Chapter 5 Discussion
C.9. TENTH ITERATION 79
Lionel Astor likes visitors. He has a tremendous collection of film memorabilia, and he very much likes people to come in and see it. Naturally, he likes visitors to be invited and to come at a schedule time, but he is not overly harsh on people who arrive uninvited, as long as they do not touch his belongings—if that happens, his security system kicks into overdrive.
As long as the runners behave themselves, they’ll have to deal with an exterior maglock (Rating 5) with an anti-tamper system (Rating 3). Each floor of the mansion is 2,000 square meters with eight rooms per floor. There are two staircases to the second floor, one on each end of the house. Each floor is patrolled by four Fly-Spy drones (see p. 350, SR4A) that make regular patrols around place, though the building is so large that their presence is not regular. Each object in his second-floor gallery is on a pressure pad (see p. 261, SR4A) that sets off a silent alarm if triggered.
Astor also implants RFIDs into each item on display, and sensors at the exits of the gallery trigger the silent alarm if any of these tags leave the room. The silent alarm brings ten security guards (use Corporate Security Unit, p. 139) to the complex in ninety seconds. It also brings three Force 5 spirits of air in fifteen seconds.
If the security troops encounter any resistance when they arrive, they call in backup, which arrives in the form of ten Roto-Drones (see p. 350, SR4A) that each carry an Ingram Smartgun X (see p.
318, SR4A).
this means about the object’s power is unclear, but it is a fact that should be of interest to the person who hired them.
If the runners have never assensed the comet, simply tell them they have a good enough image of the comet’s aura to describe to their patron. Whoever hired them will recognize what the aura is once it’s described.
If the runners decide life would be easier, and possibly more fun, if they take the falcon for themselves, they should have a difficult time getting away with it. Runners can be intrepid, though, and they might be able to succeed. What that means is that either Lin Yao Chang or Simon Andrews—whoever didn’t hire the runners—will learn about their theft and will mark the runners as a possible enemy in their effort. This means a great dragon has its eyes on the runners, which is usually not a good thing.
PLoT PoINT TWo
To Converse with a Thief
The runners may have been told not to steal the falcon, but not all runners out there are under the same orders. The falcon disappears from Astor’s house, and he starts looking for help in getting in back. Astor is inexperienced in the shadows, though, so his efforts are clumsy and make a lot of noise. Other interested parties hear about it, and decide maybe they can use the theft to their advantage. First, the thief has to be found; then it has to be determined if they can be bargained with in a rational way.
Fortunately for the runners, the thieves have not been the subtlest operators, either. They’ve been a little too open about trying to sell the thing to the highest bidder. The good news is that this makes them easier to find; the bad news is that it makes them easier for others to find the thieves, too. Operatives from the Illuminates of the New Dawn and the Templars (use Illuminate of the New Dawn Magician, p. 141, and Templar Combat Mage, p. 147 for representatives of these organizations) are hunting for the thief, and word has leaked onto the street that this hunt is underway. The easiest thing for the runners may be to get information on the efforts of the other organizations to find the thieves, then tail the agents to the thieves. Contacts may be able to help them get information that can put them on the tail of the operatives, or they can do some of their own surveillance and espionage to find these agents.
Once the agents lead the runners to the team of thieves (use Combat Adept, p. 146, Sneak, p. 145, and Street Samurai, p. 146, for members of this team), they’ll have to stop the agents from killing the thieves so they can talk to them. If they succeed, they find that the thieves are now quite willing to sell, as they have figured they’re in over their head. The price the runners have been authorized to offer should be more than the runners have on hand, requiring them to act as middlemen instead of making the buy themselves.
PLoT PoINT THREE
Indirect Revenge Is Still Revenge
The FBI agent that Ghostwalker ate had a wife and friends, and after a long time not knowing what happened to him, they have finally learned of his fate. They know that they have no chance of exacting a full measure of revenge against Ghostwalker,
. . . THE SHADOwS OF PEACE . . .
