[GAME] CthulhuTech: The Eldritch Society -- Episode 1

[Scotty Rave]

In spite of the clumsy and disorganised first phase of the endeavour, they had somehow made it. The murder, all but the one member who was still waiting in the van and maintaining a position of central command, hunkered beneath the tarpaulin, waiting anxiously as mere moments dragged on and on for what felt like an eternity. Half of them were expecting to move the sheet to find the sun rising over the ocean. Soon enough, however, they felt the floor of the barge move beneath them, as the towboat powered up and pushed them out towards the open sea, and the Piper.

Rotor, hunkered down among the group of now mortal-form Tagers, drew her Midnight Special from the sealed holster on the back of her belt and loaded it. “I doubt they’ll move the tarpaulin. There’s no rain, so they won’t need to shield the cargo. We should be okay for now. Once they move their load on-board and we’re a safe enough distance away, I’ll send word to Inaba, and then she can have Fog’s men move in. All of you just be ready for any added security they send with it, okay? Okay?” She was nervous. They all were, to varying degrees, but she did not have the protection of a Ta’ge symbiont dwelling inside her soul. She could not suffer the same punishment as them. A Dhohanoid could easily rip her in two. No, forget nervous, she was scared. She fought to steady the trembling hand wrapped around the grip of her gun.

The dark mass of the Piper loomed before the barge and towboat. Her crew were already preparing their precious cargo to be hauled across by crane. The secret interlopers could hear voices above them, but nothing especially distinct yet. Orders being given, that sort of thing, probably. A thing brought its head above the surface and made a guttural sound towards another. Not the slurping, gibbering squawks of Deep Ones, but a gross noise, like flapping tents and flatulence. There was a wet thump, not far from the edge of their hiding spot, and something dragged itself up over the side. A second body, its companion to which it had been communicating, followed after.

At last came the grind of metal chains as the cargo started lowering towards them.

 

[Arieoelle]

No, forget nervous, she was scared. She fought to steady the trembling hand wrapped around the grip of her gun.

Liny found rotor's free hand and gently held it, the amlati smiled at the Lorekeeper in the dim light of their hiding space.

"No worry, act when the moment right. Okay?" Liny kept holding Rotor's hand for a few minutes trying to let her sense of calm transfer to the other woman. Then the noises started and Liny froze to listen better. As the two creatures climbed upon the boat she slowly laid flat so as to try and peer out the edge of the tarp without disturbing it.

 

[Kain]

Damian had been pretty silent for a while now, quite an achievement considering up until that point he had been pretty damn loud and talkative. He had actually been thinking believe it or not. He was glad no one had died yet, but if all things were normal Rotor wouldn't be sitting there right now. Again he wasn't annoyed that she was still alive, just curious why the almost always present incredibly territorial and ugly as hell fish men didn't decide pop up when she splashed down in the water.

He was snapped out of his train of thought when he heard something come out of the water that sounded like the horrific aftermath of a bad night at a Mexican restaurant. If anyone could see his face right now they would have seen him mouthing "What the ****?" at the sound. He was really resisting the temptation to step out and look, whatever that thing was he wanted to see it, and his other half wouldn't mind burning it probably.

 

[Furyou Miko]

It was out of her hands, for now. None of the cameras she'd hacked into could see the Piper. She sat back for a moment, closing her eyes, and breathed out.

"Well, ah guess that's that foh now." She murmured to herself, stretching.

Then she leaned forward and tried to call up a satellite image of the boat and the docks to monitor them for any... surprises. Since Liny never reported back about sniper nests, she looked for a better site to provide overwatch from as well, in case there was something she and Sulis could do to help.

 

[The_Bladesman]

Varna had went under the tarp with the others, to keep out of the way. it seemed like the right idea after all he didn't want to bump into to anyone but with strange sounds from sources unseen bombarding him, he was now having trouble staying still.

"I don't like the sound of that, I think I should go invisible and scout around, any objections?"

He questioned the group telepathically as he carefully started to move to the edge of the tarp.

 

[Tigerhawk21]

Gray listened to the strange sounds silently. "Fine with me... just be careful" Gray responded slowly to Varna "We don't know what's out there."

