"When you drop any new idea in the pond of the world, you get a ripple effect. You have to be aware that you will be creating a cascade of change." - Joel Barker
On Vesper 27th, 501 PC, six individuals met in a shadowed garret, responding to cryptic notes about a dangerous but profitable job. They were met by an enigmatic figure naming itself as Cassum, and a young enlil teen, Mor, younger sister to the ANO enforcer, Rapax. Cassum proposed the impossible: for those six plus Mor to rescue Rapax from the Arc Correctio, a prison which had never lost a single prisoner in over three hundred years. One of those present, Dante, tried to cut and run with the first installment. Although foiled, he was let go, and instead offered a vague promise of rewards for coming out on top in the upcoming Lucror's Sport kinchaa tournament. Those who remained put together a plan and made preparations over the next several days.
On Vesper 28th, 501 PC, a Conexus outpost in the Esquilinium district was under investigation after apparent vandalism. The Auspex herself showed to look into the matter. An alarming fact soon became apparent: Leidan Halbert, the head of the newly mobilized Inimicus Inimici, was missing. Accepting help from Perseus Artifex, chosen by Leidan for the secretive group, as well as Cicely Akvavit and an unusual velen named Phorcys, Zephyrus tried to unravel the mystery surrounding Leidan's disappearance. Though they discovered several clues leading them to the Emerald Jewel, the trail fell cold.
a different group met in Blue's Pub, bearing a password, Inciliant sed suus. In this secretive meeting, the mysterious stranger, Sarkis, proposed a plan to steal the Pactum Unum Quingenti before it could be revealed on Nocte Nils. Paying half up-front, Sarkis promised infamy and rewards, and the group sat down to plan their heist, agreeing to meet up again in twenty-four hours.
On Vesper 29th, 501 PC, the Blue's Pub crew met outside the Archivo Argentum, beneath the Specula Sorcere. Despite heavy guard presence, the plan was enacted, and almost immediately went awry. With limited support from outside, the three who had entered the building faced stiff resistance. Harper managed to create enough of a distraction to ensure Nera's escape, but Sarkis, it seemed, had played them all. Sarkis made off with the treaty itself, leaving a note taunting the others. Harper managed his own escape, but not before the guards had learned his identity. Though they escaped, alive, Nera and Harper earned sizable bounties, and all but Sarkis walked away without reward.
On Vesper 30th, 501 PC, Lucror's Sport was held, an annual kinchaa tournament for amateur teams. Dante and his team, Seirin, fought their way to the finals, but faced one final obstacle: the Avelyn Levi's, winners for the past four years, and their star sunwiser, Penny Saliet, the MVP of each victory. At the end of a pitched battle for victory, Dante narrowly edged out the win, scoring the final point in overtime. Despite the success, however, he was not approached with a job, as promised.
Early on Umbra 1st, 501 PC, the conspirators from the shadowed garret convened, meeting Mor on a stolen airship. They were joined by Kincaid, the brother of Reilly, who claimed to have no interest in the reward, instead wanting only the challenge and fame. Just before morning, Mor dropped them down on the roof of the Arx Correctio, one hundred twenty stories high. Almost immediately, however, they were accosted by guards. Unprepared, and trying to avoid using lethal force, the Arx team emerged victorious but just barely. With a new respect for the challenge ahead, the group took shelter to recover and redouble their focus.
Through stealth, they managed to free Orator, the infamous speaker for the ANO. Bolstered by the former revolutionary's prowess, they survived a melee with another elite group of guards, and made swift progress down to the one hundred eleventh floor. They faced surprisingly little resistance on that floor, and freed Rapax quickly. Making their escape via one of the suspended exercise yards, the infiltrators ended up walking into a trap. Before capture, however, Mor managed to bring the airship in for a reckless and daring escape.
Following the theft of treaty, and the prison break, the Arcanum canceled the public appearance of Magister Eximium, fearing that the Astra non Obligant would again try to put the city in an uproar. However, attributing both events to the terrorist group, the Arcanum released an official statement that they would work in conjunction with the Conexus to put an end to the movement once and for all. Saint Vexus could not be reached for comment, but Saints Deimar and Adria spoke at length about plans to protect the citizens of Terminus and their commitment to a lasting peace.
Separating from Orator, Rapax, and Mor in the mountains north of Terminus, the co-conspirators returned to the shadowed garret to claim their rewards, only to face the realization that 'Cassum' was fake, a ruse perpetrated by Mor to get the necessary help to free her brother from an otherwise inescapable prison. The promised reward was also a lie.
Orator went on to parts unknown, while Rapax set his sights on Excelsus.
So, these PMs dragged on, didn't they? There's a lot of things we can point to, but I think part of the problem is that we as GMs got too ambitious for how much we could get done. Thank you everyone for participating and helping us see it through to the end, rough though it was.
All participants in 'Pragmatism and Prominence' and 'A Perilous and Felonious Infiltration are counting as having completed a B-Rank Mission, for which the payout is 1000 Exa. Everyone who participated in Cascade of Change also receives a B-Tier mission loot roll.
A poll thread will go up shortly with two people who are receiving slots according to the GM's own choices. These two slots will always be given after PMs regardless, but we still want you guys to have a say as the community. So, the thread will be given the purpose of allowing you guys to nominate and choose a third person to receive a Unique Feat Slot. This little "People's Choice" round will have about two weeks to resolve, and won't necessarily be awarded if there's not a general consensus who deserves the slot.
Thanks again for a great Plot Mission guys!
Related Reading:
Missions and Bounties:
Following their extraction from the top security prison, Arx Correctio, the Conexus has issued new bounties for the capture of Orator, real name unknown, and Pax Solis, alias Rapax. Information leading to the capture of any of the individuals that infiltrated the Arx Correctio will be rewarded. There are known to be at least six individuals that entered the prison: one velen male, three laicar males, and two females of indeterminate race; in addition, there was a seventh individual piloting an airship, no description available; the live capture of any of these individuals will be rewarded with a sum of 8,000 Exa.
The Arcanum will pay for any information leading to the return of the Pactum Unum Quingenti. There are at least three individuals associated with the theft: a spurii known as Harper, a velen woman whose name is believed to be Nysvernera, and an unknown third accomplice. The Arcanum will pay 8,000 Exa for the capture of any of these thieves.
Suspected conspirators with the Astra non Obligant are still at large. Due to renewed activity, the capture of these suspects has now become even more imperative. Therefore, the bounties for the demvir Amgine and the enlil woman Ignis have been raised to 5,000 Exa. Another Astra Non Obligant co-conspirator, who escaped from a lesser security prison earlier in the year, is also sought for further information. The recapture of Aelflead Kirastes is also worth 5,000 Exa.
15000 Exa - Orator
12000 Exa - Rapax
8000 Exa - Arx Infiltrators (Each)
8000 Exa - Unknown Treaty Thief
8000 Exa - Nysvernera
8000 Exa - Harper
5000 Exa - Amgine of the Commercium
5000 Exa - Ignis Animi
5000 Exa - Aelflead
|
