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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Golden Bee" data-source="post: 9710170" data-attributes="member: 7041055"><h3>El Fantasmo rides again.</h3>His mind was trying to trick him. It wasn’t really a security alarm: it was an asp viper. But as long as he didn’t look at it, it wouldn’t strike…August 1936. Spain is at war, and Republican forces battle the Nationalists of Francisco Franco. The ZSS are convinced by Ivo that although this may be dangerous, it could be one of their most profitable missions yet.Friendly partisans are imprisoned at a local fortress, in a territory run by Don Miguel Ontiveros de Rios. The group (mystic Devika, stunt actress Lala, and detective Josiah Patrick Diamond) snoop around the town. They can’t find a good tour guide, so instead they recruit the 10-year-old busboy from their inn. Dominic is hyper enthusiastic to help, even if his translation (Spanish to French) needs to be put into English for Lala.One of their contacts tells them that a local priest is sympathetic. When they visit the church at midday, the priest is taking confession, and all three characters (including former cult-goddess Devika!) partake. Each of them alluded to their criminal behavior in previous adventures, but Devi, not being Catholic, uses her private time with the pastor to ask why there was a name removed from the mural up front. It turns out the Nationalists had forced out Father Aldana, driving him into the mountains. Interesting.It's night-time when the players visit a local festival and start to work the Don. The group’s cover story is quickly rendered irrelevant, as Don Miguel recognizes Lala as a famous actress! She plays coy, but he invites her to tour his vast estates the next day. Meanwhile, JP finds out that most of the prisoners have been put to work at a local gold mine, which the Don also owns. Their infiltration and exfiltration plan just got more complicated.The next day, while Lala tours the vineyards, the detective and the mystic millionaire head to the hills. After some bumpy riding, they reach the monastery of Father Aldana. At least they thought they did. Sitting at the entrance is a shirtless old man named Jorge. Maybe they got bad directions?***Charmed by the starlet, the Don shows off his private wine-pressing room and endless set of keys. Anywhere important in the region ran through his key ring. But he intended something more sensual.The hacendado began thinking with his wallet instead of other things, and despite some disappointment, agreed.***JP argued that it was highly unlikely that a bunch of foreigners would travel to rural Spain to mess with a retired priest for fun. Jorge agreed, and took them to meet the father. Aldana had a test for them: if they could help a "simple delivery of wood and nails" get into the town, he would call upon the aid of Spain's mythic protector, El Fantasmo! A ghost that punished wickedness, he (it?) would have the power to help them.Back in town, they found the delivery wagon… And guessed from the oxen's pace, the woodpile was filled with explosives. (Why else move so slowly?) It would take too long to move the contraband to Devi’s rental. Instead, the goddess hid in the cart! Lying on her stomach, she waited for one of the checkpoint’s soldiers to check under the flap… And gave him a migraine with a mystic whammy. Squinting, he waved the vehicle through.Unfortunately, as they took the explosives to its destination, there was screaming and a rev of engines. Their contact was being kidnapped!Ivo got behind the wheel, with JP on the running board and Devika in the passenger seat. As the chase continued, they drove right past a returning Lala, who joined the fun on her motorcycle-with-side-car. Our heroes caught up with the fleeing transport on the narrow streets. They were trading paint, so close that JP and Devi didn't even need to jump to board the kidnapper’s troop transport!During the chaos, a masked figure landed in Lala’s sidecar… El Fantasmo! He hustled over Devi’s car and onto the troop truck. The three heroes routed the opposition, ending the car chase without a bullet fired: perhaps the first stealthy car chase in world history. It helped that most possible onlookers were taking a siesta.El Fantasmo revealed that their contact… Was also El Fantasmo! Instead of a legend, he was a collection of heroes, passed down through generations to protect Spain during its darkest days. Which was good, because the ZSS needed more people to help with the prison raid. Lala had stolen a key, but it was to a sewer grate. There was a vote (3-2 with Ivo abstaining) that had Lala, JP and Devi assigned to the gold mine.This turned out to be an excellent decision. Devi was on her game for infiltration, and when she teamed with JP, no guard could stand against them. (The general technique: she grabs a leg, then JP wallops the guy with a bag of nickels). Unfortunately, during their infiltration, the trio had to deal with two guards simultaneously… So after Josiah clobbered one, Lala landed a huge Bugs Bunny kiss on the other, before hitting a rising tiger strike to his acorns.After that, they left the prisoners to handle the guards, and used the smuggled explosives to close the mine down. (Not before Devi, ever the opportunist, took photos of all the mine’s contracts. Once translated, they’d be extremely useful on the commodities market…)Mission accomplished, the three-oh-trio fled the country without a bruise on them. Ivo, meanwhile, made money escaping prison. Turns out the fortress was once an Umayyad stronghold. Sneaking in and looting its dungeon was the whole reason he proposed the quest. The group quietly wondered if El Fantasmo could be sent against smugglers...Devi's sneaking outfit:</blockquote>

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