Jocasta During the Cremation of Care

Jocasta, accompanied and trailed through the sequoia forest floor by the faintest spiritual remnant of Kai-matutsi, Earth-Power, Grave-Shaman, has been slowly making her way, closer and closer to the now-trumpeting tones of the Cremation of Care ceremony. Jo could swear, even from this distance, that the stentorian tones coming from the Owl effigy on the grounds of the Grove is weirdly familiar, heimlich and unheimlich at the same time, a voice she recognizes on a deep internal level yet can't quite parse under the burdens of the LSD, the care being taken in slowly sneaking toward the camp, and the alien presence of Earth-Shaman with her. She's close now, close enough to get eyes on the camp without using the binocs, just as Kai-matutsi requested. But Jo needs to get a new sense of her bearings here. So first please give me a Will-19 roll to see if you are overwhelmed by the acid. If you succeed, you'll give me an Observation-17 roll. If you fail the Will roll, it's hallucinations distracting you rendering you to an Observation-14.

1. Leonard used

   roll

   Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 12:28 PM

   @Leonard rolled 3d6 #Will: (4+1+1) = 6

2. Leonard used

   roll

   Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 12:28 PM

   @Leonard rolled 3d6 #observation: (4+2+5) = 11

3. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 12:42 PM

   Kai-matutsi says, "There is someone approaching. A man." And sure as can be, in the faint rays of torchlight from the distant camp, Jocasta sees about 40 feet distant, making his way through the sequoias, a paramilitary man in dark clothing, toting an automatic rifle and, most worrisome, wearing a set of night-vision goggles and scanning the forest floor. He also looks to have walkie-talkie at his hip, a few odd grenades on a bandolier, and is wearing a balaclava. His movements are those of a man who is stalking prey, definitely (ex-?)military; Jocasta can figure that he may have heard her but has not yet seen here; Jo fortunately currently has her back to a raised mound of earth and the giant trunk of a redwood. The Earth-Power whispers in Jo's LSD-ringing ears, "He will need to be dispatched... quietly."

4. Leonard — 9/6/24, 1:14 PM

   Not good enough with the knife, pistol's a range issue, but assuming she's got the Ruger on single-shot and suppressed (it's a low caliber so it won't make a lot of noise anyway), she'll go with the rifle. Prone, breathe, brace, aim, one shot to the head: she's going for as much accuracy as possible. If it hits and doesn't kill him she'll spring over and cut his throat; if it misses she'll quick-draw the pistol.

5. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 1:17 PM

   I'll do some math this afternoon for this, Leonard. I am thinking also that Earth-Shaman can be utilized for a Blessing as well if you're down but of course Kai-matutsi is not Underwater Panther, so who knows what you'd be getting into by letting him intrude on that pact. Kai-matutsi is more than willing to lend his shamanic blessing though.

   1

6. [1:18 PM]

   (And yeah, a suppressor makes total sense.)

7. @Leonard

   Not good enough with the knife, pistol's a range issue, but assuming she's got the Ruger on single-shot and suppressed (it's a low caliber so it won't make a lot of noise anyway), she'll go with the rifle. Prone, breathe, brace, aim, one shot to the head: she's going for as much accuracy as possible. If it hits and doesn't kill him she'll spring over and cut his throat; if it misses she'll quick-draw the pistol.

   MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 1:28 PM

   Base skill: 15 All-Out Attack (Determined): +1 Aim: +5 (Acc) Brace: +1 Extra Aim (2+ seconds): +2 Aimed Shot to Face: -5 Darkness (faint light): -2 One shot means no rapid fire, probably a good choice when it comes to being quiet. One pop can be written off as a premature firework as the Cremation gets underway. Probably not enough time for Jo to wait for, like, the whole pyrotechnic thing to get underway. So that gets you to Rifle-17 before possibly asking Kai-matutsi for a Blessing. (edited)

8. Dr. Cronk — 9/6/24, 1:31 PM

   My bad, I asked a pointed question the answer to which was v clearly already present

9. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 1:33 PM

   Nah nah, I'm always down for a nitpick rules-wise, Jeff. Plus I'm rusty on combat!