LA Sunrise: News at Your Pace Anchors: Jan Freeling and Peter Koskin
<The clip starts in a news studio, the camera focused on a well-dressed ork woman—Jan Freeling.>
Jan: The residents of Redding were treated to quite the spectacle this morning when the great dragon Aden suddenly appeared in the skies. Peter Koskin, our man on the scene, is getting the download direct from the witnesses. Peter, what’s the word?
<The screen splits, showing the anchor desk on the left and an on-location shot to the right. The on-location camera pans around the downtown Redding area, showing streets crowded with pedestrians watching the skies, before it settles on a clean-shaven dwarf in a suit—Peter Koskin.>
Peter: It’s absolutely amazing, Jan. About two hours ago, Aden just appeared in the skies over Redding without warning. No one is quite sure how he got here, or why he came. As you know, Aden is considered the most reclusive of the great dragons and prefers to avoid metahuman contact, his decades-ago destruction of Tehran not withstanding. He made several passes over the city that many onlookers took to be threatening before flying northward. Local officials overrode GridGuide, forcing all vehicles off the streets for the day, and put emergency services on high alert. Schools have been canceled, businesses shut down, and all citizens advised to evacuate the downtown area.
As you can see, <Peter gestures behind him> most citizens chose to ignore the evacuation warning.
Jan: So he left without causing any damage?
Peter: That’s correct. He appeared to be searching for something, or someone. No one knows for sure. But dragon fans and dragon haters alike have been waiting for his return—the more militant types armed with shotguns.
Jan: Interesting. I didn’t think shotguns would have much of an effect on a dragon.
Peter: <laughing> I doubt they would. Whether these weapons would be effective or not, though, the police have done nothing to discourage the would-be defenders of Redding. And while this might present a perfect opportunity for rioting and looting, the city has been rather quiet. The only incident so far is a case of stolen gas by a group of men posing as medieval knights, if you can believe it. Needless to say, the police have
Jan: I can imagine. Thank you for that update, Peter. Now, on to the international scene. The Denver Council has been meeting in an all-night secret session. Allegedly, Nicholas Whitebird was not invited, and he gave the Council quite a shock when he stormed into the meeting …
<Clip cuts off.>
>. Fuck .
>. Glitch
>. You.said.it ..One.of.my.sources.says.Aden.headed.straight.to.Mt ..Shasta.
right.after.that .
>. Pistons
>. I.thought.Aden.and.Hestaby.hated.each.other ..
>. /dev/grrl
>. Wrong.dragon ..It’s.Lofwyr,.not.Hestaby,.that.Aden.has.issues.with ..
Given.the.way.Aden.buries.his.head.in.the.sand,.though,.maybe.he.just.
hates.everyone .
>. Rigger.X
>. Here’s.a.worrisome.development:.My.contacts.in.the.Middle.East.aren’t.
returning.my.messages ..Anyone.hear.from.Goat.Foot.lately?
>. Sunshine
>. Not.a.peep ..But.a.friend.of.mine.says.the.Islamic.Unity.Movement.
closed.ranks.and.mobilized.late.last.night,.just.about.the.time.Aden.
would.have.left.his.lair.to.fly.to.North.America ..
>. FastJack
>. Fuck,.fuck,.fuck ..Stop.talking.about.the.damn.dragons!.Don’t.any.of.you.
know.who.those.loons.in.the.armor.are?
>. Glitch
>. Oh,.keep.your.hardware.holstered,.drekhead ..We.all.about.the.New.
Knights.Templar,.but.those.posers.aren’t.nearly.as.dangerous.as.a.
dragon.with.a.history.of.torching.cities .
>. Bull
Inc oming . . . .
THE SHADOwS OF PEACE ...
