Jade Hood and Stone Fist issue #3 (System tryout)

OOC as you can imagine sleep has taken up most of my day, sorry for the delay (off to work in 30 mins). When Stone Fist threatens the bad guy its a contest between his Aura (4) vs the mans Will (3) + Modifier (2). We also use aura as 'damage' vs the mans Spirit (2) in order to break it. Stone Fist gets Aura 4 + Roll 10,9 (19)=23. Fat guy gets Will 3 + Mod 2 (he doesn't want to spill the beans) + Roll 6,7 (13)=18. 1 success + Aura 4 + Roll 10,1 (11)=16. Fat guy gets Spirit 2 + Roll 9,5 (14) = 16. He resists - just.

"Ha! I never talk, you pigs! You think you are tough? Dey are like you never seen! Men who lift truck with one hand! Bullet bounce off head! Shoot fire from mouth!" he laughs, though he's sweating visibly. "My men come back soon with germans then you see! I say nothing!"

OOC The attempt took a minute. Another attempt will take another minute. If what he says is true, the Germans will be back at some point, so you don't have long! Actual physical violence rather than a threat may well remove his modifier and make things slightly easier. You need to 'break his spirit' - reduce it to zero, which leaves him as a gibbering wreck (and then he'll feint dead away after spilling the beans).

Admin wrote:OOC The attempt took a minute. Another attempt will take another minute. If what he says is true, the Germans will be back at some point, so you don't have long! Actual physical violence rather than a threat may well remove his modifier and make things slightly easier. You need to 'break his spirit' - reduce it to zero, which leaves him as a gibbering wreck (and then he'll feint dead away after spilling the beans).

"Oh your very brave, but I wonder what they'll do to you, if we start smashing their precious boxes..." Jade Hood offered as he went over to Stone Fist and gestured for him to smash the box he was carrying, so its precious and no doubt delicate contents could spill out.

OOC: Ok where intimidation didn't seem to work before, lets try the threat of Nazi violence, implied if we start breaking all the boxes he has left. Besides which I am curious as to what is so precious about the contents of these boxes anyway.

Sj

Stone Fist throws it at the man, but purposely misses, so that only the edge of it hits him.

OOC The combined efforts of the threat to start smashing boxes and tossing the crate at the fellow (even if it only glances off him) remove some of his resistance. Same check again, this time its a team attack with jade Hood and Stone Fist on the fellow. Aura 4 + 2 (Team Attack) + Roll 10,2=18 vs Will 3 + Roll 4,5=12. Success 2 + Aura 4 + Roll 5,3=14 vs Spirit 2 + Roll 5,2=9. This time the fellow breaks down..

"Stop! STOP!" he wails. Sobbing, the fat man spits "Do not break more boxes! They ... they will kill me! You do not know... do not..."

Stone Fist gave a gentle kick with the side of his boot to a crate, listening to clinking sounds inside. "Sounds like glass. I'm thinking that there's some pretty intricate glass castings in there that will break if I..."

"Wait! Stop! Alright..."

He mopped sweat from his brow, then blubbered "I know people, I have contacts, I arrange things... My men, we can get things done. We have been looking for a place for the Germans to set up a..." he searches for the word, and says something in arabic.

"Laboratory." translated Mary. The Fat Man glanced at her, then quickly spoke in his native tongue, finding it easier to find the words. Mary continued to translate...

"We have been paid to find a laboratory and hold onto shipments of equipment that come in off boats. I asked around. Some of the boats are from Germany, others originated in Austria and other European countries. The crates are always marked fragile. One broke open. The things inside were glass tubes and flasks, piping, it looked like something to make alcohol with! Why not just buy..." She shook her head, glanced at Stone Fist and he made a threatening move towards a box. The fat man continued speaking "We tried to change the deal, several times. They threaten but they do with guns and noise, like pig wind. Strong, but not lasting. Not till today do they show bullets cannot hurt them! They are..." he looked around, realising "Like you! Many though! Ten! All look same, yellow hair, smart not like you..."

