: Revenge.
• Kembu: Save the girl.
• Managirl: Find yourself.
• Aria: Reunite your family.
• Del: Save the world.
• Angel: Start a family.
• Death Otter: Defeat Athena. [COMPLETED]

Lazy DM's Playtest #3 - 13th Age and Planescape

The third in a series of many play tests to help us decide what systems and settings we like.

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Session Date: TBD
System: 13th Age
Starting Level: 3

Classes: Everything from the core rulebook and 13 True Ways is allowed.
Races: Everything from the core rulebook and 13 True Ways is allowed.
Equipment: No magic items. Assume you have the basic equipment, armor, and weapons that you need. See Page 55. Equipment isn't really too important in 13th Age, you generally assume you have the basic supplies you need; not so much micromanaging.

Stats: Your stats start at 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8.
*Your stats, when all added up together, have to equal a +10 modifier. You do not include the -1 from the 8 when adding up to the +10 modifier.
*You cannot have odd numbered stats pre-racial modifiers.
*You cannot increase the 8.
*You cannot go above an 18 in a stat pre-racial modifiers.
*Some example stat arrays are as follows:
-18, 18, 14, 10, 10, 8
-18, 18, 12, 12, 10, 8
-18, 16, 16, 10, 10, 8
-18, 14, 14, 14, 10, 8
-16, 16, 16, 12, 10, 8

Character Checklist: Class, Race, Stats, Backgrounds, Feats, One Unique Thing, and Icon Relationships.

Setting: Planescape. Use Planescape factions instead of the Icons normally found in 13th Age.

Hook/Premise:
A mysterious merchant in Sigil has contacted your group of adventurers to help him retrieve some valuable merchandise that has been stolen from him. To find the thief, you'll have to chase the culprit through numerous planes before finally finding out the truth to the robbery. Will you stay true to your client after the truth is revealed or will you side with the thief?

Lazy DM's Playtest #2 - Pathfinder and World's Largest Dungeon

The second in a series of many play tests to help us decide what systems and settings we like.

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Session Date: October 8th, 2014
System: Pathfinder
Starting Level: 3
HD: Don't roll, take the average.
Variant Rules: Alternate race traits and favored class options are allowed. I am also allowing Traits. You get 2 Traits. I have the final say in approval and veto on Traits. You can select a Drawback to receive a 3rd Trait.
Classes: Core, Base, Alternate, and Hybrid classes are allowed. I prefer you play a Base, Alternate, or Hybrid class so that you can get a feel for something outside of the D&D 3.5 norm.
Races: You have to pick a core race or a race that is 10 RP or under. I will allow custom races if you work with me on it.
Equipment: 3,000 GP. You pick out your equipment from that.
Rule of Thumb: No 3rd Party material without my approval.

Stats: Your stats start at 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8.
*Your stats, when all added up together, have to equal a +10 modifier. You do not include the -1 from the 8 when adding up to the +10 modifier.
*You cannot have odd numbered stats pre-racial modifiers.
*You cannot increase the 8.
*You cannot go above an 18 in a stat pre-racial modifiers.
*Some example stat arrays are as follows:
-18, 18, 14, 10, 10, 8
-18, 18, 12, 12, 10, 8
-18, 16, 16, 10, 10, 8
-18, 14, 14, 14, 10, 8
-16, 16, 16, 12, 10, 8

Character Checklist: Make sure you have a class, a race, and two traits. I think that's it?

Setting: World's Largest Dungeon

Hook/Premise:
You and your friends have grown up in a small community underground in the World's Largest Dungeon. So far, you have been shielded from the horrors that lurk within the dungeon, but when one of your friends is stolen from under the nose of your community, it is up to you, the next generation of Heroes for your community, to venture further into the dungeon and find your kidnapped friend.

Lazy DM's Playtest #1 - D&D 5th Edition and Zeitgeist

The first in a series of many play tests to help us decide what systems and settings we like.

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Session Date: October 1st, 2014
System: 5th Edition D&D
Starting Level: 3
HD: Don't roll, take the average.
Variant Rules: Multi-classing and Feats are allowed.
Races/Classes: All races and classes found in the D&D 5th Edition PHB are allowed.
Equipment: Follow the equipment listings for your Class and Background.

