DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
GM: (Starting with a quick briefing cutscene before you actually show up, if you don’t mind.)
Serea: (is fine)
GM: The screen flickers to life. “Welcome, High Priestess.” After a few calibrations, it shows a Roman Numeral “II.” “I hope you are ready for your first official mission. I know that it’s been a while, even if your recent hit shows that you are still just as talented as you were 5 years ago.”
Serea: files her finger claws with one of her needles. The statement of her skills is a guilty source of pride.
Serea: "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
GM: “True, but enough pleasantries.” The screen flickers to two portraits. One is of a white-furred Thorny Gnoll with decadent tribal clothes and pale green eyes, and the other a grey Flowercat with a large, colorful flower, grey suit, and a predatory smile and yellow eyes. “Meet White-Tree (NLN) and Nikola Matfei, influential landowner and community leader, and businesswoman and entrepreneur, respectfully.”
Serea: "These are the marks?"
GM: “Indeed. The client in this case is an important member of the upper council of the N.E.W. Gnoll Republic, and to say more would violate confidentiality. They wanted us specifically to prevent an absolutely abhorrent land deal from ever seeing the light of day; one that would see an alarming chunk of the country’s rural territory turned into a large resort, and many hard-working citizens forced from their homes to do so.”
Serea: "Confidentiality?" She frowns. Perhaps this is just some unwarranted...paranoia talking, but she has a feeling there's a zinger she's not being told here. "You know I can't do my best work if I don't have the whole story."
GM: “Rest assured that this is for the safety of the client. As a “rookie” employee, we have no guarantee that their names won’t get leaked unless we keep it on a strictly need-to-know basis, you understand?”
GM: “Anyways, the two have scheduled a meeting during a minor festival in the local region. Then would be the opportune time to strike. You have your mission, I presume?”
Serea: "I do. To be clear...both targets must be terminated?" She looks at the two pictures again. "Not that it will come to that. but in a worst-case situation, which one should I prioritize if it's not possible to terminate both?"
GM: (Ah whoop, didn’t get pinged.)
GM: “You were hired to terminate both, as both individuals seem quite intent on the deal, and would likely be perfectly fine with finding a new partner for it should the other be disposed of. Are you saying you aren’t confident you can get both of them? It need not be simultaneously, mind.”
GM: (Last response before moving on to the mission’s start.)
Serea: smirks. "That's really all I needed to hear, thanks. They'll both be taken out in short order, I can promise that."
Serea: (and let us continue!)
GM: A tour bus rolls up the cobble road to the mountainside platform at the base of what appears to be a very vertical town comprised of buildings that look to be carved from the mountain itself. Even as a certain Rabbat disembarks with the other visitors with less enthusiasm, the excitement coming off of the Gnolls as they trade heirlooms and occasionally dance beneath the various totems erected for the festival is almost contagious even for her.
Serea: can't help but smile at the sight of the festivalgoers.
GM: “Welcome to Marrowwhack, High Priestess. Right around now, White-Tree should be at the center of all this, while Nikola should still be surveying her prize from the outskirts. You should also keep an ear out for where they plan on eventually meeting, as well as any other opportunities you might come across.”
GM: (You are currently in the [Lower City] Zone. Other general zones include [Upper City], [Mountainside], [Survey Area], and [Outer Trails].)
GM: (The information you gained says that White-Tree is currently in the [Upper City], and Nikola is at the [Survey Area].)
Serea: (so can you give me an idea of how it all fits together?)
Serea: (like i don't need a map map but)
GM: (I can... throw one together? But it doesn’t really matter. Assume you can get anywhere from anywhere unless stated otherwise.)
Serea: (righto. i wasn't concerned about that; i was just kinda curious how things were related, but I'm going to guess it's roughly "Mountainside adjacent to the city areas, Survey Area adjacent to the Lower City, and Outer Trails outside it all"?)
GM:
GM: (It’s more about where you are when, rather than where you are from where.)
GM: (Alright, now on to how you actually play.)
