The easiest Hunter base that the group knew of was Michael's old haven. Noah was currently deprived of most of his toys so locating any of the others would prove significantly more difficult.

 So the group took the portal back to Sal's mansion (this is later in the day than the current thread there) and took Sal's car (again, Noah's cars were gone). Point Break drove and there was room to comfortably sit 3 more.

OOC: moving ahead. If anything needs changing about the scene, lemme know. If nothing changes, who's coming with Point Break?

Michael went with Point Break. He knew the Hunters could neutralize most supernatural threats, but his abilities were for the most part mundane. Being a former Hunter would at least allow him to be on speaking terms and not be immediately riddled with bullets. He also knew the layout of the area and where most of the sniper spots would be.

Noah was loitering in his mostly human form while knocking about Sal's place. There was no good sense scratching up his place. "This one is your show Michael. You tell me where you want me to be and I will be there. Overwatch or right next to you." He was extremely happy that Michael could take the spotlight and run on this one. The success of any teammate was good soup for his soul.

Michael scratched his chin. “Considering this sort of jamming tech is your bag, I would feel better if you were along in some sort of capacity. Mistral can be oversight ready to pull us out if need be. Fate can join as well if she is ready and willing. Her investigative skills would be invaluable for possible traps and ambushes.”

Fate nodded her head in response to Michael. "Happy to help. If I can be of use then I'm there. I'll be following your lead."

 With Fate, Michael, and Noah in the car, Point Break took them back to the apartment complex that Michael had originally been protecting. It did not seem as though the original inhabitants still lived there just from a faraway glance.

 The vehicle was parked a fair bit away in a location that would not draw sniper fire to allow the group one last chance to speak before acting.

Point Break checked to make sure his pistol was loaded, though he hoped there would be no need for it. He was the spitting image of Sal, right down to the tailored blue suit, and the way he wore his holster under the jacket. "Please, call me Sal. Calling me Point Break in public might complicate both my life, and his."

Noah leaned in to give Point Break a close inspection. Point Break was the last of two of his line with the death and revival of the twins. It was his best work to date and could fool even supernatural senses just shy of master or elder levels. "As you wish Sal. Has Sal been keeping you charged and well socialized?" He looked at Michael, "It's kind of a hit or miss that people don't know Synths need people. Being around people for them is like a spa day, sitting back with a good book. It's amazingly healthy for them."

He quit fussing over Sal. "Do I need to set up spells or anything? Normally my method of dealing with Hunters is to avoid them so no one gets hurt."

Mistral remained behind in the chilly hallow cave beneath the obsidian pyramid in the French Alps, but before parting with the others she said evenly, “I shall observer à distance, but I am never far.  Should intervention be required, I will be prepared.”  She declined to elaborate, but the cabal was well-aware by now that ‘intervention’ from Mistral could mean an unknowable array of impossible distortions of space.  At the least they could be assured that a quick escape was always available, and that hostiles may be made to simply vanish upon request.  Just before the others departed, she spoke a few cryptic words over Michael, Sal and Point Break that had no visible effect.  Mistral again declined to explain, as was her way.

Once the others were away, Mistral knelt beside the placid subterranean pool that thrummed with latent power, breath smoking in the chill subterranean air.  She withdrew from nothingness a small, rectangular gift box and regarded it for several long moments.  She then opened it and removed from within a long, thin strip of otherworldly fabric.  Mistral ran a hand along the silken cloth, then brought it to her face and bound it around her eyes like a blindfold.

Then, she set to work.

Fate had wasted no time and, unknowingly to the ones around her, she cast a spell on herself before they left the vehicle.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:04, Tue 02 Nov 2021.

Point Break smiles, and says, "Sal treats me very well. He says that if he's a person, so am I, and since he's responsible for my creation, that makes him my father, in a way. The only downside is, since we can't be spotted in public together, that we don't spend much time together outside the mansion. But when I'm running his day-to-day public affairs, I get to spend time amongst all kinds of people."

Michael considered Noah’s question before responding. “You all can cast spells on yourselves but not me. No doubt they will have means to locate and disrupt magic or turn them on their casters. I should be the wildcard in that situation. They will have snipers and other Hunters in the surrounding buildings. I expect wards to be activated around the area to block off escape once we enter within a block of the area. Sal, Fate, and I should go in with Noah as back up. Should things go wrong, Noah would he in a position to disrupt wards and reinforcements from the outside.”

Sal replied, "Sounds good to me. However, if I'm jammed, I'll need to return to the car. In that case, I'll help however I can from outside the jamming radius."

