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Jethro Tanner
- "What a fitting end to your life’s pursuits. You’re about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something"
- - ― Belloq, Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Folder has quite a bit of information but it always seems that Eris had to take pictures while he was out. There are photos of his home but nothing close. Getting the information from Pax's pal at the Port is easy especially with the information he's able to provide out of the file. Jethro Tanner, despite his name, is fairly well known amongst the port authority especially given the recent frequency of his shipments, he has boats coming from no less than fifteen different international ports like clockwork. They're getting one in today but it's going to be put in a truck as soon as it's cleared. He says the destination of the truck is a warehouse on Samar Road. Located out in the desert.
Pax goes about making his call as he gets dressed, and by the time he has that information he's hanging up after assuring his contact a suitable bonus for the information and grabbing his duffle bag from the coat hangar at the entrance of the apartment. "Shelly, start the van. Input this address on Samar Road..." the Kin pronounces over a walkie talkie, which he tosses back into his bag as he heads down to that unmarked gray van parked out back of the shop to head to his quarry.
After slipping into the van, and allowing his driver to do her thing in the front seat without conversation, Pax removes a vial of blood from his bag and spreads a bit of it on his hand in the shape of a circle. The ride could take a little bit, and during this time Pax goes about reciting various arcane scripts and statements, peering into his destination to determine if his mark has arrived there yet, or even if he's going to in the near future.
Pax rolls Arete vs 5 for 3 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 5 for 2 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 5 for 3 successes.
The Warehouse on Samara road is a two-story cement monstrosity that appears to have at one time been attached to an old iron-works. Most of the ruins of the burnt-out iron-works are fenced off and the warehouse itself is as well though it is with an electric fence and a guard station though there doesn't appear to be a guard. There are two large black hummers parked in the lot and there appears to be a video camera system at all the inlets including the roof and HVAC. Inside is a warehouse like any other; the large metal racks interspersed enough that a forklift can drive comfortably between the rows without knocking anything over. Wooden crates and shipping boxes, some lined with hay, line the warehouse. Inside there are pressure sensors, keycard readers and infrared monitors. They are not active at this time of day because there's activity in the warehouse. They appear to be making room, breaking down boxes and packing and putting them in the back dumpsters and making room. There doesn't seem to be any sign of Jethro. On the map, Samar Road pops up it ends in a private airport that displays just off the map of their destination before the nav-map zooms in on their location.
Peering into the portal within his hand he's created, Pax hums in thought. This is the last mark on their current trail, and following from here might be the best bet in this situation. Wiping the blood from his hand onto the inside of his shirt, Pax reaches for the stash of safety equipment 'legally required' to be kept in a van like this, donning an orange reflective vest, a hard hat, and grabbing a clipboard before he allows the encloaked aura of 'I belong here' that emits from him when he stops the constant effort to keep it back from working. Slipping a few random sheets of paper from the glove compartment onto the clipboard, and grabbing a pen, Pax unzips his duffle bag and removes a long, silvery wand, which he slips into his back pocket beneath his clothing. "Stop here."
Shelly pulls the van up outside the warehouse gate, and Pax steps out of the back doors of the van, giving it a few firm slaps on the side and simply walking into the structure, assuming nothing, in particular, stops him from doing so, so he can get a good look around. After all, the shipment is likely arriving a bit slower than a direct trip is.
Pax rolls Charisma + Acting vs 5 for 4 successes.
Eris rolls 7 + -5 (2 dice) vs 6 for 0 successes.
The one person he runs into directly just nods and moves on without a word. No one here seems to even notice or care that Pax is here. There are a couple of simple offices that had held desks and file bins. Some of the items from the crates that are being broken down have been wrapped and tagged for shipment. Shipping tags listing which auction house or private collection they are being sold to. Pax has a free run of the place. There are also offices that are on a second floor, a metal staircase leads up to a catwalk to access them.
Pax rolls Intelligence + Investigation vs 6 for 7 successes.
He's able to dip into each office on the lower level without a hitch. Calls come from the employees as they get the warehouse ready. A forklift sweeping past him holding what looks like a giant brass urn almost clips him because they just don't really notice Bob. After a quick search he'll figure out that the real paperwork is in one of the top offices, below are HR, accounting, etc. He did get the ruck serial number but it's going to take a bit longer to get there since they had to load it before driving over. He'll also find that the meeting room is unlocked but the office at the end of the hall is locked though he can hear someone talking inside.
Pax learned long ago that the best way to infiltrate something is to simply be confident and act like you belong there, especially when it comes to locations with more than a few employees. A clipboard and a hardhat can go a long way. Stepping out through the warehouse, Pax peers at the loading ramps for some time, and once he's made up his mind he turns and heads up the stairs on the side to the offices. Continuing up to the higher offices, Pax strolls on down the hall to the last door, which he pauses outside of to listen quietly and see what he can pick up before he simply reaches out and knocks three times.
