Closed | Malicant Event | Teams 10 - 12

[alderwood]

Characters: Team 10 (Jason Grace, Amaterasu, Carol Danvers, Marius Pontmercy, Johnny Storm), Team 11 (Natasha Romanoff, Dinah Lance, Liz Allan, Namorita, Toro Raymond), Team 12 (Peggy Carter, Jaime Reyes, Westly, Johan Gustav Dååhd, Cinna)
Date: June 25th - July 13th
Location: Keeliai (various locations)
Situation: Evandau put out the call for help against the great and powerful Oz. Malicant. Ozicant. There are the next three teams to be assembled
Warnings/Rating:
Please include content warnings in subject headers.

The police force has a series of leads they need the Foreigners to follow-up on that may (or may not) relate to the entity known as Malicant. Teams 10, 11, and 12 are mobilised now. See the threads in this post for details and contact Alex (reignsdown or the mod account) if you have any questions.

Note: A variety of the options indicate that players can create kedan to fill plot needs in terms of questioning and what have you. These kedan are plot-specific and would not count in the rule-of-tens for NPCs (unless they were referred to after the event; but that is future and this is now).

Team 10 | Team 11 | Team 12

Comments

TEAM 12

[alderwood]

Characters:
> Peggy Carter | shootingshields
> Jaime Reyes | escarabajo
> Westly | franchisepirate
> Johan Gustav Dååhd | kvarterskommissarie
> Cinna | afirewithfashion

Note: Cinna's player is on an unplanned hiatus due to computer failure. Please keep this in mind when voting for options and considering character interactions.

OOC

[alderwood]

BRIEFING

[alderwood]

Hei To begins the briefing by pinning a map up on the wall; it is clearly a reproduction, but lacks label to identify exactly what is being detailed and there are a few blank areas. There have been criminals apprehended coming in and out of the city in violation of their parole orders of late. None of them have significant or longstanding gang ties; those that do show no pattern of loyalty to one specific crew. The only link between them is that each possessed the portion of a map with no names (Alexandretta) and only a red-lined route marked on each. These maps were worthless as a whole, but analysis of the lot showed a puzzle to be put together -- the results of which are now compiled into the reproduction pinned on the wall. He gestures to a thick black line at the west side of it, indicating that it appears to identify one of the Eastern gates based on the lines suggestive of roads leading away from it. Three separate cartographers have looked over it and agreed upon this concluded location. The red-lined path begins there, heading eastwards on the main road before breaking off onto less travelled routes. The suspicion is that these bits of maps were for runners meant to relay goods to a specific destination -- the paths were spilt into multiple legs so that no single runner would know the whole route. None of the apprehended kedan were caught transporting any goods and only some on the return were found to have trace elements of a toxic powder on them. The blank spaces are, Hei To fears, runners that have not been caught. Their orders are to trace down the origins and/or destination of this map, as well as discern exactly what was being run along the route.

CLUES

[alderwood]

SET 01

[alderwood]

Dossiers:
Each member of the team is provided a file with English transcriptions of the criminal records for each kedan; the crimes range from assault to trafficking of weapons and/or drugs from outside the city walls into its heart. A total of nine have been apprehended to this point and summaries of interrogations included outline that none admitted to knowing what they were running. One stated that he didn't ask questions for his own safety, another claimed that money forfeits the means, while a third had been warned that opening the parcel would result in her death and she very much liked being alive, thanks. Two provided inconsistent descriptions of their supplier and the files note that this is a standard result with kedan -- shapeshifting can protect their identities and so little emphasis is put on the physical description. There is a smaller reproduction of the amalgamated map and, for the duration of the briefing, Hei To allows evidence envelopes to be passed around that contain the original pieces so that the team can verify that the details were transferred correctly. Additionally, a map of the shellside has been provided to help identify possible routes where there are no map fragments to identify it; the fragments they have do show a beginning and end, but as the maps are not to scale, they have not been able to pinpoint the endpoint. There is a brief toxicology report on the trace substances found on returning parties; it is shown to be a fine dust that reacts to water. It is rated as lethal in sufficient doses, but as the substance itself is foreign to Keeliai, there is no information beyond that.


Options:
A
Follow the red brick road~
Follow the red brick road~
Follow, follow, follow, follow~
Follow the red brick road~!

If ever oh ever a dick there was~
The Malicant is one because~
Because, because, because, because, becaaause~
Because of the terrible things it does!