“Let’s keep you in the car instead then. There’s no guarantee you would be able to get back if you were jammed.”

"You're the boss!" Point Break says cheerfully. He had inherited Sal's enthusiasm for new experiences... only, so many things were new to him.

 Mistral found that her spell now fought against her when Michael was targeted (though she still managed to cast it). Now Michael, Fate, and Noah made their way toward the hideout (or to wherver they're planning on going). Much of the rubble leading up to this place had been cleaned bu the area surrounding the haven was still in disrepair.

OOC: How do you want to approach this?

Michael got out of the car and started to make his way around to the other side of the block. Taking a direct route might lead the Hunters to find the car easier. He looked over at Fate. “Keep your eyes open for any sigils or mines that may be in the area. We’ll go down then cycle back around to the front. Then I’ll knock on the door.”

As the ambassadorial envoy approached the site, Mistral reported her own forward observations over the earpiece, "The structure is occupied by some dozen personnes in different rooms, possibly innocents..."  She reported on the general layout of the building, number of floors and the locations of exits and potential lookout points.  "There are three individuals present with exceptional auras, and...  Bordel de merde."  The French curse carried a degree of surprise and dismay that was uncharacteristic for the normally unflappable Mistral.  After a heavy silence, she reported, "I am obliged at times to report impossibilités absurdes to this cabal, and this is one such time.  Better that you see this yourselves.  I am sending imagerie mentale in ten seconds.  Do not be alarmed."

After a count of ten a mystical view window appeared at the edges of each of the ambassador's sight, perceptible only to them.  The window cycled through imagery of three specific individuals, capable hunters by the look of them, followed by highlights of the weapons wielded by each: two swords and a spear, all ancient.  Mistral reported over the earpiece, "These are the individuals and their weaponry, which are notable.  Ascalon, the dragon-slaying spear of Saint-Georges.  Gram, the sword with which the hero Sigurd slew the dragon Fafnir.  The latter sword is... Excalibur.  Oui, the one you have heard of, and non, I do not tell jokes.  It would seem that you are expected, mon dragon."  The supernal HUD faded away, and then three figures faintly lit up in the direction of the hideout, colored outlines overlaid on the cabal's respective visual fields.  The colors seemed to highlight the locations of each of the three artifact-wielding figures in world-space, showing through all visual obstacles.  "I have highlighted each of these individuals so you may be aware of their emplacements at all times.  This imagerie mentale may be ended at any time, if desired."

The wielder of Ascalon was highlighted in yellow, the wielder of Gram in red, and the wielder of Excalibur in blue.

---

OOC: if anybody wants to resist the hallucinatory HUD imagery, you just need 1 success on Composure + power stat.  Otherwise, you can ask and it'll go away ;P
This message was last edited by the player at 19:22, Wed 03 Nov 2021.

Fate kept her eyes sharp as she watched their surroundings. Keeping her eyes moving from the ground to what was around them in near every direction. She appreciated Mistral's assist with pointing out the figures and as soon as she had Fate's eyes were pinned, but still moving at every sign of movement.

 The area approaching the front of the building seemed to be fine. No traps or unwanted sigils. However, the same could not be said for the sides or the back. All approaches other than the front were heavily warded and lethally trapped.

 It was hard to see anything else now that the outlines of the hunters with weapons of legend were imprinted on their vision, but Fate still managed to see movement in one of the topmost windows.

 The group could now see the outlined hunters getting up and heading downstairs. It seems that they were being expected.

"Well there's no doubt that there's people in the building." She says not slowing her watchful eyes for one moment.

Michael nodded in agreement. He had his sword at the ready but resting on his shoulder as he approached. They stopped about fifteen feet from the front door.

"I have never been outclassed when it comes to gear before. This is a new and very unsettling feeling... Dragon slaying weapons and the fuck mothering sword of the lake." He made sure to be in human form with that mana star cane of his. He was back a bit to provide support as needed.


20:59, Today: Noah rolled 5 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 10(+10,4),5,8,6,3,10(+4),9.  sneaky dragon. To just kinda fade into the background.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:04, Thu 04 Nov 2021.

 About ten seconds pass before the door opens. In the doorway stood Adrian Voscal, the same man Michael had met before. "So a Witch, a Warlock, and a Dragon walk into a Hunter's den... please enlighten me as to how you see this joke ending."

Michael shrugged. “A mutually beneficial agreement, at least a temporary one. To illustrate my point, why do you think I joined them in the first place? A Hunter joining a group of individuals that he had for years killed members of their kind? A follow up question is this: why would the army request us to deal with a supernatural threat that wiped out a whole squadron in seconds?”