He continued to jabber.

Mary looked up "Got an address. He's crying now about his children and letting him live.. promises about doing good deeds and feeding orphans..." She shook her head in disgust. "Anything else you want me to press him on?"

Mary looked up "Got an address. He's crying now about his children and letting him live.. promises about doing good deeds and feeding orphans..." She shook her head in disgust. "Anything else you want me to press him on?"

"Who was it that paid you to try to kill us? The Nazis or someone else," Stone Fist asks.

Mary translated...

"It was a man named Schmidt, but I think he was working for someone else. Someone rich."

She frowned, then looked for the word "A duke? Count? No. Baron. That's it." She looked up at Jade Hood and Stone Fist. "Does that make sense?"

The man collapsed into a sobbing heap, and it was clear they'd get no more information from him. The question was, what would the pair do about the warehouse full of intricate scientific apparatus that the Nazis clearly planned to use in some insidious way?

Whatever it was, they'd have to be quick! It wouldn't be long before this mans goon squad came back in force!

Admin wrote:Whatever it was, they'd have to be quick! It wouldn't be long before this mans goon squad came back in force!

"I wonder how we can use this situation to our advantage, perhaps call out these Nazi's. If our friend here tells them that he's been attacked and equipment has been stolen, it would bring them running, would it not? Then perhaps we could confront them which would mean, our friend here would be in the clear from any reprisals. What do you think?

Jade Hood looked to his friend, who stood immovable like a mountain as he gave some thought to their situation.

Sj

"Too many of them," Stone Fist said after a bit. "They beat me badly the last time we fought. They are trained in hand to hand fighting, much better trained than I am. Together we might be able to take out two or three of them in a stand up fight but not a dozen."

"I say burn this place down, as fitting punishment for trying to kill us, and then head over to the address he gave out."

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Too many of them," Stone Fist said after a bit. "They beat me badly the last time we fought. They are trained in hand to hand fighting, much better trained than I am. Together we might be able to take out two or three of them in a stand up fight but not a dozen."

"I say burn this place down, as fitting punishment for trying to kill us, and then head over to the address he gave out."

Turning to the Egyptian, Jade Hood said, "Friend I'd leave if I were you, perhaps when we burn down this place, they will think you died and you will be free of them. Provided you lie low."

Jade Hood finished so Mary could translate. They wanted nothing to be left so the Nazi's could use it.

OOC:
Ok off to a bit or arson then, lets set this place alight and get out whilst we can. Seeing those Nazi faces after we've done this would be worth something, but we'd best stay out of the way.

Sj

Breaking open crates revealed numerous flammable chemicals and it was easy to mix them up and toss a match into the mess. All those wooden boxes provided ample fuel, and Stone Fist dragged the shell shocked Egyptian away as they stood watching the warehouse go up from a safe distance. It went with a bang! then a BANG!!! and flames boiled high into the air, along with the sound of shattering glass as searing heat caused it to burst!

Mary turned to the heroes. "Well, that will bring them running. Wait for them or head to the site of this factory they are wanting to set up? Chances are when word gets to them, they will come running and it might be deserted so we can snoop around and see what my Boss is up to!" She turned to where the sobbing man knelt, head in hands "I think you leaned on him a little too rough. He's not going anywhere in a hurry..."

The Fat Mans car stood around the back of the warehouse, and fishing in his pocket produced the keys.

OOC you have a car. I will assume you drive over to the other place. Leave the fat guy here, take him with you or drop him off somewhere?

=========

The 'Factory' was a large stone building in one of the more upmarket areas of Cairo

It was walled and gated, with goons stationed at the gate.The two men were in suits and wore a fez, quietly talking as people walked past on the pavement outside. The sun by now had crawled across the sky and at last the searing heat was dying down. The two storey square block building was long, with the upper floor boating a dozen windows for offices. The gates blocked a path that ran 20m before getting to the building itself, and the gardens were lush, obviously well tended judging how green they were. The wall surrounding the place was some 4m high, no real obstacle to either man, though in daylight though would easily be spotted.

