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The Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep d20
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<blockquote data-quote="Nebulous" data-source="post: 4389475" data-attributes="member: 31465"><p><span style="font-size: 18px">Adventure #32: Jack "Brass" Brady</span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Part 1: Mayhem in the Streets</strong></p><p> </p><p> Following up on their best lead after leaving Lonnie Magoo and his Silver Bullet, the investigators have dropped questions at the Stumbling Tiger Bar, knowing that Jackson Elias or Jack Brady or both men frequented this place. Chang is hunched at the bar after seeing Mr. Edward Gavigan, who may or may not have identified Chang. It has been a long, long time since they met, nearly a year, and both men look somewhat different. The bartender continues to mop the counter with mechanical strokes, eyeballing everyone. Lester, Hans, and Chad all order drinks, agreeing to follow the plan:</p><p> </p><p> --in a few minutes, Chang will exit and find the Chinese contact in the alley. Supposedly, he knows something about Brady. Of course they don't trust him, so Chad will follow in the shadows in case anything goes wrong. Gavigan continues to sip whiskey in silence, brooding and seemingly oblivious, and Chang soon saunters out of the Stumbling Tiger. There are many narrow, stinking alleys outside, so he's not sure which way to go. He turns left, and sees a man leaning against the wall not far away. Chang approaches him.</p><p> </p><p> "That's close enough," says the man. He holds a hand inside his coat, as if touching a gun. Chang is careful to ready his own pistols. "What is your name? Who do you work for? What do you know about an American named Jack Brady?"</p><p> </p><p> The questions come fast and furious, and Chang stammers out his answers. He isn't here to deceive anyone, but he'll gladly shoot anybody that crosses him. [The murderous Mafia instinct usually overrides the kindly priest instinct]. Chang gives his name, saying that they don't work for anyone at all, they're a private outfit, self-financed, and they know that Jack Brady used to be a member of the Carlyle Expedition out of New York City in 1920. And that Brady had some sort of falling out with the rest of the Carlyle expedition.</p><p> </p><p> "Carlyle? Who? What are you talking about? I can sniff a lie at thirty yards. I'll ask you again, who do you work for? The New Chinese Order? Firm Action? WHO?"</p><p> </p><p> Chang is alone, but suspects that Chad Slambody has his back if this conversation goes sour. Sure enough, Chad has reached the corner and is peeking around. He sees Chang and the contact, but can't quite make out the words (nor does he understand a lick of Chinese). Meanwhile, Edward Gavigan stands, stretches, and goes to the restroom. It's a single room, but Lester and Hans immediately suspect that there might be a window! Lester hasn't unveiled the fact that he can speak and read Chinese, so he continues surveillance inside while Hans trots outside the bar to see if Gavigan is climbing out.</p><p> </p><p> Hans doesn't see any exits, but on the way back a bar patron presses past him in the doorway. The man glares darkly at Hans, and Hans checks his pockets for anything stolen (or dropped off) but seems untouched. The man walks down an adjacent alley and lights a cigarette.</p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/thug.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Back to Chang:</p><p> </p><p> The contact is full of questions, each one loaded with potential threat. Chang doesn't know if this guy is a cultist or a free agent, or how dangerous he is.</p><p> </p><p> "What do you know about a superweapon?" hisses the man. "If you have any information you better reveal it now, for your own good."</p><p> </p><p> Actually, Chang DOES know about a superweapon, but only the sketchiest details. Huston's Australian journal hinted about it several times. "We've heard about a superweapon," says Chang. "Probably at a place called Gray Dragon Island. Do you know where it is?"</p><p> </p><p> The contact furrows his eyebrows. "I know of it. A small dormant volcano in the middle of no--"</p><p> </p><p> Soft clapping interrupts him. Chang and the contact spin around to see Edward Gavigan step out of the shadows behind them. "Ah, Mr. Chang I presume," he says in English. "I thought that was you inside, but wasn't sure. It has indeed been a long, long time since we last met. I cannot thank you enough for my extended stay with Scotland Yard."</p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/ed.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> "You're welcome," growls Chang. He unhooks both pistols from their holsters.