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Essen Mission Summary
Jan. 23rd, 2018 10:52 pmSydney B, Andrew, Diana, Felicity, Sebastian
The Knights were briefed on their mission by both Wynn and Andrew. Andrew explained how a friend of his named Alice had gone missing, and that she had helped pioneer a biotech program and worked with a team called Ice's Irregulars that worked for private clients. They contacted a fixer named Lady Nell by video chat, who let them know that her team had gone off the grid, but that she had coordinates. She offered a reward for rescuing them.
They headed to the coordinates, in Essen, Germany, where they discovered a wrecked riot vehicle and demolished storefront. Further investigation led them to realize that the place had been completely 'cleaned' and not by the police, who hadn't yet arrived. Confused by what they'd found, which included bullet holes, and someone possibly thrown through a wall, they contacted Lady Nell again, who explained that the Irregulars had been hired to find a newlywed bride, Mrs. Johnson, who was three months pregnant by her husband - both of whom were active in the magic community.
Abruptly, a pink-haired man showed up, exclaiming that they were too late, that he was dead. They realized that he was actually slightly see-through - and definitely a ghost. He identified himself as Sobriquet, a mage for the Irregulars, and explained that Mrs. Johnson's cab had been hijacked remotely from this location, and that Alice had hacked a bunch of data from the system when they were all hit by something, and Sobriquet, who was doing astral projection to watch the area at the time, felt his body killed by something with a magical aura. A truck pulled up and a half dozen people cleaned up the scene and took the bodies off in a red, unmarked truck. He explained that the information Alice had hacked should still be in the chip implant in her head. Sydney had seen a red truck pulling onto the highway on the way, and Andrew's trace on Alice's chip pulled up a location - Discrete Disposal. Sobriquet implored them to try to resurrect his teammates, and promised they would pay them back.
They headed to Discrete Disposal, where they made a plan to fake their way inside. In the lobby, they were greeted by a tall pale, puritan-dressed man and they told him that they were health inspectors. He led them back on a tour, as Felicity started to get a bad feeling about this. He showed them where biological waste went, and told them that it would be incinerated, and Andrew poorly excused himself to "go to the bathroom". He realized the place had no security cameras, and apparently no guards either, and rejoined the group as their host unlocked the heavy door to the waste area. They headed down in, and then he locked them in there, and they realized that the place was full of not just dead - but ghouls as well. Felicity was scratched by one in the ensuing fight and they proceeded to search the place for Alice's body. Sydney noticed a necklace that matched the one she was wearing in a picture that Andrew showed them of her, and then discovered Alice's decapitated head. Andrew had a moment of crisis, but Sydney and Felicity talked him down and convinced him that they had to recover the implant and learn what she had died for. Andrew insisted on removing the implant himself, and they escaped through the vents.
Andrew interfaced the implant with his laptop, pulling up information about "Project Icarus" that showed a bunch of medical equipment being shipped to a specified location, and talked about researching a way to let bioware 'grow along with its recipient'. There was talk of fatality rates, and they realized that it seemed deadly experiments were being done on people.
The location appeared to be an abandoned school, where they saw all the lights were on. Andrew hacked the electric records and found that the place was funded by a company called Total Logistic Control, an obvious cover. Felicity thought she saw a child inside, and they headed in, finding all the set-up hospital equipment from the requisition form. Abruptly, a little 6-year old elf girl with a bloodstained dress came out and asked if they could help her mommy. Following her, they found about two dozen pregnant women strapped to gurneys, covered in bloodstained sheets, and hooked up to IVs and monitors. They were suddenly attacked by a little boy who the girl called 'brother', and as the others tried to stop him, the little girl got into Andrew's head and told him to stop them from hurting her brother. He obeyed, shooting at Sydney, as the boy continued to magically attack her. The girl tried to mind control Felicity as well, but she resisted and turned her gun on the girl, shooting her right between the eyes after she refused to relent. Sydney knocked out the young boy and Andrew snapped back to his senses. They noticed wires sparking in the exposed brains of the little girl. They called for help, as Andrew investigated the on-site files.
What he discovered was chilling: Project Icarus was a secret eugenics experiment in applying cultured biotech to unborn fetuses, which seemed to allow them to keep their magical abilities. The project had been officially shut down, but continued here in secret by madmen who had stopped using in vitro subjects, and started kidnapping pregnant women to experiment on. There were files on the two original successes of the experiment: Theseus and Ariadne, who had been brainwashed to protect the project - the two children they had just taken out. They turned Theseus over to the police and the women were each returned to their homes. They were unable to discover the original 'parent' company, however, and they remain at large. Lady Nell paid the Knighthood handsomely for the intel on what had happened to the Irregulars.