10. Dr. Cronk — 9/6/24, 1:40 PM

    GURPS combat is a hideous marriage of two wildly different conceptual paradigms so the answer to some questions is just "no, it doesn't make sense"

    1

    3

11. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 1:40 PM

    Fair.

12. Leonard — 9/6/24, 2:50 PM

    With a silent prayer to Artemis to guide her hand and eye, and a silent promise to feed the earth with his blood, Jocasta squeezes the trigger.

13. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 2:51 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #rifle: (5+1+3) = 9

14. @Leonard

    With a silent prayer to Artemis to guide her hand and eye, and a silent promise to feed the earth with his blood, Jocasta squeezes the trigger.

    MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 4:50 PM

    So that is a clear hit with one round, for 5d piercing damage in the face.

15. Leonard — 9/6/24, 4:55 PM

    Assuming he's not dead (), she'll sprint over as fast as can be and try to finish the job with a knife. Don't want to risk the noise of a second shot.

16. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 4:56 PM

    Go ahead and roll that damage, 5d6, we'll see where he's at.

17. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 4:56 PM

    @Leonard rolled 5d6 #rifledamage: (6+1+1+6+6) = 20

18. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 4:56 PM

    whew

19. [4:56 PM]

    I got some HT-type rolls to make

    1

20. Leonard — 9/6/24, 4:57 PM

    (LOL I dunno why, I was thinking it was just 5 damage, not 5d. This game, man)

21. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:01 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14 Major Wound: (4+2+5) = 11

22. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:02 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14 Collapse: (5+2+1) = 8

23. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:04 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14 Knockdown and Stunning: (3+2+1) = 6

24. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:06 PM

    The bullet explodes the ex-mil private security man's face, shattering his check and sending bone, blood and flesh into the trees behind him. Jocasta quickly closes the gap and takes out her knife to finish him off, but he's still conscious (barely) and still able to fight. It's going to be a Knife-13 roll for you and he will get All-Out Defense, and then need to roll against HT again to resist going unconscious. He has no time to pull his own knife, so he'll just tussle (Dodge).

25. [5:06 PM]

    Again, the Blessing of Earth-Shaman is being actively offered to Jo.

26. [5:07 PM]

    You two are fighting on the bare earth, after all.

27. Leonard — 9/6/24, 5:08 PM

    She'll take whatever blessing is offered, with a pledge to feed his blood to the Earth.

28. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:08 PM

    Roll 1d6 to see how much your Knife skill improves by.

29. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:08 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #knife: (5+2+1) = 8

30. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:08 PM

    @Leonard rolled 1d6 #blessing: (1) = 1

31. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:09 PM

    Heh, well, every bit helps I suppose.

32. Leonard — 9/6/24, 5:10 PM

    That takes it to 14, which makes the roll a success by 6, not too bad

33. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:12 PM

    The security man rolls away from Jo's first stab, bleeding profusely all over Jo as the two of them engage. His exertions are causing his blood loss rate to increase, as he attempts to stay conscious.

34. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:12 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14: (6+5+2) = 13

35. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:13 PM

    He's barely hanging on. And now fumbling for his own knife. Luckily the face shot has made him less likely to scream. You go first though, another Knife attack at 14.

36. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:13 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #knife: (5+2+1) = 8

37. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:18 PM

    Okay, that one he missed the Dodge since he was taking an action to draw his weapon. Roll 1d6-1 damage, whatever gets past his DR is doubled.

38. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:19 PM

    @Leonard rolled 1d6-1 #knifedamage: (1)-1 = 0

39. Leonard — 9/6/24, 5:19 PM

    ugh

40. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:19 PM

    A slice through his heavy vest but that's about it. He has drawn his own knife this round and needs to make yet another HT roll.

41. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:19 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14: (1+2+4) = 7

42. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:20 PM

    He's fine. He's going to actually try to attack this round and will use Parry on Jo's next attack, which is now. Knife-14.

43. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:20 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #knife: (6+1+1) = 8

    1

44. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:21 PM

    He's weak from the combat and Jocasta defeats his feeble attempt to parry easily. And another damage roll please, 1d6-1.

45. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:22 PM

    @Leonard rolled 1d6-1 #knifedamage: (1)-1 = 0

46. Leonard — 9/6/24, 5:22 PM

    oy veyyyyyy

47. [5:23 PM]

    did she bring, like, a butter knife

    1

48. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:24 PM

    Whoof. Okay, Jo will need to parry his knife attack now, her Parry is 11.

49. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:24 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #parry: (6+3+5) = 14

50. Leonard — 9/6/24, 5:25 PM

    this is going great

51. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:26 PM

    Yes, but believe it or not, he also rolled a zero for his damage (well, zero after Jo's own cloth/leather armour DR stopped it, so she also has a slash in her clothes after this fight). He needs to make another HT roll now.

52. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:26 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14: (4+1+5) = 10

53. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:26 PM

    God, he's still up. The knife fight continues, Jo goes again.

54. @MutantsMichael

    Yes, but believe it or not, he also rolled a zero for his damage (well, zero after Jo's own cloth/leather armour DR stopped it, so she also has a slash in her clothes after this fight). He needs to make another HT roll now.

    Leonard — 9/6/24, 5:26 PM

    I am assuming she's wearing her ballistic vest, is that not correct?

55. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:27 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #knife: (5+2+2) = 9

56. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:28 PM

    Oh, yeah, that's got plenty of DR, 8/2 (2 against impaling). And another Parry roll for me, one sec

57. Dr. Cronk — 9/6/24, 5:29 PM

    Minimum damage with a slashing or piercing weapon is 1

58. [5:29 PM]

    (Before DR)

59. [5:30 PM]

    (unless I'm wrong)

60. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:30 PM

    Good to know. It does look like each of our DR has stopped all damage up to this point, even with that in mind.

61. [5:30 PM]

    And he's failed to Parry again, he's just too weak and too stunned. Roll your 1d6-1 damage again please.

62. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:30 PM

    @Leonard rolled 1d6-1 #knifedamage: (5)-1 = 4

63. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:32 PM

    All right. It's not a major wound, and it doesn't take him to -14, but he is at -10 now after taking into account his DR and the doubling. Another Knife attempt, this time penalized due to Shock.

64. [5:33 PM]

    The wound on his arm has weakened him and Jo doesn't even need to parry, he swings wildly.

65. MutantsMichael used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/6/24, 5:33 PM

    @MutantsMichael rolled 3d6 HT-14: (6+6+4) = 16

66. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 5:33 PM

    Well.

67. [5:34 PM]

    "Failure means you fall unconscious (or simply stop working, if you weren’t truly alive or conscious in the first place)"

68. [5:34 PM]

    After 4 seconds of fevered melee combat, blood loss and shock combine to put the private security guard out. He is wide open for the coup de grace. (edited)

69. Leonard — 9/6/24, 6:03 PM

    She’ll quietly draw the blade across his throat. Sorry, pal, she says silently, you just drew the wrong assignment today. Once he’s out, she’ll turn him over and let him bleed out on the clean earth. If time and circumstance permit — that is, if there’s no other immediate threats in the vicinity — she’ll also strip him and drag him somewhere inconspicuous, and search him for anything useful: weapons, ID, drugs, anything worth lifting.

70. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 6:20 PM

    As the blade draws across the man's throat, the pyrotechnics begin in earnest down in the grove. What looks like an arrow of light flies straight at Care and secondary explosions set off all around the base of the straw man. Soon the shining white light is supplanted by the natural red-orange of a conflagration erupting through straw, wood, and paste. A great whoop and cheer goes up from the Bohemians and their guests down in the grove. As the guard's life blood pours out onto the bare earth, Kai-matutsi looms behind Jocasta... a little more solid, a little more substantial. The flashing magnesium lights of the fireworks show that the Earth-Shaman is now actually casting a shadow over the living and the dead. The bright firework light that's illuminated the nearby forest shows no other men on patrol within sight, and Jocasta can drag this man back to the natural bulwark she was crouched under to strip him of useful materiel.