"Reminds me of the other place" muttered Mary.

Stone Fist didn't need reminding - the beating he'd gotten from nazi goons was still fresh in his mind. They'd not been as strong or tough as he, but attacked as a team and were well trained, meaning they'd worn him down whilst he clubbed one or two into submission. Finally, he'd had to run. This time would have to be different somehow.

All three watched as a large flash car rolled up to the gates. The guards opened it, and moved to the drivers side. The back windows were curtained off and impossible to see who sat in it, but the guards were happy enough to admit them.

"What if we pose as... businessmen? Someone with something to sell?" asked Mary.

Just then another car pulled up, followed by another a moment later. This one didn't have curtains in, and the group could see short haired Nazi goons sat inside, suited and ignoring the stifling heat! They saw something else... Agent Chayne! He face was black and blue, bleeding, and he was slumped against a window with a red smear from his face onto the glass!

ooc: Let the fat guy and his goons run wherever they want to.

Just then another car pulled up, followed by another a moment later. This one didn't have curtains in, and the group could see short haired Nazi goons sat inside, suited and ignoring the stifling heat! They saw something else... Agent Chayne! He face was black and blue, bleeding, and he was slumped against a window with a red smear from his face onto the glass!

"Dang and Double Dang," Stone Fist muttered when he saw that.


He thought quickly.

"I got two plans," he said. "Plan One. We, meaning Jade Fist and I, run up really fast and grab Agent Chayne out of that car, run back to this car and try to get away with Mary driving."
"Plan Two. We surrrender, which gets us inside, find out what's going on and stop it somehow!"

"Do you have a Plan 3," he asks the other two.

DavidMcMahon wrote:"I got two plans," he said. "Plan One. We, meaning Jade Fist and I, run up really fast and grab Agent Chayne out of that car, run back to this car and try to get away with Mary driving."
"Plan Two. We surrrender, which gets us inside, find out what's going on and stop it somehow!"

"Do you have a Plan 3," he asks the other two.

Jade considered his friends propositions, as it stood Chayne was in mortal danger but was alive for a reason. Getting him away would frustrate their plans to find out more, about the warehouse and surrender would put them into a potential no win situation. Jade then spoke up, "Yes I think I do, the sun is already dipping, I think we take advantage of our abilities and sneak in over the roof, the guards and the gates stop normal men. But you my friend aren't normal anymore. With but a leap from a nearby building we can be on that roof and once again able to spy on what is going on. Hopefully we can intervene on Chayne's behalf whilst also using this as the means to find out further information."


Jade Hood waited for Stone Fist to reply, casting a side long glance at the men going into the factory, getting Chayne out was not going to be easy.

Sj

"Mary does NOT go with us," Stone Fist said, agreeing with the new plan. "She stays down in the road in the automobile, ready to drive us away very fast."

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Mary does NOT go with us," Stone Fist said, agreeing with the new plan. "She stays down in the road in the automobile, ready to drive us away very fast."

Jade Hood nodded, doing his best not to look in Mary's direction. He felt bad for her, but truth was she was only useful up to a point.

Sj

Mary looked frightened, but to her credit kept her head together. "If those men have no respect for an agent of the US government, what hope do you two have?" she hissed. She admitted her usefulness would be limited in a fight though. "I'll... think of something else. Don't worry, l won't do anything stupid. I just... can't sit here whilst you two go into that... that lions den!"

With the sun going down, the city was bathed in a deep orange glow. Soon night would fall, and with it, the cover of darkness might help the pair. Stone Fist had been looking around and the nearest rooftop he could see was right at the edge of his range. It would mean a leap of some distance past what he considered a 'personal best' but he'd been pushing his limits for a while now. He felt that he could pull off such a jump, even with Jade Hood in his arms. The landing might be the hard part...