Investigate the route outlined on the map. Characters would be supplied with a kirin-led cart and supplies sufficient for five days of exploration on the eastern area of the shell. No kedan guide would be provided and Hei To would suggest they utilise some form of disguise to avoid obvious identification (or at least that they consider staying off the cart and path once they reach the end of the commonly travelled roads). The first three hours of cart ride would be on main roads with moderate kedan traffic. Diverting off the main road based on analysis of the amalgamated map and the map of Tu Vishan's shell would lead them into less populated territory. Cautious eyes may see a sentry posted every few kilometres, laying low on a hill or standing in the shade of a shell outcropping. They would not be confronted unless they remained on the path after five hours, at which point it would dwindle into being two ruts for a cart. A kilometre beyond that, there is an armed checkpoint that would stop the cart and question them about their purpose there. Players could create names and natures for these kedan and are asked to use the RNG method to determine whether their replies "roll a twenty" or fail. Should the team abandon the cart and kirin before the path reduces as noted, they could route around the path and bypass the checkpoints -- which occur at regular intervals after the first. Encounters with guards are available as the team sees fit.

Exact details as to the destination of the map would be provided in the next clue set if this option is taken. Please also include in your reply whether they would proceed on cart or on foot prior to the first checkpoint.

B
Question the apprehended criminals about the map fragments, the trace substances, and their purpose outside the city walls when the terms of their parole were to remain inside Keeliai at all times. Hei To would provide interview rooms and one officer to oversee each interview. Players could create kedan names and attitudes to suit the situation. The nine kedan apprehended show some inconsistences of story, with the major being the two that mentioned a supplier before. These two would now deny having ever met anyone and now claim that they woke up outside of Keeliai with the map fragments planted on their persons. The kedan that stated she did not open the package for her own health would now claim she never touched a package. All nine show signs of serious sleep deprivation and their body language is increasingly fearful. One breaks down into tears at further questioning, rocking back and forth in his chair as he says "I can't" over and over again until he begins to froth at the mouth. He collapses shortly after that and the team is escorted out of that interview room while a doctor is called. The others cease to talk after that, though one would slip a folded piece of paper into one of the team's hands.

Exact details about the questioning, including an specific questions included with the team's final vote and the contents of that paper, would be provided in the next clue set if this option is taken.


Deadline:
To permit creation of the next clue set, please reply with the option selected by the team by July 1st at end of day. If no response is made at that time, a mod will RNG the option. A header has been provided in the IC section for your team for any threading relevant to this clue set. Questions and (some) additional details can be requested by replying to this comment with QUESTION - SET 01 in the subject line. Please be specific with questions, as generic "what happened to X" queries are too broad to answer fairly.

[escarabajo]

We're going with Option A! Will edit when everybody weighs in on cart vs. on foot.

SET 02; cw: rot, death

[alderwood]

Findings - Set 01:
The on-foot approach delays the team's arrival until the evening hours, a fact that works in their favour as they near the end of their map route. They evade notice by the armed checkpoints and are able to approach a site appropriately marked by a cross on the map. Here the ground divides with a creek running deep into a ravine that widens out at the bottom into a shallow lake. Sentries are posted around the ravine's edges, maintaining the security for what appears to be a large, coordinated operation below. Twenty-to-thirty kedan are working at the lakeside, each and every one of them wearing extensive protective gear as they move about. There are three tents set up on the largest dry sections of land and from within some kedan emerge carrying buckets of a whiteish liquid that they dump into the water. Brown foam laps up at the sandy shores and there are dead fish floating on the surface. A faint breeze carries the smell of rot up to the team.

The far side of the ravine features a winding path from the top to bottom and here they could observe a cart navigating the treacherous route on its way up. Two kedan are riding on it, removing protective gear as they go -- should they be witnessed at the top, they will hand off that gear to sentry there and then depart. Meanwhile, there stands a cart at the top, queued up to descend; this cart has three kedan on the bench and the bed is filled with sacks of an unknown substance.

Options:
A
Return and report the findings to Hei To, who would then authorise a team of policekedan to return to the site with them. The team would be temporarily deputised with the authority to order the apprehension or execution of any kedan that attempted to stop this team's entry. They would proceed through the armed checkpoints -- raising an alarm at each that would be carried on the next checkpoint of a kedan runner dispatched was successful in reaching it.

Exact details regarding the success or failure of the raid would be provided with the next clue set if this option is taken. Please clarify whether the kedan would be able to raise the alarm at one checkpoint to the next if this option is taken.

B
Infiltrate and investigate further. The team would notice that the creek which drains into the ravine runs along a treacherous path of rocks slick with moisture, but that it could technically be navigated without detection from where they are positioned to the very bottom of the ravine where the creek meets the lake. Characters may notice that the stench of rot gets worse the closer that they get to the base of the ravine and may feel sick to their stomachs or dizzy due to a chemical that is carried by the breeze. Occasionally, they may encounter a dead bird or signs of growth along the creekside that has died and begun to decompose into a slimey substance that sticks to the skin and causes it to feel numb after a few minutes -- a sensation that does not dissipate for over an hour after exposure.

Exact details of what awaits them at the base of the ravine would be provided in the next clue set should this option be taken.

Deadline:
To permit creation of the next clue set, please reply with the option selected by the team by July 6th at end of day. If no response is made at that time, a mod will RNG the option. A header has been provided in the IC section for your team for any threading relevant to this clue set. Questions and (some) additional details can be requested by replying to this comment with QUESTION - SET 02 in the subject line. Please be specific with questions, as generic "what happened to X" queries are too broad to answer fairly.

[escarabajo]

Let's go for B!!

FINAL SET & OUTCOMES | cw: skeletal remains, decomposition

[alderwood]

Findings - Set 02:
The stench intensifies the closer that the team gets to the lakeside. They may notice the presence of brittle bones washed ashore that snap easily, showing extensive pock-marking on the inside and out. It's almost as though they were soaked in a corrosive substance for days on end. Characters may notice a bit of sizzling from any clothing that comes in contact with the water and direct contact this close to the source would result in acid burns on the skin -- best treated by rinsing under clean water, but there is little of that down here.

Meanwhile, the kedan cease working as a heavily laden cart pulls up to the edge of the lake. There are a dozen and more large, lumpy shapes enrobed in sheets stained brown with something, though the nature of that is almost impossible to determine before the first of the sacks gets tossed into the water. There's a loud snap and sizzle, a violent bubbling surrounding the large parcel before it sinks. They repeat the motion with the remaining bodies and the team may notice a hand or a foot falling outside of the shroud before it is tossed into the water, suggesting that this is a mass burial.

Meanwhile, two kedan unload sacks from the front of the cart and a third carries a small wooden chest from beneath the driver's bench into the center tent. Once all the bodies are dumped, a halt is called to the operations for the night and twenty of the kedan pile onto the cart for departure -- they will be systematically dropped off en route to Keeliai, taking roundabout paths to avoid any one party realising the path (thereby preserving the sanctity of the map pieces). Only seven kedan remain behind, retiring to the far tent for what they consider to be a well-deserved break after a shift of tossing bodies and corrosives into the stale water.

"Power Surge" Devices:
The team will have their "power surge" devices (PSDs) delivered to them prior to embarking on their outcome option. This will be delivered to them per the OOC announcement via means appropriate to their location. These devices are approximately the size of a small backpack and have straps such that they can be worn like one, with a simple control panel stitched into the canvas siding. These devices can each be used for a thirty second return of powers for one person and then must be recharged for a minimum of five minutes. If you have any questions about these devices, please direct them to the OOC announcement.

Outcomes:
Based on the findings of set 02, this team has one of two final outcomes for their clueventure:

A
Retreat from the site and report back to Hei To on the findings, noting suspicion of the area being a dumping ground for bodies. Special authorisation would be obtained from the Ironwood Emperor to take a unit outside of Keeliai to shut it down and this would be acted upon promptly. The team would be permitted to attend and observe the tents being dismantled and the acidic lake slowly being drained. This reveals that it is merely a depression in the shell where rainwater gathered over the decades and formed a stagnant pool of water. Kedan apprehended on the site all bear markings of extremist gangs and the investigation officially concludes that they were dumping bodies of kedan without any gang links -- though the source of those bodies is never uncovered. All materials found at the site are confiscated and the Foreigners receive official recognition for their efforts. There is no net effect on Tu Vishan's health from this outcome.

B
Incapacitate the seven kedan, question them, and then report back to Hei To on their findings of the site -- but not necessarily their interrogations. These kedan are security forces and would put up a measure of resistance, but the timely delivery of two PSDs by a highspeed runner gives the team even more of an edge than the formidable one provided by having the Dread Pirate Roberts on your side. Once subdued, the kedan prove their forte is not in silence and confess that this is a dumping area for the bodies of blood sacrifices made for Faoxin and another, more obscure cause that they possess no details on. All they know is that the corpses arrive drained of blood and they toss them in the water -- just a deep, stagnant pool of rainwater -- along with a toxic powder that reacts to the water and turns it extremely corrosive. They don't know the source of the powder or much more about the source of the bodies, but they do point out that all identifying accessories have been retained in the centre tent. Here, the team would find five chests filled with juulan, leather purses, and jewellery made by dozens of different craftskedan. There are no names inscribed on them, but the haul of each is worth at least a hundred juulan, if not more.

The subsequent reporting to Hei To results in a specially authorised raid of the area taking place; however, no tents or signs of the operation remain on site with the exception of the lake. This is drained of water and such reveals that it is merely a depression in the shell where rainwater gathered over the decades and formed a stagnant pool of water. The investigation officially concludes that unknown parties were dumping bodies of kedan without any gang links -- though the source of those bodies is never officially uncovered. While there is no net effect on Tu Vishan's health due to this outcome, the Foreigners are able to leave it with their pocket somewhat lined and their minds filled with additional details.