71. MutantsMichael — 9/6/24, 7:00 PM

    He's carrying no ID, no money, no identifying tags, but Jo is able to inspect his walkie-talkie, which looks industry standard—no weird SANDMAN tech here. The grenades look like riot ordnance, stun grenades; not in use during Jo's brief time in Vietnam but definitely starting to come back stateside now for use in crowd control. The SEALs were always tinkering around with these kind of grenades for use in infil and hostage rescue. They're possibly filled with a tear gas/pepper spray-like chemical agent or maybe even producing a deafening effect to stun the opponent; whatever the case Jo doesn't have a good handle on their use other than pull and pin and throw. These things are state-of-the-art even if they're not SANDMAN issue. The rifle upon closer inspection is an XM177 (Colt Commando)/GAU-5, favored by MACV-SOG, Navy SEALs, and US Air Force in country. Jo would bet a case of Ba Mươi Ba beer that this guy is a former SEAL, Special Forces, Air Force intel, CIA, or other paramilitary unit who would have been attached to SOG, definitely with a Vietnam intel pedigree. Also has the aforementioned combat knife and a baton. (edited)

72. Leonard — 9/6/24, 7:53 PM

    She'll take the walkie, turning it down low but still on in case someone tries to hail the late Mr. Anonymous. She'll also take the grenades. She'll leave the Colt Commando, but unload the magazine and reload it with the rounds in backward -- another little trick from the VC -- just in case someone finds it and comes after her. "Zhù nǐ xiàbèizi hǎoyùn, péngyǒu," she whispers. Watching his lifeblood soak into the Sonoma County earth, she watches the shadow of the Earth-Shaman. Drink up, spirit, she thinks; Before long, this land will be yours again. Or at least not theirs. She creeps forward about 30 yards and crouches under the sheltering foliage of a big box elder, raising her binocs up and scanning the Grove proper. She'll keep an eye out for anything unusual (as if this whole situation isn't unusual, she thinks), but mostly she's reconnoitering in case there's a need to launch an assault against the place later.

73. September 7, 2024

74. MutantsMichael — 9/7/24, 11:51 AM

    With the binocs, Jo can see Archie and Marshall have taken a moment to retreat from the rows of wooden benches in the outdoor auditorium and have presumably decided to opportunistically discuss matters under the cover of the shock and awe of the pyrotechnics and the Bohemians hooting and hollering at the incineration of all their Cares for two and a half weeks. As Jo watches the two men chat, she takes a moment to examine their body language, as the adrenaline from her combat and the lysergic acid are both running quite strong in Jo's system. Another Will-19 roll to roll with the LSD, and if you succeed, give me an Empathy-14 roll.

75. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/7/24, 12:31 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #Will: (5+2+3) = 10

76. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/7/24, 12:32 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #empathy: (1+6+1) = 8

77. MutantsMichael — 9/7/24, 12:38 PM

    As Jo watches the Archie-Marshall tête-à-tête, it becomes clear that both men are impaired; just from their postures, their slower physical reactions overall... I don't know if Jo was expressly briefed that the two of them were going to dose on 2C-B during the Cremation but even if she wasn't, the Empathy is enough to tell Jo that it's not merely the assault on the senses of the light and noise that are making the two men a little loopy. And the second thing the Empathy success gives Jo is a hint that Archie is quite literally not himself. Whether it's because of the drug, or the circumstances, or something else... Archie seems to have an entire other person's body language and mannerisms. And Jo doesn't think it's some kind of cover acting to cloak Archie's true self from the witnesses. Jo thinks it's something deeper, more profound... more spiritual. Like a possession, or Archie living out some kind of projection into the past or future, like he did at Terence McKenna's last summer. (edited)

78. [12:43 PM]

    (Empathy explicitly allows you to detect "impostors and possession," Christ, how important is that gonna be in this game from here on out, huh)

79. Leonard — 9/7/24, 1:00 PM

    Jo will take a quick scan of the immediate area for threats, and if it seems safe, she’ll allow herself to meditate in preparation for a Telesend attempt.