</p><p> </p><p> "Before you do anything rash, let me offer this word of warning: if you find Jack Brady before we do, give him this message. "Return the Cryptical Books of Hsan to Ho Fong within three days, or Mei-Ling dies a slow, agonizing death at the Seven Gates of Heaven. If we find him first however, it won't matter. Good day, gentleman. We'll meet again."</p><p> </p><p> Gavigan turns and walks down an gloomy alley toward Flower Street. Chang whips his pistols out and pushes past the contact, who looks surprised at the turn of events. "Wait! What are you doing?" he hisses. Chang ignores him a speeds around the corner, intending to finish off Gavigan once and for all! He shouldn't have been so brazen and haughty without ample backup. Gavigan is leisurely strolling away, and Chang doesn't hesitate. BANG! The bullet catches Gavigan in the shoulder. He flinches. Stops. Turns.</p><p> </p><p> "That...was not wise."</p><p> </p><p> BANG!</p><p> </p><p> The second bullet catches him above the heart. Gavigan flinches again, but not the reaction expected from a man shot twice at close range. And Chang does what Chang does best: HE RUNS LIKE HELL! He flees past the Chinese agent, who is yelling: "Don't kill him! We need him!" But Chang is already thinking that killing Gavigan might be harder than anticipated. Chad Slambody doesn't have any qualms about trying though. After the first gunshot, he enters Aggressive Mode, oddly enough fully clothed and ungreased (so far). Chad dashes past the Chinese agent who seems unsure what to do.</p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/bar.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/bar2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> Back in the bar, Lester and Hans hear the gunshots and leap up. Hans gets out first, but Lester is accosted in the entryway by the same man who was smoking the cigarette. He CHARGES Lester, a poisoned sickle raised over his head. He slashes Lester's arm as someone else simultaneously tries to kick Lester's leg out from beneath him. Lester is being attacked by two thugs, even as the bartender leaps over the counter screaming "No fighting here! No fight!"</p><p> </p><p> But Chad is itching for a fight, and he spins around the corner, prepared to pummel Edward Gavigan to death, a man he knows knows only by reputation. But Chad is stopped cold in a VERY painful way.</p><p> </p><p> Waves of energy ripple from Gavigan's outstretched hands as a readied Fist of Yog-Sothoth slams into Chad. He is launched clear off his feet and crushed into the wall behind him, splintering wood and fracturing ribs. Two expended Action Points save him from nearly dying, and Gavigan calmly strolls away, whistling.</p><p> </p><p> Hans and Lester meanwhile are having a tough time with the thugs. The sickle is poisoned, but Lester is able to avoid serious damage. Hans misses several shots and hits a few more, but neither thug is killed. The bartender attacks one with a heavy skillet, screaming "No fighting here!" over and over. </p><p> </p><p> But police whistles are shrieking across the district. They're about to get pinched, and if they go to jail now they'll never get out in time to save the world.</p><p> </p><p> The thugs run, one of them limping with bullets in his shoulder and stomach, but the investigators don't give chase. They reconvene in the alley, Chang and Hans helping Chad walk. The Chinese agent holsters his gun and says: "We'll talk again. Tell me where you're staying. Meet me there in one hour!" They tell and he runs off. Using Chang's ambivalent and questionable knowledge of Shanghai from undetermined past visits, he tries to lead them in a roundabout way back to their hostel. Uniformed policemen are seen in the streets, but the wounded investigators duck into a busy, colorful, frantic street parade. Fireworks are spinning and popping, and they merge as well as they can, picking up a change of clothes from street vendors.</p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/parade.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/parade2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> But their best disguise comes from a Chinese dragon in the parade! They lure a chain of dancers into a dim alley and beat them unconscious, stealing the dragon costume and eventually meandering their way back across town where they ditch the dragon. As he said, the Chinese informant is waiting for them in the shadows near their hostel. They all go upstairs where the questioning continues, Chang still the translator, although the agent knows a smattering of English.</p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/taro.