The man blinks, "yessir! We can help."

 Moments later documents are signed, Asar's caligraphical signature and appropriate post date placed onto the notary. The man also signs it as a representative of the port authority and the deed is done. He whistles over the side of the ship and several harbor security begin boarding the vessel. The man thanked Asar thoroughly, attempting to shake his hand vigorously, but unable to move the big man's arm, until Asar remembered this colloquialism of present day. Each of you get a pat on the back as the man begins spreading the word.

It is only a half hour until the train departs and all of your Mauretania gear will have been moved to the train yard for loading by now. The train leaves at twelve midnight!

OOC: Everyone gets a +10 to their popularity.

 Go ahead and feel free to post your boarding when you're ready.

In reply to Asar Uludu (msg # 27):

Nathaniel thinks a moment. He took this magic business pretty seriously, and wasn't one for flippant answers.

"I've only performed the act a handful of time, but I believe I can weave us a shadow to cover our movements. And I can also, possibly, cover the moon with clouds if it is bright. That should be enough so long as we aren't being actively observed."

When the time comes to board the train, Nathaniel sees about whether there are any higher-class accommodations available. An entire car, if possible, for him and his new friends. If he'd had some time, he'd have been able to arrange for several private cars. But now he would do what he could.

Asar, Nathaniel, and companions sneak out into the night to take a look at that warehouse. Once there, Asar will try his Telekinesis to unlock side door bolt locks or get everybody onto the roof and gain entrance through a window. When light is needed he provides it.

"What are we looking for Nate,", he whispers.

 OOC: Assuming everyone boards eventually and the next stop being Paris, everyone has a chance to disembark to stretch for a four hour layover. So post your presence in the thread to explain your choice to stay or go. Those who stay can interact in the train station if you like.

Warehouse district, Paris, France

 The warehouse appears to be in solid shape but quite old, it appears to be made from wood and rough hewn stone packed with mortar. The front door is lit only by the moon. Lanterns move around the streets, some police foot patrols or the odd drunkard is the majority of the traffic at this early hour of 4:30 am.

 Asar helps people get to the roof after trying to use his telekinesis unsuccessfully to unbolt the door, he forgot that seeing his target would make this much easier. The window on the roof is easy enough to jimmy however and the team drops into an office area that adjoins the main body of the warehouse. There are four desks against each wall and some filing cabinets. There's two doors, one going north and the other east and presumably into the warehouse. No sound can be heard at the moment other than the sound of your own breathing. The air feels dusty like no one's been here in a while.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:44, Mon 30 Nov 2020.

Preferring not to use his powers if he can avoid it, Phoenix had armed himself with his Colt m1892/1903 New Army revolver in its leather appearing holster and a pouch containing four speedloaders on his belt, while a shoulder holster hold his issued Colt m1900 semi-automatic and four spare magazines.
Having prepared himself to climb a ladder or a wall to get up to the roof, finding himself suddenly there is a little disorienting at first.  But then he considers that he flies often enough under his own power.  He follows the others inside and down below, keeping his eyes peeled for any problems that may show up.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:08, Tue 01 Dec 2020.

Nate, in the office, looks around.

"I'm not sure exactly what we're looking for. The statue in the hold of the Neustria, I was following its sale, and I traced it to this warehouse, where the buyer was supposed to meet with the man I was following. That man turned out to be a pretty hardened mercenary."

He pauses.

"I'm hoping we might speak with the buyer to find out what he knew about the statue, if anything, and what he wanted with it."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:03, Tue 01 Dec 2020.

Ace stood around looking like the innocent American and keeping watch. If anyone happened along asking the wrong questions, he would try to distract them long enough for his partners to vacate the premises. It would be easy enough to weave a tale of lost tourists trying to find their way back to the train depot.

In reply to Nathaniel Roivas (msg # 36):

Then perhaps hanging around an office is not going to get us that information, Phoenix says.  Unless you want to search for a bill of sale.  Where would you meet with someone for a clandestine sale in a warehouse like this?

18:07, Today: Phoenix rolled 46 using 1d100.  Gd Reason, +1 CS Detective/Espionage.

This message was last edited by the player at 23:08, Tue 01 Dec 2020.

OOC: Phoenix can tell from the layout he's seen from the outside that the main body of the warehouse is probably where you want to go. You could also see if there is any other items here. Otherwise it'd be in the back of the warehouse away from prying eyes but with the cargo for a clean swap.

 Ace waits outside and finds few crossing down the quiet street. The odd foot patrol seems to be the most likely scenario as you've seen a few walking down adjoining streets. The moon is beginning to go down now, though day is still at least a few hours away, so it's getting rather darker out than before.