Stats: Your stats start at 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 8.
*Your stats, when all added up together, have to equal a +10 modifier. You do not include the -1 from the 8 when adding up to the +10 modifier.
*You cannot have odd numbered stats pre-racial modifiers.
*You cannot increase the 8.
*You cannot go above an 18 in a stat pre-racial modifiers.
*Some example stat arrays are as follows:
-18, 18, 14, 10, 10, 8
-18, 18, 12, 12, 10, 8
-18, 16, 16, 10, 10, 8
-18, 14, 14, 14, 10, 8
-16, 16, 16, 12, 10, 8

Character Checklist: Make sure you have a class, a race, and a background (see chapter 125). I do not want anyone making a custom background for the playtest, so please choose an existing background.

Setting: Zeitgeist. Think D&D Steam Punk feel to it all.

Hook/Premise:
You are members of the RHC (Risuri Homeland Constabulary); a law enforcement group sponsored by King Aodhan of Risur, tasked with pursuing threats that transcend country borders.

In the industrial capital city of Flint, a recent string of murders have gone unsolved. Typically, this would be left to the police, but recently one of the victims was found to be an assistant to a prestigious diplomat sent from the tiefling nation of Danor. This will spark an international incident if the murderer isn't brought to justice. Between the five victims, there are no common threads. However, the killer seems to take a trophy from each of his kill: a patch of flayed skin.

Your team of RHC members have been sent to assist local law enforcement with uncovering the killer and bringing him or her to justice. Are you up to the task?

Session 43 - A Number In The System (Part 2)

Key Points:

• And so, the battle continued...
• Setter creates an opening for Aria to strike the LADY.
• The LADY wounds both Managirl and Kembu with a spell.
• Otter hacks into Roan's brain and allows him to escape being cornered by the JERK.
• Roan stuns the JERK with a well-timed sniper shot.
• Athena, to stir up trouble, forces Aria several times (even when she attempts to evade it) to attack Managirl. She also causes a little trouble by forcing Managirl to say hurtful things towards Aria. Afterwards, all of the Athena's vanish from the party's field of vision.
• Kembu calls Watchdog; who seems to be in a combat situation of his own. Watchdog after receiving part of the information regarding Athena, suggests the use of an EMP to prevent her from jumping from body to body.
• Managirl performs an impressive feat of power against the JERK; nearly killing it again.
• Remaining drum drones attempt to fire and pin down several key Runners.
• Aria throws multiple shurikens against her enemies!
• Angel has some healing love for some people, and finishes the JERK off with a shot gun blast.

• Wow. So Battle. Much Fight.
• Setter dazes and bloodies the LADY with a powerful shot while empowering Managirl with a spell.
• The LADY's powerful ghastly visions spell returns and she forces Setter to relive a traumatizing failure from his past while Managirl is forced to deal with her abandonment issues again and again.
• Otter tinkers with the processing for several drones; nearly destroying them.
• Managirl rolls a death saving throw! She passes.
• Roan focuses on weakening the LADY with a solid sniper shot.
• Two of the three remaining Athena's reveal themselves; attempting to gundown Setter and Managirl. They're successful in taking Managirl down.
• Kembu slays a drone by throwing his sword at it.
• Roan attempts to snap Setter out of his ghastly visions, but the effort has mixed results.
• The drones attempt to kill a downed and dying Managirl, nearly achieving the desired result.
• Angel delivers a powerful shot to the LADY.
• Aria tosses Kembu's thrown sword back to him after briefly considering taking it for herself, then she bloodies one of the visible Athena.