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> The man introduces himself as Isoje Taro, COMMANDER Taro, an operative for the Emperor. He won't say much more beyond that. He says that he is aware of a militant group in a warehouse on the docks, on Karo Street. This group, a tangent of the New Chinese Order, might have something to do with Jack Brady and a superweapon. He has had agents stake it out in the past, but could confirm nothing. If Brady is involved, that is well hidden. Agent Taro also says that McChum of the Stumbling Tiger Bar might know where Brady is, which is probably why Gavigan and his goons were also there. Taro isn't sure who Gavigan is, only that he works for the wealthy businessman Ho Fong.</p><p> </p><p> Now, it’s the PC's turn to share. Again, they claim to be freelancers who are interested in Brady and the superweapon, and they have inside knowledge that there is a timeline ticking down. They show him Huston's journal which talks about a weapon, and mentions Gavigan, and the initials "H.F." which could be Ho Fong. Gray Dragon Island is mentioned, but Taro confirms that it is an unclaimed rock in neutral waters, named so because of active steam vents that gives the illusion of a breathing dragon. It would take a day to get there by boat.</p><p> </p><p> They ask Taro what he knows of the Order of the Bloated Woman, but Taro says it's only a myth. As far as he knows, they're up only up against military fanatics, not the supernatural, in which he does not believe.</p><p> </p><p> Isoje Taro departs soon afterward. The investigators still don't trust him, wondering if they're being led into an elaborate setup by the cult. But they have a few new options now:</p><p> </p><p> 1) Go find this warehouse where Brady might be</p><p> 2) Learn more about Gray Dragon Island</p><p> 3) Pick the bartender's brain, McChum, if he really knows where Brady is or not.</p><p> </p><p> <img src="http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/chum.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p> </p><p> Lester uses his Chinese language skills to research the island while Chang talks to McChum, and the bartender isn't too pleased to see Chang back so soon. But Chang throws some Mexican silver dollars his direction and McChum quits complaining. </p><p> </p><p> "Look," he says. "Brady saved my life once. I owe him that. I haven't seen him in these parts for months." Chang asks a few more questions about Roger Carlyle and Jackson Elias, but the bartender is elusive and vague. Chang finally leaves a message with him: some friends of Jackson Elias are looking for Brady. If Brady comes here, let him know. McChum shrugs and agrees. In the meantime, Lester is only able to find out that Gray Dragon island is surrounded by deadly reefs, so it will take a skilled boatman or someone familiar with the area to reach it.</p><p> </p><p> They mull over their options as time continues to dwindle, and the end of the world creeps ever nearer…</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nebulous, post: 4389475, member: 31465"] [size=5]Adventure #32: Jack "Brass" Brady[/size] [B]Part 1: Mayhem in the Streets[/B] Following up on their best lead after leaving Lonnie Magoo and his Silver Bullet, the investigators have dropped questions at the Stumbling Tiger Bar, knowing that Jackson Elias or Jack Brady or both men frequented this place. Chang is hunched at the bar after seeing Mr. Edward Gavigan, who may or may not have identified Chang. It has been a long, long time since they met, nearly a year, and both men look somewhat different. The bartender continues to mop the counter with mechanical strokes, eyeballing everyone. Lester, Hans, and Chad all order drinks, agreeing to follow the plan: --in a few minutes, Chang will exit and find the Chinese contact in the alley. Supposedly, he knows something about Brady. Of course they don't trust him, so Chad will follow in the shadows in case anything goes wrong. Gavigan continues to sip whiskey in silence, brooding and seemingly oblivious, and Chang soon saunters out of the Stumbling Tiger. There are many narrow, stinking alleys outside, so he's not sure which way to go. He turns left, and sees a man leaning against the wall not far away. Chang approaches him. "That's close enough," says the man. He holds a hand inside his coat, as if touching a gun. Chang is careful to ready his own pistols. "What is your name? Who do you work for? What do you know about an American named Jack Brady?" The questions come fast and furious, and Chang stammers out his answers. He isn't here to deceive anyone, but he'll gladly shoot anybody that crosses him. [The murderous Mafia instinct usually overrides the kindly priest instinct]. Chang gives his name, saying that they don't work for anyone at all, they're a private outfit, self-financed, and they know that Jack Brady used to be a member of the Carlyle Expedition