=========

The apartment building was occupied, but the residents kept to themselves and ignored the strange pair as they made their way onto the roof...

Looking down and across at the gap Stone Fist did a few mental calculations. It would take a run across a flat roof, then propelling himself from a low wall to cover the hundred or so feet onto the sloped roof of the target building.

One hundred or so. He'd measured himself (unscientifically) at around 35-40' from a standing start, maybe a little more with a run and some speed up. jade Hood looked across. He could see his friend sizing up the distance. It looked... impossible. Using his trained eye he saw the guards in the grounds. Two at the main doors, two at the gates, two round the back supervising the parking of cars and chatting, smoking.

All were armed. The place was big. There were bound to be more guards in there. Heck. The place could house an army.

The pair turned to see a truck, open backed, pull up to the gate. It was full of young men, locals. Both had seen this sort of thing before with the immigrants in New York. As they watched the truck get checked over, they saw another coming down the street, doubtless full as well.

OOC Whilst the guards are distracted and the light is fading, your chance to leap across unseen (and still see where you are landing) is at its peak. That said, Stone Fist sees in the dark better than an owl, so if you want to wait, that's good too. How much effort you putting into 'pushing' your jumping abilities limits. You both have 5/5 effort points right now.

Admin wrote:]OOC Whilst the guards are distracted and the light is fading, your chance to leap across unseen (and still see where you are landing) is at its peak. That said, Stone Fist sees in the dark better than an owl, so if you want to wait, that's good too. How much effort you putting into 'pushing' your jumping abilities limits. You both have 5/5 effort points right now.

OOC:
Jade Hood will do all he can to aid his friend in his efforts to get across, so as not to impede him any more than he can. if I can put an effort point to helping I will.

Sj

Wait until it is darker, using my enhanced vision, then an effort point into the leap.

Night falls, and Jade Hood - awkwardly - hangs onto his friend. Barely feeling Jade Hoods weight, Stone Fist takes a run up and leaps! Jade Hood can barely see in the darkness, despite the glow of lights from the city. Mary holds her breath, then can't look and turns away!

OOC jumping is an automatic action (not requiring a roll) but pushing his jumping ability is a dice action, for which a roll is required... and here we go... Will 3 + Roll 7,10,10 (20, double) plus 10,7=40 - 10 (Target) = 10 successes, with each one adding 4m to his jumping distance... He needed a 'miracle' roll, and got one.

Once more, Stone Fist pulls off the out and out spectacular, and the heroic pair soar through the air to land lightly on the roof of the large building! The pair turn, looking out into the darkness at the distant roof they'd leapt from, and see the silhouette of Marys head over the ledge. With his amazing night vision, Stone Fist can see how astonished she is!

He looks at the gap they'd just crossed, and has to admit that, even for him, that was a SPECTACULAR jump!

The pair looked down. The guards were admitting more trucks and guiding them around the back, where the people were unloaded and led into the basement doors that led into what must be cellars underneath the large building.

Jade Hood could see a number of top floor windows they could enter through, or they might be able to use the cover of darkness and join the line of people going into the basement. Both had a good idea about what was going to happen.

More experiments.

There was something else about all of this though.

This building, the fact that the cult had gathered a number of ingredients together - including presumably the one Chayne had been safeguarding - and the equipment in the (now burning) warehouse suggested this cult were ready to 'take the next step' in the quest to create the ultimate superhuman army!

Admin wrote:This building, the fact that the cult had gathered a number of ingredients together - including presumably the one Chayne had been safeguarding - and the equipment in the (now burning) warehouse suggested this cult were ready to 'take the next step' in the quest to create the ultimate superhuman army!