• DANGER, DANGER, IT IS A NEW COMBAT ROUND!
• Setter focuses on reviving Managirl (and is successful).
• Hera tries to unleash more ghastly visions upon the group, but Aria's opportunity attack finishes her off and prevents that from happening. The LADY dies, and we see the aged, life support HERA fall out of the machine and flat line.
• Otter decides to unleash a huge plasma grenade in the middle of the battle field; wounding friend and foe alike.
• Roan kills one of the remaining Athena's, then stuns and wounds the other.
• Various machines rise from Athena's cybermancy.
• Managirl comes back in a fury; nearly killing the last Athena and mending some of Kembu's wounds.
• Kembu nearly kills one of the drones, then runs back towards the door in hopes of finding the missing Athena.
• Managirl is shot by the remaining drones.
• Angel finishes off the last visible Athena with a shotgun blast.
• Aria ends up throwing more shurikens; nearly killing many drones.

• NANI, MORE FIGHTING!?
• Setter wounds the revived LADY terribly, which disrupts her attacks against Kembu and Angel.
• Otter destroys one of the drones with a feedback surge.
• Athena reveals her presence; after used her time invisible to trigger some fail safe plans. Alarms and sirens begin to go off, and Otter reveals that Athena has accomplished three things. 1) She released her "nest egg" of sensitive information and intel regarding Genesis online. 2) She released an army of assassin robots to hunt down high priority targets. 3) She activated the explosives she has hidden under Sector Six; enough to take out the entire sector.
• Managirl destroys a drone and nearly the LADY again.
• Roan plots something, preparing a hidden EMP that he stole from Nacht.
• Kembu rushes back across the map to try and engage the last Athena.
• Angel takes down one of the drones.
• Aria attempts to attack Athena, but she evades for now.

•  Last round? I can't remember...
• Sirens and alarms go off while the bombs prepare to do their thing.
• Athena had several exchanges with the group; offering Angel her wisdom (in the form of her SEED) and offering Aria some hints about a past that she didn't quite understand.
• Setter fails to land a strike this time around.
• The LADY wounds Aria and Kembu with a minor attack.
• Otter begins to try and counteract what Athena has done; she only makes it 33% or so of the way there.
• Roan wounds Athena with a rubber bullet.
• Managirl fails to land a strike this round too.
• So does Angel.
• The remaining turrets fire on Otter.
• Aria severely wounds Athena, bringing her near death and destroying the genasi's forearm computer.

• Remember when I said the last round was the last round? I lied.
• Setter heals Otter, then makes sure the door to the room is closed.
• The LADY attempts to direct her ghastly visions at Otter, but the Freediver had a plan that protected her.
• Otter continues her work, roughly getting pass the 50% marker.
• Outside, the group could hear some terrible construct on the way to try and kill Otter before she could finish.
• Roan and Kembu revealed their plan. Roan activated the EMP and Kembu killed Athena right then and there; hoping that it would prevent her from jumping as the freediver was in the process of uploading herself to the Net. Whether or not the two were successful in killing the IDEA that Athena became is unknown, but the identity of Athena itself is dead and gone on Mount Olympus.
• The EMP device shut down all electronics in the immediate area; a painful and terrible experience for Setter while for Otter it more... brought her down to normal.
• The EMP was enough to disable the remaining machines.

• The aftermath...
• Angel collected all the artifacts; including having to do surgery on Athena's head.
• The group had mixed reactions; more or less spending a few words with another Runner. They were wounded, physically and mentally, and now faced potential certain death...
• The facility began to quake and rumble with explosions... but they weren't directly underneath the facility. Otter had done enough to ensure that the group would survive. However, roughly 50% of Sector Six was destroyed by explosions that Otter wasn't able to stop (given she didn't have enough time). And that's not counting potentially 50% of the machines unleashed after high profile targets...
• When it became clear that the group would not explode and die, and when electronics came back on, Angel reported a quick message to the Middleman, and the group started out of the facility...

• The conclusion...
• The group arrives at the Treant Theater, wounded and exhausted, hoping to get in their truck and recover Pandora's Box from Prometheus and take it to Rickenato.
• However, at the Theater, they find Gwen, Niklas, OGRE, and a legion of Genesis Security along with all the captive and dead Olympians. The session ended on the cryptic message, "We need to talk" from Gwen, FIRST CLASS ROGUE Agent for Genesis, and one of the primary power players in Babylon.

Loot:

• Athena's Wisdom, Hera's Diadem, and Zeus' Thunderbolt: click here...