The voice goes quiet a moment and something dismissive is offered before theres a click and footsteps approach the door. The door opens and standing there in front of Pax is a mildly befuddled looking Jethro. His eyes narrow a bit and he asks curtly, "What?" Pictures don't quite do the man justice. He practically radiates greasy weasel. He's dressed in a nice expensive suit that hangs off his slightly wiry frame. "What's the problem?" He doesn't seem suspicious of 'Bob' but he does seem to think this disturbance isn't routine.
Pax rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge vs 6 for 1 successes
Pax rolls 1 vs 6 for 0 successes.
Eris rolls 8 (8 dice) vs 5 for 5 successes.
Clearing his throat once the door is answered, Pax glances down at the clipboard in his hand before he answers. "Sir, the paperwork on DTK-719 never came down this morning, and it's scheduled to arrive within the next hour. I came up to retrieve it." Gazing back up at Jethro, Pax's eyebrow lofts, and he awaits the man to step out of the way. Not that he's aware of how weak the lie is, as he might've missed something essential in that statement. Who knows in jobs like this.
Eris rolls 3 (3 dice) vs 6 for 2 successes.
Eris rolls 3 (3 dice) vs 4 for 3 successes.
"Uhnyeah? That so?" Those perceptive grey eyes are shrewd and he holds his hand out for the clipboard. "Let me see." He doesn't look down at the clipboard, nor does he step forward from his door. His hand is held out, something Eris' picture's hadn't caught were the tattoos across his fingers, the backs of his nads and his palms. The ink that scrawls across his palm appears to be written in Sanskrit. He waits for Pax to give him the paperwork.
Pax rolls Perception + Awareness vs 8 for 0 successes.
Pax rolls Dexterity + Stealth + Arcane vs 2 for 16 successes.
Eris rolls 8 (8 dice) vs 5 for 5 successes.
Unfortunately for Jethro, Pax hadn't intended on fooling the man for much longer, not now that he's /right in front/ of him. So, he hands over the clipboard, which just happens to be a piece of paper with a somewhat cobbled together maintenance report from a van stuck onto it. What's also unfortunate for Jethro is that when he focuses on the clipboard Pax is handing him, the hand that was handing the man the clipboard shifts and grips his forearm, giving a rather firm and painful jerk to it as Pax attempts to step forward and bind the man into a clinch.
Fortunately for Jethro, the man is so Paranoid that Sykora probably has a special place in his hard for Mr. Tanner. Jethro's put up a barrier around his office as much as himself to prevent anything fast; projectiles, unexpected attacks, anything at all that moves fast. No rats in this office either. But Pax finds his force met with resistance and the warming of friction. He's strong and fast, supernaturally so and so the ward that protects Jethro's office fights back with equal strength. It's like running into a steel wall. This allows Jethro to start reaching for his gun which is strapped in an under-arm holster and it does NOT look normal. For such a plain guy he likes pretty toys; that gold plated desert eagle is etched with symbols and flashy as fuck.
Pax rolls Perception + Awareness vs 5 for 5 successes.
Pax rolls Intelligence + Occult vs 2 for 10 successes.
Pax rolls Dexterity + Occult vs 2 for 13 successes.
Eris rolls 3 (3 dice) vs 7 for 2 successes.
A force field! Well, that's unexpected, but not something Pax hasn't prepared for beforehand. In fact, if any of his plans fail him, there always tends to be a backup that can be called upon in almost every situation. Almost as soon as the forcefield blocks his grabbing of the man's arm, Pax's free hand shoots to the back of his jeans, tugging out that same silver wand in his left hand. The wand glows briefly, firing a shot of silvery light at the force field, sending shuddering and cracks all through its pattern, causing some magical tingling in the air around them.
For Jethro, the view of Pax's avatar is certainly there, and there's /definitely/ something wrong with it. For one, it's upside down, and for two, the presence of some fairly heavy and dark resonance clings to him like soot. The barrier weakened, Pax's other hand shoots up, and curled fingers fire a stream of high-powered lightning at the ward, which fully shatters at the contact before the remainder is shooting through and frying Jethro's body. Meanwhile, the Kin is stepping through the door, then closing and locking it behind him. The overpowering almost looks effortless. Almost.
Jethro does not get to take his shot because suddenly there's some Harry Potter shit going down! His careful ward is mostly decimated in a breath, and then lightning is being shot at him in the next. A hung time effect on his suit activates at the moment that the lightning touches the first fiber and he's teleported. Unfortunately, not far, the man is, after all... no Master. He's just tricky. Naked behind his desk which is a large imposing mahogany affair with /very/ obvious magical symbols carved into the desk. It had all happened too fast, pants-pissingly fast. Only he doesn't have pants. He attempts to right himself and holds up his hands, "Whoa, whoa whoa..." He tries to diffuse the situation now that he's locked in his office with a psychopath with only his desk for defense now.
Pax loses one Willpower
He is literally head to toe tattoos.. except for his collar up where he looks like a normie.
Pax rolls Dexterity + Athletics vs 6 for 2 successes.
Eris rolls 6 (6 dice) vs 6 for 0 successes.
Pax rolls Strength + 1 vs 6 for 3 successes.
