Dark Heresy VOIP Campaign

[MarcoSkoll]

I believe today is happening, although it will depend on how many people show up in Skype.

That said, I have to give an advance heads-up about 28th August. I may be unavailable on that Sunday, but I don't know for certain yet.

Also, a broadly accurate write up of last session:

Session 6:

Having determined the location of the Black Cave, the team scout out the surrounding area, exploring both main and side streets in depth.

They put together several possible escape routes as part of a contingency plan, and from the general layout of the area come to a conclusion that the Cave itself likely has smuggling passages that lead up/down from/to lower levels.

The area appears to be somewhat gang-neutral, the Cave seeming to be almost a power to itself amongst the slum warfare, or at least mutually accepted by the conflicting factions. A few gang graffiti can be found, but most of them are old, faded and inconsistently placed.

Security is not overt, and there are no surly and well armed thugs guarding entrances, but several individuals in the area have the bulky and slightly lumpy appearance of wearing body armour under their clothes, or  voluminous coats that could conceal carbines or sub-machine guns.

The area scouted, the cell decides to further explore their options for retrieving the casket from "Edge" and elects to return to Enforcer Tesar to ask questions.
His advice for trying to claim the bounty on Edge is "Don't" - the Razors are a comparatively large gang,

He too thinks that the rumours about them taking on an Arbites investigation team are unlikely, as many of the laws the gangs break are local laws that the Imperium-wide Arbites tend not to enforce.
Instead, most control of the gangs comes from Enforcer sweep teams, which sector Marshals call together on occasion to make a show of force against gangs that are overstepping their boundaries.

