Corco's Villa (IC)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Can I get a little clarification? I thought the idea was to try and sneak into the temple, while I was going through official channels... How is starting out with the rebels, worlds away, accomplish that? Do you have another plan?

Admittedly the main reason I picked closer to the rebels was because I was given the option. I figure I can investigate the rebels and if there's nothing suspicious then I can move to the imperial city.

I'm ready to move out.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

V is ready to go, unless it seems that their culture indicates they would be better received as a male, then they might want to shapeshift first.

Divine Authority covereth a multitude of gender-assumptions... And they worry a lot more about class, wealth, origin, and connections than about gender on Maximus.



Corco handles the transition to the tomb-temple of Maximus. He picks up a book on the grand temple complex, lays it on the ground and pushes a bit of metal protecting the corner of its cover. The rivet dent of the metal slides open to reveal a lens, and projects a hologram of a large double door framed in marble pillars, and covered in golden engravings. Corco hands V a large glowing sword, which makes V glow when its held:



"Good idea. No one expects subterfuge out of THAT form. Take this. It will help the effect."


He gestures for V to open the door, which turns out to be fairly solid. The doors swing open, and V is in room of marble masonry covered in murals. The doors swing shut behind him, and then fade into a relief in the wall.



The only light comes V and the sword, but it fills the massive room, and V suspects a non-angelic body would find it mildly too-bright. The room is about 25 feet deep and 50 feet wide. The Murals depict many battles, most prominently the four chimeric soldiers fighting against legions of demons and of undead. To one side of the room is a great bell, and there is a door beside it.

Originally Posted by TGLS

Admittedly the main reason I picked closer to the rebels was because I was given the option. I figure I can investigate the rebels and if there's nothing suspicious then I can move to the imperial city.

As a GM aside, I think the situation will unravel well with two agents picking at each end.

I'm ready to move out.

Just before Halcyone is about to leave, a young boy with a deep Mediterranean tan brings a bag of gear and some freshly baked food for Halcyone. "Great Aunt Sarrissa wishes you luck!". Its some sort of calzones.


Corco finds a book on the Lithus, and once again pushes the rivet to produce a hologram. This time the hologram is merely of a dark and narrow alley with sand embedded in the aged asphalt surface. The lighting is poor.



"Good Luck." Corco waves as Halcyone moves into the alley. The alley has few windows, but when Halcyone moves out of it, she can see busy indoor market just to her left. Small shops are set up indoors, selling everything from fresh meat to used cell phones. People are haggling, visiting looking things up on their phones, and looking around for interesting things to buy. There is a shortage of greenery, but despite the market setting, most people look clean.



It seems to be the east Market in Lithus city, not terribly far from the Rebel headquarters in the old governor's palace. This deep in the city, the only indication of the desert is the dry air and the occasional sand particle.


will be Halcyone dressed like a soldier or like a civilian? Will she be displaying her medals and weapons, or keeping them hidden?

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Just before Halcyone is about to leave, a young boy with a deep Mediterranean tan brings a bag of gear and some freshly baked food for Halcyone. "Great Aunt Sarrissa wishes you luck!". Its some sort of calzones.


Corco finds a book on the Lithus, and once again pushes the rivet to produce a hologram. This time the hologram is merely of a dark and narrow alley with sand embedded in the aged asphalt surface. The lighting is poor.



"Good Luck." Corco waves as Halcyone moves into the alley. The alley has few windows, but when Halcyone moves out of it, she can see busy indoor market just to her left. Small shops are set up indoors, selling everything from fresh meat to used cell phones. People are haggling, visiting looking things up on their phones, and looking around for interesting things to buy. There is a shortage of greenery, but despite the market setting, most people look clean.



It seems to be the east Market in Lithus city, not terribly far from the Rebel headquarters in the old governor's palace. This deep in the city, the only indication of the desert is the dry air and the occasional sand particle.


will be Halcyone dressed like a soldier or like a civilian? Will she be displaying her medals and weapons, or keeping them hidden?

I'll be dressed like a civilian and mix into the crowds. I'll try to get a feel for the rumors that are going around (perhaps by finding a meeting place and inserting myself into conversations). Then I'll head on to headquarters and present my story

[ericthered]

Halcyone slowly works through the marketplace, listening to conversations. Many of them are standard marketplace conversations: complaining about prices, talking about children, telling recent anecdotes. Others concern the war. There are two lenses its viewed through: on the one hand in a grand sense, with people discussing recent big battles, troop movements, rumors, and political actions. On the other, many of these people have family or friends in specific areas and fronts, and they follow those specific events with ease.



A few notes:

• The operational security of the war is poor: most governments would have effective propaganda and secrecy measures to inflate victories and diminish the appearance of defeats. This government does not, and the progress of the war, at least on Lithus, is plain. Halcyone thinks this is due to lack of experience rather than any ideological reason.
• There was recently a big imperial push from a temple gate known as the falcon gate. They seem to have slowed attacks on a beachhead on Arthus centered around the Pork gate. A large number of troops were sent to Verdaze.
• News from Verdaze is a lot scarcer than news from Lithus. Also, the two locations seem to be allied rather than unified, with separate military and civilian hierarchies.
• People seem to think that after the war the current government will be able to give them a lot more prosperity than they currently have. Some complain that not enough has improved to justify the revolution. Others seem jubilant at their increased prospects, so the benefits of the revolution don't seem to be evenly spread. Halcyone thinks she could pick out imperial sympathizers if she put her mind to it
• No one is mentioning the emperor

Halcyone finds the old governer's palace: its now littered with sandbag emplacements, troops, and machine guns. She's able to present herself at an entrance: what requests does she make?