Current Objectives:

• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: Deliver Pandora's Box to Rickenato.
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.
• Pursue Personal Goals.
• Roan: Defeat Nacht.
• Setter: Revenge.
• Kembu: Save the girl.
• Managirl: Find yourself.
• Aria: Reunite your family.
• Del: Save the world.
• Angel: Start a family.
• Death Otter: Defeat Athena.

Session 42 - A Number In The System (Part 1)

Key Points:

• The party took a short rest to recover...
• Kembu claimed Ares' sword.
• Managirl ensured that Ares was tied up and would remain unconscious.
• Aria, in a dazed, executed one of the surviving geisha in a chokehold. The combat experience had triggered an unwanted episode; a flashback to something that Aria's mind tried to suppress.
• The group took a short rest, and then proceeded out of the basement of the facility.

• Upon advancing further in the facility, the group found a floating monitor with Athena's picture and voice.
• Athena offered to lead the group straight to her, in exchange for sharing her thoughts; her side of the events that have taken place.
• Otter scanned the monitor; ensuring that it was not trapped or armed.
• Various Runners acted differently to the situation. Otter believed it was a trap, Managirl seemed willing to listen, Angel thought she saw what Athena was going to share, Kembu seemed unwilling to accept any excuse for what Athena did, Setter saw business as business, Aria was quiet on the matter, and Roan had no interest in Athena's words given the deal he had made with Gwen.

• And so, Athena shared some information with the party...
• Athena picked 'Roan' to carry out the assassination on the First Lady for several reasons. Roan could disappear from his human identity to his hengeyokai identity. Additionally, a former security Genesis employee with medals of honor would result in terrible publicity for Genesis and bring direct heat down upon Gwen Morrisson. Lastly, it would involve the Runners in her plot.
• President Campbell is just a puppet; he has no ideas of his own, rather, others use him for their own agendas.
• The First Lady was part of a cabal that made the decisions for Genesis. Athena claims that someone else pulls the strings of the cabal, however.
• Athena needed the First Lady eliminated specifically because she was the biggest supporter of PROJECT GENASI. Zeus and Hera, the father and mother of Athena, Ares, and Aphrodite, were the DNA donors for all of the manaborn created under PROJECT GENASI. By eliminating the First Lady, it would hinder PROJECT GENASI, and allow for Athena to make the moves she needed to free the Olympians (specifically Zeus and Hera) from Genesis' control.
• Athena revealed that Pandora's Box was created by two people unaware of the other; Athena being one of them. While Pandora's Box contained many things, the main thing that she was always after, the one thing she felt was hers by right... was something she called The Process. She did not elaborate on WHAT the Process is nor did anyone inquire further about it. She did, however, call it "The Key To The City".
• PROJECT GENASI'S ultimate goal was to create an army for GENESIS to use. An army that wouldn't question them. An army that couldn't be defeated easily. That could defeat internal and foreign threat alike.
• After taking the DNA samples (Zeus and Hera) away from Genesis, Athena wanted to focus on taking down the cabal behind GENESIS. The First Lady was just the first step.
• The rest of her plan is left a mystery, but it likely required Pandora's Box.
• Athena tried to warn the party, that, if they continued to back her into a corner, that she would ultimately set fire to everything and everyone. She would rather the status quo descend into complete chaos in hopes of something better rising from its ashes.
• Athena's end game was to destroy GENESIS. She wanted everyone to be on equal footing, have equal resources, and the free will and means to do what they wanted with their lives without being wage slaves. She knew that this would not happen over night, and was willing to see decades of suffering until, at long last, improvement.
• Athena believes that under GENESIS leadership, that the world is more or less doomed to eventually die. That is why she is so focused on eliminating the cabal, then all of Genesis.
• Athena seemed aware of the groups deal with Gwen Morrisson, but also their deal with the Middleman and Watchdog.