Deadline:
Please reply with the final outcome of your team by July 10th at end of day; this is to ensure that there is a known outcome for each team by the end of the event. If no response is made at that time, a mod will RNG the outcome. A header has been provided in the IC section for your team for any threading relevant to this final set. Questions and (some) additional details can be requested by replying to this comment with QUESTION - FINAL SET in the subject line. Please be specific with questions, as generic "what happened to X" queries are too broad to answer fairly.

QUESTION - FINAL SET

[escarabajo]

When they receive the PSDs, Jaime will want the Scarab to examine both the bodies and the strange powder. Will they find anything unusual about the bodies (past being drained of blood) or learn any new details about what the powder is?

OTHER

[alderwood]

Feel free to use this thread for OOC coordination/what have you.

[escarabajo]

THOUGHTS GUYS?

Jaime would probably be partial to option A. He's a fan of investigation, and the interviewing groundwork has already been done.

(also how much of the pre-option choosing would you guys wanna thread if at all? jaime offers his suite to meet at if we do anything :|a)

[franchisepirate]

A treasure map, eh? Great stuff for a pirate. :3

Westley would probably hang back and try to hear everyone else's opinion before weighing in, and go with the popular consensus if there was one, while offering no particular opinion of his own. That said, if specifically asked or there was no particular consensus he would choose option A. If a discussion ensued, he'd make the genteel and casual argument that there's no sense reviewing what's already been said, especially when the prisoners have little to gain and much to lose by saying more. Best to get out there and see for themselves the truth of it. He might also bring up that he's a fair hand at following maps.

In that scenario Westley would be amazing with tricking/convincing/subtly charming his way through the checkpoint. Not to say he'd be a guaranteed way through when he's so ignorant as to local customs, and especially if someone else mucked up his plans inadvertently, but he'd give it the old pirate's try!

[kvarterskommissarie]

Dååhd would initially want to go for option B — the method of interrogation can very much change the result and he'd prefer knowing more about what they're dealing with before gallivanting off. That said, he could be convinced to go with A with relative ease and if that decision is indeed the one they reach, he'd give it his full attention.

As far as pre-option threading goes, I'd be all for that!

[shootingshields]

ahhhh sorry this is so delayed, friday was busy and i was traveling and out of state most of today (yesterday?? omg it's so late rn)

Peggy would honestly see the perks of both options, but since time is an Issue, she might be more inclined to jump into the investigation herself.

If they go with A, she'd probably also vote for sneaking around and past the checkpoints, because the priority is getting beyond them. She is a pro at being sneaky because spy reasons, though she could also potentially help trick/bribe/charm w/e past the checkpoint too, if everyone'd prefer that oocly!

And I'm down for threading out anything, mostly! :'D

Re: OTHER

[shootingshields]

what up guys, what do we want for clue set 2?

[kvarterskommissarie]

Dååhd would push for option number 2 — if they're already there, why not take a closer look and see for themselves?

Re: OTHER

[escarabajo]

Option 2 for Jaime! If they leave, they might miss out on something important--he'd prefer to stay in the action too. Also, he's not entirely sure how much he trusts Evandau, so he would rather not rely too heavily upon him.

Re: OTHER

[franchisepirate]

Sorry I'm so late, I am out of town! I will be hitting the IC thread as soon as I can.

Westley would prefer option 2 as well, infiltrating and getting more evidence. He is fairly good at navigating terrain like that and would trust his own eyes far more than a squad of kedan. He is also no stranger to toxins and would probably advise against touching it if that counts for anything with the rest of the group, but he might take a sample if there's a means to do so.

Re: OTHER

[kvarterskommissarie]

Alright people, what do we want for the final outcome? I think Johan would want to press on — they've come this far, might as well go all the way and not give them time to wipe any evidence away.

IC

[alderwood]

CLUE SET 01

[alderwood]

[Threading space for consideration of and acting upon clue set 01; this can include following the team's selected option, but not the exact outcome as that will be part of set 02.]

PRE-OPTION

[escarabajo]

[Having offered his humble but relatively private suite in the Wood Sector for a little brainstorming session, Jaime's pinned the maps up on the wall before the group and spread the criminal files on a table set in the middle of them all.]

Sssssooo. [He was intending to be a lot more impressive than he is now, but he's among strangers: and they're all adults. Color him just a little bit unsure of himself.] Personally, if I know anything about how trafficking--all kinds of trafficking--works? Not looking in the back of the truck's usually encouraged. I wouldn't be surprised if they really didn't know anything.

I'm not the only one making this call, though. So. Thoughts?

CLUE SET 02

[alderwood]

[Threading space for consideration of and acting upon clue set 02; this can include following the team's selected option, but not the exact outcome as that will be part of set 03.]

FINAL SET & OUTCOMES

[alderwood]

[Threading space for consideration and acting upon the final set of findings and the outcome for this team.]