GM: (You can spend an exchange trying to do one of several things wherever you happen to be:)
GM: (1: Discover an opportunity. Use an appropriate Approach to try and Overcome to discover an opportunity aspect and potentially gain a Free Invoke on it.)
GM: (2: Prepare for an assassination. Wherever you are, you can try to Create an Advantage whether through a single roll, or a larger Challenge. Things might be easier or harder depending on how many steps you try to skip in the opportunity path you’ve chosen (which you can choose to figure out for yourself or get fed info on).)
GM: (3: Carry out an assassination. Obviously, taking out a target in one Attack, without drawing the attention of enemy combatants, becomes a lot easier when you’ve prepared a bunch and are approaching the task intelligently.)
Serea: (okay, spiffy :3)
Serea: takes a moment to look around. You never know when the passersby might afford a useful bit of intel.
Serea: !roll 4dF+3 (Careful)
DiscoDude: <@Serea> rolled 4dF+3 for 2 [4dF = [-][-][+][ ]] (Careful)
GM: (First mission, so Discover Opportunity is vs. +1.)
GM: Some of the tourists seem especially eager. “Miss, can we expect to see White-Tree?” “Oh, sure,” says the bubbly tour-guide, “but I’m afraid he’s a little hard to approach.” “Aw,” said the tourist’s partner, “oh, but wait,” he tries to whisper to the first tourist. “I remember reading that the guy liked to take nature walks out near the trails. Maybe we can approach him then?” “Absolutely not,” says the tour-guide, “White-Tree doesn’t like to be disturbed on these walks, so he employs a bodyguard to ensure it stays that way. If you wish to see him, do so during one of his public appearances like everyone else.” She shows her teeth then, reminding everyone that she too is a Gnoll.
Serea: "A bodyguard. Hmm. Probably best not to tip my hand this early then," Serea thinks. "Though that depends on the security at the meeting..."
Serea: (Would it do me any good to keep scouting for information here before moving on?)
GM: (You can certainly try. You’ve just discovered the [Nature Walk] Aspect. Would you like a guide to it, or can you figure it out on your own?)
Serea: (A guide to what, specifically?)
GM: (The opportunity path.)
Serea: (I'm going to guess it has to do with finding a way to separate him from his bodyguard and taking him out then)
Serea: (Serea won't kill anyone who's not the target, note)
GM: (Right, right. It’s not the only opportunity on White-Tree, mind. Still going to try for another here?)
Serea: (might as well!)
Serea: keeps mingling with the festivalgoers, keeping her ears out for hints.
Serea: !f 3 (Careful)
DiscoDude: <@Serea> rolled 4dF+3 for 7 [4dF = [+][+][+][+]]
Serea: (HOLY CRAP XD)
GM: (Double SWS!)
GM: After wandering around the Lower City a bit, you find yourself near the historical temple to the Blood God Tarvik. You notice some non-Gnolls in uniforms patrolling the parameter. One guard in particular is chewing out another near a side gate in the wall surrounding the very nature-themed place.
GM: “I’m telling you, we need this place empty before the meeting is to take place! What’s going on?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault there are apparently still Gnolls worshipping that old psycho pagan thing, and it’s not like we can just kick them out without it looking weird.”
“Does it sound like I care? Just make sure the place is secure, or it’s our heads on the block!”
“Alright, alright! Sheesh...” They separate.
GM: A golden opportunity on the [Private Meeting][!!], it seems. If you were to sneak your way in and deal with any guards that would be present for the meeting itself, all you would have to do is wait. Still, there are risks, such as the aforementioned infiltration and securing. Plus, there are several ways trying to assassinate both targets simultaneously could go awry.
Serea: (Hmm. I can't remember; was it said outright that the other one is at the Survey Area?)
GM: (Basically.)
Serea: rubs her chin. Going straight to the Survey Area risks getting sighted. However...
Serea: looks up at the Mountainside. Perhaps it might afford a vantage point, or other things?
GM: (Actually, it is getting pretty late...)
Serea: (well if you wanna hit pause on this i'm fine)
GM: (Ayep.)
GM: !end