Jade Hood silently patted his big friend on his shoulder by way of thanks for not dropping him but also for the incredible feat of strength he managed to pull off. Whispering quietly, Jade suggested that he scout about for the possible roots that were available to him, before returning to assess their options.

OOC:
Ok assume I go slowly, take my time and move with care to find if there are any other ways down from the roof, skylights, maintenance hatches, crude air conditioning covers of vents, fire ladders or other such structures which would provide some way to get in or observe what is going on within this part of the complex.

I think also that we are going to want to sneak in, rather than be submitted to what the prisoners are doing. But I'm open to suggestions.

Sj

More interested in finding Agent Chayne, who may have more information for us, and maybe find the formula that might be written down someplace. So looking for a way in quietyly seems like a good idea.

A crude chimney juts from the roof to expel hot air from a kitchen or fireplace within the large building. There's also a door set into a hut on the roof that doubtless leads within - it would be difficult to imagine anyone gaining access to the building from the top floor, but clearly the guards in the grounds below had never encountered the likes of Jade Hood and Stone Fist!

Jade Hood peered over the roof. The windows were barred on the outside in places, suggesting they'd been used as some kind of cell.

The pair turned to look at the front of the building where another truck had rolled up. They glanced at one another. Assuming 15 people per truck, that would count to around 60 people who'd been 'pressed' (press ganged?) into service.

Both knew that the Nazis would kill those people, either quickly or slowly, or create some kind of superhuman army!

And the nagging feeling that it would be the latter was growing ever stronger!

OOC Options:

1) Through the door/hut on the roof
2) Down the Chimney
3) Climb down the outside of the building to hop from ledge to ledge and look inside windows before picking one to enter
4) Find a 'blind side' or at least a less guarded wall of the building to drop down to ground level and find a way into the basement
5) Create a distraction that would - doubtless - raise the alarm and get guards running, then use the confusion to search the place
6) Mount an all out attack! The guards are armed but you've not seen any of the Nazis as yet. Those goons who gave you a beating in America are either inside, or not here.
7) Something else...?

I like the idea of checking to barred windows best. We can split up and cover them faster than working together.

DavidMcMahon wrote:I like the idea of checking to barred windows best. We can split up and cover them faster than working together.

OOC:
Agreed but I think we'll have difficulty getting passed them and will have to opt for the door. The good thing is that with so many coming in, their going to have their hands full.

Sj

OOC I assume you're splitting up to cover a side of the building each by hopping from ledge to ledge. It's an easy thing for Stone Fist to do (with his superhuman jumping ability) and Jade Hood, although 'only' human, is extremely agile and an expert acrobat, so whilst his progress is slower, he can take his time and ensure success (with failure meaning he falls and breaks his legs). That said, I'll make an Agility check for each - if you want to stick effort points into it, I'll sort that out next update. For now...

Stone Fist jumped down onto the first ledge, looked about and down, and hugged the shadows. When he was sure it was clear, he stretched up and looked inside the cell. His incredible ability to see unhindered in the dark revealed a small room with a row of three gurneys. On each was an Egyptian man, unconscious, and strapped down. Each looked poorly dressed, like those on the trucks that had come in. A look at the bars showed they were rusted and probably of little hindrance to Stone Fists spectacular superhuman strength, though they would make noise... he glanced down to see a couple of guards stood some twenty feet or so below him...

Jade Hood was on another side of the building. He moved from a ledge to peer into a second barred window. The first room had been empty, the door leading into the corridor beyond had been ajar.Holding onto the rusted bars he peered into the second room. It was dark in there, and he couldn't see clearly, but it appeared as though a person was curled up in the corner. They were dressed in a grey/dirty smock and appeared to be asleep. Jade Hood glanced below. It would be a minute or two before any guards came around again. He looked at the bars. His friend would have a reasonable chance of breaking them in a short space of time, but Jade Hood, though strong, would find the task far harder.

Keep looking for Agent Chayne but remember what I saw and where.