80. MutantsMichael — 9/7/24, 1:00 PM

    I'll make that Observation roll secretly but give me another Will-19 to see how much the LSD penalizes it.

81. Leonard used

    roll

    Dice GolemAPP — 9/7/24, 1:01 PM

    @Leonard rolled 3d6 #Will: (5+5+1) = 11

82. MutantsMichael — 9/7/24, 1:04 PM

    No other patrols seem to be intersecting this sector in the past few minutes of Jo's infilitration and elimination; Jo is guessing the foot patrols are staggered geographically over the frankly vast area surrounding the Grove. Come daylight, though, when the patrols likely check in at the guardhouse at the main gate of the Grove... our dead friend's disappearance might be noticed.

83. Leonard — 9/7/24, 1:13 PM

    What are they doing in Uncle Sam’s lab these days? This feels stepped on, Jo thinks as the leaves of the box elder melt into a plasticene smear and the rustling of the wind through them makes a sinister serpentine hiss. She makes a mental note of how long she has before the next patrols come through and slips into blankness.

84. MutantsMichael — 9/7/24, 5:36 PM

    What's the Telesend going to consist of?

85. Leonard — 9/7/24, 6:54 PM

    She'll send a message to Marshall: In the woods, [however many yards in whatever direction from him]. Need to be out by dawn when guard shift changes. Raise left hand if you need help, right if no. Open if you need surveillance or watch, closed if you need assault or distraction. Can message again if needed.

86. Leonard — 9/7/24, 8:13 PM

    [If Marshall's waving her off, we can end the scene here -- she'll take a look around for another hour at most, seeing if anything unusual or worth noting stands out, but if nothing turns up she's just going to go back to the Mission.]

    1

87. Inverarity — 9/7/24, 8:15 PM

    (He's trying to tell her to keep eyes on the group with Fred and Ron in it, the ones heading up to the big house)

    1

88. Leonard — 9/7/24, 8:21 PM

    [Ah, okay, I assume we can wave off the extra step of coming up with a specific hand signal for that. Let's proceed as above, except she'll tail the Reagan clique intead of just generally scouting around. She'll keep on them as much as possible but she's keeping a safe distance, she doesn't wanna get caught.]

89. Inverarity — 9/7/24, 9:21 PM

    [yeah it wasn't marshall's best silent command but in his defense, he was reacting to someone speaking inside his literal mind] (edited)

90. September 8, 2024

91. MutantsMichael — 9/8/24, 6:51 AM

    (Leonard, will get on this today, but I'm currently downloading an insanely-detailed vintage map of the Grove off a rare books site, zoomable piece by zoomable piece, in order to explain Jo's current tactical position, so if the Men in Black come to take me away today, you all will know why.)

92. [6:52 AM]

    (My search history the past week or two for this game has been a cesspool. If the Owl Spirit is on the internet, he's nailed my ass)

93. MutantsMichael — 9/8/24, 7:09 AM

    This took 20 minutes

    1

94. Bill B — 9/8/24, 7:59 AM

    During which they fed you all kinds of source code….