[the_matrix_walker]

Vassarious lingers and takes in the murals as she slowly crosses the room, appreciating the workmanship while getting a further feel of their culture.

She resists the urge to ring the bell immediately and instead first investigates the door.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Vassarious lingers and takes in the murals as she slowly crosses the room, appreciating the workmanship while getting a further feel of their culture.

She resists the urge to ring the bell immediately and instead first investigates the door.

The murals are pretty accurate: who-ever made them had seen the demons and undead with their own eyes. They also paid a great deal of attention to getting the weapons right. The craftsmen ship shown seems to be pre-paint revolution, a touch more stylistic than photographic... V knows they are capable of much more sophisticated work now. The murals must be centuries old. The murals seem to be individually made and installed in the walls. The styles seem near-eastern, somehow.


The door is very securely fastened. Its large and grand: enough to get an elephant through, though perhaps not a plane. V's natural form would feel a bit cramped passing through. The mechanism is hidden inside the door, and the lock on the other side is probably not easy to open, requiring an elaborate mechanism. The door is a full foot thick. It is opened regularly though, judging from the dust. maybe once a month.



An inscription in the door reads: "Generous Valor For All Mankind"

[TGLS]

I'll make up a story that I've been sent by my previous CO to headquarters to help ferret out traitors and other sympathizers, having demonstrated loyalty (as shown by the various medals) and having demonstrated some aptitude in security (having "saved" a rebel dignitary previously). I'll make an acting roll to sell the story and an IQ roll to have thought about this in advance and thus have back up information that squares with this story.

[15] 21-07-16 15:12:31 BST
IQ
3d6 <= 16
3 + 2 + 5 = 10 ... success
[16] 21-07-16 15:13:14 BST
Acting
3d6 <= 15
5 + 4 + 2 = 11 ... success

OK, assuming they accepted the story, I'll request to see personnel files. I'll be looking specifically for the following:
-> Discrepancies that may indicate the personnel files had been tampered with.
-> A potential "quick win" to help cement my story.
-> If possible, the files on people with sensitive clearance or high commands.

[18] 21-07-16 15:30:17 BST
Intelligence Analysis
3d6 <= 14
1 + 6 + 1 = 8 ... success

[17] 21-07-16 15:30:08 BST
Research
3d6 <= 15
2 + 1 + 6 = 9 ... success

[ericthered]

The guards at the checkpoint are wary of the Halcyone at first, but they seem to soften when she pulls out her medal, and she soon has a sergeant and a lieutenant listening to her story about how she is hear to help with ferreting out traitors. She has some light documentation about the the CO sending her over. Soon enough, they send her up to the Colonel.



The Colonel is a big man with a ferocious beard. He insists that she stay quiet and at attention while he reads her documents. He purses his lips.


"Your assignment is quite generous for the good folk of Verdaze. I wonder why they don't want you there. Is there something they're not telling us? A falling out with your fire-brand of a charge, perhaps?"


He continues after the answer:
"What type of traitor are you targeting? What approximate rank and situation? Can you start with a batch of new staff personel?"

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Your assignment is quite generous for the good folk of Verdaze. I wonder why they don't want you there. Is there something they're not telling us? A falling out with your fire-brand of a charge, perhaps?"

I'll evade the question in a way that implies that he guessed correctly.

[19] 21-07-19 17:43:23 BST
Acting
3d6 <= 15
2 + 1 + 5 = 8 ... success

Originally Posted by ericthered

He continues after the answer:
"What type of traitor are you targeting? What approximate rank and situation?

I'll use my Intelligence Analysis skills to estimate how highly placed a traitor would likely be and what their goals/means would likely be. If their probable rank is at or above the Colonel here, I'll downplay their rank. If I have multiple possibilities, I'll use my Intuition to narrow things down for my explanation.

[20] 21-07-19 18:07:59 BST
Intelligence Analysis
3d6 <= 14
5 + 6 + 2 = 13 ... success

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Can you start with a batch of new staff personnel?"

"Naturally. I live to serve."

[ericthered]

The most likely traitors are probably just around the rank of colonel: the lower you go, the more likely they are, but privates are almost useless, and lieutenants give you very limited information.



The new staff officers are bright young men who will be helping to plan out the war, run logistics, and draw up the details of plans the generals make... exactly the sort of people who would make useful spies. The men don't come with the extensive records Halcyone is used to at post-digital age levels. They come with recommendations from their superior officers, details on their formal education, and documents about what city or village they grew up in. The group is notably mostly urban, mostly ancestrally "scribes", and most of them have seen combat.



How will Halcyone go about finding potential leaks?