Eris rolls 2 (2 dice) vs 6 for 2 successes.
With the lightning hand, in a flash Pax has withdrawn a knife from his pocket, which clicks open in the time it takes to throw it across the room. The blade finds its mark in the man's shoulder, potentially sending him down as Pax steps closer. "Fun tricks. You're a little behind the curb when it comes to cutting edge defense though." says the still-not-a-master, as he approaches the man around the back of the desk. Long, black claws draw forth from his fingers, and a clawed hand sinks into the flesh of Jethro's bleeding shoulder as Pax proceeds to secure him wherever is most convenient at the time.
The knife flies and catches him a little too close for comfort, sinking into his abdomen just shy of knicking some very important organs but it's still enough to knock him back. Another flair of magic as the man's ink seems to fortify him some against physical attack. This office has interesting things all over; glass cases hold crumbling books with pages, a golden ankh, a carved tortoise shell with what look like shifter glyphs of some sort. He ducks down and says, "Hey, fuck hey.. look what do you want?" He doesn't try and pull the knife out but he does wrap his hands on his desk. The man eyes the claws and stares up at Pax his eyes going wide as he tries to scramble half under the desk. Jethro howls as the fingers dig into his shoulder and he starts to shake and sweat but still he grits his teeth. The desk is quite convenient for securing, the chair's a little flimsy. But the desk is super dense, more dense than normal, even agg claws don't get through.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 3 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 3 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 2 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 1 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 2 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 3 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 4 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 6 for 0 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 7 for 1 successes
Pax rolls Arete vs 7 for 2 successes.
Considering Jethro hasn't died to his assault, Pax has to assume the man is somewhat competent! What a nice surprise, having an unexpected challenge to test his abilities on. Claws sink further into Jethro's shoulder, with the other hand moving to brush some blood from those various wounds so he can run it across Jethro's forehead. "Shhhhhhhh," Pax whispers softly, halfway cradling the man's head in his grip as he catches his line of sight... Then, pressure can be felt building on Jethro's mind. Something uncomfortable that builds, like the beginnings of a migraine.
The shields are tough, but there's a struggle of wills there, and the pressure suddenly cuts into sharp, agonizing pain once the warding falls. Pax cuts into Jethro's mind, tearing his thoughts asunder as he rapidly collects all of the related information in regards to the Hive issues as he can. It can be sorted through later but then comes the arcane secrets, knowledge on how Jethro performs his arts, further defenses here, on the man himself, other properties, essentially all information that Pax considers 'useful' is aggressively torn and ripped from Jethro's mind. Byt the time he's done, and the pain stops, the man's mind is left a broken, thoroughly violated shell, devoid of everything but the barest of survival instincts.
Jethro, the Orphan, has no defense against this. He's learned what he can on his own and from a mentor that passed out of his life years ago. Pax delves into the man's mind and finds that how he knows about spiritual effects such as fetishes and talens, vampire and mage items, the man is a Silent Strider Kinfolk. If estranged. Mr. Tanner, though, does not know much about H&W other than they hired him ten years ago into acquisitions. No matter what Pax does he cannot glean the identities of the people that Jethro has spoken to at H&W. Reality DENIES him that information. He can feel it like an opaque wall of white whenever he gets close. But he knows about the businesses that Jethro does business with, his employees, his contact and how he acquires his ill-gotten goods: up to and including raiding holy sites himself.
At the end a beastial while escapes the man and the pain and fear set in completely as he tries to scramble away, pushing himself harder against his own unyielding desk, head ramming backward as he tries to flee the Nephandus who has him by the shoulder and bleeding out.
Pax rolls Dexterity + Brawl vs 4 for 10 successes.
Pax rolls Strength + 9 vs 6 for 6 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 5 for 2 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 5 for 1 successes.
Pax rolls Arete vs 5 for 4 successes.
Perhaps if Jethro hadn't already been known about by whatever group is using him to accomplish this, Pax could've swayed him to the side of the Wyrm, took him in as an asset, and used the man for the Father's gain. However, Jethro /is/ known about by this shady group, and as such he's too dangerous to take anywhere near his Family. So, with his free hand sprouting claws, Pax proceeds to tear Jethro's throat out, then simply dumps the body onto the floor behind his desk. "Wasteful." is all he has to say about that, followed by a wave of his no longer clawed hands over the scene. "Cecidimus." Pax pronounces clearly, the body itself, as well as the blood, simply disappearing. It's still /there/, it just happens to be invisible for the time being, until Pax has time to come back and clean everything up properly.
Everything seems to disappear leaving Pax with a relatively clean workspace? No one seems to have heard anything outside the office; unsurprising since this windowless office was already set to bare including a desk strong enough to withstand a nuclear attack. Everything seems to be going on normally outside, or so the screen on the computer states now that there's not blood spatter on it. All the cameras have a direct feed into this office. It even looks like the man slept in here. No one has any reason to believe anything is wrong and they go about getting the shipment and putting it away. Day to day business seems to run smoothly without the direct observance of the late Mr. Tanner.
Fin
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