    1

95. MutantsMichael — 9/8/24, 8:11 AM

    lol

96. [8:12 AM]

    lmao

97. MutantsMichael — 9/8/24, 8:32 AM

    As Jo makes her way to gather a better operational position on the Big House, she wheels in a wide arc around the main "square" of the Bohemian encampment. This means she needs to retreat a little bit from eyes on Archie and Marshall, who are heading back down the long sole path of "Swimming Pool Road" north away from the center of camp. Finding herself a little further away from the encampment now, about 300 yards away, Jo finds herself a defensible, cloaked position. The intel to be gathered here from the Big House is not too good; the problem being Jo can see the front of the Big House plain as day at this slight elevation, but there's not much interesting happening now that the Important Men have all gone inside. Jo can see the front room, a cozy lodge-like room with a nice bar, plain as day through the front porch windows with her binoculars, but the men have retreated further into the complex it seems. A handful of men remain on the front steps and porch: six from the looks of it. From the looks of them, they're plainclothes security with conspicuous bulges; call them either upper-level Bohemian security or the Governor's bodyguards. To get eyes on the back of the Big House complex would mean in some way crossing the line of the Bohemian camp; a complete circuit around the entire camp, from the survey map from 1929 that Sophie was able to procure (the only publically available map other than the whimsical 1950s one that Jo also memorized before this op), would take hours. (The Big House had not yet been built in 1929, and in the 1950s the more modest lodge was then called "The Grill.") There are dark shadowy areas of the Bohemian camp that Jo could cross, especially out near the less-populated various camps on Swimming Pool Road. But Jo's instincts tell her the only way to get a better idea of what the Governor is doing in there with the Owls' inner circle is to somehow get around the back of the Big House.

98. [8:34 AM]

99. MutantsMichael — 9/8/24, 8:40 AM

    (also keep in mind many of the individual camp sites have changed location in the past 45 years since this map was made in 1929, I'm going off the '51 map for our locations even though they're probably not strictly historically accurate)

100. Leonard — 9/8/24, 11:07 AM

     Coolly analyzing Sophie's maps, Jocasta is pleased: whoever built this place was under the influence of 18th century security principles, assuming that isolation alone equaled protection. The rear of the Big House is isolated and inacessible, true, but it is also empty save for trees, uncrowded, and quiet, meaning it provides cover and silence for a single malicious agent with an accurate, long-range rifle. It's far enough from the camps on either side to make it unlikely that any late-night revelers will spot her, and even the professionals the Owls have hired as security will probably stick to the inner perimeter of the House, with a mind towards protecting its residents instead of randomly stumbling across any threats the way her late friend did closer to the stage. With the night growing darker, so grow her thoughts. She begins to formulate a plan, with the acid coursing through her and her obsession with the misdeeds of OZYMANDIAS -- bad as they were, a mere puppet's shadow under the hands of the Owls -- eating at her. Creeping slowly and stealthily through the woods, circling ever closer to the perimiter of the Big House (and to the boundaries of good practice that her mind keeps telling her to cross), she finds her fingers mechanically tapping out the seconds, a familiar ritual that is also practical as she gets closer to the changing of the guard. There will be no more checking in with the brass, no more memos, no more protocol: today you make the action. She moves in about 200 yards from the rear of the Big House. She's far enough away as to be basically invisible to anyone posted there, but still close enough that she's easily in range with the carbine. Before her is forest and the lights of the House; behind her is more forest, the winding path of Stage Hill Road (leading away from her potential escape route, back into the even denser undeveloped clusters of sequioias and firs, and the looming shadow of the water tower. Finding a furrow of land where she can flatten out under a tree, she quietly calibrates the sights and the scope on the rifle and holds it in her right hand. With her left, she raises the binocs, trains them on the Big House, and watches.

101. MutantsMichael — 9/8/24, 11:11 AM

     (All right Leonard, when I get back tonight I'll do some secret Observation, Stealth, Naturalist rolls to reflect Jo rotating into position at the back of the Big House and then let you know the results/what Jo sees there if successful.)