out of New York City in 1920. And that Brady had some sort of falling out with the rest of the Carlyle expedition. "Carlyle? Who? What are you talking about? I can sniff a lie at thirty yards. I'll ask you again, who do you work for? The New Chinese Order? Firm Action? WHO?" Chang is alone, but suspects that Chad Slambody has his back if this conversation goes sour. Sure enough, Chad has reached the corner and is peeking around. He sees Chang and the contact, but can't quite make out the words (nor does he understand a lick of Chinese). Meanwhile, Edward Gavigan stands, stretches, and goes to the restroom. It's a single room, but Lester and Hans immediately suspect that there might be a window! Lester hasn't unveiled the fact that he can speak and read Chinese, so he continues surveillance inside while Hans trots outside the bar to see if Gavigan is climbing out. Hans doesn't see any exits, but on the way back a bar patron presses past him in the doorway. The man glares darkly at Hans, and Hans checks his pockets for anything stolen (or dropped off) but seems untouched. The man walks down an adjacent alley and lights a cigarette. [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/thug.jpg[/img] Back to Chang: The contact is full of questions, each one loaded with potential threat. Chang doesn't know if this guy is a cultist or a free agent, or how dangerous he is. "What do you know about a superweapon?" hisses the man. "If you have any information you better reveal it now, for your own good." Actually, Chang DOES know about a superweapon, but only the sketchiest details. Huston's Australian journal hinted about it several times. "We've heard about a superweapon," says Chang. "Probably at a place called Gray Dragon Island. Do you know where it is?" The contact furrows his eyebrows. "I know of it. A small dormant volcano in the middle of no--" Soft clapping interrupts him. Chang and the contact spin around to see Edward Gavigan step out of the shadows behind them. "Ah, Mr. Chang I presume," he says in English. "I thought that was you inside, but wasn't sure. It has indeed been a long, long time since we last met. I cannot thank you enough for my extended stay with Scotland Yard." [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/ed.jpg[/img] "You're welcome," growls Chang. He unhooks both pistols from their holsters. "Before you do anything rash, let me offer this word of warning: if you find Jack Brady before we do, give him this message. "Return the Cryptical Books of Hsan to Ho Fong within three days, or Mei-Ling dies a slow, agonizing death at the Seven Gates of Heaven. If we find him first however, it won't matter. Good day, gentleman. We'll meet again." Gavigan turns and walks down an gloomy alley toward Flower Street. Chang whips his pistols out and pushes past the contact, who looks surprised at the turn of events. "Wait! What are you doing?" he hisses. Chang ignores him a speeds around the corner, intending to finish off Gavigan once and for all! He shouldn't have been so brazen and haughty without ample backup. Gavigan is leisurely strolling away, and Chang doesn't hesitate. BANG! The bullet catches Gavigan in the shoulder. He flinches. Stops. Turns. "That...was not wise." BANG! The second bullet catches him above the heart. Gavigan flinches again, but not the reaction expected from a man shot twice at close range. And Chang does what Chang does best: HE RUNS LIKE HELL! He flees past the Chinese agent, who is yelling: "Don't kill him! We need him!" But Chang is already thinking that killing Gavigan might be harder than anticipated. Chad Slambody doesn't have any qualms about trying though. After the first gunshot, he enters Aggressive Mode, oddly enough fully clothed and ungreased (so far). Chad dashes past the Chinese agent who seems unsure what to do. [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/bar.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/bar2.jpg[/img] Back in the bar, Lester and Hans hear the gunshots and leap up. Hans gets out first, but Lester is accosted in the entryway by the same man who was smoking the cigarette. He CHARGES Lester, a poisoned sickle raised over his head. He slashes Lester's arm as someone else simultaneously tries to kick Lester's leg out from beneath him. Lester is being attacked by two thugs, even as the bartender leaps over the counter screaming "No fighting here! No fight!" But Chad is itching for a fight, and he spins around the corner, prepared to pummel Edward Gavigan to death, a man he knows knows only by reputation. But Chad is stopped cold in a VERY painful way. Waves of energy ripple from Gavigan's outstretched hands as a readied Fist of Yog-Sothoth slams into Chad. He is launched clear off his feet and crushed into the wall behind him, splintering