Dramatis Personae
Amar Gupta aka The Iron Sikh (played by Christian): Brick. Taxi Driver. Ass-Kicker. Sikh. Tagline: “Being a man of faith means to live it.”- Amie-Belle T. W. Lee aka Whisper (Played by Curtis): Cold War era super-soldier/spy that got put in the Freezer, because she got poisoned. After getting thawed out and cured she tried to back to work, and was given an “adjustment period”. Uncle Sam called 2 years later, with work… because once you’re in, you’re in for life. Tagline: “In and out without a whisper.”
- Beauregard K. “Bo” Ratnam aka Wirerat (Played by Brice): Technopath, inventor, and hacker. He specializes in co-opting enemy systems and tech assets. Tagline: “Nice tech – I’ll borrow that.”
- Rafe Hanlon aka Nyx (played by Chris D.): An umbrakinetic petty thief still on work release several years later, on his way to becoming a true agent and hero. Tagline: “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
- Vincenzo L. dePrezzo aka Threshold (Played by Rory): Doctor, Mathematician, and Scientist (yes, capitals) and Spatial Manipulator. Threshold can bend space like a pretzel, teleport, obliterate things, and has extraordinary senses. He’d rather be in a research lab than fight. Better known for his work with Doctors Without Borders, the United Nations, and disaster relief than famous battles. Tagline: “I can be there in a snap!”
- Derrick K. Ratnam aka Legerdemain (NPC Ally): Spin doctor and media liaison for Project VANGUARD. Twin to Bo. Tagline: “Well, actually that’s not how it happened…”
- Layla A. de Blackburn aka Nox (NPC): CIA-trained child assassin all grown up to be Daddy’s Little Monster. Maybe a little mad. Argues with her shadow often. Tagline: “No, we shouldn’t do that…should we?”
- Stainless Steel Rat aka “Sir” (NPC Ally): Bo’s best friend and assistant. A sentient drone in the shape of a stylized shiny metal rat mindlinked to Bo. Specialties are rapid repair construction and modifications. Imagine if K-9 and R2D2 made a baby and it looks a bit like a rodent. Tagline: “Repairs and upgrades in progress.”
Previously . . .
Threshold has come back to the HQ after Wirerat’s messages, and is staring at the couch in his office where the cushions no longer reside. It’s rather annoying as that’s where he comes to sleep and nap. Blaming it on Nyx, he goes downstairs and demands to know why he’s got his couch cushions. Nyx attempts a jedi mind trick by telling him there are no couch cushions only for a war of teleportation to emerge between Threshold and Nox for a moment before Threshold notices Lynch.
Fortified in the Dark
Nyx, Threshold, and Whisper
Old FDNY Engine 299/Ladder 152 Building aka New Base
Saturday, May 9th, 2020, 0100 hours (EST)
61-20 Utopia Pkwy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
Threshold isn’t too impressed by Lynch’s presence, or the fact that he says they’ve got a job for the NOMADs. Threshold says that there’s plenty that’s going on around the place and that HQ is at a loss at what to do, Lynch counters they’ve got bigger problems as they’re probably dealing with a transdimensional rip of some kind. Threshold questions what is going to happen, only for Lynch to say that he’s got a job for them that it probably won’t pay them much.
Lynch comments that he works for a group known as High Command, they’re made up of the remnants of AEGIS, the followers of an AI, and what might be an angel. Threshold barely registers the name, recalling it from the documents that he copied from Lynch’s SCIF and knowing it’s basically a secret society which he isn’t keen on. Saying that if there’s no secrecy then the system should work with more ease, less skullduggery and all that. Lynch cannot believe that Threshold is so smart while also being so dumb.
The job that Lynch needs done is to get out of the city and into the Adirondacks into an old government facility. He shuts down Threshold saying he’ll open a portal and just toss Lynch through. Apparently they’ll all need to go there, but first they’ll need to get out of range of the darkness before opening up a portal, otherwise they’ll get shredded going through.
Whisper, meanwhile, has been on a mission from her former boss, Katori where she pulled a job alongside Lynch that she cannot tell anyone about. Somehow ending up back at HQ after Lynch, she’s up in her room going through her belongings taking some time to rest as breaking into the place took a bit of a toll so she tries to take a relaxing shower only to find cold water not working well. She’s trying to contact Legerdemain to complain about there not being any hot water only to find that he’s not there and that there’s no way to get through to him. Grabbing some chips, she heads towards the basement only to see Lynch and rest of the team chatting. She offers him some food, only for him to decline and he explains that he’s there to offer the team a mission.
She asks who’s in command if Legerdemain is out of the place only for Threshold to point out that he’s still the team leader. Whisper asks why the water is out, only for Nyx to point out that there’s still a rather large hole in the wall. When Whisper says that could just be solved with some brick and mortar, Nyx asks why she hasn’t done that then as they’re still waiting on the Bricklayer, which is something that she can’t really refute. Lynch explains that their goal is to get to an old CIA installation where the Night Shift trained previously, a group of darkness manipulators cum assassins which Nox was also previously a part of. There’s supposed to be something there to help them disable Erebus’s powers and it’s not likely to be a giant spotlight.
There’s some discussion on how they’re going to get to the Adirondacks. Whisper insists she can take a seaplane and fly them out of the darkness as it’s not overly affecting her perception capabilities. Nyx isn’t too thrilled at the idea of heading out of a city that still needs help, especially for a cause that isn’t paying anything other than satisfaction, regardless he’s still shanghaied into coming against his wishes once their arguments fall flat that he’ll likely lose his Darkness powers in less than a day to Erebus if he stays and if he doesn’t defeat Erebus then Frank’s Franks probably won’t open up ever again. Nox isn’t too thrilled with leaving the cushion fort and going to a CIA installation that she formerly trained at, but she’d rather get out of the darkness bubble than stay inside and wait for Erebus. Coming with them will be Wan Shi Tong and SSR.
Aftermath
Nyx is still confused as to why they went with an airplane rather than just take land route out of NYC by teleporting to the edge of the darkness and then stepping out and then teleporting to the mountains rather than flying there but is promptly ignored by the rest. Giving up, he sits back and decides to take a nap instead. Once asleep, though, Threshold affects the spatial distances. It’s barely an hour later when they land at Adirondack Regional Airport. Once there, Lynch informs them there’s a facility about 4 miles outside the airport that they’re heading towards now.
With Whisper leading the way, they’re now at the foot of the mountains looking at a mineshaft. Lynch points out that there’s going to be an elevator shaft inside while Nox is clinging to Nyx, reluctant to enter but she ends up doing so anyway. Inside the mine, they go through with Threshold scanning the walls, finding them to be reinforced behind the rock façade. At a split, Nox parts from Nyx and opens up a hidden panel and flips a few switches, a door opening in the wall nearby.
After Action Report (GM)
Last few weeks have just sucked for gaming as I’ve been even more (diabetically) brittle than usual. Part of that is because when I’m excited for something my glucose goes down and bringing it up is a problem…then it goes up because I’m also anxious so it needs to go down. And thus rollercoaster. The other part is I’m on a new medicine regimen which IS working, but needs adjustment. So for now my hobbies suffer.
The game itself was good, just not long enough. I wasn’t exactly sure why the PCs decided to play to the mountains at the end, but hey. Whisper got to have the spotlight a bit toward the end and that’s always good when that happens for a long-absent player. Brice was absent and that sucked, but we should have a full team next game. I hope.
Other Notes
Bonus Report from Rory.
Soundtrack
“Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham