2018-03-24 The Game Is Afoot
The car, a mid-90s VW golf is on the side of the road. Damage to the left front quarter panel and skid marks. There’s some white paint that doesn't match with the rather faded red that's the car's actual color. A blaze orange ‘abandoned vehicle’ ticket is stuck to the driver’s side window.
Making sure not to trample any evidence, Faith is going to snap pictures with her phone. She's going to inspect the area while alerting Ivan immediately - the fastest way to reach Yuri after all. She's going to check out the area around the front seat for anything that Catherine could have left as a clue - as Catherine is a smart cookie. She's also going to look at the ticket time and who wrote it. Because THAT asshole is going to get a massive ass chewing. Cop cars are in the database and this should have been called in immediately.
<OOC> Catherine grins. You'll find that Catherine hasn't kept up on her paperwork...her driver license and car registration are still listing her Browning MT address. So no, her car isn't in the database. She's been slack
<OOC> Officer Donahue says, "Catherine is gonna get her ass beat as soon as Faith finds her. :P"
To : Catherine, Journey, George, Andy, Jake, Yuri
Subject: Text Message
(As some of you are online and others are not - sending at @mail instead of +Text) Need assistance. Catherine may be in significant danger. Please respond. 2 Miles outside the Makarov Estate, left side of road. Word left at Estate already.
<OOC> Officer Donahue says, "Based on the skid marks, point of collision, etc, can she tell where the aggressor was parked?"
<OOC> Catherine says, "Ahh, good question. Side of the road about 300 yards before where the car ended up."
<OOC> Catherine says, "Nothing much there where the other vehicle waited. Tire tracks. Larger ones....faith might think full size SUV or van or light truck like full size pickup."
<OOC> Catherine says, "Location is just south of Maple and Lincoln on the dirt road leading out of town"
Branton has arrived.
Journey has arrived.
<OOC> Branton says, "seven blocks or so from the smoke and barley"
<OOC> Catherine says, "A little farther than that...a little way down the dirt road. The road distances I figure are a bit longer out of town. But probably not a huge amount farther."
The dirt road is quiet, just the sound of birds in teh trees and the distant rumble of the city. There's a mid-90s VW golf in the ditch on the side of the road, an orange 'abandoned vehicle' parking ticket on it. Some skid marks and a crumpled left front quarter panel with some white paint scrapes indicate a fender bender of some sort.
Officer Donahue is off the side of the road, about 300 yards further up the dirt road in the direction of the Makarov estate, examining something on the ground. Her patrol car is parked out of the way and up about an eight mile from the scene. While she's still in uniform, the radio on her shoulder is currently quiet.
Branton has a full-size ford pickup truck with a lockable cargo box in the back. The cab is more than roomy enough for Branton and his gear and Journey as a passenger. The drive from the S&B wasn't terribly far "Looks like we're the first ones here."
Journey sits in the passenger seat of Branton’s ride, leaning against the door, and concentrating, "Well, we'll see what happens and what might need to get killed." He sighs, taking a moment as Branton moves to park.
Seeing the vehicle pulling up, Faith stands and heads toward the vehicle. She raises a hand to greet the pair before she gets close enough to speak. "Thank you for coming," she says once one of them either opens a door or rolls down a window. "I don't know if anyone else is coming, but I notified Yuri through his kin this morning when the flag first went up, and again just now when I found the car."
Journey slides out of the truck, closing the door and listening to Faith, "This morning? What's going on?"
Branton parks and opens the door, rummaging through his duffle bag and selecting a few pieces of jewelry. Notably the carved walking stick gets left behind. He comes around to join Journey and Faith, listening as he stands there with a short sword hanging off his hip and a super finely woven chain mail coif in his hand.
"I got a call from the precinct this morning when she didn't show for work. Her phone goes straight to voice mail." Faith explains, keeping it short. "I told them I'd taken her shift and forgot to roll the paperwork out so we'd get a twenty four hour window before they call an ABP on a missing cop. I thought I'd hear back from Yuri-Rhya by now. After the shift I came out to run the drive she usually takes and I found this. Looks like whoever knocked her off the road waited up there." She gestures to the spot she was standing. "Nothing but a bunch of birds and small critters left behind, and truck or van tracks.. looks like it was white from the transfer paint." She turns the radio down as someone called in a vagrant public drunkenness. "Off shift but listening in just in case." She looks back toward the bushes again, "I thought about calling Paul, I saw him communicating with animals the other night, but I figured you guys were my first line of contact."
Journey looks at the car and frowns, turning around in a circle slowly, "So no ones reported this yet?" He says, opening up with his senses to find Catherine.
<OOC> Journey says, "www.wyrmfoe.com/141/sense-of-the-prey/"
<OOC> Journey says, "Trying to get a lock on her to follow."
<OOC> Catherine says, "Ooh, cool. Thanks for the reference to the gift"
<OOC> Journey says, "No problem"
<OOC> Catherine says, "Roll, please, Journey, perception + enigmas difficulty 8"
<OOC> Catherine isn't hiding but is being hidden
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Journey rolls Perception + Enigmas vs 8 for 3 successes.
1 3 4 6 6 6 +8 +8 +8 8
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->
Journey's BASE TOUCHED is at least 2
<OOC> Journey says, "+2 successes for 5 total"
<OOC> Catherine nods. Yep, that'll work
Branton nods and waits quietly as he listens to Faith's report and Journey's question. He has nothing to add yet.
<OOC> Catherine says, "trail leads, unsurprisingly, into the city. You have a fairly solid trail, and with those successes I'll let you know that there's magical interference going on."
"It's my standing order to deflect Police Interest in anything related to members of the nation. So no Sir, someone stuck an abandoned ticket on the windshield so the car has been seen, but not reported as an accident." Faith moves her hand through her hair and looks from Journey to Branton and back. "Catherine was involved in a pretty serious case involving ritual murders perpetrated with a weapon that has some Chinese markings, recently. She's not a detective, but two of three deaths happened in her vicinity. Nothing else out of the ordinary in her log books or patrol notes. Since she didn't update her paperwork, no one at the PPD will know this is her car or where she lives unless someone tells them to look."
Journey turns, walking to Branton, "I've got something. Keys." He takes the Truck keys, "Saddle up, we're riding." He says quickly getting in and starting the Truck, getting ready to follow the trail in his head. Going now. "Something's trying to keep her from being found, deliberate and magical." He says, taking in the controls and getting ready to run the trail while it's warm.Branton nods at Journey and readily hands the keys over, getting back in on the passenger side "Okay. Anything you think I should prep while we're on our way there?"
"You want me along, or should I stay here and call in Paul to see what else I can find out about what happened here and get this car cleaned up before it attracts any more attention?" Faith is a little obvious in her uniform and patrol car, which could be good or bad.
Journey nods, "Stay here, if any Garou come to answer, tell them we took off to track Catherine, if they have trouble, tell them to track ME, see if that's easier." He nods and looks to Branton, "Not sure, you know all I do at this point." He starts the Truck and heads off.
Branton parks and opens the door, rummaging through his duffle bag and selecting a few pieces of jewelry. Notably the carved walking stick gets left behind. He comes around to join Journey and Faith, listening as he stands there with a shortsword hanging off his hip and a super finely woven chain mail coif in his hand.
Branton nods at Journey and readily hands the keys over, getting back in on the passenger side "Okay. Anything you think I should prep while we're on our way there?"
Branton nods at Journey and rides along, keeping his head on a swivel and remaining alert.
The trail leads into the city, and Journey can feel it growing fainter even as he follows it as the magic on the other end works to hide the trail. However, his command of the gift was strong enough that the trail leads them to Chinatown, plainly. And even to the warehouse district of Chinatown before it begins to dissipate and grow confused. The warehouses are ... busy, and part of that busy-ness makes following the trail harder. People everywhere, working, selling, buying, cooking, loading trucks, unloading trucks. The warehouse district here isn't abandoned echoing dilapidated buildings. Here they're dilapidated but full of wares and movement and people.
Journey drives around, circling a block looking for the trail keeping Branton informed, "Well, that's it, I've lost her, someone tightened things up. I can try to re-establish or we can try to get somewhere from here." He frowns, chewing on things, "I think we might be able to get something close by.
The truck with the Indian and the bald man driving around in ... odd places is getting occasional looks. Mostly hidden, some curious, some hostile, from the Chinese in the area.
Branton ponders and looks around "I could try and do a look around for magical fields, not looking for her but for the spell hiding her. Who knows what else I might find though. Or might find us when I do that."
Journey nods, "Yeah do it. they’re still firming it up so they might not have covered up the coverup as it were."
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Branton rolls Manipulation + Occult vs 3 for 5 successes.
1 2 2 2 +3 +3 +5 +7 +7 7
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->
There is magic -everywhere- here. Little bits here, bigger bits there. Mostly little stuff. Some benign....some quite light near a herbalist's shop, some darker surrounding gambling dens hidden on the edges of warehouses, and here and there some quite dark, hinting at hazed madness in a couple places and in one the stink of blood magic.
Branton has actually done business at the Weeping Fern so the Apothecary's doesn't surprise him. He's got an antique bronze coin on a string, using it as a pendulum and chanting softly and occasionally saying "nope" or "nah" then eventually "Oh my. Blood magic. One of these things is not like the others." the last bit sort of sing-songy.
Journey nods, "Okay, lock that down to a location, would driving help?" He asks, ready to move Brantons orientation to the magic source at his say so
The blood magic is coming from a warehouse about a block away from where Journey and Branton sit in the truck, just as populated as the others, just as busy, with a couple of semis being unloaded, and smaller deliveries being packaged and sent out via local truck and even bike messengers. There are obvious cameras, common to a number of the warehouses. And even in this case some obvious security. Not common, but not unique.
Branton nods and fishes his phone out and thumbing through screens quickly, dropping a pin in his gps "A bit yeah. Let’s triangulate it." Then they find the warehouse "Heh, Mixing the modern and arcane. Gives some of the mages I know fits."
<OOC> Journey is gonna try to use Sense of the Prey again, focusing on the Warehouse Branton found, just to see if I can get anything, throwing Willpower into the roll.
<OOC> Catherine says, "roll it again, difficulty 9 this time"
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Journey rolls Perception + Enigmas vs 9 for 4 successes.
2 3 4 4 4 7 +9 +9 +10 +10
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->
<OOC> Journey says, "HAHAHAHA"
<OOC> Branton LAUGHS
<OOC> Journey says, "7 total"
<OOC> Catherine steals your dice! How come -I- never get rolls like that!
<OOC> Catherine says, "Yeah C is somewhere in that warehouse."
<OOC> Catherine says, "Exactly where to the inch, ummm no :) But definitely that warehouse"
<OOC> Journey says, "Confirmed. Cool that's what he's looking for,"
<OOC> Catherine says, "Ok...and there’s definitely armed guards there. Mostly melee weapons but at least two of them have pistols and you spot one guy with what looks like a submachine gun. Lots of cameras, on the high end of the usual. the warehouse is largish, loading dock for 4 semis and on the other sides a number of cargo doors for local trucks and bikes and people. Wares seem to be a variety of things from electronics and clothes to foods. All ethnic Chinese working the place. Some tattoos in evidence, likely indicating gang affiliation though which isn't clear. Blood magic is strong over the whole warehouse and a number of the people going in in and out, not clear if they're workers of it, targets or just attracting it...the magic is definitely black of the worst sort."
Journey's BASE MEMORY_CIRCLE is at least 1
<OOC> Journey commits to memory
<OOC> Journey says, "aaand"
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Journey rolls Perception + Occult vs 6 for 2 successes.
1 1 2 2 3 4 +6 +7 8 10
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->
<OOC> Journey says, "Sense Wyrm for offical reasons"
<OOC> Catherine says, "Oh yeah, good idea... I'm sure there's at least -some- wyrm in this. Blood magic, I can't imagine it -not- having wyrm taint. But that's certainly not primarily what it is."
Journey drives carefully, and looks at the Warehouse as he carefully focuses, "She's in th- whew." He looks at the road, and nods, "Yeah, we're withdrawing for now. Need to hot this place when they thin out. Taint is.. thick but for the magic, not the intention. So, not Dancers or Pentex, none of the Direct Wyrm servants. I'm thinking Vampires. But that's me, we'll put together a strike force, JAke's already alerted." He keeps driving, "Fuck."
Journey prattles, "They're hiding her hardcore so that tells me two things, they're keeping her alive and they're keeping her there. That kind of cloaking is hard to move so we have an opening."
<OOC> Catherine also will OOCly point you at Karasu if you want to investigate the china town thing and I'm not around. He ICly knows of the people doing the blood magic, has suspicions about them at least. He is not, however, allied or affiliated with them at all.
Branton nods and frowns "Could just be mortal blood sorcerers, that is a thing. Still worth setting on fire probably."
Journey nods, driving, "Let's debrief with the others.