PLoT PoINT TWo
The New Knights Templar have rented the Vercheres Room in a hotel named Le Château Frontenac, using the name of the Order of St. Sylvester on the reservation. The stated event purpose is a private party to be held at 8:00 p.m.
The Vercheres Room is a ballroom on the hotel’s first floor, past the lobby and elevators to the guest floors. This ballroom has marble floors, vaulted ceilings, and a permanent marble dais at one end that holds a flat-surfaced podium. The shroud will sit on this podium during the Templars’ ritual. The windows of the room’s exterior wall have been covered with thick black drapes. The electric lights are off and candelabras with burning candles are scattered across the room to provide light. The room has been warded by the Templars to prevent astral intrusion.
The runners have several options for ballroom access: attack the hotel, risking a rapid response from the external defenses and on-site Parashield security teams; impersonate hotel employees and wait for the Templars (if the runners get to Québec early enough); or check into the hotel as guests and go to the ballroom after the Templars have started. The shroud cannot be detected or found by any means before this point. The Templars have protected it and will only bring the shroud out when they are ready to begin their ritual.
If the runners lie in wait for the Templars or confront them before the party gets started, they will have to deal with twenty-five powerful and alert combat mages. If they wait until the Templars are engaged in the ritual, they will only have to deal with four guards, as the other twenty-one members will be involved in ritual spellcasting.
Assuming the runners wait, when they enter the room most of the Templars will be in three loose circles around the dais, performing an arcane ritual. Due to the intense nature of this magic, these Templars are distracted for three full combat rounds before they can react. Any player who is Assensing will instantly know that this is high-level and very dangerous magic. Further magical investigation (before the spell breaks at the end of the third combat round), reveals that the Templars are attempting to alter the shroud in some way.
Guarding the doors at each end of the room are a pair of Knights who can immediately react to the players’ entrance.
While the runners deal with the Templars in an effort to get the shroud, another shadowrun team uses the distraction as cover to steal the shroud for themselves. The Templars will assume both teams are working together. Once the shroud has been taken, the players should escape as soon as they can, because the situation is only going to become more difficult.
PLoT PoINT THREE
The shroud is causing strange weather patterns on both the mundane and astral planes. The players can use meteorological systems, weather news, Matrix rumors, or just plain magical tracking to follow the trail. The source starts in Québec City, right outside the hotel, and heads southwest from there.
ovERvIEW
After the reclusive great dragon Aden ventures from his Mt.
Ararat home to visit Hestaby’s lair, rumors abound about the activities of dragons, and the most powerful organizations of the Sixth World scramble to learn the truth. They discover that the Shroud of Shadows has been stolen from Hestaby, and a race ensues to claim this powerful artifact. The factions involved in this race are the Atlantean Foundation, Ghostwalker’s Watchers, representatives of the Islamic Unity Movement (IUM), the Order of the Temple, agents of Hestaby and Aden, and the player characters.
The Atlantean Foundation hires the players to obtain the infamous Shroud of Shadows, sending them on a journey to the Republic of Québec, where the Knights Templar are using the shroud in an arcane ritual. At the same moment the runners go after the shroud, another group of shadowrunners shows up and steals it. After escaping the wrath of the Templars, the players must track down the other runners to obtain the shroud.
There should be several opportunities for the PCs to track down the shroud. The opposing runners may leave datatrails behind to follow. The shroud itself causes anomalies in both the material and astral planes. The Templars may even inadvertently assist the players in their search by chasing off the other team.
The trail leads to Omaha, Nebraska (UCAS), and Offutt Air Force Base, the home of both NORAD and Strategic Air Command. Along the road, the PCs encounter Ghostwalker’s Watchers, the IUM representatives, and the agents of Hestaby and Aden. Each of these teams separately attempts to hire the runners away from their current employer or dissuade them from completing the mission.
This section’s finale occurs in Omaha, when the players confront the opposing shadowrunning team and the UCAS Air Force. If the players gain control of the shroud, they can choose who gets it.