The Knights were briefed on their mission by both Wynn and Andrew. Andrew explained how a friend of his named Alice had gone missing, and that she had helped pioneer a biotech program and worked with a team called Ice's Irregulars that worked for private clients. They contacted a fixer named Lady Nell by video chat, who let them know that her team had gone off the grid, but that she had coordinates. She offered a reward for rescuing them.
They headed to the coordinates, in Essen, Germany, where they discovered a wrecked riot vehicle and demolished storefront. Further investigation led them to realize that the place had been completely 'cleaned' and not by the police, who hadn't yet arrived. Confused by what they'd found, which included bullet holes, and someone possibly thrown through a wall, they contacted Lady Nell again, who explained that the Irregulars had been hired to find a newlywed bride, Mrs. Johnson, who was three months pregnant by her husband - both of whom were active in the magic community.
Abruptly, a pink-haired man showed up, exclaiming that they were too late, that he was dead. They realized that he was actually slightly see-through - and definitely a ghost. He identified himself as Sobriquet, a mage for the Irregulars, and explained that Mrs. Johnson's cab had been hijacked remotely from this location, and that Alice had hacked a bunch of data from the system when they were all hit by something, and Sobriquet, who was doing astral projection to watch the area at the time, felt his body killed by something with a magical aura. A truck pulled up and a half dozen people cleaned up the scene and took the bodies off in a red, unmarked truck. He explained that the information Alice had hacked should still be in the chip implant in her head. Sydney had seen a red truck pulling onto the highway on the way, and Andrew's trace on Alice's chip pulled up a location - Discrete Disposal. Sobriquet implored them to try to resurrect his teammates, and promised they would pay them back.
They headed to Discrete Disposal, where they made a plan to fake their way inside. In the lobby, they were greeted by a tall pale, puritan-dressed man and they told him that they were health inspectors. He led them back on a tour, as Felicity started to get a bad feeling about this. He showed them where biological waste went, and told them that it would be incinerated, and Andrew poorly excused himself to "go to the bathroom". He realized the place had no security cameras, and apparently no guards either, and rejoined the group as their host unlocked the heavy door to the waste area. They headed down in, and then he locked them in there, and they realized that the place was full of not just dead - but ghouls as well. Felicity was scratched by one in the ensuing fight and they proceeded to search the place for Alice's body. Sydney noticed a necklace that matched the one she was wearing in a picture that Andrew showed them of her, and then discovered Alice's decapitated head. Andrew had a moment of crisis, but Sydney and Felicity talked him down and convinced him that they had to recover the implant and learn what she had died for. Andrew insisted on removing the implant himself, and they escaped through the vents.
Andrew interfaced the implant with his laptop, pulling up information about "Project Icarus" that showed a bunch of medical equipment being shipped to a specified location, and talked about researching a way to let bioware 'grow along with its recipient'. There was talk of fatality rates, and they realized that it seemed deadly experiments were being done on people.
The location appeared to be an abandoned school, where they saw all the lights were on. Andrew hacked the electric records and found that the place was funded by a company called Total Logistic Control, an obvious cover. Felicity thought she saw a child inside, and they headed in, finding all the set-up hospital equipment from the requisition form. Abruptly, a little 6-year old elf girl with a bloodstained dress came out and asked if they could help her mommy. Following her, they found about two dozen pregnant women strapped to gurneys, covered in bloodstained sheets, and hooked up to IVs and monitors. They were suddenly attacked by a little boy who the girl called 'brother', and as the others tried to stop him, the little girl got into Andrew's head and told him to stop them from hurting her brother. He obeyed, shooting at Sydney, as the boy continued to magically attack her. The girl tried to mind control Felicity as well, but she resisted and turned her gun on the girl, shooting her right between the eyes after she refused to relent. Sydney knocked out the young boy and Andrew snapped back to his senses. They noticed wires sparking in the exposed brains of the little girl. They called for help, as Andrew investigated the on-site files.
What he discovered was chilling: Project Icarus was a secret eugenics experiment in applying cultured biotech to unborn fetuses, which seemed to allow them to keep their magical abilities. The project had been officially shut down, but continued here in secret by madmen who had stopped using in vitro subjects, and started kidnapping pregnant women to experiment on. There were files on the two original successes of the experiment: Theseus and Ariadne, who had been brainwashed to protect the project - the two children they had just taken out. They turned Theseus over to the police and the women were each returned to their homes. They were unable to discover the original 'parent' company, however, and they remain at large. Lady Nell paid the Knighthood handsomely for the intel on what had happened to the Irregulars.