     1

102. September 9, 2024

103. MutantsMichael — 9/9/24, 6:45 AM

     When Jocasta gets a little further away from the main camp in her attempt wheel around at a dark shadowy part of Swimming Pool Road, her soldier's instincts tell her to turn the walkie back up. She inches the volume dial just the slightest click or two and holds it clear to her ear. "Base camp to perimeter, merchandise has been delivered and secured. Fire Team 2 on site at the Big House. Should be a few hours. Over." "Roger that." The perimeter's squad leader, presumably, responds. No chatter from "Fire Team 2." They must be busy at the Big House. Jo sees some stragglers going back to their bunks early in the post-Cremation revelry and times her crossing of Swimming Pool Road accordingly. Then it's a snap to use the back trails (stealthily) to make her way to a vantage point where the rear of the Big House is in her vision. Figure the entire thing, a hike of about 3-4 miles given the stealth and rough terrain, taking about 90 minutes (70 if you succeed on a Hiking-6 roll, no penalty for failure or critical failure). When Jo gets into position at the back of the House, she sees four late-model black vans parked in the dirt area behind the House. Milling around outside the back of the House near these vans are six paramilitary men dressed very much as Jo's opponent in the woods was: tactical gear, walkie-talkies, Colt Commando rifles. They're taciturn and warily eyeing and patrolling the area around the well-lit back of the House, the access road which leads winding through the camp back to Stage Hill Road, and occasionally casting eyes to the service entrance and rear windows of the Big House. Through those back windows Jo can't see much; the ones opening onto the first floor of the Big House just show the back of the main lodge room Jo saw from the front. The second floor windows, which look to be arranged into a series of private rooms, all have curtains drawn shut, even against the privacy of the back of the Big House.

104. Leonard used

     roll

     Dice GolemAPP — 9/9/24, 10:22 AM

     @Leonard rolled 3d6 #hiking: (5+4+5) = 14

105. Leonard — 9/9/24, 10:22 AM

     [LOL]

106. [10:29 AM]

     Jocasta takes her position and waits patiently. She cradles the long gun in her lap like a Madonna comforting a child. Show him to me, she thinks, a silent prayer to whatever spirits are listening. Just let me see his face, just for a moment. She will wait half an hour and no more for the governor to show. If it takes longer than that, she'll bolt and put as much distance between herself and the paras as possible -- fate will have spoken, and she is in no condition to issue a challenge to fate. But if he does show, she knows what she wants to do. (edited)

107. MutantsMichael — 9/9/24, 10:33 AM

     Jocasta marks thirty minutes on her chronometer and in that time there's no real change or happenings at the back of the Big House. A couple of catering types—a waiter and a very burly-looking valet—come out at around 1:15 am, halfway through Jo's watch—to grab a very quick smoke break at the service entrance; they get the hairy eyeball from the paras and vice versa—but other than that during her half-hour's surveillance Jo doesn't see anything at all coming into or exiting the Big House from the rear.

108. Leonard — 9/9/24, 10:57 AM

     Okay, I hear you, she says to the unnamable They. Enough blood for one night. Too far to touch, too alien to reach, too hidden to draw out. Martyrdom isn't on the menu. A surveillance mission only this will be, and it's time to wrap it up. She buries some key information about the layout of the grove deep in her memory for extraction later. Still, no sense in making a total loss of the night. Shouldering the carbine, she takes the strap of grenades and laces it around her sheltering tree, adding a few of her own and jamming in a full magazine of the .223 rounds. Pulling out her big survival knife, now crusted with dried and darkened blood from her previous encounter, she carves today's date into the bark, along with the approximate time the "merchandise" was delivered to the Big House and a rough approximation of the reticle of a sniper's scope. (Under the ballistic vest, under her sweat-damp clothes, her back and shoulders shudder a little when she realizes how similar it looks to the Zodiac's signature mark.) She moves cautiously over to the water tower, and drops another four explosives around each cardinal point of its base. Then she looks around carefully. Her new friends among the Plains tribes have a term for this, or at least her imperfect attempt at it: counting coup. Into the sinking blackness of the northern California night, far away from the machinations of the Owls, she runs.

     2

109. September 10, 2024

110. MutantsMichael — 9/10/24, 6:59 AM

     Just want to say Leonard I've been thinking about the Zodiac/counting coup thing nigh-constantly since yesterday morning. Sometimes I really wish Jo had taken the route where she got trained in source code memetics.