PLoT PoINT oNE
The runners are called to a meeting with Mr. Johnson. He makes a lucrative offer for the retrieval of a magical artifact called the Shroud of Shadows. While the shroud’s powers are unknown to most of metahumanity, the shroud itself is rather famous, having been left to the dragon Aden several years ago by President Dunkelzahn. Any research on the shroud easily comes up with this tidbit from Dunkelzahn’s will:
“To Aden, I leave the Shroud of Shadows. May its shade cool the heat of your desert home as well as the tempers that flare around it.”
There are additional rumors that the shroud was later stolen from Aden, but few know for sure who ended up with it.
Mr. Johnson does not mention for whom he works unless pushed. All the runners need to know is that his employer is willing to pay them handsomely for the shroud. He knows the shroud has been taken to Québec City by the Order of the Temple, a.k.a., the New Knights Templar. The players are provided with transportation, if they do not have their own, and assistance in getting past Québec border security. The rest is up to them.
THE SHADOwS OF PEACE ...
them on the UCAS side of the border while they decide what they want to do. She will not engage in combat with the players.
PLoT PoINT FoUR
At any time before or after the meeting with Goat Foot, the players are approached by Tweedledee and Tweedledum, agents of Hestaby and Aden. They make the PCs an offer that cannot be refused. The gamemaster should use any of the runners’
negative qualities against them (addiction, indebted, etc.), or play on previously expressed character desires. Tweedledee and Tweedledum have done their research on these runners and know anything about the players that is available to be known.
The agents will use this information in their initial negotiation attempts to make this a “too good to be true” offer. In return, they expect the runners to deliver the shroud to their employers, not the Atlantean Foundation.
If the players balk, the agents grow more aggressive, reminding the runners that they work for great dragons. The agents may also make vague, implied threats against the players or any of their dependants. Tweedledee and Tweedledum say nothing overt, but they believe themselves to be in a position of power over the players.
At the end of this encounter, if the players do not agree to their demands—or at least agree to contact them later—the agents take their leave, convinced the runners are enemies of the dragons.
To follow the trail, the PCs have to escape the Templars, then cross the Republic of Québec–UCAS border. Using the official border crossings, it’s more difficult for the PCs to get into UCAS than it was to get into Québec. The UCAS officials will confiscate any unlicensed weapons and arrest anyone with unlicensed cyberware. The players can try to bribe their way past the border or search for a hole in border security.
If the players are having trouble getting past border security, it’s time for them to meet Goat Foot and Pharisee. Goat Foot will offer them a way across the border if they talk with her. If the players get past the border, they meet Goat Foot and Pharisee in UCAS territory.
Goat Foot reveals the identity of the players’ current employer, the Atlantean Foundation, and makes an offer for the shroud. She cannot offer much money, but she is willing to owe them a favor in addition to the funds she can provide. If pushed, she will mention she is well connected (though she will not mention JackPoint), and she offers herself as a future contact for the runners.
Pharisee is present to keep the players from doing anything stupid. If the players try to hurt or betray Goat Foot, Pharisee happily creates criminal SINs for them or employs other nasty Matrix tricks against them. If the runners need assistance with the border, Pharisee doctors the records to turn the players into a top-secret UCAS military team returning home from a mission, which allows everyone to cross without close examination. This will work well unless the players approach a border guard who previously refused their entry.
Goat Foot does not require an immediate answer to her offer.
If the players hear her out, she gives them her contact info and leaves
THE SHADOwS OF PEACE ...
Make it clear to the players that keeping the shroud is not in their best interests. Too many powerful people, and three great dragons, are interested in this artifact. Any attempts to keep the shroud for their own personal use will result in retaliation from
Make it clear to the players that keeping the shroud is not in their best interests. Too many powerful people, and three great dragons, are interested in this artifact. Any attempts to keep the shroud for their own personal use will result in retaliation from