 Those in the office are seeing that the room is basically been unused for maybe years but at least six months based on the amount of dust here. The floor looks relatively clean aside from a few cigarette butts and waste can. The filing cabinets yield few clues except some kingdom none of you had heard of before this. The Kingdom of Latveria owned this warehouse, which most of you will gather from prior cursory dealings with diplomatic affairs, makes this land the ownership of said kingdom, much like an Embassy might.

 From further within the dark warehouse you hear the crack of a whip and a man's voice cry out in pain.

As the whip cracks Asar's head whips around to identify the sound.

"Looks like there is somebody that could use a hero, but probably a good idea to have the living flame thrower in reserve unless you want to confront 'them' as a pair."

He leaves the decision to Phoenix as to what strategy to take and heads off to find out what is going on. He intentionally does not stomp, but he wants to get to a position to see what is going on quickly. He doesn't go at full speed, only fast enough that Phoenix would have to sprint to keep up with him.

At the sound of the cracking whip, Phoenix turns to directionalize the sound.  I think we have a clue to what's goin' on, he says.
At Asar's suggestion they go investigate, Phoenix smiles.  Right with ya, Buddy.  He follows the big man out of the office and down the hall.

Having not been a part of the warehouse planning session, Angok was left unawares when the group went off on their mission. As a result, he was left to his own devices while the others did their investigating. With his head lowered and his collar pulled up high, he exited the train and quickly looked for an alley where he could hide his clothes. He then shifts his form to that of an innocuous cat and starts to wander around the platform, looking for anyone or anything that might be interesting, especially if they happen to resemble the gentlemen he'd seen in Marseilles.

"Wait," Nathaniel says as his companions prepare to leave the office, "Wait, please, my friends. Before we go. I know an incantation that may offer some assistance. It helps me to know things that I could not otherwise learn. It is not without its dangers, however."

Nate's hands moved in complicated gestures and he whispered a number of thick guttural phrases. His eyes turn completely black and thin wisps of black mist drift from his pores.

Inside his head, he is connecting to everything that the Darkforce Dimension touches. Which is basically everything. And he is dipping his awareness into that flood of knowledge and trying to pull out this one singe thing.

It is very difficult. And taxing.

OOC:
Using Cosmic Awareness to get a glimpse of what we're walking into.
93! Red FEAT.

OOC: Let's roll for Initiative, except for Angok and Luminary at this point.

 Outside, Ace sees a pack of stray dogs moving up the road at a high gallop, towards him or past him he hoped. Though he was certain their barking would attract unwanted attention if they didn't give it up soon...

 If the Asar and James pause long enough to allow Nathaniel to do his thing, they would see his eyes begin to glow with a black flame coronating a purple shine dazzling in his irises like amethysts. Suddenly he encompasses the warehouse, knows everything in it. His conscious mind has to sift through the noise, navigate the meaningless details, finally he has to intend a target of some type. This appeared easy on the outset, as he sought to trace the sound and makes sense of what his awareness encompassed, however as he sought it difficulty began to mount as the crack of the whip was becoming indistinguishable to other noises reverberating though his unnatural omnipresent vantage point. However it was just when he thought he'd lose that sound that he homed in on another related sound vibration, a whisper with a thick Eastern European accent, "you failed and allowed da cargo to be seized?"

 Using this as an anchor, Nathaniel pulls back a bit to take in the full vista of the scene he'd localized in it's entirety. It's the warehouse main floor. A single candle lights the area, but Nathaniel can see it all. Cargo boxes filled the large building and this nook was a perfect place to sit in waiting without being seen from the outside and away from any windows. No light escaped the area and the two men at odds in it's center. The one kneeling looks no better than Nathaniel himself and perhaps even a bit worse, all skin and bones. It is the mercenary sent with the statue. He'd survived the Neustria curse too!

 The man standing over him was a large and imposing man, a mane of black hair covered both his head, mustache and beard down to his clavicle. He looked and seemed, cruel and mean, yet somehow well pressed and regal. Indeed the insignia inside his long coat read Latverian Guard. His voice rumbled out quietly, "The King will be very displeased, yet, perhaps your endurance has given you a new opportunity to redeem yourself. I sense we are soon discovered..."

OOC: I'm assuming Nathan is relaying this to the others in the office for the sake of brevity once again.

*****

 Angok walked through the busy train depot for half an hour, sampling a bit of this and that, mostly delicious scents and aromas from the cafe's but also from the bakery and pastry shoppes as they began to wake up, but occasionally someone left something sugary as they made their way through the station too. On some levels it was also very chaotic in a way that the Hollow man had rarely witnessed with the teeming masses of human bodies that had begun to fill the station before long.