wood and fracturing ribs. Two expended Action Points save him from nearly dying, and Gavigan calmly strolls away, whistling. Hans and Lester meanwhile are having a tough time with the thugs. The sickle is poisoned, but Lester is able to avoid serious damage. Hans misses several shots and hits a few more, but neither thug is killed. The bartender attacks one with a heavy skillet, screaming "No fighting here!" over and over. But police whistles are shrieking across the district. They're about to get pinched, and if they go to jail now they'll never get out in time to save the world. The thugs run, one of them limping with bullets in his shoulder and stomach, but the investigators don't give chase. They reconvene in the alley, Chang and Hans helping Chad walk. The Chinese agent holsters his gun and says: "We'll talk again. Tell me where you're staying. Meet me there in one hour!" They tell and he runs off. Using Chang's ambivalent and questionable knowledge of Shanghai from undetermined past visits, he tries to lead them in a roundabout way back to their hostel. Uniformed policemen are seen in the streets, but the wounded investigators duck into a busy, colorful, frantic street parade. Fireworks are spinning and popping, and they merge as well as they can, picking up a change of clothes from street vendors. [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/parade.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/parade2.jpg[/img] But their best disguise comes from a Chinese dragon in the parade! They lure a chain of dancers into a dim alley and beat them unconscious, stealing the dragon costume and eventually meandering their way back across town where they ditch the dragon. As he said, the Chinese informant is waiting for them in the shadows near their hostel. They all go upstairs where the questioning continues, Chang still the translator, although the agent knows a smattering of English. [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/taro.jpg[/img] The man introduces himself as Isoje Taro, COMMANDER Taro, an operative for the Emperor. He won't say much more beyond that. He says that he is aware of a militant group in a warehouse on the docks, on Karo Street. This group, a tangent of the New Chinese Order, might have something to do with Jack Brady and a superweapon. He has had agents stake it out in the past, but could confirm nothing. If Brady is involved, that is well hidden. Agent Taro also says that McChum of the Stumbling Tiger Bar might know where Brady is, which is probably why Gavigan and his goons were also there. Taro isn't sure who Gavigan is, only that he works for the wealthy businessman Ho Fong. Now, it’s the PC's turn to share. Again, they claim to be freelancers who are interested in Brady and the superweapon, and they have inside knowledge that there is a timeline ticking down. They show him Huston's journal which talks about a weapon, and mentions Gavigan, and the initials "H.F." which could be Ho Fong. Gray Dragon Island is mentioned, but Taro confirms that it is an unclaimed rock in neutral waters, named so because of active steam vents that gives the illusion of a breathing dragon. It would take a day to get there by boat. They ask Taro what he knows of the Order of the Bloated Woman, but Taro says it's only a myth. As far as he knows, they're up only up against military fanatics, not the supernatural, in which he does not believe. Isoje Taro departs soon afterward. The investigators still don't trust him, wondering if they're being led into an elaborate setup by the cult. But they have a few new options now: 1) Go find this warehouse where Brady might be 2) Learn more about Gray Dragon Island 3) Pick the bartender's brain, McChum, if he really knows where Brady is or not. [img]http://www.med.unc.edu/~saasha/Masks/chum.jpg[/img] Lester uses his Chinese language skills to research the island while Chang talks to McChum, and the bartender isn't too pleased to see Chang back so soon. But Chang throws some Mexican silver dollars his direction and McChum quits complaining. "Look," he says. "Brady saved my life once. I owe him that. I haven't seen him in these parts for months." Chang asks a few more questions about Roger Carlyle and Jackson Elias, but the bartender is elusive and vague. Chang finally leaves a message with him: some friends of Jackson Elias are looking for Brady. If Brady comes here, let him know. McChum shrugs and agrees. In the meantime, Lester is only able to find out that Gray Dragon island is surrounded by deadly reefs, so it will take a skilled boatman or someone familiar with the area to reach it. They mull over their options as time continues to dwindle, and the end of the world creeps ever nearer… [/QUOTE]
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