• Athena's monitor lead the group through a factory that was building firearms, tanks, machines, robots, automatons, etc. More or less, what GENESIS produces, sells, and uses. She would lead the group to a door on a catwalk...
• The door lead to the inner sanctum of the Olympians. There, an army of robots was waiting along with five different copies of Athena.
• Though there were multiple Athena's, only one could be the 'host' at what time. The bodies were all (brain dead) people that had undergone plastic surgery and modification to all look like Athena. Meat Puppets.
• Two robots that stood out were the JERK and the YOUNG LADY. The JERK was a chassis for Zeus while the YOUNG LADY was piloted by Hera.

• And so, combat broke out... ROUND 1!
• Setter attacked Zeus; weaving a magical attack that would later let him rewrite the future.
• The YOUNG LADY began rotting some of the flesh off Kembu before phasing and disappearing into the floor.
• Otter issued an ITCH command on several of the robots; wounding them.
• Roan scored a dazing shot against Athena.
• The Five Athenas began attacking; one weakened Kembu with a diving attack while the others used their assault rifles. Her Cybermancy Aura allowed her to bring back dead and defeated robots temporarily.
• Managirl threw her mana-napalm at several of the machines; wounding and destroying some.
• Kembu took a second to recover from his wounds, then killed a minion in a daze.
• The Drum Drones fired on numerous targets; but primarily kept Aria from advancing by pinning her down.
• Angel administered morphine to Aria, then tried to shoot the JERK.
• Aria, having tapped into a skill set she was only just rediscovering, threw some shurikens at her foes.
• The BADs fired their turrets at various party members.
• The JERK got involved in the melee scene; primarily focusing on Managirl.

• ROUND TWO!...
• Setter healed Managirl, then managed to wound and bring down a lot of targets with his shiver-strike ammo.
• The Young Lady returned at the heart of the battle field. She blinded Roan and Aria with horrible visions of their past/future. She also weakened Angel, Kembu, and Setter.
• Otter tossed a white phosphorous grenade amidst the battlefield of robots.
• Roan fired on the Young Lady for making him experience that trauma.
• Athena tried diving into Otter unsuccessfully, then forced Roan to shoot himself. The rest of her bodies fired their assault rifles. All the dead robots then returned to life...
• Kembu, still weakened, kills another minion.
• Managirl's impressive magic bloodies one of the Athenas and wounds the JERK.
• The Drum Drones continue firing upon the group.
• Angel threw some healing mojo around, but missed with her attack.
• Aria, channeling all of her unlocked training, brought the JERK down and killed it. Once down, the JERK's pilot fell out; a human that looked dessicated, ancient, and hundreds of years old. Zeus. Cut off from his life support, he died immediately.
• The BADS fired on Aria, but the morphine protected her from many of their shots.

• ROUND THREE!...
• Setter decided to eliminate the majority of the raised BADs by utilizing his thunder-ammo. It proved effective. He also healed Angel.
• The Young Lady focused on keeping Setter and Kembu hurt; decaying their flesh.
• Otter threw another grenade; eliminating some of the minions Setter missed and wounding several other drones.
• Roan fired on the Young Lady; Angel helping the wound do some ongoing damage.
• Athena decided to step her game up. After missing horribly with several dive attempts, she spent an action point, and made Kembu wound Managirl. She then wounded them both with her assault rifle. The JERK also came back to life...
• No longer weakened, Kembu sprinted across the room and killed one of the Athenas; severing her legs from her torso.
• Managirl largely missed with her magic, but managed to wound one machine.
• The drum drones, who have been wounded but none killed, continued firing on the group.
• Angel healed Managirl, and she managed to get a shot off on JERK.
• Aria finished off another Athena; running her sword through her neck. Two down, three left.
• Finally, the JERK severely wounded Setter and Roan with its rampage.

• Next time, the conflict with the Olympians is resolved...

Loot:

• TBD...

Current Objectives:

• Complete Gwen Morrison's Deal: The group's innocence in the parade's assassination in exchange for defeating the Olympians (9/12).
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: Recover Pandora's Box for Rickenato.
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.
• Pursue Personal Goals.
• Roan: Defeat Nacht.
• Setter: Revenge.
• Kembu: Save the girl.
• Managirl: Find yourself.
• Aria: Reunite your family.
• Del: Save the world.
• Angel: Start a family.
• Death Otter: Defeat Athena.