 Just as he had begun to think about finding his clothes and dragging them back to the train, Angok found a young man hobbling along on an amputated foot. He was loosely following a group of young street kids who had careened ahead of him. They surrounded a businessman headed for a train concourse and began to rifled through his pockets as they ran by, the man obviously felt harassed and began to get salty, swatting at them. The young boy drew a knife from his crutch and actually hissed under his breathe at the grownup he was heading towards.

Straining to maintain his focus and his sense of self, Nathaniel's face breaks out in a sheen of sweat. He forces his awareness to stay in the warehouse, on the scene before him, even as the semi-sentient nature of the Darkforce tempts him away, lures him with other pictures and scenes. What really happened to your sister? Which of your relatives has tried to have you committed to steal your fortune? What horrid beings plot your demise? Who has betrayed you? Who has lied to you? How close are you, really, to madness?

But he gritted his teeth and tried to extend his senses to get a better view of the warehouse and surrounding area.

Does the Latvian have any guards or soldiers with him?

Is there an obvious vehicle that he came in, or that he will leave in?

Does the Latvian have any weapons?

Do either of these men have any 'special' talents that aren't immediately apparent?

He related what he saw to the others, in short sentences, his voice showing the strain of effort.


OOC:
Initiative: 77
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Sun 06 Dec 2020.

"Interesting, but I think we need to find certain things out....which means we must confront them."

He heads off to do just that.

14:25, Today: Secret Roll: Asar Uludu rolled 110 using 1d100+16.  Inish.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:25, Sun 06 Dec 2020.

With a nod of agreement, Phoenix follows the bigger man, pulling the Colt Army revolver from his holster and holding it at the ready.

21:44, Today: Phoenix rolled 96 using 1d100+16.  Initiative.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Mon 07 Dec 2020.

 Ms.S waited as Nathaniel read the tea leaves so to speak and uttered strange occultic phrases, if he was in any danger she'd try to cover it while Asar and Phoenix moved to meet the culprits...
 OOC: Assuming that Asar and Phoenix are sticking to the main points of their original posts(moving quietly to try and get the drop) with the addition of Phoenix readying an action.

 Asar and Phoenix rush ahead having heard what they needed in the moment, but that was done. Now was the time to act. The purposely try not to create a lot of noise, and in that regard they are successful. The stairs down to the main floor of the warehouse were rickety but still held even against the weight of Asar's large frame, though they create a small creak on the last step. The pair navigate the dusty interior of the warehouse, much of cargo looked like goods from the west. They moved quickly if not exactly as hushed as they'd hoped and not at their full speeds.

 The pair could see the hint of a glowing candle and hear a >womp< sound ahead and round the corner to see the young man, bare chested and on all fours in pain two slashed whip marks on his back openly bleeding. The skinny unshaven man speaks in quiet but gravelly Italian, "è andato. Non ho la forza per combatterti. Voglio solo tornare a casa. Solo lui non me lo permette. Just, let me go."

OOC: Roll me some sweet Intuition rolls if you want to continue to search. Roll me some detection rolls if you want to use them instead and for good measure roll me two more black box d100 roll checks each of you. *_*

 Ace sees the dogs pause and turn around yelping, running from some unseen force within the warehouse he'd guess. Sometimes the spark of electricity or high frequencies had this effect on dogs extraordinary hearing...

 Angok sees this little station drama begin to unfold. The little street kid continued his slow but steady pace towards the scene where the kids were harassing the businessman and one manages to lift his pocketbook out and wave it around, dancing just beyond his reach. Somewhere further off, a whistle sounds as the commotion begins to draw attention.

OOC: Order of initiative next round: Asar, Enemy, Phoenix, Nate, Ms.S, Ace, (At the train station: Angok, Geo,Luminary)
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:17, Mon 07 Dec 2020.

Without even a thought about it, Phoenix switches to his thermographic vision.  He turns in a circle to scan the area for heat signatures.  He has the revolver held pointed down in both hands, ready to bring up to fire it.

16:20, Today: Phoenix rolled 46 using 1d100.  Black box roll.

16:20, Today: Phoenix rolled 71 using 1d100.  Black box roll.

16:20, Today: Phoenix rolled 84 using 1d100.  Exc16 Intuition for Perception.

Asar looks around using his own skills of observation. Some are keener than others. The man on the ground is almost forgotten, but Asar looks that man over anyways to be thorough.

"Stay where you are please."

17:09, Today: Asar Uludu rolled 100 using 1d100.  Intuition. RED
17:09, Today: Asar Uludu rolled 9 using 1d100.  Detect Powers. WHITE
17:09, Today: Asar Uludu rolled 86 using 1d100.  Black Box 1. Unknown
17:09, Today: Asar Uludu rolled 1 using 1d100.  Black Box 2. Unknown
WOW, a 100 and a 1 in the same group of rolls!!!!!
This message was last edited by the player at 23:41, Mon 07 Dec 2020.