 

[Scotty Rave]

Liny and Varna both cautiously peered out beneath the hem of the tarpaulin. Although neither of them could see clearly, they could make out masses of slimy, pink and brown tentacles slithering across the floor of the barge, leaving trails of slime in their wake. The masses were close by one another, still talking in that stomach-churning language that belonged only to them. They could not see faces, or even bodies properly, but the two Tagers were trained enough to recognise Dhohanoids when they saw them.

Note: these results come from a Skype conversation with Furyou Miko and have been included here for completion’s sake.

Inaba rolls her Computer + Hacking Skills using her Intellect Attribute as a base (22) to tap into satellite feeds.

Inaba’s Challenging Test: SUCCESS.

Meanwhile, in the van, the Operator’s deft fingers flew across the laptop’s keyboard. as the augmented reality rig which connected her eyes and ears to the electronic system processed a multitude of images and sequences that would have been dizzying and meaningless to anyone else. Within moments, she had tapped into the powerful camera of an overhead satellite, bringing up an image of the bay and the cargo ship, the Piper, as her precious cargo was moved across. She could make out twenty to twenty-five crewmen on her deck, with around twelve of their number gathering close to the edge where the towboat and barge waited. She could also detect a pair of strange shapes on the barge, skirting the edge and watching as the perfectly black crate was gently lowered down.

Inaba rolls her Observation Skill using her Perception Attribute as a base (13) to find a sniping point.

Inaba’s Average Test: SUCCESS.

With a little help from the on-site security already under her control, Inaba was able to locate one of several flat-roofed buildings on the far side of the gate, where the others had gone. Some of them had fire escape ladders, and would provide decent, if not perfect spots to set herself up in a sniping position with a view of the towboat and the ship.

 

[The_Bladesman]

Varna moved back under the tarp and moved to the opposite side, his wide eyed expression said more about the unknown Dhohanoid mass then he possible could at the moment. Instantly changing into his invisible Tager form, stealth carefully moved from out of under the tarp. Moving very slowly he tried to find a better place to stay unnoticed and observe the Dhohanoids that now occupied the ship.
[HIDE]
Rolling observation + perception:
3d10 + 9
6 - 5 - 7 + 9
5 + 6 + 7 + 9
Total: 27

Rolling ½ agility + agility
4d10 + 9
2 - 1 - 10 - 6 + 9
10 + 9
Total: 19[/HIDE]

 

[Scotty Rave]

Stealth’s Average Test: SUCCESS.

Stealth’s Challenging Test: SUCCESS.

Stealth emerged from beneath the tarpaulin, and was greeted with a vision that was as foul as the stench the monsters gave off. The Dhohanoids were like a gargantuan cross between a sea anemone and a lamprey. Six lashing tendrils pulled them along, aided by the pushing motions of their fat tails in the manner of a mollusc. Sludge dribbled from their purple gums as they continued to chatter back and forth in their series of rasping, farting vocalisations.

​

Although the invisible Tager was able to slip by the Dhohanoids seemingly without being noticed, there was nowhere on the barge itself that could be considered a higher vantage point. There was the top of the black crate, which would surely be the focus of their attention, leaving him pinned down, or he could return to the roof of the towboat’s cabin. The third option was to hang over the edge and watch their activities from there, but doing so would also impair his mobility. At least, so far as he could see, there were only two of them for the time being. If it came to a fire-fight, the humans would not be as much of a problem.

One of the Dhohanoids hissed in his general direction, flinging spittle from its maw.

 

[Furyou Miko]

With a little help from the on-site security already under her control, Inaba was able to locate one of several flat-roofed buildings on the far side of the gate, where the others had gone. Some of them had fire escape ladders, and would provide decent, if not perfect spots to set herself up in a sniping position with a view of the towboat and the ship.

Keeping a feed open in the corner of her glasses from the cycling cameras, Inaba relocated on silent feet, heading towards the nearest suitable rooftop, her rifle slung across her back over her white coat.

2 - 3 - 4 (from roll-dice-online) + Agility:5 (+1 Nazzadi) (Feat: 2) + 1 (Acrobatics) +1 (Free Running)