The local such Marshal is Oldrich Yanko - based in the sector's central lock-house on Level 50, when he's not exploring his aspirations for a promotion further up hive by rubbing elbows with the well to-do up there.
The cell propose that he could potentially be motivated into trying to add the capture of a dangerous criminal to his resumé and return to their bolt-hole.

~~~~~

Meanwhile, Tallulah Belle, (a mentally conditioned Adeptus Tacticae infiltrator whose recall conditioning was activated two days ago by the assassination of her handler, suppressing/locking her implanted cover). She retrieves her emergency supply cache and heads to the drop-box on Level 127 (mid-hive-ish) mentioned in its instructions.

After watching the drop-box for some time, she sees no-one suspicious and retrieves its contents - two handwritten pieces of paper: one for an address in the underhive and the other instructing her to visit Tymon Ciril, a mid-hive tailor. The code phrase "Have the silks from Mapane come in today?" is given.

She chooses to visit Tymon first and, after giving the code phrase, is directed into a back room.
Tymon knows little of the exact details of her mission, but after she has identified herself properly and explained the mental locks that have activated as part of her recall conditioning (a failsafe to prevent her being interrogated if captured), provides a small genelocked box around 5 cm square. He speculates that it contains some form of pre-programmed trigger.

When opened, it contains rolled parchment with the phrase "The wolf hunts only before midnight" written in specific cursive; this trigger breaks down part of the recall conditioning, allowing Tallulah to start to regain her memories of her mission (an investigation into IG arms shipments going missing and turning up on the black markets) and cover identity ("Kaja Romano", an offworld arms dealer). The parchment, in proper spy style, then self-combusts.

Due to his own implanted conditioning, Tymon cannot directly provide any information about any other agents, other than to mention that the last few weeks have seen him as an emergency contact six times, a normally very rare role.

Choosing to press on with the mission, Tallulah continues to the lower-hive address, which proves to be the cell's hideout. She elects to knock, and after indentifying herself and willingly disarming, the cell cautiously allow her in.

After talking for a while, they come to the conclusion that she is "The Lock" that was mentioned on Thirteen's dataslate. (She does her best to identify picts of the disfigured remains of "The Key").

Although Gaenor remains somewhat suspicious of why Tallulah's drop-box contained an address for a bolt hole they've had for only a few hours (studying the writing, Dose thinks the notes may be written by different people), the cell concede that she may have some relevance to the mission (at least once more of her memories return) and choose to keep her under their watch.

Session ends with approximately 72 hours to auction.

[TallulahBelle]

you made me sound more composed than I was to be fair but thanks again hun

[MarcoSkoll]

The session notes aren't intended to be quite that comprehensive, more a reminder of general plot details (as much for me as for you lot).

Anyway:

Due to several likely absences, including the GM, there won't be a session on the 28th of August.
Euan has also said he won't be around on the 4th September, but if there are no other absences, I'm content to push on.

[Heroka Vendile]

SO... I may have a major timing clash imminent. The director for the next amateur show I'm stage managing has had a change of job that means the only full-cast rehearsals she can make are the Sunday afternoon ones – which run 2-5pm – and are therefore the most sensible one for me to be at as well...
On the plus side personally, my Wednesday evenings will be free for a change.

[Van Helser]

When will this date change happen Euan?

May be an idea to start planning a new day and time.

Ruaridh

[Heroka Vendile]

Kind of immediately? The first Sunday rehearsal is this weekend.

As for alternatives - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday evenings are the best options personally (at least for the next 6 months).

[MarcoSkoll]

Monday evening isn't any good for me, as that's (when I can make it) the local gaming club evening. Tuesday evenings are folk band sessions.

I believe Ben has limitations on Wednesday and Sunday evenings (or at least that's what he said when I was scheduling Skype chats with him to talk over his character).

Possible suggestion: We've sometimes done Sunday mornings? If we pushed it earlier, would that keep it away from the show rehearsals?

[Heroka Vendile]

Sunday mornings would be possible for me

[Van Helser]

Fairly flexible for the time being, though tomorrow morning comes too soon to get the usual routine changed.

If you can do a session tomorrow morning don't let my abscence stop you.

Ruaridh

[MarcoSkoll]

Notes from Session 7:

Discussing, the cell decide not to engage the local enforcers in a purge, at least at this stage - its failure would limit their other options.

With the cell deciding that Tallulah can at least be partially trusted, they swap notes on V, Thirteen and the broad details of their own missions (at least as far as Tallulah's suppressed memories have started to return), trying to build up a bigger picture of the apparently hostile forces that have been targetting Imperial agents.

Tallulah has, under the programmed cover identity of Kaja Romano - allegedly an agent for the (fictional) wealthy buyers "Orion" and "Andromeda", who have been hinted to be Rogue Traders - been trying track down a supply chain leak in the Departmento Munitorum, weapons that seemed to be disappearing onto the black market.
While not a direct link to the casket the cell are trying to recover, she proposes that some of the contacts she's built up this far might have an in with the Black Cave - the "business" partners Ilia Bartosz and Mikula Kriz that she was working up to negotiating a sale with. (Up until the point that her handler's brains were blown out, seemingly by Thirteen).

Ilia seems to think he is both more handsome and less seedy than he actually is, although nonetheless proves to be the senior partner, partly because of his better connections.
Mikula is somewhat more professional and more modest, but doesn't seem to have quite the same ambitions.

Agreeing to go along posing as various experts/purse holders/etc in Kaja's entourage, the cell head to meet the pair. Tallulah is greeted over the comm-panel of their small warehouse by a jovial Ilia, who sends down Mikula to let her in. After something of a discussion about her new friends, they are permitted in.

Tallulah presses on with her own objectives, convincing Ilia to provide a wider range of materiel than previously demonstrated/displayed (such as heavy weapons), before introducing Maya as another agent of her employers, seeking an item of opportunity (saying that she/her employers would consider it a personal favour if Ilia could assist).

In a brief (if slightly off-putting, with Ilia's cloying familiarity) conversation, Maya convinces Ilia to provide details of a contact at the Black Cave - Vladek Maximilian - and the cell leaves the warehouse to plan their next move.

Session ends with approximately 61 hours to auction.

[Heroka Vendile]

any progress on a time/date shift? are we moving to sunday mornings?

[MarcoSkoll]

I haven't heard from Joseph yet, but I think everyone else is at least provisionally available for a morning session.

No exact time has been quoted yet, but I'll propose a 10 o'clock start (unless we really think it has to be earlier).

[Koval]

I could do 10am on Sunday. It's not ideal but I don't foresee any massive problems.

In other news this coming Sunday should be alright.

[Heroka Vendile]

a reminder that I won't be available this sunday regardless

[Van Helser]

I can do tomorrow morning.

Ruaridh