111. MutantsMichael — 9/10/24, 9:15 AM

     After I finish the Mitch/Roger thing, do @Leonard and @Rob MacD fancy a quick Jo/Arch scene 20-25 miles away from the Grove somewhere to do some infodumping sometime on Saturday or Sunday?

112. [9:17 AM]

     (And if you think the Bohemians are gonna bother to interrupt their annual meeting and alarm the attendees over the death of a servant once he's been discovered, I've got a couple of bridges to sell you)

113. MutantsMichael — 9/10/24, 9:27 AM

     (I actually have such an amazing idea for a scene in Santa Rosa with Arch and Jo)

114. @MutantsMichael

     (And if you think the Bohemians are gonna bother to interrupt their annual meeting and alarm the attendees over the death of a servant once he's been discovered, I've got a couple of bridges to sell you)

     Leonard — 9/10/24, 9:39 AM

     Oh, I didn't think they'd cancel the meeting or anything. Jo just wanted to put a little spook into them, let them know there's a viper in the nest. As far as her checking in with Archie, it's really up to @Rob MacD, I think. Not to step on your idea for a scene, but Jo didn't really get much in the way of actionable intelligence on her little expedition, and she's also worried that having made her little statement, she's even fucked things up in terms of being a bodyguard for Marshall and Archie, as the Owls are probably at least going to step up security, making it more precarious for her to be on site. Honestly, this in combination with some worries she has around the Earth-Spirit and her visions of the destruction of the Grove have her a little spooked and on the verge of another patented Jocasta Menos psychological crisis. (groans from the crowd) I assume she's staying at the Mission, or somewhere a decent distance from the Grove, since it would be bad practice to be publicly seen nearby. She'll hang out wherever she's posted and wait for Archie or Marshall's instructions; if they want her to stick around, she will (and we can do what little info needs dumping as a scene or just taken as read as a standard debrief as Rob prefers), but otherwise, she'll probably go south and do some work at the bookstore or east to Lakota country. She doesn't feel like she's doing much good here.

     1

115. MutantsMichael — 9/10/24, 9:41 AM

     Cool, okay. I guess I need to wait to see what Mitch and Roger dig up to like bring the group together for an agenda-setting meeting. I can pocket the Santa Rosa thing.

116. Leonard — 9/10/24, 9:42 AM

     Sorry! I don't wanna kill a good scene! I feel like I'm not really carrying my weight as a player at the moment.

     1

117. MutantsMichael — 9/10/24, 9:42 AM

     Oh my God are you kidding me of course you are!

118. [9:43 AM]

     I'm just in "oh my God I want the PCs to get together and exchange information" mode without considering how much sense it makes narratively

119. [9:43 AM]

     I've been like this before in this game, ahem

120. Rob MacD — 9/10/24, 9:51 AM

     Leonard feeling like he's not carrying his weight is NONSENSE, but it makes me, the person who is actually not carrying any weight, feel... well, I dunno honestly! But your fears are unfounded, Leonard. I'm happy to do a scene if you have a good idea for it, Mike, but it is sometimes hard to make much meat out of scenes where the PCs tell each other things that the players already know.

     1

     1

121. MutantsMichael — 9/10/24, 9:51 AM

     Also the mantle (hah) of being the PC who does the solo infilitration shit, whether rogue, ranger, or decker, is a hard one, I get it

122. [9:52 AM]

     Yeah, you have a point there. I have been positively gratuitous when it comes to the celebrity cameos lately, and that's what the Santa Rosa idea was, so I'll keep it in my back pocket for another day/tell y'all about it once the game is over

123. Leonard — 9/10/24, 10:05 AM

     We can assume that Jocasta gives Marshall/Archie the bare-bones info about the Big House, the layout of the Grove, the security set-up, etc. She'll tell them that Reagan is there but she wasn't able to get much of a read on what they're doing with him. She'll also tell them she had to take out a guard and that security will likely ramp up, but she won't talk about her little coup trick or the Earth-God. She'll hang around wherever she's stationed if they want her around, and if not, she'll head out and tend to other business but stay in contact.