OOC: We'll keep initiative from last round for next round. Please continue initiative rolls as well, until we wrap up this segment.

 Aside from the man, the area is devoid of anything interesting. The candle and the man were the only heat signatures that Phoenix could detect however, Asar's powers could detect a spattering of residual energies from the departure of the bedraggled man's boss through some sort of rift. Not enough to get much of anything else from, however it did leave the distinct tang of metal in the air. The shadows concealed nothing else that the pair could see. Asar quickly scans the rafters and the adjoining rows to the nook and saw nothing, he was quite certain.

 The man however was beginning to look different now however and it quickly became alarming to Asar. Asar could tell a power was being used but was at a total loss as to what it could be, it was some kind of power like his, but it put out no energy or, rather, it was their own familiar energies beginning to flow from the fellow.

 Asar looks gobsmacked for a moment and disturbed, could this somehow be him?

 He stands up, and a glowing field begins to wrap around the trio. Both of you catch sight of the glow of sparks from within his mouth as though he's chewed on a telegraph line before swallowing something and finally he reaches out towards both of you as his physique begins changing before your very eyes. He was becoming physically like the imposing Asar...

 Phoenix has just enough time to pull the trigger before the transformation would be complete and he does so now, knowing he might not get many more options. He shoots and he hits, penetrating into a deep recess of his quickly barrel chested frame. He coughs hard when it hits center mass, probably a lung. "Why couldn't you all just leave me alone," Looks up at Phoenix, and his eyes begin to roll back into his head and he drops. Veins were pulsing wildly all across his exposed skin, strange to say the least and it marked him as alive but, at least for now, unconscious.

 One problem seems to be that the field doesn't seem to come down though. A quick test appears that it's some kind of force field, not unlike Ace's.

OOC: Order of initiative next round: Asar, Enemy, Phoenix, Nate, Ms.S, Ace, (At the train station: Angok, Geo,Luminary)

Nathaniel, for the moment finished communing with the darkness eternal that lies beneath the world of life and light, enter the warehouse just in time to see Phoenix shoot the man down, but the force field stay up.

"Let me try something..."

He summons the energies he usually uses to manipulate Darkforce, but uses it instead on the force field, trying turn one section into a solid mass, that could then be removed.

OOC:
I have no idea if this will work, since a force field is already solid. But if I use Energy Solidification on it, could I make a chunk that we could then knock down?

Initiative: 42
This message was last edited by the player at 13:17, Fri 11 Dec 2020.

OOC: I'm working off the assumption that energy solidifications can mean more than one thing, so let's let the dice decide if it's possible. Coin toss: Heads = It can, Tails = It can't.

Arbiter rolled 2 using 1d2.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:23, Sat 12 Dec 2020.

UPDATE!

 Nathaniel tried to train the darkforce to absorb the shield and solidify it, but it felt like something was interfering with the transformation he was attempting. As he tried his darkforce spread across the field a number of times like black syrup being poured over ice. However as he tried to puzzle out how to get out is that the little creature, the denizen from the abyss was still in Nathaniel's jacket pocket, it furiously trying to get out to see what was happening or whatever it sought. He had become quite the little nuisance, but now he seemed determined to get out and was practically breaking the button holding it closed inside his coat.

 Inside the shield things were starting to look bleak for Asar, Phoenix and the skinny mercenary. The shield slowly began to shrink at a rate of about a foot every few seconds. They had about ten (turns) before they were gonna be crushed. It seemed that the kid was so pumped that even unconscious he couldn't let go immediately, was that the result of whatever he swallowed?

 In a last ditch effort to see if she could lend her own talents, Ms.S begins an Eastern martial arts kata, evidently building up to a massive strike perhaps at a guess.

****

 Ace saw lanterns heading up the street towards the warehouse. It was a police patrol, two stocky men began to move up the street in the darkness. It was a cloudy morning so far though even the moon wouldn't help them too much. However Ace could see perfectly with a keen eye for details, such as the billy clubs they carried, and the fact that they were already wet, your first thought was blood...

OOC: Here's a little more to help out!
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:59, Sat 12 Dec 2020.

Asar had seemed stunned by what his senses were telling him. However, the danger that his friends were in took him out of it. Mentally, he immediately put up Force-field inside of the forcefield that was collapsing to at least slow it down. Then, because he knew modern cities were often built on old cities he went down to one knee and punched the floor. He was hoping the warehouse had a basement, but if not, he was hoping that the various sewer systems that modern and old cities had went below the warehouse on it's way out to the harbor. If he could break through to it, they would have an escape, even if the forcefield failed.